[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 11th of December, 2016, the 3rd Sunday in Advent. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
The last few weeks, we have been looking at the prophecy of Isaiah where he foretells of the coming of the Messiah, clearly describing Jesus. Today I’d like to look at the words of encouragement Isaiah offers as we await the coming of our Savior, not only His birth here at Christmas but also His return. Through the prophet, God tells of a few things that will come to pass when our Lord comes.
Listen and follow along as I read from Isaiah chapter 35, verses 1 through 6, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
Listen and follow along as I read from Isaiah chapter 35, verses 1 through 6, from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
1 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
--Isaiah 35:1-6 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, we have come together this morning to worship You, and to listen for Your voice speaking quietly to us. Help us to hear and to understand Your word and Your will for each of us, that we might better honor You and glorify Your name. In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Preacher and author A. W. Tozer once wrote: “What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call ‘Our Father Which Art in Heaven’.”
Author James Packer adds this about worship: “To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity ‘glorifying God’ or ‘giving glory to God’, and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man.
“Scripture views the glorifying of God as a six-fold activity: praising God for all that he is and all his achievements; thanking him for his gifts and his goodness to us; asking him to meet our own and others' needs; offering him our gifts, our service, and ourselves; learning of him from his word, read and preached, and obeying his voice; telling others of his worth, both by public confession and testimony to what he has done for us. Thus we might say that the basic formulas of worship are these: ‘Lord, you are wonderful’; ‘Thank you, Lord’; ‘Please Lord’; ‘Take this, Lord’; ‘Yes, Lord’; ‘Listen everybody!’”
Tozer said that our worship of God is not only what we feel in our heart, but what we express outwardly, in some appropriate manner. Packer views glorifying God as our whole duty. And he gives us six ways to express our worship: By praising God for what He has done for us; by thanking Him for all He has given us; by asking for His help for ourselves and for others; by giving back to Him of our resources, our talents, and our time; by studying His word and learning all we can about Him and His Son Jesus, so that we can build an ever stronger relationship with Him; and by sharing the Good News of our salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter. How many of us consider Bible Study a form of worship? Packer lists it right up there with singing praises to God on Sunday mornings.
We worship God because we understand and acknowledge exactly who He is and what He has done. As Isaiah says in the 2nd verse of our scripture reading, we have seen the glory of the Lord. But for most of the people who came to believe in Jesus while He walked this earth, and for all believers since that time, our seeing the glory of the Lord only comes from hindsight.
There are exceptions of course. Do you remember the visit Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, made to her relative Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s reaction upon seeing Mary? Elizabeth, and the child within her that we know became John the Baptist, they immediately recognized that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God.
And Mary herself knew she was blessed, and she related her feelings in the beautiful song we call the Magnificat. Listen to part of that song, from the Gospel account of the Apostle Luke, chapter 1, verses 46 and 47 and 50 through 53…
Preacher and author A. W. Tozer once wrote: “What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call ‘Our Father Which Art in Heaven’.”
Author James Packer adds this about worship: “To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity ‘glorifying God’ or ‘giving glory to God’, and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man.
“Scripture views the glorifying of God as a six-fold activity: praising God for all that he is and all his achievements; thanking him for his gifts and his goodness to us; asking him to meet our own and others' needs; offering him our gifts, our service, and ourselves; learning of him from his word, read and preached, and obeying his voice; telling others of his worth, both by public confession and testimony to what he has done for us. Thus we might say that the basic formulas of worship are these: ‘Lord, you are wonderful’; ‘Thank you, Lord’; ‘Please Lord’; ‘Take this, Lord’; ‘Yes, Lord’; ‘Listen everybody!’”
Tozer said that our worship of God is not only what we feel in our heart, but what we express outwardly, in some appropriate manner. Packer views glorifying God as our whole duty. And he gives us six ways to express our worship: By praising God for what He has done for us; by thanking Him for all He has given us; by asking for His help for ourselves and for others; by giving back to Him of our resources, our talents, and our time; by studying His word and learning all we can about Him and His Son Jesus, so that we can build an ever stronger relationship with Him; and by sharing the Good News of our salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone we encounter. How many of us consider Bible Study a form of worship? Packer lists it right up there with singing praises to God on Sunday mornings.
We worship God because we understand and acknowledge exactly who He is and what He has done. As Isaiah says in the 2nd verse of our scripture reading, we have seen the glory of the Lord. But for most of the people who came to believe in Jesus while He walked this earth, and for all believers since that time, our seeing the glory of the Lord only comes from hindsight.
There are exceptions of course. Do you remember the visit Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, made to her relative Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s reaction upon seeing Mary? Elizabeth, and the child within her that we know became John the Baptist, they immediately recognized that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God.
And Mary herself knew she was blessed, and she related her feelings in the beautiful song we call the Magnificat. Listen to part of that song, from the Gospel account of the Apostle Luke, chapter 1, verses 46 and 47 and 50 through 53…
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
50 “And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.”
--Luke 1:46-47, 50-53 (NKJV)
Mary has seen the glory of the Lord, and she magnifies that glory through her own soul. She acknowledges all that God has done for His people through the ages. And she recognizes He will continue to show His great mercy to all those who fear Him, who love and respect Him and His word.
Mary and Elizabeth easily saw God’s glory, but others needed a little more convincing. Such was the case for two followers of the imprisoned John the Baptist. Listen to a brief exchange between them and Jesus, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in his Gospel account, chapter 11, verses 2 through 6…
Did you recognize some of what Jesus said there? We heard part of His list of accomplishments in our reading from Isaiah, and even from Mary’s declaration. When those two disciples of John the Baptist left Jesus, I bet they better understood the glory of the Lord.
As I said, not everyone in Jesus’ day nor anyone since saw the glory of our Lord Jesus first hand. Mary and Elizabeth knew immediately, John’s two disciples probably got it, those who followed Jesus during His walk on earth eventually caught on. But so very many more never saw the glory of the Lord while He lived among them.
And those of us since He ascended back into heaven can only see His glory in our studies and readings of God’s word. We can only see His glory through what He has done in our lives. We cannot really see Him, face to face. But if we take Isaiah’s words literally, then we shall see Him, in all His glory, with our own eyes. In verse 5 he promises that even the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they too can see Him.
Isaiah also foretells that the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, the tongue of the mute will be released so they can sing, the lame will leap like a deer, and all will share in the glory of the Lord. The waters shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams shall flow in the desert, all to glorify the Lord.
Can we honestly say that all of what Isaiah foretold has happened yet? Some of it sure, some of the time. Especially the parts where the prophet spoke of Jesus, our Messiah, and His coming to us as a baby, born of a virgin, who came to serve rather than be served. And yes, some folks who were blinded have been given sight and some who were deaf can now hear.
But not all blind can see, not all deaf can hear, not all mute can talk, not all lame can walk. Not yet, at any rate. Waters have been known to flow even in the driest desert… for a little while, but certainly not always. So was Isaiah wrong in his predictions? Could he have been misguided?
If we take a somewhat worldly approach to Isaiah’s writings, we would be amazed at just how accurate he was at predicting hundreds of years into the future. But we have far better than a worldly view into Isaiah’s prophecy, for we know that he was simply relaying the words God gave him to share with His chosen people. Isaiah himself didn’t just predict all these things would happen – God told him they would!
God can see across the centuries pretty much like we can see across the room, except with 20-20 vision. He knows what will happen to in our future. If all that Isaiah foretold hasn’t happened yet, it will, because God said it would. And as King Hezekiah observed, what God says is good. We shall see the glory of our Lord, with our own eyes, when He returns to reclaim His church and bring true peace on earth!
In Advent, we not only await the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the first coming of our Messiah, we also anticipate His return, the second coming of our Lord. The trouble is, we don’t have any idea how long that wait might be. Isaiah foretold the coming of the Baby Jesus over 700 years before that momentous birth. And now, nearly 2000 years have passed since His death, resurrection, and ascension. Yet still we await His triumphant return and His great victory over the forces of evil. How much longer must we wait? When will God’s promise finally be fulfilled?
We don’t know. We’re not supposed to know. That’s what faith is all about: trusting in God’s word. James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus, offers us encouragement as we wait, in chapter 5 of his epistle, verses 7 through 10…
Be patient, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. And I love his analogy… look at how a farmer patiently waits for the precious fruit to emerge from the earth.
But James also cautions that while we wait, we must not grumble, either at God or against one another. For when Jesus returns, He will not only come as a Conqueror over all that is evil, He will also stand as Judge over every one of us – over all of mankind.
In this third week of Advent, we’re starting to get fully into all the excitement of Christmas and the birth of our King. And that’s good, because the birth of Jesus and all that event represents is truly worthy of our celebration! Just as Jesus is worthy of our worship.
But let’s also celebrate that event which has yet to come, that has been promised for so long. Let’s wait joyfully, patiently, for what God says will come to pass. And while we wait, let’s not grumble or complain. For soon, we shall see the glory of the Lord.
Let all the earth rejoice. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, Your word is good. Everything You ever promised has come to pass. We have no reason to doubt that the words You spoke through Your prophet Isaiah won’t come true. We truly believe that someday soon, we shall behold Your full glory, in all its magnificence. Someday soon all You have promised will be fulfilled when You send Your Son back to this earth.
Hear us now, Father, here in the silence of this holy place, as we raise our heartfelt prayers to You as part of our worship, speaking through Your Holy Spirit, repenting of our disobedience to You, seeking Your help and Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, You came to us as a helpless little baby, born into the lowliest of settings. Some were able to understand the truth and see You in all Your glory. The rest of us will have to wait until Your return to see the glory of our Lord with our own eyes. Until that wonderful day, Lord, help us be patient. Gently remind us when we grumble or complain that a far better tomorrow awaits us if we only remain faithful and true. Help us be gracious to one another, as we await Your second coming as joyfully as we await the celebration of Your birth.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
Mary and Elizabeth easily saw God’s glory, but others needed a little more convincing. Such was the case for two followers of the imprisoned John the Baptist. Listen to a brief exchange between them and Jesus, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in his Gospel account, chapter 11, verses 2 through 6…
2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
--Matthew 11:2-6 (NKJV)
As I said, not everyone in Jesus’ day nor anyone since saw the glory of our Lord Jesus first hand. Mary and Elizabeth knew immediately, John’s two disciples probably got it, those who followed Jesus during His walk on earth eventually caught on. But so very many more never saw the glory of the Lord while He lived among them.
And those of us since He ascended back into heaven can only see His glory in our studies and readings of God’s word. We can only see His glory through what He has done in our lives. We cannot really see Him, face to face. But if we take Isaiah’s words literally, then we shall see Him, in all His glory, with our own eyes. In verse 5 he promises that even the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they too can see Him.
Isaiah also foretells that the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, the tongue of the mute will be released so they can sing, the lame will leap like a deer, and all will share in the glory of the Lord. The waters shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams shall flow in the desert, all to glorify the Lord.
Can we honestly say that all of what Isaiah foretold has happened yet? Some of it sure, some of the time. Especially the parts where the prophet spoke of Jesus, our Messiah, and His coming to us as a baby, born of a virgin, who came to serve rather than be served. And yes, some folks who were blinded have been given sight and some who were deaf can now hear.
But not all blind can see, not all deaf can hear, not all mute can talk, not all lame can walk. Not yet, at any rate. Waters have been known to flow even in the driest desert… for a little while, but certainly not always. So was Isaiah wrong in his predictions? Could he have been misguided?
If we take a somewhat worldly approach to Isaiah’s writings, we would be amazed at just how accurate he was at predicting hundreds of years into the future. But we have far better than a worldly view into Isaiah’s prophecy, for we know that he was simply relaying the words God gave him to share with His chosen people. Isaiah himself didn’t just predict all these things would happen – God told him they would!
God can see across the centuries pretty much like we can see across the room, except with 20-20 vision. He knows what will happen to in our future. If all that Isaiah foretold hasn’t happened yet, it will, because God said it would. And as King Hezekiah observed, what God says is good. We shall see the glory of our Lord, with our own eyes, when He returns to reclaim His church and bring true peace on earth!
In Advent, we not only await the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the first coming of our Messiah, we also anticipate His return, the second coming of our Lord. The trouble is, we don’t have any idea how long that wait might be. Isaiah foretold the coming of the Baby Jesus over 700 years before that momentous birth. And now, nearly 2000 years have passed since His death, resurrection, and ascension. Yet still we await His triumphant return and His great victory over the forces of evil. How much longer must we wait? When will God’s promise finally be fulfilled?
We don’t know. We’re not supposed to know. That’s what faith is all about: trusting in God’s word. James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus, offers us encouragement as we wait, in chapter 5 of his epistle, verses 7 through 10…
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
--James 5:7-10 (NKJV)
But James also cautions that while we wait, we must not grumble, either at God or against one another. For when Jesus returns, He will not only come as a Conqueror over all that is evil, He will also stand as Judge over every one of us – over all of mankind.
In this third week of Advent, we’re starting to get fully into all the excitement of Christmas and the birth of our King. And that’s good, because the birth of Jesus and all that event represents is truly worthy of our celebration! Just as Jesus is worthy of our worship.
But let’s also celebrate that event which has yet to come, that has been promised for so long. Let’s wait joyfully, patiently, for what God says will come to pass. And while we wait, let’s not grumble or complain. For soon, we shall see the glory of the Lord.
Let all the earth rejoice. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, Your word is good. Everything You ever promised has come to pass. We have no reason to doubt that the words You spoke through Your prophet Isaiah won’t come true. We truly believe that someday soon, we shall behold Your full glory, in all its magnificence. Someday soon all You have promised will be fulfilled when You send Your Son back to this earth.
Hear us now, Father, here in the silence of this holy place, as we raise our heartfelt prayers to You as part of our worship, speaking through Your Holy Spirit, repenting of our disobedience to You, seeking Your help and Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, You came to us as a helpless little baby, born into the lowliest of settings. Some were able to understand the truth and see You in all Your glory. The rest of us will have to wait until Your return to see the glory of our Lord with our own eyes. Until that wonderful day, Lord, help us be patient. Gently remind us when we grumble or complain that a far better tomorrow awaits us if we only remain faithful and true. Help us be gracious to one another, as we await Your second coming as joyfully as we await the celebration of Your birth.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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