Glimpses of Glory God Arrives
Series: Isaiah
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 4th June 2023
Passage: Isaiah 40:1-11
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Good morning everyone, my name's Steve, Senior Pastor here.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 If you've just checked in with us, we are partway through the book of Isaiah.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 You could grab your Bibles, open up at Isaiah 40.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 And also the St. Paul's app has an outline for today's message.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:22 The most memorable moment of the movie, The Meg, at least for me,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 and there's not many of them in the movie that is.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 In fact, one of the biggest surprises of the movie,
00:00:28 --> 00:00:32 that it was successful enough in order to require a sequel later this year.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:39 But for the most memorable thing for me was the first glimpse of the Megalodon.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:50 A child is playing with a ball or something in this glass walkway in this under-ocean base.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 And then it sort of goes dark.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 She senses something is there.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 There's a presence there.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:04 And then slowly from the shadows appears this Megalodon.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 And it is right there against the glass.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 As we...
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 And of course it bites the glass in attempting to eat her.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:20 As we turn to the opening verses of Isaiah 40,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 the word is that something is coming and it is big.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 It is God who is coming.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:37 And the question is for God's people Israel, Judah in Babylon at this point,
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 is he on their side or not?
00:01:40 --> 00:01:45 Is this big thing a friend or a foe?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 If you were here last week, you may recall,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 as we're in chapters 36 and 37,
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 that the great victory of God over the Assyrian army,
00:01:55 --> 00:02:00 where he wiped out 185 of their soldiers in one night,
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 and Judah didn't even lift a finger.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 A couple of chapters later, you know, it's an amazing victory.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 And then a couple of chapters later,
00:02:10 --> 00:02:14 Isaiah predicts that Judah will end up in exile in Babylon
00:02:14 --> 00:02:18 because of the faithlessness once again of the people.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 And it happened 100 years later.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 And so as we open up Isaiah 40, as we have just done,
00:02:28 --> 00:02:34 Judah is no longer being addressed in Isaiah's own day.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 He is now being projected forward,
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 Isaiah is projected forward by the Holy Spirit
00:02:42 --> 00:02:49 into the future where Judah is now in exile in Babylon.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 That's the context of Isaiah 40.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:57 God's people are in Babylon under oppression
00:02:57 --> 00:02:58 from the Babylonian empire.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:03 And they think that God has abandoned them in this moment.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 Where is God?
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 They are facing political crisis,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 but more significantly, a spiritual crisis.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:18 And God comes to his crisis-riddled people in chapter 40.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 And in verse 9, Isaiah declares,
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 here is your God.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:26 Here is your God.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 And so what sort of God is he?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:41 Amazingly, for the Jews of the Babylonian exile,
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 this is a message of consolation and hope
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 and not one of judgment.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 And so if you've got the St. Paul's app in front of you,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 who is coming, what is his arrival like,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 and how do we respond to his arrival?
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 So the answer is who is coming is in verse 3,
00:03:58 --> 00:03:59 Isaiah 40.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 Get your Bibles open again.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 Don't trust my word.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:06 Get your Bibles open and see it for yourself.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 Isaiah chapter 40, verse 3.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 A voice of one calling,
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 Every valley shall be raised up.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 Every mountain will be made low.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 The rugged places shall become level.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 The rugged places are plain.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 So Isaiah hears a voice,
00:04:32 --> 00:04:36 and this voice is calling for a construction project.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 Now, the ancient listener tuning in at this point,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 into this message from Isaiah,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 would have known exactly what Isaiah is referring to here.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:53 And especially the ancient person,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:57 the person of Judah, sitting in Babylon,
00:04:58 --> 00:05:02 knows exactly that when Isaiah says these words,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 he's expecting a great king,
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 or a divine king coming.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:18 You see, these verses are a combination of the ancient picture of the Lord coming to the aid of his people
00:05:18 --> 00:05:26 with the ancient practice of constructing processional highways for visiting dignitaries
00:05:26 --> 00:05:31 or for the use by the gods as they are carried throughout the empire.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:44 There is an ancient hymn from Babylonia announcing the journey of the Babylonian god Nebo throughout the Babylonian empire.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 And the hymn says this,
00:05:47 --> 00:06:01 Whenever the gods were transported throughout the empire,
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 they made a road specifically for the god
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 to be carried with the king.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:15 And the idea here of knocking down every barrier and bridging every gap
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 symbolizes getting rid of every resistance
00:06:18 --> 00:06:24 to the progress of the king,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 the divine king.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 Nothing is to get in his way.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 Nothing is to be held back from this king.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:41 It also symbolizes here the healing influence of genuine kingship.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 This king comes to an impassable wilderness,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 and now it's passable.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 This desert wilderness is inhabitable,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 and now it's habitable.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:03 Isaiah is trying to help Judah see
00:07:03 --> 00:07:07 that a supreme king was coming for them.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 That even then they're in exile,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 a supreme king was coming,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 and their god had not abandoned them.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 He would never abandon them.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 See, with a human king,
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 you build a bridge over a valley.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 When this king comes,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 the valley is filled up.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:37 The language in these verses just bursts the banks.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:39 You know,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 a road through the mountain pass isn't made.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 The mountains are brought down and gotten rid of.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:53 You see,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 what Isaiah is doing here
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 is he's drawing on one of the deepest,
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 deepest hopes of humanity.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 Not just Judah,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 but of all of humanity.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 It's like he's saying,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:10 the whole world is a wilderness.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 It's a desert.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 It's a wasteland.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 Death,
00:08:15 --> 00:08:15 disease,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:16 war,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:17 poverty,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:18 injustice,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 exile.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 The whole world
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 is filled with brokenness.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 Why?
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 Because the world in which we live
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 is under the control,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 if you like,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 under the rule of incompetent managers.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 Like a really bad business.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 Incompetent managers
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 that are just driving it into bankruptcy.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:47 And those incompetent managers
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 are us.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 Verses six and seven talk about
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 we're just like flowers of the field.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 We come,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 we go.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:06 Our lives are being led by incompetent leaders.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:07 Us.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 That's why Judah is in exile.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:17 They did it their way.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 And only the good king
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 can bring ultimate healing and renewal.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:24 Verse five,
00:09:25 --> 00:09:25 we get a glimpse
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 into who this good king is.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 It says,
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 the glory of the Lord
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 will be revealed
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 and all people
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 will see it together.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 For the whole world
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 to see
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 the Lord together
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 means
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 that this Lord
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 must be coming
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 from outside
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 of the world.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 That's the hope of humanity
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 right there.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 A king that comes
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 from beyond the world.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 Now,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 I know that there are some
00:10:05 --> 00:10:05 who are convinced
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 that what I just said
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 is nothing more than a fairy tale.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 But I want to ask,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 is it really?
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 Is it really?
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 One of the principles
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 that we know to be true
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 in nature,
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 in our world,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 is called
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 survival of the fittest.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:22 That is,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 the strong
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 dominate the weak.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 It's everywhere in life.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:29 And yet,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 on another hand,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 if people act like that,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 we see it amongst
00:10:35 --> 00:10:35 the animal kingdom
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 and everything,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 but if people act like that,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 we say,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:38 no,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:38 that's not right.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 You can't do that.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 The strong can't
00:10:42 --> 00:10:42 dominate the weak.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 There's something wrong.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 Whether it be
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 strong people
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 or strong nations
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 who pick on the weak
00:10:49 --> 00:10:49 and the vulnerable,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 we say that's wrong.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:53 So,
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 think about it then.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 If it's everywhere
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 in nature,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 and yet we as human beings
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 call it wrong,
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 either the world
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 is a monster
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 or we are freaks
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 because our value systems
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 and our emotions
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 are out of kilter
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 with the natural world.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 They can't both be right.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 Either our value systems
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 are distorted
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 or nature
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 is disordered.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 If you want to believe
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 that there's no God
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 outside of this world,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 then how can nature
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 be disordered
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 if nature
00:11:39 --> 00:11:39 and science
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 is all we've got?
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 Because the very principle
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 of science
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 is it's based
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 on an ordered world.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 So,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 if you want to say
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 there is no God
00:11:54 --> 00:11:54 and science
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 is all we've got,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 stop talking
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 about value systems.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 Stop talking
00:12:01 --> 00:12:01 about justice.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 You can't do it.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 If nature
00:12:09 --> 00:12:09 is all we've got,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:10 then death
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 and violence
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 can't be called wrong.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 It is in fact
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 the super nature,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 the supernatural,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 beyond nature,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 that in fact
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 what makes death
00:12:24 --> 00:12:24 and violence
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 and injustice
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 wrong.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 How can it be true
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 that the weak
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 need to be protected
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 unless there is
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 something outside
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 of this world?
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 We certainly
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 don't get that idea
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 that the weak
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 need protecting
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 from the world
00:12:45 --> 00:12:45 itself.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:49 In fact,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 the only way
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 we can say
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 that the world
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 is broken
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 is from a standard
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 that exists
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 beyond this world
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 that tells us
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 it's broken.
00:13:00 --> 00:13:00 And passages
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 like Isaiah 40
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 makes perfect sense
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 of how our hearts
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 and our emotions
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 feel.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 The Bible tells us
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 there is a king
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 outside
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 and that this world
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 is a wilderness,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 it's a wasteland,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 it's desolate.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 It's like our hearts
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 are tuning
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 into this king,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 into his justice
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 like a radio
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 picks up radio waves.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 And Judah's only hope
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 in this wasteland
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 that they're finding
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 themselves in
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 in Babylon
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 is that this king
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 would come,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 that he would arrive.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 Well,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 several hundred years
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 after Isaiah
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 prophesied
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 the arrival
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 of the God
00:13:52 --> 00:13:52 king from outside
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 of this world,
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 Mark opens
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 his biography
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 on the life
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 of Jesus Christ
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 with this,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 the beginning
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 of the good news
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 about Jesus
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 the Messiah,
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 the Son of God.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 He is saying
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 that what follows
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 in my biography
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 is good news.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 Good news.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 Jesus is
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 the long-awaited
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 king from beyond
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 the world.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 He is God himself.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 And then Mark quotes
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 Isaiah 40 verse 3,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 a voice of one
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 calling in the wilderness,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 prepare the way
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 for the Lord,
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 make straight paths
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 for him.
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 Now we are told
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 in the very next verse
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 in Mark chapter 1
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 that John the Baptist
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 appeared in the wilderness,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 the voice
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 in the wilderness
00:14:43 --> 00:14:43 is the voice
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 of John the Baptist.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 That means
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 that the king
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 that was coming
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 outside of the world
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 to his people
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 is the one
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 to whom Jesus,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 sorry,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 the one whom
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 John points to.
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 Behold
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 the Lamb of God
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 who takes away
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 the sin of the world.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 It is Jesus Christ
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 who is the God
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 king beyond this world
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 who renews
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 all things,
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 who brings the mountains
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 down and the valleys up,
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 who turns the wilderness
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 into a habitable
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 wonderland,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 a paradise.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 The God
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 who comes
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 with power
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 to rule
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 is Jesus.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 And we see that
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 in the early stages
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 of his ministry,
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 feeding the poor,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 healing the sick,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 welcoming the outcast,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 touching the lepers.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 And Isaiah
00:15:41 --> 00:15:41 says
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 to the whole world,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 look,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 there is your God
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 right there.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:56 So what is
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 his arrival like?
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 Is he a megalodon
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 coming to
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 smash everyone?
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 Isaiah 1
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 verses
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 chapter 1
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 to 39,
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 the first
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 major section
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 of Isaiah
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 is primarily
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 Isaiah
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 articulating
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 the standards
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 of the king
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 from beyond the world.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 The standards
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of God himself.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 And when you look
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 at those standards,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 it's obvious
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 that not a single
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 person escapes.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 Not a single
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 person lives up to it.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 Everyone
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 has tried to rule
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 their own lives.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 Everyone's attempted
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 to control their own lives.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 Everyone has turned
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 against the king
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 and sinned.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 And we should
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 expect the king
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 to come
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 when he comes
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 like a
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 megalodon.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 But,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 you know,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 a king
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 with a massive
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 sword.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 ready to
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 smite,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 to seek
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 vengeance
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 for us
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 rejecting him.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 And yet
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 you open
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 Isaiah 40
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 and the very
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 first words
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 are,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 comfort,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 comfort,
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 my people,
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 says your God.
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 What?
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 Comfort?
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 Comfort?
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 Then it says,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 speak tenderly
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 to Jerusalem
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 and proclaim
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 to her
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 that her
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 hard service
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 has been
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 complete.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 The statement
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 her hard service
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 means her
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 struggle.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 And we are
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 told here
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 that the struggle
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 is now
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 complete.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 God's not
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 abandoned them
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 at all.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 Why?
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 And the answer
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 is the second
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 half of verse 2.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 her sin
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 has been
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 paid for.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 Judah's sin
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 has been
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 paid for
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 by 70
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 years
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 in exile
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 in Babylon.
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 Well,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 that can't
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 be right.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 How can
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 a finite
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 amount of
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 punishment
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 pay for
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 an infinite
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 debt?
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 And yet
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 we also
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 know that
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 after they
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 return from
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 exile in
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 Babylon,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 they do
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 exactly what
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 verse 6
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 and 7
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 says,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 they are
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 faithless
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 people like
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 flowers,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 they shine
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 for a
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 moment and
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 they just
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 die,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 the circle
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 of faithlessness
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 is there
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 again.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 After they
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 return from
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 exile,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 they still
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 operate as
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 if they
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 were in
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 exile.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 Almost
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 immediately
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 they go
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 back to
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 their
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 rebellion
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 and oppress
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 other
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 nations.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:36 there's
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 more sin
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 to pay
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 for.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 And so
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 Isaiah's
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 prophecy
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 here looks
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 forward to
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 a greater
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 payment for
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 sin.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 And in
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 fact,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 this section
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 Father Isaiah
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 40 to
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 55,
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 which is
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 the next
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 section,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 talking about
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 this king,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 it's in
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 chapter 53,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 it refers to
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 the servant
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 of the Lord
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 who is
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 crushed for
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 their
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 iniquities.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 God has
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 laid on
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 the servant
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 of the Lord
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 this great
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 king who
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 has come
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 in Isaiah
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 40.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 Our sin,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 all of our
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 sin and our
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 faithlessness
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 has been
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 transferred
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 to this
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 king.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 Judah's sin,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 our sin,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 are on the
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 servant of
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 the Lord,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 this great
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 renewing king
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 who comes
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 in Isaiah
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 40.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 but we
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 are told
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 that his
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 payment
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 means
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 that we
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 receive from
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 the Lord's
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 hand
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 double
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 for our
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 sin.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 That doesn't
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 seem right,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 does it?
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 I mean,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 when you
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 read that
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 double,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 the payment's
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 been doubled,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 does that
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 mean that
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 Judah has
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 received
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 double
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 punishment?
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 It
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 deserved
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 100%
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 but it
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 got a
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 200%
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 payment?
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 Well,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 that doesn't
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 seem right,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 that seems
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 quite unjust,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 doesn't it?
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 And yet when
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 you read it,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 the word
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 punishment's
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 not there.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 It's
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 double
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 payment,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 not double
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 punishment.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 What does
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 that mean?
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 Look at the
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 extraordinary
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 picture of what
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 happens when
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 this king shows
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 up in verse
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 9.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 10.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 In verse
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 10, we
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 are told he
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 is the
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 sovereign
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 lord with
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 power.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 He rules
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 with a
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 mighty arm.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 And how
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 is he
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 exercising
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 his might?
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 How is he
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 using his
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 power?
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 Verse 11,
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 he tends
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 his flock
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 like a
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 shepherd.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 He
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 gathers
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 the
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 lamb
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 in his
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 arms and
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 carries
00:20:47 --> 00:20:47 them
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 close to
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 his
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 heart.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 He
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 gently
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 leads
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 those
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 that
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 have
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 young.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:58 that's
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 the
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 king
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 that our
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 hearts
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 tell us
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 that he's
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 there.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 He's
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 there.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 We need
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 him to be
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 there.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 This is
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 a king
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 who
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 exercises
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 his mighty
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 power to
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 see justice
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 for the
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 oppressed,
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 to lift
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 up the
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 lowly.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 A
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 warrior
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 king,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 a very
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 powerful
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 warrior
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 king,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 who is
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 a shepherd
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 calling his
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 sheep by
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 their name.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 Verse 10
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 tells us
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 his reward
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 is with
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 him.
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 This
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 mighty
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 king as
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 he comes.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 What is
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 this reward?
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 What do
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 you give
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 a king
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 who it
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 says in
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 chapter 40
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 the oceans
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 are in the
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 palm of
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 his hands?
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 The nations
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 are just a
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 drop in a
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 bucket.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 What do
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 you give
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 someone who
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 has everything?
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 His
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 reward that's
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 with him
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 is his
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 flock.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 That's who
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 he's carrying
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 in his
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 arms,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 close to
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 his heart.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 The
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 exiled
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 ones,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 the weak
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 ones.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:13 So how
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 can this
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 king who
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 is powerful
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 and just
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 enough,
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 so just
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 in fact,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 to put
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 down all
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 injustice and
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 evil in the
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 world and
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 glorious enough
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 for the whole
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 world to see
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 him,
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 but also
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 look at us
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 in all of
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 our
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 facelessness,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 like little
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 flowers that
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 pop up and
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 disappear in the
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 desert,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 all of
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 our weaknesses
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 and flaws,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 how is it
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 possible that
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 he would
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 call us
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 his reward?
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 Double
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 payment.
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 That's how.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 Double
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 payment.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:58 We see
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 all this
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 Isaiah 40
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 come together
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 in the
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 person of
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 Jesus Christ,
00:23:03 --> 00:23:03 the King,
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 the Son of
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 God.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 On a
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 very dark
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 night,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 a little
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 over 2
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 years ago,
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 just outside
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 the city
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 limits of
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 Jerusalem,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 Jesus
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 struggled
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 with his
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 father.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23 it was a
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 struggle that
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 took him to
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 the cross
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 and from the
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 garden of
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 Gethsemane,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 he sweated
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 tears of
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 blood as he
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 wrestled with
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 what was
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 about to
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 come.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 Until
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 he shed
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 his blood
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 on the
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 cross.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 And while
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 that was
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 happening,
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 his disciples
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 are over
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 there sleeping.
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 At very
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 best,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 they could
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 see
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 him going
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 through it,
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 but they
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 never
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 participated
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 in it.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Until
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 eventually,
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 the soldiers
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 arrived to
00:24:00 --> 00:24:03 arrest Jesus
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 in order to
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 convict him
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 and execute
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 him.
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 And at that
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 moment,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 Peter jumps
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 up from
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 his feet,
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 whips out
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 his sword,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and strikes
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 off the ear
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 of the high
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 priest.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 We are
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 ready to
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 battle for
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 you,
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 Jesus.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 And
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 Jesus
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 turns to
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 Pete,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 oh,
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 put that
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 sword
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 away.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Put it
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 away.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 What a
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 pitiful
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 display of
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 power.
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 You don't
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 think my
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 arms are
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 strong enough,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 that my
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 arms are
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 not mighty
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 enough to
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 smite
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 every sin?
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 I can
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 destroy every
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 enemy of
00:24:44 --> 00:24:44 mine?
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 You don't
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 think I
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 can do
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 that by
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 myself?
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 I can
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 call down
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 legions of
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 angels if I
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 want to.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 put the
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 sword
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 away.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 I will
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 show you
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 strength.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:00 I will
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 show you
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 power,
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 Peter,
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 and the
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 nations and
00:25:05 --> 00:25:05 the world,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 and you'll
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 all see
00:25:06 --> 00:25:09 it when I
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 surrender my
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 hands to
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 the cross.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 You will
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 see my
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 strength and
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 my majesty
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 and my
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 glory,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 and you'll
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 see it in
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 my weakness
00:25:20 --> 00:25:24 as I lay
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 down my
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 life for
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 the sheep.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 And as I
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 spread out
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 my arms,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 I will
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 gather you
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 to my
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 heart.
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 Double
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 payment,
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 2 Corinthians
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 5,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 21,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 God made
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 him who
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 had no
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 sin to
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 be sin
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 for us
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 so that
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 in him
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 we might
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 become the
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 righteousness
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 of God.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 Only
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 Jesus Christ
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 can answer
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 the question,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 how can
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 God give
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 double?
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 In Jesus,
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 God does
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 not just
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 pardon
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 sinners.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:08 he imputes
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 his righteousness
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 in us
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 and on
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 us in
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 such a
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 way that
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 we are
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 his
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 treasure.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 We don't
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 just get
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 pardon,
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 we get
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 reward.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 2 Corinthians
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 5 says he
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 doesn't just
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 take away
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 our punishment,
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 he shares
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 with us
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 the reward
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 of what
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 his obedience
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 deserves.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 He gives
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 both so
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 that we
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 become his
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 reward.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 Let me
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 just pause
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 here.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 Actually,
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 you're not
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 going to
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 pause,
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 I'm going
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 to keep
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 going.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 So many
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 people who
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 identify as
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Christians
00:26:48 --> 00:26:51 live a
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 miserable
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 life.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 Miserable,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 faithful,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 what they
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 would describe
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 as a
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 faithful life
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 because they
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 don't understand
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 the doubleness
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 of salvation
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 in Jesus
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 Christ.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 They live
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 the Christian
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 life as if
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 they've just
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 got a
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 pardon.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 Sins are
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 forgiven.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 All a
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 pardon does
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 to you
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 is it
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 takes you
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 to the
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 exit door
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 of the
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 prison.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 That's all
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 it does.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 It does not
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 give you an
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 abundant life
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 in any way
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 whatsoever.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 ever.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 Too many
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 only grasp
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 that they're
00:27:32 --> 00:27:32 pardoning
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 Jesus.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 It's like
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 Jesus only
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 just done
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 what he
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 needed to
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 do to
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 get me
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 out of
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 hell.
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 But now
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 it's up
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 to me
00:27:39 --> 00:27:39 to live
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 life that
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 pleases
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 him in
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 some kind
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 of way.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 And too
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 many live
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 as if they
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 are pardoned
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 but not
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 accepted.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 Not his
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 treasure,
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 not loved.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:55 We get
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 doubling
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 Jesus.
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 Jesus was
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 obedient to
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 his father's
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 will.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 He lived
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 the perfect
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 life.
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 And unlike
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 us he
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 didn't go
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 astray and
00:28:04 --> 00:28:04 rebel against
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 God the
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 father.
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 And when
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 he came to
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 bring justice
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 to raise
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 the valleys
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 and lower
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 the mountains
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 his glory
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 was not
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 only revealed
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 in his
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 miracle but
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 it was
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 primarily
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 revealed in
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 his death
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 on the
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 cross.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 His
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 power was
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 displayed in
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 humble service.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 He went to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 the cross
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 in weakness.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 He faced
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 exile from
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 his father.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 His father
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 turned his
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 face from
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 him.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 And he
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 died the
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 death that
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 we should
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 have died
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 for our
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 rebellion.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 And when
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 we put our
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 trust in
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 Jesus our
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 bad record
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 isn't just
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 credited to
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 him but
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 his perfect
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 record is
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 credited to
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 us.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 So that
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 we get
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 treated as
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 if
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 in the
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 way that
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 he gets
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 treated
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 that's
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 double
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 payment.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 So how
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 do we
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 respond?
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 The answer
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 is right at
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 the end of
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 the chapter.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 It says
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 that those
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 who hope
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 in the
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 Lord will
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 renew their
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 strength.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 How do
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 we treat
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 Jesus as
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 this great
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 king?
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 well it
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 says we
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 hope in
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 him.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 We hope
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 in the
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 Lord.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 Now five
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 things really
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 quickly.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:29 Firstly hope
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 means obey.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 We don't
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 treat him
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 as if he
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 is the
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 glorious
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 king if
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 we're not
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 saying with
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 our lives
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 not my
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 will be
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 done but
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 your will
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 be done.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 In
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 every area
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 nothing held
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 back whatsoever.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 Nothing held
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 back.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:49 As
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Christian
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 author
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 Elizabeth
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 Elliott
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 used to
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 say the
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 hardest
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 thing to
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 give is
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 in.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 The
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 hardest thing
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 to give is
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 in.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 To give
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 in.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 To give him
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 the right to
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 rule our
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 lives.
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 Secondly hope
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 means rest.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 Hope means
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 that his
00:30:12 --> 00:30:12 schedule not
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 ours.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 Hope means
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 God knows
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 what is
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 best.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 Worry,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 anxiety,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 fear always
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 means that
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 if I
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 oversaw the
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 world I
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 would not
00:30:23 --> 00:30:27 I would
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 know
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 exactly
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 what's
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 required.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 That's what
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 hope, fear
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 and anxiety
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 means.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 It means
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 if I
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 ruled the
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 world I
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 know
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 exactly
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 what's
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 required to
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 run this
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 world
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 properly.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 And as
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 soon as
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 we humble
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 ourselves
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 under the
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 Lord of
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 history we
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 actually find
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 rest, even
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 rest amongst
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 the chaos.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 Thirdly hope
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 means expect.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 If it's
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 true that
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 the Lordship
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 of God is
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 a healing
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 influence then
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 we don't
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 treat Jesus
00:30:56 --> 00:30:58 as king if
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 we don't
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 have high
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 expectations of
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 what he can
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 achieve in
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 us and
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 through us.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 There are
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 too many
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 Christian
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 pessimists
00:31:07 --> 00:31:10 who don't
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 treat Jesus
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 as king,
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 who pray
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 consistently
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 qualified
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 prayers.
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 Do you
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 look at the
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 problems of
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 this world,
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 the problems
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 of your
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 own life
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 and just
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 think,
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 well nothing
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 can be
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 done about
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 it?
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 John
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 Newton,
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 the great
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 John
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 Newton wrote
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 a hymn
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 with these
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 words in
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 it.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 Thou art
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 coming to
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 a king,
00:31:35 --> 00:31:35 large
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 petitions to
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 him bring,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 his grace
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 and power
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 as such,
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 none can
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 ever ask
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 too much.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 Fourthly,
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 hope means
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 proclaim.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 The sovereign
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 Lord of the
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 universe has
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 come to us
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 in the person
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 of Jesus
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 Christ to
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 pay our
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 debt of
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 sin through
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 his death
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 and to
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 share the
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 spoils of
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 victory through
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 his resurrection.
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 It's for the
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 entire world
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 that is great
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 news.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 Go back and
00:32:03 --> 00:32:05 read Isaiah
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 40, the
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 entire chapter
00:32:06 --> 00:32:08 again and
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 notice how
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 many times
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 the command
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 is to
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 speak, to
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 comfort, to
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 proclaim, to
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 cry out, to
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 lift your
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 voice and
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 to say.
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 It is used
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 again and
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 again and
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 again and
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 also the
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 main characters
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 in this
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 entire bit
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 of this
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 prophecy are
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 referred to
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 as a
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 voice.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 These voices
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 represent God's
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 people.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 God's people
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 are a voice
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 to the world
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 of this good
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 news and so
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 lift your
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 voice.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 And if
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 you are a
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 Christian who
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 is miserable
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 because you
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 don't see
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 double payment,
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 that's one
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 reason why
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 you are not
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 lifting your
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 voice.
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 You don't
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 see it as
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 good news.
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 Fifthly,
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 hope means
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 endurance.
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 When we
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 hope in
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 him, when
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 we wait on
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 him, when
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 we rest in
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 him, verse
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 31, we
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 will renew,
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 they will
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 renew their
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 strength,
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 and they
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 will soar
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 on wings
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 like eagles,
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 and they
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 will run
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 and not
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 grow weary,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 and they
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 will walk
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 and not
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 grow faint.
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 Now, let
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 me just
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 pause here.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 Did
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 Isaiah get
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 that verse
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 wrong?
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 Go to
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 Kurong, buy
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 a mug, and
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 this is a
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 famous verse,
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 right?
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 Go to
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 Kurong, you
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 can buy
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 mugs, you
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 can buy
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 mouse pads,
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 all that
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 sort of
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 stuff with
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 this verse
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 on it.
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 But not
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 the entire
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 verse on
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 it.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 all it
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 has there
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 is they
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 will renew
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 their strength
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 and they
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 will soar
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 like wings
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 of eagles.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 That's it.
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 But notice
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 what it says
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 here.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 We soar,
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 then we
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 run, and
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 then we
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 finish with
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 walking.
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 Did Isaiah
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 get that
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 wrong?
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 I mean,
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 shouldn't it
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 be the other
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 way around?
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 Walk, then
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 run, then
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 soar?
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 I mean,
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 wouldn't
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 that be
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 right?
00:34:00 --> 00:34:04 The point
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 here is,
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 as we
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 hope in
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 the Lord,
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 we will
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 sometimes
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 soar, but
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 we won't
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 always.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 But as
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 we treat
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 him as
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 king, in
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 every single
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 area of
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 life, we
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 will always
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 walk with
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 him.
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 That is
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 the point
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 of the
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 end of
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 Isaiah 40,
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 to God's
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 people who
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 are in
00:34:27 --> 00:34:27 exile.
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 The word
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 of comfort
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 here is
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 endurance.
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 Keep
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 going, keep
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 trusting in
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 this Lord.
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 Not always
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 soaring, but
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 always trusting
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 and always
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 walking with
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 the king
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 until the
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 complete rescue
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 and renewal
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 finally arrives.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 And it's
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 there in
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 Revelation
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 chapter 7.
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 The
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 apostle John
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 sees people
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 from every
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 tribe, nation
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 and language
00:34:55 --> 00:34:58 standing around
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 the throne
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 of the
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 Lamb,
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 and they're
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 all wearing
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 white robes.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 It says
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 that they
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 are the
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 ones who
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 have come
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 out of
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 the great
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 tribulation,
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 which is
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 another way
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 of saying
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 they're the
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 ones who
00:35:11 --> 00:35:13 have survived
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 and been
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 brought out
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 of the
00:35:15 --> 00:35:15 chaos and
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 the suffering
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 and the
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 injustice
00:35:17 --> 00:35:19 of history.
00:35:21 --> 00:35:21 The final
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 triumph of
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 God's king
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 is his
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 perfect people
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 in his
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 perfect place
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 where every
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 valley is
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 brought up
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 and every
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 hill brought
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 down.
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 The mighty
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 arm of
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 God
00:35:32 --> 00:35:34 will tenderly,
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 it says in
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 Revelation 7
00:35:36 --> 00:35:38 and 21
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 and 22,
00:35:39 --> 00:35:39 he will
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 tenderly
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 wipe away
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 every tear.
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 Walk with
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 Jesus
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 until your
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 heart soars
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 with him
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 forever in
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 that place.
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Amen.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 Amen.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 Amen.
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 Amen.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 Amen.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 Amen.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 Amen.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:58 Amen.