SERMON TITLE: Come, Lord, Come
TEXT: Isaiah 35:1-10 Sermon (ESV)
SPEAKER: Robert Tansill
DATE: 12-14/15
Good morning, Gateway! I'm Robert Tansill, one of your pastors here on staff, and it is great to be with you this morning. I also want to send greetings to both the North Main and Bowling Green campuses, and to those watching online. Josh reminds us every Sunday morning — “God loves you!" These words are at the heart of the gospel, the Good News that we want to share with you each time we gather as the body of Christ for worship. It is my privilege today to remind you of God’s love and His faithfulness to us as we explore together from the book of Isaiah the return of our Lord when comes back for us in all of His glory.
Recently, while I was driving around town, I turned on the radio, and one of my favorite songs of all time was playing. It's a song by a band from the 70's and 80's called Boston, and the name of the song was, "Don't Look Back". From the moment I first heard this song as a teenager until now, it has remained one of my favorites. In fact, whenever I hear it, my response is always the same. I turn it up as loud as I can, and just listen; periodically pulling out my air guitar and playing the lead when nobody is around to see me. Though not a Christian song, the lyrics do call the listener to do two things; don't look back at the past, but look ahead with hope.
In the song, the lyrics say, "It's a new horizon and I'm awakin' now. Oh I see myself in a brand new way. The sun is shinin', the clouds are breakin', 'cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play. I can tell there's no more time left to criticize. I've seen what I could not recognize. Everything in my life was leading me on. But I can be strong." Then the chorus, "I finally see the dawn arrivin'. I see beyond the road I'm drivin'. Far away and left behind."
In our passage in Isaiah, the author is calling us to something similar. But the difference is that, even though Boston's song calls the listener to a hope that things would temporarily get better, our passage is going to call us to a hope that is permanent. It's a hope that will bring a change unlike anything that has ever been experienced since before the fall of creation, and which is going to result in an unimaginable and unspeakable joy that is going to last for eternity. And it all hinges on one person, Jesus, and His return. If he is the one that we have placed our trust in, then change is on the way. And it's going to be incredible! So, what do we have to look forward to, and what is it that we need to constantly be reminding ourselves of on a daily basis that will continue to give us hope as we anticipate the return of our Lord, Jesus?
If you would, turn with me to Isaiah 35 as we look at verses 1-10 together.
And, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do at Gateway is let you ask questions that we answer on our podcast — just know that we’re taking a few weeks off from recording new episodes — but keep sending in questions as we’ll get to them in the New Year. So if you have a question, you can text it in to the number printed on the bottom of the sermon notes sheet or you can submit it on the Gateway app.
In Isaiah 35 the author writes, "1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! 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 unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
A couple of weeks ago, Josh did a wonderful job explaining the context behind the book of Isaiah so I'm not going to delve back into it other than to quote one commentator who said this, "The prophet announces judgment upon immoral and idolatrous people beginning with Judah, then Judah's neighboring nations, and finally the whole world. Surely there is cause to groan under God's chastening hand." This is a quick overview of what's going on in Isaiah. And in the chapter that precedes ours, things have escalated with these words from Isaiah 34:1-4 and 34:8-10 from the New Living Translation. In Isaiah 34:1-4 it says, "1 Come here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words. 2 For the LORD is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, dooming them to slaughter. 3 Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land. The mountains will flow with their blood. 4 The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky like withered leaves from a grapevine, or shriveled figs from a fig tree."
And then in verses 8-10 it continues, "8 For it is the day of the LORD’s revenge, the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel. 9 The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire. 10 This judgment on Edom will never end; the smoke of its burning will rise forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to generation. No one will live there anymore."
So, why mention Edom? Why are they so important? They are important because Edom was an enemy of Israel. And in this passage, they represent God’s judgment on all of his enemies. So, suffice it to say, things are not looking good for those who have turned their back on God, and rejected His word. A day of reckoning is coming, and God's judgment is going to take place against all the injustice, evil, rebellion, and harm that has been perpetrated against God and His people throughout history.
But what about those who have placed their trust in God, and sought to live for His glory in spite of all the trials and tribulations they have endured as a result of living in a fallen world? What will become of them in the midst of all this destruction and terror when the Lord returns? The first thing Isaiah tells us is that...
Point 1: When the Lord comes back for His people...things are going to radically change (vv. 1-2)
For those who have placed their trust in God, as one commentator put it, a "spontaneous transformation" is going to take place. What will it look like? Look again at verses 1-2, "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon." In this incredible picture that Isaiah is describing, the hope for the person who trusts in the Lord all of a sudden becomes a reality. In fact, this transformation is so radical that everything is affected. Even creation itself! And why is this important?
Because, ever since the fall, creation has suffered as a result of sin. Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes it in Romans 8:20-22, "Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." And yet a change is about to take place; a change that is filled with hope. No longer will our fallen world be viewed as a "wilderness and dry land". As all of creation prepares for the return of the Lord, there is a joy that will overtake it as the restoration begins, seen in the wilderness and desert being transformed into the beauty and lushness of Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon. Why does Isaiah mention these three places? Because of what they had become symbolically as a result of the fall. If we look back in Isaiah 33:9, like all of creation, the effects of the fall are seen in the words from the translation called the Message, "The very ground under our feet mourns, the Lebanon mountains hang their heads, flowering Sharon is a weed-choked gully, and the forests of Bashan and Carmel? Bare branches."
Symbolic of a hope that was dying, these verses in Isaiah call us all to continue to trust in the Lord because our hope in what He has promised is going to be fulfilled. But that can be really hard to do at times, can't it? At times life can feel so hard, painful, and fragile that we begin to think that this as good as it's going to get. Your job feels like it's taking everything out of you. The kids are pushing every last button you have, and even creating new buttons to push. And your marriage feels empty, unsatisfying, and a constant struggle. And for some, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Add to that, strained and unresolvable conflicts with friends or family, a bad diagnosis from the doctor, and an unexpected loss of some sort, and we can begin to feel like maybe comedian George Carlin had it right when he said, "Life is hard. And then you die."
But for those who trust the Lord, that's not reality. Sure, it can feel and even look like that way at times. But it's not! Why? Because, as Isaiah reminds us at the end of verse 2, "They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God." What does Isaiah have in mind when he uses the words "glory" and "majesty" in verse 2? And will it be enough for the one who is struggling to hold on to their present hope in the midst of all that they might be facing? Listen to how John Piper defines the "glory of God" and decide for yourself. He writes, "I believe the glory of God is the going public of his infinite worth. I define the holiness of God as the infinite value of God, the infinite intrinsic worth of God. And when that goes public in creation, the heavens are telling the glory of God, and human beings are manifesting his glory, because we're created in his image, and we're trusting his promises so that we make him look gloriously trustworthy."
Folks, as each day passes, we are that much closer to the Lord's return. And when that day arrives, when God "goes public with His infinite worth", and when His majesty and splendor will be seen for all that it is, the hope that we fought so hard to cling to in this fallen world is going to be realized. We've already seen a hint of what it will look like with the arrival of His Son, Jesus, the first time. That is the main reason that we can't let our hope die. God sent his Son in the flesh, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, to live a perfect life for our benefit, to take on all the sin that we were supposed to own, and to die and be resurrected, all with the promise of coming back to restore everything the way it was meant to be. And for those who continue to trust in God, and wait with hope for His return, this will become a reality. But, until then, what are we supposed to do? Isaiah tells us in verses 3-4, which we'll sum up this way...
Point 2: When the Lord comes back for His people...we need to be ready for His appearance (vv. 3-4)
And how do we do that? Isaiah writes, "3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Now, I want you to notice a couple of things in these verses. First, notice how those who trust God, and are waiting for His return, are supposed to act. They are to, "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees." In Isaiah’s day, people's hearts were gripped with fear because of all the instability they were experiencing. In fact, the text literally says that they had "hasty hearts"; hearts that were stricken with panic which caused them to act rashly as everything in their lives seemed to be collapsing all around them. So, to combat that, and motivated by their trust in God, they do what they need to do in order to carry on with their lives, as hard as it may be. As Elizabeth Elliot, Christian author and speaker, said when asked how she was going to cope just after her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make contact as a missionary with the Auca Indians, "Do the next thing." This is how we, "strengthen our weak hands, and make firm our feeble knees". We trust that God is going to take care of us, and we act on that by faith. Whether it's the original audience that Isaiah was addressing who were witnessing the destruction that was all around them, to the person today who is facing horrific trials of their own; the truth remains the same. God is faithful to his people and because of that we can move forward in faith.
But there is a second thing that they do as well which is to, "Say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.'” For those who, in spite of their fear, lean into God solely because they trust Him, they then become an encouragement to others who are experiencing suffering. I saw this firsthand shortly after I began working here at Gateway. A person in our church had just gotten a bad diagnosis from their doctor. And when I heard about it, I went over to their house to pray with them. Much to my surprise, when I arrived there were already three other people from their Life Group to pray with this person and their spouse, and to encourage them with the truth that God is faithful to His people and would see them through this. It was actually quite a moving experience to witness.
And what motivated all this is the truth in verse 4, translated best in the translation called "The Message", "Tell fearful souls, 'Courage! Take heart! GOD is here, right here, on his way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on his way! He’ll save you!'” Folks, this is what we are supposed to do for one another as those who have placed our trust in the Lord. We are called to encourage each other in the midst of pain and sorrow with the truth that, "God is right here! He's on his way. He'll save you!" And it's this very thought that the Apostle Paul would later echo many centuries later in 2 Corinthians. 1:3-4 when he said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
And the reason we respond this way is because, as commentator J. Alec Motyer reminds us, "The people of God are still in the period of waiting and need encouraging in the realm of action (hands), stability (knees) and conviction (hearts). The offered encouragement is the hope that is set before them: your God will come. It is a call to the fortitude of faith, not grim determination but believing determination. They already possess within themselves all they need to face the demands of the time; they are called not to receive a new blessing but to strengthen what is already theirs."
So, we each need to ask ourselves the question, "Are we ready for the day when the Lord will return?" Better yet, are we even convinced that it's going to happen? If we are honest with ourselves, are we confident that when the Lord does return, if we are still here, that He will find us anticipating His return and ready to receive Him? Or will He find His people complacent, caught up in making their lives the best they can be in the here and now as if this is all that there is, and without the hope and the faith they will need to stay focused and ready for His immanent return. As Jesus said in Luke 18:7-8 in the New Living Translation, "So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
For all of us who have placed our trust in Christ, and who cling to the hope we have in a sovereign and good God, Isaiah is calling us to anticipate the radical change that is going to take place which will be far beyond anything we can imagine, and to also be ready for the Lord's return which could occur at any moment. Once again, as the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:52, "It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown." And because of that, as A.W. Tozer adds, “When He returns is not as important as the fact that we are ready for Him when He does return.”
This is key! For when He does return, as we said earlier, things are going to radically change. And, whereas verses 1-2 gave us a hint of what this change will look like as the dry desert "blossoms like the crocus", in the final verses of our passage we see in even greater detail what we can expect, which is that...
Point 3: When the Lord comes back for His people...all that is old and fallen will be made new and holy again (vv. 5-10)
What will it be like at Christ's return? In a word...complete restoration. Look at what Isaiah says in verses 5-6, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy." When Christ does return, one of the first things that will happen is that people will experience firsthand the saving, restorative power of God as those with physical ailments are healed on the spot. This will be a sure sign that God's Kingdom has arrived in its fullness. But this won't be the first time that something like this has happened.
When Jesus was here the first time, his ministry was spent healing the sick and raising the dead, all for the purpose of showing that God's Kingdom had arrived. In fact, in Luke 10:9 he said this to his disciples, "Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.'" But, whereas these acts were sporadic and temporary when Jesus first appeared, they will be permanent and final when He comes again as the effects of the fall are reversed and the work of restoration is completed. But, as Isaiah points out, it won't just be the restoration of physical ailments that are impacted.
As we saw earlier, and as we see again more fully in verses 6-7, all of creation will show signs of the reversal of the fall's curse as, "waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes."
But what does Isaiah mean by, "in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes"? Once again, radical change and restoration. Jackals are wild dogs, scavengers. In fact, Isaiah mentioned them earlier in Isaiah 34:13, when he said, "Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches." In that passage, Isaiah portrays a picture of desolation where jackals run free scavenging off the land and anything, or anyone, else they can find to devour. But with the coming of the Lord that picture is changed from a barren wilderness to a place where, "marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived."
And in the midst of all of this radical change, Isaiah says this in verses 8-9, "And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there." This is an incredible picture of what awaits those who have placed their trust in the Lord. And in it, I want you to notice a couple of things that I hope will encourage you. First, notice that a highway called, "The Way of Holiness”, seems to appear out of nowhere in this newly transformed land. Now, let's take a quick second and look at a passage in the book of Acts that seems to relate to this verse. In Acts 9:2, we find Saul, who would later be named Paul and would spearhead the spread of Christianity to the world after his conversion, requesting, "letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains." Folks, for those who trust in Christ, this is us; the followers of the Way. And in this journey that we are on together over bumpy roads filled with rocks and potholes as we travel through a fallen world that will one day be completely restored, we are going to arrive at this highway. And, in spite of how fragile and fallen life is right now, when we arrive on it, all of our fears will cease because there will no longer be anything to be afraid of. As verse 9 says, "No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there." When we reach this highway (and we will!!), it will be a place of protection, peace and calm.
Yet, not just anybody can walk this road. Only those who are, "the redeemed shall walk there"; those who have placed their trust in God by accepting Christ as Lord and who are awaiting His return. These, and these alone, are "the redeemed" that Isaiah is talking about. "The unclean", being those who have rejected what Christ has done for them through His death on the Cross for their sins, and who have sought to live their lives on their own terms "shall not pass over it". Once again, this is the reality. And where does this highway lead for "the redeemed"?
Look atverse 10. Isaiah writes, "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." These words, which are repeated verbatim in Isaiah 51:11, show all of us, believer and unbeliever alike, what the outcome will be for those who trust in the Lord and anticipate His return. For these, who Isaiah now describes as "ransomed" instead of "redeemed", joy will follow sorrow as they arrive in Zion, the place where God dwells. And what will they find there? The word that Isaiah uses to describe them, being "ransomed", gives us a hint. As one commentator has said, "One of the fundamental principles of the kingdom of God is that his grace precedes everything else."
Because of God's grace, which began at the fall of Creation and which will be realized at Christ's return, those who are "redeemed" have been bought with a price. First foretold to Abraham through a promise that he would be the father of many nations that God would bless, these people would have their sins forgiven, their hearts changed, and the wrath that they deserved atoned for by Christ, who "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” These are, "the ransomed of the Lord."
And why would God do this? Even though Josh tells you every Sunday that God loves you, for many these words either fall on deaf ears, or are taken for granted. But that really is the reason; God loves you! As commentator, John Oswalt, says, "The Creator is your Redeemer, but more than that, he is your Lover. His transcendence is not diminished by his passion, nor his passion by his transcendence. That is wonderful news. If the absolute principle of this universe were an unfeeling, cruel, mindless force, then our condition would be bleak indeed. But the Bible tells us that there is a Person who inhabits the universe, a Person who has a deep concern for his creatures and, as amazing as it seems, wants to be known by those creatures. On the surface of it, this is astounding. What possible benefit could the Triune One possibly gain from such a relationship? God is not lonely. In himself there is perfect fellowship. But perhaps that itself is the answer to the question. He does not seek to be known by us for himself but for ourselves. Anything made in the image of God is made for fellowship, and it is made for fellowship with the ultimate Fellowship. Thus, we will be ever incomplete until we are included in that eternal Fellowship."
And this is why, when the "ransomed of the LORD" do arrive in Zion, they will be singing with a joy that is everlasting, and with a gladness that will fill their hearts like never before. Gone will be the days of the barren wilderness as "sorrow and sighing shall flee away". And in its place? God Himself, whose love which has been talked about for centuries and displayed when Christ came the first time, will now finally be realized as all that is old and fallen is made new and holy again for us to enjoy for eternity. This is what we have to look forward too. This is why we are waiting patiently for the Lord to return.
So, as I conclude, let me leave you with these final words from A.W. Tozer as we anticipate that return, "Let us be alert to the season in which we are living. It is the season of the Blessed Hope, calling for us to cut our ties with the world and build ourselves on this One who will soon appear. He is our hope—a Blessed Hope enabling us to rise above our times and fix our gaze upon Him.” Believer, fix your hope on the One who is coming to save you. Fix your hope on Christ. To God, and God alone belongs all the glory. Let's pray together.
Father, as we anticipate the return of Your Son, Jesus, and wait for that day when we will stand together in Your presence removed from all sin, suffering, and pain, we pray for strength to continue in this journey of faith that you have called us to walk. By Your Spirit, help us to fix our gaze fully on the hope that we have in Christ alone, rather than on the false hope that this world might offer. And may this hope that we have in Christ not only strengthen our weak hands, make firm our feeble knees, and calm our anxious hearts as we live in this fallen world, but may it also be for those around us, who do not have this hope, a light reflecting Your glory and the unspeakable joy that will be fully realized at Your return. Come, Lord, Come! We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
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