Peace and Truth

Transcript

this morning I want to talk about uh x perspective x and you know who we are x and uh who were supposed to be if you x will x um it's been it you know it's been a an x interesting week uh for me I had a x situation last weekend where I in two x days I had very um x opposite experiences on Sunday x um x we went to a family uh event for Cindy's x Aunt who turned 100. so he went to a x hundred birth 100th birthday celebration x you don't really get to go too many 100 x birthday celebrations in fact you know x for many of you know I've done many many x functions over the years and that kind x of stuff and Josh asked me how many 100 x birthday parties I did and I couldn't x remember any because it just doesn't x happen that often so it was a nice x celebration uh for Cindy's for Cindy's x ah on Sunday x and then on Monday I went to a funeral x for a friend of mine who I worked with x at Dependable cleaners who's only 39. x so I go 100th birthday on Sunday and I x go to the burial of a 39 year old on x Monday x and uh it gets you thinking quite a bit x about life in general never mind the x fact by Tuesday I turned 64. so x so we've had a lot of those type of uh x experiences and I want to talk this x morning about x our faith if you don't know what's going x on in the community we've had some x tragedy in our community as well x who are we supposed to be what do we how x are we supposed to see uh what we x represent what we represent x now a few weeks ago x um x I did a midweek class when I where I x talked about the Assyria if you don't x know if you haven't been following and I x don't know why you would I've been doing x sort of a pick and choose through uh the x prophecy of Isaiah x and we were looking at Isaiah 37 x and and the Conquering of the Assyrian x we talked about what the Assyrian x represents and the Assyrian represents x the power of the flesh that's what an x Assyrian was and Syrian was a big strong x guy x and and we live in a world that worships x the Assyria x we live in a world today more than ever x that worships power and wealth and x influence and all those things that in x Assyrian is all about x and and we don't ever want to get caught x up in you know I told the story of a x relative of ours that couldn't even deal x with the fact that Mark Wahlberg was in x the same room as as we were at a at a x function because Mark Wahlberg has money x and and influence and he's he's somebody x we don't know x I don't know he he doesn't know Mark x Wahlberg from a whole Noah who knows x what what Mark is doesn't really matter x because we know what the flesh is x but that that external Assyrian can have x all kinds of Power we saw that right x with with those three faithful men that x met RAB shanka and were terrified and x what he had to say because he had the x the power to to get into Jerusalem and x to kill everybody and to and to and to x use his his strength to defeat x the city of Jerusalem x and it was it was Hezekiah that brought x it before God and said this is not about x us it's about you the lady before God x that's how you overcome the Assyria but x there's two types of Assyrians not two x types there's two x aspects of the Assyrian one is that x external x you know that that worshiping of the x world that that worry about what x somebody else can do for you that's x that's the external Assyria x but there's also an Assyrian in here x that Assyrian that says I ought to be x you know I'm a Christadelphian I ought x to be x you know stronger I ought to be x better x I've been baptized into Christ I ought x to be x that's the Assyrian in my mind x saying that x because it's not about my strength or x what I ought to be it's about God's x strength x right the prophecy of Isaiah by the way x is all about God's strength it's Isaiah x the son of Amos we know nothing about x Amos except for the fact that his name x means strength x Isaiah is a prophet of God and what x Isaiah is prophesying again and again x and again along with Messianic and all x that kind of stuff but the overriding x thing of Isaiah is the only strength x lies with God x so when I say I ought to I ought I x ought to that is My Own Strength x I'm relying on x we can't rely on our strength it's God's x strength right x and God's strength is made perfect how x how is God's strength made perfect x in our weakness that's how God's changed x is made perfect x so you can't rely on your own Assyria x if you do you're just gonna keep going x down the wrong path what I ought to be x so how do we find comfort then x I will keep him in perfect peace x whose mind is stayed on day we keep our x mind on the things of God x we put our faith in our trust x in the power and in the ability of God x because if we trust in ourselves we will x always fail x we will find ourselves in deep x disappointment x and think I I never became what I was x supposed to be x well God's strength is made perfect in x weakness so I want to build on some of x those themes this morning x and one of the things I want to mention x and I've mentioned this a couple x different times is a good crystalline x talks there's another good one on this x week that was picked by our dear Young x Brother Brian Adams who's one of the x three remember Brian was he just here a x few weeks ago the son of Dana and Becky x and it used to be one of our Sunday x school students and he's now part of the x triumphant that picks talks for good x christovian podcasts x and he picked this one and it's a and x it's a beauty it's done by a brother by x the name of Stephen Hill I don't know x Stephen Hill at all he's from Australia x he's an older brother x and he gave an exhortation and his x exhortation that he gave is first and x foremost to other older brother x any what he was talking about was he x says you know when you get older x and you start to see that end of the x line it's coming I mentioned I just x turned 64. it's coming closer all the x time x and you start to see that end of the x line and you get a Fray x and you get afraid because the Judgment x seat is coming you know who knows how x much longer I have before I'm standing x there before God and before the Lord x Jesus Christ being judged for you know x what sort of a faithful man I am x and the brother was talking about how he x had a conversation with another older x brother who was who was quite old at the x time he said in a fact had had fallen x asleep shortly there after the x conversation and their brother was x petrified x and his point was we have nothing to be x afraid of x if you understand God then you have x nothing to be afraid of x because God casts out fear and he went x you know where I would go and even where x I've gone before he went to first John x and this is what it says in first John x chapter 4 verse 18. he said there and he x talks about John and he's right John x speaks in black and white there's no x gray area in the writings of John it is x or it isn't that's the way John writes x it is this or it's not this it's not x like John is talking about you know part x of something John was talking in x absolute words that's that's the power x of of John's gospel and the power of His x writings and he says this there is no x fear x well there's no fear of the world x there's no fear of of there is no fear x in love and he's talking about perfect x love because he says but perfect love x cats out fear x it casts out all x fear x because fear hath torment and that's x what fear does fear has torment fear is x is difficult to deal with those older x Brethren that he's talking about x who see the end of their lives and who x are afraid they're in torment x because of their fear of God x why because they're sinning of course x they're sinners x we're all sinners x because they've fallen short in their x lives or they feel like they've fallen x short in their lives of course they have x because that's what life is but that is x not what love is x it says he that feareth is not made x perfect x in love x but perfect love x casts out fear why why does perfect love x cast out feel well it's right there in x John again x he said herein Is Love x that is perfect love x not that we love God x but that God loved us but God so loved x the world that he gave his only begotten x son who believeth in him shall not x perish but every eternal life it's not x about whether or not you can attain onto x perfect love and if you don't or perfect x faith and if you don't you fall short x it's not about the love that you have x it's about the love that God has given x you that's the calling we're called to x brothers and sisters x to recognize and understand and reflect x the love of God x not your ability not my ability x but what he has done that's what we're x called to x not that we loved God x or not that we can reach a point where x we can love God so much that God will x say okay you love me enough now no x it's about that God loved us x and what all that means x they sent his only son to be the x propitiation x of our sins x so how do we reflect x the love of God x how do we reflect God's perfect love x will never do it absolutely until that x wonderful day in the kingdom when we are x transformed when we are changed x but right now how do we show x that we understand the depth of God's x love for us and John says no man have x seen God at any time we can't we can't x show God except x if we love one another x God dwells in US and his love x is perfected in US x so how do we know that we are reflecting x the love of God and we do it by whether x or not we love one another x and he's talking about brethren in x Christ x and so who is brethren in Christ x well those that can understand what this x word means and those are very very very x few x we are blessed x not we have attained onto but we are x blessed to be able to look at these x words and understand x that there is an overcoming of fear x you know what says fear is the beginning x of wisdom and it absolutely is you x better fear God if you're a sinner and x of course we fear God and brought came x to baptism so fear is the beginning of x wisdom what's the end of wisdom x you ever think about that yeah fear is x the beginning of one wisdom what's the x end x well this is what Paul says x Paul says this three things left x faith hope x and love where's wisdom x well it's Incorporated isn't it love x and the greatest of these is love x the end of wisdom x is perfect love x and fear is gone x how would you like to live x with no fear x well the problem is x that fear is torment x and torment x as we know and as we have seen can x consume us x we don't want to be consumed x with our fears x we want to be transformed x by the love of God x Isaiah says this x Isaiah 41. x for I the Lord thy God will hold thee in x thy right hand saying unto thee fear not x I will help thee fear not thou worm x Jacob for ye men of Israel and ye men of x Israel and I will help thee saith the x Lord and thy Redeemer the holy run of x Israel notice he calls Jacob a worm why x because that's what we are x and yet he says Don't Be Afraid x yeah I am the chiefest of Sinners I if x I've proven nothing I've proven I'm the x cheapest of Sinners that's what I've x proven it to me x and yet God can still love me and say x you don't have to be afraid why x because of the Redeemer x because God and the Redeemer have x redeemed me from my Redeem Me From x Myself x Psalm 34 says this x I sought the Lord and he heard me x and he delivered me x from all my fears x all of them x again Isaiah says this x but now thus saith the Lord that created x thee o Jacob he that formed thee o x Israel do not fear for I have redeemed x you x I have summoned You by name you are a x mine do you see who he's talking to x there by the way it's in vital that we x understand who he's talking to he says x now thus saith the Lord that created the x O Jacob x and he that formed the O Israel he's not x repeating himself x he's talking about two different sets of x individuals x oh Jacob is natural in Israel that's x what Jacob represents x he represents natural Israel he x represents the Jews x he that formed thee o Israel who is that x that spiritual Israel x that's you and I x brothers and sisters that's why he talks x about Jacob and Israel x because there's two peoples within that x Covenant x there's the Jews x and then there's the spiritual Jews x those that can understand the word of x God and it's in its depth and in its x wonder and in its truth x and put their names into that name we x are called right here and it says he's x redeemed you he has called you by name x how powerful is that that he has called x you by name x you like me the chiefest of sinners x because that's the god that we worship x that's the God We Trust in Jesus put it x this way x Jesus says peace x I leave you my peace x I give unto you not our peace x Christ peace and he says give I give uh x I give unto you not as the world giveth x not that kind of peace x give eye onto you let your hearts let x not your hearts be troubled x neither Let It Be Afraid there is no x fear x because we have the Peace of Christ x if we lay aside that internal Syrian x and put our Faith and Hope in God x Paul put it this way x the God hath not given us the spirit of x fear x but a power and of love and of a sound x mind x that's what this word of Truth offers us x a sound mind truth in all of its form x but notice where the power comes from x comes from God he hath given us x not the spirit of fear x but of power God's power and God's love x in the mind of God x so what I want to look at this morning x before we get to Isaiah x 39 what time is it x oh wonderful I want to look at a few x examples of people who come to the x realization x that what they're really relying on is x God's strength and not their own x and that it is the Redeemer that allows x them to be to be blessed of God and not x themselves I'm going to look at three x examples and we're going to look at x Abraham I want to look at Isaac and x we're going to look at Jacob hopefully x if we have the time and then we'll look x at the example I believe is there in x Isaiah 39. and some of these I know I've x talked about in the past before but I x think they fit the context x the first one is with Abraham now x Abraham was a man of faith x and x God takes him out of UR of the chaldees x and he has all these tremendous trials x but there's a point in Abraham's life x where Abraham makes not a confession x because he's already a man of faith not x about baptism not a confession x it's a realization he has this x incredible realization and it happens in x Genesis 20 when he's dealing with x abimelech remember when Jacob went down x into Egypt right and he says to Sarah x tell them you're my sister because he's x he was what afraid x right x and what happens the whole thing falls x apart uh the the Pharaoh realizes he'd x been lying to him and he kicks him out x right x and then at a certain point he ends up x with the Philistines in in uh Garage in x in the Philistines and he says has his x wife said the same thing x tell him you're my sister why because x he's afraid x right and look what happens x so you know you know it's the context x and the Bible I said unto Abraham what's x Sorrows thou that thou Hast done this x thing in other words told this lie why x did you do this x and Abraham says this is why I did it x and again it's not a confession x he doesn't he's not saying x well dear Lord forgive me for this he's x saying to a woman like this is why I did x it because this is what the flesh is x he says x because I thought x surely the fear of God is not in this x place x and they will slay me for my wife's sake x so he sets up a plan his strength he is x my plan to protect me x I'm going to rely on Sarah's loving x kindness x and have her tell a lie to protect me x but notice she says x and it came to pass x when God had caused me to wander from my x father's house x God did it x it's God's plan and purpose x you see the difference x you see how he says I was afraid x so I made this lie with my wife x and he came to pass when God sent me x when I should have been relying on God's x strength x because it was all him x just like you and I are baptized into x Christ not because we're somehow x wonderfully faithful people we're x baptized into Christ because God has x called us into Christ x God caused me to wander from my father's x house x that I said unto her this is thy x kindness x which Thou shalt show unto me at every x place whether we shall come say of me he x is my brother x he says this is the kindness I want you x to do to protect me x did it work x it didn't work x was Abraham protected x yes he was protected x by who x by God x why though x why was he protected by God x because he was a great man of faith x he'd been lying x since the day he left her of chaldees x he's been living with this lie x he's been using this lie the entire time x and yet God has continued to bless him x even though he's been living a lie x that doesn't bring glory to God x so then why x that's where the Redeemer comes in x that's the realization you have to have x somebody else x in order to stand before God but with x the Redeemer you can always x stand before God x because the strength lies with him x that's what Christ did Christ crucified x that flesh by relying on the strength of x his father even all the way to the Cross x which we're going to see in just a x minute x and Abraham never sins after this x you'll never see another moment and he x goes through other trials after this he x still has to offer up Isaac x which by the way causes him and his wife x to split up because apparently his wife x had a problem with that x but he never sins again after this x because after this he always relies on x the father what about Isaac Isaac is a x really interesting one x because Isaac as we know you in Genesis x 26 uses the same lie x right he ends up with the Philistines he x ends up with abimelech in garage x probably a different abimelech abimelech x is probably in the Name of the King of a x Philip uh the Philistines but that not x that important x and it says in verse six and seven and x Isaac dwelt in garage and the men of x that place asked him of his wife and he x said she is my sister x sound familiar why would why would the x word of God give you the same lie with x two different people why would it do x that x not not why did did Isaac use the same x lie but why would God show us that he's x showing us that to say this is the exact x same situation x this is the exact same trusting in x yourself he's he's making it obvious to x you that the same lesson is going to be x taught x and he said she is my wife lest he said x the men of this place shall kill me for x Rebecca because she was fair to look x upon x and have been like called Isaac and said x behold of a surety she is thy wife did x it work x didn't work x it never works to trust in your own x strength x and how safe is thou that she is my x sister and Isaac said unto him because I x said x lest I die for her he was afraid x so he made a plan x he goes on from there later on x in verse 26. in this the fascinating x story in which remember Isaac leaves uh x garar and he he moves along and he digs x well and every time he digs a well they x find water and every time they find x water the Philistines come and say x that's our will and then they moved x further away he digs a well he finds x water and they move away and he goes He x digs it well they find water and they x keep getting kicked out by the x Philistines right and they keep claiming x those wells until finally they come to x this place x and he digs so well and they haven't x found water yet by the way at the at the x moment that this event happens x and what happens is abimelech comes x to meet Isaac because abimelech is x watching what's going on and it's not x just a Bim like it's watching what's x going on it's the Sky by the name of a x who's that x well who is he x well by the way his name means x possession keep that in mind x and then abimelech went from Gerard and x whose ass one who's at one of his x friends and FICO the chief captain of x his army why would we be told in what x possible difference does it make x that abimelech brings some friend to his x name of who's that x what's the point of that whose app never x specifically says anything because x notice in the next line it says we saw x certainly that the Lord with thee why x are we told this thing about this guy x named ahuzat whose name means possession x that he happened to be there surely x there were other people there too x and the reason is this x notice it says and the who's that one of x his friends x well who's that was a friend of x abimelech x but much much more importantly x well who's that was a friend of Isaacs x and we know that by what they said x because what they say to Isaac x has to mean that they understood what x Isaac represented and Isaac had x forgotten x because Isaac was getting x ticked x by what was happening so look what it x says x and Isaac said unto them wherefore Come x Ye Timmy seeing you hate me x right Isaac is angry because he keeps x digging these Wells keep finding the x water and they keep kicking them out x they dig another one to find one keeps x kicking them out and he's Fed Up x and in the course of being fed up he x forgot what he represented x now he's he's back with that Assyrian in x his mind who do you think you are and x he's ready to stand up and fight for x himself I've obviously I've cut some x passages out but x this is what they said x and pay attention to the words x and they said we saw certainly that the x Lord was with me well they did right x they knew the Lord was with him because x where x Isaac was digging these Wells down in x the South down in in the nege Avenue how x do you pronounce that that's a Barren x land down there that's not a place where x you just you know you just drop anchor x and dig a well and yet every time Isaac x digs a well he's finding water x and they said the Lord's got to be with x him x and we saw it x but that's not x the key that you can understand that x and then they said and as we have done x onto thee nothing but good not true x this is still the Philistines x and have sent thee away in peace x not true they kept fighting with them x from one well to the next to the next x they say this x that thou art now the blessed x of the Lord x the Lord was with thee x Thou Art now the Blessed of the Lord x that's different x and the difference is this x they said we knew that the Lord was with x you we knew the Lord was blessing you x and now we know x that you serve the Lord x that you are blessed of the lord they're x saying that you actually x serve the Lord x and Isaac had forgotten it because look x what happens next and he made them a x feast and they did eat and drink he x completely does a 180. x why x because he had forgotten x he is the Blessed of God x he has the protection of God x he is within the plan and purpose of God x and it took his friend oh who's that to x remind him of who he was how would a x who's that know that because he knew him x back in Gerard x and Isaac said this is who who I am for x this is who I work for x isn't that powerful you see there's such x a difference between God is with you x and you are a part of God x and that's what they're saying to him x what about Jacob x you know the story of Jacob wrestling x with an Angel x you know Jacob's coming down from from x Laban he comes to a place called x mahanayam and he sets up this big x elaborate plan right he's got this big x plan where he's going to send three x different groups out because he's got to x meet his brother Esau and he knows his x brother Esau is not happy so he has a x plan he puts his whole plan together and x then he prays to God and says please be x with me in my plan x but he's got a problem x and the problem is he's not right with x God why because he stole the blessing x and he never paid the price for stealing x that blessing remember he steals the x blessing from Esau you know he puts on x the the Woolen the garments and he fools x his father and he steals the blessing x and he goes up to Laban and he lives up x in Laban and the Lord is with him all x the time he's up there and blesses him x and gives them all kinds of stuff and x now he's got to come back x and yes he's got to answer Esau but he's x still got to answer to God x and he knows it and remember the the the x armies of the Lord are there mahanayam x and they don't join up right you would x think with the armies of the lord x they're the angels of God there that x Jacob would go right over and say okay x with you guys here we can deal with Esau x he doesn't do that because he's not x right x with God x God has not taken his pound of Flesh x from him for his sin he has not paid the x price for his sin x and you know what he never pays it look x what it says x it says when he saw that he prevailed x not against him x who saw what x and the national inclination is to say x it's the Angel Sanchez I'm not going to x beat this guy x but this Angel is doing it's not an x angel working a a wrestling with with x Jacob on his own he's the angel of God x he's doing God's purpose so the angel x knows what's going on the angel is not x going to have some Revelation saying I'm x not going to defeat this God x it that would make no sense whatsoever x but that's the way it looks in the way x the texture reads because we can dive x into the text and find it because God x has blessed us x chiefest of sinners x it was Jacob that understood x that the angel wasn't going to beat him x he wasn't going to take that pond of x Flesh and then the Angels proves it x right away by just touching himself and x say see I could have beaten you at any x time x at any time I could have done it x and he did it within the context of it x Moses says uh you touch a hollow's thigh x was out of joint as he wrestled with him x I could have beat you at any time x but I didn't why not x because he's the blessed x of God x look what it says x gamma x he says thy name shall be called No More x Jacob x one who wrestles with God one who x struggles with God one who's an x adversary of God but Israel a prince x one who was working with God one who is x part of the kingdom of God x for as a prince x thou as power with God and with men as a x prince not as Jacob x but as a prince x and that's why you prevailed x because you now understand x that in weakness God's power is made x perfect x that's what Jacob came to understand why x didn't this Angel just beat me he had x plenty of strength to do it all you do x is touch me and he was defeating me x why'd he do it x this is what Jacob says and this is x where we'll come to really the Crux of x the matter and we oh we got good x and Jacob called the name of the place x Pena peniel x he says for I have seen God face to face x and my life is preserved x not that word preserved means it means x to be snatched away x he said I was snatched away from death x by God x he let me live x I met him face to face no one sees God x face to face and lives x and here I am wrestling with God in the x form of this angel x and he'll let me live x and he said I was snatched away x why am I snatched away why why is that x pond of Flesh not taken x that pawn the flesh is taken x it is taken x but it's not taken by Jacob x it's taken by Christ x who crucified the flesh now notice what x it says in Psalm 22 the crucifixion x psalm x says be not thou Far From Me O Lord O my x strength haste thee to help me x deliver my soul from The Sword you know x what that word Deliver Us same word x same word x snatched away x snatch my soul away from the sword my x darling from the power of the dog x Christ was snatched away x how was Christ's not Christ wasn't x snatched away from Death he died x he's calling on his father to say take x me away from sin x he's snatched away from sin x by his death x same word x that's Our Redeemer x that's what the Redeemer does for you x and I x he snatches us away from death x so that God's strength is made perfect x there's the weakest man on that cross x crucifying the flesh by putting his x faith x in the will of his father x okay now let's we've still got a few x minutes yes yeah I'm not presiding today x so I can go right up to 10 29. x look what happens in Isaiah 39. x Isaiah 39 is a confusing chapter if if x you don't look at it closely it's a x confusing chapter period I'll tell you x why x because Hezekiah has this this great x moment with God where he brings the the x the x uh words of ramsheka and and sennacher x of Malaysian before God and the Assyrian x is destroyed right the next morning they x get up and the Assyrian is gone and x never to be heard from again they're x done x and then he then he gets sick right and x God says okay I'm going to give you 15 x more years x and you would think in those 15 more x years Hezekiah would be would be so x happy x and so and so appreciative of what God x did that those would be the greatest x years in his life and they were the x worst of his years why x why x because he still has something to learn x right and this is where Lord willing x we're going to take our Sunday school x class I got I think I have April x um where we get into Babylon right x because as soon as the Assyrian is gone x in walks Babylon x and Babylon is is a whole different x animal than the Assyrian far more subtle x far more manipulative x than the Assyrian who was bold and brash x Babylon is about that flesh that we we x have to literally dig in to see it all x sounds so good x look what happens in Isaiah 39. x at that time meredog baladin the son of x baladin king of Babylon set letters and x presents to Hezekiah x for he had heard that he had been sick x and was recovered x it does a nice thing doesn't he Hezekiah x had been sick and the king of Babylon x says yeah I heard he was sick so he x sends presents I don't think he has x alternative motive truthfully at that x moment x but he's still a Babylonian x he's still ruled by the flesh x and Hezekiah was glad of them and showed x them the house of his precious things x the silver and the gold and the spices x and the precious ointment and all the x house of his armor and all that was x found in his treasure he shows him x everything x look at this is what I got x see how he might even said see how God x has blessed me see everything I got x you want to show everything you got to a x Babylonian x and they said oh that's terrific x and then they go back and say yeah we x brought him his presence and boy I'll x tell you he's doing well x really x yeah he's he got a lot of stuff there x he's a nice guy x really x that's interesting what happens x down comes the Babylonian x right there was nothing in his house nor x all of his Dominion the Hezekiah showed x him not that's all I got right here x and he thinks he's doing it for a friend x just like you know we treat the x Babylonian in our lives as as a friend x that they're they're nice people they're x good people and they they you know x they're these are being they're being x nice they are nice x but they're still Babylonia x so Isaiah comes x and said Isaiah Hezekiah and understand x Isaiah had already been prophesying for x years about the Babylonian x and Hezekiah was a disciple if you will x of Isaiah x and Isaiah had been saying long before x this day watch out for Babylon x Babylon is representative and so he goes x he says uh says Hezekiah hear the word x of the Lord of hosts x behold the days come that all that is in x thy house and all that which thy fathers x have laid up in store until this day x shall be carried away to Babylon nothing x shall be left saith the Lord and of thy x sons that thou shall issue from thee x which Thou shalt beget shall they take x away and they shall be eunuchs in the x Palace of the king of Babylon x he said there's going to be a price to x pay x for what you did x but not recognizing x Babylon x you're going to pay a price and x hezekiah's response x if you look at it from a natural x perspective makes no sense at all x because he says this x then said Hezekiah to Isaiah good is the x word of the Lord which thou has spoken x he said moreover for there shall be x peace and Truth in my day x what a strange response x for a man of Faith to say oh this is x good x so you're saying that you know after I x die you know the babylon's going to come x and take all our stuff and take our take x uh my kids and take them off to Babylon x oh this is good x because at least there'll be peace in my x time x you know that's not what he's saying I x know that's what it looks like x but that's not what he's saying and x there's one word that tells you that x that's not what he's saying x and that word is truth x for there will be peace x and Truth x in my days x and what's the truth the truth is this x Hezekiah did what he could he was a good x King x he was a great reformer x but he could never defeat x Babylon x and he knew it x he recognized it x he also recognized that Babylon had to x come x and take everything x so that the true x King x could come that's why the very next x chapter starts off at the very next x verse x comfort you comfort you my people it's x the next verse in Isaiah's prophecy x because Hezekiah said you know what x this has to happen why because I'm not x that's Christ x I'm another sinner just like everybody x else x he's going to be peace in my days my x fight is over x I have not won x but he will x there shall be peace x and Truth x in my days x isn't that an incredible thing x that this man who is failing x is able to say yep x that's right x that's just what Abraham was saying x that's just what Isaac was saying that's x just what Jacob was saying x because our strength is never in x ourselves x we can never say because we have the x word of God we are something x we aren't something x except blessed x except truly blessed that we can find x peace in our hearts if we just recognize x that it is God's love that is perfect x and we put our lives and our faith and x our hope x in him x and we love each other x so that God can see we understand you x know what it means to love somebody else x in this way it means you're not focusing x on yourself x when you truly love another person you x will do anything for that other person x whatever you have to do whatever x sacrifice you have to give x to save that other person because you x love them because God has shown you and x has done for you x what you never deserved x it's a powerful message but if we don't x hear it we'll always hear the Assyrian x and our said our head we will always be x fooled by the Babylonian x unless we understand x that perfect love is of God x that it is there for us we can overcome x our fears x through Christ x we can be at perfect peace x if our mind has stayed on him

Transcript

come to you my people saith your God x class II x now it it might um sounds strange to you x for me to call it class two when this is x the first class x um but actually the first class x um was in February if you remember back x in February uh I think brother Mark x Hampton was sick one week so I offered x to fill in x and x um x what I fill in the in on was Isaiah 39. x I've been trekking my way through Isaiah x for a while x for a while now x uh brother Ben gave me a commission x about five years ago he doesn't even x remember it but he did x saying get Isaiah figured out so I've x been working at it ever since I have not x got Isaiah figured up but it has been a x tremendous walk nonetheless x back in February we were talking about x the end of Isaac of hezekiah's life and x what takes place in Isaiah 39 x and why it was it is there x uh if you remember at the end of Isaiah x 39 it says this x then said Isaiah 2 I then said Hezekiah x to Isaiah good is the word of the Lord x which thou has spoken he has more of a x he said maroba for there shall be peace x and Truth in my days and we pointed out x when you look at that on the surface it x looks as if Isaiah is saying x um after remember Hezekiah wrote x remember Isaiah x rebukes him because when the Babylonians x came x Hezekiah showed him all of his stuff x and Isaiah says what have you shown them x and he said I showed him everything x and Isaiah said because you have done x this x after you're gone your children are x going to be dragged into Babylon and all x the stuff is going to be dragging into x Babylon because because you have done x this x and Isaiah says well that's good x um and to look at it it looks as if he's x saying well that's good it'll happen in x my kids time and not my time x and the problem with of course is that x that does not fit x the character of Hezekiah Hezekiah was x was a faithful man x did he make a mistake in showing x everything he had and we'll talk about x that more this morning to the x Babylonians absolutely x and if and as we pointed out then if x that word truth wasn't there if it just x said there'll be peace in my days x then then that interpretation would make x sense x but he says truth and peace x and Hezekiah knew what truth was because x Hezekiah was a man of Faith you know we x don't give uh I in this is my opinion we x don't give as much credit to the Old x Testament uh Patriarchs and how much x they understood about their Bible x a faithful individual has been a x faithful individual since the dawn of x time he is a man who understands and x knows the word of God that's where faith x comes from faith comes by hearing and x hearing by the word of God so these men x Abraham Isaac Jacob David x Moses Noah x they knew their God x now they didn't have the advantages that x we have certainly they didn't have this x this whole book but they certainly had x enough to understand what God's plan and x purpose was x and of course the key role in God's plan x and purpose is the Redeemer x and all the we pointed out last week all x these people understood that they were x in need x of a redeemer x now this morning what I'd like to do is x I'm actually going to rehash a little x bit this point in Isaiah 39. x um because there's some uh greater x Revelations if you will a greater truths x that come out when you consider Isaiah x 39 or Isaiah 36-39 with the other two x accounts of the end of the life of x Hezekiah x remember we pointed out x a few weeks ago and I understand you x don't remember this but I'm going to x remind you that the Isaiah 39 this x ending here where he says there will be x peace and Truth in my days x the whole purpose of that ending x is to understand that Hezekiah knew his x Redeemer x Hezekiah understood that he was a sinner x and he understood that in his life x people would look at his life and think x what a great faithful man Hezekiah was x and we'll see that in some of the other x accounts and everything would be about x all the stuff that Hezekiah did and x that's not faith that's just a man doing x great things x Hezekiah knew it had to be about Christ x and it wasn't going to be about Christ x if all they ever said about Hezekiah was x he did he had he renewed the Passover he x dug the conduit he did this he did this x he did this x and now because of this sin x and because of the fact that that the x Babylonians would have got to come in x because of his era what his period was x going to be about was Christ and that's x what he wanted x and so the end of Isaiah 39 x is all about what it means to have a x redeemer x that's why he said there'll be peace and x Truth in my days when you look at my x days and you look at the whole picture x what you'll see is my commitment to x Christ x and not what all the stuff that I did x that's what we talked about in February x what I want to talk about this morning x is sort of a follow-up to that by x looking at the other accounts of the end x of hezekiah's life and what their focus x was x and finally the other question we want x to address is okay your life is about x faith what does that look like x and that's Lord willing what we'll x answer x um this morning x so in order to do that we need to uh x look at the other two accounts before we x do that I want to ask an obvious x question x and I don't remember if I asked this x question in February or not I didn't go x back and watch the talk but x Isaiah 36-39 x is the historical account x of Hezekiah at the end of his life x starting from the time where the x Assyrians come and they besiege the city x all the way through this verse right x here where he says there will be peace x and Truth in my days here's an obvious x question and it's a good question always x to ask whenever you read the Bible x actually there's two questions that go x along with us not just why is this here x but also why is something not there x right when you read something and you x say why is x why is that there why is there not x something else there that's always a x good question to ask why is this here x when you look in Isaiah 36-39 that's an x easy question to ask because it's so x different x from the rest of the prophecy of Isaiah x right the rest of the prophecy Isaiah 95 x 98 of it is prophecy it's Isaac it's the x word of the Lord speaking through Isaiah x offering prophecies about the future x prophecies about their Disobedience all x these type of stuff and all of a sudden x out of nowhere he comes out of that x prophetic statements and launches into a x historical account why x you can see how the question easily pops x up why is it there he doesn't do that x with the other kings right he doesn't do x what they has he gives us one brief x historical note with ahaz and Isaiah 7 x when again they're being besieged This x Time by Syria in the northern kingdom of x of Israel and we and that's where he x says I'm going to give you a sign of x Virgin shall conceive in Isaiah 7. x but other than that he never there's no x other step back and this is what ahaz x did and this is who he was x and the other two kings that he x prophesied during were jotham x I don't think Jonathan has ever x mentioned in Isaiah x nor is Manasseh in Manasseh you would x think in the life of Manasseh he was a x wicked King there'd be to say but x Isaiah doesn't do it and yet he does it x in this context with Hezekiah why does x he do it x and what what is emphasized here x is different than what is emphasized in x Second Kings 20 and what is emphasized x in second Chronicles chapter x 32. so just as as a reminder this is x this is how it ends x good is the word of the Lord for there x shall be peace and Truth in my days x and that truth is about is about Christ x and that peace is about Christ x because Christ said this x I am the way the truth and the life x No One Cometh onto the father but by me x and that is as true with the Old x Testament Patriarchs as it is with the x disciples as it is with you and I no one x comes to the father but through Christ x that's actually what that February class x if you remember it it all was all about x remember we took a look at Abraham x we said Abraham came to that realization x and he came to that realization when he x was meeting with abimelech x and he this was the second time where he x said Sarah's my sister instead of my x wife and when abimelech figures out x abimele access to why did you say that x and he said you know I've been saying x that x since I left earlys actually actually he x said more than that he says I've been x saying that since the Lord took me from x early cold days x in other words I've been telling that x lie because it was a lie it was half x true x I've been telling that lie throughout my x entire walk with god I've been telling x that lie x and yet God has blessed me God has x worked through me God has done all these x things with me and I've been telling a x lie why is that important x because God is not connected with sin x God can have no connection with sin so x how can God work through Abraham If x Abraham is a sinner the only way is a x redeemer x that's the only way it can work x the only way we can walk in faith is x through Christ why because we're sinners x and so Abraham knew as he said that that x statement to abimelech he knew x this wasn't really about him it couldn't x be about him because he's been telling x that lies since the beginning does that x make sense x because the same thing happens with x Isaac we went through Isaac remember we x talked about Isaac with Isaac it was x when x is it abimelech yeah is a bimlock or him x like I always get those two confused but x anyway he comes with with FICO the uh x captain of the host and he comes with a x friend to his and a friend of Isaac's x name ahuzath and remember Isaac is in x Beersheba x and they come to Isaac in Beersheba and x Isaiah Isaac is upset right because his x men keep digging these whales and x finding water and the Philistines keep x taking it x but whose Earth wasn't just a friend of x abimelech x he was a friend of Isaacs and Isaac had x taught him the truth when he was down x down with the Philistine down in garan x and this is what ahuzaf says to Isaac x he says we know that God is with you x right they see him dig the wells they x say oh God is with him x but then he says and I'm paraphrasing x him but this is the essence of what he x says x more importantly x you are a servant of God x in other words God works x through you x and here's Isaac he's upset that they x keep digging these Wells and he's angry x with them because they keep stealing the x wells and who's that is the one that has x to remind him don't you know God works x through you x and what does Isaac do x he throws A Feast for him remember he x completely turns 180 degrees and he x throws a feet that's a Jew by the way x throwing A Feast for a couple of x Gentiles which is kind of interesting x you know itself x but that's when Isaac realizes it can't x actually be about me can it x has to be about something else x because I'm a sinner and yet you're x right God does work through me you're x absolutely correct and what happens at x the well as soon as they leave x water x and he calls it The Well of seven or The x Well of with The Well of Oats x right and Isaac never sins again after x that Abraham never sins again after he x says x I've been telling that lie since I came x out of Earth and we looked at Jacob x would Jacob it happens when he wrestles x with the angel x because when he wrestles with the angel x he's got a sin to pay for x he had stolen the blessing he had x tricked his brother for for uh the x birthright x but the blessing he stole x and he'd never paid the price for x stealing that blessing and he's got to x meet with God and he meets with God and x he wrestles with God and he realizes x God's not going to beat him he's not x going to do it why not God has every x right if he's a righteous God x he has every right to punish x Jacob for what he's done x and he doesn't x why not well Jacob explains it Jacob x says I face death and God snatched me x away from death x right he uses the word preserved but x that word preserved means snatched me x away I had every right to die x and God said no you're not going to die x I'm going to snatch you away how is that x possible x Redeemer it's the only way and when we x pointed out that word snatched away x preserved we pointed out it's the exact x same word in Psalm 22 when Christ is on x the cross and Christ says x take me away from the from the dog x Christ is not snatched away from Death x the way Jacob was x Christ was snatched away from sin by x dying on the cross x that's the Redeemer that's what Jacob x understood that's what Isaac understood x that's what Abraham understood Moses x Noah that's what John the Baptist x understood we talked about John the x Baptist in a whole different class x and John the Baptist had to come to x understand he needed Christ x we won't go into how he comes to that x conclusion but it has to do with the x fact that he said there comes a man x greater than I and then when he comes x and goes to the bathtub he no longer x says that anymore x he says this comes one who's preferred x before me because he was before me x it no longer becomes about John greater x than I is about John x preferred before me is about Christ x that's the realization that a servant of x Christ must always always come to x so Christ is the way the truth and the x life no one comes to the father x but by him x so I want to take a look at Second Kings x 20 first so turn over to Second Kings 20 x if you feel uh so inclined x and we're going to pick it up in verse x 12. and again this is this is the x corollary account in Second Kings of the x period in hezekiah's life where Hezekiah x makes makes a mistake all the other x things have already happened I believe x if we're correct x yes and then the remember he maybe he x gets sick x and he prays to God uh Isaiah says x you're going to die get yourself squared x away because you're going to die x and Hezekiah says praise to God for not x to die and God gives him 15 more years x right and remarkably enough those are x the worst 15 years of x hezekiah's life as far as his faith is x concerned right because notice what it x says x um in verse 12. again this is second x Kings chapter 20. x at that time let's pick it up in 11 just x so we have have x um context and Isaiah the prophet called x unto the Lord and he brought the shadow x of 10 degrees backward to which by which x it had gone down in the dial of ahaz x remember that's the sign that Hezekiah x asked for Hezekiah said you got to give x me a sign and the Lord gives him the x sign Hezekiah says what the sign he x wants right he wants to he wants the x shadow to move backwards something don't x happen naturally x and then it says at that time so x virtually right away x Hezekiah asked for a sign from God x because he's going to die x God gives him the sign x and then Hezekiah immediately falls into x sin why x why at that time beredek biladen the son x of baladin King of Babylon sent letters x in the present onto Hezekiah for you had x heard that Hezekiah had been sick and x his hunkered onto them and showed them x all the house of his precious things the x silver and the gold and the spices and x the precious ointments all the house of x his armor and all that was found in his x treasures there was nothing in his house x nor in all his Dominion that Hezekiah x showed them not x so Hezekiah says I showed him all my x stuff x all the stuff I had accumulated all the x stuff I had x what's wrong with that statement x it's all about Hezekiah x and that's not Hezekiah x but Hezekiah is a sinner just like x everybody else x right x so Hezekiah gets caught up x right he's given a blessing from God x he's given 15 more years and what's his x mentality because we know this mentality x because we suffer with the same thing x I guess I'm okay with God x right x at that time right away x I guess I'm okay with God remember David x in second uh Samuel 7 right who am I x that God would do this for me x and then you get by the time you get x like two chapters along x David is sleeping with Bathsheba how x does it happen x it happens when you make it about you x not about Christ x I guess I'm okay I showed them x everything I had x that's not a man of faith a man of faith x is what Paul said remember what Paul x said x everything I've gained I count as lost x that I'm I know Christ x that's what faith is Hezekiah is a man x of Faith but he makes a mistake x and he makes a mistake in a natural way x because he's a natural man like the rest x of us he thinks I guess I'm okay with x God God has granted my request he's x given me the sign I guess I'm okay so x then of course Isaiah comes right and x Isaiah says what have you done x and he said well I I showed him all my x stuff x right x um x verse 15. and what have they seen in thy x house and Hezekiah answered all the x things that are in my house have they x seen there is nothing among my treasures x that I have not shown them x so why do you show them all this stuff x right the Babylonians come According to x second kings 20. and we're going to see x the Babylonians in typical fashion a x duplicitous right x and he said well he'd been sick x you know the poor guy had been sick and x so you know we we sent the contingency x to say wonderful to hear you better and x we we brought a present x is that insincere no I I don't think x it's insincere at all I think that's x legitimately why they did it x but this is Babylon x Babylon is Babylon is Babylon Babylon x yesterday Babylon today Babylon tomorrow x until babylon's gone x we all know Babylon babylon's not like x Assyria right we talked about Assyria a x little while back the Assyrian the x Assyrian is brutal the Searing is is x conceded the Assyrian is strong the x Assyrian is cold the Assyrian is callous x all those things that's the Assyrian x that ain't the Babylonian x the Babylonian is civil x the Babylonian is intelligent x the Babylonian is respectful x the Babylonian x is sneaky x the Babylonian is duplicitous yes they x sent their person to offer a present x and while they were there x they also had a good look around x did they necessarily have an ulterior x motive at that moment I don't know x probably not x but they're still Babylonian x they're still driven by the flesh x and you couldn't help but notice x this guy's doing pretty well x there's a lot of money x down in Jerusalem x it's the same thing by the way that joab x saw in Anna x right there's a lot of good stuff over x there x in Ammon and they've been nasty to us x remember they they x cut the beards in half and all that kind x of stuff you remember that story x next thing you know x they're attacking the city of Indiana I x can't remember the name of it same thing x why that's Babylon that's the flesh x that's the way it is and that's what x that's what goes on here x so there were two things x that Hezekiah Eridan x Steve x my stuff in hezekiah's case yeah David x David David you know counting the census x and these are all the men under my x control it's all about their pride and x he pays the price for it right right x yeah uh Chris x just to uh to connect Steve's point x about David you know and I know this is x a well discussed point but very x significant that at that time of x Bathsheba he did not go out to with a x host of Israel you know so the Zeal of x Yahweh of hosts uh he decided that x perhaps he was his days of fighting the x battles of the Lord were over and uh he x was looking forward to more his own x retirement and his own uh you know maybe x self-pleasures and that's where his x biggest troubles began at that point but x so he you know very significant when x he's on the rooftop the host of Israel x is out to battle you know so he's become x a little more self-centered away from x the uh the Zeal of Yahweh of Hosting x right as as the beginning of that x chapter starts office says when the King x goes off to war David stayed home yeah x that's literally what what the verse x says right yeah I mean the king when x it's time for the king to go after War x uh David stayed home x yeah x yes absolutely yeah so it kind of showed x that his values were changing okay at x that point in time what was valuable to x him you know once I get the microphone x you're in trouble so x yeah x I x you were making a point about Jacob and x uh wrestling the angel can you get that x microphone yeah I I just wanted to say x that he wrestled the angel until the x dawn you know to the to the day style x Rose in his heart that he came to that x realization of his of his election and x so forth you know and Peter Peter picks x up on the day star a rising in our x hearts a great Point thank you x very good thanks for that so I want to x point out this this so I think there's x two reasons that x um x that uh Hezekiah showed everything he x had first of course it was pride and x self-confidence x and the second thing and the second x thing is x just a lack of respect for the flesh x you know that's that's so easy in a life x of faith to fall into the Trap of not x recognizing x the how strong the flesh is even in a x person of faith x right they can't they seem to come you x know for a good reason for for a nice x reason it would have been perfectly fine x to be respectable to them and take their x take their gift or whatever and but x it's still Babylon x and Isaiah had been prophesying against x Babylon for years when Babylon was x virtually nothing when he first started x Prophet about prophesying about Babylon x you can think people would look at it x and said Babylon babylon's just some x little you know Backwoods and a watch x out for Babylon x Isaiah was saying it for years and years x and years watch out for Babylon not the x country yes the country but not the x country what it represents x and Babylon is insidious x as soon as we let it in x it will it will climb in and distort x and the only thing that keeps you out of x it is the word of Truth and fellowship x that's the only thing that keeps you out x of Babylon we all know what it means to x be dragged into Babylon and and remember x that's what happens here right x this is my x yeah x so so Isaiah says to Hezekiah and this x is in Second Kings 20. behold the days x come that all that is in thine house and x that which thy fathers have laid up in x store onto this day shall be carried x into Babylon nothing shall be left saith x the Lord and thy Sons shall be taken x away x it's all going to be dragged into x Babylon x and Isaiah says that's a good thing x why is it a good thing x well there's a real strong truth in what x Isaiah says there he's talking to x Hezekiah about his situation x but the strong truth is x everyone x is dragged into Babylon x the question is not whether you're going x to get dragged into Babylon x and you're going to dragged in again x and again and again and again and again x the question is are you gonna come back x and Isaiah Hezekiah recognizes x that they have to get Dragged In they're x going to be physically dragged but they x would have been dragged anyway x because that's the life of a sinner x but x there's x peace x and Truth x it will be peace and Truth because x Hezekiah was dragged into Babylon right x here and yet still x he's not going to suffer for his sin x because he's been forgiven through x Redemption and he says that's what I x want people to see in my days and that's x what my children will say and come to x understand and that's partially just x what the people who were dragged into x Babylon at the time of the Babylon x captivity came to understand x they understand it completely because x they came back and fell right back into x the same sins but we're all going to be x dragged back into Babylon again and x again and again and the world is going x to be dragged into Babylon that King of x the North going to happen again x until everybody across the Earth knows x that it's really all about Christ and x not about them that's the message x of being dragged into Babylon x this is what x how this x um x account ends but what time do we have x 1003 you know I'm running out of time x because of Chris x 2019. then said Hezekiah on to Isaiah x good is the word of the Lord which thou x has spoken x and he said is it not good x if peace and Truth be in my days x so he uses the expression of good x twice x why is it good x is it good that this happened x well it's good because of this x because God x is good x this is God's purpose being done you and x I and Hezekiah and Abraham and Isaac and x Jacob x none good but God x he's saying this is good this is exactly x What God Says has to happen x so that you will come as an individual x as a community as a world to recognize x that all things are possible through x Christ x but nothing is possible possible without x them it's good that this is downstairs x um I'm just looking at this and I'm x wondering if Hezekiah is thinking that x it's good because in his lifetime x there'll be peace and safety but x so you know Hill has sort of escape this x but is you know he doesn't it's almost x like he doesn't care for his descendants x am I reading it wrong or is that uh yeah x that is wrong but and you as a fence x that's what yeah that's what the x February class was all about yeah that's x not what Hezekiah is saying I was I was x traveling yeah no I understand you x missed that one it's on tape x uh Steve is because of that word truth x and actually I'm going to show you more x reasons for it in a minute thanks Jim x but yeah sure but that word truth could x not be there if it said just said Peace x there'll be peace in my days that's x exactly what Hezekiah would have been x saying and that's exactly the way it x looks when you look at when you look at x it x um x at first for sure x but that's not what he's saying because x Hezekiah is a man of faith and he says x there will be truth in my days and and x by the way there's no days left x right after these it looked the very x next verse after 2019 is and then he you x know then he died x you know same thing in Isaiah right we x have the story where he says there'll be x truth in my days and that's the end of x the account there's no more Hezekiah so x I don't think he's talking about the x days to come the rest of my days are x going to be peaceful I think he's x talking about what's going to be seen in x his days Chris oh x no no don't yell at because the people x can't hear it online x many aspects of it but the the truth in x hezekiah's day is that I will defend the x city okay that was an aspect of uh well x what I'm sorry I will defend this city x you know he said yes so certainly that x is something that remained true to the x end of Hezekiah that truth that I will x defend this city x yep x okay now I want to go over to x um x I've got it written down here as second x Kings 20. oh yeah this is the end of it x I'm sorry this is the end of the second x Kings account notice what it says x and the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and x all his might x and how he made a pool and a conduit and x brought water into the city are they not x written in the books of The Chronicles x of the kings of Judah II kings 20 verse x 20. so the king's account x the the book of King's account x in the end is all about hezekiah's might x and Hezekiah had a lot of Might he did a x lot of great things no doubt about it x and that's really what this is all about x it's about hezekiah's might x it even says it right there the rest of x the acts of Hezekiah and all his might x and notice it mentions The Chronicles of x the kings of Judah notice it doesn't x mention Isaiah x and you say well maybe this was written x before Isaiah or something along that x lines probably not x given the fact that this is a later x accountant Isaiah is virtually a x what's that called when you're in the in x that time frame there's a word for that x account x but he doesn't mention he doesn't x mention it when we get the Chronicles we x see the Chronicles does and we'll talk x about that x but in the end the the king's account is x about the might of Hezekiah where the x Isaiah account is about the Redemption x through Christ so then what is the x Chronicles account about this is a x fascinating x account it takes place in Chronicles x chapter 32 Second Chronicles chapter 32 x if you want to look it up I'll have the x verses up on the screen as well but at x Second Chronicles 32 27-33 x and it's slightly different than the x king's account in the Isaiah count but x the context is exactly is exactly the x same as we'll see x start in 27 it says and I I think I've x shortened this a bit yeah I did x and Hezekiah had exceeding much riches x and honor x and he made himself Treasures for silver x and for gold and for precious stones and x for spices and for Shields and for all x manner of pleasant Jewels if you look at x the life of Hezekiah before these final x accounts before he is x um given 15 more years x you won't hear anything about all all x the things that Hezekiah did for himself x remember Hezekiah did the Passover and x Hezekiah brought the brought the notes x into the into the temple to God and all x that kind of stuff it isn't until until x he's been given 15 more years when all x of a sudden it becomes all about him x moreover he provided him cities and x possessions of flocks and herds in x abundance x for God had given him substance very x much well that's him excuse me an x interesting line that God had given him x sustenance so there's there's this x contrast between he did this for himself x and he did this for himself and he got x this for himself and he got that for x himself for God had given him substance x very much and and the story is going to x build upon that x it says this x this same Hezekiah the one we've been x looking at the post 15 you know the post x sickness x this Hezekiah also stopped up the water x course Soviet Soviet Soviet on and on x how be it x in the business of the ambassadors of x the princes of Babylon x who were sent on to him to inquire of x the Wonders that were done in his land x well that's not what we read x in the other accounts in the other x accounts they right they they came to x bring him presents because he'd been x sick x and yet this says it's not that to x Inquirer the Wonders that was done in x his land x well which was it and the answer is both x again this is Babylon x duplicitous x yes outwardly yeah we feel terrible that x you were sick look we brought you nice x things what do you here x isn't that interesting look at all you x got here x did they forget x they didn't forget x they didn't say oh that's they might x have at the time so that's all that's x all Hezekiah is but when they got back x to Babylon you believe all the stuff x he's got there really huh x but he's feeling better now oh good x that's nice x but this is what it says x I think that's part of it x yeah how did this happen well think of x some of the things that happened first x of all x um x as far as you're looking at from Babylon x a Syria surrounding the city and the x next day they're dead x how's that happen x Hezekiah is on the verge of death x and all of a sudden you know probably x has a terminal illness of something all x of a he's well x well that's interesting how did that x happen x what did you say yeah the Sundial went x backwards how does that happen well x we're not going to go into how that x happened because I went into that one x day on a Wednesday night class and I x paid the price for it but x I can tell you how it happened x Shekinah Glory that's how it happened x God took a light more bright brighter x than the Sun and move that light because x God controls that light but we won't go x down that road today but yeah those are x the Wonders absolutely x there's a lot of stuff going on in x Jerusalem and he had a lot of stuff when x he get all this stuff x this tiny little country x but God Did It for this reason x to try him x it says and God left him x to try him that he might know x all that was in his heart x so going back to Steve's question if the x end of of hezekiah's life x was for him to say you know this is not x my problem it's my kids kids problem x then what was in hezekiah's heart was x Pride x right because he's saying I was not I'm x freeing clear x but that's not the heart of Hezekiah x because Hezekiah is a man of Faith he's x already he's already shown that x but he had to come to understand what x was in his heart he had to come to x understand the depth of evil and of sin x within himself x it doesn't go away x I I know I'm telling you something you x never realized before but it doesn't go x away x right x that's what sin is x so so what's our relief from it x do we just do we just keep fighting and x someday all of a sudden we don't do it x anymore of course not our relief from it x is to put all things x in God's hands our relief from it is to x be dead in ourselves x and alive in Christ x we come here on Sunday morning because x we get the bread and the wine telling us x not about you x I'm famous Steve Stewart line it's not x about you x it's not about you x and so he's shown everything x that is in that is in his heart x and everything that was in his heart x was what the will of flesh is all about x but x what was also in his heart x was that he was a man of faith and he x knew he had a redeemer x and he knew that Redeemer had saved him x from his sins because God had worked x through him as well despite the fact x that he was a sinner x and so this is how the Chronicles x account ends x now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah are x in his goodness behold they are written x in the vision x of the prophet Isaiah of Isaiah the x prophet so the second Chronicle account x tells us about the Isaiah count x the the second Kings one that was about x the might of Hezekiah x doesn't mention the Isaiah account x but the Chronicles one says they are x written in the vision of the prophet x Isaiah mentioned first and foremost x that the prophet Isaiah was right right x about this very same very same thing x but this account is about Hezekiah x the Isaiah count is about Christ The x King's account is about hezekiah's might x what's this one x about x and his x goodness x what goodness x we just said there's none good but God x so what goodness x would it be about Hezekiah x well first of all Hezekiah had said it x didn't he x he said there'll be peace and Truth in x my days x you'll see the goodness of God in my x days because you'll come to realize it's x about the Redeemer but he also talks x about it again go back to chapter 31 for x a minute skip one page back to chapter x 31 and look what it says there x 31 verse 20. x and thus did Hezekiah throughout all x Jews Judah and wrought that which was x good and right and Truth before the Lord x his God x and in every work that he had began in x the service of the house of God what x does it mean that he began the service x of the house of God x it's his whole life I mean he began x you're not done x that's what it means x he's not done with his service x of the house of God x because Hezekiah is a man of faith x and in the law and in the Commandments x to seek his God x he did it with all his heart and prosper x that's Hezekiah so you've got x goodness righteousness and Truth and x you've got the law x and you've got the Commandments that's x righteousness and Truth x and you got to seek his God x and when you seek the god of Israel x and when you put your heart x all with all his heart x into the hands of the god of Israel x that's what goodness is and Hezekiah did x many things x that were good x he restarted he restarted the Passover x and remember how he restarted the x Passover in in contrast to Josiah right x Josiah told everybody you got to come to x the Passover and he dragged everybody to x the Passover x Hezekiah didn't do that x Hezekiah pleaded for people to come to x the Passover x that was the goodness x of Hezekiah x Hezekiah at a time when the Assyrians x was were banging at the door x goes into the temple everybody else is x petrified x and he goes into the temple and lays x the words of the Assyrians before his x Lord and says this is about you God this x is not about me or us x that's the goodness of Hezekiah x and he could have done none of those x things x if he didn't understand x that he was doing everything x through the one who could stand before x God x the one who was truly righteous x and truly could even though that man had x not yet been born x he could know who he was x and one of the big ways that he knew who x he was x because of this prophet x the prophet that lived in his time x who was the prophet of the Messiah we x see you know Ben commissioned me to do x it and we find Christ again he is there x throughout the book because the book is x really about Christ x Isaiah see sees Christ in his kingdom in x Isaiah 6 and the rest of the book is x explaining who that guy is x and what he represents x and he did it first and foremost to his x King which was Hezekiah x and Hezekiah understood it x so that is where we come to when we get x to the end of Isaiah 39. and so not x surprisingly when you see that is why x Isaiah 40 starts the way that it does x Comfort ye Comfort ye my people say x you're God safe your God it's not a com x a statement completely out of context it x actually fits within the context of x everything that happens in Isaiah 36-39 x that now it's time it's obviously the x Lord through Isaiah but now it's time x for Isaiah to say to them this is where x Comfort comes from and next week we'll x talk about Lord willing we'll talk about x what Isaiah is saying and what he's x offering and who he's offering it to x when he says Comfort ye Comfort ye my x people saith you're God x any other questions or comments before x we close because I think we're x oh 10 20. I'm not presiding today Gordon x so talk for as long as you like x laughs x and if it's Rich Janine really talk for x as long as yeah there's a great example x in this for us x many of these good Kings when they x prospered x vanity took over correct x and they did not give God credit x for their prosperity x so we have to remember that everything x we have x is the gift from God x it's not about us it's about God in us x helping us all the days of our life x yep wonderful Point Gordon thank you

Transcript

we are on our third class on comfort x we are Lord willing finally going to get x into x Isaiah 40. uh Comfort e Comfort ye my x people saith your God x um I'd like to start off this morning x just by about talking about comfort for x a moment on x um a basic level x the idea of the pursuit the pursuit of x comfort x is Big Business x a lot of people make a lot of money x selling x comfort x I pulled this picture off I think this x is a mattress ad x but if you look at the picture you can x see that it's all about comfort you know x you've got x muted lighting you've got x um x muted color tones x everything is very casual you see the x shirt is just kind of casually draped x even the even the blanket has wrinkles x in it you know when they when they set x up these you know super shoots x everything has to be absolutely perfect x you'd never see a blanket with like x little wrinkles in it but they're x shooting for this x idea of comfort because Comfort is a big x seller people are always seeking for x Comfort come on Chase x try to be on time next time x mattress sales exceeded 36 million x dollars x and it's mattress sales as you know is x all about comfort x just as an example you guys all know x Bridget x right Jordan's Furniture has a whole x marketing campaign a whole computer x system just to sell Comfort x um you go there you get yourself x measured I have absolutely no idea x whether or not this Bridget actually x works uh but I know it sells because x that's what Comfort does comfort sells x even this guy has gotten into selling x comfort and selling mattresses x that's Tom Brady selling the Beautyrest x Black x now what difference it makes what color x the mattress is I have no idea if you x think about it the mattress is always x covered by a sheet and blankets but he's x selling a Beautyrest Black because x Comfort is such a big business and x speaking of big business when he sells x it it's only a mere x 5799 dollars which of course to Tom x Brady x is a drop in the bucket x however for the rest of us that's a x pretty that's a pretty large amount of x money to sell x to spend on a mattress x in contrast to that I'll tell you a x quick story Cindy and I's first mattress x was free x it was a waterbed and it was given to us x by Brother Tom and sister Jen Robidoux x and I have to tell you for the price of x zero it was quite comfortable x um other than when it would spring a x leak every once in a while you'd find x yourself not on a water bed but just in x water x but but Comfort itself is extremely big x business it doesn't matter whether you x are selling a mattress or a comfy pair x of socks x or a book on comfort food or drinking x Southern Comfort or the inside of x butchy's car there that nice Comfort x luxury vehicle x or even they even sell comfort as a x place to go you know find your comfort x zone what's his name there Snoop Dogg x sells Comfort on the beach with his x Corona and taking the day right it's all x about comfort x and yet none of these things can x actually offer the comfort that people x are really looking for it doesn't really x matter how comfortable your mattress is x if you're like me if you're struggling x and then this is what my mattress feels x like x uh Comfort is very very hard truly to x find the inner Comfort the art of x comfort the luxuries the things that you x can anybody can find those and they're x all nice for a moment for a moment in x time x right when you need a need a good x night's sleep and you lie down on a x comfort Comfort Mattress it's nice but x that's not what true comfort really is x but of course all things are possible x with God x you can find the inner comfort that x we're all seeking to find and that's the x comfort that Isaiah is talking about in x Isaiah 40. he's not talking about x momentary Comfort we're going to get x into that this morning he's talking x about the comfort from within that x allows you to be comfortable in your x faith and in your life no matter what x you're going through I mean consider x the Lord Jesus Christ when they're on x the sea right it was a tumultuous storm x the other disciples who were all well x educated strong seafaring men were x petrified they thought they were going x to drown x and yet Jesus was comfortably asleep x in the boat x and of course then when they finally x wake him up x and say you know aren't you worried that x we're going to die he simply said peace x be still and the sea was comforted x that's the comfort that we're looking x for or consider Paul and Silas right and x Philippi certainly physically they x weren't comfortable at all they would x just been beaten they were in stocks x and yet at midnight they were found x singing hymns of praise and offering x prayers incredible comfort in their x hearts despite what they were going x through that's the Comfort we're looking x for x or it's also the comfort that Paul x speaks about in second Corinthians he x starts off his second letter to the x Corinthians all about comfort and of x course it's important that he does x because his first letter is is more of a x challenge right his first letter is is x criticizing them and and forcing them or x demanding that they do something about x their situation so he starts off his x second letter and he says this x blessed be God even the father of our x Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies x and the God of All Comfort x who comforteth comforteth if x us and all our tribulation that we may x be able to comfort them which are in any x trouble x by the Comfort wherewith we ourselves x are comforted of God x for as the sufferings of Christ abound x in us so are comfort that word x consolation is the exact same word x comfort x also a boundeth by Christ so true x Comfort again comes from within and it x comes it comes x through Christ x through Christ x true Comfort is Possible only through x Christ you know it's interesting look at x them really despite his bed he looks x pretty comfortable you know good for him x or as Jesus put it he put it this way x and we mentioned this last week x it has that x at the Last Supper in John 14 he says x peace I leave with you my peace x I give unto you not as the world giveth x giveth I unto you x let your let not your hearts be troubled x neither Let It Be Afraid x remember the whole point of the first x couple of classes was to emphasize that x what happened Hezekiah was referring to x when he said there shall be peace and x Truth in my days was the comfort of x Christ now he wasn't referencing Christ x but he was referencing his Redeemer he x was referencing Christ because Christ is x the Redeemer but that's what he was x referencing when he says there'll be x peace and Truth in my days and we spent x two whole classes just trying to x solidify that reality in our minds x because naturally it doesn't look that x way it looks like he's talking about x something else but when you look closely x at the words of God which by the way x where Christ is he's the word made flesh x then we can find him even in these these x passages that seem to say something else x uh his story where he says my days would x seem uh would be seen as a reflection of x what it means to be redeemed that is x truth and the peace that comes from the x person of Faith who knows and accepts x the spiritual truth x uh this type of comfort runs completely x counter to what is natural we naturally x seek for comfort from within to come x from within ourselves that's our that's x our natural inclination and so when we x struggle with sin we naturally have an x inclination I think I can do this I can x get over this I can but that's not the x way life is x once you are a sinner Paul says once you x sin you are a slave x to sin x and so a faithful person is working we x are working all the time to let go of x ourselves that's just what Hezekiah was x doing at the end of his life remember it x says that the father left him that he x might try him that he might find out x what was truly in his heart and what was x truly in his heart is twofold first of x all that he was a sinner that he x couldn't of himself overcome sin x and the second thing was that he wasn't x going to pay a price for it because he x was part of the redeemed we keep x expecting that other shoe to fall x when Jacob was coming down towards x mahanayam he knew he had to meet Esau he x also knew he had to meet God x because he had sinned and he had a price x to pay x and he never paid that price that's why x he figured out you know what I'm not x gonna I'm not gonna lose this fight x I'm not going to pay the price I was x snatched away I was redeemed and that's x the god that we have x and so as we come to x Isaiah 40. x that's that's what we want to be looking x for that's who Isaiah is speaking to the x first thing we want to consider is who x was Isaiah talking to well that's x actually not the first thing I'll show x you what the first thing I'd like to x talk about is and it's in the this is x the first two verses of Isaiah 40. x my people saith your God speak ye x comfortably and we'll look at that word x it's a different word than the first two x to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her x Warfare is accomplished accomplished x that her iniquity is pardoned for she x hath received of the Lord's hand double x for all her sins we're going to spend x the entire morning looking at this verse x These two verses x because there's so much being said in x these two verses that's important for us x to understand but the first thing I want x you to at is that first verse x before we even get into Comfort I just x want you to consider what it says in x that first that very first verse because x it's a it's an incredible uh verse of x comfort and it's an incredible verse of x of connection if you will he says x Comfort e Comfort ye my people x saith your God x it doesn't say x Comfort the people says God x that's not what it doesn't say it very x specifically says Comfort my people x saith you're gone x so who is the Lord through Isaiah x speaking to x right it you it goes on says speak ye x comfortably to Jerusalem so you say okay x so he's speaking to to Israel x but notice when it goes on it talks x about x um your iniquity is pardoned x well in Isaiah 40 Israel's iniquity is x not part it hasn't been pardoned yet it x is still to come x but not natural Israel right x at the time of Isaiah the people weren't x weren't connected with God x notice it says Speak comfortably to my x people well God's always had the x Covenant with with his people right x saith your God x well the Israelites have never really x had God as their God x not not fully not completely not to the x point of saying that your iniquity is x pardoned in your Warfare is accomplished x and we'll look at what those things mean x right you still have the the Babylonian x invasion in conquering you still have x the Romans destroying Jerusalem you x still have the dispersion you still have x all the things that are happening going x to happen later on at end times x those things still all have to happen x and yet here it appears as if he's x saying you can be comfortable now x because you're in your Warfare is x accomplished and your iniquity is x pardoned x well it couldn't have been for them so x you say okay so maybe it's a fourth x telling prophecy maybe he's speaking of x a of another time still yet to come and x he is in essence speaking of another x time still yet to come yet like we know x with all prophecy he has to be speaking x also to somebody there at that time x and what he's who he's speaking to is x spiritual Jerusalem x and that's not unusual by the way for x people to speak x to somebody but that's not who's who's x meant to hear it right x think of think of Jesus speaking in x Parables right Jesus always spoke in x public right everything he said he says x everything I said I said in front of in x front of everybody and we made that x analogy in another class remember x talking about light x and the fact that light shines forth it x doesn't it doesn't pick and choose who x It Shines on it shines forth now whether x you want to be in the light x that's your decision x right so Jesus the disciples come to x Jesus and they say why do you speak in x Parables they don't understand he says x because it's not for them x I'm speaking in public the words going x out x but only certain people are hearing it x and that's and that's just as true here x and it's true time and time and time x again in the prophecy of Isaiah Isaiah x is the prophet of the Messiah and again x and again again he speaks and he might x be speaking in public but it's not the x public who is meant to hear it and just x just to back that up I'll give you x um an example x the sign of Emmanuel in Isaiah 7. we x talked about this in another class but x just consider it for a minute right x consider the story so so if you remember x in Isaiah 7 x Isaiah comes down and meets x a has right on the wall of Jerusalem x wall of Jerusalem and at that time x Jerusalem is being attacked by Syria and x the northern kingdom of Ephraim x and Isaiah comes to ahaz and he says x listen don't worry about it don't worry x about these twos the the the the paker x and the son of ramaliah right don't x worry about them x because they're not going to defeat you x in fact God says through Isaiah just ask x for a sign he says you can ask for any x sign you want anything in heaven and on x Earth you can ask for anything x and I'll give it to you to prove to you x that you're not going to be defeated by x these two kingdoms and of course ahaz b x and a has says I won't ask for a sign x right because we're not supposed to ask x for a sign we're not supposed to test x God x unless God says test me and then you x know then it's kind of okay x so I so Isaiah says to ahabs x all right I'll give you a sign or the x Lord says to ahaz I'm going to give you x a sign x and he says a virgin x shall conceive right x he says therefore the Lord himself shall x give you a sign Behold a virgin shall x conceive and bear a son and shall call x his name Emmanuel x now who was that signed for x and you say well he's speaking to ahaz x it must be for ahaz x but think about the sign x is ahaz going to believe that sign x you know x I'm not a doctor but that's not easy to x prove x that a virgin shall conceive certainly x not going to be easy enough for a x faithless man for ahaz to believe him x right how are you going to prove that x that first of all we don't even x necessarily read about a virgin at this x point conceiving and we don't have to x get into that x but it can't be for ahabs x because ahaz is never going to believe x him x so who is it for x well if you remember the story x Isaiah didn't come along x he brought his son along right why let x me bring the son along for why are we x even told that and his son's name is x sheer Jessup okay x what does that mean x it means a remnant x shall return x when Ahab says I give you a sign the x sign wasn't for ahaz or when Isaiah says x that he has I give you a sign the sign x wasn't for he has because ahaz was never x going to believe it nor would any other x faithless person believe it x but a person of Faith would because it x spoke directly to another sign x now the sign was the seed of the woman x shall crush the head of the seat of the x serpent and now Isaiah says I'll give x you a sign a virgin shall conceive and x there is sheer gessive representative of x the remnant and the remnant is repeated x in Isaiah again and again and again and x again he's constantly speaking to the x remnant x to that small band of faithful people x who are faithful to the word x and who are called by God x those were the only ones that would x understand what this sign meant because x they're the only ones who are connected x to the word of God x so that's why sheer Joseph is there x that's actually who Isaiah is speaking x to even though he's talking to ahaz the x only one listening is sheer Joseph and x he represents you and I x so so it's it's consistent x that things are said that you have to x stop and say okay just like we were x talking about last week why is this here x who is he talking to x so who was Isaiah talking to at the x beginning of Isaiah 40 when he says x comfy eat Comfort ye my people saith x your God x the ones in whom he actually was their x God x at that point they would be a Remnant in x Israel x that Isaiah would know who were faithful x people who needed signs like this x to strengthen their faith just just as x we do x and so it's a very very powerful very x intimate x statement that is made here and the last x two weeks was to show that it was made x because of what Hezekiah did because x he's just as representative as Shear x Joseph as the faithful person the one x who sins but yet recognizes he's not x going to pay the price for sin because x it's already been paid x and therefore it my life and faith is x really all about that other person x because otherwise God could never work x through me because I'm a sinner x so I have to be dead in Christ and alive x in Christ x that's what we all have by the grace of x God x and where we're exceedingly thankful for x and so we're going to see again and x again and again this separation between x the faithless and who here what they x hear just as as they did in Isaiah 39. x and the faithful in what's really being x said x and that's really where Comfort comes in x because we talked you know initially x about how people seek Comfort but they x seek it in a bed they seek it in a x vacation they seek it in a nice pair of x socks nobody doesn't like a nice pair of x socks right x but that's not real comfort and that's x not the Comfort that's here so let's x consider for a couple minutes this idea x of comfort once again x comfrey eat Comfort eat my people saith x your God x now the very interesting thing about x that word comfort x an interesting thing is this x it's actually translated two different x ways x sixty percent of the time when this word x is used it's translated as comfort sixty x percent x the other 40 of the time surprisingly x enough it's translated as repent x now you don't really think of a x connection right between comfort x and repentance x so what's what's what's the connection x well the connection is this what the x word is references to you know how you x do this this you know well where does x the word come from and where is its x etymology or whatever x and what this word is talking about is x about a sigh x it's about breathing out letting go x just like when you get on a comfortable x bed x or just like you do x when God speaks to you in comforting x words in faith and you say I am x comforted because I recognize x that I'm saved by Christ x that was the comfort that Abraham felt x when he said to abemba like I've been x doing that since I was called out of x Earl occulties by the Lord x that's the comfort that Isaiah felt when x instead of being angry at abimelech and x at um a whose app his friend he threw x him a feast x that's the comfort that John the Baptist x felt x when he said to his disciples x my joy is complete he must increase x and I must decrease that's true of every x person of faith x and so the connection between comfort x and repentance is the same type of thing x we have comfort x in our faith x it's a true Faith It's a Wonderful faith x but it also starts with repentance x right x that's how it starts the first thing we x have to do is repent x and when we go through that that x challenge of meeting with the Examining x Board who are so difficult to meet with x in this equation I don't know if had x to go through it but they're brutal x people x and then you get to the Waters of x baptism and you go into that water and x you come out of that water x and you have repented x and your sins have been forgiven x it's an incredible feeling isn't it x I used to tell a story when I when I had x another life go into confession x and there's nothing worse than going to x confession and I I will not promote x going to confession however I will say x this x after you get out of confession and you x said you're 15 our fathers and you're 37 x Hail Mary's and and you'll leave in the x church you felt pretty good x I used to say I hope I die between x between the the chapel and the vestibule x because if I get outside I I'm done but x at that moment you feel pretty good x it's it's good to repent x and so I believe these two words are x expressing those two exact things when x you say well which is it Comfort or x repentance it's actually both x and I'll tell you why it is because x right from here onward it moves to x repentance and then to comfort by verse x 3 of this chapter it's talking about x John the Baptist x and from verse 3 I think it's to verse 9 x maybe it's all about John the Baptist x and John the Baptist is all about x repentance x and then it moves right from there to x the good news x and the good news is all about comfort x the comfort of our walking Christ x so when it says Comfort e comfort you my x people I know it's double right and I x know double is double emphasis but this x is more than just double emphasis x this word actually represents both x repentance and the Comfort the Comforts x of scripture and so he says it twice x Comfort e Comfort e my people x saith your God x Oh Come am I quoting that right x see uh company my people saith your God x so you have this you have this double x here two different words x meaning the same but slightly different x and going repentance x salvation x offer your repentance x receive the comfort of God and so he's x obviously speaking to the faithful at x this time in the end x all of Israel will do that right they'll x come to that point of repentance x that point the point of x recognizing that they are sinners that x they can't get out themselves but they x can be saved by Christ x I want to consider x for a moment the last verse first the x last part of this verse x because it says for she hath received of x the Lord x 's hand double x there it is again there's a double x she has received of the Lord's hand x double x for all our sins so you have double x Comfort up above at the beginning of x these two verses and then you have x the Lord's hand you have received double x for all her sins x what's the double x you think the double is x well we know what one is right we know x what it's we know what the single uh x what you receive singly from the Lord x from your sins that's easy right because x the wages of sin x is death x so everybody receives that x right everybody gets that nobody nobody x gets out of that x but what's the second one what's the x what's what's double x anyway you have an idea what he's x talking about when he says receive x double x punishment x probably it it's interesting because x that's kind of what's insinuated right x you're gonna you're gonna be doubly x punished for your sin x you're going to be doubly rebuked x for your sins x sin can have her own punishment you know x you steal and maybe you get put in x prison right you know so it has its own x or can have yeah yeah it's on punishment x in that way yeah not sure if that's the x answer but x um no but it's I appreciate I appreciate x your input as always this is what I I x think it does x because again he's speaking to x the redeemed x he's speaking to Israel x but he's speaking to the redeemed of x Israel and this is what Israel had x different x than everybody else everybody dies x because they sin x but Israel had the word x Israel had the law x so they didn't just receive x condemnation x they received rebuke x right if you if you do something you x know in the world and you don't you know x outside yeah you might suffer within x society and that kind of stuff like what x butchy's talking about x but you're not punished by God you x simply die x but Israel was held responsible for the x fact that they had the law x so their double punishment wasn't just x that they died x but they had to stand before the law x and they failed x but that is even not what's being spoken x of here that is true that's double x punishment but that's not what this is x because he's speaking again to the x redeemed x what he's talking about is this he's x talking about humiliation x that's the double because punishment for x punishment's sake from the Lord isn't x just God taking out upon the flesh x that's not what it is x the purpose of punishment is for you to x is for you to change x and so what you have to go through in x faith is a humiliation everybody goes x through it x and the thing about humiliation is this x when you hit and I've said this before x when you hit rock bottom and you land x flat down like like uh Jeremiah did in x that well face first down into the well x there's one of two things you can do you x can keep your head buried in the mud x or you got to roll over and look up x and if you roll over and look up x there's God x that's why Moses put the snake on a pole x right because if you want to you get bit x by the snake and the snake represents x sin right you get bit by the snake if x you look up at that pole you don't die x and how many of those Jews said I'm not x looking at that poll that's a bunch of x superstition well it would be x Superstition and it does end up being x Superstition doesn't it because Hezekiah x has to destroy the pole but when God x says look at the pole you look at the x pole x otherwise you don't look at the poll x because you think oh I can I can do this x I can do this that's what a person stuck x in sin does x but when you receive double x yes you receive condemnation yes you x will you are of the flesh x but you receive humiliation x and humiliation x brings God back in so later on in this x verse one it says all flesh is as grass x but the word lives forever x that's what humiliation does that's what x you look up when you see if you're x looking up and seeing properly and so x you have this double you have this this x double at the at the hand of God that x the Jews had to go through that you and x I have to go through x before I before you people drag me in x here I didn't worry about all kinds of x stuff x and then you drag me in here and now I x got all this guilt thanks a bunch x but I can turn to Jesus x because that's where the Comfort comes x from because in the end x it's really about him x but you know that's not the only x double here you had the comfort and x comfort you had double free sins but x look there's another one x speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem x and cry unto her x there's another double x in the same same two verses so so what x is he saying when he says speak ye x comfortably x to Jerusalem x well that's a different word for comfort x you know what this word means x this is beautiful x this word means x speak to the heart x and that's exactly the comfort x that we're searching x it says specifically the inner man x that's what this is speak to the heart x to Jerusalem x not not not x condemnation you know condemnation is is x you die x speak to the heart x and this is this is again an ongoing x message throughout Isaiah way back in x Isaiah 1 remember what he says he says x come let us reason together x let's sit down and talk about it wash x yourself make yourself clean take care x of the Poor Me Be follow Justice and x listen we can sit down and talk x that's just what this word is talking x about x speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem talk x to the Jerusalem's heart the faithful x person the heart God speaks to to us x every single day despite our sins x he can speak comfortably to us x because we recognize where Redemption x comes from x and then he says x um and cry onto her and that cry means x cry out cry onto her x and again it brings us right back to the x Lord Jesus Christ and the whole bit x about light x right you speak it out x so that everybody hears it x but only those who are called x receive it x and he says Speak Out cry out and then x later on of course she says the Lord x says cry and he says what should I Cry x and he says all flesh is as grass x and as the flower of the field and we'll x take a look at that Lord willing in x another week because although is it x speaking about mortality yes it is but x it's actually talking about so much more x than mortality yes all flesh is grass x but anybody can recognize that all x fleshes as grass that we all die anybody x can recognize that x but what really dies x and what lives on x and it's covered it's covered in that x burrow so he says cry out and so he x cries out x oh beautiful but that's not even the x last double in this verse because look x what he says here x that her Warfare x is accomplished x and that her iniquity x is part x so you got comfort and comfort you got x speak and cry x you got double for your sins x and you got Warfare x accomplished x an iniquity pardon so you've got double x on double on double x because there's two ways to see things x this is the way the flesh x but is the way the spirit that's I x believe why I believe it's all so x doubled so what is it talking about when x it says her Warfare x is accomplished x well what's the Warfare well again x that's easy x the war fails fair is the battle against x sin that's what the Warfare is x right we battle sin every single day x everybody everybody does we're not just x the only ones we're not the only people x who who have guilt x right the Warfare against sin happens x every single day x but notice it doesn't say the war the x war is won x it says the Warfare is accomplished x why does it say the Warfare was x accomplished and not the Warfare is one x you won the war x because you don't win the war x we don't x win the war x we don't overcome sin of ourselves x her Warfare x is accomplished that's just the Warfare x that Hezekiah had right that he could x see everything that was in his heart x guess what Hezekiah you've done a lot of x great things you know what you're a x sinner x that's what you are that's what we are x so how is the Warfare accomplished x it's the realization that you have x before you're baptized to say I can't do x this on my own x that's the accomplishment or as it's put x in the time that Jesus Christ comes to x preach this message in the fullness x of time that's what this word x accomplished means it talking about the x fullness x the completeness that time where you hit x the the the the the floor face down and x you look up x that's what the accomplishment is x the Warfare is accomplished for the x faithful in Israel x and that her iniquity x somebody's creeping up behind me x is pardoned x now that's x really important x to understand and we know it but it x never hurts to be reiterated x and it is this your iniquity is not x it's not talking about forgiven x it doesn't say your iniquity Is Forgiven x it says your iniquity x is pardoned x there's a big difference x between forgiven and pardon our sins can x be forgiven we're very thankful that our x sins can be forgiven x but our sinful flesh is not forgiven x because it never goes away x but it is pardoned x it is pardoned through Christ pardon is x about the grace of God x not just the mercy of God x but the grace of God x that's what the realization was that x Hezekiah had x my sins are pardoned even though I'm x still sinning x that's what Abraham was talking about x I've been doing that since since I left x her x and yet the Lord has blessed me again x and again and again x why x when who's that spoke to Isaac he said x you are a servant of God x how can I be a servant of God I'm x sinning right now x because it's not about you x that's the realization of a life and x faith x that's not really about you it is you x being called into Christ x and everything is possible x through Christ x and if we are dead in him and we lay x aside all of our natural inclinations to x see where we stand in the process x and just keep our eyes on Jesus the x author and finisher of our faith x that's what a life of faith is and x that's exactly what Isaiah is saying to x hear to his faithful in Israel do you x see what Hezekiah said do you understand x what he was talking about I can comfort x you in the same way here's what I'll do x I'll show you about the one to come x before Christ and then I'll show you x about Christ and then we'll talk about x the world and what they see and then x we'll say that you can fly like eagles x if you put your faith in God in his word x his word that's what this whole Comfort x is all about x it's an incredible chapter it's amazing x that it's here at this moment in time x that Isaiah offers up these words x to you and I x thousands of years later finding the x same Comfort through the same faith in x Christ

Transcript

all right good morning everybody x we are x on x good morning good morning x 9 30. Sunday school starts at 9 30. x [Laughter] x well we're on class number four x uh in our subject of comfort from the x prophecy of Isaiah this morning I want x to talk about this idea of x preparing the way x as it says in Isaiah 40 verse 3. the x voice of him that cryeth in the x wilderness prepare ye the way of the x Lord make straight in the desert a x highway for our God x so we're preparing the way for what x we're preparing the way uh x the way for the Lord that's what's being x prepared which we understand obviously x means the coming of the Lord Jesus x Christ hold on a second x all of a sudden they looked up and you x guys were all in a fog x ah there we go x um x so yeah so this idea of preparing the x way for uh uh the coming of the Lord x obviously we know as a reference uh of x uh first and foremost to the Lord Jesus x Christ but also this is in the context x and this is going to an important x Point as we uh go through the class this x morning it's within the context of this x idea of comfort x um x which is really you know what we were x trying to set up in those first three x classes when we looked at Hezekiah when x we looked at those first couple verses x in Isaiah 40 verse 1 and 2 this comfort x that the Lord is providing to his to his x children x um it's the way the Lord through the x coming Messiah and the comfort that that x he presup he provides all those first x principles that are so important to to x our faith which is really what the rest x of the chapter is really about it's it's x an opening it it looks simplistic in a x lot of ways but it's a re it's a x reopening of all those uh first x principles x so this is the Comfort uh that that x unique comfort that we talked about not x the everyday Comforts not the Comforts x like we talked about mattresses not the x Comforts of of everyday things not the x comfort that the world uh provides but x the inner Comfort uh that that we are x all seeking and we pointed it out in um x you know John's gospel x um at the Last Supper when Jesus says to x his disciples peace I leave with you my x peace I give unto you and he says this x by the way right after he's talked about x the fact that he's going to send the x comforter x you know all know he talks about the x comfort of the spirit the spirit of God x so he says my peace I give unto you and x we've talked about that idea about the x fact that it's it's Christ's peace that x that he offers unto us not our own and x he says not as the world gives x eye unto you it's a completely different x Comfort than the comfort that the world x is offering uh any of us x whether that Comfort is in wealth or in x material things or in or even for many x the comfort that that is offered in a x false understanding of what Christ x really represents none of those Comforts x are transformational x and none of those Comforts uh speak x directly to the heart that we're going x to talk about again this morning and so x Jesus says to his disciples let not your x hearts be troubled x neither let them x be afraid x you go specifically to the heart this I x this idea of don't let your heart x be troubled x and when we talked about these ideas of x comfort we pointed out that you know x that third word is all about x comforting of the heart that you know x speak comfortably to Jerusalem it's x speaking to the Inner Man x that comfort that lies within x and so we're seeking for a comfort that x is without fear x you know um and it's hard it's hard to x to let go of the comfort that we find in x in ourselves x and yet it's not impossible you know x think of think of what happens on the x cross for instance x right on the cross we know we know the x story of the man on the cross and he's x dying x and the other man says you know says to x Jesus x um you know save yourself and save us x and the man on the cross has has nothing x else x happening he he is completely exposed he x is going to die x and he says to to the other Thief we are x here right he says we are receiving the x due Rewards x of our sins x now you say well that's because he was a x thief x but these words speak just as much to us x as they do to the thief on the cross we x might not be a thief x but because of what our flesh represents x we receive the due rewards of our sins x because the reward of sin is death he's x just speaking x for all of us but he's speaking in a way x in which he's opening up his heart to x what is true x right but what we like to do is we like x to hide x what is really true x we like to hide that inner heart x we know x that we're sinners x we know that these words speak to us as x well as Anybody Everybody Knows x that they're a sinner I've met and I'm x sure you have two I've met some x incredibly x conceded as the only word I could think x of people who just think that they never x make any mistakes and yet even they know x they're a sinner x but we cover up inside of us that inner x heart x we keep it covered we hide it we justify x right that's what the flesh does x what Paul talks about right when he says x when he says the carnal of mind is that x enmity with God x and it can't do the will of God I'm x paraphrasing but that's that's what he's x that's what he's talking about x and so you can't find comfort x unless you let that go x unless you openly before God admit and x open up that yes I am a slave to sin x that's what we do at baptism x right x we let it go well well we we don't x fully let it go because we know we x continue to sin but the process that x we're in is a process of letting go x of of being dead in ourselves and and x alive in Christ and this this this x process is there in those two words of x comfort right the first word of comfort x those Comfort ye comfort you the first x one we mentioned that that word Comfort x has two representations repentance x which we're going to talk about this x morning and preparing the way x and the comfort of the Gospel that true x gospel that we can despite our sins that x we can be alive in Christ that we can be x forgiven and that we can be raised to x everlasting life as this chapter ends x you know you can you can fly like eagles x I can do all things x through Christ x but that that heart x that we don't want x people to see x that's very hard to let go of x so when we talk about this idea of x preparing the way why do we have to x prepare the way why did why did John x even have to come x why couldn't Jesus just arrive and say x hey here's here's the better message x and I believe the reason is because God x recognizes and God knows x it's very hard to let go x it's extremely hard to let go x and so he provides a preparation to x prepare those that are called to Christ x to be ready for when he comes not x completely ready like oh I I knew this x is what he was talking about because x John's message is a bit different than x Jesus's message x John's message is about repentance x Jesus's message is about being born x again x but before you ever can have the comfort x of truly being born again and of course x we will never fully know that Comfort x until that day when we are changed in a x moment in a twinkling of the eye x but we can we can recognize it we can we x can have moments of experience with it x where we understand what it really is x all about x but John wasn't about that John was x about getting you to that point of x seeing yourself x as opposed to blaming the Romans or the x Pharisees or or anybody else x for your problems x because that's what the flesh does x the flesh protects itself all the time x that's what that's what it does and so x the thief on the cross is really x speaking for all of us x and of course the Lord says to him x because he has done this because he has x opened up his heart on that day he will x be with him in Paradise x what a thought it is to have a heart x without fear x can you imagine how that how that man on x the cross felt x both before x when he was on the cross dying as he x recognized for the due reward of his x sins x and then in that moment saying to Jesus x when you come into your kingdom remember x me and he says you'll be there with me x there's a man dying on the cross for his x sins x and Jesus says you'll be with me in x Paradise x imagine the comfort x that must have given him at such an x awful moment x that he was going through x well that's that's that's really us as x well isn't it x because we understand x the will of the flesh so so again just x just to quickly review those those two x comforts x yeah of course x is that on x okay maybe Frozen turned it up x so I was just going to say that you know x there will be a time if the Lord remains x away when we are all x in the same position as that thief on x the cross you know about to die sure and x uh x I imagine that if I were in that x position today you know I would look x back on my life and there were things x there would likely be things that I x would x regret x as we all have regrets in life right x and just to think about Jesus offering x those kind words x whether it's to the thief or as he says x to the you know the the men in the upper x room with him x you know fear not and what was the what x was the passage that you had quoted from x the upper room from John 14 just now x peace I leave with you my peace I give x you yeah x um let not your heartbeat that's not x your heart be troubled yeah you know x yeah right I mean it's a wonderful man x we follow that he is you know giving us x that that Comfort even in those x challenging times yeah x absolutely x so again just just to reiterate what x we've talked about before this word x Comfort that's at the beginning of x Isaiah 4 chapter one and two it has two x complementary meanings one is repentance x and the other is is uh that inner x comfort x that that comes from faith x and so yeah but you have to go through x this I you have to go through this this x bit of repentance you have to face x yourselves you know I was talking about x you know going to confession and you x feel pretty good when you come out of x confession but it's still just momentary x right it it goes away that that good x feeling goes away all too quickly x because you're reliant on yourself you x think oh my sins are forgiven therefore x I'm okay and then you immediately x realize like I used to say before you x even get outside the church x that you're not okay x that's where the other Comfort has to x come in x that's where like like Steve is talking x about that comfort in Christ because x we're all going to die x unless Christ comes you know in in the x meantime we're all going to die we're x all going to have that moment of x recognizing in its complete form like x the crease on the thief on the cross our x mortality x and at that point x you know I've talked to you know the x brothers that we know that are sick and x you know brother Jack says I can't x imagine going through what I'm going x through without x the comfort of the Gospel x it carries them every day now that he x knows that his mortality is is right x around the corner x and it should really carry us every day x as well shouldn't it even though maybe x ours isn't as near as others x so that first Comfort is about is x speaking about repentance that that x comfort that John brings we don't really x think of John as one who brings Comfort x but he really does x because he brings people to a x recognition of what they need to look at x in their lives x that second comfort x the uh in verse two that's about the x Good Tidings and and we pointed out that x the chapter goes in this direction I'm x not just speaking in general x you know the first comfort about x repentance that's exactly where the x chapter goes after verse two it goes x right to John the Baptist well it goes x partially to John the Baptist we'll take x a look at that in just a few minutes it x does go to John the Baptist but it goes x to John the Baptist in the context of x this complete Comfort which we'll say x and then that from verses three to x verses 8 the majority of that is talking x about the ministry of John or being x prophesied the ministry of John the one x to come who will prepare the way for the x coming of the Lord and then in verse 9 x it picks up on the Christ it starts x talking about the Good Tidings the good x message that's going to come Lord x willing we'll speak about that in our x last class in a couple weeks x and then there's this third word Comfort x speak ye comfortably x to Jerusalem x and that comfortably is speak to the x inner man that's not me making up that x word if you look it up in strongs that's x exactly what it says it says the Inner x Man x that's the Comfort it's talking about x comforting comforting that inner man in x your heart that wants to protect itself x but when you let go as our as our dear x brother Bob used to say let go and let x God x there's an incredible comfort x that comes from that comes from that x but it's hard x to let go x and God knows it's hard to let go and x you and I we know x that it's hard to let go we want to x protect the flesh wants to protect x that that that inner person right that's x why they come up with this idea that x when you die your flesh dies but your x spirit lives on it's not talking about x spirits talking about your head x all right perfectly willing to let x this body go you know what I mean good x you know what I mean I'm perfectly x willing to let this body go no problem I x just don't want to let this go x right but you have to x and that's what Jesus is talking about x right when he talks about the thief on I x mean the uh the rich man x right he says the rich man the rich man x comes to him the rich man really wants x to do the right thing he tell me what I x need to do and I'll do it and he says x have you done this and have you done x this and I've done all that he says okay x just just x let your riches go x and he can't do it x and Jesus says children how hard it is x for them that trust enriches to enter x into the kingdom of God I picked the x mark example because the others say who x are rich but it's not really just about x being rich x because we're all rich x in here x we all have things that we trust in x instead of God because I might not be x rich but I know I know the difference x between right and wrong because that's x the thing we're trusting in x you're trusting in your own riches x you're trusting in your own opinions x you're trusting in your own perspective x and it's so hard you can't enter the x kingdom of God x by yourself x no one comes to the father but by me he x said Jesus he says it's easier for a x camel to go through the eye of a needle x than a rich man to enter into the x kingdom of God x and it says they were astonished out of x measure now we know Paul speaks I mean x Mark speaks in great hyperboles but it x doesn't mean they're not true x it was shocked that he would say this x right because a rich man is clearly x blessed from God because he's got all x this stuff x if he can't get into the kingdom then x who can x who can be saved if it can't be that x person who's clearly being blessed by x God he's got he's got everything he x could possibly need and Jesus says it's x impossible x with men x no matter what you have x God doesn't God doesn't bless you with x riches because you're you're better than x anybody else x it's his plan and purpose x but with God x all things are possible x with God x what an incredible hope x that is x to think that and and the message is x going to go directly in that direction x that that there's no difference between x you between one and another x All Flesh is grass it says there's no x difference in the eyes of God x we put those differences in x we're the ones that put them in to think x this person must be this or that person x must be that and John's x interestingly enough John's x message x was to say that that's not the way x things are x everybody was a brutal vipers right x everybody was x but John as we pointed out another class x he had to learn he had to learn that x message for himself as well because x everybody's got to learn it right x remember before before Christ's baptism x John used to say there's one coming x who's greater than I x and then after John's baptism he no x longer says there's one greater than I x not because Jesus isn't greater than x John he clearly is but because John x realized he's not greater than anybody x else x right two classes of people the one who x never sins and everybody else x All Flesh x is as grass x isn't that fascinating x very x jump in yeah of course x um we have that Parable in Luke as well x um Luke 18 verse 9. x and it says and he spake this Parable x unto certain which trusted in themselves x that they were righteous and despised x others exactly and x just that idea if we think we can do it x ourselves x and the the value really of Life uh they x were interviewing this guy and they said x you know are you rich and he said uh x well what do you count as as rich x because I don't have money but what I x have is life right in the ability to x serve God right and that's that's the x greatest Rich that we could ever ask for x everybody's you know everybody's x searching for x inner Comfort they just don't know how x to find it you know I almost cut out a x clip there's a great clip in in x Caddyshack where Bill Murray says x um you know I don't have anything but x when I die he met he met some Guru and x the guru said to him when you die you x will have total Consciousness right so I x got that going for me x everybody's looking for it we live in a x world that is is so desperate for the x comfort that provided in Christ it's x unbelievable x but that but but people don't x know where to look x to look anywhere x they'll look x everywhere for it x and yet it's sitting right here as a x simple message x in the word of God x and by the grace of God x you and I have been shown that message x we didn't earn it I know I don't have to x tell you that but we know it's true x we didn't earn it x but we can we can reflect it x we can strive x every day to be like Christ that maybe x when they see us they might be able to x see that hope that lies in our hearts x they might be able to wonder x what is it about the way he lives x it's not it's not because we're going to x be so not because we're so righteous x right sometimes we try to put on this x this facade this cover-up of being of x being righteous x that's what the Pharisees did x it doesn't really speak to anybody x but if you are truly sincere x in your humble walk in faith it'll stand x out as different x because you are no longer at enmity with x God x so here we have again that going back to x verse Isaiah verse x 40 verse 3. x it says the voice of him that cryeth in x the wilderness so it starts out as a x voice and it's interesting you know x verses one and two was sort of like a an x encapsulation of itself to tell you x where the rest of the chapter is going x but then it doesn't give an introduction x to the voice it just jumps in the voice x of him that crieth in the wilderness I x think it's a great message and it's x actually truly the way it actually works x out isn't it because you know around x about 300 or so Steve would know better x than me when Malachi uh finally spoke as x in the 300s right x oh yeah thanks a lot thanks a bunch x I believe x so they went like 300 years right x without a prophet x so and then all of a sudden there's John x screaming in the wilderness well it x wasn't really all of a sudden but we'll x consider that in a minute x and I would suggest to you that it's not x actually true that there weren't x profits or at least profits so-called in x between that time 300 BC in the time the x John comes because there's always x somebody saying something that they x claim comes from God x we have it today with people crying out x that's saying that you know you see x these people on TV or whatever they're x saying that they're speaking the word of x God and then they'll do that King James x speak you know and you'll go well that x sounds like the King James but I have no x idea what verse that is because it x doesn't exist right x and I'm sure it was true in this period x as well I'm sure there were many going x out and saying the Lord saith and gave x some sort of you know great x pronouncement but nobody was listening x and the reason nobody was listening is x because you you you can see through what x their true motivation is x right you you see these televangelists x on TV and they're they're supposedly x proclaiming the word of God and x meanwhile they are dressed in complete x gold and everything else and they've got x their own personal jet which is an x upgrade from their past personal Jet and x all of that kind of stuff and you can x see it and anybody could see it all the x way through the centuries and so were x there other prophets I'm sure there were x but you could understand their x motivation their self-motivation x and then Along Comes John x and he's in a Hamilton x camel hair coat x the the feathers like digging into x his skin x and he's eating locusts and wild honey x and he's preaching out in the wilderness x he's got nothing he gains nothing from x doing this x and yet he does it x and so he stood out as completely x different from all of those others and x he's speaking in a way that people go x wait a minute I can understand this x he is speaking about me x I love it when somebody says I heard an x excitation the other day and I swear the x brother was talking directly to me x that's what the word of God does that's x what the voice does it's a voice crying x in the wilderness because it's not just x some guy x crying in the wilderness x it's not who he is it's what he's it's x what he's saying x and that's really what the message of x John x is all about x and it says he he cries which means to x to call out x in other words x he's not standing in the wilderness and x waiting for a certain 15 people and x saying okay I'm going to tell you what x it is x that's not what he's doing he's in the x wilderness and he's literally crying out x in the wilderness anybody that wants to x hear it I am letting it out there for x everybody to hand and that's to hear and x that's exactly where the gospel works x that's exactly where the word of God x works x right we've looked at that before too x and we talked about about light shining x in a dark place what light does is it x shines forth it doesn't shine on you it x doesn't shine on the right side pews and x not on the left side pews it shines x forth to everybody the question is x whether you want to hear it or not it's x the same thing with the voice crying in x the wilderness John is crying in the x wilderness he's not selecting who he x cries to x he's not even selecting by the way who x he's addressing to x right because there's two types of x people that come out to John there's the x type who are who are looking to x understand the message and is the type x who are coming out and saying what is x this guy doing x and no one's looking to hear the message x they're the ones who are being baptized x hearing the message about themselves and x being baptized x and the other group well the Pharisees x and the scribes and the others who will x come out saying what is this guy up to x and John says the exact same thing to x both of them x he calls them all a brood of vipers a x Generation of Vipers you're all a x Generation of Vipers x you're all x as grass x that's the message of John x crying out x in the wilderness and it's interesting x if you consider the response that they x had x to John crying in the wilderness this is x a picture of the Wilderness by the way x that's the Jordan River and I picked it x because notice and we're going to get x into this more x very soon x um it's not a desert x right the Jordan River is there it's not x it's not a desert but it is but it is a x wilderness x and the response to John in the x wilderness is remarkable John did x baptized in the wilderness and preached x the baptism of repentance for the x remission of sins and they went on to x him all the land of Judea and they of x Jerusalem and we're all baptized of him x in the river of Jordan confessing their x sins x so he had incredible success in bringing x the people out to the wilderness x well why did they come out x to the Wilderness well I think there's a x few reasons with one reason that x overrides all of them but let's talk x about some of the other reasons x first of all x they knew John x John was not a stranger x to the people Jesus was for the most x part Jesus caught Everybody by surprise x when he came who is this guy Jesus of x Nazareth right can anything good come x out of Nazareth they knew John x or at least they knew of John x and here's why remember the story of x Zacharias John's father x right remember John's father goes goes x into the temple right and he serves x inside the temple and he comes out he x can't speak x and and everybody's like what is this x song first of all he's late right x they're waiting for him only takes x exactly this amount of time to do what x you have to do and he comes out late now x like he's late he can't be late x and he comes up he can't speak x and then and then he can't speak for x nine months he can't speak and in the x meantime he's like this old guy and his x wife is like this old woman and they x have a baby x and the baby is born and they go to x Elizabeth and they say what are you x going to name him and she says we're x going to name him John and they're like x what are you crazy are you kidding him x John x there's no John's in your family and so x they go to Zacharias and they say your x wife is she's crazy she wants anyone x John what are you gonna name the kid he x gets on the tablet and he writes down x his name is John x and all of a sudden this guy who x couldn't speak for nine months now he x can speak and he starts praising God x right it says that his mouth was opened x immediately and his tongue loosed and he x spoke and he praised God x and fear came on all of them that dwelt x round about them x this was petrifying that this could x happen you know think of it as a fearful x thing but it was x they knew this guy couldn't speak x they knew this was an old family x they have a baby he writes the name down x and now he can talk it scared the x Daylights out of them x and so it says in all these things are x noised about throughout all the Hill x Country of Judea and all they that heard x them laid them up in their hearts saying x what Manner of Child shall this be x in the hand of the Lord was with him x that word you notice I put in italics x that word them can you tell that oh yeah x you can tell that's pretty good better x than on my screen x and all day that heard x laid up in their hearts x the word them is actually not there it's x added in for clarity but it's actually x not fair x and so it was the ones who heard x that laid it up where x they laid it up in their hearts what x Manner of Child x will this be x and so 30 years later x all of a sudden look who's out in the x wilderness now in the 15th year of the x reign of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate x being governor of Judea and Herod B and x tetrak of Galilee and his brother Philip x tetrack of idumia icturia and all the x region of trekonitis and lysanius and x the tetrak of Abilene ananias and x Caiaphas being the high priests x the word of God came unto John x the son of Zacharias x in the wilderness x it came on to John not just came on to x John x came unto John the son of Zacharias and x so out there in the wilderness you're x not going to believe who's out there x do you remember like 30 years ago x that story of that guy that that x levitical priest who goes into the x temple and he comes out late and he x can't speak x and then he and his wife who are like a x hundred have a kid right and they name x him John which was crazy because there x was no John in their family and you're x supposed to follow the Traditions but x they didn't they named him John and then x the guy can speak do you remember that x crazy story that's the guy in the x wilderness right now x get out of town I'm not kidding you x that's him John the son of Zacharias x he's way out in the wilderness preaching x the word of God and he's got like a x Hammel coat and he eats bugs x I gotta go see this x right x so so that was part of the process they x knew John x but that's not what brought him out to x the wilderness x because it's right here what brings him x out to the wilderness x the word of God came unto John x the son of Zacharias in the wilderness x so why did they go out to the Wilderness x why does God bring everybody out to the x Wilderness why isn't John in the middle x of the temple right that's where all the x people are x why isn't he in the middle of the temple x he he could be act remember John is the x son of Zacharias he's a levitical priest x himself he could be in the temple x screaming that's what Jesus went why x didn't John go there why was John out in x the wilderness x because that word wilderness x is really about getting away x because in Jerusalem and in Judea x was all that noise and Luke x tells us x there's all that noise x that's why all these things are listed x you say well he's just given us x historical context that he is but look x at the way he goes about the historical x context x well this guy was doing this and that x guy was doing that and he was over there x and he was over there you got the Romans x you got the the I do means you got you x got this one you got that one you got x two high priests x noise noise noise noise noise noise x noise noise noise x and if you're living in Jerusalem x that's all you hear is noise and you x don't know who to listen to you don't x know where they're coming from oh I I x follow Cai FS I follow Hillel I do this x uh the Romans are doing that everybody's x doing that and you got all this noise x and there's John out in the wilderness x and he's saying repent x and they go out and they hear the word x that's why he was in the wilderness x get out x get up x that's exactly what we all had to do x right that's exactly what so often x somebody in the rotation talks x about I got I've been getting caught up x in the noise x and then right and then I had an x excitation to give and I had to stop x listening to all the noise you know what x I found out it's just noise x and so that's what the Wilderness I x gotta move quickly I'm going to skip x over a couple things because there's a x point I want to make but that's what the x noise is all about so he's preaching the x word of God that simple message of x repentance x that message that speaks to the heart x you've been listening to all that noise x you want to talk about the Romans you x want to talk about the Pharisees no no x no I'm going to talk about you x you're a brutal vipers x you're a sinner and you need to repent x oh Judea came out x everybody knows there's a sinner x and saying saying x it's about saying you need to repent x you need to address your sins x forget all the noise you're out here x there's one voice out here and that's x the voice of God and I'm street I'm the x voice screaming it at you x you need to repent x and they did x the voice of one cryeth in the x wilderness prepared the way make x straight in the desert a highway for our x God that's Isaiah 40 verse 3. I want to x point something out that's really x interesting in the last few minutes x this is Isaiah 40 verse 3 again the x voice of him that crieth and the x Wilderness prepare you the way it makes x straight the desert a highway for our x God we all know that that's speaking x about John right because all four x gospels quote that x all four x look what it says in Mark Matthew x for this is he that spoketh of the x Prophet uh for this is he that was x spoken of by the Prophet isaiahs this is x Matthew speaking x of God speaking through Matthew we know x the voice of one crying in the x wilderness prepare ye the way of the x Lord make his path straight x Matthew says that x this is what Mark's gospel says as it is x written in the prophets x behold I send my messenger before thy x face which shall prepare the way before x Thee the voice of one crying in the x wilderness prepare ye the way of the x Lord make his paths straight this is x what Luke says x as is written in the book of the words x of Isaias the prophet saying the voice x of one crying in the wilderness prepare x ye the way of the Lord make his path x straight every Valley shall be filled x and every mountain and Hill shall be x brought low and the Crooked shall be x made straight and the rough way shall be x made smooth and All Flesh shall see the x salvation of God he virtually quotes the x entire x of Isaiah's quote x John says this now it's not John x actually it's John the Baptist speaking x John is John is speaking in uh John the x Baptist is speaking in John is recording x it he said that's John the Baptist x I am the voice of one crying in the x wilderness make straight the way of the x Lord as said the prophet Isaiah that's x how everybody covers all four gospels x point to this verse in Isaiah verse x Isaiah 40 verse 3 and says x the voice of one speaking in the x wilderness prepare ye the way x anybody say anything strange in that x anybody pick up on something x there x every single one of them x no desert x Isaiah 40 verse 3 very specifically says x in the desert x and every quote of John speaking of x Isaiah 40. none of them mention the x desert x not one x why not x it's because of what the desert x represents x you see Isaiah 40 x is a prophecy about John Isaiah 40 verse x 3 is a prophet John but it's not just x about John x it's about comfort x and the Wilderness represents getting x away x we do that for Bible school right we get x away x that's not what the desert represents x the desert is a different word x and the desert represents barrenness x barrenness x John didn't provide x barrenness x Jesus did x you say where did Jesus provide x barrenness x you must x be born again x you must start x from the beginning x John came and said repent x repent is is x taking a good hard look at that inner x man that inner heart and recognizing x that you're a sinner x and Jesus after that way is prepared for x him comes and says it's more than that x you must let that heart go x and follow me and then I will take you x down that highway to the kingdom x so John's responsibility x was not to bring them to the desert x that was Jesus's responsibility John x brought them to the wilderness x Jesus brings us into the desert x where we can start afresh start anew and x move forward the comfort of the Gospel x that's why the desert is never mentioned x in the in these quotes from Isaiah 40. x isn't that fascinating x the message continues again and again x and again these two these two aspects of x comfort that God that God is providing x through Isaiah x the first is to take that good hard look x at yourself get away from all the noise x and recognize your Sinner and we're very x good at doing that x but the second is Letting Go x that's the hard part x letting go that's what Hezekiah was x doing when Hezekiah said there shall be x peace x and Truth x in my days he was letting go x not really about me it's about Christ x any comments or questions x and we'll pick up from here about grass x and all the rest of it in a couple weeks x and get into x the good tidings