2nd Sunday in Advent (06/12/2020)

December 6th, 2020, Second Sunday of Advent, Text: Isaiah 40:1-11, Pastor Joe Asher, Kaiserslautern Ev. Lutheran Church- Germany, Office of International Mission, LCMS, *IN NOMINE JESU

40 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.

A voice cries: 
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
    and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

Go on up to a high mountain,
    O Zion, herald of good news; 
lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news; 
    lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
    “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Spending time daily in God’s Word is of unsurpassed importance for all of us.  (Show the Bible)  In the pages of Scripture, we have God’s plan of salvation, the Law which “shows us our sin,” the hope of heaven with warnings of hell.  After all, sin has eternal consequences, while faith in Christ also  has eternal benefit for all who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord.  So reading the Bible on a regular basis can give each of us insight into the truth which can lead all of us to a forgiven relationship with God 

through His Son Jesus Christ.

Every book of the Bible points to Jesus in fascinating ways.  And if as a Christian you’ve not spent much time in the Old Testament, I would recommend that you begin a part of your daily devotions in Isaiah.  Even though the great prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the Savior’s birth, this book 

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Provides us with the most comprehensive picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament. 

Here in our Isaiah 40 reading, we have the announcement of Jesus coming in verses three through five.  Isaiah 7:14 reveals that Jesus will be born of a virgin.  Isaiah 61:1 informs us that the Christ will proclaim the good news.  In graphic detail, Isaiah fifty-two and fifty-three gives Jesus’ suffering, trials, and crucifixion.  And in Isaiah 60, we have the description of our Savior’s powerful return in His Second Advent!

Is the Book of Isaiah worth reading?  Absolutely!  Because the more we know about Christ, the more we will understand the love God has in His Son for our lost world.

The theme of Isaiah 40 is that God rescues His people.  And in the prophecy before us, there is always the “short view” and the “long view.”  In Isaiah’s day, this chapter is picturing a time when repentant Israel has returned in faith to God.  As we covered last week, before the people remembered their Lord, the Jews had immersed themselves in sin.  They had prospered in wickedness, oppression, lies and injustice.  In the Valley of Hinnom, they had sacrificed their children before idols.  And over and over the Jews had refused to listen to Yahweh’s prophets’ repeated call to repent, reform, and be reconciled to God.  And so to stop the wickedness, God delivered Judah into Babylonian captivity in 587 BC.

But the reading before us fast forwards to the remnant of faithful Jews returning to Jerusalem after the exile.  God is seeing His people as once again repentant and desiring to once again live in fellowship with Him.  So in Isaiah’s time, the short view of this prophecy gives the message that these suffering and returning Jews will receive comfort from their God.  They will be ministered to by faithful prophets and priests, and they will live under God’s blessing rather than God’s discipline and wrath.  Verses 1-2 show this new reality-

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.

But how does Isaiah 40 relate to us in the long prophetic view?  It really is very simple.  God always re-establishes a relationship with those who look to Him in repentance and faith.  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away.  It doesn’t matter that YOU may believe you face impossible odds that God will take you back.  Isaiah 40 reminds us that our Lord receives repentant sinners both then and now.  And when sinners return to Him, God welcomes them back with the comfort and blessing He provides.

And what is this comfort, and how do we receive it?  We are told this comfort consists of being assured that our sins are forgiven (iniquity pardoned) and that the warfare between God and  

humanity over our sins is ended!  And this happens when the Lord Himself comes.  Verses 3-5-

A voice cries: 
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.

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And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John the Baptist by inspiration linked this prophecy to Jesus.  And we prepare for our coming Lord through repentance.  This means taking our sin seriously, and not minimizing it, or justifying it, or explaining it away.  Repentance means that we recognize that we are sinners and need God’s power to make the changes necessary to live God-pleasing righteous and holy lives.

From God’s Word, we know that it is the Holy Spirit in us which makes the Christian life possible.  Only in the Lord’s divine strength can we do what He requires.  Spiritually speaking, that is “preparing His way and making a straight highway for Him.”  The metaphor continues as the prophet tells us to “fill in the valleys and level the mountains” so the obstruction of sin is removed from our lives.

This is serious road construction.  For it is  is hard work to build a highway and maintain it in the desert.  There’s the hot days and the cold nights.  You need a solid road foundation because of the shifting sand.  The drifts obscure the road, and require constant clearing.  And then there’s the quick sand.  Just as it is hard work to do highway construction in the desert, Isaiah is using this word picture to communicate to everyone that we need to do the hard work of living righteously, as if everything depended on us.  But of course, it is the Holy Spirit which makes repentance and our life with God possible.

I think of Romans 2:4 which tells us-

God’s kindness leads you to repentance.

But my favorite passage on repentance and the Christian life is Philippians 2:12-13.  Paul writes-

…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

This passage declares that  it looks as if the Christian life all depends on us.  But really, the battle with our sinful nature depends on the Lord.  We can push Him away, or we can allow the Spirit to work in our lives so that we become a new creation in Christ. (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

Now, I want to direct your attention to verses 10-11 in today’s Isaiah reading.  This is a prophecy referring to our Lord Jesus… and I love what it says!  All through chapter 40 we are told that the King is coming, and we are to prepare in repentance for His arrival.  But verse 10 tells us what kind of King He is.  Isaiah identifies Christ as a Warrior King!

Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist uses that same image referring to Jesus!  John says-

After me comes He who is mightier than I…

But now back to Isaiah.  In His might, the Lord rules with His powerful arm.  And when Christ comes, He is bringing two things- verse 10-

behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.

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The reward is heaven, and the recompense is hell.

But now comes Jesus’ description in verse 11, and this passage just makes me smile!

He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.

The mighty King is Christ, Who is both Warrior and our Good Shepherd who holds lambs against His

divine chest.  And in this moment the prophecy becomes completely clear.  Jesus is the mighty Warrior King who takes on sin, death, and hell, and He wins the victory for us on Calvary’s cross and in His resurrection.  And at the same time, Christ is our gentle Shepherd born in Bethlehem Who is coming again on the clouds to lead us home.

KELC Prayers of the congregation- Advent 2, 12/6/20

Lord of Hosts, You have given all judgment over to the Son of Man, our incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ. Make us ever mindful of His coming, and keep us steadfast in the Word of Christ, that in accord with our Warrior King and Shepherd, we may live in harmony with one another and together glorify You. 

Lord, in Your mercy…………………………………………. hear our prayer.

Blessed Savior Jesus, we continue to pray for all first responders to the current health emergency.  Bless all doctors, nurses, and health care professionals who respond to those who have fallen to disease.  Help all scientists respond to the current pestilence with clear thinking and wise action.  And bless Your Church as she responds to all who suffer in this difficult time.

Lord in Your mercy……………………………………………. Hear our prayer.

Divine Holy Spirit, we pray specifically for our Kaiserslautern Ev. Lutheran Church.  Raise up a pastor to serve the people in this location.  Draw our members’ hearts to You that they may be willing to service the various needs of KELC as officers and teachers.  And for our youth and children, keep them in Your Word that through this time of isolation, they may have the knowledge and experience of the love of Christ.

Lord in Your mercy………………………………………………..Hear our prayer.

Finally, Heavenly Father, in our families and among our friends and co-workers there are many who are in need of Your care. For all who are sick, hospitalized, unemployed, lonely, away on duty assignments, and for all other needs, we name our loved ones in our hearts before you now………………………….

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Lord in Your mercy……………………………………………. hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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