Isaiah 40:1-11

Title: Good News of Comfort

Today we are continuing our Advent theme of the Good News of Christmas. Good News is always welcomed, but sometimes it is easy to lose sight of. We need to continually be reminded of just how good the Good News of Jesus is.

The only way to appreciate the goodness of the Good News is to also accept the full extent of the Bad News. The awful reality that because we are sinners, apart from Christ, we were separated from God and under a curse as is all of creation. We live in a fallen and cursed world. The nation of Israel that first received this message also had bad news. They had sinned against God and were being taken into exile, but even in the midst of the Bad News here was Good News, the promise that when that time had passed, God would restore them again.

1. Sin Is Paid For

In verse 2 this proclamation of Good News begins, “her hard service has been completed…” The Good News that the time of judgment is over. That the sin debt that separated them from God had been paid. Now for Israel, they were meant to be a physical picture of what holiness and forgiveness would require. They were the Gospel acted out in a physical, tangible way. So when Israel sinned, they suffered judgment for their sins, they were exiled for their sins, but they were also a picture of God’s grace and mercy. When sins were atoned for, they were brought back from exile.

Now for us, and even for Israel in reality, the forgiveness of sins doesn’t come from our suffering, it doesn’t come from our being exiled, but forgiveness comes through Jesus who did those things for us. It was His suffering that resulted in the true forgiveness of not only our sins, but the sins of Israel as well. It was Jesus who was cast out and exiled for us, and for Israel, and it was His work that brought us out of exile and reconciled us to God.

At the end of verse 2 we see God’s heart, as He calls those who bring His words of comfort to “speak tenderly.” For you see, Jesus didn’t just forgive sins, but did so with tenderness. Jesus doesn’t forgive our sins begrudgingly or with sternness, but with tenderness and compassion. He forgives with the same tenderness and compassion He showed when He healed people of physical diseases and disabilities. For Jesus used those healings to show us our spiritual state when it comes to sin. We are in need of real healing, and we are as powerless to free ourselves from sin as those who were blind were powerless to restore their own sight. We need divine intervention. We need Jesus. Jesus didn’t just offer us forgiveness, but He did so with joy!

So, too, when Jesus forgives your sins, He does so with the same tenderness and compassion that He showed when he healed the lame man, made the blind see, and when He raised a little girl back from the dead. So, too, God has forgiven your sins with the same heart, and out of the same desire to bring you comfort.

2. Lord is Coming

In the second section, vv. 3-5, it brings us assurance that this promise of the Lord cannot be thwarted. When a king was preparing to travel to an area, they often sent an advanced party to make sure the way was clear, that the roads were in good shape, and that the travel would go as smoothly and safely as possible. That is what is being described here. Even through the wilderness and the desert, the road is being made ready, through the valleys and mountains a straight way is prepared. There would be no delay and no stopping the visit of the Lord. He is Coming, and nothing will stop Him from fulfilling His promise.

For Israel, this is speaking not just of the Lord leading them back from exile, but mostly it was speaking of the first coming of Jesus. For everything was being prepared, and when the time was right, for God’s Messiah to come. For us, the same thing is true for His Second Coming. Preparations are being made, and when the time comes, nothing can delay or stop Him from fulfilling His Promise.

This is Good News. The knowledge that nothing in this world can stop the plan of the Lord. The Dark Kingdom of this earth cannot prevent the coming of God’s Kingdom of Light. And everything that gets in His way will be taken care of.

So, too, nothing can stop the coming of God’s Kingdom to your heart either. There are no circumstances, no roadblocks, that can prevent the coming of the Holy Spirit in your heart and life. Even in the desert and the wilderness, God will make a way. Even in the dark valleys, and the formidable mountains cannot separate you from the love of God. If you call on Him, God can bring His comfort to you in any circumstance.

3. Eternal Comfort

Verses 6-8 continue to bring comfort by reminding us that these promises are based on the certain and eternal word of God, not on the fickle and uncertain promises of man.

As human beings, we are really incapable of bringing ultimate comfort. For God brings comfort by promising an end and a positive resolution to our suffering. And the only way we as humans can do that is to point people to Jesus. For apart from Christ, we cannot promise anyone that their situation will improve. Therefore, those who reject God have really rejected all hope of comfort. For the Good News promises peace and joy for those who receive the forgiveness of Christ, but for those who reject the Good News, their bad news will only increase after death. In rejecting Christ, in rejecting His Good News, they have rejected His comfort as well and have resigned themselves to an eternity of bad news.

For even when we intend to keep our word, we cannot promise that we will always be there for others in their time of need. For even if we intend to – we lack the power to guarantee much of anything. For us, our time is limited, we are limited to be present in one location at a time, and we aren’t even able to guarantee we will still be around, as tomorrow is promised to no one. That is why God compares people – and their faithfulness – to the grass and flowers of the field. Our time is fleeting, and our faithfulness, even if we have the best of intentions, is limited.

But not so with God and His Promises! He can, and will, always be there. He will always have the right thing to say. He will always have the power to do what He intends. And yet, it is easy for us to give in to doubt and to think of the promises of God as something uncertain. But there is nothing more certain in this world than the Word, the promises of God. Take God at His Word. Find comfort in the fact that while the circumstances of our life are uncertain, the comforting presence of God is something we can count on.

4. Shout the Good News of the Good Shepherd

And verse 9 says we should be so confident in our God that we should shout about it! Now when we shout, we want to make sure we are right.  At the NFC Championship Game for the 1998 NFL season, my friends and I were in the Metrodome as the Vikings marched down the field against the Atlanta Falcons, setting up Gary Anderson, their field goal kicker who hadn’t missed a kick all year, for a potentially game winning short field goal. And as the stadium started chanting “Super Bowl, Super Bowl,” my friends and I were silent. We weren’t going to shout until we watched the ball sail through the uprights. And of course, the kick was missed, and the stadium fell silent, and the Vikings went on to lose the game in overtime. We didn’t shout, because we knew that the only thing certain for the Vikings in big games is unfathomable disappointment. Why? Because they had let us down before.

But not so with God. He has never broken His promise to His people. He will never let us down when we need Him the most. Now God might not always do what we’d like Him to do, but He will always keep His promises to us. He hasn’t promised us life will be easy, but He has promised to be our comfort in the midst of life’s trials and disappointments. So we can shout for the promises of God are certain.

In verses 10-11, God promises that He will judge the wicked and reward those who have followed Him. He has promised also to shepherd His flock with justice, righteousness, tenderness and gentleness. He has promised to always hold us close to His heart.

This is similar to the assurance a newborn receives from the warmth, heartbeat, and rhythmic breathing of its mother. So, too, the soothing presence of God will be there to comfort us, to calm us, when we are overwhelmed. When the bad news of life is too much, may we hear the voice of God say to us tenderly, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” And may we respond with shouts, boldly proclaiming to all who would listen, ““Here is your God!”  Amen.