The Comfort of the Creator

Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me back to Isaiah chapter 40? Again, that's page 561

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

in the Pew Bible. We're starting a new sermon series today that will take us through the rest

of the summer. Now, if you've been at Trinity for a while, you typically know that on Sundays

we pick a book of the Bible or a section of a book, and then we preach through it in order.

And we do this kind of preaching, expository preaching, because we believe that the Bible

is God's Word. And when we listen deeply to Scripture, God speaks to accomplish all of

His purposes in us and through us for His glory. Now, this summer we'll be looking at a section

of Isaiah that starts in chapter 40 and ends in chapter 55. Historically, Isaiah wrote these

chapters in the 8th century B.C., when the people of Judah had just seen their northern neighbors

conquered by the Assyrians, and when they themselves had just received the warning that

captivity was coming for them too. We see this at the end of Isaiah chapter 39 in verse 6. One day,

Isaiah 39 · chapter mention

not Assyria, but the kingdom of Babylon would come and carry them off into exile. The nation was

conquered in that way. There typically was no coming back. That was the end.

So what message does God give to Isaiah to speak into the future for His conquered people?

After judgment comes, after exile comes, when the people are defeated and humiliated,

when they're weary under sin and suffering, what does God have to say?

Well, chapter 40 begins that message, and it begins by speaking to a people whose hearts are weary.

We'll find at the end of the chapter that the people have grown exhausted. They're despondent.

They're tired. They're worn out. They're weary of their own sin, and they're weary of the suffering

of the world. What will God say to His weary people?

Perhaps you're feeling a bit weary this morning. Weary perhaps because of trials, or weary perhaps

because of ongoing struggles with sin. Perhaps you've come with a desire for renewal, for fresh

strength, for fresh wind in your spiritual sails. And maybe you sense this desire not just personally,

but corporately. You know, every church will go through seasons when we need to be refreshed,

when our weary souls need to be strengthened, when it feels like our arms are drooping and our strength

is waning. Well, if that's what you're feeling this morning, then Isaiah 40 is for you. It's for us.

Now, chapter 40 has three parts, and we'll look at all three in order. But the main message of

Isaiah 40 that pulls it all together is found right in verse 1 that we read earlier in the service.

To the weary in heart, God speaks good news, and it's a good news of what? It's a good news of comfort.

And comfort here means more than just kind of soothing. Comfort in the Bible means strengthening.

It means building up. It means renewing. This is the kind of comfort that comes when the general

returns from battle returns from battle and announces that the war has been won. This is the kind of

comfort that comes when the parent returns from searching and announces that the lost child has come

home. This is biblical comfort. It's strength. It's renewal for the weary soul. And like I said,

this message of comfort comes in three parts. In verses 1 through 11, what we hear is a promise

of comfort. And then in verses 12 through 26, we'll see the proof of that comfort. And then in verses 27

through 31, we'll take a look at the imparting, the imparting of that comfort. So let me pray,

and then we'll take a look at these three things together. Pray with me as we come to God's Word.

Father, as we turn to your Word now, we ask humbly and expectantly, we ask that you would speak to us

the word that we need to hear. God, on this send-off Sunday when many in our community are celebrating

commencements of various kinds, we pray that you would revive us today by the Spirit of your Son,

our Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. So first then, in verses 1 through 11, we hear the promise

of comfort. We read these verses earlier in the service, so I won't read them all again, but look

down with me at verses 1 through 11. Verses 1 and 2 announce this message of comfort. God here is

recommissioning Isaiah to speak a fresh word to the people, and it's a twofold word. First, that their

warfare, that their hardship, that their captivity is coming to an end, which would have been utterly

unheard of in the ancient world. We're going to be brought back from exile? But second, and even more

wonderfully, it's a message that their iniquity is pardoned. Because the question before the people

of Israel wasn't just, will God deliver us from our political and material exile? It wasn't just,

is God going to reestablish us back in our land much deeper? The question was whether God would atone for

their sins. Would he cure the much deeper disease that separated them from their God in the first place?

And verses 1 through 11 say, yes, God's comfort will come. Not just liberation, but also wonder of wonders,

pardon for sin. From the Lord's hand, Isaiah says, that is out of God's own initiative, they would receive

double, that is exactly what they need, and even more than enough to cover their sins and bring them home.

And then after this opening declaration of comfort, there are three voices that ring out in the rest of

this section. Three promises of comfort to weary and despondent hearts, to hearts that are downtrodden

in sin and suffering. These three voices come. And the first voice, if you look at verses 3 through 5,

this first voice promises that the glory of God, that is the Lord's presence, is coming to your rescue.

And nothing will stand in God's way. Valleys will be lifted up, mountains made low, uneven ground will

be made level, rough places will be made smooth as a plain. In other words, God will clear every obstacle

and he will come. And all flesh, people from every nation will see it, not just observe it, but experience

it. And then a second voice comes in verses 6 through 8. And this voice reminds us that we're

fickle and we're frail. Even our best efforts, our greatest glory is like grass. It fades.

And if God's Spirit were to come, if the mighty wind of his presence were to move among us

in our frailty, in our fickleness, what would be the result?

Surely we would turn back to dust.

Ah, but here's the promise of the second voice. We are fickle, but God is faithful.

God's word stands forever. He's faithful to all of his promises, even though we are not.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever, the second voice says.

And then the third voice comes in verses 9 through 11, and it comes with good news. A gospel of glad

tidings, a word not just for Jerusalem, but for all the cities near and far. And what is this good news?

Good news that when the Lord comes in might, when he comes to fulfill his promises,

his mighty ruling arm that we see in verse 10 will become his merciful carrying arm of verse 11.

Here is good news that the mighty God, the strong one, is also our shepherd. He will come in mercy.

He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young.

So friends, let this speak to your weary soul.

Do you doubt if God is willing to come and comfort you today, to strengthen you?

Do you doubt if God is willing to come and renew our church and breathe fresh life into us?

Listen to these voices from Isaiah.

You know, our weary hearts will often say the circumstances are too hard or too challenging.

The valley is too deep. The path is too rough. But listen,

God says he's willing to move heaven and earth to come to us.

Our weary hearts will say, but our faithfulness is too frail.

We don't deserve God's comfort. We're like flowers, beautiful one day, but barren the next.

But listen, God is willing to be true, to be faithful, even when you are not.

His word will stand even if every word of yours falls to the ground.

Our weary hearts say, but God must not care for us.

We're like sheep who've gone astray.

But listen, God is willing to take his mighty arms and gather you up like a shepherd carrying a lamb.

There can be no doubt that God is willing to comfort his weary people.

That's the promise of verses 1 through 11.

But this, of course, raises another question, doesn't it?

Our weary hearts may hear that God is willing to comfort us, to come, to forgive, to restore,

but then a second doubt starts to creep in.

Perhaps God is willing, but is he able?

He may have the desire to comfort, but does he in fact have the power to do so?

We hear this promise of comfort, but what proof do we have that it will come true?

What makes this more than just empty words?

Well, this brings us to the second part of Isaiah 40.

In verses 1 through 11, we hear the promise of comfort,

but then in verses 12 through 26, we hear the proof of this comfort.

What is it that makes these promises of comfort more than just empty words?

Well, because these promises are not the idle chatter of a mere creature

or the mute oracles of a false God.

These are the promises of the one true God, the creator of heaven and earth.

God steps forth and says here,

I am the proof of my promises.

Listen to these verses as I read them, Isaiah 40, 12 through 26.

God says,

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand

and marked off the heavens with a span,

enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,

and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Who has measured the spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him counsel?

Whom did he consult and whom made him understand?

Who taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge

and showed him the way of understanding?

And of course, you get the implied answer there, right?

No one.

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket

and are accounted as the dust on the scales.

Behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,

nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

All the nations, there is nothing before him.

They are accounted by him,

or we might say they are accounted before him

in comparison to him as less than nothing, an emptiness.

To whom then will you liken God?

Or what likeness compare with him?

An idol?

A craftsman casts it,

and a goldsmith overlays it with gold

and casts for its silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering

chooses wood that will not rot.

He seeks out a craftsman, a skillful craftsman,

to set up an idol that will not move.

Do you not know?

Do you not hear?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

He who stretches out the heavens like a curtain

and spread them like a tent to dwell in,

who brings princes to nothing

and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted,

scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth

when he blows on them,

and they wither,

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me

that I should be like him,

says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high

and see

who created these,

who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of his might,

and because he is strong in power,

not one is missing.

You know, perhaps one of the greatest dangers

in the church today

is that our view of God

is much, much too small.

We say that we believe in God,

we say that he created all things,

but we don't really believe it.

The majesty of God,

the immensity of God,

the incomparable holiness of God

is lost on us.

We look to the idols of our age,

success and personal freedom,

or cultural approval,

and they all look so desirable

and so important.

They're so big in our eyes

and in our hearts,

and yet Isaiah says in verses 19 through 20,

it's all just wood and metal.

It can't speak,

it can't move,

and it surely can't save.

Let God be big,

and those things be small.

Consider the oceans,

Isaiah says.

Vast and powerful.

Go stand on the shore of the ocean

and feel how small you are

before the waves and the deeps.

But now consider

all those oceans,

all those deeps,

wave upon wave.

Creatures we can't imagine,

of size and power

that seem unfathomable.

God measures those waters

in the hollow of his hand.

Like you or I would scoop up

a drop of water from the sink,

so are all the oceans

to God,

the creator.

And now think of the nations,

all the power

and glory

and culture.

We could spend a whole lifetime

traveling,

discovering,

and learning,

and still not scratch

the surface

of all the diversity

and wonder

of human cultures

and nations,

couldn't we?

But compared to God,

it's like dust

on the scales.

Isaiah isn't saying

that God doesn't care

for humanity.

God indeed does care.

Isaiah's point,

rather,

is one of comparison.

The nations are like dust

compared to God.

They don't even move

the scales.

They're weightless,

fleeting,

gone in a moment.

But God,

he is all substance,

wisdom,

permanence,

power,

beauty.

Is this the God

you believe in,

friend?

Utterly beyond compare?

Utterly holy?

The maker of heaven

and earth?

Or do we worship

a mere idol?

There's only one God

and the Lord

is his name.

And if that is the God

you say you believe in,

then go out.

Go out on a dark,

clear night,

Isaiah says in verse 26.

Go out on a dark,

clear night

and lift up your eyes.

Look at the vast array

of stars,

millions upon millions

and millions more

that you will never see

and never know.

Consider,

Isaiah says,

that your God

has arranged them all.

We could never count them,

let alone catalog them,

but God has called them

all by name.

Every star

and every galaxy

into the vast stretches

of the universe,

God has named them all.

And in his might

and in his power,

not one is missing.

If your heart is weary,

Isaiah says,

if you doubt his ability,

his power to save,

go look at the stars.

And then as you stand in awe,

overwhelmed by their number

and beauty,

consider

the God who made them all

and who named them all

has made you.

What are we to think

in the face

of God's transcendence

and majesty?

Are we to think

that he is too great

to care?

No,

Isaiah says.

Rather,

we must understand

that God

is too great

to fail.

Not one is missing.

And if that is true

of the stars,

friends,

how much more true

of you.

How much more true

of his people

he's called by name

and chosen

from before

the foundation

of the earth.

You are not

just the product.

Friends,

you and I,

you and I

are not just

the product

of dust

and stars

and time.

You bear

the very image

of God.

What good news!

And though your sin

has brought great ruin

and great judgment,

it has not thwarted

God's willingness

nor God's ability

to save.

comfort.

The one who promises

comfort

is himself

the proof

that those promises

are sure.

And so,

from promise

to proof,

Isaiah now brings

it all home.

In verses 27

through 31,

we have the impartation

of this comfort.

Look with me

at verse 27.

Let me read

verses 27

through 31.

Why do you say,

O Jacob,

and speak,

O Israel?

My way

is hidden

from the Lord

and my right

is disregarded

by my God.

Have you not

known?

Have you not

heard?

The Lord

is the everlasting

God,

the creator

of the ends

of the earth.

He does not

faint or grow weary.

His understanding

is unsearchable.

He gives power

to the faint

and to him

who has no might

he increases strength.

Even youth

shall faint

and be weary

and young men

shall fall exhausted.

But they who wait

for the Lord

shall renew

their strength.

They shall mount

up with wings

like eagles.

They shall run

and not be weary.

They shall walk

and not faint.

You can hear

in verse 27,

can't you,

this cry

of the weary heart.

This cry

that says,

God must not

see me.

God doesn't

see me

and God

doesn't answer me.

He must be

unwilling

or unable

to truly comfort,

to truly save.

Perhaps we're

beyond saving,

beyond.

But no,

God says,

have you not

known?

Have you not

heard?

God is the

eternal

creator,

all wise

and unwearying.

The wonder

of wonders,

this eternal,

all wise,

all powerful

creator

gives.

It is in his

nature not just

to be strong,

but to give

strength.

Look again

at verse 29.

He gives

power

to the faint

and to him

who has no

might,

he increases

strength.

God

gives.

But how?

How does it

come to us?

How does God

give this

strength to

the weary?

Well,

from the

perspective of

the New Testament,

we see this

more clearly

than Isaiah

or the exiled

people of Judah

could ever have

seen.

You know,

when Matthew

and Mark

and Luke

take up their

pens to write

the story of

Jesus,

where do they

begin?

Well,

Matthew starts

with a genealogy,

you know,

and Luke

starts with an

old priest

in the temple,

but for all

three of them,

when the story

really gets going

and John

the Baptist

appears on

the scene

as the herald

of the great

coming king,

whose words

do they

quote?

What Old

Testament promise

is being

fulfilled,

do they say?

It's this

one,

Isaiah 40.

A voice

cries in the

wilderness,

prepare the

way of the

Lord.

It's Isaiah's

message of

comfort that

rings out

when the

Messiah comes.

The

redemptive

ages turn,

and the

kingdom of

God is

finally at

hand.

And the

New Testament

writers say

it's coming.

The Lord

is here,

comforting

his people.

When the

sovereign

creator takes

on flesh

and moves

heaven and

earth to

comfort his

people,

the real

return from

exile can

begin.

The real

pardon for

sins can

be given.

When the

good shepherd

takes us

up into

his arms

and lays

down his

life for

the sheep.

When the

double payment

for sin is

made,

and when the

stars go

black as

the Son of

God hangs

on a cross.

Imagine,

friends,

the holy

one,

the sinless

one,

becomes

sin so

that sinners

can be reckoned

sinless.

The creator

becomes weak

so the

weak can

become strong.

God

gives,

which is to

say he

imparts this

comfort,

this strength

by grace.

If God's

word is the

promise and

God's majesty

the proof,

then it is by

God's free

grace that it

comes to us.

And if it

comes to us

by grace,

then we

receive it,

not by

being strong,

but by

acknowledging our

weakness.

Look again at

verse 29.

God gives

power.

Who?

Not to the

strong,

but to the

faint.

What about

the strong?

What about

those who are

in their

prime?

Well,

look again at

verse 30.

Even youths

shall faint

and be weary,

and young men

shall fall

exhausted.

Now,

if you're like

me and you're

starting to get

over the hill,

you think,

I wouldn't

mind for a

little bit of

that young

man's strength,

you know?

Give me some

more of that.

And yet,

Isaiah says,

even the

strength of the

strongest will

fail.

Even the

best earthly

strength will

not sustain

you.

So how do

we get this

different kind

of strength?

Verse 31,

They who

wait for the

Lord shall

renew their

strength.

They who

wait for the

Lord shall

renew their

strength.

It's not

in the

working,

but in the

waiting,

that renewal

comes.

Now,

what does it

mean to

wait on the

Lord?

Well,

that word

wait here

means to

trust the

Lord with

patient

expectation.

In other

words,

it means to

put your

hope in

Him.

You know,

too often we

put our

hope in

our own

ability,

our own

strength,

our own

strategies,

but real

strength comes

when we

stop hoping

in ourselves

and transfer

our hope

to the

Lord.

And too

often we

put our

hope in

new

circumstances,

a new

relationship,

a new

job,

maybe a

new

political

leader,

but none

of these

things will

truly comfort

or truly

strengthen.

Real

strength

comes,

real

renewal

comes,

when we

wait,

when we

hope,

in the

Lord.

This is

fundamentally

what it

means to

become a

Christian,

to transfer

our hope,

to transfer

your hope,

hope for the

forgiveness of

sins,

hope for

eternal life,

hope for

purpose,

hope for

meaning,

to transfer

our hope

to Jesus

Christ alone.

And that's

ultimately what it

means to live

as a Christian

too,

to hope

in him

alone.

Is it

weakness

to hope

in the

Lord,

to wait

on him

rather than

in our

own

strength?

No,

this is

where true

strength is

found.

Isaiah

promises to

all who

will admit

their

weakness

and wait

on the

Lord.

He says

they shall

mount up

with wings

like eagles.

They shall

run and

not be

weary.

They shall

walk and

not faint.

Friends,

here is

comfort indeed.

To know

your sins

are forgiven

in Christ.

To know

of your

adoption in

God's family

and heir

of the

coming kingdom.

To know

that it's

secure.

To know

that everything

in life

will be for

your ultimate

good and

God's ultimate

glory.

Here is

strength and

comfort like

nothing else.

strength.

And it's

a fresh

strength,

Isaiah

says.

Your

strength

will be

renewed,

refreshed.

And he

says it's

going to

be a

different

kind of

strength.

Isaiah

says you're

going to

mount up

with wings

like eagles.

It will

be nothing

like you've

experienced

before.

But it

will also

be a

divine

strength.

Isaiah

says you

won't be

weary and

you will

not faint.

Which is

what Isaiah

said of

God's own

strength in

verse 28.

But notice

something else

in verse 31.

Notice how

Isaiah's

metaphors here,

they go from

flying to

running to

walking.

The movement

of these

metaphors is

what?

It's slowing

down, isn't

it?

As we

continue to

live the

Christian life,

as we grow

older, we

may find

ourselves slowing

down from an

earthly perspective.

we used to

fly, we

used to

run, now

we just

walk.

But notice

though we

may slow

down, God's

provision of

strength is as

strong as

ever.

Even if you

don't soar like

an eagle anymore,

you'll still run

and not be

weary.

Even if you

don't run like

you used to,

you will still

walk and not

be faint.

And even

when walking

is no longer

possible, and

you lie down

for perhaps

the last

time, and

the Lord

calls you

home, even

then his

strength will

be sufficient

for you.

His power

will be made

perfect in

your weakness.

And even in

death, friends,

his comfort

will be

sufficient to

uphold you

through those

waters and to

usher you into

the presence of

your Savior

forever.

The grass

withers, the

flowers fall,

but the word

of our God

will stand

forever.

in the

16th century,

in the

heart of the

Reformation,

the authors

of the

Heidelberg

Catechism

began their

great tool

of instruction

with this

question.

They said,

what is your

only comfort

in life

and in

death?

We don't

start catechisms

that way

anymore.

You know,

if you put

your kids

in children's

ministry,

we're not

going to

say,

what is your

only comfort

in life

and in

death?

We probably

should,

though,

right?

What is your

only comfort

in life

and in

death?

And here

was the

answer they

gave,

that I'm

not my

own,

but belong

body and

soul in

life and

in death

to my

faithful Savior,

Jesus Christ.

He has

fully paid

for all my

sins with

his precious

blood and

has set me

free from

the tyranny

of the

devil.

He also

watches over

me in such

a way that

not a hair

can fall

from my

head without

the will of

my Father

in heaven.

In fact,

all things

must work

together for

my salvation

because I

belong to

him.

Christ,

by his

Holy Spirit,

assures me

of eternal

life and

makes me

wholeheartedly

willing and

ready from

now on to

live for

him.

Here is

comfort indeed,

friends.

Not just a

promise,

not just

proof,

but a real

imparting it

to us

through Jesus

Christ,

our Lord.

Lord,

let's pray

together.

Father,

as we

pause now

in these

quiet

moments,

our prayer

to you

is simple

and it's

profound.

Lord,

would you

come

and would

you comfort

us and

give us

strength?

Lord,

help us

to mount

up with

wings like

eagles.

Help us

to run

and not be

weary.

Help us

to walk

and not

faint.

Work in

us by

your Holy

Spirit this

preserving and

empowering

grace that

we might live

all of our

days for you

and the

strength that

you provide

and that

you would

get much

glory in

us and

through us,

God.

May we

say that

in our

weakness

then we

are strong

because of

you,

Jesus.

We pray in

your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.