Comfort for Exiles

Be seated.

Well, one of my favorite Advent traditions

that I try to do every year is to go and see Handel's Messiah.

And last night, Molly and I had the opportunity

to go see it at the National Cathedral.

And if you've ever gotten the chance to see it there,

it's an amazing, beautiful setting

to see this masterpiece of music

that was written by George Friedrich Handel in 1741.

And it has become one of the most well-known,

one of the most often performed pieces of music in history.

And the music itself is, of course, masterful.

But what's so amazing, if you've ever heard it

or seen it performed,

is that all the words are directly from Scripture.

It tells the story of redemption

straight from the Bible.

Handel set the message of redemption to music.

And it is absolutely beautiful.

And it about brings me to tears

almost every time I listen to it.

And three of the very first songs,

in fact, there's five in total,

that actually, of Handel's Messiah,

actually come straight from our text this morning,

Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

And part of what I love about the Messiah

is that I think it beautifully captures

the tone and the mood of Isaiah 40,

which is one of God speaking words of comfort

to his people.

And I promise you,

I'm not gonna sing Isaiah 40 this morning,

much to your joy,

but I'm gonna preach it.

And hopefully,

we'll hear God's words of comfort

to us this morning.

The background to Isaiah chapter 40

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

is the Babylonian exile.

Chapters one through 39 of the prophet Isaiah

are about what is happening in Isaiah's day

before the exile,

when the kingdom of Assyria

is the major threat.

And there comes this turning point

in the book of Isaiah in chapter 39,

when King Hezekiah makes a foolish decision.

He welcomes ambassadors from the kingdom of Babylon,

a kingdom that's not yet a threat.

And he gives these ambassadors,

these envoys,

a tour of his whole palace and armory

and the temple.

And he shows them all the silver and gold

and all his wealth in the palace

and all of his storehouses.

And by the way,

if you happen to work in foreign policy,

I would not recommend this as a strategy

for foreign policy

because chapter 39

ends with the prophet Isaiah

telling King Hezekiah,

the time will surely come

when everything that you've just showed,

these ambassadors from Babylon,

and that all that your predecessors

have stored up until this day

will be carried off into exile.

And a couple generations later,

that is exactly what happened.

God had sent Israel prophet after prophet,

warning after warning,

until he finally allowed Jerusalem

to be captured by the Babylonians.

And his people

were forced from their homes

and torn from everything

that was familiar to them

and taken to a foreign land in tears.

And Isaiah,

though he lived in the time

before the exile,

God gave him the prophetic task

of writing these words

to an audience centuries in the future.

And it's to people living in the pain

and the grief

and the disorientation of exile

that God speaks these words of comfort

here in Isaiah chapter 40.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

And even though we may not be living

in a literal exile today,

we need these words of comfort

and consolation

just as much as they did

because all of us,

if we're honest,

face the pain

and grief

and difficult circumstances

of life in a fallen world,

which is in its own way

its own experience of exile,

of feeling far from home,

of feeling like this world

is not our true home,

it's not the way it's supposed to be.

Perhaps this morning,

as you come into the season of Advent,

you have felt this

more heavily

this year

or in recent months

than in any other season of your life.

Maybe you're coming into the season of Advent

not with celebration and joy,

but with tears

and with grief

and wrestling with God.

And if that's you,

I wanna invite you to listen

to what's here in Isaiah chapter 40 this morning.

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

I wanna invite you to listen

to three voices of comfort.

Three voices of comfort.

Here in Isaiah 40,

we see a voice of assurance,

a voice of hope,

and a voice of love.

A voice of assurance,

a voice of hope,

and a voice of love.

So first of all,

we see here in this passage

that we are comforted

with a voice of assurance.

I wonder how you imagine

God's voice sounds like.

I wonder what the tone is.

I wonder what the mood is

when you imagine God's voice.

Is it a deep bass voice

that sounds like Morgan Freeman?

Is it super spiritual

and high-pitched and angelic?

Is it dry and boring?

Is it harsh and condemning?

It's interesting.

Notice how verses one and two

start with this.

Comfort, comfort my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.

The tone in God's voice here

is one of tenderness,

gentleness, comfort.

He's bringing them

a message of consolation.

And what is that message?

We see in verse three,

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.

God is speaking a word of comfort

to his people here

about the forgiveness of their sins.

The people in Israel knew

why they were in exile.

They were rightly receiving

God's discipline

for generations of unfaithfulness,

idolatry, rebellion.

And I wonder

what it would have been like

to sit around a Jewish dinner table

in exile in Babylon.

I wonder what sorts of things

would have been said.

I wonder what things

would have gone unsaid.

I wonder what questions

would have been asked.

I wonder what fears

and sorrows

would have been expressed

around that dinner table

in Babylon.

And I have to imagine,

whether it went said or unsaid,

that one of the questions

they wrestled with in exile

is this,

are we beyond God's forgiveness?

Did we sin too greatly?

Did we go too far?

Are we past the boundaries

of God's mercy?

But God says to his people here

in Isaiah 40,

not only are you

not beyond the scope

of my mercy and forgiveness,

but in fact,

I have already forgiven you.

I'm not waiting

for your exile to be over,

for your sins to be atoned for.

It's not the exile

that's atoning for your sins.

I have already atoned

for them myself.

And in fact,

I have given you double

for all your sins.

This is the image

of a double portion.

A double portion

is something

that is overflowing

with extravagance

and generosity

beyond what is expected

or even necessary.

God is saying,

I've done way more

than just forgiven you.

In fact,

I'm here to comfort you

and to assure you

that you're still mine,

that you still belong to me,

that you're forgiven.

Though Israel had to endure

God's discipline

for a short time,

it was impossible

for them

to have sinned

too greatly

to be beyond God's mercy.

And this is a word

of comfort

that they needed to hear

in the exile,

and this is a word

of comfort

that we need

to hear today.

Do you ever wonder

if you can have

real

and lasting assurance

that you are

right with God?

Have you ever wondered

that

perhaps

maybe he forgave you

for those things

in your past,

but maybe now

you've,

maybe now you've gone too far.

Maybe you've crossed a line.

Maybe you've,

now you're past

the point of no return.

You're past the boundaries

of God's mercy

that maybe God's patience

has run out on you.

And if that's you,

hear these words

of comfort

and assurance

that is here

in this text.

We can know

that we can

have real assurance

in the forgiveness

of our sins

not because of anything

that we have done,

but because of what we see

here in verse two,

that forgiveness

is something that comes

from the hand

of the Lord.

It is given

and received

not something

that is earned

or achieved.

Our assurance

is not based

in our character,

but in the character

of God.

And yes,

it's true.

Like Israel,

sometimes we do have

to experience

the Lord's discipline

for a season.

Sometimes we do have

to face the real

painful consequences

for our sin.

but even still,

we cannot

out-sin

the mercy

of God.

There is more

mercy in God

than there is sin

in us.

And the tender

heart of God

longs to comfort us

with the news

that our sins

are forgiven,

to assure us

that we are His,

that we belong

to Him.

And that's the first

voice that we see.

We are comforted

with a voice

of assurance

about God's forgiveness.

But the second voice

that we see

is a voice

of hope.

We are comforted

with a voice

of hope.

During my first year

in seminary

in St. Louis,

I found myself

in a room

with a counselor.

And it was that,

in that first year

of seminary

that I was

stumbling

for the first time

and trying to unpack

the complexity

of my inner life.

And part of

what that counselor

helped me do,

and maybe a counselor

has helped

do this for you,

but part of what

he helped me do

is to learn

how to name

and process

my grief.

I didn't realize it,

but there were

a lot of things

that I was grieving.

And as a good counselor

does,

he picked up on it.

And I distinctly

remember him saying

one thing to me

in one of our sessions,

and he says,

Jeff,

it sounds like

you think

that your best days

are behind you.

And I'll always

remember that

because he hit

the nail on the head

because he was able

to articulate

my grief

in a way

that I wasn't.

And that named

for me

what I felt like

was the grief

under the grief.

And the grief

under the grief

was I felt like

that the glory days

were gone

never to return again.

And I think

if we go back

to that Jewish

dinner table

in Babylon

in exile,

I wonder

if this was a question

on their minds

as well.

Are the glory days

behind us?

Is our story over?

Has it come to an end?

Israel, of course,

had a clear sense

of its own story.

They were the people

that God had rescued

from slavery

in Egypt

and brought

into the wilderness,

brought through the wilderness

into the promised lands

to be a light

to the nations.

And yet now

it seemed like

they were

back in slavery,

back in the wilderness.

It seemed to them

that maybe their story

had come to an end,

that maybe their best days

were behind them,

that the glory days

were over.

And it's to this group

of people

that God,

through the prophet Isaiah,

speaks a comforting

word of hope.

Verse three,

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.

This image

of a highway

is an ancient image

for when a road

would be constructed

over rough terrain

as a processional route

for a king

coming into a city

so that all

of his chariots

and horses

and soldiers

could pass through

on smooth ground.

And Isaiah says

that this is what

is going to happen

when God comes.

He is going to come

as a king

and he is going

to come

and reveal

his glory

to the world.

And that when he does,

his rule

is gonna transform

the whole creation.

all of the unjust

power structures

that oppress people,

all of the sin

and idolatry

that dehumanize people,

all of the hatred

and all of the violence

that divide people,

all of the rough terrain

is gonna be smoothed out

when God the king

comes and reveals

his glory.

And this is an incredible

word of hope

that God is speaking

to Israel

that their story

doesn't end

in exile

but with the glory

of God

transforming

the whole creation.

And not just them

but all flesh,

all creation,

all the nations

of the earth

are gonna see it.

And God offers us

the same hope

that if we,

if you belong to him

that your story,

your individual story

is bound up

in the transformation

of all things

and the revelation

of the glory of God

to all people.

And because that's true,

your story

is far from over.

Your best days

aren't behind you,

they're ahead of you.

And so if life for you

feels like

exile

or wilderness

right now

because of grief

or pain

or difficult circumstances,

if that's you,

let me invite you

to see what is here

in this text.

That it's in those places.

It's in the wilderness.

It's in exile

where God comes

to reveal

his glory

and to smooth out

the rough places.

He comes

in the desert.

He comes

in the valleys.

He comes

in the rough places

to reveal

his glory

to the world.

That is where God comes

and transforms

the rough terrain

of our lives

and our world

into places

of beauty

and glory.

And this hope

is not dependent

upon human ability

or wisdom

or power,

but on the wisdom

and power

of God's word.

And that is what we see

next in verses

six through eight.

All flesh

is grass

and all its beauty

like the flowers

of the field.

The grass

withers

and the flower

fades,

but the word

of our God

will stand forever.

people are

as fragile

and as frail

as grass.

Here today,

gone tomorrow.

Kingdoms rise

and fall,

political leaders

come and go.

Ideas

and technology

come and go.

It's frail.

It's frail.

It's momentary.

And that is why

we can't place

our ultimate hope

in any person

or any of the

thousand things

that human beings

put their hope in,

whether it's kings

or presidents

or historical circumstances

or intellect

or all beauty.

They're all

too frail.

They're all

too temporary.

They're all

too momentary.

But God's word

is eternal.

And that is where

true hope

is to be found.

And if he said

it's true,

it's going to come true.

Isaiah says,

the mouth

of the Lord

has spoken.

That was the

original mic drop.

Right?

The mouth

of the Lord

has spoken.

And when we

see what's

promised to us

here,

the transformation

of all creation,

that's incredible

comfort.

It's going to happen

because it's based

on God's word.

So first of all,

we're comforted

with a voice

of assurance

about God's

forgiveness.

Second,

we are comforted

with a voice

of hope

about God's

glory.

Thirdly,

finally,

we see

a third voice,

that we are

comforted with

a voice

of love.

A voice

of love.

If we go back

to that Jewish

dinner table

in Babylon

one more time

and we look

outside

and we see

an unfamiliar

place,

an unfamiliar

culture,

unfamiliar

food,

unfamiliar

language,

I would

imagine,

again,

spoken or

unspoken,

that a

question

that arose

around that

dinner table

was,

are we

alone?

Has God

forgotten us?

Has he abandoned

us?

Has he forsaken

us?

Look at verse

10 and 11.

Behold,

the Lord God

comes

with might

and his

arm rules

for him.

Behold,

his reward

is with him

and his

recompense

before him.

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.

This

is the

image of

God

as a

warrior

shepherd.

God

promises

to come,

yes,

as a

conquering

king

who reigns

and who

rewards

his people

with victory.

But don't

miss that

the end

goal of

the reigning

conquering

king is

to dwell

with his

people in

love as

a shepherd.

This is

one of the

most intimate

images in

scripture about

God's loving

presence with

his people.

He gathers

them into

his arms.

And brings

them close

to his

chest.

He says

to Israel,

I haven't

forgotten you,

I haven't

forsaken

you,

you are

not alone.

My whole

purpose is

to come

and to dwell

with you

in love.

And he

says the

same thing

to us.

God

longs to

dwell with

us in

a loving

relationship

as a

shepherd,

to be

present with

us,

to lead

us and

to guide

us,

to nourish

us,

and to

bind up

our

wounds.

And if

you're here

this morning

and you

are especially

grieving or

suffering,

look at

this image

here in

Isaiah 40

that the

God of

Isaiah 40

is not

a God

who has

left you

alone,

but who

gathers

you into

his arms

and who

holds you

close to

his chest.

There is

incredible

comfort for

us here in

this image

of our

God as

a shepherd,

warrior,

king.

And so

there's

incredible

comfort here.

There's

comfort all

over this

passage and

in fact,

if you

read the

rest of

Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter 40,

there's

more

comfort.

There's

comfort that

is extravagant

and poured

out.

And I

wish I

had time

to preach

the rest

of the

chapter because

the entire

chapter of

Isaiah 40

is glorious.

It's one of

the most

amazing

chapters in

all of

scripture.

And so I

encourage you

later today

to go home

and read

the whole

chapter because

it is just

overflowing

with comfort.

But here in

these verses we

see that we're

comforted with a

voice of

assurance about

God's

forgiveness,

that we're not

beyond his

mercy.

We're comforted

with a voice of

hope about

God's glory,

that our

story's not

over.

And we're

comforted with a

voice of love

about God's

presence who

comes to dwell

with his

people,

that we are

not alone.

And centuries

later, these

words of

comfort would

leap off the

page and

take on

flesh.

In Mark

Mark 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

our gospel

reading, John

the Baptist

says, that

voice in Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter 40

calling in the

wilderness to

prepare,

the way for

the Lord.

That's me.

That is my

voice.

I am the

voice of one

calling in the

wilderness that

God is here.

That the God of

comfort who was

promised and

foretold in Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter 40 is

here.

He has come.

Repent and

believe the

good news.

Repent and

receive the

comfort and the

consolation that

has taken on

flesh.

forgiveness.

In Jesus

Christ.

Jesus Christ is

God's ultimate

word of

assurance to us

about God's

forgiveness.

It is through

his finished work

on the cross

that we can know

with great

assurance, beyond

the shadow of a

doubt, that our

sins are forgiven.

God's ultimate

love of a

God's ultimate

salvation.

He is

not because of

everything in him,

because his work

was full and

final and

complete and

satisfactory in his

death on the cross

in our place.

And in Jesus, we

find God saying to

us, your

warfare is

ended.

your iniquity is

pardoned.

You have received

from the Lord's

hand a double

portion, not only

the forgiveness of

sins, but the

transfer of his

righteousness to

us, our adoption

as his sons and

daughters, our

justification, the

indwelling of the

Holy Spirit, and

all the spiritual

blessings that come

in Christ.

He is God's double

portion, his

overflowing, extravagant

grace to us.

He is God's word of

assurance.

to us.

And if we put our

faith in him, we

don't have to doubt

for a second that

our sins are

forgiven and that

we belong to God.

Jesus Christ is

God's word of hope.

He is God's ultimate

word of hope to us

about the coming of

God's glory.

In his incarnation,

God revealed his

glory to the world.

Wherever Jesus

went, valleys were

raised up.

Mountains were brought

low.

Rough places were

smoothed.

The sick were healed.

The blind saw.

The lame walked.

Sinners repented and

received forgiveness.

Wherever Jesus goes, the

transformation of the

glory of God goes too.

God's glory to God's

God's glory to the

glory of God.

And the amazing hope that we

have is that we can be united to Jesus' story of cosmic transformation by faith.

Jesus loves to reveal his transforming glory in the wilderness and in the exile of our lives.

And we're gonna hear a story about that later in the service.

He can reveal his glory in the rough places of our lives and of our city even now.

That is why he came.

And that's why in Jesus we hear God speaking a word of comfort to us.

Your story is not over.

God's not done with you.

And thirdly, finally, Jesus Christ is God's ultimate word of love to us about God's presence

because he is the shepherd king in Isaiah 40 who has come to dwell with his people in love.

And to carry them in his chest.

To lead them by the hand.

To bind up their wounds.

And it's in Jesus that we hear God saying to us,

you are not alone.

I am with you.

You are loved.

Jesus Christ is God's ultimate word of comfort to us.

He is our assurance.

He is our hope.

And he is the presence of God in love.

And the invitation of the season of Advent is that even though we may feel like Israel,

that we are waiting in exile.

In a world where we can sometimes feel far from home.

In a world of sin.

In a world of pain.

A world of grief.

A world of tears.

A world of loneliness.

A world of waiting.

A world where it feels like consolation is never gonna come.

The invitation of the season of Advent is that in that world, in this world,

there is incredible comfort to be found because God came.

Behold your God.

He came in Jesus Christ and took on flesh.

He left all the glory and the comfort of heaven to experience the pain and the difficulty and the grief of exile with us and for us.

He was exiled for us to purchase our eternal comfort.

And it's in Jesus Christ that we hear God speaking to us.

And so, I'm so much more in the week.

I'm so much more deeply.

I'm so much more in that world.

Comfort.

Comfort, my people.

I have forgiven you.

Your story is not over.

You're not alone.

And when we receive this word with open hearts of faith,

this comfort can truly become ours.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,

bring the comfort and the consolation

of your coming into our lives.

Reveal your glory.

Lord, comfort us with your incredible assurance.

Comfort us with your incredible hope.

Comfort us with your incredible love.

We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.