The Longing for Christ Our Comfort

Isaiah 40

• People are needy
• We need people to….
• Encourage us at times.
• Grieve with us.
• Rejoice with us.
• And at times comfort one another.
• God created us with needs that only he could supply and others that he uses people to fulfill our needs.
• Our triune God designed us to live in community with one another.
• We are designed, in part, to give and receive comfort from one another.
• 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
• Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
• The last couple weeks we have talked about our longing, our need our desire.

5 Comforting truths from Isaiah 40

1. God Pardons Sin (Vs1- 2).
2. We know God judges sin.
3. Romans 1:18a For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
4. Isaiah 5 is one of those judgment passages
5. The people of Israel will be judged for their sin.
6. There like a vineyard that will be dug up and removed.
7. In Isaiah 13-23 we get the picture of God who judges the nations.
8. He executes judgment he brings every sin into an account.
9. He knows all things
10. He values righteousness.
11. In the midst of this we see the reality that God would pardon sin.
12. Pardon (נִרְצָ֖ה) Niratsa
13. This does not mean:
14. This does mean:
15. To Pardon- To forgive. 
16. That the payment has been accepted.
17. God is bringing his people from discipline to delight.
18. This passage includes some of the beauty of the Gospel.
19. God Reveals his Glory (3-5).
20. Nothing will prevent his glory from being revealed.
21. The way in the wilderness is not something we travel like the Israelites did.
22. God is saying that nothing will stop him from accomplishing this in vs 4-5.
23. His glory is the evidence of his presence.
24. Where his glory is revealed God is at work in that place. 
25. At the end of verse 5 “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” is a further emphasis on the sure accomplishment of this truth.
26. God’s Word Never Fails (6-8).
27. People are compared to grass
28. Flowers that fade is an illustration of Beauty which passes quickly.
29. Grass cut down is an example of the brevity of life.
30. “Only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.” - C.T. Studd
31. The Word of God will stand forever- Settled, sure, and secure
32. Israelites would have developed or passed down a reverence for God’s Word- albeit imperfectly.
33. The teaching from God was to be a large part of family life for the Israelites.
34. Are we resting in His Word?
35. Our God is like No Other (9-26).
36. Who's bigger than Him? (vs 12)
37. Who’s wiser than Him? (vs 13-14)
38. What Nation could oppose Him? (vs 17).
39. Who is worthy of being compared to God? (18-20)
40. Everything we love, idolize, and admire was created by God (25-26).
41. What is remarkable about God, is not just his transcendence but his Immanence to the needy.
42. God’s Care Extends to the Needy (11, 27-31).
43. It started with God’s desire to comfort, In the middle we see God’s care for his people (vs 11) like a good shepherd. In the end of this chapter we see God’s willingness to strengthen the week as they wait for Him
44. The little lamb in His arms. (11)
45. The fainting and tired.
46. As the Gospel of Luke has told us- Christ came for the needy.
47. May Isaiah 40 be the meditation of your heart as you behold your God this advent season!