SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Hopeful Anticipation

~Isaiah 40:1-11~

In-person service at

Second Baptist Church

2412 Griffith Ave.

Los Angeles

William S. Epps, Senior Pastor

Sunday, December 10, 2023

¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. ²Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.  ³The

voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:  ⁵And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. ⁶The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: ⁷The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. ⁸The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. ⁹O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! ¹⁰Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.  ¹¹He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:1-11

Introduction

This is the second Sunday of Advent: We light these candles as a sign of our faith that the God we worship is not far from us and that we can clear the way for God to come and dwell with us. We light these candles in faith that company is coming. O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Save us from the destruction we cause ourselves.

Hopeful anticipation is the mood of this passage of scripture. People have understood their need and their inability to save themselves. Now there is the assurance that God’s mercy is soon to be made evident in fresh ways. 

The language is clear and concise, Jerusalem has “served her term” in bondage and a new era is about to dawn. The voice in the wilderness is bringing a message of great joy: “Here is your God!” God is both the ruler who subdues all efforts to thwart the joy

of the people, and a shepherd who tenderly cares for all the needs of the flock. That is the reason to be grateful and glad.

Consider what it means to be hopefully anticipating what will fulfill your expectations.



Monday, December 11, 2023

These verses are new, unexpected speech after the terrible silence of suffering. God speaks a radical inexplicable assurance that is to change the plight of forlorn Judah. Part of this poem is quoted in all four Gospels (Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1: 2-5, Luke 3:2-6, and John 1:23) all of which reference John the Baptist who prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ the Lord.  

God speaks anew into the silence and desolation of the people to provide what is most needed when people are distressed, disappointed and disgusted about the developments of their lives. Listen to what the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah.  

God’s first word is a word of comfort. 

¹Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. ²Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. 

The word “comfort” comes from Latin and is actually two words: com fortis. Translated literally it means “with strength.” To comfort then is to give strength. to support. God’s intention in giving comfort to His people is to give them strength to do what needs to be done. The word comfort is used thirteen times in chapters 40-66. Paul would remind us that God is truly a God of all comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Remember that God is larger than our circumstance, condition or concern. Their circumstances were behind them now (Isa. 40:1–11). As the remnant in Babylon looked back, they saw failure and sin; and they needed encouragement. God speaks through the prophet words of support. Each of the voices are heard, each of them with a special message to strengthen and support and sustain.

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,” is the continual charge of the God of the exiles, who has not ceased to be their God, even in the midst of their current condition. 

What would you like to hear when you need to be strengthened and supported and sustained? I believe that God gives us the model for how to comfort (to be strengthened, supported and sustained) when discouraged, disappointed, disillusioned, disturbed and distressed.    

Consider what it means to be comforted in the midst

of life’s challenging circumstances.

Hear what these voices have to say.

A voice of pardon, “cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sin” (vs 1-2).

(The Lord provides pardon for your poor performance). The nation had sinned greatly against the Lord, with their idolatry, injustice, immorality, and insensitivity to the Lord’s messengers (Jeremiah 7).

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ²Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. ³Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. ⁴Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these. ⁵For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; ⁶If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: ⁷Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. ⁸Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. ⁹Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; ¹⁰And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? ¹¹Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”

The greatest weapon to defeat anyone is discouragement. Discouragement makes one less confident, less determined, and less hopeful; it renders you helpless and robs you of the ability to do anything. Revolting developments demoralize, devalue, disparage and demonize. That is disheartening to say the least. Pardon provides encouragement amid discouragement. 

Counter the circumstances which discourage with the word that encourages. Sure I must fight if I would win, increase my courage, Lord. The Lord is present to you to strengthen, support, and sustain you. Get up and fight discouragement. Discern what you can do.

Consider what it means to be pardoned for your poor performance.

There is the voice of direction for the difficulty, a voice of providence.

“Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:  ⁵And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

Don't be deluded and be in denial. There is a rough road ahead which requires removing, repairing and restoring. Repair what is broken, remove obstacles as you began to constructively chart the course to renewal, restoration and redemption. 

What is required is determination. 

The Jews had a rough road ahead of them as they returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, but the Lord would go before them to open the way. The picture here is of an ambassador repairing the roads and removing obstacles, preparing the way for the coming of a king. The image of the highway is frequent in Isaiah’s prophecy (see 11:16). Of course, the ultimate fulfillment here is in the ministry of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus (Matt. 3:1–6). Spiritually speaking, Israel was in the wilderness when Jesus came; but when He came, God’s glory came (John 1:14). The way back may not be easy; but if we are trusting God, it will be easier.

Consider what it means to providentially receive

direction for your difficulty. 

There is the voice of the promise of possibility which reminds us of the transient nature of life with the promise of the possibility which is reminiscent that things can change for the better. It's been this way before and it ended; it can happen again. 

The ebb and flow of life, the shifting sands of time remind us that the more things change the more they stay the same. We are still a work in progress toward a more perfect union. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord stands forever. 

“All flesh is grass!” Assyria was gone, and now Babylon was gone. Like the grass, nations and their leaders fulfill their purposes and then fade away, but the Word of God abides forever (Pss. 37:1–2; 90:1–6; 103:15–18; 1 Peter 1:24–25.) As they began their long journey home, Israel could depend on God’s promises. Perhaps they were especially claiming 2 Chronicles 6:36–39.

³⁶If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; ³⁷Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; ³⁸If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: ³⁹Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. 2 Chronicles 6:36–39

This is a glorious affirmation of the total sufficiency and eternal existence of God’s word. Regardless of the decay of nature, human frailty, and changing circumstances, God’s word is sure. He gives absolute promises which certainly will be fulfilled.

His word lives and breathes in the hearts of those who, through the ages, have been regenerated.

Consider what it means to have a positive promise for your future. 

Behold the Strength of God – The voice that proclaims the power of the Lord, a very present truth that God is here and God is powerful.

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ (v. 9).

We have two images of God that follow. The first is of the great ruler, the sovereign God who has the power and might to rule the Universe. He is the rightful King of Israel and every Jew knew it. People are like grass and flowers; they don’t last forever.

Grass symbolizes a type of transience. Their glory like flowers can be so short; only for a season. This symbolizes the spiritual failure of people to recognize the supremacy of God. Trouble is for a time but the Word is forever.

The second image of God is of a shepherd.

He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young (v. 11). How do these two very contrasting images combine to bring comfort? The transition from ruler to shepherd is not as abrupt as it sounds if you think of King David. The LORD is not a powerless monarch but a King with great strength in his actions. And he is as intimately loving as a shepherd. Those strong ruling arms are the same arms that reach down to carry you in your pain. He carries us close to his heart and tenderly listens to our hearts.

There is the voice of provision for your predicament. You need nourishment -

He will feed his flock. You need to come together - He will gather the lambs in his arms. You need support when your strength fails - He will carry you in His bosom. You have a loving arm to carry you. You need guidance for those whose concern is about their young -  He will lead those who are with young. This is the good news: we will win if we do not give in.

Consider what it means to have a word about the power of the Lord

and the Lord leading you as a shepherd and

carrying you through life’s changes.    

There is the voice of peace (vv. 9–11). Now the nation itself comes out of the valley and climbs the mountaintop to declare God’s victory over the enemy. To “bring good tidings” means “to preach the Good News.” The good news in that day was the defeat of Babylon and the release of the captive Jews (52:7–9). The Good News today is the defeat of sin and Satan by Jesus Christ and the salvation of all who will trust in Him (61:1–3; Luke 4:18–19). God’s arm is a mighty arm for winning the battle (Isa. 40:10), but it is also a loving arm for carrying His weary lambs (v. 11). “We are coming home!” would certainly be good news to the devastated cities of Judah (1:7; 36:1; 37:26).

Each generation has it battles to fight to continue to preserve and secure hard won privileges unless it loses those benefits. 

The hope and anticipation of Advent is not grounded in the possibilities we can see in the human community but rather in the faithfulness of God that is not conditioned by human frailty or fickleness. Advent is grounded in the faithfulness of God. It is because

of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed. Because the Lord’s compassions fail not, they are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Consider what it means to have a voice with a word of

peace about the faithfulness of God. 

Second Baptist Church Los Angeles

2412 Griffith Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90011 

Phone: (213) 748-0318