Dec. 15, 2024

Isaiah 40:1-2 Pt 2

Isaiah 40:1-2 Pt 2

We conclude our study of Isaiah 40:1-2

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We conclude our study of Isaiah 40:1-2

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All right, Isaiah chapter forty. Our goal this morning is

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to finish verses one and two. We are starting the

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actual study of the text itself. In the first hour,

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we did a number of things. I'll go through all

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the things we accomplished in the first hour, and then

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we'll move on and not spend too much time going

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back over it. All right, So in the first hour, obviously,

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we read Isaiah chapter forty, verses one through two, which

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we have read now countless time since we began to

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study of Isaiah forty through fifty five, because this began

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as a whole new section. We looked at the textual context.

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We talked about how Isaiah forty one through two serves

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as the opening to Isaiah forty through fifty five, how

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there's a major dramatic shift in its tone from one

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through thirty nine, which is judgment and warnings. Forty through

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fifty five is about comfort, hope, and restoration. We looked

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at the immediate context, which is Isaiah thirty nine, six

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through seven, showing us that the immediate context is Babylonian captivity.

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We talked about the broader text, which is Isaiah forty

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through fifty five is addressing Judah, specifically in their Babylonian exile,

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which was historically fulfilled in five thirty nine BC when

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Cyrus allowed the Jews to return. So we talked about that.

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We talked about the historical context, which is the Babylonian

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exile itself, which goes from six Zho five PC to

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five point thirty nine BC. We talked about the destruction

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of Jerusalem and the Temple and five eighty six PC.

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We talked about how they lost their land, their national identity. Basically,

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they are suffering. In the midst of that suffering, they're

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going to be their offered comfort, reassurance, and hope. We

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talked about all the philosophical problems they may struggle with

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this message considering what was going on. We talked about

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the grammar and the language that is used. We looked

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at the phrase comfort, comfort my people. We took it

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apart comfort comfort. We talked about what that emphasized my people,

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reminded them that they were still a part of God's covenant.

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We talked about speak tenderly to Jerusalem, which really indicates

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how this message was to be delivered. It was to

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be spoken tenderly. It's spoken to Jerusalem because that's the

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capital of the Southern Kingdom. We talked about the phrase

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her warfare is ended. This indicated that her hardship has

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come to an end, even though they were still experiencing it.

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We talked about all that confusion that could lead to

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her iniquity is pardoned and she has received from the

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Lord's hand double for all her sins. We looked at historically,

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there's debate on exactly what that means. We looked at

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all the different possibilities. That was all the first hour.

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That's the quickest review I've ever done. All right, are

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you good? All right? Hopefully, and of course it'll be

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uploaded as soon as I get home, so you can

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go listen to part one. All right, here we go. Now,

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let's deal with the exegetical insights from this section again

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Isaiah forty one through two. All right, so let's just

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point out some basic things. The first I want you

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to see, look carefully, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.

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Look at those last three words, saith your God. What

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I want you to see here is the divine initiative

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that is being utilized here. This comfort comes not from

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human effort, but is a declaration from whom God This

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emphasizes the sovereignty of God and initiating the reconciliation and

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the restoration. This is divine initiative, right. God is the

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one initiating this. God is the one bringing the message.

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God is the one who's going to bring the comfort.

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God is the one who's going to bring about the restoration.

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God is the one in charge of the whole situation.

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So immediately, right from the beginning here we see the

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divine initiative. Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God.

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In fact, if you think about it, God is the

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one initiating what the message to be taken to the paper.

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He's initiating the message to be taken to the people,

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and he's initiating what the comfort that's going to be

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given to the people. As far as the actions are concerned,

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this shows that God is the one initiating all of this. Okay,

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it's not well, we could get into a lot of

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discussion here, but for now we'll just continue with that.

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All right. Second, I want you to see the divine initiative. Secondly,

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I want you to see the covenantal faithfulness. I'm gonna

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mention the covenants over and over and over and over again,

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I cannot stress the importance of that. Okay. The only

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way I can state this is the minute you forget

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when you're reading the Old Testament, that you're reading God's

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interaction with a nation whom he has made a covenant with.

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The minute you seem to forget that, then you just

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take it and you turn it into I don't know

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what you do. You turn it into moralism, you turn

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it into somehow promises that are somehow applicable to us.

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It's not the same. Let me, I'll try to remind

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you of this. And I know this was controversial when

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I said it, but I don't care because it's true,

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all right. It's just true. So many times when Christians talk,

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and we talked about the concept of prayer, right, and

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that prayer from a philological perspective is very From a

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philosophical and theiological perspective, prayer makes literally no sense, all right.

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And here's I know you're not supposed to say that

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in church, but it doesn't. Right. So someone says, hey,

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this horrible situation happened, let's pray. Does everyone understand how

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confusing that, at least in my brain, how confusing that is?

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Because we are praying about a horrible situation, but we

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are praying to the God that at the very least

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allowed it to happen. And if you hold a more

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sovereign understanding of God's, a more reform view of God's sovereignty,

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not only did he allow it to happen, he decreed

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it to happen. So then that makes it very difficult

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to know what am I supposed to pray? Am I

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supposed to pray to make something better that he decreed?

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That seems confusing. Am I supposed to pray to the

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God who at the very least allowing it to happen?

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That's very confusing, And a lot of our concepts of

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prayer is people will run to the Old Testament and

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take concepts from there. Well, you get we got to

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slow time out. When we have people in the Old

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Testament praying, they're praying to God about these situations, but

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their prayers are completely controlled by which concept the Covenant.

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They can pray for specific things because God made a

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covenant with them, right, so their prayer is in accordance

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to what the covenant. God promised very specific things to Israel,

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right protect provision all of these things. So when they're

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encountering something that seems to be contradictory to the Covenant.

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They can pray specifically for things, knowing that they're praying

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in accordance to God's sovereignty because God made promises to them.

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When we come to pray about something, we don't have

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those same specific promises as laid out in the Covenant

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for Israel. They're very different, right, And we got to

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be very careful how we pray because in some cases

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are we praying in accordance to God's sovereign plan or

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are we praying actually in opposition to it? It raises

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lots of questions. But so in the Old Testament, understanding

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the covenantal situation makes sense of some of it. Right, Well,

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why are they praying that way? Can I pray that way? Well,

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they have specific promises about the situation that I don't

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necessarily have. Now, we love to try to find those

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promises for us in the New Testament and make it

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about us, which leads to all kinds of confusion, right

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because when people like, well God should do this, and God,

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you do this, and then when God doesn't do that,

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it leads to a lot of disillusionment and confusion, and

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that's why you have many people who are just like

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Christianity doesn't work, justless, so waste of time and they

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find no comfort in it. Everyone else has to convince

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themselves that something is happening, but some people just can't.

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So we talked about that covenant is important, and it's

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important here. So we have the divine initiative say it's

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your God. But where do we have the covenant language

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showing up in verse one? We talked about it earlier,

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let's just mention it again. Where does the covenant tool

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language show up in verse one? My people, my people,

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my people. God is reaffirming his unbreakable covenant with them.

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Despite them being unfaithful, God is remaining faithful. He promises comfort, forgiveness,

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and it highlights God's grace. Comfort you, comfort you, my people.

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In other words, he's almost telling the messengers who are

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to bring the message, the people you're bringing the message

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to is still my people. And there's a covenant relationship,

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meaning they can then believe that God will operate in

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what and accordance to those covenantal promises. Right Israel can

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still believe God's going to fulfill those covenantal promises. We

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talked about this in eschatology in many other areas. All right,

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So we have the divine initiative, We have the covenantal.

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We can say covenantal promises, and I guess we could

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call this God's covenantal faithfulness. He's remaining faithful, still referring

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to them as his people, even though they have been unfaithful.

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All right, So we see the vine initiative, we see

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covenantal faithfulness. What else do we have? We have restoration

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beyond judgment, restoration beyond judgment. The proclamation that our warfare

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is ended and her iniquity as pardon indicates a turning

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point in Israel's history. God's judgment has achieved its purpose,

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paying the way for their restoration. So they have judgment,

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but now they're going to get restoration beyond that. They've

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got the judgment. But now by saying your warfare is ended,

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your sins have been pardoned, You've received the Lord's hand

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double for all your sins. He's going to go above

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and beyond just the judgment. And that's a good thing

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for them, is it not? Because it's a great thing

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for them? All right? Now, we could argue, and I

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separated number four from those other three divine initiative. Nobody

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can deny that, right my people, No one should be

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able to argue that that's pointing to God's covenant unless

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you want to make my people us, which is what

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preachers do. That's not us. Okay. I know the Heidelberg

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Catechism and the first question about what is your only

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comfort and death in life? It references Isaiah. But that's

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it's not it's not us, okay, that's them, okay. But

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because we're we're entering where yeah, I don't know why

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preachers do that, but okay, and we see a restoration

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that goes above and beyond their judgment. That's the entire

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section of Isaiah forty through fifty five. But the fourth one,

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I'm just I separated it because this is what others

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would say, right, these are not mine words? Is what

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someone others would say, foreshadowing redemption, that this foreshadows redemption.

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This is how they would put it. The language of

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pardon that is used in verse two, is it not

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all right? And reconciliation foreshadows the ultimate redemption in Christ

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and the broader narrative of scripture. The comfort extends beyond Babylon,

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a Babylonian exile to the spiritual restoration of humanity. I'm

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gonna say time out, Let's not go there, because the

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main thing we need to do here is understand who

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it's written to. Right. I know, as Christians, we love

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to come in there and just say, hey, move out

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of the way, my sins have been pardoned like and

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we just want to put us all right there. We

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can't do that. So I'm gonna say, from an exogetical

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standpoint this, these words are for whom, the people and

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the Babylonian captivity. All right, any foreshadowing, we'll talk about

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that as we move forward in the book, all right,

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or in this section? Does that make sense? So the

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main three things I want you to see from an

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exogtical is the divine initiative. We see that, the covenantal faithfulness.

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You are still my people. You don't feel like my people.

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I may not want you to pay my people at

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this point, but you're still my people. And at number three, hey,

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I'm gonna restore you and go above and beyond your judgment.

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Does that sound good? All right? Now, let's look at

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the significance for the original recipients. That's what I think

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we need to do here. Let's look at the significance

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for the original recipients, because that's important, right, yes, right,

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So I think we can see three things here. Do

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you agree that we can see some hope amid their

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exile for the original recipients. For those in exile, Isaiah

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forty one through two provided tangible hope that their suffering

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was not permanent. It reassured them that God had neither

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abandoned them nor forgotten his promises. It does offer hope.

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Now we talked about the confusing part of it, but

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there's at least some hope. Put it this way, the

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fact that someone shows up, it says comfort, ye comfort

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email people say it you're God, and they say God

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has sent us with a message. If they truly believed

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the message was from God, right, if they truly believe that,

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that would at least offer them at least hope to

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this extent, God has not forgotten us, at least to that.

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Now they may not understand all of this, My warfare

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is ended. Well, what are you talking about? I'm still

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in captivity. Depending on what year you hear that message,

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it can be confusing, but at least they know God

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still knows where we are. That would at least offer

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them a little bit of hope. Can we at least

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acknowledge that at least a little bit of hope. Right Second,

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it would offer them some form of encouragement, right, and

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encouragement to trust the certainty of God's pronouncement her warfare

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is ended, encourage the people to trust and his sovereign

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ability to deliver. So basically, it's encouraging. God is telling

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you your warfare has already ended. Now you're encouraged to

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do what trust it even though you can't see it.

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This is an encouragement for them to trust that which

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they cannot see. And that's really the Christian life. We

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live in a world where everything around us, circumstances can

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cause us to question the existence of God, to question anything,

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but we are to trust in that which we cannot see,

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in which we are not typically experiencing. Yes, So they're

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in the same situation that if you want to see parallels,

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We've already talked about this. You know the parallel I'm

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going to draw here before we're done, But you can

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see this. So we have hope, we have encouragement to trust,

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and I think this is interesting. What is one of

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the things they lost in the Babylonian captivity. I mentioned

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it briefly in the first hour. You probably weren't even

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paying attention. I talked about the things that they that

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happened to them as their temple was destroyed, Jerusalem was destroyed.

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They lost their land, and I said, they lost something else,

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their national identity. Well, guess what happens here for them?

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There's a ref there's a reaffirmation of their identity by saying,

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what comfort there you go, Bobby, my people, my people.

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He's addressing them as my people. We've already talked about this.

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This reminded Israel of their unique relationship with God, restoring

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their sense of identity and purpose. Hey, they have almost

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lost their identity. They don't have a temple, they don't

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they don't have anything. They're slaves, and God is like, no, no, no,

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you're my people. You haven't lost your identity. You haven't

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lost this relationship, you haven't lost the covenant, you haven't

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lost anything except for land, temple, But you haven't lost God.

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Now that's going to be a very important lesson for Israel,

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because if you think about it, that same lesson is

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going to have to be show up in which book

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in the New Testament? Hebrews? Right, everyone misinterprets Hebrews. Hebrews

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can not be interpreted unless you understand it's written to

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Jews right around sixty five sixty six sixty seven a d.

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And the entire purpose of the book is to tell

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them you're gonna lose what the temple, You're gonna lose

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it all forever. Okay, but you still have God. You

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still have Christ, Christ distilled, right, That's that's who. And

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around up my way it's a repeat of this. You're

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still my people. Still that promises, So everybody have that

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has that right? So is there any application for today?

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Is there any application for today? So let's read the

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two verses again. To read the two verses again, Comfort ye,

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comfort ye, my people, saith your God, speak comfortably to

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Jerusalem and cry unto her that our warfare is accomplished,

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that her iniquity is pardoned for she has received of

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the Lord hand double of all her sins, for all

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her sins. Now, here's what I'm going to do. Before

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we do some application and they're going to really try

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to apply it. Let's just walk through this now and

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see when you leave here, if anyone ever asks you

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about Isaiah forty one through two, or if you ever

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hear another sermon on Isaiah forty one through two, you

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can immediately identify when they don't handle the text correctly. Right,

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everybody ready to walk through it. Isaiah forty verse one,

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Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people. That is God calling

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for someone spiritual leaders profits anyone who gets this message

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to take the message to whom my people? Who are

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my people? Those in Babylonian exile? They are identified where

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chapter thirty nine. Very good? All right? So comfort the

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idea is calling someone to bring comfort to his people.

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His people are those in Babylonian exile. Right, that's the

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call to bring comfort. Everybody got that? Not for us,

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that's for them. Second, what do you see in verse two,

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the very beginning of verse two speak tenderly or speak comfortably?

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What is that? Okay? Those who are bringing the message,

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this is how you are to bring it. You are

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to bring it with tenderness. You are to show empathy,

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you are to show compassion. Everybody see that, Who specifically

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are you to bring these tender words to to well

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Jerusalem in verse two, which identifies to the capital of Judah,

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which is interesting because Jerusalem has been destroyed. So in

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a sense, symbolically, you could say, tenderly, speak to those

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and what do you want to see? By saying speak

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to Jerusalem, the messenger should see not just a person,

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but see the suffering that that person is experiencing. That

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can be hard to do, right, When we see people,

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we just see a person, right, we may see emotions.

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Sometimes it's hard for us to see beyond the person

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there's something more going on. You never can just seeing

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a person. You don't have a clue, right, you don't

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really know this. By saying, speak it to Jerusalem, they

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can see what do you see when they saw Jerusalem

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at that time destroyed, a burnt, destroyed temple. Speak tenderly

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to the suffering. Understand the suffering is there. It's so

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easy for us to just we can speak to a

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person in a very kind of like clinical, academic kind

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of way. Right. It's it's when we can speak past

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the person to the actual suffering that changes the tone

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of our words, does it not. Some people are good

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at that. Some people are not good at that. Right.

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Some people just see the person and just say, well,

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especially if Christian, all things work together for good love God,

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Believe God, God, God's go fix your problem, and just

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say it in a very academic way. You speak differently

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when you're speaking to Jerusalem, to a burnt, destroyed city,

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you may be a little bit more you know, you

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may be a little bit more quiet and not saying

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exactly what to say. Right That's that's more difficult. So

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I want you to I want you to really grasp that.

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Right now, what, then, tenderly, are you to speak to

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these individ to these people that are suffering. You're to

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speak three things? Are there to speak? Three things? What

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are the three things? Come on their verse two? I'm

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gonna I'm gonna make this until we have these two

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verses memorized. We will not leave Isaiah forty one through

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two until we have these memorized. Okay, we will be

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here for fifty years. The warfare is ended, Your hardship

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is ended, declared to them, so that as if it's

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already ended. Number two, your sins have been parton, which

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is very key to this. Right. They're there because of

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their sin. Number three you received from the Lord tend double. Now,

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remember there's two ways of interpreting that we interpreted in

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a positive way. You are receiving far more by God's

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grace than God has done more for you because of

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his grace, right in a positive way. So that's very simple. Right,

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everybody got that message? Now what are we tempted to do?

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Try to make it about us? All right? Now, I'm

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going to break this down into greater detail. I've got

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two I got two different parts here that could break

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this down. Let's just take a step back and try

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to apply it in a in a very just general way,

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and then I may give you some specifics. Let's apply

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it in a general way. Are you ready? All right?

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How do we relate to the entire Babylonian captivity narrative?

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How do we relate to the Babylonian captivity narrative? Well,

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we relate to it in this way. They're in Babylonian

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captivity where they're suffering pain, death, failure, and sin. Right

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where do we live our lives? We live our lives

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in a fallen world. We are captive here are we not?

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We are in it even though we are not of it.

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We're not of it. Positionally, we're very much in it. Practically,

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and what do we encounter in this world? Do we

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encounter pain, suffering, trial and tribulation? Are Christians exempt from pain, suffering,

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trial and tribulation? No, we are not all right. We suffer, right,

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and we're kept here we depending on how long you live,

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maybe seventy years, maybe seventy five if you're lucky, maybe

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a little longer. Right, there's a certain amount of time. Now,

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what are we promised after our captivity? Well, okay, now

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you can kind of see we're guaranteed after this as

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a believer, our hardship will be ended, not in here,

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not now there? And then what will happen? No more pain,

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no more suffering, no more death, no more sin because

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we get a glorified body. But it's not now, when

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is it there? That's the hard and justice. That's why

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I spent the first hour trying to get you to

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understand how frustrating and confusing it could have been for

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them hearing this message. I mean, some of them may

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have been. I mean, you may want to just say

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stop talking to me, stop with your stupid words, get

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out of my face. There is no comfort, there is

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no hope. I've been here for forty years. My kids

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I have died in captivity, Get out of my face,

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and you can't blame them for saying that. And the

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same thing can be said of our lives. Right, Oh, yeah,

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God's great, wonderful. Yeah, tell me all the wonderful things

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you see. My mom's dead, I was raised in an

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abusive home. My father died. Yeah, things are great. Doesn't

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feel that way, does it. But the same words are

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in a roundabout way, we can see them being applicable.

400
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My hardship will come to In fact, it has been,

401
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it's done, it's finished, it's accomplished. I just don't yet

402
00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:46.400
see it or experience it. But that doesn't change its certainty.

403
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But there will come a time there'll be no more pain,

404
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no more suffering it, no more death. That still leaves

405
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me lots of philosophical questions of why it takes this long? Right, okay, why?

406
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But that's the real that's the difficulty of faith. Faith

407
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is not the pretending that reality doesn't exist. Faith is

408
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believing something and acknowledging the reality. Christianity loves to try

409
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to almost create a Hallmark movie of reality. It's no

410
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Christianity is like the city is burnt, the temple is gone,

411
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everything's on fire. People are burning, and it's horrible. But

412
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yet I believe see that, you see how it fits

413
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within reality. It's not the rewriting of reality. It's acknowledging

414
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the reality. Christians love to pretend to a reality that

415
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doesn't exist. Some Christians are good at doing that. They

416
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live their life just oh great, everything's wonderful, great, great, great,

417
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great great great. But they're always those who tend to

418
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be more realistic, like, man, I can't handle this. Christianity

419
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is a lie. Well, I feel bad for those people,

420
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because it's not that Christianity is a lie. It's just

421
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you've been given the used car cells version, the infomercial

422
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of Christianity. Stop listening to the people selling you the infocommercial. Right, Christianity,

423
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the reality of Christianity does not can fit in within

424
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our reality, just like it had to fit in with them.

425
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Can you imagine seventy years? Can you even comprehend that

426
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some people never saw the end of it? That's what

427
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I love about Hebrews. Hebrews talked about how that many

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of those people, by faith, they never saw the fulfillment

429
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of those promises. That's the way life work. We don't

430
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Sometimes they just as they many of them never saw

431
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them being delivered. You know how many people received who

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possibly heard these words, your warfare is ended, and they

433
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never actually saw the end of their warfare. Now you

434
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could say, well, they ultimately did right when they died,

435
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but at the time, so we have to see ourselves

436
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in that same light. Right, So our warfare will end,

437
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but it's spoken of as it has even though it hasn't.

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What's the second thing that was said to them? Sins

439
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are pardoned? Well, their sins are being paid for and pardoned.

440
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And guess what, that's something we can cling to, can

441
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we not? We can say our sins have been pardoned

442
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by Christ. Yes, that's good news. Right now, what's the

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reality again? I'm going to once again demonstrate this. My

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sins have been pardoned and I've been declared to be

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righteous even though I am still sitting. Just make sure

446
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we understand, as Christians what is the normal? I know

447
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this is going to go against every church in America,

448
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but I'm sorry. They can lie to people. I'm not

449
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going to lie to you. What is the normal Christian life?

450
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A perpetual state of sin? I know Christians like no,

451
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:08.400
we've been set free from the power of sin positionally,

452
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not practically. Okay, so let me make it just. I'll

453
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help you show you that you're in right now. You're

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in a perpetual state of sin. You have been sinning

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twenty four to seven. And whether you want to admit

456
00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:19.759
it or not, okay, I'll give you. I'll just start

457
00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:22.720
with one command. Be holy as God, as holy? Is

458
00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:26.119
anyone here as holy as God? If you think you are,

459
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:28.119
then we need to get you out of Christianity. We

460
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:30.480
need to get you into some mental health treatment. Okay,

461
00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:34.279
because you're delusional. Okay, you're not as holy as God.

462
00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:39.640
You're commanded to be. That's called law. We can't I mean,

463
00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:42.640
I know this goes against everyone's concept. We can't keep

464
00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:47.640
God's law even as a Christian. The law is to

465
00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:52.519
show us our inability to keep it. So, because if

466
00:29:52.519 --> 00:29:54.359
you're not as holy as God, as holy, and that

467
00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:56.680
is a law, that means you're in a perpetual state

468
00:29:56.720 --> 00:30:00.519
of what. Oh we're not supposed to admit that. Oh

469
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:02.759
wait wait, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, once

470
00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.759
again the most misinterpreted sermon in the history of humankind,

471
00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:10.599
he says, what in that sermon? Be perfect as your

472
00:30:10.599 --> 00:30:19.240
heavily Father is perfect. Is anybody here perfect? Not practically?

473
00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:22.200
All right? Oh wait, love God with all your heart, mind, body,

474
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:24.720
and soul. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do all things

475
00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:27.039
without grumbling and complaining. I can go on and on

476
00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:28.720
and on. If you look at a woman with lust,

477
00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:31.480
you've already committed adultery. Right, you could kill someone without

478
00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:33.640
actually killing. So I can go on and on and

479
00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:35.759
on and on. And you know what that law demonstrates

480
00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:38.920
to me. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner.

481
00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:40.799
I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. But what is the

482
00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:44.759
entire concept of the Protestant Reformation? By faith? What occurs

483
00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:52.440
my sins are pardoned? And then of righteousness is what imputed? Everyone?

484
00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:56.039
Please use that word imputed, not infused. All right, we

485
00:30:56.119 --> 00:30:59.880
do not. We reject infused righteousness. Right, that's Catholicism. That

486
00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:03.200
the entire Protestant Reformation is on this point. Right, And

487
00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:06.920
so guess what now? Once again, what's the reality then,

488
00:31:06.960 --> 00:31:13.359
of the Christian life? What's the reality of the Christian life? Sin?

489
00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:17.880
That's the reality. Okay, Just we can pretend all day.

490
00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:19.720
You can say, well, I don't commit that sin, you're

491
00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:23.200
in a state of sin. Am I excusing any sin,

492
00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:29.119
not excusing it or acknowledging a reality. But by faith,

493
00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:32.559
my sins have been pardoned, and I am declared to

494
00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:36.799
be perfect and righteous, even though I am not. That's

495
00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:41.599
the whole Protestant referrement. Catholicism does not like that. It

496
00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:46.079
rejects that. I will argue many Protestants are more Catholic

497
00:31:46.200 --> 00:31:50.279
than Catholics. When I went went to a Catholic university,

498
00:31:50.279 --> 00:31:52.799
that was the big discussion we had is they talked

499
00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:56.440
about all the different Protestant theological systems, about Sotariology, and

500
00:31:56.440 --> 00:31:59.960
they're like, that's more Catholic than we are. And I'm like, well,

501
00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:03.400
I'm not a Catholic. Well if you believe that you are, no,

502
00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.039
I'm not, Yes you are. And then I'm like, well

503
00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:08.240
I gotta understand this a little bit better. So then

504
00:32:08.279 --> 00:32:11.839
you go, oh, imputed righteousness. This is we want to

505
00:32:11.960 --> 00:32:16.359
judge Christian someone's salvation based off what they do. You say, Well,

506
00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:19.519
the Bible gives a test to prove someone's salvation. Oh,

507
00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:22.200
it does give a test, And how is the test

508
00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:29.319
passed by Christ? Not by us? Because if you're going

509
00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:31.599
to prove my salvation by what I do. Then you're

510
00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:34.200
not judging me based off in imputed righteousness. You're judging

511
00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:39.079
me based off in practical righteousness, which destroys the entire Gospel. Okay,

512
00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:44.839
because the tests are classified as what theologically waw? What

513
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:51.759
is law supposed to show me? I can't do this? Now?

514
00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:53.759
What is it supposed to do? Take me by the

515
00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:57.480
hand and take me to the one who did? And

516
00:32:57.519 --> 00:32:59.920
then Christ says, I've done that for you in him

517
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:03.599
I'm taking care of So they are in captivity. And

518
00:33:03.640 --> 00:33:08.160
what is the story of Israel from Genesis twelve all

519
00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:13.799
the way into the future? Sin? Wait, what is the

520
00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:19.119
story of the church? Sin? Okay, but our sins are

521
00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:25.160
what does the text say? Pardoned? How Well, in their

522
00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:27.880
case it's pardoned in a very historical sense because they've

523
00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:30.839
suffered for it. But in our sense, because Christ suffered

524
00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:35.039
for us, He suffered for us, my sins have been

525
00:33:35.079 --> 00:33:39.839
part even though I'm still a sinner. I'm still a sinner.

526
00:33:39.880 --> 00:33:43.279
I know nobody wants to admit that because with Christianity

527
00:33:43.559 --> 00:33:47.400
we constantly sell something that denies reality. We don't need

528
00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:51.119
to deny that reality. You're a sinner, I'm a sinner.

529
00:33:51.160 --> 00:33:55.160
We're all sinners. Nobody should excuse it, but we should

530
00:33:55.200 --> 00:34:02.160
acknowledge it. Okay. And so what's my hope Christ is

531
00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:04.079
what if you're truly a Christian, you'll do this and

532
00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.839
this and this. Talk to Jesus. He did it for me.

533
00:34:09.559 --> 00:34:11.679
My salvation is not based on what I do. It's

534
00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:14.039
based on what you want assurance of salvation. What do

535
00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:19.559
you look to, not to yourself but to Christ. Everything

536
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:21.719
you give me, you're giving me law. Who fulfilled the

537
00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:26.039
law for me. Christ? We gotta get that right. So,

538
00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:29.079
in a sense we can apply this because we are

539
00:34:29.159 --> 00:34:32.880
in our own Babylonian captivity. We are in the world.

540
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:36.159
There is pain and suffering, but our warfare has ended.

541
00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:39.880
It is just guaranteed to happen then not now, Just

542
00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:43.119
like they experience had to wait. Their sins have been pardoned.

543
00:34:43.119 --> 00:34:44.760
My sins have been pardoned. But what is still the

544
00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:53.480
reality sin? And what's the third thing? They received? Double?

545
00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:57.239
Is not God's grace greater than all of our sin?

546
00:34:57.599 --> 00:35:01.599
Have we not received double triple million times more than

547
00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:06.719
our sin? Yes, my sin I should receive punishment, judgment,

548
00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:11.760
and hell, but I have received forgiveness, adoption, a guaranteed eternity.

549
00:35:11.800 --> 00:35:13.639
My name's written in the Lamb's book. Think of all

550
00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:16.880
the things we've received, we received far more than our sin,

551
00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:20.519
because God's greater, His grace is greater than our sin.

552
00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:26.360
You see the correlation? All right? Does that make sense? Nah?

553
00:35:26.599 --> 00:35:30.239
That goes I gets a lot of I mean not,

554
00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:32.480
it goes against. It just goes in a different direction

555
00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:34.760
than all the things that I had here. But that's okay.

556
00:35:35.079 --> 00:35:38.119
I did write this. Isaiah forty verses one or two

557
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:41.039
is a profound declaration of God's comfort and restoration for

558
00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.960
his people, rooted in his covenantal faithfulness. The grammar and

559
00:35:45.079 --> 00:35:49.199
language highlight the intensity and certainty of God's promise, offering

560
00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:52.199
hope not only for Israel's return from exile, but also

561
00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:56.519
pointing to the ultimate redemption that is in Christ for

562
00:35:56.599 --> 00:36:00.239
the original recipients. It's a message of immediate hope, well

563
00:36:00.280 --> 00:36:03.480
the believer today. It reveals the character of God that

564
00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:06.519
is both just and merciful. Now I go through, I

565
00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:09.159
have like I could break this down. I'll just show

566
00:36:09.199 --> 00:36:13.199
you how I did this. Just quickly take the phrase

567
00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:17.519
her warfare is ended. We know what that means for Israel? Right?

568
00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:20.079
That the end of their suffering and the punishment of

569
00:36:20.119 --> 00:36:23.400
babylon exile is going to come to an end for us.

570
00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:27.119
The warfare is that we were at enmity with God.

571
00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:32.199
Were we not? Yes? Okay? But we have been therefore

572
00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:34.639
Romans five to one. Therefore, since we have been justified

573
00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:36.719
by Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord

574
00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:39.880
Jesus Christ. Through the atoning work of Christ, the conflict

575
00:36:39.880 --> 00:36:42.360
caused by sin is resolved. Believers are brought into a

576
00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:45.079
state of peace with God. Even though we're brought into

577
00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:50.519
a state of peace with God positionally, practically we still sin,

578
00:36:51.039 --> 00:36:53.760
we still struggle, and they're still all the pain and

579
00:36:53.800 --> 00:36:58.400
suffering in life. Everybody got that, right? I think can

580
00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:03.079
we acknowledge that? All right? The believer, we can experience

581
00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:06.840
a peace with God positionally, but we still face struggles

582
00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:08.960
and trials in the Christian life. I think we can

583
00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:13.079
agree with that. So all right. So her iniquity is

584
00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:15.039
I have plenty of other notes here, I'm just skipping

585
00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:18.199
through some of these. Her iniquity has pardoned. We talk

586
00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:21.719
what that meant for Israel and their context correct for us.

587
00:37:21.800 --> 00:37:25.119
We've talked about how that applies to say Ephesian's one seven.

588
00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:27.960
In him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness

589
00:37:28.280 --> 00:37:32.159
of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace. Right,

590
00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:35.960
we everybody remember that we if we confess our sins,

591
00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:37.920
it's faithful justin forgive us our sins and to cleanses

592
00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:41.639
from all unrighteousness. Yeah, I could break it all down.

593
00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:45.400
She received double We talked about what that means for

594
00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:49.039
Israel and for us while we've received an abundance of

595
00:37:49.039 --> 00:37:55.800
God's grace. Yes, all right, So I'll just stop right there.

596
00:37:55.920 --> 00:37:58.480
I made an entire chart here. I could break it

597
00:37:58.559 --> 00:38:00.440
down more, but I'm not going to go I'm not

598
00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:03.880
going to go through all of it. I think we Yeah,

599
00:38:04.119 --> 00:38:06.360
I've got like pages and pages of notes, but I

600
00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:09.880
think I summarized it relatively well. So do you understand

601
00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:13.960
the original message to Israel or to Judah? Everybody got

602
00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:16.639
it all right. It starts with a call for someone

603
00:38:16.639 --> 00:38:21.800
to take comfort to them. They're identified as His people

604
00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:27.039
demonstrating the Covenant. All right. He says to speak tenderly

605
00:38:27.079 --> 00:38:29.920
to them. So the whoever's to deliver the message is

606
00:38:29.960 --> 00:38:32.360
to speak in a comforting way, see and speak to

607
00:38:32.440 --> 00:38:35.119
Jerusalem so they see beyond the people and see the suffering,

608
00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:37.800
and then three things are said to be given to them.

609
00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:40.199
What are those three things? What's the three things they

610
00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:45.000
need to be told? Warfare is ended, sins have been

611
00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:49.039
pardon you've received double right? Got that? And all of

612
00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:53.119
that makes sense within its historical setting? For us? What's

613
00:38:53.159 --> 00:38:57.760
the parallel? We are in our own Babylonian exile and

614
00:38:57.840 --> 00:39:01.000
we suffer and there's pain and death. What is the

615
00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:04.719
message we can hear? The warfare has ended, our warfare

616
00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:08.840
with God has ended, and our suffering has ended. Ultimately,

617
00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:11.519
in the meantime, we still suffer, just like they still suffer.

618
00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:14.960
But we can be sure of that our sins have

619
00:39:15.039 --> 00:39:18.960
been pardoned, even though we still sin and we're still

620
00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:20.960
in sin. Our sins have been pardoned, and we have

621
00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:23.239
been declared not just pardoners, we have been declared to

622
00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:27.760
be righteous positionally speaking right, and then we have received

623
00:39:27.840 --> 00:39:33.719
double Does that all make sense? All? Right? Then? That

624
00:39:33.880 --> 00:39:37.719
is Isaiah forty one through two. We could go to

625
00:39:38.159 --> 00:39:40.639
start verse three through five. But once we start that,

626
00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:45.159
ladies and gentlemen, everything becomes complicated, all right, So we

627
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:48.679
won't even we won't even attempt to start it. But

628
00:39:48.840 --> 00:39:51.079
next week our goal is to go from verse three

629
00:39:51.159 --> 00:39:54.599
to five if we can. All right, just to give

630
00:39:54.639 --> 00:39:57.639
you a preview, we have in verse three, we have

631
00:39:57.880 --> 00:40:03.519
two words to start verse three. All right, this is

632
00:40:03.519 --> 00:40:06.119
where it's gonna get complicated. In a VI says a voice,

633
00:40:06.360 --> 00:40:12.480
ESV says a voice, the King, James says the voice. Right,

634
00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:16.920
A voice is much more generic. The voice seems to

635
00:40:17.000 --> 00:40:20.800
speak specifically. So that what we're gonna have to figure out.

636
00:40:21.400 --> 00:40:26.760
Do we identify the voice or do we just see

637
00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:28.760
it in a generic way and just kind of a

638
00:40:28.800 --> 00:40:33.000
symbolic way. Right. If we identify it, do we immediately

639
00:40:33.039 --> 00:40:36.280
render the New Testament and identify it as John the Baptist. Well,

640
00:40:36.320 --> 00:40:38.960
if we do that, that's gonna destroy the historical context,

641
00:40:38.960 --> 00:40:42.559
so that we can't do that. If we try to

642
00:40:42.599 --> 00:40:46.000
identify it with someone in the historical setting, which voice

643
00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:50.400
could it be? Okay, oh, it could be Isaiah. Some

644
00:40:50.519 --> 00:40:53.400
may argue Cyrus. So one of the things we will

645
00:40:53.440 --> 00:40:58.519
do is we're gonna look at the decree of Cyrus, right,

646
00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:01.320
and then we're gonna compare it to Isaiah forty three

647
00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:05.719
through five. We'll do a comparent contrast. We'll make a chart.

648
00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:10.360
I'm not saying it's perfect. But we'll see now, just

649
00:41:10.400 --> 00:41:14.440
so that you know, Ai does not like it being Cirrus.

650
00:41:15.280 --> 00:41:20.000
Ai argued with me strongly, it's not Cyrus. But Ai

651
00:41:20.199 --> 00:41:23.360
also acknowledged when I said, do a compare and contrast

652
00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:27.039
between the decree of Cyrus and Isaiah forty three through five,

653
00:41:27.199 --> 00:41:31.639
it did admit they're pretty similar. Okay, so I'm not

654
00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:34.039
saying it works, but we will see. We may not

655
00:41:34.119 --> 00:41:36.760
even have to identify the voice, but we've got to identify.

656
00:41:36.800 --> 00:41:38.960
We've got to at least understand what's being said here,

657
00:41:39.159 --> 00:41:42.719
because there's some very specific things said here. Right, Prepare

658
00:41:42.760 --> 00:41:45.320
the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert

659
00:41:45.320 --> 00:41:48.360
a highway for our God. Now we see everyone wants

660
00:41:48.360 --> 00:41:50.559
to run to that and then run to Christmas time

661
00:41:50.599 --> 00:41:53.760
and John the Baptist. But the focus here is prepare

662
00:41:53.800 --> 00:41:55.719
the way for God to make straight in a desert,

663
00:41:55.719 --> 00:41:57.280
a highway for our God to come and do what

664
00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:02.599
for God to come in deliver them from captivity. That's

665
00:42:02.639 --> 00:42:07.800
the context here. New Testament writers use it, but just

666
00:42:07.840 --> 00:42:12.400
remember New Testament writers use Old Testament passages in a

667
00:42:12.440 --> 00:42:17.920
way that defies all hermeneutical rules. Sometimes they quote it exactly.

668
00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:22.000
Sometimes they quote part of it. Sometimes they paraphrase it.

669
00:42:23.400 --> 00:42:25.800
Sometimes they rip things so far into context you're like,

670
00:42:25.960 --> 00:42:28.199
I don't even know what you're doing here. Okay, this

671
00:42:28.360 --> 00:42:33.360
is insane. But that we we don't base our hermoneutics

672
00:42:33.360 --> 00:42:36.519
on how they use Old Testament scripture because they're doing

673
00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:39.840
it under the inspiration of God, meaning that they can

674
00:42:39.960 --> 00:42:43.559
use it that way and be doing it correctly. We

675
00:42:43.679 --> 00:42:46.239
got to follow some kind of hermeneutical rules or the

676
00:42:46.239 --> 00:42:49.159
Bible becomes a free for all and crazy. So that's

677
00:42:49.199 --> 00:42:51.440
some of the things we'll be looking through in this section.

678
00:42:51.760 --> 00:42:54.079
We'll try to we'll look at it in its historical

679
00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:57.719
textual context, and then we'll see, well why did why

680
00:42:57.719 --> 00:43:00.440
did the New Testament writers refer to John the Baptist? Well,

681
00:43:00.440 --> 00:43:03.119
because in a similar way, he's doing the same thing. Right,

682
00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:05.960
if you think about it, who does John the Baptist

683
00:43:06.039 --> 00:43:14.079
go to Israel? Israel's where at the time under the

684
00:43:14.159 --> 00:43:17.760
hill of they're in the exact same situation, are they not?

685
00:43:18.519 --> 00:43:22.880
Okay now, and in this particular case, they're never getting

686
00:43:22.880 --> 00:43:26.519
out of that captivity because they're going to be destroyed

687
00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:29.679
in seventy a d. So they're going to need a

688
00:43:29.719 --> 00:43:33.679
different kind of message, right, and that's the message that

689
00:43:33.719 --> 00:43:37.360
their Messiah has come. Right. So you can see you

690
00:43:37.360 --> 00:43:39.679
can see the parallels, can you not? So you can

691
00:43:39.719 --> 00:43:42.119
see why the New Testament writers would use it. But

692
00:43:42.159 --> 00:43:47.119
they're using it obviously acknowledging its original context is just

693
00:43:47.159 --> 00:43:51.239
the original context fits very well with what Israel's going through,

694
00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:55.199
does it not? I mean, I mean they're suffering and

695
00:43:55.239 --> 00:44:00.400
then they're going what's going to happen to them? So

696
00:44:00.440 --> 00:44:02.559
they're going to have to look for something different this time.

697
00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:06.760
They're not about getting out of Roman captivity this time, well,

698
00:44:06.760 --> 00:44:11.079
they're going to need the message of Hebrews. Something better

699
00:44:11.079 --> 00:44:15.159
has come. But at the same time, their king has come,

700
00:44:15.599 --> 00:44:18.000
and it does not negate the promise of the kingdom

701
00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:19.840
that God made in the coming. We can get into

702
00:44:19.920 --> 00:44:22.599
eschatology and all of that, right, So I think it

703
00:44:22.639 --> 00:44:25.039
will make sense. But we got off to a good start.

704
00:44:25.360 --> 00:44:32.719
Any questions, all right, I did such a good job

705
00:44:32.719 --> 00:44:34.519
that you now understand it, right. So if you hear

706
00:44:34.559 --> 00:44:37.400
someone preach on Isaiah four, I was I was listening

707
00:44:37.440 --> 00:44:40.559
to a message on the way here. On Isaiah forty

708
00:44:40.599 --> 00:44:45.400
one through two. We spent two hours, They spent twenty

709
00:44:45.440 --> 00:44:51.039
minutes twenty minutes, and of course it became about whom.

710
00:44:52.199 --> 00:44:56.119
It became about us. Now, we did make it about

711
00:44:56.199 --> 00:44:59.039
us ultimately, but I think we did so correctly. I

712
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:02.159
think we did so correct I think the parallel was good.

713
00:45:02.440 --> 00:45:04.559
Everyone else wants to just make it about like what

714
00:45:04.639 --> 00:45:07.199
you get now, And it's not about what I get now.

715
00:45:07.559 --> 00:45:09.960
It's about what God has done for me now. But

716
00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:13.400
the practical working it out is in glory, and that's

717
00:45:13.440 --> 00:45:16.280
where Christians have a hard time acknowledging that. All right,

718
00:45:16.360 --> 00:45:18.679
let's pray, Lord God, we come before you. Lord, we

719
00:45:18.760 --> 00:45:22.000
thank you so very much for your word. We ask

720
00:45:22.079 --> 00:45:26.239
your forgiveness for the way it's been misapplied and taught

721
00:45:26.239 --> 00:45:29.800
it incorrectly, and all the ways that even as a

722
00:45:29.920 --> 00:45:33.760
church we have mishandled it and taught it incorrectly. Forgive

723
00:45:33.840 --> 00:45:37.000
us for that. But let us just be grateful not

724
00:45:37.199 --> 00:45:41.280
only for the wonderful, powerful work you demonstrated for Judah,

725
00:45:41.559 --> 00:45:46.159
but the powerful, wonderful work you've demonstrated for us in Christ, Jesus,

726
00:45:46.599 --> 00:45:50.679
let us hold on to the reality of our faith,

727
00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:55.000
even though the reality of life is completely different to

728
00:45:55.079 --> 00:45:57.519
what we believe. Let us hold on to our faith

729
00:45:57.559 --> 00:46:01.000
in spite of that, and be grateful for the promises

730
00:46:01.039 --> 00:46:02.639
that you've given to us. And we asked this in

731
00:46:02.679 --> 00:46:05.239
Jesus name, and gods people said Amen.