He Will Come
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Advent
Isaiah 35:1-10 (ESV)
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Sermon Outline
The Advent season helps re-center waiting people (v4) to live well within our disordered world.
1. Christmas marks the start of something new
v1-2 “The wilderness and the dry land… the dessert… shall blossom abundantly”
vv5-7 “blind… deaf… lame… mute… waters”
2. Christmas grounds a new way for us to live
v9-10 “no lion… ravenous beast… sorrow and sighing shall flee”
v4 “God will come with vengeance”
v8 “a highway… called the Way of Holiness”
Prayer of Confession
Our patient, merciful and just God, help us. As a waiting people, we need forgiveness. We are guilty of unbelief and foolishness. We have not received all you have offered with gratitude, nor have we walked firmly in the ways to which you have called us. We squander our time. We misunderstand your patience. Deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires. We thank you that Jesus came into the world to bring salvation. We thank you that he will return as he promised to make all things new. We humbly ask that you cleanse us from our sins and heal us. Grant us strength to walk in the way of holiness for your glory and our own delight. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What do you do when you are waiting (for the train, to be seen by a dentist, when waiting for a late friend, etc.)? Why? Do you think you should be doing something different?
What kinds of things have God’s people waited for? What have they been asking of God?
Why does it help to understand what God had promised, what God’s people had experienced, and what they were waiting for to recognize the significance of Jesus’ birth?
How did the ministry of Jesus demonstrate that the time of fulfillment was beginning? What kinds of things happened?
What has changed since Jesus came into the world? What hasn’t?
How was Jesus’s first coming (his birth) different from what we expect in his return (2nd coming)? Why the differences?
What should characterize 21st century waiting people? How should Christians live in light of Jesus having come, and in anticipation of his return?
Where does the Christmas story offer hope? How can it motivate faithful living?