The Comfort of God
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 40:1-11 (ESV)
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Sermon Outline
1. Why do we need it? (v. 6-8)
v. 6 All flesh is grass,
v. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades…surely the people are grass.
v. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
2. How do we get it? (v. 3-4)
v. 3 … prepare the way of the LORD; make straight…
v. 4 …l be lifted up,…be made low;…become level,… a plain.
3. What exactly is it? (v. 1-2, 9-11)
v.1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
v. 9 …“Behold your God!”
v. 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,…behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
Prayer of Confession
Gracious God, all of us are frail human beings. We do not like admitting that we have limits and that we have far less control than we think. We strive for more autonomy and less dependency on others. But this leads to our own ruin. We also do not give you the honor you are due. We refuse your comfort and seek comfort in the things of the world that do not satisfy. Turn our eyes to Jesus, the one who received ultimate discomfort, so that we could receive the satisfying comfort of God. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
Describe how you face the reality of having limits. Do you embrace this? Do you struggle with this?
When is self-sufficiency a good thing? When is it not?
In what ways is God worthy of all respect and honor? How do we express this in our day to day life? In what ways do you struggle to give God the honor he is due?
To what/whom do you look to give you comfort? Why is the comfort of God not always appealing?
If Jesus truly secured for us the comfort of God that truly satisfies, how might God be calling you to trust in this good news?
How might God be calling you to gift his comfort to someone else you know?
What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?
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