He Restores My Soul
December 4, 2011
Dec 4, 2011 Advent II Isaiah 40:1-11
The coming of Jesus is God’s ultimate comfort.
He Restores My Soul by Pastor Myron Heckman
(Click to Listen to the Sermon Audio or Right Click for “Save As” Download)
Comfort is something we get from early in life. Many a toddler has fallen off a bed, landed on his head, and cried. What does the parent do? Takes the child up in her arms, speaks to the child tenderly, and says it’s going to be all right.
All through life we need comfort when we get injured. When a person loses a loved one what is needed? To be embraced, to be spoken to tenderly, to be listened to and be assured that things will be all right.
Our souls get tattered and worn out by the pains and wounds of life. Our souls are damaged by our own sins. It affects our minds and emotions with fears, guilt, regret, sadness and worry. We need what is spoken of in the 23rd Psalm says: “He restores my soul.”
Isaiah 40:1-11 teaches the ways of God that refreshes and renews our inner essence.
I) God comforts His people.
Vv 1-2
“Speak kindly” (NAS), “speak tenderly” (NIV), “speak ye comfortably” (KJV). Literally, the text has “speak to or upon the heart.”
Judah had been under God’s discipline as the Babylonians had conquered and exiled the core of the nation. They are a defeated people. But now God chooses to speak to them tenderly.
The comfort comes in two declarations of release God gives.
One calamity is war. Israel had been struggling with their conquerors.
Now tell her “that her warfare is ended”
When WW II ended, there was great jubilation in the streets, as people were filled with relief and celebration. Warfare had ended.
The next war, the Korean War, to defend South Korea against an invasion from the North, ended with a ceasefire in 1953. But there has not been a peace treaty. North Korea still thinks of itself as being at war. And perhaps the worst nation in this world in which to live today is North Korea. How happy it would be for the people of that nation to hear her warfare is ended.
You may battle – many would-be and successful conquerors.
You might be in battle with God. He has disappointed you. You’ve been battling.
In Christ your warfare is ended.
War is a calamity. But an even worse calamity is to be under God’s judgment. Israel had violated the Covenant of God.
Her iniquity has been pardoned.
It may be that guilt has driven you away from God. Away from others.
Your iniquity is pardoned. “Iniquity” is a synonym for sin, related to inequity, and it refers to an injustice, or a morally objectionable behavior,
She has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
That is an idiom, meaning “you have suffered much and you have suffered enough.”
God comforts His people by embracing them, speaking tenderly to them, and assuring them it will be all right.
II Cor 1:3 describes God as “the God of all comfort.”
Since God is the God of all comfort, rest in Him. He restores your soul.
II) Prepare your heart of the Lord’s Coming
This next section depicts the procession of a King – when he went to visit a city, the road he would travel upon was prepared for him. Rubble was moved, the surface was smoothed as much as possible.
Imagine if the President of the United States was coming to your house in two months. You’d get those walls painted you’ve been thinking about doing. You’d replace that carpet you’ve been procrastinating about. You’d want to make your place match the dignity of the visit.
So it was in ancient times. But never was a road prepared like this one
Vv 3-5
The road made straight and level.
When a king came the people would line up to watch the processional. In this case the watchers are greatly expanded – all flesh shall see it together.
When Jesus came in His first advent he was in the flesh for any to see. But not all have seen him yet.
Revelation 1:7 says of His Second Advent: “Every eye shall see him.”
How can every eye see him at His second coming? One suggestion is that when Christ comes again he will proceed in the sky around this world, circling the globe. I don’t know if that is how He will do it, but our God is a creative God.
The Lord restores your soul – and you can prepare for that. Desire that the high places of pride in your life be taken down. That the low places of sin and captivity be raised up. That your rough places be made smooth. And seek God for that, as He is the one who restores your soul.
The coming of Jesus is God’s ultimate comfort. There is the comfort of his salvation inaugurated in His first Coming, and the comfort of His salvation completed in His Second Coming.
III) In a World of Change, You Can Count on God.
The next section contrasts the passing nature of our lives with the permanence of God’s Word.
Vv 6-8
Our lives on this earth are temporary.
The Hymn mortal, Invisible has this line:
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree
And wither and perish but naught changest Thee
Things in this world are always changing. They are always passing away.
Right now, as a current example, a question is: “Will the euro survive?” It blossomed and flourished, but now its possible collapse threatens the world economy with one more hammer blow. It could be one more thing to worry about, and drain your soul.
But in a world of passing things, something does stand forever – the Word of God.
Jesus said: Heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will not pass away. Luke 21:33
What God has decreed will stand.
What God has said is true forever.
When God makes a promise it stands.
All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
The Word of God has been attacked time and time again.
Atheist Christopher Hitchens writes that the Pentateuch is “an ill-carpentered fiction, bolted into place well after the non-events that it fails to describe convincingly or even plausibly.”
This he says despite the fact that the Bible has stood up to historical scrutiny. And no archeological find has ever contradicted the Old Testament.
He considers the New Testament “also a work of crude carpentry, hammered together long after its purported events, and full of improvised attempts to make things come out right.” He says this, though do we know of any similar story crated by man, with such sublime impact as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Him we behold a glory that we do not see anywhere else.
The Word of God is an anvil that has worn out many a hammer.
This world is passing, Christopher Hitchens is passing, but God’s Word stands forever.
The permanence of God’s Word gives strength to your soul.
IV) The Shepherd King cares for Your Soul.
There is good news in God. V 9
God is a strong King v 10
God is the good Shepherd. V 11
The two words – Shepherd and King go together with God.
God called David to be King of Israel. He was a type of the messiah.
Before David was a King, what was he? He was a shepherd.
It was a picture of the ultimate anointed King of Israel, Jesus the Shepherd King
So Jesus is a Shepherd King. Think of those who visited the child in Bethlehem.
Shepherds were invited to come to see the one who would be Shepherd. The wise men asked: Where is He who was born King of the Jews. We have come to worship Him
.
This is a picture of God’s tenderness. We may naturally think of God as being kind, but He is.
Titus 3:4 says But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
During the Gulf War in 1991 General Norman Schwarzkopf held daily televised briefings. On one occasion he railed against Saddam Hussein, the dictator President for life of Iraq. He said “he is not a leader, he is not a general, because he doesn’t care for his soldiers” Schwarzkopf was referring to the occasions when Americans captured Iraqi soldiers, who immediately made motions that they wanted food because they were so hungry. Hussein had not taken care of supplying them and made them into fodder in the war. Our God does not throw us out there as fodder, but cares for us, and joins us in the battle.
We hurt from loss through abandonment, conflict, death, disabilities, disease, and divorce, from disappointment with ourselves, with others, and from sickness. We hurt from discouragement, depression, anxiety, anger. Our souls get tattered and wounded.
Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16)
Ray Stedman says,
Surely one of the most meaningful aspects to believers about Jesus is that he does for us what no one else can do. Do you feel that? No one else can satisfy your heart, no one else can solve the problems of the mind, no one can answer the questions about life after death like Jesus can. No one can touch a human situation of conflict and strife and bring healing and deliverance like Jesus can. Don’t you often feel like saying, with Peter, “To whom can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:68 RSV). From The Shepherd and His Sheep, http://raystedman.org/john/3858.html).
Since our Lord is the Good King Shepherd, follow Him.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
The coming of Jesus is God’s ultimate comfort.
He Restores My Soul by Pastor Myron Heckman
(Click to Listen to the Sermon Audio or Right Click for “Save As” Download)
Comfort is something we get from early in life. Many a toddler has fallen off a bed, landed on his head, and cried. What does the parent do? Takes the child up in her arms, speaks to the child tenderly, and says it’s going to be all right.
All through life we need comfort when we get injured. When a person loses a loved one what is needed? To be embraced, to be spoken to tenderly, to be listened to and be assured that things will be all right.
Our souls get tattered and worn out by the pains and wounds of life. Our souls are damaged by our own sins. It affects our minds and emotions with fears, guilt, regret, sadness and worry. We need what is spoken of in the 23rd Psalm says: “He restores my soul.”
Isaiah 40:1-11 teaches the ways of God that refreshes and renews our inner essence.
I) God comforts His people.
Vv 1-2
“Speak kindly” (NAS), “speak tenderly” (NIV), “speak ye comfortably” (KJV). Literally, the text has “speak to or upon the heart.”
Judah had been under God’s discipline as the Babylonians had conquered and exiled the core of the nation. They are a defeated people. But now God chooses to speak to them tenderly.
The comfort comes in two declarations of release God gives.
One calamity is war. Israel had been struggling with their conquerors.
Now tell her “that her warfare is ended”
When WW II ended, there was great jubilation in the streets, as people were filled with relief and celebration. Warfare had ended.
The next war, the Korean War, to defend South Korea against an invasion from the North, ended with a ceasefire in 1953. But there has not been a peace treaty. North Korea still thinks of itself as being at war. And perhaps the worst nation in this world in which to live today is North Korea. How happy it would be for the people of that nation to hear her warfare is ended.
You may battle – many would-be and successful conquerors.
You might be in battle with God. He has disappointed you. You’ve been battling.
In Christ your warfare is ended.
War is a calamity. But an even worse calamity is to be under God’s judgment. Israel had violated the Covenant of God.
Her iniquity has been pardoned.
It may be that guilt has driven you away from God. Away from others.
Your iniquity is pardoned. “Iniquity” is a synonym for sin, related to inequity, and it refers to an injustice, or a morally objectionable behavior,
She has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
That is an idiom, meaning “you have suffered much and you have suffered enough.”
God comforts His people by embracing them, speaking tenderly to them, and assuring them it will be all right.
II Cor 1:3 describes God as “the God of all comfort.”
Since God is the God of all comfort, rest in Him. He restores your soul.
II) Prepare your heart of the Lord’s Coming
This next section depicts the procession of a King – when he went to visit a city, the road he would travel upon was prepared for him. Rubble was moved, the surface was smoothed as much as possible.
Imagine if the President of the United States was coming to your house in two months. You’d get those walls painted you’ve been thinking about doing. You’d replace that carpet you’ve been procrastinating about. You’d want to make your place match the dignity of the visit.
So it was in ancient times. But never was a road prepared like this one
Vv 3-5
The road made straight and level.
When a king came the people would line up to watch the processional. In this case the watchers are greatly expanded – all flesh shall see it together.
When Jesus came in His first advent he was in the flesh for any to see. But not all have seen him yet.
Revelation 1:7 says of His Second Advent: “Every eye shall see him.”
How can every eye see him at His second coming? One suggestion is that when Christ comes again he will proceed in the sky around this world, circling the globe. I don’t know if that is how He will do it, but our God is a creative God.
The Lord restores your soul – and you can prepare for that. Desire that the high places of pride in your life be taken down. That the low places of sin and captivity be raised up. That your rough places be made smooth. And seek God for that, as He is the one who restores your soul.
The coming of Jesus is God’s ultimate comfort. There is the comfort of his salvation inaugurated in His first Coming, and the comfort of His salvation completed in His Second Coming.
III) In a World of Change, You Can Count on God.
The next section contrasts the passing nature of our lives with the permanence of God’s Word.
Vv 6-8
Our lives on this earth are temporary.
The Hymn mortal, Invisible has this line:
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree
And wither and perish but naught changest Thee
Things in this world are always changing. They are always passing away.
Right now, as a current example, a question is: “Will the euro survive?” It blossomed and flourished, but now its possible collapse threatens the world economy with one more hammer blow. It could be one more thing to worry about, and drain your soul.
But in a world of passing things, something does stand forever – the Word of God.
Jesus said: Heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will not pass away. Luke 21:33
What God has decreed will stand.
What God has said is true forever.
When God makes a promise it stands.
All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus Christ.
The Word of God has been attacked time and time again.
Atheist Christopher Hitchens writes that the Pentateuch is “an ill-carpentered fiction, bolted into place well after the non-events that it fails to describe convincingly or even plausibly.”
This he says despite the fact that the Bible has stood up to historical scrutiny. And no archeological find has ever contradicted the Old Testament.
He considers the New Testament “also a work of crude carpentry, hammered together long after its purported events, and full of improvised attempts to make things come out right.” He says this, though do we know of any similar story crated by man, with such sublime impact as the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Him we behold a glory that we do not see anywhere else.
The Word of God is an anvil that has worn out many a hammer.
This world is passing, Christopher Hitchens is passing, but God’s Word stands forever.
The permanence of God’s Word gives strength to your soul.
IV) The Shepherd King cares for Your Soul.
There is good news in God. V 9
God is a strong King v 10
God is the good Shepherd. V 11
The two words – Shepherd and King go together with God.
God called David to be King of Israel. He was a type of the messiah.
Before David was a King, what was he? He was a shepherd.
It was a picture of the ultimate anointed King of Israel, Jesus the Shepherd King
So Jesus is a Shepherd King. Think of those who visited the child in Bethlehem.
Shepherds were invited to come to see the one who would be Shepherd. The wise men asked: Where is He who was born King of the Jews. We have come to worship Him
.
This is a picture of God’s tenderness. We may naturally think of God as being kind, but He is.
Titus 3:4 says But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
During the Gulf War in 1991 General Norman Schwarzkopf held daily televised briefings. On one occasion he railed against Saddam Hussein, the dictator President for life of Iraq. He said “he is not a leader, he is not a general, because he doesn’t care for his soldiers” Schwarzkopf was referring to the occasions when Americans captured Iraqi soldiers, who immediately made motions that they wanted food because they were so hungry. Hussein had not taken care of supplying them and made them into fodder in the war. Our God does not throw us out there as fodder, but cares for us, and joins us in the battle.
We hurt from loss through abandonment, conflict, death, disabilities, disease, and divorce, from disappointment with ourselves, with others, and from sickness. We hurt from discouragement, depression, anxiety, anger. Our souls get tattered and wounded.
Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10:14-16)
Ray Stedman says,
Surely one of the most meaningful aspects to believers about Jesus is that he does for us what no one else can do. Do you feel that? No one else can satisfy your heart, no one else can solve the problems of the mind, no one can answer the questions about life after death like Jesus can. No one can touch a human situation of conflict and strife and bring healing and deliverance like Jesus can. Don’t you often feel like saying, with Peter, “To whom can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:68 RSV). From The Shepherd and His Sheep, http://raystedman.org/john/3858.html).
Since our Lord is the Good King Shepherd, follow Him.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
posted by Jerry | 2:19 PM
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