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As I have 40, verse 1. Comfort comfort comfort my people. Says, your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins a voice of 1 calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the lord.

Make straight in the desert, a highway for all for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low. The rough ground shall become level. The rugged places are plain and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice says, cry out.

And I say, what shall I cry? All people are like grass and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field, the grass withers, and the flowers fall, because the breath of the lord blows on them. Surely, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall but the word of our God endures forever. You who bring good news to Zion go up on a high mountain You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid.

Say to the tongues of Judah, here is your God, see the sovereign Lord comes with power. And he rules with a mighty arm, see his reward is with him. And his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lamb in his arms and carries them close to his heart.

He gently leads those that have young. Thank you for reading. Do keep the bibles open there? Page 6, 7, 2, I know, that's Martin. We've never paid 7 2 5.

7 2 5. Brilliant. Let's pray. We come to the word. Fathery, thank you for gathering us this evening under your word.

We thank you for your spirit. It's inspired the word to be written through the prophet Isaiah. Thank you for your spirit who is here present with us to illuminate our minds and our hearts. Your spirit to help me speak your words. Law, would you give us ears to hear, hearts, they're attentive, wheels that are obedient for we ask it in Jesus' name.

Our man. Comfort comfort, my people says, you're God. I wonder what you think of when you think of this word comfort Maybe you think about the softening product, that lovely soft sheets that you pour into your washing machine and and it comes out all very soft and lovely. Maybe when you think of comfort, you think of a nice cup of tea, some quiet music after difficult busy day, that might be the sort of comfort you think or maybe you think of comfort, you think of a parent picking up a child when they've fallen over, nursing them on on their knee. I don't know what you think of when you think of this word, comfort.

When God says comfort comfort my people. He's not really talking about any of those things. There is an element of consolation for sure, in the word comfort in the Hebrew. But our English translation, comfort means literally with strength, strengthen. My people.

The meaning of the word companies illustrated, you may have heard this illustration in the Bayer tapestry. Picture of the Bayer tapestry. Picture 1, the demoralized soldiers, they're feeling weak, and defeated, and feeble, and they're sort of away from the battle. And then picture 2, the soldiers are marching back into battle with a bishop behind them prodding them with a long lance and the caption reads the bishop comforts, his soldiers. He's not nursing them on his knee.

He's strengthening them, pushing them back into the battle. Well, comfort means to strengthen, to make strong. And God's message of comfort here in Isaiah 40 is not to simply give his people a warm, cozy feeling, but it is to strengthen and to give them heart and courage to persevere to boldness to live a renewed confidence to keep going and trusting him. And of course, that is what God wants for us as his people. He wants us in a world of change and challenge and struggle and difficulty.

He wants us to be strong, courageous, bold, and confident as we live life with God and for God in this world. And to have this confidence as as God's people, it doesn't come from focusing in on ourselves. That's the self help movement, isn't it? The self help movement, you get up in the morning, you look at them in the mirror, you look at yourself and say, you are amazing. You know, you get up and you say, you are beautiful and you're gonna smash the day today.

I expect most of you do that? Do you do that? I hope not. That isn't how we'd be confident lies, and you probably look pretty awful in the mirror in the morning anyway. So, best not to do that.

True confidence of strengths doesn't come from a particular program, it doesn't come from a self improvement course that you can go on. This kind of strength, this kind of humble confidence in life comes from focusing on God himself. From relationship with him, from keeping him at the very center of our lives. And Isaiah chapter 40 gives a wonderful picture of the character and the purposes of God. And this evening, we've only got time for the first 11 verses.

Although Phil said, you keep on going for as long as you like. And so we could carry the rest, but I think we'll just stick with the first 11 verses. But the whole chapter is brilliant. As it lifts our eyes to the awesome greatness of God. And it ends with those brilliant words, you'll know them if you've ever seen the great film chariots of fire.

You've seen chariots of fire? It's just an old people like me. If you young people haven't seen chariots of fire, you've got to dig it out because it is a great film. But it ends or it doesn't end, but it has these words with some lovely music going on behind it. Even used grow tired and we're a young men stumble or fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like Eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. This is a great chapter of the bible to encourage to strengthen God's people. And Isaiah is writing this chapter, around 7 50 BC for a people in a dark desert place. In chapters 1 to 39, he'd been warning the people of Israel about their sin, and about the judgment that they would face from the holy 1 of Israel, as I was favorite name for God, the holy 1 of Israel. And for generations, they had pushed God out of the picture, They'd worshiped false gods, they'd trusted in other things, they'd disobeyed God's law.

And time after time, God had warned them that judgment was coming, He kept encouraging them to turn back to him, but they had refused to listen to the prophets. And eventually judgment had come. Judgment came the Babylonian Empire, they've become the superpower of the ancient near East in 5 86 BC, Babylonian forces had overrun Israel conquered Jerusalem and taken off much of the nation to exile in Babylon. For 70 years, they were held in captivity. They were in a bad place, a desert place, life was hard.

They were defeated, weak, hopeless, and many thought God had abandoned them. That's what they their complaint is if you just want to look over the page to verse 27. This is Isaiah. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say Israel?

My way is hidden from the lord, my causes disregarded by my God. They think God has left them, abandoned them. And it's against this dark background of sin and judgment and despair that the good news of Chapter 40 arrives, this good news of comfort, of strengthening And in these first 11 verses, we see 4 things about God that they needed to know. And I think 4 things that we need to know if we want to be strong courageous, confident Christians in our own day. The first is this, they need to know God's pardon.

Comfort, comfort my people says, your God speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. Sin of God's people is catalogued into 2 kings, its divided kingdom, worse in the northern kingdom, led by ungodly kings, but not much worse and not far behind in Judah, to whom Isaiah was preaching. The nation was marked by idolatry, sexual immorality, inequality, oppression of the poor, pride, complacency. Many of the things that our own culture is known for. But these are God's people.

And they deserved their punishment, they'd rejected God, and he'd confirmed their decision by sending them into exile. But now here in Isaiah 40, we read that this punishment is over. The 70 years of exile is up. They're hard services completed, their sin was paid for. God's pardon, his forgiveness, his deliverance is coming.

And this is an important reminder as we look at this text as we look at all of Scripture that God is both the holy 1 of Israel, and the redeemer of Israel, the forgiver of Israel. His holiness means that he must punish sin. This is God's character. He can't just sweep sin under the carpet. His character is too pure for that.

Sin will be punished. It must be punished. It must be paid for. But God is also love. That is in the midst of judgment, he loves his people, he loves those he's judging.

He doesn't abandon them, speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Your sin has been paid for. God's justice is now being satisfied, so they can be forgiven. They can go home. They can be pardons.

The exile is is over. And there must be music to the ears of the people in Israel, who'd been stuck there in Babylon. In fact, some are so compromised, they got stuck in and stayed. They weren't ready to go, but those who needed to know this truth of God's pardon was hearing it. And so we need to hear that message of pardon and forgiveness.

It's the bottom line for living well in God's world. It's the start of the Christian life. Sin separates us from a Holy God. We live outside the boundaries he sets. We create idols to replace him.

We hurt others who are made in his image. And in doing so, of course, we cause untold damage, don't we to our world around us? SYim cause untold damage to our relationships. Many of us have had broken difficult relationships. Since spoils our own peace within that projection of God messes up our own internal well-being, but most serious of all, it means we are separated from the Holy 1 of Israel, the God who is just.

And so God's perfect justice means our sin must be paid for, either by ourselves or by him. And that's where Isaiah is pointing us in the rest of this prophecy. He points to the 1 who is coming. He's pointing to the coming Messiah. He points to the the servant.

If you know Isaiah has come across the servant. If you haven't read through the second part of Isaiah, you meet the servant anointed by God's spirit who comes to save and deliver, and he does it by suffering, Aziah chapter 3, of course, the most well known chapter of the bible probably or of this old testament book, he points forward to Jesus. Maybe just flick over to Isaiah 53, just a few pages on. It's suffering this pain, can either be paid for by Jesus or paid for by us. Here's the Messiah verse for Isaiah 53 verse 4.

Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering. Yet, we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray.

Each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him. The iniquity of a sort. That God's justice, God's punishment must be paid for, either by us or by his servant, by Jesus who fulfills this prophecy. So, yes, it is for us, the only way we can hear your sin has been paid for and no God's pardon, no God's forgiveness. Is through the death of Christ, through him carrying your sins.

So I wonder if you know that. I I don't know any of you here, but I know 1 or 2. And I think you know this already, but there may be some here who don't yet know that. You don't know that Pardon that the Holy God wants to give you through the death of Christ. Someone's gonna have to pay for your sins.

And it can be either you, as you stand before his judgment seat, or it can be Christ. I wonder if you know that experience of sins forgiven if you haven't. Tonight is a great night to turn to Jesus. To find that forgiveness, to know that your slate is wiped clean, that you have nothing to hide, that you have no mask to wear, that you can know God's pardon, and approval. That's where the Christian life begins.

It's where central to our freedom, to our confidence, walking with Christ. Your sins have been paid for. And so if you if you've not yet done that, tonight is a good night to do it. I'd love to chat to you and I feel words too if you want to afterwards just to find out how to do that. To get for that, be a certain sure that your Sins are forgiven that you have that pardon that God wants you to know.

At God's pardon, that's the first thing that God's people need to know for sure. The second is that we need to know God's promise. That his glory will be revealed, thus is 3 to 5. The voice of 1 calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the lord. Make straight in the desert, a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low. The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places are plain, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all the people will see it together. To the mouth of the Lord has spoke. Handles Messiah, ringing in your head as I read those things out. I want to have huge music playing for these amazing words.

Prepare the way for the law. The journey between Babylon and Jerusalem was not an easy 1. It's about a 900 mile trip. The road was rough, and hard, and mountainous. It was a difficult journey.

But the picture here emphasizes that the Lord himself is coming and the way must be ready. A motorway has got to be constructed. The bulldozers are coming in the excavators. To build this super highway. Has anyone been down the A3 onto the M25 recently?

Anyone tore their hair out, sat in queues. It's painful, isn't it? That junction at the moment. Avoided at all cost. But the bulldozers are there the diggers are there, the cranes are there, eventually, it's gonna be a super highway.

Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it's gonna be better than it is right now. This idea is this great highway of the Lord, who is going to come from Babylon to back to Jerusalem. The glory of the Lord is to be revealed. He himself is coming to set his people free and to take them home. That's the promise.

He's not gonna send his blessing. He's not gonna do it from a distance. He himself is coming to reveal his glory. And in the short term fulfillment of this promise, it is Cyrus, the great Persian Emperor who is gonna come as God's instruments. In power.

He's the next great empire to be raised up. He's gonna conquer Babylon. He's gonna return God's people to Jerusalem. But of course this prophecy looks beyond the immediate fulfillment. I'm sure you know the old testament prophecy is a bit like looking at a mountain range from a distance.

And from a distance, it looks like they're all sort of 1 line. But as you get closer, you see there's depth to the mountains. There's 1 peak, then there's another peak, then there's another peak still further on. And, it's only as you get closer, you see that. So what Isaiah promises here in this prophecy as kind of 1 event, the glory of the Lord is going to come.

Begins with Cyrus, but it has, of course, much greater fulfillment. For those who know the New Testament, these words will be familiar. Mark 1, verses 2 and 3, right at the beginning. Mark quotes these verses, I'm sending my messenger ahead of you, who prepare the way. A voice of 1 calling in the desert prepare the way of the Lord.

That is, of course, John the Baptist. He comes to prepare the way for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. And in John's gospel, he says with the coming of Jesus, we have seen his glory, the glory of the 1 and only. Who came from the father full of grace and truth. Jesus comes to reveal God's glory.

And he did that in his life in his death, in his resurrection, and in ascension to heaven. But before he left, of course, he promised that he was gonna come again. So there's another peak that lies ahead. We're still waiting, aren't we to see this promise? We've sung of it in those last 2 songs.

Wonderful. It's actually that last song that we sang with just the voices to think about a nobler suite of voice. When 1 day we see Jesus in all his glory in our singing and by the way you're singing is wonderful and you're playing is fantastic and it's a glimpse of glory, but it's gonna be even better when Jesus comes. Our voices are gonna be made perfect. Some of us are really looking forward to that.

And because that's the final fulfillment of this promise is the glory of the Lord. We're going to see in all its fullness, and when we see just, we'll become like him, when we see him face to face. And all sin and struggle and suffering, and imperfections will be gone forever. And that is this promise that we have from God. The glory of the Lord will be revealed.

And so having this promise, having this sure hope, strengthens us now, it gives us confidence now. So we know God's grace is pardoned for our past, since we look forward to this future glory, for the promise that will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again. And how do we know this is true, How do we know this is how are we confident in this? Well, he ends at the mouth of the Lord has spoken. God has said this.

And here's the third thing we need to know about God, we need to know his pardon in his promise, but we need to know God's permanence, that the word of God stands forever. I know this 6, a voice says, cry out. Well, he said, what shall I cry? And here's the cry, all people are like grass, all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers the flowers for because the breath of the lord blows on them.

Shore the people of grass. The grass with us, the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. The great Assyrian Empire, it lasted for almost 300 years. It had then been overrun by this Babylonian empire, which seemed totally invincible. Nothing could defeat the Babylon Empire.

But as this prophecy is being heard, the Persian Empire is about to destroy the Babylonians. Put them in their place. And in turn, that Persian empire is going to be superseded by the Greeks and then by the Romans. And so it's been ever since, empires rise, empires fall, people come, people go, kingdoms, people powerful, people have their day and then they die. I don't know if anyone made it to the coronation of King Charles the third.

Anyone get an invitation to coronation? No. No. Okay. I didn't either.

But it was impressive. Wasn't it? I mean, some of you might have switched off and not seen anything. I thought it was quite impressive. Someone said to me afterwards, I said, do you enjoy the the coronation?

They said, Yeah. It was it was a bit Disney and because that golden coach and all that sort of thing. And I did say, you know that Disney got it from the king. It wasn't the other way around. They weren't sort of putting on a show to look like a Disney film.

Anyway, it was impressive, wasn't it? There was royalty, and there was presidents, prime ministers from all around the world and it's a spectacle with gold coaches and the trumpets and so on. And And as I was watching, I was thinking, well, when did these guys all come last to London? Well, it'd only been a few months early, hadn't it? And it had been for the funeral of our queen, which again was very spectacular, very moving, very amazing, wonderful moment in lots of ways.

But it was a reminder that monarchs come and monarchs go. However, powerful, have a long lasting their reign and wonderful, our queen was on the throne for such a long time with her Christian faith. However, long lasting they reign, they then leave. Because all men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field and the grass withers and the flowers fall. And I think these are some of the most humbling sobering words of the Bible.

Picked up by Peter, of course, in the New Testament. They they assault our natural human pride. I have to say these words pretty regularly, as the curtains close around the coffin at a funeral as the coffin goes into the ground in a service that I'm taking. And people are grieving the loss of someone they loved. And you know what, every funeral I've taken, every human being, in the eulogy, every human being is unique.

And it's really good to remember some of the good things in their lives, and we celebrate that, and we share that, and we work hard at remembering that, because every single human being is unique. And yet as the curtains closes, the coughing load into the ground every single human being is exactly the same. Grass with us, the flowers fall. When we come into the world, there's a little baby and some of you a younger, but any human being comes into the world, becoming like a little part of a flower. And you're just beginning.

And our prayers as a child or a grandchild comes into the you're praying aren't you that that little 1 will grow up and flourish. And will go on in life and be strong physically and be productive in life, and attractive, and useful, and a blessing to others in God's world. That's prayer, and I guess that's young people are looking ahead to life. You want to be productive, you want to be fruitful in the world, and we all do. And yet our whole life right from the moment we're born is lived under that sobering truth that the flower will 1 day fall.

However, wonderful it blossoms 1 day it will fall. Your turn will come, so will mine, None of us knows how many days we have, but the start reminder of our mortality and frailty is so important to have. And in this frailty and sense of our mortality, is there anything solid? Is there anything dependable, anything reliable to hold on to. Well, as I said it, doesn't he?

He contrasts this with the permanence of God. And his promises. The grass with us, the flowers for, but the word of the lord stands forever The word of God endures forever. The word of God is the only fixed point, the only place for eternal stability, it provides something that will last beyond life in this world. Because Christians still die.

I take funerals for Christians. They are so much more joyful than funals for non Christians. So can I encourage you, become a Christian if you're not a Christian yet? Just whoever is going to take your funeral could then celebrate and rejoice in the hope that you have but that's not the only reason. But you know, Christian still is still dying.

They're still sad, and the curtain still closes around the coffin. They're still grief for the loss and for those who are left. But there's this absolute confidence in the permanence of God's word. So this is how it ends. It says, you say earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

In the sure hope of resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. We don't usually say Hallelujah because it's a bit too sober, we say amen. But it's true. It is a wonderful, wonderful hope.

And this world of constant change in which we live in a world of with the rise and fall of nations in our own days of war in Europe and economic uncertainty, on a personal level, whatever is going on in your life, however challenging it is, And especially as we face our own mortality, we need to be reminded of God's permanence that his word alone endures forever. And knowing that creates an unshakable security, and a humble confidence in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. We're comforted as comfort comes from from knowing God's pardon, knowing our forgiveness, that knowing his promise that there's a sure and certain hope of his glory being revealed, of his permanence, the permanence of his word that promises this will happen. And then lastly, if I God's presence, this is 9 to 11. You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain, You bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift up.

Don't be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah. Here is your Got. It's a message. It's a message of good news.

It's gonna be announced from the mountaintops because it is such good news. The picture is this 1 of a messenger or a herald. Their job would have been to announce the arrival of a visiting VIP, a king, or a local nobleman, But here the herald announcing to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah that the Lord himself is coming. And he's bringing his people with him, his reward, that's his people. And the heralds announced, here is your God.

And who are they announcing? Well, I think there are 2 contrasting images in some sense that we need to hold together. We want to hold together. Verse 10, see the sovereign lord comes with power. And he rules with a mighty r.

It is the image of the sovereign lord in power. Great and powerful God who is coming. The image of having their sleeves rolled up, ready for work, coming with a powerful more powerful than those who've held them in captive, more powerful than the Babylonian empire and the Babylononian gods. Here is the sovereign lord who comes in power. And yet, verse 11, he is the shepherd lord.

He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his heart, he generally leads those that have young. Here's that slightly more consoling picture of that image of the word comfort. It's a wonderful picture of the tenderness of our God, isn't it?

With his detailed care of individual needs, That behold your God, as 1 commentator says, the ultimate power of the universe is channeled down to look after the individual needs of every member of his flock. That is good to know this evening that there are countless millions of people on this planet on whom God rules over in his power. Even when he's denied and ignored, he's on his throne. He is the sovereign lord. 1 day, all will see it in his glory.

And every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He's the sovereign ruler overall. And yet as he comes in Jesus Christ, He comes as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the cheap, who calls us by name, who will carry us close to his heart as we trust him. It's good to know that isn't it. I don't know you by name.

I know that 5 people by their name. And I've forgotten people who introduced themselves at the beginning, so I'm too sorry about that. But God knows you each by name. He knows your individual needs. He knows what you're facing even this week.

And as a shepherd gently carries his lambs. So the lord Jesus wants you to know that he will carry you with his sovereign arm of power. These are wonderful trolls. Here is your God. Do you know this God?

Are you trusting this God this evening? Fully revealed in Jesus Christ? To Christ God comes to bring pardon. Do you know that grace and forgiveness in your own life, no guilt, no shame? There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

You can walk out of here totally free knowing that pardon. So Christ God reveals his glory Have you begun to see God's glory in the person of Jesus? And are you longing for that day when you'll see his glory as you see him face to face? Through Christ and his word, God offers permanence in this uncertain changing world faced by our own mortality, are you trusting? In this unchanging words, will it shape you?

Will you read this word, this week, to give you that solidity, that confidence, not fearful, not shaken, but trusting. And through Christ God brings his presence. In the incarnation, emmanuel God with us, As we put our trust in Christ, he sends his spirit into our lives so that God is always present with you. Do you know that God powerful and caring this week with you wherever you go? That's my prayer for you.

What do we pause for a moment? Just have a short time to respond to God's word to respond again with humble trust in this God to know his comfort, his strength, to humble yourself under his word. It's the only 2 of quiet prayer, then I'll lead us in a closing prayer. Lord God, you are the holy 1 of Israel. So far above us and beyond us and different from us, pure and perfect in your justice and purity and we are small and feeble and finite and frail.

And yet, Lord, we thank you for that amazing grace that we find in Christ. We thank you that we have forgiveness of sins in his shed blood. But I was to know that pardon again, that sense of being freely accepted by you even tonight. Lord, thank you that you've promised that you'll come again. We long that you would fill our hearts with that hope.

We wouldn't become so focused on this world that we would neglect that sure hope that 1 day we will see your glory, but work that hope in our hearts we pray. Finally, we thank you for your word that is solid and reliable and dependable. Help us to put our confidence in your word at whatever we're facing. And our God, we father we thank you that you choose to come and be present with us. And lord, we walk into another week at whatever that holds.

We pray that we would know your sovereign hand holding us in your grip of grace, tenderly leading us and guiding us. I've got to do these things we pray in us for our good but above all for your glory that Jesus will be exalted and glorified. And we pray in his name. Amen.