Are you ready for Christmas?

Exeter Temple Bible Message notes 
30^th November 2014

 

Bible Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8

As a result of their disobedience the people of Israel had been in exile for many years when Isaiah has a new message for them. However Isaiah declares that they should get ready for a change in their fortunes.                                      

 

“Comfort, comfort my people says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that he 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.”

(Isaiah 40:1)                                                                                                                                                               

It was not enough for the people to rejoice in the fact that the exile was nearing an end but they needed to get ready for the journey home and get to know God again so that they can fully experience the new life that he wanted to offer them. 

 

1. Get ready for his glory

God would send a messenger ahead of him announcing that he was about to act and bring in a new kind of kingdom. (v 3)  In Bible times, a herald or messenger was a royal officer who proclaimed the king’s messages and decrees to the people. If the king was making a visit to one of the cities or provinces in his kingdom, the herald would run ahead of his chariot and announce his coming. Isaiah says look out for a messenger who would be a sign that they need to get ready to see God coming glory.                                                                                         
The word glory is used to refer to someone getting the credit and being honoured as a result or when we say something is glorious we mean that it is wonderful.  When we talk of God’s glory we mean both. God deserves to be given honour and praise because he is utterly worthy of it.      
glory = weighty                                                                               
God is not insubstantial he is a “heavy weight” in terms of his importance. 
His nature is glorious.
                                                     
“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind will see it.”
(Isaiah 40:5)

Israel remembered the time in the wilderness when God’s glory had been visibly seen in the pillars of fire and cloud that had guided God’s people to the Promised Land.  Now Isaiah promises that they would see God’s glory among them again.  There would be a sign of his presence and his power visible among them again.  This promise was fulfilled was not through a physical fire or cloud but in Jesus Christ.

“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14)                                                                                      

As the messenger, promised in Isaiah, John the Baptist had to remind  people not to get so excited about his ministry that they missed his message.  Someone greater, more powerful, more compelling, more amazing than anyone that has ever lived, someone was coming.                   

“After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise with water but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:7-8)                                            

It is Jesus we need to be ready for.  Like the people in the days of John the Baptist it is so easy to get caught up in the overture and miss the concert, to base our faith in the messengers of God rather than God himself.                   

2 Get ready by preparing the way

 “In the desert prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40v 3)

In earliest times road work was very simple. Stones were simply removed from the pathway, bumps were levelled, and pot holes were filled. When a dignitary, was due to come major road repairs were made. Isaiah uses this familiar practice to represent the spiritual preparation that the people needed to make so that nothing might hinder the advent of God in their lives.  John the Baptist makes a very clear link between removing obstacles and repentance. Repentance is to turn around from sinful ways, sinful habits and sinful practices.

“Repentance is “genuine sorrow for sin and sincere resolutions of amendment.” (John Wesley)
Boulders could represent the things we have done that we should not have done; the potholes the things we have failed to do which we obviously should have done. (Celtic Daily Prayer from the Northumbria Community)

We make preparations for Jesus Christ by removing any obstacles that would prevent him from having full access to our hearts.
“Until we sorrowfully change our sinful habits, we are not ready for the Lord to come. Until we repent, we have not prepared our hearts for him. If we truly want to enjoy the Christmas season...we need to prepare our hearts...and the first step of preparation is repentance. We cannot truly enjoy the celebration of Christmas if we have allowed sin to have a foothold in our hearts.” (Anon)

 3. Get ready for God’s power
We must not however that the only way our hearts will ever be ready to make a place for Jesus is through his power.  Whilst Isaiah 40:3 urges people to make every effort to prepare the highway for God, verse 4 seems to indicate that the removal of mountains, the smoothing out of rough places and the filling up of the valleys is something that God himself does to prepare us for the arrival of His glory “

The Holy Spirit moves into our lives to fill in our inadequacies, insecurities, and weaknesses.  Every valley of unbelief, fear of failure, and doubting must submit to the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Every thought of “I Can’t” turns into I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. ……Nothing is more exciting that when God fill the valleys and nothing is more painful than when God levels the mountains.” (Larry Elder)

Without God’s supernatural transformation our attempts at repentance will be as
powerless as New Year’s resolutions

4. Get ready by gaining a true perspective on what is important

Isaiah compares our life and our glory to that of grass and flowers which are fading and temporary. (v6)  The TV so passionately fought for at the shops in Black Friday will probably last 5 to 6 years at the most.

It is the word of our God that lasts forever. We are too used to the emptiness of words and we assume that there will be some level of disconnection between what people say and what they actually do even when the intention is there. There is no disconnection between God’s word and God’s action. The contrast is made between human frailty and God’s enduring word. God’s promises are not like our promises. God keeps his covenant through all generations, even to this day.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Isaiah gives us our true focus for Advent.
The spiritual preparations for Christmas ultimately prepare us for this final return. We don’t repent and clean out our hearts just so that we can celebrate Christmas in a more spiritual way. We repent and make these preparations so that we are ready to welcome Christ on the day of his appearing.
 
Blessings
Alan