The Messiah Matches What We Know With What We See!

3rd Sunday in Advent, 12/11/22 Isaiah 35:1-10 The Messiah Matches What We Know With What We See! I. Regarding the church’s joy II. Regarding the church’s blessings Disillusions. Life is full of them. You had great expectations for your college education, but all sorts of things went wrong, and you ended up withdrawing. Now you’re wondering if you should try again to earn the degree you desired. You thought this new employment situation was going to be right up your alley, your dream position. But it only took a few months for you to become dissatisfied, and your entire employment attitude soured. For months you planned your dream vacation. And it started out just as you had hoped. But then your wallet was stolen, you became violently ill, and you missed your connecting flight on your return home. The same thing happens in our lives as Christians. We have this concept of how life should be as a member of God’s kingdom. We should be happy, right? Things should work out for us, shouldn’t they? After all, we’re God’s people. The church on earth should be winning, shouldn’t it? God should be bringing evil to an abrupt halt, or at least putting up some guardrails, shouldn’t he? But it’s not happening. We’re disillusioned. But is that God’s fault or our own? I’m guessing you know the answer. The fault is ours, and I can think of a couple reasons for it. One, our expectations are not what God promised us, and two, there might be some timing issues. We know what God promised, but we just don’t see it happening, at least not soon enough. If you’ve ever experienced those disillusions, then you’re in the right place at the right time. This morning our God reminds us of what he promises us, what we can expect from him. And then he matches what we know with what we see. Isaiah reminds us here in chapter 35 that this is the work of the Messiah, our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Messiah matches what we know with what we see. May the Holy Spirit use this portion of his word to make us confident of it. Part I. These words before us this morning are filled with pictures of hope and comfort. But what would cause our God to reveal them to us through his prophet Isaiah at this point in the rather lengthy book of Isaiah? Well, the context is important. In content, the words of Isaiah 34 are completely the opposite. In chapter 34 God announces his judgment against all people, a judgment that will come when the Lord returns on the Last Day. Then come these words of chapter 35, words of comfort and hope. Chapter 36 plunges the people of Judah into their present reality. The Assyrian army has surrounded Jerusalem and is threatening to destroy it. God’s Old Testament people must have been wondering what to believe, what to think, what to do. They were disillusioned. We know what that’s like. So, listen once again to these opening words of our text, “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.” I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures of the damage that the extended drought in the western states of the US has done. Lakes and reservoirs reduced to shallow ponds. Parched, cracked ground. Withering crops. Brown forests. And, unless there is abundant precipitation soon, the damage will be permanent. Isaiah’s words picture that transformation from desert death to luscious life. But he’s not talking about the physical land of Judah; he’s talking about the church, the gathering of all believers in Christ. At a well in Samaria, Jesus once referred to himself as living water. He is the one who creates spiritual life where there is only spiritual death. He’s done that for every one of us, for all Christians. We witnessed him doing that this morning as he used water connected to his word to bring Geralt into his kingdom. The eternal kingdom of God is the direct result of God drenching his people with the water of life, Jesus Christ. But most of the blessings of the kingdom of God are invisible to us and others. You can’t see forgiveness of sins. The outsider couldn’t tell that we have been transformed into children of God. No one can see that we are destined for eternal life with God. But they will when Jesus returns. Then the Lord Jesus will reveal who we are—his children by faith in him—and where we’re destined—to the eternal home in heaven which he has prepared for us. We know that’s what’s in store for us. Then we will see it with our own eyes. But that’s not all. There’s more. Listen again to these words of our text, “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’” Have you ever felt like you can’t take much more? Have you ever felt like just walking away from it all and not tell anyone where you’re going? But that’s really no solution. The solution is found in your Savior. He has promised to be with you and to strengthen you as you walk with him. Ultimately, he will usher you into his eternal rest when he appears in glory on the Last Day and rescues you from sin and every evil. I know that looks a long way off now, but it will happen. And it will fill us with eternal joy. The Messiah will match what we know with what we see regarding the church’s joy. Let’s be honest. We don’t see the church on earth as the home of joy and strength. Just the opposite. The church is under attack. It’s on the decline. That’s our present reality. And it tends to pull the wind out of the church’s sails. We’re weary. No one seems to care. Why try any longer? Because we know better. We know that what we see now is not the way things will be when the Lord Jesus returns. How can I be so sure? Because of what he did when he appeared on this earth the first time. He entered our world as the God-man on Christmas. He became one of us to battle evil and Satan for us. He died to rescue us from Satan’s hellish hold. And then he rose again to make us certain that everything he did, he did for us. Those blessings are ours, even though we can’t see them fully now. But we will, when the Messiah matches what we know with what we see. Part II. Disillusioned. We know what that’s like. So did John the Baptist. We heard about it in today’s Gospel. And notice what Jesus said. Go tell John what you see and hear. And then Jesus quoted these verses from Isaiah 35, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.” Jesus pointed to his miracles of healing. But recall that those miracles weren’t intended to be an end in themselves. Eventually, every person he healed died. The miracles were meant to draw them to Jesus and his saving good news. That’s the healing miracle he has accomplished in you. He has removed your sin-sick heart and has given you a new heart, a heart that beats with faith and throbs with love for him. A miracle indeed! But, the problems of life still surround us. To make things worse, we’re convinced our world is headed in the wrong direction far more often than in the right direction. Jesus drives away your fears and replaces them with the security that only he can provide. He assures you, “A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” You’re on God’s holy highway by faith in Jesus and that highway leads you directly into life with your Savior forever. And every other Christian is walking on it with you. It’s a glorious journey and the destination is never in doubt. Jesus made that destination certain for you when he came to earth the first time. He wants you to live with him in bliss forever and he made it all possible by his holy life, his innocent death, and his glorious resurrection from the dead. He wants to bless you forever, you and every member of his church. The Messiah will match what we know with what we see regarding the church’s blessings. But the church doesn’t look so blessed right now. It looks battered and bruised, almost down for the count in some places on earth. What’s more, there are times when we wish the church on earth would be more helpful to us. We’re struggling. We’re losing hope. We’re disillusioned. The reality is that we’re living in the church militant. It’s a spiritual battle and Satan is bringing everything he has against us. But he can’t win, and he can’t separate us from the love of our God, or the blessings Jesus won for us. If you have a hard time believing that, read these words of Isaiah 35 again and take them to heart. Jesus isn’t disillusioned about anything. He sees you and every other Christian on his holy highway which leads directly to eternal glory with him. We know that! One day we’ll see it. Indeed, the Messiah matches what we know with what we see! By God’s grace through faith in Jesus, see it every day of your life! Amen.