Scripture: Isaiah 40

I. God is comforter.

A. The comfort (vs. 1) God wants to bring to Jerusalem is to breathe new life and strength into
His defeated and demoralized people. God still calls Jerusalem “my people.” So, God says in vs.
2, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.” Some translators say this means, “Speak to the heart.” One
word of comfort God has for Jerusalem is found in vs. 2: “her iniquity is pardoned.” Her sin is
forgiven. God has no more punishment for His people.

B. God would bring His exiled people home from Babylon on a highway for our God. This was
God’s promise in vs. 5. In vs. 6-7 we read, “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower
of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it.” The
God who controls history is literally going to blow Babylon away. Isaiah says in vs. 9: “Behold
your God!” See your God and what He will do. He is coming for you with deliverance.

II. God is powerful.

A. How does God remind Jerusalem of His power to save them from Babylon in Isaiah 40? He
reminds the people that He is the All-powerful creator. God’s power in creation and in sustaining
life on planet earth is beyond all human measurement (vs. 12). When you look up to the stars
(vs. 26), you see that our Creator God is powerful enough to save you.

B. If you empty out a bucket of water, you’ll find there are a few drops left at the bottom (vs.
15). Those drops in a bucket are what the kings of the earth are like in comparison with God.
They are nothing (vs. 17) compared to God. And the idols of Babylon are made by human
craftsmen (vs. 20). God, of course, was not made by anyone. He is the Creator of all things –
including the wood that makes up the idol. And idols cannot move. They are not alive.

III. God is Savior

A. The wrong conclusion to reach about God’s awesome power is that He is too great to care (vs.
27). The right conclusion? God is too great to fail. We wait for the Lord to save us (vs. 31). We
look to Him. Mark 1:3-4: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming
a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John prepared the way for Jesus. Isaiah
53:5: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Application:
When you are in trouble, you need to fix your eyes and your thoughts on God.

Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Derek Thomas, Bob Fyall, David Jackman & Tim Chester

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) Have you ever felt that God is too big to care? How should the bigness and power of God encourage you instead?

2) Is there someone in your life who needs the comfort of Isaiah 40 today? What do you learn about God in this chapter that comforts Christians?

3) Because Mark quotes from Isaiah 40 in Mark 1:3-4, what do we learn from the New Testament about who will end the exile of all human beings from God and the true fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy?