Isaiah 40:3-5 Pt 1

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All right, this morning, back to Isaiah chapter forty. Isaiah

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chapter forty. The goal today is, really, I would like

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to say, to complete the entire section of verses three

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through five. That's probably not even going to come close

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to happening. We will do kind of an overview of

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versus three through five, and then we'll try to work

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on some very specific things and you'll just see how

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this all plays out. I was listening to a sermon

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on Isaiah forty three through five on the way here,

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and well, when you're listening to a sermon on Isaiah

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chapter forty, Versus three through five, and you end up

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with these three points as a believer, there are three

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things we must do to prepare the way. Number one,

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we should arrive to church early so that we can

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prepare ourselves for worship. Number two, we should meditate on

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the screen for that day's sermon before arriving. And number three,

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we should review the hymns that are going to be

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sung before we get to church. That's three points from

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a sermon on Isaiah forty, verses three through five. Literally,

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I don't even know, like I don't even know what

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to do that. Now, there are other good things in

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the sermon. To be fair, there was he did offer

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some historical context, did provide some good things. But what

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point is giving you the historical context of you then

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going to immediately leave the historical context to make it

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about the things we're supposed to do, right, I mean,

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there's so many issues here, so many issues here. So

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we're and again that's why we're doing Isaiah forty through

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fifty five because yet I mean I think now, I

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don't even know. I'm over at probably sixty sixty five

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sermons now and I've yet to find one that even

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and that's everything from Presbyterian Reform, Baptist and dependent babbtid.

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I mean, you named the group, and it's like, I

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don't understand why Isaiah forty through fifty five pastors seem

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incapable of just preaching the text. I don't get it.

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But we can criticize that or we can do what

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we can. So we're doing what we can. So we've

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already spent a lot of hours working on Isaiah forty.

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One of the things we accomplished before last week was

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an observational outline of Isaiah forty. Right, So if you

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have your observational outline pull it out because we need

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to follow that to some level. Right, last week we

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spent two plus hours and Isaiah chapter forty, verses one

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through two. Our observational outline called this section what God's

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called a comfort his people Isaiah forty verses one through two.

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Let's read those two verses. It starts with comfort ye,

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comfort ye my people, saith your God, speak ye comfortably

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to Jerusalem and cry under her that her warfare is accomplished,

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that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of

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the Lord's hand double for all her sins. So this

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section we referred to as God's call to comfort as people.

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We broke it down into two parts. Right, we had

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the command to comfort and Isaiah chapter forty, verse one

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as a repeated imperative comfort comfort my people. We had

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the declaration of this kind of this comfort or kind

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of the specifics and there were it was addressed to Jerusalem,

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and what were the specific things. Warfare has ended, iniquity

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has pardoned, received double for all her sins. We broke

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all of that down. I think we did a pretty

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good job. Nobody had any questions. I always just assume

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that means because I answered all of them, all right,

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So hopefully we covered that very well. That brings us

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today in our observational outline to the next section. And

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we broke it down verses three through five. I know

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others go like three through maybe eight, but we broke

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it down three through five. And we called this section

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what a voice of preparation, and we called it a voice.

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We did not use the voice, and we'll get into

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that in greater detail. All right, do you remember any

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of the way we broke this down. We broke this

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section down into how many parts? Three parts. The first

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part is verse three. The voice of him, please, not

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the King James uses thee, but the voice of Him

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that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye. The way of

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the Lord makes straight in the desert a highway for

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our God. And we refer to that as the voice

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to a call to prepare the way, right, the call

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to prepare the way. The next one is verse four,

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and which reads, every valley shall be exalted, every mountain

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and hills shall be made low, and the crooked shall

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be made straight, and the rough places plain. Everybody see

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that we called that transformation of the land. And then

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what did we have in verse five. Yeah, the revelation

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of God's glory, and I'll read it, and the glory

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of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall

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see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath

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spoken it right. So that's how we broke it down

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in our observational outline. So the goal today really is

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we're going to kind of do at least a it's

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definitely not an in depth kind of a general teaching

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on verses three through five. Once we do that, we

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will back up and start looking at some of the

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individual issues that we have to deal with in this text.

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I may mention some of the issues as we work

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through this, but hopefully it will be beneficial. All right,

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So is everyone ready? All right, let's do this first,

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Isaiah forty verses three through five.

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I'm going to read them all together again.

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Pay close attention, right the voice of Him that crieth

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in the wilderness, prepare you. The way of the Lord

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makes straight and the desert a highway for our God.

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In fact, let's just stop right there in verse three,

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just as your casual observation, what issues, what questions, what

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difficulties immediately come to your mind when you look at

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verse three What are some of the immediate issues, the

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immediate questions that come to your mind when you read

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verse three?

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Okay, who's calling? Or would you say? Who is the voice?

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Okay? So the first thing is the identity of the voice?

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Is everybody okay with that? I think that's fair. Right?

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Is it the voice? Is it a voice? Are we

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supposed to identify the voice? I think that's fair? All right?

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What's next? Okay? It is?

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It's okay. Why in the wilderness?

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All right?

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Prepare you the way in the wilderness?

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Right?

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Okay? I think that's a good question.

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Or the location here, maybe the identity of the speaker,

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maybe the identity of the location. There we go, that's

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a good question. This voice is telling someone to do

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what prepare you the way?

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Who's supposed to do the preparing?

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And they're supposed to make straight the desert of the

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highway for our God? How do you make a highway

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for God? Those are some basic questions any good Bible

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student should have right now, and my estimation right and

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this is why I hate sermons, because sermons come along

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and they're not really interested in trying to answer those

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questions as much as trying to say how can I

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take this verse and give you three points of something

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you can do something practical. That's why I can't stand

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sermons the sermons. And I know people get very upset

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when I say that, But here's my argument. Ever since

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I've become a Christian in the eighties, I heard it.

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All through the nineties, I heard it and into the

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two thousands, all the way up to twenty twenty four,

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I have heard it over and over and over. And

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this is the constant. It's always like, it's a crisis.

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It's a crisis in the church, and it will say

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the people in the pew are biblically illiterate, the people

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don't know the Bible, the people don't know Well, we've

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had a billion sermons and we can't fix biblical illiteracy.

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We can't fix the ill logical illiteracy. So then that

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tells me at least it part who's to blame the church?

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Okay?

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I mean, if we've had billions of sermons and people

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are still biblically and philologically illiterate, then now, on one hand,

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I blame the people sitting in the peu because there's

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no excuse to be biblically illiterate that you own a Bible. Okay,

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so that's on you.

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But if all the sermons aren't.

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Fixing it, And then we saw what happened in church

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history right when we got into the nineties and kind

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of moved on even starting in the eighties. It probably

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even started a little bit before that. It became this

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kind of mentality, Well, the pulpit is not there to

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fix the problem.

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What is there to fix the problem? Two words. The

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first one starts with the S and the second one

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starts with a G.

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Small groups. The pulpit can't do that.

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The pulpit's not and they will say this passionately.

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The pulp it's not a place for this in depth

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academic approach.

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We've got to have a small group.

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So then small groups were supposed to be the place

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where we really dig into the text. And what did

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small groups become? Talk about our feelings, hold hands, seeing

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kumbai ya have a snack, and so that we can

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make friends because we really need each other well or whatever. Okay,

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obviously I'm negative. So when we just go through and

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ask those questions, in my mind, a sermon should be

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already anticipating those questions. And what should a sermon, attempt

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to do address them, deal with them, no matter how

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long it takes. Now, as soon as you start that,

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then it no longer becomes in most people's mind a sermon.

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And that's where people will get frustrated with me. I

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just wish you would just like it would be like

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a sermon. I mean, I've had that criticism them here

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with some of the people who have left, is say,

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I just wish you would preach what do you mean?

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You wish?

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What do you want?

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And they can never clearly and articulate what they want.

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And I know what they want. They want three three

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little points and then want to feel like a church.

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They don't want it to feel like a school. I'm

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sorry when you have a text like that, if you're

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gonna deal with that text and try to answer those questions,

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it's gonna feel like what it's gonna feel like a school.

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It's gonna have to all right. Next verse, every valley

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shall be exalted, every mountain and hills shall be made low,

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and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough

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places played. What jumps out in those verses? What questions

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jump out to you in those verses? Oh, this is

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the big one. Is this literal? This a good question,

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is this literal? What do you think percentage wise most

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churches and most Christians do with this verse? Do they

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look at it from a literal or figurative perspective?

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Definitely figurative.

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Now I want you to listen to me, right, So

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we have literal, which would be very wooden like if

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we do it in a very little let's put this

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in categories very literal or possibly literal, but maybe or

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maybe it's literal, but not in a very specific way.

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I'll try to explain. So what most will do this

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the valley should be exalted, the mountains and the hills

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shall be made low, and the crooked should be made straight,

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and the rough place is plain. They will turn this

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into a metaphorical idea that this is about preparing yourself spiritually,

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and this is removing anything that's in a way spiritually speaking.

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But could it be that it's using kind of an

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allegorical or metaphor oracle. Let me do it that poetic language,

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but it's still referring to something more literal. I'm gonna

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at least pose that question because I struggle with the

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way a lot of people handle this all right, right,

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verse five, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

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and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth

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of the Lord hath spoken it.

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What jumps out of your out at you?

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In verse five? All right? The glory to me at

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two words? What two words do you think jumps out

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at me? Nope, one starts with an A, the other

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one starts with an f All flesh, why has that

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become complicated? All flesh are gonna see it? Is that

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every human being like, what are do we? Is there

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some qualifier here? So we've got a lot of questions

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to work through, do we not? So let's go through

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the tech. We'll do kind of a little bit of

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teaching on this, and then we'll see where we can go.

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All right, So those are a lot of questions. Keep

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those questions in mind. If we don't answer them to someone,

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make sure that we get to them. All right, We're

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not going to obviously be able to finish all of

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this today, So let's start, I think where we always

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need to start, the context of the passage. Context.

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Now we've been working on context.

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Over and over and over, but we and we're going

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to break context down into two parts immediate context, broader context. Right,

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everyone here should know the immediate context. What is the

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immediate context of Isaiah forty verses three through five? Well,

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it is a part of Isaiah forty which begins the

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Book of Comfort, which goes from Isaiah forty to Isaiah

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fifty five. This section shifts the focus from judgment to restoration,

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addressing whom.

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The Babylonian exiles.

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So the key for the media context is what section

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of scripture Isaiah thirty nine. Look for the specific verses

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that talk about going into captivity? Okay, yeah, chapter thirty nine.

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Does everybody have them? You should just know them, like

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by heart? Five through eight. Everybody got that five through eight.

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That's the immediate context, all right? Now?

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Why is that so important?

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Now? I gotta be careful here, So I'm gonna go

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this direction, and I may walk myself into my own

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hermeneutical trap. I but it's something we have to address, right,

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Are you ready? Isaiah thirty nine to five through eight?

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Is the Babylonian captivity literal? Yes? As the people mentioned?

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Is a specific king mentioned in Isaiah thirty nine five

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to eight?

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Is he a literal king? Okay?

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Yes? All right?

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Is Babylon a literal place.

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All right? So right before we get to forty, do

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we can we not agree.

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That that's literal?

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Okay? Go to Isaiah chapter one. How does Isaiah chapter one?

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I think maybe versus one? And following me, how does

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it begin Isaiah chapter one? Starting verse? I think maybe one? Okay, wait,

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so we have a vision concerning what are they literal? Okay?

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Go on? Is Isaiah literal? They say, the son of

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a literal person? Okay? Go on? Concerning what during the

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reign of Issiah? Is he a literal? Okay?

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Keep going? Is he literal?

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Okay? Keep going? He has is he literal? Keep going?

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And Hezekiah is he literal? Okay?

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Kings of is Judah literal?

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All right?

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So what am I trying to establish?

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That?

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All throughout the book, literal places, literal uh, literal events,

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literal things are occurring. So just now I know may

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be walking myself into a hermeneutical trap. But if I

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get trapped, I get trapped because I like to work

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the way I like to teach.

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Some people listen online, get it, some people don't. I

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like to walk through this with you like we're doing

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00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:46.559
it in real time. Okay, I may have notes, but

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I like to I'm willing to change anything in real time. Okay,

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So just so here's what I would say. The immediate

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context is literal captivity to literal Babylon.

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Everybody got that, Okay.

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These verses Isaiah forty three through five seem to present

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a call to prepare for God. I think that's fair. Right,

296
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Some commentaries will say to prepare for the Lord's coming. Okay,

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I'm just gonna say for God, it doesn't doesn't. Look

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at the verse again, it says to make a highway

299
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for your God. Is that what it says Isaiah forty

300
00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:38.119
I'm sorry, Verse three, make a highway for you God?

301
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Does it say God is going or coming?

302
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:52.440
Okay? All right, that's fine. I just want to make

303
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sure that we're looking at it as carefully as we can,

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all right, And you know, okay, all right, so we

305
00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:11.079
can say then, I think that's fair. Then we will

306
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say that this is a prepare for the Lord's coming,

307
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all right. And some will say that this context emphasizes

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certain things. I'm not gonna mention that at this point

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in time. So there's the immediate context. What's the broader context. Well,

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the broader context. Isaiah forty was written in the context

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of Israel's future exile in Babylon, because remember Isaiah forty

312
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was written before it occurred, right, and then that's talked

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about in Isaiah thirty nine six through seven, and it

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points to, ultimately in the historical setting, the eventual return

315
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under whom Cyrus. Okay, we cannot forget that name, Cyrus,

316
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Cyrus Cyrus. Now let me ask you a question. Is

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Cyrus literal? Okay? He was the king Persia, right, because

318
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the Persians conquer the Babylonians. Okay, okay, so the Persians

319
00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:13.359
are literal, Babel everyone here is literal.

320
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Just keep that in mind.

321
00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:17.799
Okay, because this puts us in a kind of a hermeneutical.

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You see where this?

323
00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.440
You see? I can't? I think you can see where

324
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I'm going?

325
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Right?

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If so much of this is literal surrounding it, how

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do we get in here and everyone just goes crazy

328
00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:32.400
with the figurative? Right? I'm not saying my literal is

329
00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:41.240
going to work, but okay, all right, right, I'm saying it.

330
00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.759
It could be using poetic language, which you may have

331
00:20:43.799 --> 00:20:49.039
some form of hyperbole, but it's still pointing to something literal.

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Does that make sense?

333
00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:55.240
You can use a metaphorical kind of language, but you're

334
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still pointing to something tangible.

335
00:20:58.359 --> 00:20:58.559
Right.

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If I say it's burning up in here.

337
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I think I'm gonna die.

338
00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:09.720
Okay, well that's metaphoric, that's exaggerated, that's hyperbole. But I'm

339
00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:14.359
pointing to a literal temperature, right, and it's literally warm,

340
00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:18.039
it's literally hot. Does that make sense? So you can

341
00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:20.680
use a kind of language, but you're still pointing to

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something tangible. But what most people do is they a'll

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take this section use metaphorical language to point to something spiritual.

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That's where we're gonna We're gonna have to struggle with her. Right.

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So the historical setting is the Babylonian captivity and the

346
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Ultimate deliverance. The passage reassures the exiles that their deliverance

347
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and restoration are certain because God is faithful to his covenant.

348
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I don't know if we can be that specific, but

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it does seem to say this. If this is spoken

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to the people who are in captivity, which we know

351
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that it is, it is obviously telling them that God

352
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is going to show up. God's about to be involved.

353
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What seems to indicate that they I mean, if we

354
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talked about this, they're in Babylonian captivity, they're suffering, they

355
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may be asking where is God?

356
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And this seems to tell them God is.

357
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Going to show up to some level. All right, I

358
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think that that seems to be okay, right, agreed? All right? Now,

359
00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:34.079
we do know that in Isaiah forty for a broader context,

360
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kind of for a broader context. We've looked at the

361
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immediate and how kind of a broader context, kind of

362
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a historical context. We cannot deny this In the New Testament,

363
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this passage is applied to John the Baptist, we cannot

364
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deny that.

365
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We can see this in Matthew.

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Three, Mark one, and Luke three.

367
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We will address that. I know that's where all sermons

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want to go.

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Well, let we can we at least say, within the

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immediate context, within the broader context, within the historical setting,

371
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can we agree to this much? For the people in

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Babylonian captivity, being told that John the Baptist is coming

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seven hundred years from now is of no value to them?

374
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Can we agree?

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And if this is about God showing up in Christ

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seven hundred years from that point, that is of no

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comfort to them? Right now. I know people say, oh,

378
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that should have brought comfort to them, should it? You're

379
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in Babylonian captivity. Hey, go ahead and start preparing because

380
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seven hundred years from now, God is going to show

381
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up in the person of Christ. This has to have

382
00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:50.880
something more what right, And this message is to bring

383
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comfort to the people in bondage, So it's there's gotta

384
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be something for these people. So there's kind of the

385
00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:03.240
immediate context, broader context, historical context. I just want to

386
00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:06.640
make sure we see all of those factors coming together,

387
00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:09.559
all right. So now let's kind of work through the

388
00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:14.599
passage itself. All right, let's start in verse three. We

389
00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:18.880
see the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness.

390
00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:23.119
We have the voice here. Now, let's just make sure

391
00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:26.559
we know this a voice or the voice will get

392
00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:30.880
into greater detail. Many will say the voice here is

393
00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:37.799
an unidentified messenger or maybe a prophet. It's someone calling

394
00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:43.640
someone to prepare for God's coming. Right, does that make sense? Now?

395
00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:52.000
And we say it's unidentified because does Isaiah identify the voice? No?

396
00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:52.839
Does not?

397
00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:56.680
Right? So can we at least be honest that the

398
00:24:56.799 --> 00:25:01.359
text does not identify the voice. So I think we

399
00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:05.119
can at least say that it seems to be calling

400
00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:09.039
people to prepare for God's coming, and its historical context,

401
00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:12.240
this refers to preparing for God's intervention to deliver his

402
00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:13.519
people from Babylon.

403
00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:15.839
Can we agree to that statement.

404
00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:22.160
That in this context it's calling people to prepare for

405
00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:27.319
their ultimate release from Babylonian captivity, or for at least

406
00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:30.680
God's intervention in their captivity. Maybe that's a better way

407
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:35.839
of putting it. So this voice is telling someone to

408
00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:44.480
prepare for God's ultimate intervention in their situation? Is that fair?

409
00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:48.319
I think that's an accurate way to present this, right,

410
00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:51.680
I think that's an accurate way to present this. Now,

411
00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:54.359
in the New Testament, of course, the voice is identified

412
00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:58.039
as John the Baptist. Now here's what I would say.

413
00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:03.440
Here's a question, and you're ready. Does the New Testament

414
00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:10.119
identify the voice and Isaiah forty verse three? Or does

415
00:26:10.200 --> 00:26:16.599
the New Testament use the voice in Isaiah and can

416
00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:20.799
and just to use it to identify or to explain

417
00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:23.119
what John is doing? In other words, is the New

418
00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:27.119
Testament kind of saying John the Baptist is being just

419
00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:37.200
like that voice in Isaiah forty verse three? Because everybody

420
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.519
says well, the New Testament identifies the voice. No, the

421
00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:43.759
New Testament, I think is simply saying John the Baptist

422
00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:45.759
is doing the exact same thing.

423
00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:50.599
He's serving in the same role. I don't even know

424
00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:51.200
if we want.

425
00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:55.240
To Okay, well, I think it's more just I think

426
00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.440
just it's saying, hey, you want to understand John the Baptist,

427
00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:05.880
understand Isaiah forty verse three. What do you think that's fair?

428
00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:10.920
Does anyone think I'm being unfair to the text? Do

429
00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:16.599
you need the New Testament versus? Okay, there's Matthew three

430
00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:34.279
to three. What okay? Well, guys identified? Okay, all right, right,

431
00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:41.640
he is preaching in the wilderness in Isaiah. All right,

432
00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:45.440
so we say it's more of an identifying all right. Now,

433
00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:47.960
should we take that identity and read it back into

434
00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:53.319
Isaiah forty or do we see Isaiah forty is possibly

435
00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:59.079
having two different purposes to identify, to speak of the

436
00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:01.519
voice that that time, and to speak to a voice

437
00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:06.359
coming later. But it has to at least be there's

438
00:28:06.359 --> 00:28:12.359
got to be something for the original people. Okay, there

439
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:17.160
has to be something. Can we agree with that? Right now?

440
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:22.480
So we have a voice of him that crieth in

441
00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:25.759
the wilderness. Now we're trying, we're gonna we're just walking

442
00:28:25.799 --> 00:28:28.279
through this and breaking it down in a general way. Okay,

443
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:30.720
So we have a voice that we can say is

444
00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:34.680
at least unidentified in Isaiah. Some will say it's identified

445
00:28:34.759 --> 00:28:37.599
in the New Testament as John the Baptist. I think

446
00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:39.960
that there has to be two elements going on here.

447
00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:44.000
There's a voice that is that's relevant in their historical setting,

448
00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:46.119
and then there's a voice that's going to come later.

449
00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:49.519
I think that's the only way to understand it. But

450
00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:53.759
it's a voice of him that's crying where in the wilderness.

451
00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:57.799
According to some translations, all right now, according to some

452
00:29:00.119 --> 00:29:09.519
wilderness is literal and spiritual. Right now, I'm going to

453
00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:12.559
struggle here, right, Why am I going to struggle here?

454
00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.200
Because what did I what? I've been trying to demonstrate

455
00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:19.359
all the literal stuff all around this, So I.

456
00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:20.599
Don't I don't.

457
00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:23.720
I don't like making this a metaphorical wilderness. I don't

458
00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.680
like that. Right. So if it's a literal wilderness, then

459
00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:29.319
what is it most likely referring to? Well, here's according

460
00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:35.720
to one source, you're ready, the wilderness is literal or

461
00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:40.960
a literal desert. Because the geographical root from Babylon to

462
00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:48.000
Israel basically was a wilderness or a desert. So this

463
00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:51.079
seems to be saying, hey, here's a voice coming to

464
00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:56.000
this desert, this wilderness that is literally the root that

465
00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:56.759
will take you.

466
00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:00.880
From Babylon back to Jerusalem. What needs to be.

467
00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:12.319
Prepared that route? Okay, yes, if we make it metaphorical,

468
00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:16.839
this is what people do that it's a spiritual metaphor

469
00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:22.720
for the barren state of Israel and exile, that the

470
00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:27.079
voice comes to it barren like desert of the people

471
00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:31.119
who are spiritually in the wilderness, they're spiritually bearing.

472
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:33.839
I'm not a fan of that.

473
00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:41.960
Well, basically, then what this is going to turn into

474
00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:50.160
is the preparing is to prepare themselves spiritually. Who's gonna yet, right,

475
00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:50.559
I know?

476
00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:55.680
So yeah, I know through the wilderness, right, I mean, like,

477
00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:56.400
I don't know.

478
00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:01.119
I have a hard time here. All right, So we

479
00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:05.200
have a voice unidentified, can we agree, at least in

480
00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:10.359
Isaiah's time, unidentified possibly identified in the New Testament, at

481
00:31:10.440 --> 00:31:13.720
least for that situation of him that cries in the wilderness.

482
00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:17.319
We have the wilderness possibly like you know, a literal wilderness,

483
00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:20.440
and it says prepare ye the way of the Lord.

484
00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:24.400
Everybody see that prepare ye, the.

485
00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:26.559
Way of the Lord.

486
00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:31.200
Now, this preparing seems to reflect a custom of preparing

487
00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:36.039
roads for royal processions. So the way it would work

488
00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:40.680
in that time if a king or royalty was coming along, right,

489
00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:42.640
people would go before to.

490
00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:42.960
Do what.

491
00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:48.480
Cleaning the road, but then would do it literally, like

492
00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:52.160
literally like get the road ready, get the road ready. Okay,

493
00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:55.880
so does that kind of see But once again that's

494
00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:01.880
a literal. It's using a literal image here now. Now this

495
00:32:02.160 --> 00:32:06.000
imagery seems to portray God as a king coming to

496
00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:10.759
lead his people back to the promised land. Okay, so

497
00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:13.119
you're making a way for the Lord, and you're making

498
00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:14.519
away for the Lord to come, do what.

499
00:32:16.839 --> 00:32:18.720
Deliver the people?

500
00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:27.599
Okay, right now, make straight in the desert a highway

501
00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:31.440
for our God. Make straight in the desert a highway

502
00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:36.799
for our God. Everybody see that phrase a straight highway again, Now,

503
00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:41.559
according to some symbolizes removal of obstacles that hinder God's

504
00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:44.880
people from experiencing his salvation. To how that goes straight

505
00:32:45.559 --> 00:32:50.720
metaphorical and spiritual. Again, Hey, God's going to come and

506
00:32:50.759 --> 00:32:53.119
he's going to bring salvation. You've got to.

507
00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:54.160
Make straight that way.

508
00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:56.799
Now, there's all kinds of thilological issues with that, right,

509
00:32:56.839 --> 00:32:59.240
So wait a minute, before I can be saved, I've

510
00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:02.440
got to do some I've got to start making things

511
00:33:02.519 --> 00:33:05.839
right before God saves me. Well, there's all kinds of

512
00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:09.359
issues with that, right. So then this gets into and

513
00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:12.240
it just gets into a major theological divide, does it not?

514
00:33:13.559 --> 00:33:18.880
How a part of Christianity believes repentance is a work

515
00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:23.519
of God given to us. Another part of Christianity's repentance

516
00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:29.440
is something you do, and then we don't. Even within Christianity,

517
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.720
there's not even an agreement on what repentance is because

518
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:37.079
some people believe repentance is simply a change of mind,

519
00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:40.559
where other people believe repentance is simply a change of action,

520
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:47.240
and it has some more practical implications. So that just

521
00:33:47.319 --> 00:33:49.559
leads us into a See, if we go with that direction,

522
00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:52.519
then guess what we're going to do. If we go

523
00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:55.880
with what they're doing here, we're gonna be doing what

524
00:33:56.160 --> 00:34:00.000
We're gonna read our theology into the text. You can't

525
00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:01.759
read your theology into this text.

526
00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:02.759
You can't do that.

527
00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:07.240
Why that's why again, why I hate sermons A pastor

528
00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:10.159
simply reads the theology of the church into the text,

529
00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:13.119
and then everyone says amen, because they already agree with

530
00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:17.840
said theology. If we turn this into preparing the way

531
00:34:17.880 --> 00:34:21.239
for salvation, you end up with a million theological issues.

532
00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:24.360
If we're saying that this is an actual preparing for

533
00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:27.280
God to come and deliver the people, then what kind

534
00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:30.480
of preparation and who's supposed to do the preparation? Are

535
00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:33.559
we referring to? What does it mean to make straight

536
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:37.719
a highway? Well, this would seem even if we go symbolic,

537
00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:44.480
it would seem to be removing what whatever the obstacle

538
00:34:44.639 --> 00:34:48.440
is to keep them from literally going back? Is there

539
00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:57.559
a literal obstacle keeping them back? What's the literal obstacle? Babylopians,

540
00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:03.599
they have to be If they are removed, then you

541
00:35:03.719 --> 00:35:10.679
prepare the way I'm going with. I know I'm going

542
00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:13.400
with a much more literal way here. I just have

543
00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:17.880
to at least consider this, right, I think we have

544
00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:21.920
to all right now? In a spiritual sense. This is

545
00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:24.480
how one source says it. It reflects the call to

546
00:35:24.559 --> 00:35:28.800
repentance John the Baptist ministry and the removal of barrier

547
00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:33.159
sin idolatry that separate humanity from God. Well, that's taking

548
00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:34.880
it to the New Testament. We're not going to get

549
00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:37.239
to the New Testament right now. So but if you bring,

550
00:35:37.320 --> 00:35:39.400
if you read that back into the Old Testament, then

551
00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:44.840
are you saying, hey, Israel, prepare the way, make the

552
00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:46.599
way straight? And how do you do that?

553
00:35:46.840 --> 00:35:48.559
You get yourself right spiritually.

554
00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:52.719
You've got to get yourself right spiritually or God's not

555
00:35:52.760 --> 00:35:55.360
going to deliver you from captivity. That's not the way

556
00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:59.280
this works. He guarantees them they're coming out of captivity.

557
00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:03.119
Is like, you've got to get yourself ready? Do they

558
00:36:03.119 --> 00:36:07.679
get themselves ready spiritually? What happens when they go back

559
00:36:07.679 --> 00:36:15.920
into the land? Right, But from a spiritual standpoint, doesn't

560
00:36:15.960 --> 00:36:19.119
God have to send profits to them to motivate them

561
00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:20.440
to finish the work.

562
00:36:28.960 --> 00:36:31.159
Right? Exactly?

563
00:36:31.559 --> 00:36:34.679
So they don't get themselves some spirit See if you

564
00:36:34.719 --> 00:36:39.559
turn this spiritually, it just turns. I know, it preaches good. Right, Hey,

565
00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:43.119
these people need to prepare themselves for God. And ladies

566
00:36:43.119 --> 00:36:45.280
and gentlemen, you sitting here this morning, you need to

567
00:36:45.280 --> 00:36:48.800
prepare yourself every day for God and discermon that I

568
00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:50.760
listen to. How do you do that? You get to

569
00:36:50.800 --> 00:36:53.519
church early and you prepare yourself to worship it. Just

570
00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:57.239
stop it. That's not what this text is about in

571
00:36:57.320 --> 00:37:02.039
my estimation. Does that make any Does everyone see where

572
00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:07.519
I'm going here? All right? So we've talked about the voice,

573
00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:10.559
and we talked about everything associated with this voice here,

574
00:37:10.760 --> 00:37:13.119
I think, and we looked at everything in verse three.

575
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:15.920
Could you agree that we kind of took verse three apart?

576
00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:19.559
Did we answer all the questions? No, we haven't answered

577
00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:22.039
all the questions, but we're doing our very best to

578
00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:25.159
break each section down. Okay, we will work back. I'm

579
00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:26.400
just right now this hour.

580
00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:28.039
What I'm trying to do is just get us through

581
00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:28.880
all the verses.

582
00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:33.679
Okay, anything else there? So what you can kind of

583
00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:37.920
hear my thesis starting to form right that the voice

584
00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:40.440
of Him that crieth in the wilderness prepare you the

585
00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:42.880
way of the Lord makes straight in the desert a

586
00:37:42.920 --> 00:37:47.360
highway for our God. That this is a literal voice

587
00:37:47.800 --> 00:37:51.559
telling literal people to prepare the way in some literal

588
00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:55.800
way for God and somehow literally make straight in the

589
00:37:55.840 --> 00:37:57.000
desert a highway for our God.

590
00:37:57.119 --> 00:37:57.880
And when I say.

591
00:37:57.719 --> 00:38:02.280
Literal, there is metaphorical language being utilized, but it's pointing

592
00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:09.519
to something tangible they're in a tangible wilderness. The route

593
00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:15.639
from Babylon to Jerusalem is wilderness. There's literal things that

594
00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:20.960
are in the way. Does that make sense? All right?

595
00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:28.559
So verse four, what do we have happening in verse four?

596
00:38:28.599 --> 00:38:33.800
We call this the transformation of the land? Right, Okay,

597
00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:37.400
every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hills should

598
00:38:37.400 --> 00:38:39.719
be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight

599
00:38:39.800 --> 00:38:43.639
in the rough places plain. All right, let's break this down.

600
00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:47.159
All right, this imagery, I think we can agree. You

601
00:38:47.199 --> 00:38:49.360
can tell me if you agree with this depicts a

602
00:38:49.559 --> 00:38:56.280
drastic transformation of the natural world. Can we agree that

603
00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:02.679
it seems to depict a drastic transfer? Okay, So if

604
00:39:02.679 --> 00:39:07.840
it symbolizes anything, what would it be symbolizing. Well, one

605
00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:14.360
source would say the removal of all barriers to God's purpose. Okay,

606
00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:19.480
So if you're going to say every valley shall be exalted,

607
00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:22.599
every mountain, hills shall be made low, and the crooked

608
00:39:22.639 --> 00:39:25.440
shall be made straight, and the rough place is plain.

609
00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:28.960
If you take all of that, using all of that

610
00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:34.719
geographical language in a metaphorical way, what has to be

611
00:39:34.800 --> 00:39:38.840
removed for them to be delivered? Again, I'm going to

612
00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:47.000
point to who has to be removed the Babylonians, the Babylonians.

613
00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:51.199
So it's using a metaphorical language, but I think it

614
00:39:51.320 --> 00:39:53.880
has to be pointing to that. Here are you ready?

615
00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:55.880
This is how one this sea just.

616
00:39:55.880 --> 00:40:02.719
Drives me crazy. Valleys lifted, mountain lowered signify the leveling

617
00:40:02.920 --> 00:40:11.239
of inequalities, the removal of human pride, and the undoing

618
00:40:11.400 --> 00:40:12.639
of oppression.

619
00:40:16.199 --> 00:40:22.920
Come on, now, come on, that's vast figurative. It's allegorical.

620
00:40:23.719 --> 00:40:28.400
Yeah, hey, so what you guys need to do is

621
00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:33.079
do you do who's doing this? Who's gonna be making

622
00:40:33.079 --> 00:40:36.199
the valleys low in the mountains like, the mountains low

623
00:40:36.280 --> 00:40:39.320
and the valleys high? Who's gonna be breaking this all down?

624
00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:42.239
Is it? Are the people to do this for themselves?

625
00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:43.880
They're the humble themselves? Like?

626
00:40:44.280 --> 00:40:45.440
Or is God doing it?

627
00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:45.679
Like?

628
00:40:52.360 --> 00:40:54.480
Well, even if you do it allegorically, you're ripping.

629
00:40:54.199 --> 00:40:59.599
The verse so far out of context, I say, right, yeah,

630
00:40:59.679 --> 00:41:04.320
I mean, I mean when it says every valley shull

631
00:41:04.360 --> 00:41:06.480
be exalted, just here's what I would say.

632
00:41:06.679 --> 00:41:07.320
Verse four.

633
00:41:08.559 --> 00:41:11.760
Clearly, Verse four is not telling them to do this.

634
00:41:12.079 --> 00:41:14.880
Verse four seems to say this is what's going to happen,

635
00:41:15.599 --> 00:41:18.159
don't Can we agree that there's a massive change.

636
00:41:18.679 --> 00:41:20.480
Three they're told to prepare.

637
00:41:21.679 --> 00:41:25.639
Four seems to transition from what they are to do

638
00:41:25.960 --> 00:41:30.039
to that this is going to happen, and that those

639
00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:33.199
things happening there seems to going to be beyond what

640
00:41:33.239 --> 00:41:35.599
the people can do, because even if you're using it

641
00:41:35.639 --> 00:41:39.559
in a symbolic way, the people can't do what. They

642
00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:44.000
can't exalt a valley, they can't bring a mountain. I mean,

643
00:41:44.159 --> 00:41:46.599
they're they're they're they're captives. They can't do any of

644
00:41:46.639 --> 00:41:49.159
this stuff. So this seems to be saying, this is

645
00:41:49.199 --> 00:41:57.719
what's going to happen, all right, well, and then us

646
00:41:58.880 --> 00:42:01.239
we could read the un and even ground should become

647
00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:05.480
level and the rough place is a plane. This emphasizes

648
00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:10.840
accessibility and ease as God clears the way for his people. Spiritually,

649
00:42:11.280 --> 00:42:15.280
it points to the removal of sin, rebellion, and injustice,

650
00:42:15.400 --> 00:42:17.639
making the way for God's kingdom to come in fullness.

651
00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:23.239
I don't get that, well, that.

652
00:42:23.159 --> 00:42:25.719
Would be like, yeah, that would be It definitely wouldn't

653
00:42:25.719 --> 00:42:28.000
be us, and it would be Israel. But I don't

654
00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:30.679
think that. I don't think this is a referencing to

655
00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:34.039
the future. This is referencing what's going to happen in

656
00:42:34.079 --> 00:42:35.039
this situation.

657
00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:40.039
I know.

658
00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:44.719
Look, I've got no problem saying that verse four is

659
00:42:44.840 --> 00:42:50.519
using some type of poetic language, right, But I think

660
00:42:50.519 --> 00:42:56.239
it's poetic language to describe that everything is going to

661
00:42:56.280 --> 00:42:58.559
be removed so that.

662
00:42:58.519 --> 00:43:03.000
They can do what be delivered and all of it.

663
00:43:03.159 --> 00:43:06.719
So if it's symbolic, what is it symbolically referencing everything

664
00:43:06.760 --> 00:43:09.400
that's holding them back? And I don't think that this

665
00:43:09.559 --> 00:43:12.000
is like God is coming to fix all of your

666
00:43:12.039 --> 00:43:14.679
sin problem, because he doesn't fix all of their sin

667
00:43:14.800 --> 00:43:18.119
problem because they still sin after they go back, right,

668
00:43:18.719 --> 00:43:22.559
So then that's not what it's referencing. It's gonna be

669
00:43:22.639 --> 00:43:29.280
referencing physical, physical things that would obstacles with physical obstacles

670
00:43:29.800 --> 00:43:31.400
or obstacles as.

671
00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:34.639
Far as the nation is concerned, how they're being held.

672
00:43:34.599 --> 00:43:37.039
All of that's gonna be said, All of it's gonna

673
00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:37.679
be taken.

674
00:43:37.400 --> 00:43:38.159
Care of, is it not?

675
00:43:40.400 --> 00:43:43.719
You know what? We I don't have the ability to

676
00:43:43.760 --> 00:43:45.119
do it now. If I did, I would look it

677
00:43:45.159 --> 00:43:47.079
up if you had internet connection. You know what we

678
00:43:47.119 --> 00:43:53.079
should really look at. What were the things that occurred

679
00:43:53.440 --> 00:43:57.960
literally and physically when the Persians defeated the Babylonians.

680
00:44:02.719 --> 00:44:08.119
What happened what occurred?

681
00:44:08.280 --> 00:44:12.599
They're like, was there massive destruction, massive upheaval or did

682
00:44:12.599 --> 00:44:14.800
the Persians just walk in and the Babylonians like we

683
00:44:14.880 --> 00:44:19.440
quit or was there battles and things destroyed? I mean,

684
00:44:19.519 --> 00:44:23.559
wouldn't that wouldn't that be an important question because we

685
00:44:23.639 --> 00:44:27.440
know literally the Persians have to defeat the Babylonians.

686
00:44:27.480 --> 00:44:30.679
We know that literally, right, And what year.

687
00:44:30.599 --> 00:44:32.239
Did you say it happened, Sarah? Kay, I don't have

688
00:44:32.280 --> 00:44:35.760
it five point thirty nine. I don't know if it

689
00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:38.199
was a one time battle, if it was a lengthy

690
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:40.920
I mean that those are questions like at this point,

691
00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:43.199
I don't I didn't even think about asking those questions

692
00:44:43.239 --> 00:45:18.079
until right now. But okay, okay, okay, so someone someone

693
00:45:18.119 --> 00:45:20.400
prepared the way for him to come in. He opened

694
00:45:20.400 --> 00:45:23.679
the gain, and he walked in. Okay, so it around

695
00:45:23.719 --> 00:45:27.320
So yeah, all right, that's interesting. Okay, So maybe it

696
00:45:27.360 --> 00:45:29.639
doesn't go that direction. Okay, but that's I'm glad that

697
00:45:29.679 --> 00:45:34.880
you have that information. All right. So all right, Oh

698
00:45:35.199 --> 00:45:37.400
don't know what to do with that, Okay, I just

699
00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:42.239
don't think put it this way. I have a hard

700
00:45:42.280 --> 00:45:45.000
time with all of this being turned into some spiritual thing.

701
00:45:45.039 --> 00:45:48.639
Does everyone see my issue? Here. Now we'll stop because

702
00:45:48.639 --> 00:45:50.679
we're right at the top of the hour and I

703
00:45:50.719 --> 00:45:53.000
wanted to finish this part so that we could get

704
00:45:53.039 --> 00:45:55.239
to the next. But we'll put it all back together

705
00:45:55.559 --> 00:45:57.360
in the next hour and see if we can really

706
00:45:57.360 --> 00:46:00.280
make some good time and see we can go through.

707
00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:04.320
So right now I'm presenting more of a hermonutical. I

708
00:46:04.360 --> 00:46:05.840
told you I was going to walk myself into a

709
00:46:05.840 --> 00:46:10.519
hermautical trap, right, but I just the voice of Him

710
00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:12.599
that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare you the way of

711
00:46:12.599 --> 00:46:15.239
the Lord makes straight the desert a highway for our God.

712
00:46:15.599 --> 00:46:18.079
Every valley should be exalted, every mountain and hills shall

713
00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:20.599
be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight,

714
00:46:20.719 --> 00:46:24.880
and the rough place is plain. I'm going to argue, yes,

715
00:46:24.920 --> 00:46:27.880
there may be some metaphorical language being used, there may

716
00:46:27.880 --> 00:46:32.320
be some illustrative language being used, but it's got to

717
00:46:32.360 --> 00:46:37.440
be pointing to something tangible. I have a hard time saying, hey, Israel,

718
00:46:39.039 --> 00:46:41.360
prepare your way for God, and all of this stuff

719
00:46:41.400 --> 00:46:43.719
is going to happen, and that means all of your

720
00:46:44.199 --> 00:46:46.760
your pride is going to be Like I don't get

721
00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:51.119
all of this supposed spiritual transformation that's going to occur.

722
00:46:51.239 --> 00:46:54.760
I just don't see it because we know when Israel

723
00:46:54.760 --> 00:46:57.079
gets to the land, some of the people don't even

724
00:46:57.159 --> 00:47:00.599
want to leave. Remember there was some issues that people

725
00:47:00.599 --> 00:47:03.639
didn't even want to go. And then when they get there,

726
00:47:03.719 --> 00:47:07.519
there's there's they basically aren't getting everything built and they

727
00:47:07.519 --> 00:47:11.519
have to send profits to go. Could you start getting

728
00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:16.760
things done? And then what happens long after that they

729
00:47:16.800 --> 00:47:20.199
go back into captivity to Rome. So I mean, come

730
00:47:20.239 --> 00:47:24.039
on now, like I I don't see this as like, hey, God,

731
00:47:24.239 --> 00:47:26.000
God's going to come in and fix all of your

732
00:47:26.039 --> 00:47:30.639
sin problems. That No, God's going to come in and

733
00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:33.199
remove all the obstacles so you can go back.

734
00:47:33.800 --> 00:47:36.159
That's what it's. That's what it has to be.

735
00:47:36.239 --> 00:47:40.920
So all right, we'll stop there and uh, we'll just

736
00:47:40.960 --> 00:47:43.199
see what happens. All we can do is walk walk

737
00:47:43.239 --> 00:47:44.920
through it the way we're walking through it, in a

738
00:47:45.039 --> 00:47:48.760
very non sermon like way, so that we can so

739
00:47:48.800 --> 00:47:49.960
we can struggle with this.

740
00:47:50.199 --> 00:47:51.360
See if I if I do it.

741
00:47:51.280 --> 00:47:55.119
In a sermon way, it's just gonna be me just

742
00:47:55.199 --> 00:48:00.199
basically giving you basically just one understanding of it, right,

743
00:48:00.559 --> 00:48:04.519
spoken in somewhat of an authoritative or dogmatic, assertive way.

744
00:48:05.639 --> 00:48:08.960
I may mention some of the other options, but I

745
00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:10.400
got to go quick because I got to get it

746
00:48:10.440 --> 00:48:12.960
done in a sermon, right. I mean, if we know,

747
00:48:13.039 --> 00:48:16.400
if you went to any church today and they were

748
00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:20.199
preaching on Isaiah forty verses three through five, they would

749
00:48:20.239 --> 00:48:24.039
finish it in forty minutes. You know that, and I

750
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:27.599
know that we're not going to finish it.

751
00:48:27.559 --> 00:48:28.679
In probably three weeks.

752
00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:33.480
Okay, there's a difference, now, is am I saying that

753
00:48:33.760 --> 00:48:35.440
going that in depth is always good?

754
00:48:35.519 --> 00:48:40.559
No, it can be difficult, but it's the This text.

755
00:48:40.280 --> 00:48:42.320
Has to be done with in a better way than

756
00:48:42.360 --> 00:48:44.960
it can't turn into what I heard on the way here.

757
00:48:45.840 --> 00:48:47.079
Get to church early.

758
00:48:48.719 --> 00:48:51.880
So you can get yourself ready to worship, review the

759
00:48:52.679 --> 00:48:55.559
text for the sermon, and review the hymns. Are you

760
00:48:55.719 --> 00:48:58.880
kidding me? That's what Isaiah forty three through five is

761
00:48:58.920 --> 00:49:01.559
reduced to. Now, I'm not saying that that's all he

762
00:49:01.639 --> 00:49:04.320
reduced it too, but the fact that played a part

763
00:49:04.360 --> 00:49:04.639
in the.

764
00:49:04.599 --> 00:49:06.400
Sermon was just insane to me.

765
00:49:06.679 --> 00:49:10.480
I just started laughing. All right, so we'll see what

766
00:49:10.519 --> 00:49:12.559
we can do and we can put this together. Right.

767
00:49:12.639 --> 00:49:13.280
I wish it was.

768
00:49:14.960 --> 00:49:18.000
They didn't it's not following my strategy here because this

769
00:49:18.119 --> 00:49:20.960
hour was supposed to finish this overview kind of but

770
00:49:21.199 --> 00:49:23.480
that's all right. Well, pray and we'll get started the

771
00:49:23.480 --> 00:49:25.559
next hour or God, we come before you this morning.

772
00:49:27.480 --> 00:49:28.440
Lord, there is so.

773
00:49:28.480 --> 00:49:30.840
Much here that I just got to admit, Lord, I

774
00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:34.800
don't quite understand how this is to be understood or interpreted.

775
00:49:34.840 --> 00:49:37.360
But Lord, the one thing I do know is that

776
00:49:37.400 --> 00:49:40.159
these words had to mean something to the original people.

777
00:49:40.719 --> 00:49:43.480
And Lord, let me not take these and apply them

778
00:49:43.519 --> 00:49:47.079
to me without looking at what it meant to the

779
00:49:47.079 --> 00:49:50.239
original people. Forgive us for mishandling your word. Help us

780
00:49:50.320 --> 00:49:53.239
understand this text, and help that mean something to us.

781
00:49:53.239 --> 00:49:54.960
And we asked this in Jesus name, and God's people

782
00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:58.159
said