Amen, Come Lord Jesus!
Isaiah 35
December 24, 2023
It is lost on no one this morning that today is “Christmas Eve”.
Every time of think of Christmas Eve there is always
One main word that comes to my mind: ANTICIPATION.
Certainly kids get it.
• Most can hardly sleep on Christmas Even night thinking about waking in the morning to go and open presents and such. There is excitement!
More than that,
• We obviously think back to the first Christmas and wonder about the anticipation that was building in the hearts of Mary and Joseph.
Any husband and wife who are about to have a child
Certainly have great anticipation about the event;
How much more if you were to deliver the Savior into the world?
Mary responding:
Luke 1:46-49 “And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.”
I think of the parents of John the Baptist,
• Who had seen their son born,
• But knew he was but a precursor to the great Savior who would soon arrive.
Zacharias saying:
Luke 1:67-75 “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”
We think of angels
• And the heavenlies and their anticipation of the coming Savior.
Luke 2:13-14 “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
I think of Simeon
• In the temple who had been promised that before he died he would see the Lord’s Christ.
Luke 2:27-32 “And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
The anticipation was real!
INDEED IT IS REAL!
And the anticipation was no less present in ISAIAH’S DAY.
Have we not read?
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
Isaiah has told us of His reign
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”
Isaiah 32:1-2 “Behold, a king will reign righteously And princes will rule justly. Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.”
Isaiah 32:16-20 “Then justice will dwell in the wilderness And righteousness will abide in the fertile field. And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places; And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low. How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters, Who let out freely the ox and the donkey.”
Even in our study of Isaiah there has been plenty of reason
To anticipate the coming of the Messianic King!
HOWEVER:
Isaiah has also given plenty of reasons to dread His coming too!
• Isaiah has pulled no punches in telling us what He thinks about empty religion or tradition learned by rote.
• God’s displeasure was all but spelled out as God raised up the Assyrian and then sent him into the land of Israel to trample them down in the streets.
And now, we’ve seen just what this righteous one is capable of.
• He crushed 185,000 Assyrians in the night like it was nothing.
• This is the One who treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God.
• This is the One who is so holy Isaiah feared for his life.
• This is the One that no one can stand before.
So, while we read those passages about the glory of His coming,
Are we really able to get all that excited about it?
• Aren’t I guilty of hypocritical religion?
• Aren’t I guilty of honoring tradition learned by rote?
• Aren’t I guilty of worldliness and wickedness?
• Haven’t I often times earned the discipline of God in my life?
So is the coming of the King something I should anticipate or dread?
I don’t know if you ever ponder such realities,
But I would imagine those in Isaiah’s day did.
To them the warnings of God weren’t empty.
• They had seen the northern kingdom annihilated.
• They had seen the villages of Judah decimated.
• They had seen Assyria encircle Jerusalem.
• They had seen God crush them like a bug.
• They knew what He is capable of.
Certainly there must have been A TOUCH OF ANXIETY
Regarding whether or not they were ready
For this King to appear in their land.
THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
Chapter 35 addresses the anxiety of the remnant
Regarding the coming of their King.
The heart of the chapter is absolutely beautiful!
(3-4) “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
• You can hear the beatitudes there.
• You can hear comfort extended to the poor in spirit and to those who mourn.
• You can hear Jesus’ offer to those who are weary and heavy-laden.
THIS IS A GOSPEL ENCOURAGEMENT.
• It is offered to the “exhausted” the “feeble” the “anxious” and those who “fear”.
• It is given to “strengthen” and “encourage” and calm their hearts.
And the entire encouragement comes in ONE 5-WORD PHRASE.
“But He will save you.”
Not:
• “You have been good enough”
• “Your sin isn’t that bad”
• “Your hypocrisy has gone undetected”
But only that
IN GOD’S DAY OF RECKONING, HE HAS DECIDED TO SAVE YOU
• He did it by His own sovereign prerogative.
• He did it according to His own free will.
• He did it with full knowledge of who and what you are.
• He has chosen not to crush you, but to save you.
YOU ARE THE REMNANT.
• To you He granted faith that you might believe in Him.
• To you He granted faith that you might trust Him.
• To you He granted faith that you might call upon Him.
And though you are no more worthy than the Assyrian
Who received the full fury of His wrath, He has chosen to save you.
You have been “redeemed” (vs. 9)
You have been “ransomed” (vs. 10)
“The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
That is the heart of the message of Isaiah 35.
It is certainly a message loved and reiterated by New Testament writers.
One church in particular, rested upon such words of encouragement.
TURN TO: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11
You see the same message there from Paul to the Thessalonian believers.
• They had heard the message of the Second Coming.
• They knew of its terrible effect on sinners.
• They knew it to be a day to be dreaded.
And yet Paul says, that’s true, BUT NOT FOR YOU!
“God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
On that great day of wrath and destruction, we will not find terror,
We will find salvation!
And you see Paul’s admonition to “encourage one another”.
The message of Christ’s coming
Is not supposed to be a terror to the church,
It is supposed to be an encouragement.
TURN TO: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:6-10
It’s that same message.
• The day that Christ is revealed from heaven will be a horrible day for sinners.
• He will deal out retribution.
• There will be eternal destruction for them.
But not for you!
He comes “to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed – for our testimony to you was believed.”
For them it is a day of destruction, but for you a day of salvation.
TURN TO: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-15
You recall that someone had lied to the Thessalonians and sought to convince them that they were now under God’s judgment.
They fear they are now experiencing the very judgments
Paul told them they would escape.
Again Paul encourages them.
• FIRST with a practical timeline so that they may know that this is not the day of the Lord.
• AND THEN with a reminder that “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation”
They will receive destruction but you will
“gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
You see that Paul is seeking to encourage believers
• That though the coming of the Lord will be a terrible day of judgment for the world,
• It will not be so for believers.
• For those whom He has chosen to save, it will be a day of deliverance, vindication, and glory.
BE ENCOURAGED!
And that is precisely the sermon of Isaiah in chapter 35.
After having taken an alarming look at the coming day of destruction
Isaiah now sets out to encourage the remnant.
• You are those He has chosen.
• You are those to whom He has granted faith.
• You are the redeemed.
• You are the ransomed.
“The recompense of God will come, but He will save you.”
So let’s look at this wonderful truth from the prophet that is meant to cause you to anticipate the coming of the Lord, not to dread it!
3 main points
#1 THE REVELATION
Isaiah 35:1-2
What a drastic turnaround from the previous chapter!
• In chapter 34 we just read about the desolation of all things.
• We read how God was returning the world to TOHU and BOHU
Isaiah 34:11 “But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.”
We read about how God was returning the world
To a position of desolation and emptiness.
But when we get to chapter 35 we see a complete reversal of fortunes for His people.
We read of a wilderness becoming a garden.
(1-2) “The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God.”
This is not God making all things desolate,
This is God making all things beautiful.
And one cannot but help pick up on the mood.
“glad” – “rejoice” – “blossom” – “rejoice” – “rejoicing” – “joy” – “glory” – “majesty” – “glory” – “majesty”
There is nothing negative there mentioned.
What God is doing here is a glorious thing.
What God is doing here doesn’t cause gloom, it causes joy!
Psalms 96:10-13 “Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.”
Paul said that ever since the fall in the garden, creation has been eagerly awaiting this day!
Romans 8:18-22 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
And the simple point to be understood here is that
Though the wicked will be destroyed when the Lord comes,
That is not the fate for His people.
For those who are His, this is a glorious day.
For the wicked, He will turn their garden into desolation.
For the redeemed, He will turn their desolation into a garden.
After all, as we saw last week, what He is doing He does FOR them!
Isaiah 34:8 “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”
And Isaiah here looks at the remnant and says
The point is NOT that you FEAR the coming of the Lord,
But rather that you PREPARE for it.
• It is only a terrible day if you are His enemy.
• It is only a terrible day if you have chosen to remain in rebellion.
• It is only a terrible day if you live in defiance of His reign.
But for those who have trusted in Him and submitted to Him,
What a joyful and glorious day it will be when He returns.
It will be paradise itself!
That is the revelation.
#2 THE REASSURANCE
Isaiah 35:3-4
Isaiah is aware of the effect that recent events and recent preaching may have had upon the remnant.
• They had witnessed the Assyrian invasion.
• They had been told it was part of the disciplinary hand of God.
• They had seen God’s power and rage first hand in the wake of 185,000 dead Assyrians.
Isaiah had told them of their empty religion and worldly idolatry.
One could hardly be surprised if they were a little fragile.
But Isaiah’s message is NOT, “Run and hide”.
Isaiah’s message is that “You have nothing to fear”.
(3-4) “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Let’s take a look at the condition of this remnant.
Isaiah calls them “the exhausted” – It is two words in the Hebrew and it literally means “slack hands”
Job 4:3 “Behold you have admonished many, And you have strengthened weak hands.”
It speaks of one who no longer has any strength to lift their arms
And thus it is translated “exhausted”.
They have come to their end.
They are exactly the people Jesus was speaking to when He said:
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
They are certainly typified in that first beatitude:
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
They are Hezekiah, who had done all that he knew to do to save the city and came up empty.
• He had given up on human effort.
• He had given up on human plans.
• He was broken and finished.
All he could do was take Sennacherib’s letter and show it to God.
In utter exhaustion, He turned to the LORD in the temple.
That was this remnant.
• They had nothing.
• They could not fight.
• They could not run.
Isaiah also calls them “feeble”
This Hebrew word means “to totter or waiver through weak knees or ankles”
In Psalms 31 it is translated “strength has failed”
Psalms 31:10 “For my life is spent with sorrow And my years with sighing; My strength has failed because of my iniquity, And my body has wasted away.”
Many times it is translated as “stumble”.
Isaiah 40:30-31 “Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
And you get more of the picture here about our remnant.
• Not only have they done all that they can do and no longer have strength.
• They are now broken and terrified and ready to fall.
• There is no strength left in them.
• To think of saving themselves at this point is a pointless empty hope.
And thus the final adjective makes perfect sense.
Isaiah calls them “those with anxious heart”
Again, two Hebrew words which mean “to be hurried in the inner man”
In other words, their heart is racing! They are terrified.
And why wouldn’t they be?
• They have no strength.
• They have no ability.
• They have come to the end of themselves in every possible way.
And to the world this looks like a terrible place to be.
But if you read the invitations of Jesus again:
THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE JESUS SAVES!
WHY?
Because these are the type of people who know they need saving.
• Pride is the enemy of salvation.
• Self-righteousness won’t save anyone.
• Human effort and ingenuity only condemn men.
It is only when a man comes totally to the end of himself
And falls helplessly on Jesus that he can be saved.
AND THAT IS WHERE THIS REMNANT IS!
It took an Assyrian invasion to get them to this point, but they are there.
AND LOOK AT THE MESSAGE OF ISAIAH TO THEM.
To the “exhausted” (weak handed), Isaiah says “encourage” them.
“Encourage” is the Hebrew word that means “to tie fast, to bind, or to make strong”
In other words, Put strength back into those weak handed people.
Let them know that salvation is not beyond them just yet.
To the “feeble” (weak kneed) Isaiah says to “strengthen” them.
“strengthen” is (AW-MATS) “to make strong in the feet”
It is often translated “courageous”
Psalms 31:24 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”
And to those with “anxious heart” (hurried in the inner man) Isaiah says “fear not”
It is a beautiful picture of
• A man who is totally broken and helpless and who has given up.
• He is waiting to die,
• ISAIAH’S COMMAND IS TO pick that man up, encourage him and tell him not to be afraid.
WHY?
What possible reason would this man have for eliminating his fear?
He can’t stand.
He can’t fight.
He can’t run.
What fact in the world could possible encourage a person in such a helpless condition?
JUST ONE.
“Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
God has chosen to save you.
• He is not here to help you save yourself.
• He is not asking you to help Him save you.
• “He will save you.”
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Church, that is the hope we have as well!
We know that Christ is coming to this world to judge it with eternal fire.
• He will come and trample the wine press of the wrath of God.
• He will crush sinners.
Our hope of salvation IS NOT that we are so much better than the world.
• Our hope IS NOT that while they did wrong we did right.
• Our hope IS NOT that while they were unworthy we are somehow worthy.
NO!
Our hope is that in spite of our sinful weakness,
He, by His own sovereign prerogative has determined to save us.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Or as Jesus said.
Luke 21:25-28 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Listen to the apostle John.
1 John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.”
1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
DO YOU SEE THE POINT?
Isaiah began his ministry in chapter 1
With a group of people who were certain that they were pleasing to God because of all that they did.
THEY WERE WRONG
God told them that He hated their festivals and appointed feasts.
And He told them to stop bringing it because it was useful.
And yet, even then, in the VERY FIRST SERMON
He outlined the plan of salvation.
Isaiah 1:18-20 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
But remember, they weren’t interested.
So Isaiah went on to tell them about their pointless idolatry and their hopeless alliances with the world.
Nothing could save them from the wrath that was on its way.
EXCEPT FOR ONE THING!
Isaiah 30:15-18 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill. Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.”
God had repeatedly called them to come to the end of themselves
And trust in Him and day after day they refused.
UNTIL THE DAY that all their human strength failed and all their human ingenuity collapsed.
ON THAT DAY, with weak hands and feeble knees and terrified hearts they cried out to God – AND HE SAVED!
And Isaiah says that is exactly the point about the coming of the King.
He saves the lowly!
He saves the broken!
He saves the weak!
He doesn’t save the “good” or “religious”, He saves the humble.
Those who humble themselves and trust Him:
• Even though they are weak – they will be saved.
• Even though they have no strength – they will be saved.
• Even though they bring nothing to the table – they will be saved.
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
SO LISTEN CHURCH.
• If you have come to the end of yourself…
• If you have given up on any works of yours being acceptable…
• If you have seen your weakness and spiritual bankruptcy…
• If you have cried out to Jesus to save you without any help from you…
Then even though His coming will be a terrible day of judgment
It will not be so for you. On that day you will be saved.
GUARANTEED!
You have nothing to fear and nothing to dread.
• YOU CAN ANTICIPATE the second coming the way a child anticipates Christmas morning.
• YOU CAN ANTICIPATE the second coming the way Zacarias and Simeon and Joseph and Mary anticipated the first.
DO NOT FEAR!
The Revelation, The Reassurance
#3 THE REALITY
Isaiah 35:5-10
These are just 6 verses to give you but a glimpse of the glory and goodness
That awaits for you on the day He returns.
LET’S START WITH THE REMOVAL OF SICKNESS.
(5-6) “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.”
We saw a glimpse of that while Jesus walked the earth.
• After reading the gospels is there any doubt that Jesus can open blind eyes or give strength to the lame?
Imagine if you knew you were getting new eyes in the morning or a new hip or a new body? Would you be excited to open presents?
IT IS COMING WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES AGAIN.
LET’S TALK ABOUT PARADISE
(7) “The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.”
Drought and famine were two of the most visible consequences of sin and the fall throughout the Old Testament.
But here we find an end to the curse.
The desert becomes again the garden of Eden.
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WON’T BE IN HIS NEW WORLD
(8-9) “A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,”
• Nothing “unclean”
• No “fools”
• No “lion”
• No “vicious beast”
Mostly because there will be no sin.
It is a “Highway of Holiness”
A land without sin.
A land without corruption.
A land without compromise and wickedness.
And again notice who gets to dwell there.
“But the redeemed will walk there”
• It’s NOT FOR people who did good works.
• It’s NOT FOR people who were good enough to earn it.
• It is ONLY FOR people who ran to Jesus Christ and were redeemed (bought back) from their sinfulness.
IT IS FOR YOU!
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF THE DAY
(10) “And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Any word stand out to you there?
• “joyful”
• “joy”
• “gladness”
• “joy”
Twice in the past couple of weeks
Carrie and I embarked into Lubbock for shopping.
Once for Christmas gifts. Once for groceries.
And they may call this the “most wonderful time of the year”
They may call this a time of “joy to the world”
But how much joy did you get when you took on the city?
It is rushing and anger and greed and frustration.
It’s because we have a world anticipating the wrong thing.
They have no idea what they are celebrating.
WE CELEBRATE THE FACT
• That God became man and dwelled among us.
• That He fulfilled the Law that was too much of a burden for us.
• That He bore the wrath of God for sin we committed.
• That He rose from the dead and conquered our greatest enemy.
• That He ascended to the right hand of the Father where He secures our salvation.
• That He will come again to completely finish what He started.
And on the day when Christ returns and Christmas is completed,
That will be joy to the world!
But really we could sing, “Joy to the Redeemed”
For we will be the only ones left standing to enjoy it.
Psalms 30:4-5 “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”
Church, on Christmas Eve be filled with anticipation.
Not for pancakes or presents.
Be filled with anticipation that Jesus Christ is coming back to save you.
Hebrews 9:27-28 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
