Cornerstone Bible Fellowship
20260705 Worship
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      • Psalm 29:1–2ESV

  • Everlasting God
  • Behold Our God

      • Matthew 11:25–30NLT

      • Matthew 11:25-26ESV

      • Matthew 11:27-28ESV

      • Matthew 11:29-30ESV

  • Trust In God

      • Isaiah 40:1-3NLT

      • Isaiah 40:4-5NLT

      • Isaiah 40:6-8NLT

      • Isaiah 40:9-10NLT

      • Isaiah 40:11NLT

  • Introduction

    Preaching is an interesting dynamic. We always want others to hear and do what is (in our minds) right, but we become uncomfortable when some presumes to “preach at me.” When people don’t respond well to a message, preachers convince themselves “I was only passing along God’s message. Don’t kill the messenger.” My prayer is that everything you hear from this pulpit is not the ideas of Dave, but simply my conveyance of the Word God has given.
    Sometimes God’s Word challenges or confronts and sometimes it comforts. Sometimes we can listen with open-toed sandals, and other times we feel like we need steel-toed boots because the preacher is stepping on our toes.
    To put it another way, sometimes sound preaching afflicts the comfortable, and other times it comforts the afflicted. Since our text begins with the repeated word comfort, I planned this sermon with the 2nd goal in aim. How do I plan to bring comfort? Isa 40:2 tells the preacher to speak tenderly; Isa 40.3 describes a voice’s cry; Isa 40.6 describes another voice’s cry; and Isa 40.9 commands the reader to lift up his voice.
    TRANSITION: .How do each of these 4 statements bring comfort? Well, the first is...

    Comfort that Sin’s Penalty is Paid (Isa 40:1-2)

    Our lives often include warfare and iniquity (Isa 40:2)

    Warfare involves conflict with others because we are all sin-cursed individuals.
    Iniquity involves conflict with God because our sin-cursed lives are repulsive to His holiness.

    God’s hand levels and blesses (double for all her sins)

    expiation aka sin offering or atonement (Exodus 29; Leviticus 16)
    propitiation (Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10)
    Scripture does not gloss over conflict, iniquity and sin, it simply shows just how gracious God is to not only forgive, but to choose to look favorably on those who are forgiven.
    Rather than yelling “take your vitamins!” or “Eat your vegetables!” God desires that His people receive a tender reminder that conflict and struggle are NOT the end of His plan. That may be just the comfort that one of us needs this morning. At the conclusion of conflict, God doesn’t just neutralize the scale, He grants positivity!
    TRANSITION: Not only does God deal graciously with our conflicts, but He also mediates our challenges.

    Comfort that God’s Glory will be Revealed (Isa 40:3-5)

    Even if our journey ends in double blessing, that does not necessarily describe our current plight.

    Our Pilgrimage described (Isa 40:3-4)

    Wilderness -> way
    Desert -> Highway
    Valley -> lifted up.
    Mountains & hills -> brought low
    Uneven ground -> level
    Rough places -> plain.
    When I first moved from Johnson County to the Flint Hills I was warned to keep good tires, always have a spare, also carry a can of fix-a-flat.
    I had seen bicycle races like the Tour De France. I have personal friends who mountain bike with wide tires because of unsure terrain, but it wasn’t until I came here that I heard of gravel endurance races—75 to 150 miles on gravel roads! It used to be called “the Dirty Kansa” until somebody thought it was offensive to the Kaw and Osage tribes.
    Even when we lived near Denver, Colorado, our housing division was flatter than the hills of eastern Kansas! My 5-mile paper route when I was 12 had so many hills that one of the first things I bought with my paper route money, was a mini-bike so that I could navigate the hills!
    7. We don’t need to deny that our lives right now involve rough stretches and difficult terrain. The Comfort is that God is sure to change all that! This is NOT the end of the story.

    God’s solution will be observed by all, and will reveal something greater than we expect. (Isa 40:5)

    Do you trust what you see, or what God said?
    Comfort comes when we realize God has already spoken!
    TRANSITION: This confidence in God’s plan expands in the next group of verses.

    Comfort that God’s Word is Sure (Isa 40:6-8)

    1. Every time I hear these verses I think of the ministry of Gideons International. The first month I was in Winfield I met representatives from our Gideon Camp and was shown a testimony from the Gideon Convention about 10 years ago. I have not been able to get it out of my mind.
    2. Ron Archer Testimony - https://youtu.be/QgWXgBUOpd4
    3. I think this story perfectly sums the last line of v.8
    TRANSITION: Because our Sins are forgiven. Because We know God is at Work. And because we are comforted by the certainty of His Word, We can...

    Comfort with an Inviting Testimony (Isa 40:9-11)

    Look for God (Isa 40:9)

    We have conflict and challenge. but we can behold our God.
    Our journey is tough, and our enemy is strong, but we can behold our God.
    When evil seems strong, we can behold our God.

    He will judge (arm rules) and reward (Isa 40:10)

    His reward is tending, gathering, and carrying. (Isa 40:11)

    Conclusion

    In a world with distress and turmoil, God’s word provides comfort. In a world that seems hopeless and overrun by evil, God’s Word and God’s Work gives reason for comfort.

    Response Song #343...”Like a River Glorious”

    Benediction

    Ephesians 6:23–24 ESV:2016
    Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
  • Like A River Glorious

      • Ephesians 6:23–24NLT

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