Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Isaiah 35:1-10
Isaiah
35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like
the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The
glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they
will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
3
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your
God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with
divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water
will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In
the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The
unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But
only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will
return.
They
will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness
and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
-- not to date myself too much, but
when I was in Forestry School at the University of Georgia in 1988, all our
attention turned to Yellowstone National Park
-- for years, there had been a debate
about how the National Park Service -- the NPS -- should manage these areas -- the
prevailing direction from Washington was that the parks were to be managed
“hands-off” -- in other words, we were not to do anything in the parks -- we
were to leave them alone and let nature take control -- to just let the parks
be natural with no human interference
-- but other scientists argued that the
world was vastly different now than it was when these parks were first created
-- weather systems were impacted by humans -- the visitors to the park
introduced negative effects -- that the roads and the lodges and the scenic
areas were all artificial and required management if the parks were to be
sustained -- their argument was that if we left the parks alone in this
human-affected environment, negative things would happen
-- but the status quo prevailed -- and in
the summer of 1988, when lightning-caused fires began to occur in Yellowstone,
the park manager allowed them to burn on their own -- in early June, this
wasn’t an issue -- it was a wet season -- the fires were limited in size --
they would burn a few acres, and then go out on their own -- it seemed like the
status quo was right
-- but then the rains quit -- and when the
park manager tried to allow the new lightning-caused fires to just burn out on
their own, things didn’t go quite as planned -- the fires began to rage through
the Yellowstone ecosystem -- at the same time, areas around Yellowstone began
experiencing uncontrolled wildfires -- and these burned into Yellowstone’s
boundary -- joining with the other fires and creating a massive wildfire
situation in Yellowstone
-- all of us students in natural resources
at Georgia watched -- along with the country -- as the fires raged in the park
and became out-of-control -- the park relented and began trying to put the
fires out and to protect certain areas, like Old Faithful and the Yellowstone
Lodge -- but other areas burned unabated
-- all told, a total of 800,000 acres --
almost 40% of the park -- burned that summer before the rains finally came and
the fires were put out
-- Yellowstone was devastated -- news
accounts showed nothing but blackened earth -- dead trees -- and dead animals
-- the public and scientists both wondered if Yellowstone would ever recover
from such a devastating wildfire season -- would the park ever come back to its
original glory?
-- but amazingly, it did -- following the
late summer and early fall rains that put out the fires, small sprigs of green
popped up across that blackened landscape -- everyday, more and more plants
sprang from the ashes of Yellowstone -- and then wildflowers erupted and
covered the hills -- something that had never been seen before in the park
-- as park managers breathed a sigh of
relief and as the world watched, beauty emerged after the fire -- and
Yellowstone recovered
-- some days, it feels like we are in the
midst of a blackened wilderness, just like Yellowstone was -- our news is
filled with story after story of severe weather and natural disasters -- not a
week goes by that we don’t have stories of floods or tornados or hail here in
the U.S.
-- and not a week goes by where we don’t
hear about increases in crime and violence -- of wars and rumors of war -- of
political and social and cultural division -- of the corruption of mankind and
the loss of our moral compass -- of inflation and high gas prices and economic
doom
-- it can get so easy to just fall into
doom and gloom and despair and to lose hope about the future -- we look around
us and see no way out -- we look around us and have no hope -- and we wonder,
just as the world wondered about Yellowstone, will things ever get better
again? -- will we ever see beauty come from the ashes of this world again?
-- in response, God speaks from His
word with a resounding, “Yes!” -- with a promise of restoration and redemption
and healing -- with a promise of good things and good lives and an eternity of
pleasure with Him
-- it’s like Steve May said -- “There
are many things about our lives that we can't control. World events take place
and there's nothing we can do about it. The economy goes up and down with or
without our participation. [But] The future isn't ours to control; it's God's
to control. And he is in control, and he wants us to know it. His promises will
come true.”1
-- and just like God brought forth
restoration and healing to Yellowstone National Park after the fires of 1988,
God has promised to restore and renew this world -- to bring beauty from the
ashes -- to redeem this world from sin and death and the evil that followed
-- we see just such a promise here
in Isaiah 35 as God gives us a glimpse of what this world will look during the
millennial reign of Christ
-- so, let’s look at this together
now and find the promise of hope that God is giving us in this glimpse of His
future kingdom
II. Scripture Lesson (Isaiah 35:1-10)
-- before we turn to this passage, let me
give you the setting and context -- the Book of Isaiah contains several cycles
of judgment followed by blessing -- in the earlier chapters, we read of God’s
judgment on the nations around Israel and God’s eventual blessing of the
Israelites as His chosen people
-- in Chapter 28, a new cycle of judgment
begins -- this time, the focus of God’s judgment is on His people -- He calls
the nation to repent -- to rely on Him instead of man or other nations -- to
turn back to Him because the Messiah, the King of Righteousness, is coming with
salvation and resurrection power to redeem Israel and to make Jerusalem the
seat of His government
-- as part of the Messiah’s ministry, He
will judge the rebellious nations and avenge the enemies of Zion, including the
nations of Assyria and Babylon -- Chapter 34 is a bleak chapter, as we read of
God’s vengeance on the nations around Israel and how He turns their fruitful
lands into deserts and wilderness
-- but following this scene of judgment
and wrath -- of desolation and devastation -- God ushers in a picture of His
final healing and restoration of the earth -- into a world characterized by
evil and violence and natural disasters, God promises the dawning of a new age
and healing of all Creation, including mankind -- in other words, things may
look bad now -- things may be bleak -- but a new dawn is coming when Christ
restores the world and claims His throne
-- with that, let’s look now at Isaiah 35,
starting with verse 1
Isaiah
35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like
the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The
glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they
will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
-- with the coming of the King, the desert
and the parched land rejoice -- they burst into bloom, like the crocus -- and
rejoice greatly with shouts of joy
-- it’s interesting that we see the land
personified in this passage -- there’s a lot we don’t understand about God’s
creation -- we see it now as it exists after the fall -- after the effects of
sin and death and man’s activities -- we don’t know what it was truly like
originally, when God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the
day
-- Isaiah writes here that the land cries
out with joy -- that the land is glad -- apparently, creation communes with God
and cries out to God with a voice that we cannot hear, but that God can hear
-- when the Pharisees complained to Jesus
about the crowd cheering Him as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He said
that the stones would cry out if the people were silent
-- and in Romans 9:19-22 we read, “For the
creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. -- For
the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the
will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be
liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of
the children of God. -- We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in
the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
-- right now, all of creation is crying
out and groaning because of the curse that fell on it when Adam and Eve sinned,
but when the Messiah comes -- when Jesus returns to start His millennial reign
on earth -- creation will cry out with joy and happiness as it is healed,
restored, and renewed through the Savior
-- that is what we read here in Isaiah
35:1-2
-- it goes on to say that the glory of
Lebanon will be given to it -- the splendor of Carmel and Sharon -- these were
the beauty spots of Israel -- the natural landscapes of beauty and majesty that
everyone adored
-- when the Messiah returns to set up His
kingdom, the entire earth will be as beautiful and splendid as Lebanon, Carmel,
and Sharon were
-- so, the history of man began in a
garden -- and then, because of the fall and the curse on creation, we found
ourselves living in the wilderness -- in the desert land -- but when the
Messiah comes, the garden will be restored again
-- the desert will bloom because Christ
died on the cross to redeem the curse on Creation
-- verse 3
3
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your
God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with
divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
-- this promise of God is given for
encouragement -- it is given to strengthen our feeble hands -- to steady our
shaking knees -- to calm our fearful hearts
-- it’s all too easy to walk through this
world in fear and worry -- but God says to lift our eyes to Him -- to look to
the return of the King -- to anticipate the coming of Christ in all His glory
and splendor
-- in the familiar praise song, we sing
these words: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus -- look full in His wonderful face --
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim -- in the light of His glory
and grace”
-- that is what we are being told to do in
these verses -- to turn our eyes to Jesus -- to look at Him -- to trust in Him
-- to anticipate His coming again -- to be strong and not fear -- because God
is coming to save us
-- through the cross, Jesus overcame sin
and death -- He conquered them once for all with His body and blood -- but
because we still live in this fallen world and inhabit these mortal bodies, we
still walk through a world held in the power of sin and death and we struggle
with our internal sin nature
-- our hands are feeble -- our knees
tremble and shake -- our hearts are filled with worry and fear
-- but one day, when Christ comes again,
we will step into a new existence -- we will receive our new bodies -- immortal
-- imperishable -- redeemed and made new by the blood of the Lamb -- and we
will no longer have this sin nature within us -- we will no longer be beset
with fear and weakness -- with trembling and worry -- but will live with God as
the men and women He originally made us to be
-- we see that in verse 5
5
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6a
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
-- when John the Baptist was in prison, he
began to get discouraged and began to doubt his faith -- he sent his disciples
to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you the Messiah -- the One who was to come -- or
should we look for another?
-- in Matthew 11:4-5, Jesus replied, “Go
and tell John what you see and hear. -- The blind are made to see. -- Those who
could not walk are walking. -- Those who have had bad skin diseases are healed.
-- Those who could not hear are hearing. -- The dead are raised up to life and
the Good News is preached to poor people.”
-- that is exactly what Isaiah says will
happen in the Kingdom of the Messiah -- he says here that the eyes of the blind
will be opened -- the ears of the deaf will be unstopped -- the lame will leap
like a deer -- and the mute will shout for joy
-- what will the world look like when the
Messiah is reigning on earth? -- what will it look like when God is in charge?
-- we will be healed -- physically and spiritually -- we will be restored and
redeemed -- hardened hearts will be softened -- forgiveness will come to
repentant sinners -- we will be truly free from our bondage to sin and to death
-- and mourners will find joy in the Lord
-- look back at the second part of
verse 6
6bWater
will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In
the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
-- all will be made new -- everything will
be restored -- all of Creation -- from the physical world to our spiritual
lives -- will be healed and renewed in the Lord
-- Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. -- He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out
of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
-- we will see that in a real and physical
way in the Kingdom of God as water gushes from the desert and springs of life
from the burning sands
-- these are symbolic of the presence of
God with us -- of the living water springing up to sustain us for eternity
-- verse 8
8
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The
unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But
only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will
return.
They
will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness
and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
-- when the King returns, believers
will return also -- literally, this was a promise for the nation of Israel that
they would one day return to Zion from their places of captivity and wandering
-- but it is a promise for us, too -- as the redeemed and ransomed of God --
saved by grace -- that we will be ushered into His presence before the throne
in Zion
-- we read that there will be a
highway there -- the Way of Holiness
-- growing up down here, one of the
scariest things that I have ever done was attempt to drive through Atlanta -- you
go from two or three lanes on the interstate to five and six lanes all of a
sudden -- traffic everywhere -- everyone paying no attention to anyone else or
the speed limit -- drivers in Atlanta are living out what we read about in the
Book of Judges -- “Everyone did as they saw fit” -- and that’s the way they
drive up there -- it’s every man for himself -- so, I hated driving in Atlanta
-- it was nerve wracking, to say the least
-- when Jesus talked about there
being a broad way that leads to destruction -- I pictured Interstate 75 through
the middle of Atlanta
-- but Kim grew up there and is
comfortable driving in that place -- and she taught us that if we would use the
HOV lane, we could go straight through Atlanta on our own lane and not be in
the midst of all the traffic and cars on the interstate
-- and then I learned about an even
more exclusive highway -- the Expressway through Atlanta -- everyone can’t get
on the Expressway -- it is only open for those who have the right to enter --
who have a pass on their vehicle that allows them to get on this road -- it is
a special road -- a narrow road -- that guarantees ease of travel and safety in
the chaos that is downtown Atlanta
-- when the Messiah returns to set
up His throne in Zion, He opens the Highway of the King -- the Way of Holiness --
this highway is like the Expressway in Atlanta -- it is exclusive -- and you
have to have the right to travel it
-- the Way of Holiness offers safety
and security in Christ -- you can’t get lost if you follow this road -- even
the simple and the foolish -- even those who aren’t wise in the world’s
standard -- can stay on this road because the guardrails of this road are grace
and mercy and it is paved with the faith of the saints
-- and there is nothing to fear on
this road -- our enemies have all been defeated -- sin and death are no more --
we don’t have to fear the roaring lion who seeks us -- we don’t have to fear the
ravenous beast nor any predators or danger or evil -- because this road is kept
safe through the power of Christ
-- this is the narrow way that Jesus spoke
of in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. -- But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find
it.”
-- in these verses, Isaiah emphasizes the
two choices before all of us -- we can follow the way of the world -- the way
of sin -- the way that leads to death -- or we can follow the way of Holiness
-- the way of the Redeemed -- the way to eternal life through faith in the
Messiah
-- one is a dead end -- literally --
and the other is the path to eternity with God
-- the Highway of the King -- the Way of
Holiness -- is a path that only the redeemed can travel -- that only those who
have received salvation through their faith in the Messiah can travel
-- we see that in verses 9b-10
9b
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued will
return.
They
will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness
and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
-- those who are lost -- those who are
unredeemed -- who haven’t received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and received
salvation through His body and blood cannot be on this road
-- remember, this is a glimpse of what the
Millennial reign of Christ will be like -- this is after the end of the Book of
Revelation -- after Armageddon -- after the separation of the sheep and the
goats
-- so, if you don’t get on the Highway of
the King before Jesus comes, you won’t be able to do so -- you’ll be stuck on
the highway to Hell
-- to be on this road is to live and do
life in the presence of God -- it is something that we should be experiencing
as Christians now -- as we live and walk in the Kingdom of God right now, even
as we wait for the coming of the King
-- Isaiah closes this chapter by speaking
of the attitude and emotions of those on the Highway of the King -- who are
living in a land redeemed and renewed by the Messiah
-- look back at verse 10
10b
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness
and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
-- everlasting joy crowns our heads -- we
are filled with gladness and joy -- and sorrow and sighing flee away -- to live
in the Kingdom of God is to live lives filled with joy and happiness and praise
-- this picture of the future travel to
the throne of the Messiah would have caused the Israelites to remember what it
was like during the festivals in Jerusalem -- Psalms 120-136 are known as the
Psalms of Ascent -- these were the praise songs that the people would sing as
they made their way from all the areas of Israel to Jerusalem to worship God at
the temple
-- as the people made their way to Zion,
the streets and roads would have become filled with a large procession of
people -- all joyful -- all excited -- all overflowing with praise for God
-- this is what it will be like on
the King’s Highway as we join with all the other believers to worship Jesus in
Jerusalem
III. Closing
-- so, let’s bring this message to a
close
-- in Isaiah 35, we have been given
a picture of what the Millennial Reign of Christ will look like -- of what this
world will look like after it has been redeemed and restored through Him
-- the curse of Creation will be
lifted -- the desert will bloom like the rose -- streams of life and pools of
water will be found on what were parched grounds -- the sick will be healed --
the blind will see -- the deaf will hear -- the lame will leap for joy
-- our lives will be filled with
praise for the God who saves -- for the Messiah who has come
-- and we will journey together to
praise and worship Him on His throne
-- the Highway of the King -- the
Way of Holiness -- is an essential way -- it is the only path to heaven -- it
is the only way to life eternal -- you can only enter eternity with God through
Jesus Christ
-- we have before us two roads --
one that is broad and leads to destruction -- the other is narrow and leads to
eternity with Christ
-- I don’t know what road you are
traveling today, but the King’s Highway is the only road that leads us home
with Jesus -- all other roads this world offers lead to death and destruction
-- Prov.14:12 – There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
-- Which road are you traveling today? -- There
is only one true path that we should be following, and it leads through Jesus
-- You can know the joy and peace that is found in traveling the King’s highway
if you’ll come and surrender your life to Jesus, confess your sin in
repentance, and trust Christ to save your soul. -- Why not come and get on the
King’s highway?”2
-- and maybe you are already on this road,
but you’re not living life the way your were meant to live it -- maybe you’ve
been living in fear -- in doubt -- in doom and gloom and despair
-- to walk on the King’s Highway means
that we put the things of the world behind us and turn our eyes to Jesus and
walk towards Him -- if that’s you, then take your eyes off the world and off
the storm, and focus them again on the King
-- wherever you are -- whatever you need
to do -- I want to encourage you to respond to God’s word this morning as you
feel led
-- let us pray
-------------------------
1
[Steve May, How to Experience
Everlasting Joy, https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2010/july/howtoexperienceeverlastingjoy.html]
2 [Chris Benfield, Walking up the King’s
Highway, https://www.pulpitpages.com/uploads/9/5/3/2/9532717/is.35_8-10__-_walking_up_the_kings_highway.pdf
