Concerning this salvation,
the prophets…spoke of the grace that was to come….
1 PETER 1:10
These prophets sensed that something truly significant was behind these words they were writing. And now, living in the age we live in and armed with the Old Testament alongside the new, we can piece together various prophesies that foretell the coming of the Messiah – words that created a longing in the hearts of those who listened, and hopefully will have the same impact on us.
Peter tells us that the words those prophets received were not just for that time, but for us as well. Jonathan Edwards tells us that….
“the main business of the prophets was to foreshow Christ and his redemption. They were all forerunners of the great prophet.
These prophets were set to writing their prophecies by the Spirit of Christ that was in them, chiefly for that end, to foreshow and prepare the way for the coming of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
In what an exalted strain do they all speak of those things….what a joyful heaven sublimity is there in the language they use about it! Some of them are very particular and full in their predictions of these things, and above all the Prophet Isaiah.
He seems to teach the glorious doctrines of the gospel almost as plainly as the Apostles did…
This coming Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent, Jackson Randall will launch our Isaiah series, unpacking the truths found in Isaiah 40. Be praying that the comfort of the first eleven verses will also bring us comfort along with joy, as we enter into the Christmas season.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3
A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Stands Forever
6
A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,“What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Greatness of God
9
Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10
Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
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