Admonition Podcast

morning.

encourage you, if you will, to open your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 35.

Isaiah 35 speaks concerning the Messiah, speaks concerning the Messiah in a day, in a time
where judgment was coming.

And Isaiah had to prophesy over and over concerning Israel, concerning their rebellion,
concerning the nations around them and their rebellion, and concerning God's judgment.

But in the midst of all of the prophecies of judgment, Isaiah speaks again and again and
again and again about the coming Messiah.

And in Isaiah 35, Isaiah gives leading indicators for how the people of God would know
that the Messiah had come.

But he does so framed in

passages and in context that proceed from earlier points in Isaiah like Isaiah chapter 33.

We're not going to delve into all of those for the sake of time, but I encourage you to
spend some time reading chapter 33, chapter 35, and get the full context in view.

But in these 10 verses of Isaiah chapter 35, Isaiah gives a forecast, if you will.

of exactly what the Messiah will look like.

Exactly how you would be able to identify the Messiah when God comes.

And that's our subject this morning.

When God comes.

For we understand now, looking backwards, with the knowledge that is provided in the
Scriptures, that

It wasn't just a man who was coming.

It wasn't just a king who was coming.

It wasn't just a prophet who was coming.

It wasn't even just a priest who was coming.

It was one who was God in the flesh who was prophet, priest, and king.

It is the one that John the Baptist, as he was preaching in the wilderness, would tell the
people, there's one coming who I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen his sandals.

There is one who is coming who will be the Lamb of God.

And we read in John chapter 1 as John is preaching and he sees Jesus amongst the crowd, he
says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

When God comes, a number of things are going to be true, and they were true in the days of
Jesus, and they were foretold in the days of Isaiah.

So let's begin in Isaiah chapter 35 and in verse 1.

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them.

It tells you already, there's a context here.

Let's spend just a moment in chapter 33, back to verse 17.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty, Isaiah writes.

He tells the people as he's writing to them and as he's looking forward to this day and
this time where the Messiah will come, he says, your eyes will see the King in His beauty.

They will see the land that is very far off.

Your heart will meditate on terror.

Where is the scribe?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is the one who counts towers?

You will not see a fierce people, a people of obscure speech beyond perception or a
stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feast.

Your eyes will see Jerusalem a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down.

Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken.

But there the majestic Lord will be for us.

in 33, he tells them, you're going to see the Messiah.

You're going to see Him in Zion, Jerusalem.

And He's going to be there for us.

In chapter 34, in the intervening time, He's going to pronounce a judgment against Edom.

He's going to pronounce that God's judgment is going to come forth from His throne.

But as He does that,

He draws them back to the picture of the wilderness.

To a time when God delivered Israel, but He delivered them through a wilderness.

A time when God brought them to that place which He had promised them, but He brought them
through a wilderness.

For 40 years they wandered in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt and yet,

God delivered every single promise.

He had made to their fathers, to their grandfathers, to their great-grandfathers, to their
great-great-grandfathers, all the way back to Abraham.

So we find ourselves in chapter 35 verse 1 in the wilderness.

We read, wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them.

And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose.

It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing.

As the chapter opens up, Isaiah says, the wasteland, the wilderness, it's going to rejoice
at what it's going to watch.

It's going to rejoice at what it's going to witness.

It's not barren.

It's not that which is untouched.

It is not that which can uh never be brought forth and bring forth life.

No, rather, this is that which God has judged, and now it's going to rejoice in His reign.

Notice, he says, even with joy and singing, the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it.

The excellence of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency
of our God.

In the opening verses, Isaiah describes the planet, the world, the place.

where the Lord is going to come to as if the place where he comes to his creation rejoices
in his presence.

As if the wasteland and the wilderness is as bountiful and beautiful as the cedars of
Lebanon, as the hill of Carmel, and the valley that was around it.

and it produces not fruit, not crops, but joy and singing.

The land produces a rejoicing.

Why?

Because it sees His excellence.

It sees the glory of the Lord.

So when God comes.

the world, the creation, rejoices.

But as we get into verses 3 through verse 10, we're going to see five points that Isaiah
delivers about the coming of God.

And the first one is in verses 3 and 4, and that is when God comes, the weak are
strengthened.

In Isaiah chapter 35 and in verse 3 we read, In verses 3 and 4 we are told about the God
who is coming.

about the one who is going to come and is going to deliver his people.

Turn over to Matthew chapter 11.

encourage you to write these verses down and spend more time with them in your own private
study.

Matthew chapter 11.

We find beginning in verse 28,

Jesus will say to those who are listening at this time, come to me, all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus tells those who are listening, amongst the people, amongst the throngs and the
multitudes that would follow Him, come to Me, for there's rest for the weary.

There's comfort for the downtrodden.

There's strength for the weak and the feeble knees.

It's in my oath.

It's in my burden.

It's in my message.

It's in that which I proclaim.

Turn to Hebrews chapter 12.

The Hebrew writer will reference Isaiah 35 as he speaks to these Christians, as he
presents to them the decision that they are facing as to whether or not to be faithful to

the Lord or not.

We find in Hebrews chapter 12 and in verse 12, Therefore strengthen the hands which hang
down.

and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not
be dislocated, but rather be healed." The Hebrew writer tells the Christians, if you turn

back, if you go away from God, you're going away into destruction.

You're going away into that judgment that you will not return from, because you will have
turned your back on the only sacrifice which can save your soul.

Rather, He exhorts them to be reminded that Isaiah said hundreds of years before Jesus
ever arrived that when God comes, it's time to strengthen the weak knees.

It's time to lift up the feeble hands.

It's time to help one another be faithful to God.

When God comes, the weak are strengthened, and Jesus will pronounce that He was there to
do that very thing.

But then consider verses 5 and 6 of chapter 35.

In Isaiah chapter 35, verses 5 and 6, we find that when God comes, the blind see and the
lame walk.

In Isaiah 35 and in verse 5 we read, the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of
the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb shall sing and the water
shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Isaiah harkens back to the days when Israel came out of Egypt and Israel

whined and complained in the wilderness and they said God has brought us out here to die
because there's no water anywhere and all of our flocks and all of our herds and all of

our children were going to die here in the desert.

But out of the rock, God produced a fountain of water that not only delivered water to a
few of the people, not only delivered enough water to the adults in the group.

not only delivered enough water for the children and the adults in the group, but
delivered enough water for the flocks and the herds and the adults and the children and

the old people and all of them had an abundance in the wilderness.

And Isaiah takes that picture and connects it to the miracles that Jesus would do that
would be the clear indicators God had come.

Notice what we read in Matthew chapter 11.

In Matthew chapter 11,

Beginning in verse 1, now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding His twelve
disciples that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

And when John heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of His disciples and
said to Him, Are you the coming one?

Remember what Isaiah 35 is all about.

When God comes and John sends two of his disciples to Jesus because he's hearing even in
prison about the works that are being done by Jesus, the mighty deeds that are being done.

And John wants to know, are you the coming one?

And he said to him, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?

Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you see and hear.

The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised
up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.

Jesus delivers to these two disciples the answer, am I the coming one?

Ask Isaiah.

the Old Testament prophet if I'm the coming one.

Go look back in the Scriptures and validate it.

Don't accept my opinion.

Look at the testimony.

Look at the witness that I have delivered because I fulfilled the forecast.

I have done exactly what God said He would do when He came.

in John chapter 9.

At beginning of that chapter, Jesus sees and points out to his disciples a man who has
been born blind.

And he asked the disciples, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?

And through the course of the events, Jesus will heal this man of his blindness.

The man will be put under inspection by the leadership of the Jews.

He will be questioned, his parents will be questioned concerning this healing that has
occurred because everyone who is around there knows that the man was blind.

and that he's been healed.

And after all of the questions and all of the things happened because Jesus is now gone
from the man's presence and he doesn't know where he is, the man says, I don't know who

healed me, but I know that it was the Lord.

After the man is put forth from the questioning of the leadership, Jesus comes and finds
him and notices.

The eyes of the blind see the Lord.

Go back to chapter 33 of Isaiah and remember again what was written.

Verse 17, your eyes will see the King in His beauty.

They will see the land that is very far off.

For the one who was blind, they saw no land.

They saw no king.

But for this blind man, he would, for he was no longer blind.

You find over in Matthew chapter 15 a summary of the things that Jesus did with great
power and great might from God.

In Matthew chapter 15, beginning in verse 30, we read these words, Then the multitudes
came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others.

And they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.

So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame
walking, the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

When God comes, the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear.

And Jesus said this was the proof that He was God who came.

But then consider chapter 35 verses 6 and 7.

We read, then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.

And the waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

The parts ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.

In the habitation of jackals where each lay there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

When God comes, the desert becomes a river.

Isaiah looks forward to the events that are going to occur when the Messiah arrives.

And he says there will be water where there has never been water before.

And Isaiah is not talking about H2O.

In John chapter four, Jesus walks through Samaria.

And as He's there in Samaria, as He's there by a well outside of the city, He meets a
woman.

A woman who's had five husbands and the man she's with isn't her husband.

A woman who has been given over to believe the things that the Samaritans had taught
concerning God.

They claim to be the people of God.

They claim to follow after Isaac.

They claim to follow after the patriarchs.

They claim to worship God, yet they didn't observe and follow the commandments of God.

And as the woman comes to the well, Jesus asks water of her that he might have a drink.

And she wonders why a Jew would ask of her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink.

Through the course of the conversation, Jesus will offer her water.

He will say to her in verse 14, if you knew who was speaking to you, you would ask for a
drink from him.

And she wonders about this because she says, you have nothing to draw the water with.

You have no way to give me water.

But he says, if you would just take up the water that I have, you will never thirst again.

Jesus would tell the woman that there is water available when God comes.

that isn't like the water that we drink.

It's not like the water that you drink and then you're thirsty again.

It's the water that springs up to everlasting life.

in John chapter 7.

John chapter 7 and in verse 32.

We read the Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning him and the
Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

Then Jesus said to them, I shall be with you a little while while a little while longer.

And then I go to him who sent me.

You will seek me and not find me and where I am, you cannot come.

Then the Jews said among themselves, where does he intend to go where we cannot find him?

Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?

What is this thing that he said?

You will seek me and not find me and where I am you cannot come.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, If anyone
thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in me and as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.

This he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive, for the
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Isaiah makes it clear when God comes, rivers of living water will flow forth out of Zion.

But you consider back in Isaiah chapter 35 and in verse 8 that when God comes, a way will
be made for redemption.

In Isaiah chapter 35 and verse 8, Isaiah writes a highway

shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the highway of holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray."

Isaiah as he looks forward to this time, as he looks forward to when God comes.

He says they're going to build a new road.

They're going to build a highway of holiness.

They're going to build a path and the unclean aren't going to walk on it.

They're going to build a place where those who could be ignorant, who could be unlearned,
still won't go astray.

John chapter 14.

Jesus would say to His disciples, am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.

When God comes, a way would be made for those who desire to be with God.

to become holy and in fellowship with Him.

as...

sorry, Acts chapter 19.

In Acts chapter 19.

Paul is at Ephesus, and as he is correcting those who were mistaken concerning their
salvation, who had been taught ignorantly concerning the things which they did not know,

we find in verse 8, he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months,
reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the way before the
multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school

of Tyranus.

And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord
Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

as Paul is there in Ephesus and as he's teaching daily amongst the synagogue.

When he begins to get the pushback, when they begin to start mistreating the Christians,
Paul takes the Christians and they're described as those who belong to the way.

This isn't some magical name.

This isn't the new name spoken of in Isaiah.

This is a people who lived differently.

from the Jews.

This is a people who lived differently from the Gentiles.

This is a people who walked in the way that God told them to walk.

Paul.

was able to provide them access to that way of living through the Gospel.

If turn it over to Hebrews chapter 10,

The Hebrew writer

will write beginning in verse 19, therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest
by the blood of Jesus.

Now notice this, here's a destination.

It's a destination that the Old Testament person, the Jew living under the law, no matter
how righteous he was, couldn't go to.

No matter how faithful to the law a Jew was, if he wasn't the high priest he couldn't go
into the holiest.

He couldn't go into the tabernacle, into the holy place unless he was a priest.

He couldn't go into the most holy place unless he was the high priest and then only once a
year.

If he was a righteous, holy Jew, he still couldn't go to this location.

And yet, the Hebrew writer says, for the Christian.

we have been given boldness to enter the holiest, that is the holy of holies, by the blood
of Jesus.

He says, verse 20, by a new and living way, which He consecrated for us through the veil
that is His flesh.

The Hebrew writer says, one who went to the cross, the one who when he died the veil was
torn in the temple from top to bottom, the one who pierced the veil that is death and

provided us a way into eternity, that one has given us a new and living way.

Or as Isaiah would put it, a highway of holiness.

into the very presence of God.

But notice what he says.

He says, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through that veil that is
his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true

heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and
our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is
faithful.

Isaiah had told them 800 years before.

When God comes, He's bringing a new way.

He's making a new road to a destination you can't get to right

and it is a way of holiness because those who walk on that way will be washed in the blood
of the Lamb.

Those who walk on that way, though they are ignorant, though they are unlearned, though
they are not educated in all the ways of the world, they won't go astray.

for the walk in holiness.

When God comes, there will be a way made for the redeemed.

But then consider back in Isaiah 35,

verse 10.

When God comes, joy will replace sorrow.

Verse 9 says, no lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up to it.

It shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

as we live in this life.

We should understand that this world is not our home.

In this world, there'll be tears.

In this world, there'll be pain.

In this world, there'll be persecution.

In this world, there'll be death.

In this world, there'll be separation.

In this world, there'll be discomfort.

In this world, there'll be troubles and trials and hardship.

And as Paul wrote, these are the things that we endure as we grow.

looking to put on immortal life.

But this world is not our home.

And as Isaiah paints a picture of a place where on the road of holiness there is no
trouble, there is no persecution, there is no threat.

because God is there.

He writes in verse 10, and the ransomed of the LORD, the ransomed of Jehovah shall return,
and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads, and they shall obtain

joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Isaiah paints a picture.

of the church, a picture that's continued all the way into Revelation 21 and 22.

He paints a picture of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish.

Jesus said that He came to set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the gates
of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Jesus said, I'm coming to establish a way.

I'm coming with a message of water, of life.

I'm coming and proving that I am who I am because the blind will see and the lame will
walk and the deaf will hear and the dumb will speak.

I'm coming, so strengthen the weak hands and the knees that are about to give out.

because I'm bringing salvation and joy.

that can never be taken away.

if you turn over to First Peter.

Peter will write to the first century Christians.

beginning in verse 3, blessed be the God of our Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Does that sound like the new living way that He has provided through the flesh?

Washing us from an evil conscience and washing ourselves with pure water.

Does it sound like that?

Yeah, it is.

Verse 4, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation,

ready to be revealed at the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials.

that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of

Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see Him, yet believing
you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the

salvation of your souls."

of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the
grace that would come to you.

Peter says, the resurrection of our Lord, He has provided you salvation.

And He has provided you rejoicing and joy, inexpressible.

And yes, you're going to have some trials in this life.

Yes, you're going to have some hardship.

It's just designed to strengthen your faith.

It's there to test you in the fires of the hardship of this life that what comes out of it
is genuine faith as precious as gold.

In Acts chapter 8, Philip will run up and meet a chariot.

Chariot leaving Jerusalem headed to Ethiopia.

And as Philip meets the one who is

going back to the land where he came from as he meets up with the eunuch in verse 34.

The eunuch has been reading the scriptures.

He's been reading Isaiah.

He's been reading about one who's going to come, one who's going to die, one who's going
to bear the transgression of the people and bring about their redemption.

And Philip asks the eunuch, do you understand what you read?

And the eunuch says, how can I unless somebody guide me?

Is he speaking about himself or somebody else?

And verse So the eunuch answered, I ask of you, of whom does the prophet say, this of
himself or some other man?

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him.

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water.

And the eunuch said, See, here is water.

What hinders me from being baptized?

Then Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may.

And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

You know what he realized.

The eunuch realized God had come.

The proof was in the evidence of the Old Testament prophets.

The proof was in the evidence of the miracles that Jesus had performed.

and when the proof could not be in doubt.

The eunuch simply wanted to know, can I have access to the same living way that everyone
else has gotten access to?

And Philip says, if you believe, you may.

So Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him.

Now remember, when God comes,

Joy replaces sorrow.

And we read, now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip
away so that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.

when God comes.

there will be joy.

When God comes, there will be redemption.

When God comes, there will be a river of water of life.

When God comes, the blind will see, the lame will walk, the deaf will hear, the mute will
speak.

When God comes, the weak will be strengthened and hold fast.

In 1 John chapter 1, John will write to the church,

And he says, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of

life.

He's talking about Jesus.

The word as he introduces him in John chapter one, verse one.

The one who was with God and was God in the beginning, the one who took on flesh.

And John says, we witnessed him our eyes.

Have seen the LORD.

He says, life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that
eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, that which we have seen

and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our
fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship

Sorry, if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If you're here this morning and you're outside of the new and living way that He
consecrated through His flesh, if you're outside of the redemption and the salvation that

is found through His resurrection, if you're outside of the place, the New Jerusalem,
Zion, the Holy City, the people of God, the Kingdom, the Church, they're all the same

thing.

They're the thing that Jesus came to build, the thing He came to establish, and the thing
He said, can enter in if you'll simply hear the word of the message which is proclaimed to

you and be obedient to it.

And that's what that eunuch did.

He heard the message.

He saw the confirmation and he said, well, what stops me from entering the kingdom?

Phillips said the only thing you're waiting on.

is to believe and obey the command.

Philip and the eunuch stopped the chariot and said, let's go.

If you're here this morning and you're outside the kingdom, if you're outside the place
where salvation is found and redemption is had when God comes, then know this, there's

coming another day when the Lord will come and your time and your opportunity will be
over.

If you have need of the invitation of our Lord to put Christ on in baptism,

to participate in that new and living way, to walk on the highway of holiness, to be part
of the church, the blood-bought body of Christ.

We can help you with that.

If you have needs, why not come forward now as we stand and as we sing.