In Oswalt’s commentary on Isaiah 41 he writes: “This argument will be repeated and intensified several times in the next few chapters as this court case continues” (p. 459).  You have at least two options: (1) preach the repeated themes as you encounter them along the way or (2) preach the theme in one location, adding any material from the “intensified” places.  I choose the latter option as a way of keeping a series moving along in a long book such as Isaiah.  I’ve found it helpful to read through the section and look for the repetition/restatement.  That allows you to scan for material you want to bring into the one sermon on the presented theme.  More than likely, the same theological message (how the section functions for the church) will be presented throughout the repetition.

The bulk of Isaiah 40 is devoted to showing our incomparable God (Isaiah 40:12-26).  The description of our God makes our question in Isaiah 40:27 inconceivable.  Of course God knows how difficult our way is in a world where the godless are in power!  Then, after restating God’s resources of strength and knowledge (Isaiah 40:28), we learn that all His power is transferable to those who “wait” for Him (cf. Isaiah 40:29-31).  Our Lord continues to save His people because His strength is added to our weakness so we keep putting on fresh strength each day.  Instead of being overcome with circumstances, God stabilizes our emotions and spirits.  So, is it true or false when a Christian says in frustration: “I can’t take it anymore!”?  And, of course, we know that all this available strength came as a result of Jesus’ experience of weakness on the cross.  He experienced ultimate weakness so we could experience ultimate strength as we trust Him.

After a few months tackling the latter part of Romans, I’m back to the task of preaching through the book of Isaiah.  Some of Scripture’s best encouragement comes from Isaiah 40ff.  Like the early readers of Isaiah’s gospel, we need to know that our Lord hasn’t left us alone in a world that’s spinning out of control.  How on earth can God in heaven keep His promises to us when the godless seem so powerful?!  The answer lies in part with God’s eternal word (Isaiah 40:8).  That word is fleshed out in Isaiah 40:9-11 where we find God using powerful arms to defeat evil (Isaiah 40:10) and to care for us in our weakened condition (Isaiah 40:11).  Our Lord Jesus Christ arrives on the earthly scene to become our Shepherd.  While we wait for God’s complete care in the future, by faith we experience His shepherding of our souls in part as His Spirit transforms us into His servants.

Isaiah 39:1–40:5 brings me to the end of my sermon series on Isaiah.  I began the series in September and determined to preach the first major part of the book for now.  Lord willing, I’ll be able to return to complete the book at a later date.  The narrative is strategically placed to show at the end of the first major section that Hezekiah, the king of previous faith, is not the promised Messiah.  He displays a lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver and we read of the consequences of unbelief.  The story is designed to make us say, “I don’t want that to happen to me!”  The first paragraph of chapter 40 provides good news of the possibility of redemption and cleansing.  Relevance can be shown through the temptation (39:1-2), the consequences of succumbing to temptation (39:3-8), and our only hope (40:1-5).  Christ is portrayed in the arrival of God.  The promise that God would arrive unhindered is fulfilled in Christ’s coming.  This is why John the baptizer quoted Isaiah in Matthew 3:1-3.  The narrative is both functioning as an exemplar (“go and do otherwise”) and also point to Christ who is the object of our faith and the source of our spiritual life.

In Isaiah 37-38 Hezekiah is being portrayed as a good example to follow.  He is the king of faith and his faith is displayed through his prayers in these two chapters.  No doubt, Hezekiah’s prayers are recorded to urge us to believe like he did.  His impending death in 38:1 becomes an opportunity to trust the Lord for healing.  It is important to note that Hezekiah’s lifestyle (v. 3) seems like leverage before God.  Hezekiah can say to God what the rest of the nation couldn’t.  Hezekiah’s faith is used by God to save God’s city (cf. v. 6).  Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah does believe and his faith affects the will of God.  Then, beginning at v. 9 Hezekiah, like King David, writes a psalm of thanksgiving.  His journal has been called “a meditation on mortality” and it teaches us how to live.  All of us should live such a life of faith that we are able to experience a similar view on death and life (cf. especially the promise or vow in v. 20).  Hezekiah is portrayed in these two chapters as being mortal.  That fact forces us to look to our King who is never sick or to “the point of death.”  As we trust Christ, we are changed by the Spirit to follow Hezekiah’s example.

Isaiah 36:1–37:13 contain a narrative that brings us back to the same issue confronting God’s people back in chapter 7.  Back then, King Ahaz was in a situation in which his faith in God was tested.  He failed miserably.  Now, 30 chapters later King Hezekiah, another king of Judah, is faced with a similar test.  He succeeds.  What makes this section so helpful is the data concerning how the enemy attacks faith (36:1-15, 18-20; 37:8-13).  A human king comes face to face with a Davidic King and the question is which king rules.  The enemy does everything to erode our confidence in God’s ability to deliver.  The enemy also makes incredible promises which are hard to pass up (36:16-17).  It’s interesting that every time a Believer worries, for instance, in that moment they have accepted the enemy’s sweet deal instead of God’s promise.  Yet, we’re given an example of faith as Hezekiah sends his officials to Isaiah to tell him what is happening and to ask for prayer.  Isaiah’s message to Hezekiah (37:5-7) are designed to bolster faith in God’s faithfulness to deliver His own who trust Him.

Isaiah 37:14-20 record Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance.  Verses 21-38 record how God answered that prayer.  The section’s relevance for the Church is found in the fact that Hezekiah prays in a moment of severe threat from his enemy (cf. 36:4-5, 15-17).  Believers trust God in times of trouble and their faith works itself out in prayers like this one.  Preaching prayers, whether this one or those found in Psalms, present an opportunity for us to evaluate the object of our faith (37:16 and the description of God), to annunciate the temptations we face (37:17-19), and, of course, to articulate our petition for help (37:20).  Finally, when a preaching portion actually shows God answering the prayer, here is an excellent opportunity to bolster our faith.  It’s difficult not to be encouraged by the display of God’s power to save.  Remember, though, that God’s handling of Sennacherib is not the definitive act of deliverance.  That occurred when our Savior on the cross died to deliver us from our sins and from Satan’s control.  That’s the reason why we can have full confidence that God delivers those who trust Him wholly.

Isaiah 35 contains a prophecy that is designed to make us say, “I can’t wait to get there!”  The key to understanding the prophecy is noting both the picture of our preferable future (vv. 1-2, 5-10) and instruction for those of us who must wait (vv. 3-4).  In this case, the instructions of vv. 3-4 become a condition to arriving at our final destination in the new heavens and new earth.  To reject the instructions is equal to trusting in some other deliverance–some form of idolatry.  Isaiah has been challenging God’s people to trust God wholly in order to be assured of inheriting the Kingdom.  The Gospel can be communicated as you explain the concept of redemption found in vv. 9-10.  Once again, one angle to the Cross can be seen through a contrast with v. 4’s statement: “He will come and save you.”  God did do that on the Cross when He did not come and save His Son.

Isaiah 33:17-24 continue to show the kind of life the righteous will enjoy.  Isaiah’s vision of our preferable future is designed to urge us to trust God alone for salvation.  The tendency in Isaiah’s day and our day is to turn away from God or to supplement our faith in God with allegiance to some other source of deliverance (some kind of idolatry).  Back then the temptation was to trust Assyria for help instead of trusting God.  So, Isaiah provides a glimpse of what the righteous will see.  It’s the kind of life we all want.  For instance, v. 24 says, “And no inhabitant will say, ‘I am sick.'”  When many have responded by saying, “Yes, that’s the life we want,” then it’s a matter of them making sure their faith is turning them into the kind of person described in v. 15, “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly…”

Isaiah 33:13-16 are designed to help us be sure that we are the kinds of people who will be able to withstand the scrutiny of a holy God.  Allow the question and answer format to flesh out meaning.  Verse 15 describes the kind of person that is created by saving faith.  V. 16 begins to show the quality of life the righteous-by-faith enjoy.  Isaiah’s purpose continues: God will destroy all who rebel against Him and will deliver all who trust Him; all who trust Him, however, must look like Him.  V. 14 describes our Lord’s terrifying holiness in action.  Faith in Christ leads to a Spirit-empowered righteousness.  It’s true of every true Believer.