A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

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Congregational Reading: Psalm 85:1-13

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

I love Isaiah 40. It says that God forgives. It says that God makes a way out of the sadness, the despair, the suffering, and the sorrow. It says that God is leading us out of temptation and sin. It says that that God is going to pull us out of the muck and mire of our mistakes. It says that the worst things are never the last things. It says that the word that God wants spoken to his people is “comfort.”

I love Isaiah 40 ...

It’s a promise of even more than THE Day of the Lord. A day of comfort is coming. A day of “finally” when the consequences and penalty ends ...

You might want to ask me, “Are these stories true?” Of course they are. They are true in all the thousands of circumstances that they resemble.

These stories are as true as the promise of Isaiah 40 that a day will come when the punishment and consequences of the sin will be lifted. The darkness will lift and the light will shine forth on a new day. They are as true as the glory of the Lord that is revealed every day he brings comfort.

These stories are real. God restores. We’ve seen it happen before and we will see it again. It may be dark and dreary right now, but the message of Isaiah 40 is that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Get Ready
Of course the pessimist says that the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. Well, what if it is a train? What if it is restoration and renewal barreling down on us? What if it is the Kingdom of God moving in and declaring an end to the darkness?
I say it is a train – and what that means is this: getting out of the tunnel isn’t a matter of us simply clawing our way out – it’s about God rushing in. In the 1960’s, the singing group The Impressions were inspired to write a song about that kind of a train coming ...

People get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord

People get ready for the train to Jordan
It's picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board 'em
There's hope for all among those loved the most.

There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne

So people get ready, there's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord

The train that is coming in the song speaks to a chance for redemption. It’s a way out for those who long for an end to the sin.

But pay attention: There’s no room for the hopeless sinner who hurts others just to protect self-interest. There’s no room for hateful self-righteousness. There’s no room for those who glorify themselves.
But for those who have faith in the coming of the Lord, there’s a seat on the train. There’s comfort and way out ...

I love it that this word about the train, about the light at the end of the tunnel has been preached and is being preached in all sorts of ways. Whether it is the Psalmist, John the Baptist, the Impressions, or preachers like me ... The message of Isaiah 40, the word that God wants shouted is being preached.

  1. A day of comfort will come.
  2. There is forgiveness – the burden of sins, the pain of mistakes can end
  3. Get ready for it and make ready for it. Make ready for God because he’s making a way out.

Are you ready? If you’re longing for a day of hope then get ready for it. Prepare the way for the Lord.
It may seem like there’s no way out of the despair, the sin, the mistakes that you’ve made. But God can make a way when there seems to be no way. Prepare the way for the Lord.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 7 December 2008


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