A Way for the Redeemed

Audio Recording

Sermon Outline

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 35:1-10 (ESV)
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
    the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
    and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
    the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
    the majesty of our God.

3 Strengthen the weak hands,
    and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
    “Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
    and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
    and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

8 And a highway shall be there,
    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
    It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
    even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
    nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
    but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
    and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
    they shall obtain gladness and joy,
    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Sermon Outline
Walk through life with a steadfast hope—one that strengthens you in difficulty and enriches your life with lasting goodness.

1. A Message

• vv3-4  “Strengthen… make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!”

• v1 “The wilderness…  dry land… desert”, v7 “burning sand… thirsty ground… haunt of jackals”, vv8-9 “lion… ravenous beasts”

2. A Redeemer

• v4  “Behold, your God… will come and save you.”

• vv5-7 “the eyes of the blind shall be opened… the ears of the deaf… the lame man… tongue of the mute… the burning sand shall become a pool”

• vv9-10 “the redeemed shall walk there.  And the ransomed of the Lord shall return”

• v2  “They shall see the glory of the Lord…”

3. A Highway

• v8  “a highway shall be there.. the Way of Holiness

• v10  “the ransomed of the Lord shall return… with singing; everlasting joy… they shall obtain… joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Prayer of Confession
Our gracious Redeemer, you have made a way out of sin and death.  Apart from you we are utterly stuck and helpless.  We confess that despite all you have done and revealed, we still give in to temptation.  We confess corrupt desires.  We confess dishonorable actions.  We admit we fail to meet your standard of holiness.  We wander from you, choosing the very paths you have warned us against.  Forgive all our sins.  Give life to our dry souls.  Fill us afresh with your Holy Spirit.  Strengthen our weak hands and steady our anxious hearts.  We thank you for your boundless mercy, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. How does hope provide strength when you face difficulties?  How is hope different from optimism?

2. What things do you tend to hope in when you feel weak or anxious?

3. Why do people need a redeemer?  What is redemption, and how does Jesus redeem his people?

4. How is the Christian life a “path” to walk? 

5. What is good, exciting, and satisfying about the Christian way of life?  What is hard?

6. What does it mean to live a life of holiness? 

7. How does a future filled with joy and absent of sorrow help you face hardships in the present?

8. What can we do when you have periods of spiritual dryness?

9. How can you start to experience more of the joy of walking with God?  What would help you come alive?

Read Ahead

Isaiah Sermon Series