Isaiah 40 (Part 04) - Isa 40:4a - Exalted Valleys and Low Mountains
Submitted by Pastor Chad Wagner on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.Watch the video of this Bible study on YouTube: Isaiah 40 (Part 04) - Isa 40:4a - Exalted Valleys and Low Mountains
For a master copy of the outline and the other sermons in the series, click here: Isaiah 40.
To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 3
To listen to the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 5
VI. Isa 40:4
1. Jesus is the great equalizer.
A. The Messiah would exalt His children.
B. He would bring down the wicked.
C. He would straighten and smooth out His crooked and rough people.
2. "Every valley shall be exalted..."
A. Valleys are low places which represent lowly children of God.
B. Luke quotes Isa 40:4 and renders it "every valley shall be filled" (Luk 3:5).
i. Jesus will fill those that hunger and thirst after righteousness (Mat 5:6).
ii. Jesus will fill us with the fullness of God (Eph 3:19).
iii. All of the elect receive Christ's fullness (Joh 1:16).
iv. In Christ we are full (1Co 4:8).
v. We are complete in Christ (Col 2:9-10).
C. Jesus exalts them of low degree (Luk 1:52).
D. Jesus blesses the poor in spirit (Mat 5:3).
E. He gives power to them who have no might (Isa 40:29).
F. God chose to exalt the base and despised of this world to be His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:4-5 c/w Eph 2:4-7 c/w 1Co 1:26-28).
G. Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors, not the rich and noble, to be his disciples.
H. God will exalt us in due time when we humble ourselves (Mat 23:12; 1Pe 5:6).
I. Lazarus, the beggar, was exalted with he died (Luk 16:20-22).
3. "...and every mountain and hill shall be made low:..."
A. Mountains and hills are high places which represent the proud.
B. Jesus came to bring down the proud and exalted (Isa 2:12).
C. Jesus pronounced a woe on the rich (Luk 6:24).
D. He said a rich man will hardly enter into the kingdom of God (Mat 19:23-24).
E. Those that are full shall hunger (Luk 6:25).
F. Jesus pronounced a woe on those everyone speaks well of (Luk 6:26).
G. Jesus rejected the Pharisees who thought highly of themselves (Luk 18:9-14; Mat 23:25-28).
H. They who exalt themselves will be abased (Mat 23:12; Jam 4:6).
I. The rich man was made low when he died (Luk 16:19, 22-23).
4. The fulfillment of "every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low" can be summed up with James' words: "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away" (Jam 1:9-10).