Isaiah 40:1

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that cries in the wilderness says, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

The voice said, "Cry," and he said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withers, and the flower fades, because the Spirit of the Lord, or the breath of the Lord, blows upon it. Surely the people are as grass; the grass withers, and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord shall stand forever.

Father, we do say to that declaration, Amen. Your word shall stand forever. Jesus, as you said, not one jot or tittle will pass from the law until all be fulfilled. We thank you, Jesus, that when you came the first time, you fulfilled many, many prophecies—over 300 prophecies in your first coming. But we know that there is much that is left unfulfilled, even to this day. We look forward to the day when you will return again.

Until that day, Lord, I pray that you would equip us, enable us, and give us boldness by your Spirit, just like Isaiah had, to be able to boldly proclaim the truth of who you are and what you've done, the call that you've given to all throughout the world. Lord, strengthen us as we study your word. Give us insight into your character, your nature, who you are.

Lord, exalt your nature, your name among us as we study your word. We ask that you'd guide us through your word tonight by your Spirit, for we ask it in Jesus' name. All God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Isaiah, for the last 39 chapters preceding chapter 40,

God has largely spoken judgment to the children of Israel, specifically the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The nation of Israel was divided after the reign of King Solomon into two different kingdoms: the northern kingdom, comprised of ten tribes, and the southern kingdom, which included Judah and Benjamin. By the time we come to Isaiah chapter 40, the northern ten tribes are pretty much no more. They have been taken into captivity and dissolved throughout the surrounding nations by the Assyrian army.

As we approach Isaiah chapter 40, the Assyrian army has already invaded the land of Judah, decimating the nation. More than 45 cities were destroyed by Sennacherib and his armies when they came into that region around 701 or 700 BC. It is very likely that Isaiah chapter 40 is set after that point. A couple of weeks ago, as we were going through Isaiah chapters 36 through 39, we encountered a historic interlude that provided a glimpse into the events occurring during the time Isaiah was ministering and preaching, particularly during the reign of King Hezekiah.

As Isaiah's ministry nears its end, God begins to speak in a different way to the children of Judah and Benjamin. In the next 26 chapters of this book, we will observe a different tone in the second half of Isaiah, which has led some higher critics to suggest that there is more than one author of the book. Some of the prophecies we will examine over the next several weeks in Isaiah chapters 40 through 46 are so accurate and specific, hundreds of years before they came to pass, that some who identify as Christians struggle with the idea of God being able to predict future events. They argue that this could not have been written by Isaiah, who lived in the 8th century BC, as it seems too perfect and too accurate.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, predominantly in Germany, these higher critics emerged, proposing that there are two authors of the book of Isaiah, or even three different Isaiahs. However, Jesus addresses this question for us. In John chapter 12, He quotes from both Isaiah chapter 6 and Isaiah chapter 53, stating that the prophet Isaiah, singularly, said these things. Thus, He affirms that it was from one man, one Isaiah.

Just giving power and strength to the fact that God is able to speak about things that haven't happened yet. How many of you know that to be the case? We recognize that our God is outside of time. He sees the beginning and the end as if they were one thing. Jesus says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the one who was and is and is to come." He is able to see things before they happen, and He tells us what's going to happen before it happens.

He actually gives us the reason for His predictive prophecy in the chapters that we will be looking at, Isaiah 40 through 46. He says, "The reason I declare this is so that you will know that I am God." You see, one of the greatest divine thumbprints on the Scriptures is predictive prophecy—God telling us what's going to happen before it happens so that we can look at it and say, "You see, right here, God predicted that His people would become a nation once again." This was fulfilled on May 14th, 1948.

Ezekiel chapter 36 and 37 contains the prophecy of the dry bones, and then Isaiah chapter 66 asks, "Who has seen such a thing? A nation birthed in one day?" It was exactly fulfilled in just the last century, and some of you were even alive during the time when it was fulfilled. It's an awesome thing that God has done in fulfilling His word to prove that He truly is on the throne, that He is God.

If you remember a couple of weeks ago, when we were in Isaiah chapter 39, we saw that Isaiah 39 ended with a prophecy concerning a coming judgment. The children of Israel had just faced almost total destruction by the Assyrian army and King Sennacherib. God had miraculously intervened. In Isaiah chapter 37, at the end of the chapter, we saw that in one night, 185,000 of Sennacherib's armies were killed by an angel that went into the army and destroyed them. Sennacherib was turned around from destroying the city of Jerusalem and went back to Nineveh.

Twenty years after that point, he died and would not overrun Jerusalem. God had promised, "I’m going to protect the city of Jerusalem for My own namesake and for David's sake." For David's sake, because God, in Second Samuel, had made a covenant with David. Remember, He told David there would not fail to be one from the throne of David upon the throne, and we know that speaks of the Messiah. As a result of that covenant that God had made with David, He says, "I’m not going to allow the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed. For My namesake, I will not allow the city to be destroyed."

After God protected the city of Jerusalem, Hezekiah was visited by a group of Babylonians who came from the king of Babylon to give him a present and some letters saying, "Hey, we heard that you were sick and that you had been made well, and you almost were destroyed by the Assyrians. We're so happy to hear this." When Hezekiah was visited by the Babylonian ambassadors, he was so overjoyed that he decided to show them everything in his household and everything in his kingdom. He showed them even his treasuries, the treasuries of the house of God, and the palace. He showed them the armory as well.

Then Isaiah came in and asked, "Who was it that came to visit you, Hezekiah?" Hezekiah replied, "Oh, they were from Babylon." He was very pleased to receive these Babylonian ambassadors. Isaiah then asked, "What did you show them?" Hezekiah responded, "I showed them everything. I didn't keep back anything." Isaiah said to him, "Listen, what you've done is foolish. In fact, what is in your household is going to be carried away into Babylon. Even some of your own descendants will be carried away and serve as eunuchs in the palace of Babylon."

The heart of Hezekiah was revealed. In Second Chronicles, it is noted that God allowed these Babylonians to come to Jerusalem as a test to examine the heart of King Hezekiah. His heart was revealed as he said at the end of chapter 39, verse 8, "The word of the Lord is good. That which the Lord has spoken is good." He added, "Moreover, for there shall be peace and truth in my days."

You see, he was apathetic. Careless indifference had gripped the heart of Hezekiah. He acknowledged that the Babylonians were going to come and destroy the city of Jerusalem and take some of his own descendants away as captives to Babylon, but he thought, "At least it's not going to happen in my day. That will be for another administration to deal with." This sentiment is similar to what we sometimes hear from our own politicians today.

Right on the heels of that, we come to Isaiah chapter 40. God has pronounced through the prophet Isaiah that judgment is going to come, which would ultimately be fulfilled within 150 years of the time it was spoken, as noted in Isaiah 40, verse 8. When we come to verse 1 of chapter 40, we read, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." In the face of a coming judgment at the hand of the Babylonians, God says, "Comfort my people." This seems a little strange.

How could a people who are now looking forward to a coming judgment be comforted? Well, he says in verse 2, "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, or it's ended, and that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received at the Lord's hand double for all of her sins." Speak comfortably to the people because their warfare is ended.

How is their warfare ended? It has just been prophesied that they are going to be destroyed by the Babylonians. The thing we need to consider as we look at this prophecy given here in Isaiah 40, verses 1 and 2, is that God is not necessarily speaking of the cessation of earthly conflict. God is not speaking about their warfare on earth being completely taken away. Even to this day, some 2,700 years later, the children of Israel are still involved in armed conflict. They are facing war even as we sit here tonight.

Hamas and Hezbollah have stated that it is in their charter. The very first paragraph of Hamas' charter calls for the destruction of the nation of Israel, to wipe them off the map. Not just Hamas, but Hezbollah and also Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, still declares that he wants to destroy that little Satan, whom he calls the nation of Israel. He wants to wipe them off the face of the map. So, clearly, this is not speaking of just the cessation of earthly conflict. This is speaking of something much greater.

God, in speaking comfort to His people, is directing their attention to His coming salvation and the establishment of peace between God and man. He says to them, "Your warfare is ended. I'm going to speak comfort to you." How are they going to be comforted? Number one, by the fact that their warfare will be ended, that there will be peace. But this is not speaking of a negotiated peace here on earth. This is speaking of an established peace with God.

Well, how is such a peace going to come? Notice what it says there in verse 2: "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem because their warfare is ended, or there is peace, that their iniquity is pardoned." You see, man, ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis chapter 3, has been in rebellion against God. Man stands as an enemy of God because of sin. As an enemy of God, we need someone to come in and deal with the cause of this enmity, someone to come and deal with this warfare.

To take care of this warfare and to establish peace, there is only one way for peace to be established between man and God: our iniquity, our sin, has to be dealt with. How is it dealt with? It says here that your iniquity is pardoned. We must receive a pardon for our sin, but the problem is that God is holy.

You may find it strange that I say it’s a problem that God is holy. Clearly, it is a good thing that God is holy. However, because God is holy, He cannot just let us off the hook. He cannot simply say, "Well, you know, I know you've sinned, but that's okay. I'm a good God, and I want to have a relationship with you. I want to have fellowship with you. I don't want there to be animosity, and I don't want there to be any sort of enmity between us. So, I'm just going to overlook it." We know that God cannot overlook our sin.

We recognize that God cannot just let us off the hook arbitrarily because He wants to have a relationship with us. There are some people, in fact, I would say many people in our nation today, who think that way. They say things like, "Well, God is a God of love, so He's going to overlook my sin." No, He’s not. That is a God that you have created in your mind; it is not the God revealed in the Scriptures at all. God will not overlook sin. He is just, and He is serious about His law. Because God is just, He must bring justice upon our sin. He cannot just blindly look over our sin.

In fact, in Proverbs chapter 17, there is a very interesting verse. Solomon says something that I believe is powerful. You may want to turn there for just a moment. Proverbs 17, verse 15. Remember, aside from Jesus, Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Notice what this wise man had to say: "He that justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the just, even they both are abominations to the Lord." He that justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord.

Based on that verse, we recognize that it is not possible for God, who is just, to simply wipe away our sin without dealing with it. Yet, we are told here in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 2, that we can receive comfort from the Lord. Why? Because there is a peace that has been established, because our iniquity has been pardoned. But how can our iniquity be pardoned if it is an abomination to the Lord to justify the wicked?

What must God do to be just and the justifier of the wicked? The book of Romans says that God is just and the justifier of us. Well, how then can He do that? Notice what it says in verse 2: "For she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sin." If you break this down and consider what is being said at the end of verse 2, you'll see that it really means she has received full payment for her sin.

Speak comfortably to Jerusalem because her warfare is ended. There's no more enmity. God has established peace with man. How has God established peace with man? He has done so by dealing with the very thing that brings enmity: our sin. He has pardoned us from our sin. But how can a just God pardon us from our sin? The debt has to be paid in full. That is the only way that God can release us from the curse of sin, which is death. The debt must be paid. He can't just wipe it off the books. Only our government can deal with accounting problems like that; God can't do that.

Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3. We'll see this laid out a little bit more by the Apostle Paul. Romans chapter 3, verse 23, is a verse that many of you have probably memorized, especially if you have ever used what's called the Romans road in sharing your faith with people. It's the very first step on the Romans road: "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We all have sinned. We all have fallen short of the glory of God.

But notice what Paul says in the next verse: "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." We are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The word "redemption" there is an accounting term, and it speaks of paying the price. You see, we are not justified freely by His grace just because He wipes the sin off the books and says, "Here, I'm giving you a gift." No, He purchased our salvation through the redemption that is in Christ.

The verse continues in verse 25: "Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation." God has set Jesus forth to be the atonement for our sin, the one upon whom our sin was placed. In Him, we find our justification.

He bore the punishment for our sin. So, He is the propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. In verse 26, Paul says, "I say at this time, His righteousness," that He might be just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus.

How can God justify the wicked if that, before God, is an abomination? The only way that God can justify the wicked is to pay the price for the wicked man's sin. There we see that God has declared you and I righteous. How? Through the redemption, through the purchase, through the blood of Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might receive the righteousness of God. I would venture to guess that we've received the better part of the deal: that He became sin for us, and He has given us His righteousness. He is able to maintain His justice. He is just and the justifier of those who put their confidence, their trust, their faith in Him.

The only way that you and I can experience this great comfort that Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 1, is through peace with God. "Comfort, yea, comfort ye my people," saith God. "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem." The only way we can enjoy and experience this comfort is as a result of peace with God, meaning that our warfare is ended, as stated in verse 2 of Isaiah 40. We have our iniquity dealt with. Our iniquity is the cause of our warfare, and it must be pardoned. The only way it can be pardoned is by the payment of the debt, and Jesus is the one who came and paid the debt for you and me. The debt that you and I could never pay, He paid. As a result, we can have our warfare ended.

You see, Isaiah is not talking about the doing away with earthly conflict here. He is addressing this great cosmic struggle between man and God because of man's sin. Man, apart from the work of Jesus Christ, stands at enmity with God, and his sin must be dealt with. Jesus paid the price. As you consider this in context, you see that these three encouraging words are a great comfort: their warfare has ended.

That they have received a pardon from the Lord because their sin has been fully paid for. Well, anybody hearing these great comforting words from the prophet Isaiah would say, "When and how is this going to come to pass?"

Look at verse 3 of Isaiah 40. When and how shall this great comforting reality come to pass? Clearly, this comfort would not immediately be experienced by the children of Israel in Jerusalem because they were facing a coming judgment by the Babylonians about 150 years after this point. So when would it come to pass?

First, there would come the voice crying in the wilderness. Before this comforter would come, there would be one who would herald his coming, one who would go before him and prepare the way of the Lord. Kind of an advance team, so to speak. Anytime our president travels anywhere in our nation or in the world, an advance team goes before him probably six to eight weeks before he ever leaves the White House. They make sure that everything is taken care of. They ensure that every place he will go to is secure and that all the plans are down to the minute. The advance team goes ahead and makes the way straight.

Here, God speaks to his prophet and says that this comfort is going to become a reality when the herald goes forth first. So how will this comfort be brought about? The voice crying in the wilderness will be preparing the way for the comforter, the Prince of Peace, the pardoner, the propitiation who is Jesus. He is the one who will establish peace, the end of warfare, and pardon our iniquity by paying the price. This voice, the herald, is going to come before the comforter.

Who is this voice? The question is answered very clearly for us in all four gospels. We don't even have to go very far to figure out who the voice crying in the wilderness is because each of the four gospels declares that it is John the Baptist. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 3, the first of the four gospels found in the New Testament, Matthew chapter 3, verse 1.

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. What was he preaching? Well, he was saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Notice what Matthew tells us in verse 3: "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make his path straight.'"

You see, the Holy Spirit, speaking through Matthew, the gospel writer, reveals to us that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 40. This one would come before the Comforter, before the one who would bring peace, because he would pardon our iniquity and be the propitiation for our sin. John the Baptist is the one who comes before. He is also spoken of as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in Mark chapter 1, verses 2 through 4, in Luke chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, and in John chapter 1, verses 19 through 23. In fact, in verse 23 of John chapter 1, John the Baptist himself says, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord." He is the fulfillment of the one preparing the way.

The voice crying in the wilderness is preparing the way for whom? Look at what Isaiah chapter 40 says in verse 3: "The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God." It is not just a man who is coming, not an earthly king, not a great prophet, not even a good teacher or healer. The herald, John the Baptist, is the advanced man for the Lord God. God would become a man.

He goes on to say, "Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain shall be made low, and the crooked places made straight, and the rough places made plain." Why? "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed." John the Baptist goes before Jesus as the advanced man, preparing the way for God the Lord to come, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

Now again, keep your finger in Isaiah chapter 40 and turn to John chapter 1. You all know this well: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

And the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

Skipping down to verse 14, we read, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." We beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the bringer of peace. He is the pardoner. He is the payer of the debt. John the Baptist, the voice crying in the wilderness, went before Him. Through Jesus is true comfort.

You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of what we read in verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 40, where it says, "Comfort, comfort ye my people." There is only one way that the people of this world will receive comfort from the Lord, and it's through Jesus, who is, as 2 Corinthians 1:3 says, the God of all comfort. The bringer of peace, the pardoner of sin, the payer of the debt—He alone brings comfort.

These glorious verses are found as a prophecy at the beginning of Isaiah chapter 40. They speak of a comfort that's not just good-sounding words; it's not just a cliché statement. It's a practical reality. Jesus is the comforter. He is revealed to redeem fallen man and all creation.

In verse 6 of Isaiah 40, the voice said, "Cry," and he asked, "What shall I cry?" God is speaking. Essentially, what's happening here is that God is speaking to John the Baptist and saying, "I want you to go forth and preach. I want you to cry." John the Baptist answers, "What shall I cry? What is the message that you want me to declare?"

God responds, "Here's the message I have for you to declare: All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the spirit or the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are as grass. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God shall stand forever."

Remember, the messenger, the herald, says, "What shall I cry?" And God responds, "This is the message that I want you to bring. I want you to say, 'All flesh is grass,' and even the loveliness of man is just like the flower of the field; it passes away so quickly." Essentially, the message that God gave through this messenger was: life is temporal, God is eternal, and judgment is coming. The condition of man can be boiled down to that simple statement: life is temporal, God is eternal, and judgment is coming.

Was John the Baptist's message anything like that? Turn to Matthew chapter 3, keeping your finger on Isaiah chapter 40. We already read the preceding verses, where we learned that John's message was very clear: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But notice what we read in verse 7 of Matthew chapter 3. When he saw many of the Pharisees come to his baptism, he said unto them, "O generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come? Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, and think not to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say unto you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the tree. Therefore, every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire."

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Is that in any way related to what we read in Isaiah chapter 40? What message shall I cry? "All flesh is grass." It's all going to perish quickly. Judgment is going to come. What does John the Baptist say? "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You better bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, because if you don't bear fruit worthy of repentance, you're going to be chopped down and thrown into the fire."

Life is temporal. God is eternal. Judgment is coming. That was the message that was preparing the way of the Lord. The gospel always should be preceded by the bad news.

The gospel is good news, but it must always be preceded by the reality that man is temporal and God is eternal. Judgment is coming, and every single one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all worthy of judgment, and the only place to find comfort is in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the good news of Jesus.

John the Baptist didn't come to ensure that earthly roads were prepared for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem. Instead, he came to prepare the hearts of men for the preaching of the good news. How did he do that? By bringing conviction of sin. People were being baptized because they were convicted of their sin. They were saying, "I need to repent. I need to be cleansed of my sin." The water didn't cleanse them of their sin; the baptism of God's Spirit would cleanse them of their sin. John said, "I'm just getting you ready for the messenger, the true messenger, the gospel bringer, the one who will bring peace through a pardon by the payment of your sin."

He urged the people to repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. All flesh is as grass, quickly perishing. Even those who think, "Well, I'm so beautiful," are just like the flower of the field; it's here one second and gone the next. Some people say, "Oh, that's Old Testament." Not so. Peter quotes it in 1 Peter 1:24, and James quotes it in James 4. All flesh is as grass, quickly perishing, but the word of the Lord endures forever. This is the word which, by the gospel, Peter says in 1 Peter 1:25, is preached unto us.

You see, that message—life is temporal, God is eternal, judgment is coming—is the preparation ground for the gospel. It needs to be heralded and preached. Continuing on in Isaiah 40:9, we read, "O Zion that brings forth good tidings, get thee up into the mountain, the high mountain. O Jerusalem that brings forth good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up and be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God."

God is now speaking, not just to the herald or to John the Baptist, but to anyone who would bring forth the good tidings, anyone who would share the message. He says, "O Zion, you that bring forth good news."

Gospel, get up into a high mountain. O Jerusalem, you that bring forth good news, lift up your voice with strength. God says to the messenger, any messenger—this would apply to me, this would apply to you; it clearly applied to John the Baptist 2,000 years ago. God says to you and me, as the messenger, find a high point and yell with all the power you can, the gospel, the good news. Do not be afraid.

What ought I to declare to people? Behold your God! Lift up your voice with strength. As we read this, I wonder: Are we fulfilling this command of the Scriptures? Yes, I know that it clearly speaks to John the Baptist, but I think it also speaks to any messenger who would bring forth the good news. Are we, with strength, speaking with every opportunity we have, without fear, clearly presenting the truth, the reality of who Jesus is? Are we fulfilling this calling?

He says, "I want you to declare to the people, behold your God." Comfort is announced in verse one, a comfort that verse two tells us is brought by the Prince of Peace, as He pardons man for their sin. As He pays the debt of sin, God is the comforter alone. Therefore, God calls the people who have been comforted to go forth and declare to this world, "Behold God."

As we go forth and say, "Behold our God," what does God look like? What are we declaring? Look at verse 10: "Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His work before Him."

Three things in verse 10, as we consider what it means to behold God. Number one: Behold the returning God. The beginning of verse 10 says, "Behold, the Lord will come." We are told that He is going to come with a strong hand. Matthew chapter 24, verse 30 says that when He returns, every eye will see Him, and He will come with power and great glory.

In Acts chapter one, you may remember there in verses 10 and 11, as Jesus ascended into heaven, His disciples stood there gawking up into heaven, amazed. As they were standing there, Jesus disappeared out of their sight, and they were met by what we believe to be angels who said, "Hey, you men of Galilee, why do you stand here gazing up into heaven?"

Don't you know that this Jesus who ascended is going to return in like manner? He is going to come with power and great glory. Jude, the brother of Jesus, in his small book just before the Book of Revelation, states in verses 14 and 15, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints." Why is He coming? Verse 15 tells us it is to execute judgment.

In verse 10, as we behold the Lord in Isaiah 40, the first thing we see is the returning Lord. But what else do we see? Verse 10 continues, "Behold, the Lord will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him." We see the ruling Lord, the returning Lord, and now the ruling Lord. When the Lord returns with power and great glory, He is coming to rule and reign with that power. Revelation 12:5 tells us that He will rule with a rod of iron. Revelation 19:11-16, specifically verse 15, states, "Out of His mouth goes forth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God."

Additionally, in Isaiah 9:6, we read, "Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end." You see, when Jesus returns, as we behold the Lord, we behold the returning Lord who will come with strength. He will rule, and His government will have no end.

Not only is He the returning Lord and the ruling Lord, but notice the end of verse 10. It says, "Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him." Behold the rewarding God, the returning God, the ruling God, the rewarding God. When the Lord returns to rule, He will inspect the work of His servants. Notice it says in verse 10 that His work is before Him. He is going to inspect the work of His servants.

Remember the parable of the talents in the New Testament? Jesus tells this parable about a master who had three servants. To one, he gave one talent; to another, he gave two talents; and to the third, he gave five talents. When he returned, he squared his accounts. The one who had five talents had increased his a hundredfold, and he had ten. The one who had two also increased a hundredfold.

He had four servants. He came to the last one, who had two or one, and said, "I buried the talent. I knew that you were a hard master. So here's what you gave to me; I'm giving it back to you." That wicked servant was cast out from before the master. The master inspected the work and then gave rewards.

Does the Bible talk about rewards? When Jesus returns? Yes, openly, many times. In fact, the very last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation 22:12, Jesus says, "And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me." Notice what else He says: "to give every man according to his work." You see, He is going to come, and He is going to inspect the work of His servants and reward them.

In Matthew chapter 6, three times Jesus says, "I will reward you openly. Your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly." In Isaiah chapter 40, verse 10, we see, "Behold, the Lord will come with a strong hand. His arm will rule for Him; His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him." So we see, behold, the returning Lord, the ruling Lord, the rewarding Lord.

Continuing on in verse 11, we see, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom. He shall gently lead those that are with young." Not only do we behold the returning Lord, the ruling Lord, and the rewarding God, but here we behold the loving Shepherd—God as the loving Shepherd.

Remember in the Gospel of John, in John chapter 10, Jesus tells His disciples, "I am the good shepherd." Well, what does the good shepherd do? There in verse 11 of John chapter 10, He says, "I give my life for the sheep." Furthermore, in verse 14, He says, "I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep." Continuing on in verse 27, He says, "My sheep know my voice, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

So Jesus says here, as the good shepherd, "I give my life for the sheep. I know my sheep. I love the sheep. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall be able to snatch them out of my hand."

As we behold our God, remember that was the announcement of the messenger: "Behold your God." Well, who is God? He is the returning God, the ruling God, the rewarding God, and the good shepherd. What does verse 11 tell us in Isaiah chapter 40?

What does it tell us about this good shepherd? Four things. Notice what it says as we break it down. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arm. He shall carry them in his bosom, and he shall gently lead those that are with young. So, he feeds his flock, he gathers his lambs, he carries them, and he gently leads them.

There is no possible way that we could talk about the good shepherd without noting Psalm 23. Now turn in your Bibles to Psalm 23 for a moment. There, David, the great shepherd king of Israel, said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil, and my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Remember what Jesus said in John 10:28: "No one shall snatch them out of my hand." They will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Thus, we see that our God is the returning God, the ruling God, and the rewarding God. As we behold the Lord, we see he is the good shepherd.

What else do we see of him as we behold him in verse 12 of Isaiah 40? It says there, "Who measures the waters in the hollow of his hand, and metes out the heavens with the span, and comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" As we continue to behold our God, we see in verse 12 that he is God, the Creator. The very first thing we learn about God in the Bible, in Genesis 1:1, is that he is Creator. There it says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Here, the prophet Isaiah says, "Behold our God; he measured the waters in the hollow of his hand." Consider this in the context of Job 38. Remember in Job 38, after Job has gone on and on for 37 chapters...

Going back and forth with his friends, Job wondered where God was, questioning, "Well, where is He? Show up, God." God responds, asking, "Hey, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, buddy?" For the next 17 verses or so, God picks apart Job's argument, reminding him, "Hey, I created all this. I'm on the throne."

God asks, "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? Who has meted out the heavens, comprehended the dust, and weighed the mountains?" It is estimated that there are 326 million trillion gallons of water on the earth. That's a lot—326 million trillion. Someday, our national debt is going to reach that, but it's going to be a little while. This water is in a constant cycle. We understand the whole water cycle: it evaporates into the air, builds into clouds, and when the dew point is at the right place, the water comes down and waters the earth. It flows back down into the creeks and rivers and returns to the sea, going through this cycle over and over again. More than 70% of the earth is covered with water, with an average depth of a thousand feet.

Who comprehended all that? Who is the one who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? This is what we call an anthropomorphism; it brings God into human terms so we can comprehend His greatness. It doesn't mean that when God was creating the earth, He literally scooped water in His hand and poured it down. No, it's just giving us an idea of His grandeur, and even this doesn't scratch the surface of how awesome God is.

Have you ever gone down to the edge of the Pacific Ocean and just stood there, looking at the expanse of the ocean, blown away by how huge it is? Are there any military men here tonight who were on a ship at sea and have seen the grandness of the ocean? Last month, my wife and I went on a cruise. We were only 30 miles out on the ocean, and man, you don't see any land. You realize this is a big piece of water, which gives us recognition that God is awesome.

We estimate how big it is, but God calculated it. Scientists agree that space begins where the atmosphere of the earth ends, but that's about all they'd agree on. They don't really know where that is. There's no sign up there that says, "Thank you for staying at Earth, and enjoy your time out there in space." However, they estimate that it's somewhere around 62 miles above the earth, or 330,000 feet.

The Earth's atmosphere ends, and you enter into outer space. That's pretty phenomenal. How many of you have flown before on a 747? A 747 flies at an average altitude of about 30 to 37,000 feet. Now, just add another 300,000 feet to that, and then you're going out of the Earth's atmosphere into space.

NASA will call you an astronaut as soon as you have flown 50 miles above the Earth. That's a lot of space; it's a huge area. Here, we're just talking about the atmosphere of our Earth. Not to mention the fact that scientists estimate our universe is between 92 and 156 billion light-years across. My mind can't even comprehend that. When I read that in books, I just think, whatever, it's a big number: 92 and 156 billion light-years.

The sun is 8 light minutes away from us. That means that when light leaves the sun, it takes 8 minutes for it to get here to Earth. Our universe is estimated to be 92 to 156 billion light-years across. What do we read about God here? It says that He meted out the heavens with a span. The span is from the tip of your pinky to the tip of your thumb. He measures the universe in the palm of His hand.

This is anthropomorphism; it gives us an idea of the grandeur of God. God knows how awesome He is. He knows how big it is because He created it. We guess about it, but He knows. David said in Psalm 8, "When I consider the heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and all the stars which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him?" When you consider it, you just go, "Lord, why would You even think about me?"

In Isaiah 40:13, it asks, "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord? Or being His counselor, has taught Him? With whom took He counsel? And who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and showed to Him the way of understanding?" As we behold God, we see that He is the returning God, the ruling God, and the rewarding God.

The Good Shepherd. We behold that He is the Creator God, but we also see that He is the God of all wisdom. You see, when God created, He did not need anybody to direct Him. When God leads us, He requires no counsel. When God rules, He will need no administration to tell Him, "Yeah, I think this is a good idea." There are no public opinion polls for God.

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? Now think about that for a second. There is never a time when you are praying, and He goes, "Man, Miles, I just didn't realize that." I haven't had that happen yet, and I doubt I ever will. There will never be a point where He says, "I am really thankful you pointed that out; I just didn't even think about that." Goodness gracious, it didn't even cross my mind. Nothing ever occurs to God.

Now, unfortunately, I recognize and understand that to be a truth, but a lot of times my prayers don't mirror that. A lot of times, we are trying to convince God that, "No, I don't think you quite understand what it is that is going on here, God." As we behold God and consider Him, we are given about five different things about God here: that He is the returning God, the ruling God, the rewarding God, the Good Shepherd, the Creator, and the God of all wisdom.

In contrast to that, we read in verse 15 of Isaiah 40, "Behold, the nations; they are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as small dust of the balance. Behold, He takes up the isles as a very little thing, and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing; they are counted to Him as less than nothing and vanity."

We've stepped back to behold God, and the prophet says to us now, "Behold the nations." In light of who God is and how great and powerful and awesome He is, why do we so often fear man and fear nations, and not fear God? Behold how awesome God is; behold the nations.

We are told about the nations here that they are counted as the small dust of the balance. Remember, we saw a few verses before that it says God measured out the mountains in a balance. When He measured out the mountains in a balance, that little leftover speck of dust that was on the balance...

Oh yeah, those are the nations. It's nothing to God. We read in verse 16, "Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, the beasts thereof not sufficient for a burnt offering." You see, today if you go to Lebanon, it is largely a desolate wilderness. There is not much in the way of trees and forests, but in ancient times, Lebanon was known for its cedars. It was known for these beautiful, majestic trees and great forests.

God, through His prophet here, says that if you took all of the trees of Lebanon and all of the animals found in Lebanon, and you offered them all as a burnt offering to the Lord, that wouldn't even be enough. All of Lebanon's forests do not contain sufficient fuel to consume a sacrifice large enough to honor Him, as stated in the New Living Translation. All of Lebanon's sacrificial animals would not make an offering worthy of our God. He is so awesome. He is so great. You could burn as many burnt offerings as you wanted to, and it wouldn't do justice to His greatness.

The nations are to Him as nothing; verse 17 says they are counted as less than nothing. I love this verse in light of Satan's temptation of Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. Remember the temptation of Jesus? After His baptism, Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days. He fasted, and the enemy came to Him three times to tempt Him. One of the times, he tempted Him with the nations, the kingdoms.

In Matthew chapter 4, verse 8, it says, "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain." You see, the same mountains that Jesus had weighed in the balances, Satan takes Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms, all the nations of the world, and the glory of the nations. Men are so overcome with the glory of the nations and so eager to rule over them. We've seen this just this last week with the G20 in Toronto. Oh, the glory of the nations!

Satan said unto Him, "All these things will I give you if you'll fall down and worship me," as if the nations were really persuasive to Jesus. As if He was going, "Oh, wow! Oh, the glory of the nations!" Then Jesus said unto him, "Get thee behind me, Satan. For it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."

Now, see, the funny thing is that this was not even a temptation to Jesus. We are told in Isaiah chapter 40 that He beholds the nations as nothing. What is that? The nations? Are you serious? This is a temptation? This is the best you can do, Lucifer?

You're going to have to do a little better than that. Behold your God in light of what man so seeks: power and wealth. The nations are so given over to such things.

Continuing on, we move to what will be a major theme in the next five or six chapters of Isaiah: the foolishness of idols. In Isaiah 40, verse 18, God says, "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare Him to?" The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold and casts silver chains about it. He that is impoverished, or poor, that he has no oblation, chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks unto him the cunning workman to prepare a graven image that will not be moved, that will not totter.

You see, the nations are as nothing before the Lord. All the forests and all the beasts of Lebanon are an insufficient offering for God. God is awesome. God is powerful. His greatness cannot even be comprehended by our finite minds. What possible likeness can we compare Him to? How in any way can we capture the greatness of God in an image? And yet man is always so given to try and worship a created thing instead of worshiping the Creator.

Man fashions images and worships them. We look for precious metals, find a masterful workman, and say, "Hey, can you build me this image?" We adorn it with jewels and say, "Well, this is a worthy God to worship." And maybe you can't afford precious metals; gold's gone up to $1,200 an ounce. You might need to find yourself a good hardwood tree. So you go out into the woods, find a sturdy oak, cut it down, and say, "All right, now I'm going to build myself a God."

Wow, that's impressive! You take it to someone who's good at carving such things, and he starts to carve you a nice image. You say, "Yeah, I kind of like that. Maybe you could do a little bit more over here." And, "Oh, yeah, that's looking really good. Make sure it doesn't totter." It's foolishness. It's stupidity. The absurdity of it is beyond comprehension.

And so God says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard?" In verse 21, He asks, "Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?" It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth.

And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them forth as a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth as vanity. Yes, they shall be planted. Yes, they shall be sown. Yes, their stalks shall not take root in the earth. He shall blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

This is God's response to man's idolatry. He says, "Hello, have you never heard or understood? Are you deaf to the words of God, the words that He gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? This is absolute idiocy. You're just absolutely foolish. You bow down to something created, rather than the One who made it."

Then He says, "He who sits upon the circle of the earth." Now, mind you, this is 2,100 years before Columbus. The circle of the earth is mentioned, and really, the idea of a spherical earth was something that was very common among ancient peoples anyway. It was just kind of a dark time, but never mind; that's a story for another day. God gave man knowledge of this reality, the circle of the earth.

More interesting than that, we read here that God sits upon the circle of the earth. This does not mean that He is sitting up in the heavens over the top of the earth; it means that He sits in a position of judgment. God, who created the world, is also sovereign over His creation. He sits in a position of judgment over the affairs of humanity.

We read that all men are like grasshoppers upon the earth. There is God, and He is over all the affairs of man, even over all the nations. The nations and the power of those nations are nothing to Him, for He is sovereign and He is the judge over all things. They all will stand before Him one day.

We are told that He brings the princes to nothing in verse 24, meaning that God is the ultimate, sovereign judge. All the honorable princes of this world, the judges that judge the affairs of this world, are given their jurisdiction by Him. We must recognize that the positions of authority in this world are allowed and given by God. He gives them the jurisdiction from which they rule, and He will hold them accountable according to how they use the jurisdiction that He has given. They may think that they are strong.

They imagine themselves to be powerful and in control. But we're told that a blast from His mouth shows them to be like the grass of the field. Just like with Sennacherib. Remember, Sennacherib thought himself to be great and powerful. In Isaiah chapter 10, we see him talking about how it is by his power and strength. But God says, "You're just a rod in my hand. When I'm done with you, I'll judge you." Then God breathes upon them, and 185,000 of his army fall down dead. He goes home with his tail between his legs. God tells him, "I know your rage against me." Essentially, God says, "I know where you sleep." I love that. Sennacherib, I know where you sleep, buddy. I'm sovereign over the affairs of men.

Well, again, He asks the question in verse 25: "To whom then will you liken me? Or shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. "Lift up your eyes on high and behold, who has created these things that brings them out or brings out their host by number? He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might, for He is strong in power, and not one fails." God says to the people, "Who will be my equal? Who will you liken me to?"

Then He calls His hearers to go outside. "I want you to go outside and look up at the night sky, and I want you to say, 'Who has created these things?'" These stars are literally what He's talking about. "Who created them? Who sovereignly brings them out one by one and calls them by name? Who makes sure that they're all where they're supposed to be and that not one is lost?"

I mean, how bad would it be if God just accidentally lost one of these stars that are flying through the galaxies at hundreds and millions of miles per hour? That would be a bad day if He just kind of let one go for a minute.

He says, "Why do you say to me, O Jacob, and speak to me, O Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" "Hast thou not known, and hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, He faints not, neither is He weary? There is no searching of His understanding."

Apparently, after all that had happened to the people of Judah in that southern region of Israel, after all that they had gone through at the hands of first the Syrians and the northern ten tribes, and then at the hands of the Assyrians, they began to question whether or not God really cared. They accused God of careless indifference.

They accused Him of just kind of looking on apathetically and not really caring about His people. They figured that God had forgotten them, or at least He had unjustly overlooked their cause. They asked, "Where is God? How come He's not doing anything? How come He's not taking care of this plight that we have?"

Right after 9/11 in 2001, Rick Kierstedt, Eric Siaka, Mark Cato, and I went to New York City to minister in and around Ground Zero. At one point, we were up near Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Billy Graham's ministry had set up a prayer hotline, and we had flyers that said "Need Prayer" on them, along with the phone number for people to call. We stood out there handing these flyers to people in New York.

If you've ever been to New York City, you know that everywhere you walk, people are handing you things. New Yorkers are generally polite about it; they take the flyers and look at them for a second, but then about 15 to 20 feet away, you would see a pile of these things on the ground because they just throw them away.

I remember being in Midtown Manhattan when Rick, who was about 20 to 30 feet away from me, handed a flyer to a lady who was probably in her mid to late twenties. She was dressed to the nines, looking like she had just been shopping. She walked a few feet away, then turned around and came back with tears in her eyes. Rick started to talk with her, and I stood right next to him as we engaged in conversation.

As we talked, it came out that she was Jewish. She said, "God's forgotten us. God doesn't love us." Her conclusion was that all the things they had gone through, specifically the Jewish people, indicated that God didn't care. She expressed the mindset of questioning why bad things happen to good people. "Where is God in all of this?" she asked.

She looked at what had happened on 9/11, and I’m sure she had friends or family members who died as the towers fell. Jewish people consider the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust they faced. They remember being expelled from Spain in 1492, the pogroms of Russia in the 1800s, their expulsion from the land in 70 A.D., and being run out of their land by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. They reflect on all these different events and ask, "Where is God in all this?"

There are many people who think like that lady in New York. She had no doubt been confronted with these deep questions.

With difficult things in her life, the truth revealed here in these last verses of Isaiah chapter 40 is a reality and a comfort to those who believe. Notice what He says here: He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might, He increases strength. He does not promise that they will never go through difficulty. He says, "I give power to the faint. I give power to those who go through difficult things."

When you're faced with cancer, when you're faced with a death in the family, when you're faced with the loss of a job, the loss of your wealth, or the loss of your house, or whatever it may be, He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might, He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint; those that are supposed to have strength will faint. The young men shall utterly fall, but those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

What is the truth revealed here? Whatever you face in this life, when we are so tempted to try and do something, to try and fix it, to try and make it better, we will probably make it worse. We are much better off to wait upon the Lord, to be still and know that He is God. We need to step back as the nations tremble, as the nations quake, as they freak out, and behold God.

What do we learn about God when we behold Him? Well, He is the returning Lord. When He comes, He is going to rule. He is going to reward those that serve Him. He is a good shepherd right here and now. He loves His sheep. He died for them. He tends them. None shall be ripped from His hands. He is the Creator, and He is sovereign over all the things that He has created.

When we consider who our God is, when we wait upon Him, it is there that we renew our strength. It is there that we are able to mount up on wings as eagles, to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint. If you're weary tonight, if you're fainting tonight, the indication is that you're not doing what the Scripture says. If you say, "Well, I am doing what the Scripture says and God’s not doing it," then you are doing the exact same thing that Israel was doing: accusing God of careless indifference. You are accusing God that He is not truly...

What He says He is. You're saying, "God, you're a liar." I know that may be tough for you to swallow, but the reality is, do you have a proper perspective of God, or is your focus on the temporal circumstances you face? Yes, it's difficult to step back and refocus our attention upon Him, but it's the only way that we experience the comfort that we find in Isaiah chapter 40.

The author of the Book of Hebrews, in his concluding chapters, states in chapter 12, verse 1, "Wherefore, seeing that we are encompassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds, because you have not yet resisted unto bloodshed striving against sin. Looking unto Jesus as we run this race in this life, we must lay aside all the junk that so easily besets us, snares us, and trips us up. Look unto Him and find the strength that we need to run the race.

The reality is that as Christians, we are not going to be released from hardship in this life. We will experience the same hardships that the world does. Christians get cancer. Any preacher who says that a Christian won't get cancer is a false teacher. Christians lose their jobs, lose their houses, and lose their loved ones. Everybody goes through those things.

However, the non-believer does not have the strength of the Lord, does not know the comfort of God, and has not experienced the joy of His strength. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report, if there be anything virtuous, if there be anything praiseworthy, think on these things. Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Father, when we're so tempted to put our confidence in other things, when we're going through a trial or a difficult situation, we may be tempted to put our confidence in our savings account, our 401(k), painkillers, alcohol, pleasures, or relationships with other people. Lord, may we recognize that all such things are fashioning graven images. It's like going to the workmen and having them fashion something with gold and jewels, creating something that will not totter, but it is not sufficient for what is truly needed.

God, we need You. As we move forward in a time in our nation where I believe we will face more opposition as followers of Jesus, as followers of You, Lord, I pray that You would remind us of these truths: our strength is found in You, and our comfort is not in the cessation of hostility or the doing away with difficulty here. Our comfort is found in the peace we have with You, the peace that has been brought about by the pardon You have given to us as You have paid the price.

Remind us of these things as we go from here, I pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.