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Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Misc

Nov 27, 2016


by: Jack Lash Series: Misc | Category: Advent | Scripture: Isaiah 35:1–4

I. Introduction
A. Today is the first day of Advent, the time of year when we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s coming at Christmas.
B. This morning we sang: Lo, how a rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung, of Jesses’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung... Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, the rose I have in mind; with Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
1. Perhaps this language isn't very understandable to you. Here is a paraphrase: Look! A rose which is constantly blooming has sprung up from a tender stem, coming from the family of Jesse, as we’ve been told by the ancient prophets. It was the prophet Isaiah who told us this rose was coming, and we saw Him come through the virgin Mary, his kind mother.
2. The song is based mainly on Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 11, which are part of a large network of passages in the OT prophets – and in Isaiah in particular – which point to the coming of Christ and His effect on the world. .
C. Our passage is Isaiah 35:1-4.
II. Isaiah 35:1-4
A. Verses 1-2 tell us that with the coming of Jesus into the world, the desert of this world is being transformed into a lush garden.
1. 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. (Cf. Isaiah 35:6, 27:6.)
a. In terms of lush plant life, Lebanon’s forests were famous, as was the plain of Sharon at Carmel.
b. You might have noticed that Is.35 didn’t mention a rose, but a crocus. The fact is that we don’t really know what flower the Hebrew word there refers to. When the song was written 500 years ago, they thought it was a rose, now they think it most likely refers to a crocus.
2. This wilderness/garden language seems to be based on the creation story and the fall of mankind in Genesis 1-3. Originally, man was placed in a garden (Gen.2:8). But after he sinned, he was driven out of the garden (Gen.3:23-24), where he dwelt outside in the land of thorns and thistles.
3. Adam was tempted in the garden &through his disobedience brought us into the wilderness of sin.
a. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and by His obedience brought us into the garden of His grace.
4. This process of transforming the desert into a garden has begun with the coming of Christ.
a. It continues with the expansion of His kingdom by the preaching of the gospel and work of HS.
b. But it won’t be finished until the return of Christ and the re-creation of the heavens and the earth, described with garden language, including the tree of life from the garden of Eden, in Rev.22:2.
5. The point here is this: the world may seem like things are getting worse and worse, but the reality is that there is something much more profound and much more powerful going on.
a. Jesus has purchased a piece of worthless, scrub real estate – land which no one else wanted – and He is turning it into a lush, scenic, exquisite, flourishing, fertile, blooming, bountiful garden.
6. Where is this wilderness which is being turned into this paradise?
7. It’s us. It’s the people of Christ. We are the wilderness being turned by Him into a fruitful garden.
8. Through the gospel of Christ and the power of the HS, God is in the Extreme Makeover business.
a. It doesn’t always happen quickly. It doesn’t always happen dramatically. It doesn’t always happen the way we’d like it to happen.
b. But it’s happening according to His agenda, according to His timing, and His perfect wisdom.
c. Miraculously, inevitably, and gloriously, it’s happening and nothing can prevent it!
9. One life at a time, one day at a time. It started out very small — like a mustard seed. But gradually it “becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Mt.13:31-35)
B. This promise of God’s great work in the world through Christ in v.1-2 is followed by v.3-4.
1. 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.”
2. Strange as it may seem, this “Your God will come with vengeance and save you” is virtually the same thing as “The wilderness & the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom.”
a. Part of what comprised Israel’s desertness was that it was dominated by neighboring powers.
b. And part of the desertness of mankind is that we are dominated by sin, oppressed by the devil and subject to death. And part of our being transformed into a garden is being saved and delivered from these enemies. The only way we could ever prosper like a wilderness-being-turned-into-a-garden is by God rescuing us from these foes.
3. Now look carefully at the first half of this: 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!
a. We experience a lot of pressure in life, a lot of burden, a lot of pain.
(1) “Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. – Job 5:7
(2) “For you yourselves know that we are destined for [afflictions].” – 1Thessalonians 3:3
(3) It’s enough to make your hands shake sometimes, enough to make your knees wobbly.
(4) Every one of us faces temptations, therefore, to worry and fret, temptations to feel overwhelmed, temptations to give up. That’s just reality.
b. But the other side of reality is that God has given us plenty, plenty, plenty of ammunition to fight against it, plenty of resources to address it, plenty of reasons to not fall prey to those temptations.
4. The main weapon God has given us to fight these temptations is truth.
a. Here the truth is expressed as a promise that God would turn the wilderness into a paradise.
b. God gives us a vision of the future here. And He wants this vision to become our vision.
c. Your life may be barren and dry like a wilderness. But all that is is the way things look right now.
d. The fact is, if you’re a believer in Christ, your life is in the process of becoming a glorious garden.
e. Your present may look and feel like a desert. But your future is like a garden paradise.
5. It’s sort of like watching a movie you know has a happy ending.
a. Or watching a recording of a game when you know your team is going to win.
b. Getting married: What if you knew for sure that your marriage was going to have a happy ending?
(1) When things were really hard and frustrating with your marriage, wouldn’t you think of this? Wouldn’t you take a lot of comfort in this? Wouldn’t it give you strength and hope to carry on?
6. That’s the same with the promises of God. While the plot is building, we sometimes begin to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But then we go back to the promises of God, and we remember where all this is heading, and we find new vigor and encouragement. That’s why we need the truth.
C. Is your life a wilderness? Do you feel directionless? Do you feel hopeless? Do you fear the future? Do you feel like your life is meaningless? Are you spiritually homeless?
1. Here is a message for those who are anxious and afraid.
2. God is in the business of changing human hearts, of making wildernesses blossom into gardens.
3. And one day He will turn the wilderness of earth into a fabulous garden.
4. His is the love you’ve always longed for.
5. And He opens His arms to you and says, “Come to Me. I will be your home.”