Title: “Prepare the Way of the Lord”
Contents
"Prepare the way of the Lord" (Isaiah 40:3-5) - These words have a very important symbolic meaning. It refers to the way of the heart, that is, the attitude of welcoming and welcoming with 'Welcome!!' (John 3:16; Revelation 22:20). "The Lord's Way (Ten Hodon Quriu)" refers to the royal road and is a preparation for the Gospel. It is the preparation that we think and act before the promises (words) of God come true. When you are young, you think of when you are old, and you live in summer, but think of winter. It is wisdom (faith) to think about what must happen first and prepare for the future. Today's verse teaches attitudes as children of God (Phil 2:5). It refers to the life of a bride waiting for Jesus to come (second coming) from Jesus who came (first advent).
First, we must raise our status of faith.
In the text, 'valley' refers to the valley of the broken hearts of the people (minjung) at that time. It is the deep pit of the people who live in despair and disappointment caused by sin. Whether it is personal, social, or national, there is no real peace if there is a goal (Isaiah 59:1). A new hope and a new heart are the heart of Jesus (Phil 2:5). The biggest obstacle is selfishness, and what we need most is not knowledge, but common sense. Through common sense, the valley of the goal is filled. The gospel is Jesus, the God of salvation. He is the Almighty. He saved sinners like birds of prey and prostitutes and gave them the authority to become children of God. I need to brush off my humble status, my dirty past, and the ugly things I can't wash away and fill it with the love of the Lord. Because we are children of the Lord God.
Second, we must be humbled to the seat of humility.
The mountain must be lowered. The mountain means pride and pride. In the text, San is the same person as King Herod. He is a dark-eyed man of kingship. It's like a foolish person who lives under the illusion that the world belongs to him. A person who has no substitutes. We must become saints who do the good will of the Lord through repentance and humility, free from hypocrisy, pretentiousness, pride and obsession. We must lower ourselves from the pride of Pharisaism and the pursuit of self-righteousness. Once again, the soles of the feet must be lowered until they touch the Word. You have to be humble and you have to be humble to the end.
Third, the heart of faith must be straight (Isaiah 26:3).
"The bent becomes straight" (Make the hinge straight.) - Anyone can read the distorted and crooked psychology. Many people do not know how terrifying they are. Of course there is no peace. We need to straighten out what is bent and walk on the path of faith. We must be free in the truth (Ecclesiastes 7:13,14). So the Lord said, 'Regenerate to Nicodemus. Then you will see God' (John 3:5). We must erase all these crooked hearts, hooked hearts, prejudices, and misunderstandings and become saints who receive the Lord's love with a pure heart and a pure heart.
Fourth, we must have a meek heart.
A rough road is a rough heart. In the main text, he is the same person as the owner of the inn. He's a mean person. He is a ruthless person who only cares about money. It is rebellion, violence, and a devastated heart. The Lord cannot come to this heart. You cannot accept the Lord. Only with meekness, humility, and a clean and honest heart can we receive the Lord (Isaiah 59:9b-12). At this time, it will be a Christmas of true joy and true happiness for the first time in my life. Hallelujah!!