Sermon Notes: “The Mountain of God”
Pastor Alan Hannah | December 14 & 15, 2025
Jesus doesn’t just show us the way home; He IS the way home.
1Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.
The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
2Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers
and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,
as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.
There the LORD will display his glory,
the splendor of our God.
3With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
and encourage those who have weak knees.
4Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”
5And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6The lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
and streams will water the wasteland.
7The parched ground will become a pool,
and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
where desert jackals once lived.
8And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
fools will never walk there.
9Lions will not lurk along its course,
nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
Only the redeemed will walk on it.
10Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return.
They will enter Jerusalem singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
and they will be filled with joy and gladness. [Isaiah 35:1-10]
Jesus doesn’t just show us the way home; He IS the way home.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14:6]
23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. [Romans 3:23]
9If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. [Romans 10:9-10]
10Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness. [Isaiah 35:1-10]