Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Sermon for Midweek of Trinity 18

Isaiah 60:13-22 (ESV)

There was a lot of Law in the first part of Isaiah 59, which we heard last week. The second half of that chapter we heard way back on the First Day of Lent, and after all the Law of the first part, we heard in that second half of the chapter God’s gracious promise to send the Redeemer to Zion, to save those who were crushed by the Law. We heard the first part of Isaiah chapter 60 even earlier, at the beginning of this year, on Epiphany, where God foretold the great expansion of Israel—of the people of God—to include the Gentiles together with the Jews in the Holy Christian Church.

Remember, all three parts of these last 27 chapters of Isaiah revolve around the three themes: (1) Earthly deliverance for Israel from captivity in Babylon for the sake of the coming Messiah, (2) spiritual deliverance for Israel through the work of the coming Messiah, and the expansion of Israel to include the Gentiles, during the New Testament era, and (3) final deliverance for the new, expanded people of Israel at the Messiah’s second coming, in the new heavens and the new earth. Those three themes are found in each of the three sections of 9 chapters, but each 9-chapter section focuses on one of those themes. These last 9 chapters focus on the final deliverance. And just as there is a progression from earthly deliverance to spiritual and then heavenly deliverance, so there is a progressive shift away from the earthly nation of Israel in these chapters to the spiritual Israel of the Holy Christian Church.

And so we pick up the prophecy this evening in the second half of chapter 60, where the Lord uses picture-language to describe that spiritual Israel (the Holy Christian Church), partially during this New Testament era and partially after this world ends, with one era sort of blending into the next.

The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

The “glory of Lebanon” was their trees. Lebanon was famous for the quality and abundance of wood for construction projects. Here the Lord promises that His sanctuary, His temple would be rebuilt with the help of foreign nations. That happened literally for Israel after their return from captivity. It’s happening spiritually right now as the Christian Church continues to be built throughout the world. And it will happen perfectly in the heavenly sanctuary above.

The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Again, that happened literally only to a small degree for the nation of Israel. It’s happening now spiritually as former persecutors of the Church repent and become members of it. And it will happen perfectly at the Last Day, when every enemy of Jesus and of His beloved Church will bow down before Him in shame and recognize that He has loved us, His dear Christians.

Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

The nation of Israel was literally restored, and some degree of majesty was seen there again, and they received some help from foreign rulers (that’s what it means to “suck the milk of nations and to nurse at the breast of kings”). But the focus of these verses has shifted to the New Testament Church. Not that the Church appears majestic in this world. And yet the Gospel has successfully gone out to every corner of the earth, bringing sinners to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. And, at many times over these past 2,000 years, the Church has been nurtured and protected by the kings of the earth, just as the Lord promises here in this chapter. Notice, it’s not about the Church taking over the kingdoms of the world. It’s about God using the governments of the earth, whether good or bad, whether full of Christians or full of pagans, to preserve His people throughout this New Testament era, until Christ comes again, usually through laws like we have here in the United States, laws that protect Christians’ ability to assemble peaceably and to speak freely, and to practice our religion in the world. St. John pictures this preservation in Revelation, where the Church is pictured as a woman who is fleeing from the dragon (the Devil), fleeing into the wilderness of this earth, where she will be cared for during this New Testament age.

But that’s not a guarantee that the governments of the world will always protect and preserve the Church. On the contrary, human governments are more often portrayed in Scripture as hostile to the Gospel. Still, what Isaiah promises in this chapter has certainly been fulfilled over and over throughout history, and we should give thanks to God for such providence.

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

And here the Lord transitions from the Church in the world to the Church as it will be in heaven. Everything we have here will be replaced with something far better. Gold in place of bronze. Silver in place of iron. Iron in place of wood. Peace and righteousness in place of toil and injustice. Safety in place of violence. Salvation in place of destruction and death. Praise in place of groaning and sighing.

The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

These beautiful words are quoted almost verbatim in the book of Revelation as John sees behind the curtain of death, as he sees what life will be like for believers in heaven. And notice how God-focused this vision of heaven is. It’s not about having fun with your favorite pastime or hanging out with your friends or loved ones. The focus, the focus of eternal life will be the LORD God—the same LORD God who loved us and gave His Son into death for our sins, so that we could be with Him forever.

Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation;

Heaven is called “the home of righteousness,” because, finally, we will all be righteous, not just by imputation, not just by God counting us righteous for Christ’s sake, through faith. But, finally, all citizens of heaven will have sloughed off this sinful flesh, with its taint of corruption and self-centeredness. No longer will we covet. No longer will anyone stumble or fall. Heaven will be our home forever, to the glory of the God who redeemed us, and worked in us all these years by His Holy Spirit, to finally transform us completely into image of God in which man was first created.

I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it.

“In its time,” God says. Not in our time, when we want our final deliverance to come. In “its” time, at the right time, as decided by our God, whose wisdom and knowledge are beyond our understanding. The Lord knows just when He should come to put an end to the sorrows of this life. And when the right time comes, He won’t delay any longer. He will “hasten it.” Behold, I am coming soon, says the Lord. Let this promise draw your gaze heavenward, to the time of the final deliverance of God’s people. Put your trust in your Father’s perfect timing, and that faith will lessen the harshness of this world’s evil. Amen.

Sermon for Midweek of Trinity 17

Isaiah 59:1-11

There are two fundamental teachings of the Bible, that run throughout the entire Bible. We’re studying this right now in our online study of the book of Romans (which we’ll probably end up doing here in person, too, at some point). In fact, in the book of Romans, St. Paul quotes one of the verses we have before us this evening in Isaiah 59 in order to highlight those two teachings. We refer to them as the Law and the Gospel. The Law is the teaching that runs throughout the Scriptures that presents God’s righteous requirement that man must be righteous, as God is righteous, in order to be acceptable to God. It’s the natural path, the default path, that all men start out on. But the message of Scripture is that this path necessarily leads to death for all who walk it. If we are to be acceptable to God, if we are to be saved from sin, death, and the devil, we have to walk the path of the Gospel.

The path of the Gospel, as we constantly present it, is the path of recognizing our sins, recognizing that we are failures on the path of the Law, recognizing that no one is righteous enough to be acceptable to God, and mourning over it. Then it’s hearing the good news, that God the Father has given His Son Jesus Christ into death for your sins, has given Him as a free gift, and that He will cover, with His own righteousness, all who run to Him in faith, that all who believe in Christ Jesus are forgiven and will have everlasting life.

Much time is spent in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, in convincing the people of Israel that the path of the Law is futile, because they kept on stubbornly trying to walk it, in defiance of God’s Word, in defiance of God’s mercy. Defiance, not because keeping the Law is against God’s will, but because they refused to acknowledge their sins and their need to be saved by God’s mercy instead of by their own attempts at Law-keeping.

That’s why we have a very direct, very stern preaching of the Law again in Isaiah chapter 59. Let’s walk through it briefly. And remember, as we do, that it’s directed to those who are secure in their sins, to those who keep avoiding the path of the Gospel, because they are determined to be saved by the Law instead.

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

In other words, God says to them, you’re suffering now, and you will suffer more, not because I’m unable to save you, or unable to hear your cries for salvation. No, you are suffering, and will suffer much more, because you have sinned against Me and refuse to repent. You have sinned against Me and yet you still think that you deserve My help, that you have earned My favor on the path of the Law. So, as long as you keep trying to approach Me on the path of the Law, the Law will continue to reveal your sins, and, therefore, you will not receive My help.

For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.

What exactly were the Israelites doing? They were mistreating their neighbors with their hands and with their tongues. Some were guilty of actual murder. Others, of supporting the murderers. Others, of simply looking the other way. God could speak the same condemnation on our country, and on all the nations of the world, as some people murder little babies in abortion, while others support them in such murder, while others simply look the other way. Wars, violence, bloodshed take place everywhere. But iniquity takes many, many forms, not just violence. It’s every moment lived without concern for God, without concern for His Word, without concern for one’s neighbor. Lips speak lies, tongues mutter perversity, and hearts are bitter, and loveless, and cold.

No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out. Their webs will not become garments, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands.

Now, calling for justice and pleading for truth were especially relevant in Old Testament Israel, as the whole nation of Israel was the visible Church of God, and God’s covenant with them governed their society as a whole. So when injustice took place in Israel, when the government failed to condemn the guilty and failed to uphold the case of the innocent, it was the responsibility of all the citizens of Israel to seek justice for their neighbor and to speak up for what was true. Some schemed to take advantage of their neighbor, some took bribes to let the wicked get away with it, and some just grew lazy and indifferent to the injustice happening all around them. “As long as I’m doing ok, I’m not going to get involved.” And God looked at it all and said, “You’re all guilty before Me, all of you who practice these things!”

He goes on: Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

These are the verses that Paul cites in Romans chapter 3. And here we have to take note that Paul applies these words, not just to the openly wicked and evil criminals in the world, but to all people everywhere. Not that all people are guilty of every possible sin, not that all people are going around literally shedding innocent blood, but all people participate in these kinds of sins. If God were to judge us by His holy, righteous Law, the Law would find sins in every human being. All who are judged by the Law will be found guilty.

Therefore, Isaiah says, justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us.

We don’t behave justly, and, therefore, we don’t get justice from God—at least, not the kind we want. Because, the truth is, when God punishes sinners, that is justice. When God condemns the unrighteous, that is righteousness. But that doesn’t help the sinner. There’s no salvation on the path of the Law, because all are lawbreakers. There’s no light for us to walk by, if we have to come up with our own source of light. We can’t save ourselves. Period.

That Law-message is a hard message to hear, but sinners need to hear it until they finally break, until they finally acknowledge their sins, until they finally stop trying to get God to accept them based on their works.

But when we do acknowledge that God is speaking the truth, when we do acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves, when we finally recognize the hopelessness of our situation, that’s when God comes running to us with the Gospel, which doesn’t make its way into our short 11 verses this evening but which is the theme of the whole Bible. “Look, you sinners! Since you stand condemned if you stand under the Law, come out from under it! See, I offer you another way, another path to walk. I give My Son on your behalf, to be the sacrifice of atonement, to be your Mediator, to be your Savior and Redeemer. Repent of your wickedness and approach Me through Him, and I will hear you. Approach Me through Him, and I will give you justice, righteousness, peace, salvation, and eternal life.” This is the way of grace. This is the way of faith, the way of the Gospel. And it’s the way that works.

Recognizing the hopelessness of your situation is the first step to salvation, which is why the Law of God is always needed this side of heaven. But God holds out new hope in the Gospel. Hear it and believe it, and then spend the rest of your life as a thank-offering to the God who gives you hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sermon for Midweek of Trinity 16

Isaiah 58:1-14

What does the Bible teach about fasting? There are some references to it. Fasting involved going without food for a certain period of time, denying oneself the pleasures of the flesh in order to pray, to focus on the unseen God. It was an act of humility before God. In the New Testament, Jesus’ 40-day fast at the beginning of His ministry is famous. Many of the Jews fasted, but Jesus’ own disciples didn’t fast. Because Jesus was with them. They didn’t need to focus on the unseen God, because, for a few short years, God was seen by them in the Person of Jesus. After His ascension, believers did fast sometimes, by their own choice, not by God’s command.

In the Old Testament there was only one day of the year on which God commanded all the Israelites to fast. That was the Day of Atonement. It was a 24-hour fast, and a Sabbath rest on top of it, no matter what day of the week it fell on. They were commanded to “afflict themselves” or to “humble themselves” on that day, and to do no work at all, a special Sabbath Day, because on that day atonement would be made for their sins, as God Himself had provided it through the ministry of the priests. They were to devote that entire day to paying attention to the atonement God was providing for all their sins. Once a year.

But people often took it upon themselves to fast on other days, which wasn’t wrong, which could be useful. But in tonight’s reading, Isaiah highlights what was wrong with Israel’s fasting. It was a Law fast, not a Gospel fast.

God speaks, first of all, to the prophet Isaiah, commanding him to expose the sins of the people of Israel.

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.

Then God tells Isaiah which sins, in particular, to expose. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.

So they were seeking God, seeking the Lord, pretending to worship Him, expecting help from Him and acceptance from Him, even though they were willfully disregarding His Law. They thought they could draw near to God, without repenting of their sins.

Isn’t that just like the people in today’s world? They don’t have any regard for God’s Word recorded in Holy Scripture. They don’t do what He says. They break His commandments one after the other, with zero repentance, with no intention of listening to Him in the future. And yet many of the same people still pretend to seek the Lord, pretend to worship Him, pretend that He will help them and accept them and bring them into heaven, “just as they are.” But, no, it doesn’t work that way.

Isaiah records the people of Israel complaining to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you do not see it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no notice of it?’ Many in Israel, probably some of the prominent leaders of Israel, wanted to get some help from God. So they chose to fast. They chose to humble themselves. And God didn’t applaud. He didn’t pat them on the back and say, “Good job! Good job! Thank you so much for not eating for a few hours. It means so much to Me! Of course I’ll help you now!”

No, and God tells them why He wasn’t pleased. Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. They were fasting, all right. They were not eating for a day. But how did they spend their time while they were “humbling themselves”? Still seeking their own pleasure in other ways besides eating. Still mistreating their workers. Still quarrelling and fighting and breaking God’s commandments left and right. And still, they thought that their little act of self-sacrifice and self-denial would earn them God’s favor.

Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?

No, God says. What does He care if a person doesn’t eat for a while, and walks around all bent over and sitting in ashes? With the attitude of, “Oh, look at how humble I am. God will have to help me now!” No, He says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

In other words, if you want to do something to please God, if you want to take a day to gain His favor, then it’s not not eating that would please Him. It would be the keeping of His commandments. It would be doing away with all wickedness, not mistreating your neighbor, including your worker or your spouse or your children. It would be taking the food that you would have eaten for yourself and giving it to those who have nothing to eat in the first place.

The Lord goes on: If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

Get rid of the “yoke” from your midst. That is, the things you do to burden other people, to make their life difficult, to make your life easier. Get rid of the pointing finger, blaming and demeaning others. Get rid of speaking wickedly about your neighbor. And devote yourself to helping those who need your help. That would earn the Lord’s favor!

The Lord goes on: “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

God tells Israel, do you want to get My attention? Don’t do it with impenitent fasting. Do it by honoring Me, which means honoring My Word, which means honoring My Commandment to rest on the Sabbath Day. Honor Me on that day, not only by not working, but also by not complaining about how I’m forcing you to rest, by, instead, giving thanks to Me for giving you this day of rest, and for all the things I’ve given you. Honor My word. Honor My commandments by obeying them, from the heart, with love for Me, your God and your Savior. Then you will be blessed! Not by hating Me in your heart, not by ignoring My commandments, not by going without food for a little while, which I never commanded you to do in the first place.

What’s the real problem this chapter of Isaiah exposes among the Israelites, and among people still today? They were trying to earn God’s favor with their own self-chosen work of fasting, even while ignoring all the works God had commanded them to do in His holy Law, even while living lives that dishonored the very God whom they wished to appease. That is why I called it above “Law fasting.” And it’s worse than useless. It’s an offense to God.

But “Gospel fasting” is different. The right way to approach God is through the true humility of repentance, recognizing our sins, against God and against our neighbor, and giving them up instead of living in them intentionally. Then, it’s through the atonement made by the Lord Jesus, who paid for our sins on the cross. The “Gospel fast” is to pause and reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, to stop trying to earn God’s favor by your works, and, instead, to seek His favor through Christ crucified, through whom God has promised mercy and acceptance and the forgiveness of sins, for free. Finally, the “Gospel fast,” if you want to call it that, is to live each day, not for yourself, but for Him who died for you and rose again. It’s to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him, to endure affliction patiently, to pray for one another, to live each day honoring God’s Word instead of honoring yourself, doing what you can to help those in need instead of obsessing about your own needs and desires. This “Gospel fast” won’t put a scowl on your face, but a smile. Because it’s the easy yoke, it’s the light burden that Christ offers to all who come to Him. God is pleased with it, and it ends in glory and eternal life.

This is the kind of fast you should practice all the time, the God-pleasing Gospel fast, whether or not you choose to go without food for a while. Amen.