Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Isaiah 64. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ:
- In our text we hear the prophet Isaiah express a deep-seated yearning that people of God often have when faced with deep conflict with the unbelieving world around us.
- This is one of the aspects of our life as Christians that people of the world do not understand or grasp, and it frankly makes them think that there must be something wrong with us. You see, all aspects of evil are repugnant to us and trouble us, especially when the evils are being pushed forward and trumpeted as something good.
- Generally the world agrees with us that murder is evil, that rape is evil, that outright stealing and robbery are evil. However, the world is also convinced that what people are free and willing to participate in might not be right for them, but that we should not prohibit or curtail human freedom. And the world generally sees selfishness – if only slightly moderated – as something that is not evil but desirable, for it makes people productive, ambitious, and manipulable.
- But especially when it comes to religion – which many people demand the right to be “free” from, there is a very wicked and evil view that all religions are basically the same. And this is true – of all religions other than Christianity, which alone is based in God’s gracious mercy, forgiveness, love, kindness, and salvation in Christ Jesus – as His free gift to us. Unbelievers can’t fathom this, and so they can’t fathom the difference.
- The result of this is that the world is always poised against Christianity and God’s church, and these “adversaries” of God and His people are often emboldened in their evil even to persecuting God’s people, especially His preachers and teachers. And when this happens, when we observe it and are being harmed by it:
I. We Desire To See God Come Down With Power To Intimidate His Adversaries
Text: “Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make Your Name known to Your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at Your presence!”
Statement: When we see great evil and wickedness in the world, and especially when evil attacks God’s people and His church, this is a natural reaction of believers. We think that those who refuse God’s gracious mercy, forgiveness, and love should at least have to live in fear and trembling of God, and perhaps even suffer His destructive judgment. You remember that James and John felt this way when Jesus was rejected in a Samaritan village, and they asked Jesus whether He wanted them to call down fire from heaven to consume the village.
Application: But even Isaiah had in mind that the effect of a presentation of God’s terrifying power might be to encourage people to finally and ultimately humble themselves and take refuge in God’s clemency. And this would be a more pious and godly desire on our part, for as Isaiah encourages:
II. We Would Do Better To Remember His Love, That God Acts On Behalf Of Those Who Know Him, Love Him, And Serve Him
Text: “When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, Who acts for those who wait for Him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember You in Your ways.”
Statement: Things are no different today, for God does not change. He continues to do awesome things, and acts on behalf of those who believe in Him, who trust in Him, and who wait patiently for Him to deliver them. God is proactive to meet and protect those who are joyful in working righteousness, believers who know God and remember Him, and how God is, that God is love.
Application: This does not mean that we will be exempt from any and all suffering or trouble, or even from persecution and martyrdom. But it does mean that God is working all things together for our good, and that ultimately no one can inflict any lasting harm or damage upon us. And all of this comes to us by His grace, His goodness and mercy, “without any merit or worthiness” in us. Isaiah makes sure that we remember this for:
III. There Remains All Our Days The Issue Of Our Own Sin And Weakness – So That We Must Continue To Honestly Repent
A. Isaiah Invites Us To Confess With Him The Reality Of Our Sin
Text: “Behold, You were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?”
B. And Isaiah Reminds Us That Even Our Righteousnesses, Our Good Deeds, Are Imperfect And Polluted
Text: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
C. Likewise, Isaiah Reminds Us That We Often Lack Faith And Deference To God
Text: “There is no one who calls upon Your Name, who rouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.”
Statement: So Isaiah provides us with a proper remedy for our eagerness to see God’s justice and judgment poured out upon “sinners” – he reminds us that we have our own issues with violations of God’s will and our own need for His gracious mercy and forgiveness. And Isaiah is writing to “church” people, to people within the children of Israel – and so his warnings are just as applicable and appropriate to us as well.
Application: So before we get too eager for wrath to come upon others, we should first consider the wrath that our own sins are deserving of, and give serious consideration to a greater commitment to “righteous deeds,” and performing them more “righteously” and piously. And there is no one among us, on planet earth, who is exempt from such need for introspection, repentance, and spiritual growth in God’s love. And this will protect us:
IV. So That We Humbly Pray To Our Creator For Mercy And Renewal, As Isaiah Did
Text: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Be not so terribly angry , O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.”
Statement: Can we pray this way for ourselves, and also for our fellow church members, and perhaps also even for our fellow citizens who may be caught in unbelief and in various forms of ignorance and immorality? Yes, we can, for you remember that “God so loved the world” and that “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Application: This is not to say that we should be “soft” on evil, but that we recognize the continuing love that God has for all people. While we may be harsh on evil, especially that evil which seeks to destroy the church, God’s dear people of faith, we should do our utmost to be kind toward all people – recognizing and remembering that we have as much to repent of as they do, and that our only hope is in God’s gracious forgiveness, mercy, and love. In this way we will remember what is important for us and for all people, and will remain willing to extend God’s love to all!
Conclusion: It would be easier, in our minds, for God to simply remove all evil by destructive judgment and force – until we remember that there is cause to put us under the same condemnation. If we live in God’s mercy, and put our hope in it, then we know we must extend the same mercy to others.
We may pray for God’s power and judgment to come down and to intimidate His adversaries, but we should pray for this with the right motivation and in hope for the right outcome – that many would repent and turn to God. And we must remain prepared to do so as well, rather than to drift into hypocrisy and unbelief ourselves. May God grant such understanding, humility, and blessedness to us all! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.