Your hope is sure in God’s Chosen One.

 

Sermon for Lent 2, Reminiscere, February 28, 2021

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Isaiah 42:1-7  Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.  I am placing my Spirit on him.  He will announce a just verdict for the nations.  ²He will not cry out.  He will not raise his voice.  He will not make his voice heard in the street.  ³A bent reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out.  He will faithfully bring forth a just verdict.  ⁴He will not burn out, and he will not be broken, until he establishes justice on the earth.  The coastlands will wait for his law.  ⁵This is what the true God says, the Lord who creates the heavens and stretches them out, who spreads out the earth and everything that it produces, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it.  ⁶I am the Lord.  I have called you in righteousness.  I will hold on to your hand, and I will guard you.  I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to be a light for the nations, ⁷to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the prisoners out from the dungeon, and to bring those who sit in darkness out of prison. (EHV)

Your hope is sure in God’s Chosen One.

Dear elect of the Living God,

            What must I do to be saved?  That question has tormented mankind for as long as people have existed.  Some of the ancient pagans, much like modern day pantheists or earth worshippers, had no thought for eternity but imagined they could use sacrifices and rituals to appease the forces of the environment so that life in the here and now remains pleasant.  Others, who were concerned about what happens after we die, have answered the question in a variety of ways.  Some have taught that to reach some sort of peace, one must achieve a state of consciousness above the worries of the world.  Some have demanded submission to authority as a means to satisfy a god’s justice.  Others insist that a law code must be followed to obtain eternal life, and still others follow a mixture of all these teachings.  Yet, not one of those various belief systems could bring anyone any closer to eternal life.

Now, I know that many people in our world blindly doubt their need for a Savior, yet anyone who honestly examines himself will be forced to admit that we are not perfect, and though the human race has been quite imaginative at developing gods and pretending to know how to satisfy such idols’ demands, the truth is there is only one God who created the world and everything in it, who will judge all things in the end.  That God demands perfect holiness, and nothing less will satisfy.  Furthermore, He shows us that we all have sinned and fall short of His glory.  So, what are we to do?

Two thousand years ago, a Baby was born who brought the one and only answer to the question.  In answer to a man who thought himself righteous, Jesus agreed that perfect obedience of the law could save, but it was soon made readily apparent that no human being was up to the task.  However, Jesus also spoke the intriguing statement, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)  An interesting part of this all is that Jesus wasn’t offering a new promise.  In fact, the promise of a Savior is almost as old as the world.  The comfort for all of us today is that Your hope is sure in God’s Chosen One.

Our sermon text is a Messianic prophecy.  Every part of it proclaims the Savior God planned to send.  Through His prophet, God declared, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.  I am placing my Spirit on him.  He will announce a just verdict for the nations.”  Because you and I always fall short of the righteousness of our Creator, we would expect deserved condemnation, but God sent His Son into our midst to be the one Man who could make us right with God.  Jesus told His disciples, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)  At His baptism, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, and the Father in heaven declared His delight in His Son, and because you and I and all people needed a merciful verdict to be saved, Jesus would bear God’s justice for the sins of the world.

Transitioning just a bit, I have to ask, how many of us have complained when we didn’t think we were getting a fair shake?  We live in a time when equity is a rallying cry for millions.  Any possible advantage one person might have over another is considered a grave offense.  Any short fall in outcome becomes a reason for protest.  Yet, the Chosen One would be different. 

For you and me, Jesus lived life unconcerned about any unfairness He might endure.  Though being the true Son of God who rightfully owns all things, Jesus didn’t protest about the unfairness of being born into poverty and meekness.  Though all the power of the universe rests in Him, Jesus never once complained about the government’s authority or even abuse of its role.  Instead, Jesus bowed meekly to the rules of His day and lived in perfect obedience to all authority and rule.  Then, when the most terrible injustice in the history of the world was being carried out on His own body, Jesus remained silent.  Though false witnesses accused Him, He never lashed out or complained.  He didn’t even give an answer in the hope of being set free.  The prophet said, “He will not cry out.  He will not raise his voice.  He will not make his voice heard in the street.”  Instead, Jesus submitted to the cruel violence of death on a cross so that He could bear the guilt for all the sins of the world and take on Himself not just the earthly punishment for our sins, but the eternal death as well.

During all His time living as a Man on earth, Jesus did nothing that should offend anyone.  All who knew Him marveled as “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.” (Luke 2:52)  Even Jesus’ enemies complained, “Look!  The world has gone after him.” (John 12:19)  Isaiah had written, “A bent reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out.  He will faithfully bring forth a just verdict.  He will not burn out, and he will not be broken, until he establishes justice on the earth.  The coastlands will wait for his law.”  These truths remain: nothing would stop Jesus from carrying out His mission of salvation, His purpose was reconciliation between God and the human race, and He would not grow weary of serving His Father in achieving that goal.  At the same time, Jesus remains the gentlest soul when it comes to reaching out to the hurting and lost.  His righteous life will never offend anyone but the most arrogant offenders, and all those who recognize their sins and shortcomings will eagerly desire to learn of the salvation Jesus has won.

Your hope is sure in God’s Chosen One.  The second half of this text is the Father speaking to His beloved Son.  At the same time, it is a message of hope for you and me, because being united with Jesus by faith, the promise becomes ours as well.  The Almighty declared, “This is what the true God says, the Lord who creates the heavens and stretches them out, who spreads out the earth and everything that it produces, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it.  I am the Lord.  I have called you in righteousness.  I will hold on to your hand, and I will guard you.”  Until that moment Jesus hung dying on the cross for your sins and mine, God the Father was working all things so that Jesus’ life and mission would be a perfect success.  But, if you know the passion story, you know that the time came when Jesus had to pay for you and me with His life by enduring the separation from God that we had earned with our imperfections. 

In righteousness and love, God chose to punish His own beloved Son in our place, and though Jesus hung dying on that cross, bereft of His Father’s care, God was still there behind the scenes protecting the Man, Jesus, and bringing Him back to life again on the third day just as planned.  God’s promise is validated and certain—Jesus lives, and because He lives every promise God has given throughout time is certified as true.  That means that God’s promise that He remembers the sins of His people no more is certain for all those who believe in His Son, Jesus, as our Savior, for “He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are his own chosen people, eager to do good works.” (Titus 2:14)

We have a sure hope in the promises of our God.  Through Isaiah, He declared, “I am the Lord.  I have called you in righteousness.  I will hold on to your hand, and I will guard you.  I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to be a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the prisoners out from the dungeon, and to bring those who sit in darkness out of prison.”  This is God’s message to His beloved Son.  God made a covenant to the world that our sins have been removed through the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  From that tragic death followed by glorious resurrection outside of Jerusalem came the message that the whole human race needed.  Then, after Jesus rose from the grave, His disciples were emboldened by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the light of Jesus to the world, and that Good News has come down to you and me. 

Therefore, we can now go about our lives with the sure confidence that every sin and weakness that troubles us has been forgiven in Christ.  And when we are afraid of what the world might do to us, we can remember that though the world did everything in its power to destroy the Savior, He now lives and reigns at His Father’s side, and from there, He directs all things for our everlasting good.  As we examine our hearts and see that we are unfit for service in the kingdom of heaven, we are lifted up by the joyous promise that Jesus has purified us of all sin and made us fit for His kingdom.  The righteousness we need does not come from ourselves but from Him.

Therefore, whatever trouble comes your way, whether it is hardship, persecution, trial, depression, fear, poverty, or the burden of guilt for your sins, know that Jesus has given you the sure hope of life that never ends, for just as He lives so will we.  St. Paul wrote, “All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death…We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.  For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:3-5)  Paul also added, “Even when you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ by forgiving us all our trespasses.” (Colossians 2:13)

Dear friends, once, our eyes were blind to any possible hope.  Once upon a time, we were bound in the chains of sin and death.  Before we learned of Jesus and His saving work, we were imprisoned by the devil’s accusations and our own guilty consciences.  But now, we have been freed from the burden of sin.  No longer must we work for the evil one, for Jesus has purchased us with His blood.  This is the promise Isaiah was privileged to share with the Israelite people all those centuries ago.  That promise still fills us with joy and hope, for Jesus, God’s Chosen One, lives, and because He is risen indeed, Your hope is sure in God’s Chosen One.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.