Isaiah 9:2 (1-4)
"Christ Shines Light that Illuminates Our Life"
Sunday, January 27, 2008; 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
[1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-25]
In the name of the Triune God-Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
(Isa 9:2 ESV) "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined."
Introduction: Dear fellow light-loving people . and everyone else, if there
are some here today [and listening on the radio] that don't love light.
Have you noticed it? Can you tell that it's happening? Are you aware
of the difference, slight though it be?
I'm referring to the amount of daily daylight that has been increasing
day-by-day since December 21, just a few days more than one month ago. That's
when the winter solstice occurred . the smallest amount of daylight (longest
night of darkness) in the year.
It's absolutely amazing that we who suffer from Seasonal Affective
Disorder (something I talked about in my sermon this past weekend of
December 23, the 4th Sunday in Advent) can discern the very smallest
increase in daylight! That's how starved for it we are due to our SAD
condition.
Well, . here we are knocking on the door of the Last Sunday of Epiphany
next Sunday, at which time we will celebrate the Transfiguration of Our
Lord. That's the event when Jesus revealed, made known, manifested the
fullness of His divine glory to Peter, James, and John, something Pastor
Marks will tell us about in his sermon then.
Today, however, we focus our attention on a text that's largely
identified with Christmas (less than 11 months away). It's the
Spirit-inspired prophecy that Isaiah recorded about what Immanuel would do
when He entered this sinfully dark world clothed in our human flesh some
700+ years later. To the Israelites then who were languishing deep in the
dismal darkness of their Babylonian captivity, God communicated gracious
reassurance. He does the same to us today as we trudge through the
doom-and-gloom darkness of this sin-filled life. That merciful message is
none other than .
Transition: Christ Shines Light that Illuminates Our Life because of which
The Gloom of Our Anguish Is Dispelled and We are Filled with Joyful
Rejoicing.
I. the Gloom of Our Anguish Is Dispelled. [1: "But there will be no
gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into
contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter
time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the nations."] For many people life is all about just coping and
surviving. Physical, emotional, mental, relational, and, especially,
spiritual issues threaten to drown us in the dark abyss of this seemingly
God-forsaken world. Sin along with its dire consequences indeed abounds as
is evident by ugly things such as physical sicknesses, accident injuries,
and increasing age that damage and destroy our bodies; emotional stresses
and turmoils that bruise and break our hearts; mental illnesses and
breakdowns that disturb and disconcert us; relational disagreements and
disruptions that disconnect wives and husbands, parents and children,
brothers and sisters, other family members, friends, and acquaintances at
work, school, and church; and spiritual confusions about and denials of God's
holy truth that separate many from Jesus Christ.
You see, He is, first of all, the Object of His declaration,
(John 14:6 ESV) "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.";
the One about whom King David pleaded,
(Ps 4:6 ESV) "Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!", and
(Ps 27:1 ESV) "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear?"; and
the Substance of what His disciple, the Apostle John, wrote,
(John 1:9 ESV) "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world."
So it was with His beloved Old Testament chosen Israelites, whom
God allowed to be tormented and humiliated by world pagan powers in an
effort to turn them repentantly back to Him. So it is with us His New
Testament baptized Israelites, whom He allows to experience sin-broken
devastation in an effort to turn us repentantly back to Him. And, so it
will be when that same God who allows those seemingly bad things to plague
us also securely carries us to future glory from which perspective we will
see and know that .
A. Former Contempt Is Past. Now that's news to anticipate and
write home about! Just consider the fact that a time will come when all the
difficult and uncomfortable Theology-of-the-Cross stuff will be behind us!
God will have carried us through it and by it He will have taught and
prepared in us patience, endurance, and longsuffering that lead us to
Theology-of-Glory life with God in heaven.
It's what St. Paul referred to when he wrote to the
Colossians,
(Col 1:11 ESV) "May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy .
."
It's what he explained when he wrote to the Romans that we
are,
(Rom 8:17 ESV) ". heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with
him."
It's what we longingly pray for when we sing LSB #702,
especially stanzas 4 and 5,
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 CPH, #702:4, 5)
"Draw us to Thee That also we
Thy heav'nly bliss inherit
And ever dwell Where sin and hell
No more can vex our spirit.
Draw us to Thee Unceasingly,
Into Thy kingdom take us;
Let us fore'er Thy glory share,
Thy saints and joint heirs make us."
It's what excites and motivates us to seek, know, and do
God's holy will, fully realizing that .
B. God's Gracious Glory Abounds. God sent His prophet Isaiah to
the captured Israelites with His two messages of severe condemnation because
of their self-centered rebellion against Him and gentle salvation because of
the promised Messiah, who would atone for their sins. God continues to send
prophets (we call them Pastors in our Lutheran circles) to His people today
who struggle under the attacks of Satan, the world, and their sinful flesh.
We proclaim the same dual message of severe condemnation because of
self-centered rebellion against Him and gentle salvation because of Christ,
whose humble birth, holy life, innocent suffering and death, and majestic
resurrection from the dead gained God's merciful and gracious gift of
forgiveness of sins for all people. By Spirit-given trust in Him alone as
Lord and Savior, we obtain the blessed benefits of that forgiveness of sins,
namely, salvation and eternal life with Him in heavenly glory.
Please understand, however, that that heavenly glory is
ours right now! We don't have to wait until sometime in the future to
possess it. What we do wait for is the personal realization of it after God
removes our sin blinders through death.
Recall with me that after God had given His Law to the
Israelites through Moses, they declared,
(Deut 5:24 ESV) "Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his
glory and greatness . ."
God tells and shows us His glory and greatness today when
we read and hear His Holy Word and properly partake of His Holy Supper. In
those blessed means of grace together with Holy Baptism God reveals Himself
to us as the glorious and great Lord of all. He demonstrated His mighty
power by creating us and all things as well as redeeming us and all people.
In those blessed means of grace God gives a foresight and foretaste of His
glory and greatness that all who believe in Jesus Christ will see with
unveiled eyes eternally in heaven.
King David acknowledged that when he prayed,
(1 Chron 29:11 ESV) "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the victory and the majesty . ."
We likewise acknowledge it when we prayerfully confess
alone and with others (as we do in the course of our worship liturgy),
(LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM WITH EXPLANATION, © 1991 CPH, page
13) "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."
as well as,
(Ibid., © 1991 CPH, page 20) "For Thine is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever and ever. Amen."
St. John declared that when he wrote,
(John 1:14 ESV) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father . ."
St. Luke testified to that when he recorded that the first
martyr, St. Stephen, shortly before he died by stoning,
(Acts 7:55 ESV) ". full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven
and saw the glory of God .."
And, St. Paul informed the Romans,
(Rom 8:18 ESV) "For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed
to us."
So, let's find true and abiding comfort, strength, and
encouragement in the truth that God's gracious glory abounds, knowing full
well that .
Transition: Christ Shines Light that Illuminates Our Life because of which
The Gloom of Our Anguish Is Dispelled and We are Filled with Joyful
Rejoicing.
II. We are Filled with Joyful Rejoicing. [3-4: "You have multiplied the
nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at
the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of
his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you
have broken as on the day of Midian."] Each of us would do well to examine
ourselves to determine what fills us-hatred or love, anger or calm, sorrow
or joy, conflict or peace, discord or agreement, criticism or praise,
condemnation or forgiveness. After Jesus ascended back to His heavenly
throne, St. Luke tells us that His disciples
(Luke 24:52-53 ESV) ". worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with
great joy . ."
In the Lord's Supper God gives us the fullness of joy through
Christ's body and blood that we eat and drink in, with, and under the
sacramental elements of bread and wine for the certain assurance of
forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. We then liturgically respond by
joyfully singing in one of the Post-Communion Canticles of Divine Service
Settings I and II,
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 CPH, Pages 164 & 181)
"Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name. He recalls His
promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving.
Alleluia, alleluia."
Just what is it that causes such joyful rejoicing? It's the
wonderful reality that .
A. God Removed the Burden of Our Sin. Even as God broke the yoke
of the Midianite burden under Judge Gideon's leadership, so Messiah broke
Satan's burden of sin that so heavily weighed down His beloved people. That's
the substance of the gracious invitation that Jesus extended coupled with
the secure promise that He gave when He said,
(Matt 11:28 ESV) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest."
That invitation and promise are for you and me to bask in
His Gospel light that shines forth His compassionate love on us. It's a
compassionate love that He instructs us to now share with others as He told
His disciples,
(John 13:34; 15:12 ESV) "A new commandment I give to you, that
you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one
another. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you."
St. John emphasized it in his first general epistle when
he wrote,
(1 John 4:7 & 11 ESV) "Beloved, let us love one another, for
love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
The freedom and motivation to love one another as God
loved us comes from His gracious activity whereby .
B. God Liberated Us from Oppression. Sin, death, and the devil are
very dominating, cruel, tyrannical, and oppressive. Their strength and
power are, quite simply, far greater than our meager ability to defend
against and defeat them. But thanks be to God for sending His own dear Son,
Jesus Christ, to battle those evil forces and being on our behalf! And even
greater gratitude to God that His Son, our Savior, defeated them with His
death and resurrection! That's what the anonymous writer of Hebrews
referred to when he wrote that,
(Heb 2:14-15 ESV) ". through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who
through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."
Hey! We're free! . free from Satan's bondage . free to
live for God according to His Law of love. Having been washed clean with
(1 John 1:7 ESV) ". the blood of Jesus his Son [that] cleanses
us from all sin"
let's now relate with one another in ways that demonstrate the
beauty of sinlessness. Let's live out the Spirit's love-fruit by being
joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and
self-controlled. Let's do so knowing that .
Transition: Christ Shines Light that Illuminates Our Life because of which
The Gloom of Our Anguish Is Dispelled and We are Filled with Joyful
Rejoicing.
Conclusion: The Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul to write,
(1 Cor 1:17-18 ESV) "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the
gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be
emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
That's the Epiphany emphasis . telling the Good News about Jesus. We
do it with words and deeds that are bathed in Godly, not human, wisdom.
The story is told about an old Cherokee Indian who one evening told his
grandson about a battle that goes on in every person. "My son, the battle
is between two 'wolves,'" He said. "One is evil-it is anger, envy,
jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good-it
is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf wins?" The wise old Cherokee man simply replied, "The one you
feed." Let's feed Godly wisdom by faithfully attending divine service
worship; frequently reading, hearing, and heeding God's Holy Word; and
properly partaking of Christ's Holy Supper.
St. Matthew the Evangelist wrote by Spirit-inspired direction that
Jesus,
(Matt 4:17 & 23 ESV) ". began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.' And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every
disease and every affliction among the people."
Our Savior validated His spoken message with love-laced and power-based
actions. He didn't simply talk the talk but He energetically walked the
walk of the talk He talked. Let's validate the talk we talk together here
in worship by walking the walk of love-laced lives that proclaim the gospel
of the kingdom to each other and all people. Let's do so basking in the
reality that Christ shines light that illuminates our life, because of which
the gloom of our anguish is dispelled and we are filled with joyful
rejoicing. As we do so, let's fervently pray what we sang in the Hymn of
the Day a few minutes ago,
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 CPH, #839:1, 4)
"O Christ, our true and only light,
Enlighten those who sit in night;
Let those afar now hear Your voice
And in Your fold with us rejoice.
Shine on the darkened and the cold;
Recall the wand'rers to Your fold.
Unite all those who walk apart;
Confirm the weak and doubting heart."
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our holy
Savior. Amen.
In the name of the Triune God-Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
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