“God’s Promised Salvation-Coming Calms Our Anxious Fears”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Dear ones whom God desires to remain saved and in the knowledge of
the truth, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord [Amen.]
“He comes with rescue speedy To those who suffer wrong,
To help the poor and needy And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing, Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying, Were precious in His sight.
“O’er ev’ry foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious, All blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never His covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever—That name to us is Love.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
398:2 & 5)
Old Testament
Reading..................................................................
Isaiah 35:4-7a (esp. 4)
Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your
God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and
save you.”
Prologue: Jim Denison stated the following in his “Cultural
Commentary” published on June 22, 2015: “Humans spend billions of hours in
the oceans each year, yet only three people died from shark attacks last
year. That’s good news, unless you’re the next victim. Their unseen and
deadly nature makes sharks our third-most-feared predator, according to a
recent survey. What are numbers one and two? Snakes and alligators.
“A healthy fear of snakes is reasonable, given that venomous snakes
bite around 8,000 people each year, according to the CDC. Our fear of
alligators is less rational—they have killed just 16 Floridians in the last
25 years. Bees come in at #9, but should be ranked higher—they kill about
100 people in the U.S. each year. One conclusion from the survey: we don't
know what we should fear. Or what to do about our fears.”
Further in that commentary he wrote: “Fear evokes our ‘fight or
flight’ instinct. If we fear those with whom we disagree, we will engage in
a ‘culture war’ that demeans our witness and antagonizes the very people we
are called to serve in Jesus’ name. Or we will avoid them altogether,
keeping our salt in the saltshaker and our witness hidden. Neither is Jesus’
way.”
In his more recent edition this past Thursday, September 3, he
wrote: “Fear is an essential part of life, protecting us from much that
would harm us. We wanted our young boys to be afraid to walk into the
street and to fear touching a hot stove. But fear can be misplaced.
Psychologists estimate that ninety percent of our fears involve
insignificant issues, while sixty percent of what we fear will never
happen.”
So, what fears plague you with anxiety, nervousness, worry, or
fretfulness? Are they real … or simply imagined? Are they things over
which you have control … or not? Are they life-threateningly major … or
inconsequentially minor? In his presidential inauguration speech during the
Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “The only thing we have to
fear is fear itself.” Jesus Himself said: “And do not fear those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both
soul and body in hell.” (St Matt 10:28 ESV)
In the chapter immediately preceding today’s Old Testament Reading
God had lowered the boom of His righteous anger on people who had rebelled
against Him. But like a good parent who disciplines his child for
disobedience and then reassures his child of his never-ending love with an
affectionate hug, God reassured His children of His mercy and grace. In so
doing, they discovered the wonderful reality that He desires for us to know
as well, namely, …
“God’s Promised Salvation-Coming Calms Our Anxious Fears.”
Okay. Brutal honesty compels all of us to admit that there are
things that frighten us. Foremost among them for many people is their
physical wellbeing. Illnesses, injuries, and the general demise of our
bodies as we grow older confront us like ants on a picnic meal or flies on
cow patties. But the good news is that although not fully here in time but
certainly hereafter in eternity, …
I. God Will Restore Our Health and Vitality. (5-6a)
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf
unstopped; 6athen shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the
mute sing for joy.
The reaction of witnesses to the miracle that Jesus performed
recorded in today’s Gospel Reading was quite revealing: “And they were
astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even
makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” (St Mark 7:37 ESV) In fact, today’s
Introit that was penned hundreds of years before that miracle account
certainly related to it: “The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the
saving refuge of his anointed. Blessèd be the Lord! for he has heard the
voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him
my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give
thanks to him.” (Ps 28:8, 6-7 ESV)
We here in America have the best healthcare in the world. Sally
and I became acutely aware of that with her recent major heart surgery.
Although we approached it with Spirit-given confidence that she would awaken
among friends either here on earth or in heavenly glory, we didn’t know what
the final outcome would be. With great glory to God alone and gratitude to
the skillful surgeon and his team, the procedure went far better than we
anticipated and her recovery is also going far better than we expected. As
you may have already read in today’s News and Information Bulletin, we’re
very grateful to the many of you who gave us prayerful support and
encouragement. Thank you ever so much! What you did was what today’s
Collect stated: “O Lord, let Your merciful ears be open to the prayers of
Your humble servants and grant that what they ask may be in accord with Your
gracious will.”
The bodily imperfections that harass and torment us bring to mind
some very important catechetical teachings drawn from God’s Holy Word.
First is that “Human beings are the most important visible creatures. God
created Adam and Eve in His own image … .” Yes, it’s true that “God created
the first man and woman, and God has created each one of us.” In fact, “He
created humanity specially, from dust, then gave us His own breath as life.”
Because God created them in His own image, “Adam and Eve truly knew God as
He wishes to be known and were perfectly happy in Him.”
Tragically, the image of God “was lost when our first parents
disobeyed God and fell into sin. Their will and intellect lost the ability
to know and please God.” Joyfully, however, “In Christians God has begun to
rebuild His image, but only in heaven will it be fully restored.” In the
meantime, “God sustains all things by His wisdom and power.” Yes, it’s true
that “Evil and suffering are in the world because of sin. But in the
suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has demonstrated His
power over sin and death.” Saint Paul declared to the Romans that “for
those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are
called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28 ESV) So it is that God takes
care of us by giving us “food and clothing, home and family, work and play,
and all that [we] need from day to day.” In addition, “He defends [us]
against all danger and guards and protects [us] from all evil.” (Luther’s
Small Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 113-117.)
It’s sad, however, that many people are unwilling to exercise good
preventative healthcare that includes such things as nutritious balanced
diet, proper exercise, adequate rest, regular physical exams by a competent
medical doctor, and the like. Although not all bodily problems can be
prevented during our earthly life, many can certainly be avoided by
conscientious defensive healthcare.
Nevertheless, God gives us the blessed assurance that “Just as it
is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ,
having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second
time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for
Him.” (Heb 9:27-28 ESV) That is, “[Christ] died for all, that those who
live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died
and was raised.” (2 Cor 5:15 ESV) In addition, “He was wounded for our
transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isa
53:5 ESV) because “The blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.”
(1 John 1:7 ESV) Saint Paul summarized the glorious result this way: “So it
is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is
raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It
is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” (1 Cor 15:42-43 ESV) and
“[Christ] will transform our lowly body to be like His glorified body.”
(Phil 3:21 ESV)
As great and wonderful all that is and will be, there’s even more
contained in the words of today’s Old Testament Reading, namely, …
II. God Will Revive His Dried-up Creation. (6b-7a)
6bFor waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the
burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water…
“Change” is an unpleasant thing for many people. Even though they
don’t like conditions the way they are they resist change that would improve
the conditions largely because they find security in sameness. People rebel
against being told that a different way of doing things may actually be
better than the present way of doing them perhaps because they perceive that
to be criticism or condemnation of how they’re doing them. For many people,
“change” is an ugly and frightening word.
The sin that our first parents ushered into the world that God had
created perfect and without blemish corrupted what God had marvelously and
wonderfully made. Sin changed not only Adam and Eve by causing them to be
afraid of God and even try to hide from Him, but also the world itself. Sin
caused God’s marvelous and wonderful world to be imperfect, blemished, and
corrupt. The most visible evidence of such are the desert wastelands
throughout the world and even parts of our local southeast Missouri that,
due to prolonged drought conditions, are lifeless … barren, void, and
worthless.
Like a life-restoring rainfall revives plant life that had been
dormant, so Isaiah in the closing chapters of his prophetical book recorded
God’s gracious promise: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” (Isa 65:17
ESV) Saint Peter referred to that end-of-time reality when he wrote: “But
according to [God’s] promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13 ESV)
You see, it’s all about change … change from death to life …
change from corruption to perfection … change from barrenness to rich and
luscious plants with colorful beautiful flowers and rich green leaves. “The
picture here is the wonderful change that the coming of the Lord would
bring. It is a wonderful spiritual transformation. The change in the heart
of every believer is such a miraculous transformation. Where there was
death because of sin, life springs up by faith in the Messiah—cool,
refreshing life, sustained by the Holy Spirit through the gospel.” (People’s
Bible Commentary: Isaiah 1. Copyright © Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis, MO. Page 376.)
While we wait for that Last Day change God nourishes our immortal
souls with the remembrance of Holy Baptism, the hearing and reading of God’s
Holy Word, the sweet message of Holy Absolution, and the Lord’s Holy Supper,
all of which convey to us His compassionate mercy and grace. As they do so,
we are refreshed, revived, and revitalized to continue our journey through
this temporal life to eternal life with Jesus in the heavenly mansions that
He is even now preparing for all who by Spirit-given faith trust Him and
confess Him to be Lord and Savior of all.
So it is that, despite the times in which we are living of
declining friendliness toward Christianity, increasing threats of terrorism,
moral decay, and rebellion against Jesus Christ, …
“God’s Promised Salvation-Coming Calms Our Anxious Fears.”
As our fears are reduced and Christ’s presence with us comforts
and emboldens us, let’s always remember and eagerly anticipate that …
I. God Will Restore Our Health and Vitality. (5-6a) That’s the certain
reality with which today’s Gradual consoles us: “Many are the afflictions of
the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Ps 34:19 ESV)
Because of that divine promise we need not fear any physical, mental, or
emotional illness, injury, or infirmity because God will deliver us from
them all, if not here in time then hereafter in eternity when “The believers
will rise with glorified bodies and enter everlasting life in heaven with
God.” That is, “At the Last Day the believers, in both body and soul, will
begin the full enjoyment of being with Christ forever.” (Luther’s Small
Catechism with Explanation. Pages 169 & 171.)
In similar fashion, …
II. God Will Revive His Dried-up Creation. (6b-7a) Until then when
Jesus returns to usher in His new heavens and new earth, let’s take to heart
and put into practice what Saint James wrote in today’s Epistle Reading:
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your
faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
(James 2:18 ESV)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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