*The Fourth Sunday in Lent*
Something Old, Something New Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! God has done a strange thing for us in today’s Old Testament from Isaiah 43. He begins by reminding us of the past—in particular, how He destroyed Egypt’s army in the Red Sea—then He says immediately after that, “Forget about the past!” Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, etc., “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.” Dear Christian friends, When God says “old things” and “new things” in today’s Old Testament, He is NOT using the Words “old” and “new” in the same way that you and I generally use these Words. · When you and I use the word “old,” we usually are referring to things that have been around for a while, like our dads. For us, “old” refers to the things of the past; things that have become worn out or outdated; things that might be historically interesting, but hold relatively little benefit for the here-and-now. Whatcha been doing? Same-old, same-old. That is NOT the way God uses the Word “old” in today’s Old Testament. · For us, the word “new” means freshly purchased, sparkly and shiny, up-do-date, state-of-the-art. Our society is so driven by advertising that we all have in the backs of our minds the mistaken idea that new is better than old. That is why some people change cell phones more frequently than they change their clothes. That is also why some Christians are constantly looking around for something more interesting and more enjoyable than the liturgy of our worship. If we start doing something new, more people will come! No. If we start doing something new, we will only be replacing the power of God’s Word with the temporary sensation of entertainment. Sparkly, shiny, and toe-tapping is NOT the way God uses the Word “new” in today’s Old Testament. Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Throughout His Scriptures, God uses the Word “new,” not to describe something freshly minted and used, but to describe the life and salvation that are now yours through Christ Jesus our Lord. · You heard it in last week’s Epistle, “*If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come*” (2 Corinthians 5:17). What is “*the old*,” according to these Words? Everything that once held us in the bondage of sin and death. What is “*the new*”? “*The new*” is what Jesus continually does with His blood and righteousness. “The new” is the on-going flow of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. “*The new*” is the ever-fresh mercy of God (cf. Lamentations 3:22). “*The new*” is you: “*If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation*” and you shall never become “*old*” again. “*New*” remains for all eternity. · God’s Book of Psalms is also filled with the Word “*new*.” Psalm 40— “[The Lord] *has put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God*” (v. 3). Psalm 33—“*Sing to Him a new song*” (v. 3). Psalm 98—“*Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him*” (v. 1). In the Psalms, the “*new song*” does not refer to brand-new lyrics or a catchy tune. In the Psalms, “*new song*” refers to the joy and rejoicing that come as a result of God’s great acts of salvation, culminating in Christ’s resurrection from the dead. So here we are: When God uses the Word “*new*” in His Scriptures, He wants us to think of our Lord Jesus and the manner in which Jesus handled our sins for us—nailing our sins to the cross. When God uses the Word “*old*” in His Scriptures, He is not speaking about the past. God uses the Word “*old*” to refer to the way we attempt to handle our sins, apart from Jesus. For God, “*old*” refers to our · personal attempts to hide our sins and cover up our iniquities—as if fig leaves are really able to cover everything that needs to be covered (Genesis 3:7). · lame attempts at pretending our sins are not deadly, or even all that serious, even though we feel the weight of them pressing upon us—our “*conflicting thoughts now accusing, now excusing*” us (Romans 2:15). · pathetic promises and silly sacrifices, where we desperately assure God that we will not be so bad in the future if only He will treat us kindly now and get us out of the trouble we created for ourselves. This is what the Lord our God says about in today’s Old Testament: Put it all out of your mind forever! “*Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing*.” · Do not forget the history of My salvation! That would be silly! I Am the Lord, “who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick.” · When I say, “*remember not the former things*,” I am speaking about your sin, your rebellion, your hard-heartedness, your stubborn refusal, your selfish grabbing at your neighbor, your covetous and adulterous leering, your hyper-sensitivity, your false piety and hypocrisy, your idolatry. These are the things of old! “*Consider not the things of old*!” “*See, I am doing a new thing*,” says the Lord. The new things are equally the ancient things. The salvation of Israel through the Red Sea was the new thing the Lord was doing. The promise of a Son to Adam and Eve was God’s “*new thing*.” The preservation of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Babylon was God’s “*new thing*.” The death of God’s Man upon a Roman cross, in an ancient time and in a nation that no longer exists—this was God’s “*new thing*.” God’s “*new thing*” has also come to you in a way that you can see it, feel it and taste it. Could it be the sin-cooling Water of Baptism that God promises here, or should we think of the thirst-quenching Body and Blood of our Lord in the Holy Communion? You tell me! Either way, here we have the promise of the Lord: I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare My praise.
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