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In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Introduction: I believe one of the most important lessons my parents taught me was that “choices have consequences” … that there are natural consequences to certain actions. For example, a parent says, “Timmy, if you pull the dog’s tail, he will bite you!” Should Timmy question whether they are correct and pull the dog’s tail, he most likely will quickly learn, the hard way, that his parents were absolutely right! Of course, this is not the only way that natural consequences follow certain actions! As a teenager, whenever I would go out to hang with the guys, or out on a date, my parents would almost always say, “David, remember that you may not like the consequences of the choices you make.”
It's the same with God. From the beginning God has made it clear that He is to be obeyed and that there are serious consequences when we choose to go against his commands (cf., Adam and Eve, Gen 2:16 – 17). And today’s OT reading, comes as ancient Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations live out the consequences of going against God’s will. To understand this short reading, you must also understand the larger context. The message of the preceding Chapter 34 is judgment.
The people of God and their neighboring nations had repeatedly violated the Lord’s commands and were seeing the consequences. Judah & Israel, in particular, were surrounded and threatened by powerful enemies. Their rebellious choices had grave consequences. In the OT reading they were not only likened to being in a desert wilderness, but were also “haunted” and mercilessly attacked by unclean animals (Is 34:11 – 16).
The Divinely-inspired Isaiah’s description is not just for ancient times, but also for us. When confronted by our own sin, we, like the people of the OT, see how we have lived contrary to the Lord’s will. We, too, find ourselves “haunted” by past sins, the memories of which assault us repeatedly. Like ancient Judah & Israel, we cannot rid ourselves of the “unclean things”, no matter how hard we try. On our property in the country, dusk and early evening often bring the howling of coyotes. Like these wild dogs, our sins cry out to us, reminding us of our lack of the righteousness that God demands.
There is no medication, no substance, no distraction, or any other self-designed remedy that will erase the sin that haunts us. All man-made therapies are a pretense, and nothing more than false hope which provide no real relief from the terrors of our conscience. We cannot rely on these so-called “remedies,” any more than a mirage can give water to a thirsty desert traveler. All of our attempts of obtaining righteousness end up in the garbage heap of hopeless despair.
Yet, there is hope! Isaiah 35 which contains today’s OT reading, is in stark contrast over that which precedes it. Whereas Chapter 34 is judgment and condemnation, Chapter 35 is salvation and restoration. Suddenly the harshness described in Chapter 34 is changed. The desert becomes a garden in the first few verses. A wilderness full of unclean animals becomes a place filled with blooming flowers.
God, himself, who is greater than the nations standing against the ancient people of God comes to the rescue. God is also greater than anything that would turn our lives into a desert wilderness “haunted by unclean things” from our own past. God says, “Be strong, do not fear!” Why? Because God points us to ourselves and our own abilities? No! He points us to Himself and Himself alone. He brings rescue.
With the introduction of water into the desert wilderness, everything changes quickly and obviously: from the opening verses of Chapter 35 “the wilderness will rejoice and blossom” (35:2) … and from our text: “the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes” (35:7).
As the desert wilderness changes significantly with the introduction of water, so do our lives change through Jesus Christ. God comes in Christ to save us! The source of our new life is external to us—Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Spiritual healing occurs with absolutely amazing results: the lame do not simply walk—they leap! (35:6). Those who were previously speechless do not simply talk—they shout for joy (35:6)! As water “gushes forth in the wilderness,” changing everything, so does new life blossom in humans formerly caught in the wilderness of sin. The source of life is God himself! He utterly breaks the natural consequences of our sin. No longer does humankind need to hang on to “mirages” of hope, which ultimately prove to be worthless and hopeless.
Our sinful nature which we inherited from Adam and Eve and any actual sins of which we are guilty no longer threaten us with what we deserve … namely, physical death and eternal punishment in hell. God calls and so enables us to repent. He makes us terrified and sorrowful on account of sin and gives us faith to believe the Gospel which tells us that “sin has been forgiven and grace has been obtained” (AC XII.5). With such faith and contrition we desire to do better than to keep on sinning.
When we repent then God forgives us of our sinful nature and all our actual sins. He forgives us for the sake of Christ Jesus. At the cross Jesus is your substitute. At the cross Jesus was punished and condemned for your sin. At the cross Jesus was made to be sin for you. At the cross Jesus encountered the wrath of God’s judgment for all your sin … all my sin … the sin of the world. He rose again from the dead – victorious over sin, Satan and death. His resurrection gives us the absolute assurance that God the Father has accepted Christ’s sacrifice as payment for our redemption. And now life and salvation are also available through faith in Christ. Remember earlier when I mentioned the adage “Choices have Consequences? Now God’s choices bring us new supernatural consequences, because the natural consequences previously set in motion are stopped.
In the sacred waters of Holy Baptism, empowered by the Holy Word of God, God personally brings something from outside ourselves to rescue us from our predicament and give us “new life.” He makes us one with Him, washing us of our past sins and giving us faith to believe that He has already rescued us from the sins that “haunt” us.
The Divinely-inspired St. Paul writes to Titus. 3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…” (Titus 3:3 – 6).
And God is also always at work in His Word in the rest of its forms: in the Word of Holy Scriptures – read, spoken, and expounded, here among us … In the Word of Holy Absolution which personally and individually bring the forgiveness of sins … and in the Word connected to the bread and wine of the Holy Supper which is the true body and true blood of Christ given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. By these means of Grace, in Word and the Sacraments, we are brought again and again from judgement to salvation.
Faith in Christ and the new life given to us by the Spirit compels us to live differently. In today’s Epistle, the Divinely-inspired St. James instructs: “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). Jesus teaches that the way we respond to God’s love – evident in our good works – shows others how the Kingdom of God has come to a sin-sick world through the church as she proclaims the Word of Christ. We not only have the ability to find new ways to present God’s love to the loveless, we also have the knowledge to confront all the voices which drown out God’s Word. In our personal relationships, we love our neighbors as ourselves – shown not only by our good works – but also by extending the very forgiveness, mercy and grace we have been granted by a merciful, gracious, and forgiving God. In today’s Gospel the people said of Jesus, “He has done all things well” (St. Mark 7:37). By His grace, may we, also, be seen as doing things well in the name of Jesus on behalf of our neighbors.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.`