Fourth midweek Advent 12/21/11

Fourth Advent Midweek service 12/21/11 Text: Isaiah 40:1-11 Title: God Incarnate For the past three Wednesdays we have been studying Isaiah 40:1-11. We have seen God’s wonderful love toward his people Israel and a for-shadowing of his love for us. God through the prophet Isaiah, long before the people of Israel were conquered by Babylon were told that because their worship was empty and they had fallen into unbelief and depravity that they would be punished for their sin. They did not listen to God’s Word spoken through the prophet Isaiah and as history shows their beloved city was pretty much destroyed, the temple flattened and their gold and silver taken away from them, as they were hauled off to Babylonia where they would spend 70 years in captivity. God loving his people, as he did, had Isaiah speak wonderful words of forgiveness to them before this happened. Yes, they would be enslaved, but it would not be forever. At some time in the future when they had repented of their sin God would bring them back to their beloved city and the temple would be restored. They would prosper again. God would not forget them even though they had forgotten him. God would do more than just bring them back. He would bless them double the sin they had done, and they had gotten really good at sinning. Listen to what Isaiah tells us about the nation in Isaiah 1:21-23, “21 How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. 22 Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water. 23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.” As you can tell they deserved God’s wrath, for they had turned their back on God. But God would not turn his back on them, for God told them that the trip back would be just the opposite of the trip to Babylonia. Instead of pain and sorrow there would celebration. And it happened that way, for when God saw that the time was right he used the pagan King Cyrus to accomplish what he promised. King Cyrus would not only let the people go, but would finance their trip, protect them from their enemies in the city, and spent his vast resources to pay for the restoration. Last Wednesday we read in verses 7-8 of Isaiah 40 that while, “The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” People come and go, governments flourish and fail, the wisdom of the world will rise and fall, but, as God Word tell us, “the word of our God will stand forever.” I don’t know about you, but that is what gives me hope in these times of uncertainty. No matter what happens in my life or the lives of those I am here to shepherd I know without a doubt that I and this congregation, as long as we stay faithful to God, can depend what God says he will do he will do, for we are told in God’s Word that “with God nothing is impossible.” When God says he is going to do something he does it and that my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is our sure hope. That is what gets us through the tough times. Today we are finishing our study with the words of God in verse nine through eleven. “9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” While there is a lot that can be said about these final verses I just want to cut to the chase by focusing on three words, “Behold your God!” “Behold your God!” who is able to comfort you in all your troubles of life. “Behold your God!” who is willing to give you twice the mercy of the sin you have done and will do. “Behold your God!” who will prepare the way for his coming, so that your hope in being with him is sure. “Behold your God!” who is mighty and powerful; breaking and destroying those who are against him while being gentle, kind, and loving to those he calls his children. “Behold your God!” When the time was right God came, and made himself one of us, a baby in a manager. He who made and continues to sustain all of creation made himself dependent on the nourishment from his mother’s breast and the care of his stepfather Joseph. Our God did not come in a flash of light and power letting the world know that the King of Kings had arrived. He announced his arrival in the cries of a newborn infant; hardly noticeable among the sounds of the animals in the stable. No fancy garments, no nurse maids, no hoopla; our Savior God arrived amongst us, as one of us. His hands would touch lepers, hold little children, heal the sick, and drive out demons; his hands would comfort and raise the dead. And his hands would break bread. He was God on earth, yet he also felt hunger and grief. He would feel the pain of the whip and nails, as they bit into his flesh while being ridiculed and crushed under the weight of sin, not his sin, but our sin. And because he became God Incarnate so that he could bleed and die in our place he shows us that he alone is able to heal our hurts, forgive our sins, and defeat our death. It is no wonder God’s Word tells us that those things we trust in; our idols, our little gods that we so often chase after offer nothing but tragedy and sorrow in the end. Any god who doesn’t suffer, who knows no agony, or does not die for you, is a false god in which there is no future and who wants to drag you into eternal separation from God. Those gods are not our God, for our God Jesus gave of himself for you and all humankind. He gave of himself to be crucified unto death, yet he rose again as he promised, so it is time my fellow redeemed sinners to put away those things we try to make into substitutes for God especially our do it myself spirit. Put away those things and take up his cross, for he is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life. All praise to God Incarnate; Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.