Sermon in Minneapolis 24.06.2012

Holy and righteous God, our dear Heavenly Father, this morning again we thank you for this opportunity to be able to assemble around your holy and unperishing word.

Lord, we thank you for the gift of creation and all that you have done for us in the temporal sense and all of these gifts that we are able to enjoy all from your hand alone of grace. But above all, we thank you for your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has prepared that gift of salvation, paid the redemption price of sin, and secured a home for us in heaven that we can possess by faith.

So help us to continue on this way of life, preserve us in living faith, and feed us with your everlasting gospel word. Comfort us and console us with your gospel message. All of this we ask in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Amen. Today's Old Testament text for St. John's Day is from the prophet Isaiah chapter 45, and the verses we'll read are 8 through 12, and they are heard as follows in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.

Woe unto them that striveth with his maker. Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou for thy work? He hath no hands.

Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? Or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, Command ye me.

I have made the earth, and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded. Amen.

We are now at the point in time of midsummer. Nature, with all of its beauty and splendor, is at its pinnacle. A couple of days ago was the solstice, or the longest day of the year.

From this point on, the days will little by little become shorter and shorter as we begin to head toward winter solstice.

We are able to observe and enjoy the beauty of God's handiwork and creation which is around us. The flowers that are blooming, nature which is verdant, green, and plush, and growth is at its high point.

Even though this is today when we remember John the Baptist, many of the Old Testament texts for this day remind us and tell us of the majesty of God and the beauty of His work of creation that we observe and see around us.

This Old Testament text is from what is known as Deutero Isaiah or the second book of Isaiah. Scholars say that the book of Isaiah was written by three authors living in three different periods of time.

It's impossible that the same person could have written this one entire book because the period of time that it covers is hundreds of years.

And so this second book of Isaiah is apparently written while the people of Israel are in a foreign country there in Babylon, known as the Babylonian Captivity.

They spent seventy years in this foreign land. Their promised land was left behind, destroyed, and in a pile of ruins.

And I'm sure their heart was continually thinking of their former homeland, the promised land of Israel.

So this text of ours tells of a Savior, and I use that in quotation marks, and his name is Cyrus, a heathen person, a non-Jew, and he is the king of Persia.

So God uses this man as his tool or his instrument.

And in the opening verse of this chapter, chapter 45, the prophet uses a special term regarding this poor and king, this heathen man.

Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus anointed.

This is a term that was always used in the Bible for Jews only, and the kings of Israel were anointed.

King Saul was anointed to be king. King David was anointed to be king.

And many of the prophets tell of their calling and they say that they were God's anointed.

I don't know if prophet Jeremiah uses the word anointed, but he tells of his calling that or God says to prophet Jeremiah, I knew you in your mother's womb and I sanctified you.

Or could we say I anointed you even before you were born.

So it's hard to really understand in English language this word anoint or anointed, but it has very deep meanings and is very significant.

The Hebrew word for anoint or anointed is Messiah, and the Greek word for anointed is Christ.

And in the end, there was only one true anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, God's only Son, the Redeemer of the world.

And now the prophet, God through the prophet Isaiah, is calling Cyrus, the king of Persia, this non-Jew, this heathen man, an anointed one.

And the people of Israel were totally flabbergasted and astonished.

And now God is using this man as his tool or his instrument.

And the theme that goes throughout this chapter is God's ways are not our ways.

God is a hidden God, and we don't often understand what He does and why.

God's ways are often strange to our carnal mind.

Imagine at the end of the first world when God used Noah and asked him to build that ark, and in order to save Noah and his family, He destroyed the entire world.

Imagine destroy an entire world in order to save eight souls.

Or you remember the brother of Abraham, Lot.

God saved Lot and his family by causing fire and brimstone to come down upon those two wicked cities, Sodom and Gomorrah.

Or how about the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.

In order to bring salvation to a jail keeper, God had Paul and his friend Barnabas in prison, cast into prison.

And there, during that prison term, that jail keeper, about to commit suicide, Paul said, Don't do it.

And this man was spared, saved, and received the grace of repentance.

And so some of the earlier verses of this text kind of set the scene or set the context to our verses that we read for our text.

Thus sayeth the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him.

And I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two gates, and the gates shall not be shut.

So when Persia and the king of Persia, Cyrus, became the new superpower and conquered Babylon, the king allowed the people of Israel to return from Babylonian captivity again to their promised land.

But this conquering of Babylon was not an easy feat.

And now the prophet tells of some of the obstacles that Persia and the king of Persia, Cyrus, encounter.

And today is the day when we remember John the Baptist, who was the forerunner to come and prepare the way before Christ.

And of John the Baptist, it is said that he will bring low the high places or the mountains.

He will fill in the low places or the valleys.

And that which was once crooked, he will make straight.

And so this same theme we can see also in this king Cyrus, the king of Persia.

And God says of this king, his tool, his instrument, when he was now about to conquer Babylon, I will go before you and I will make the crooked places straight.

I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut asunder the bars of iron.

And so when Persia was about to conquer the city of Babylon, they did a great feat.

They changed the entire course of the Euphrates River.

And so they used now the old dried up river bed of the former path of the Euphrates River and approached the walls of the city of Babylon.

And there were two concentric circles in the wall.

The outer wall was 42 miles long.

It was 344 feet high and it was 75 feet deep or 86 feet deep.

So they were able to break down that wall and then come to the next wall, which was 75 feet high and another 32 feet deep.

And they breached that wall as well.

And in these two walls there was a total of 100 bronze gates.

It seemed like the city of Babylon was a city that could not be impregnated, could not be conquered.

But God allowed them to destroy, to enter into the city, and to take over this land of Babylon.

So this is what the prophet is saying about the work and the conquering of King Cyrus.

I will go before you, I will make the crooked places straight, I will break in pieces the gates of brass, one hundred gates of brass there were, and I will cut asunder all of the bars of iron that they had set up in defense.

In the end, they meant nothing to the empire of Persia.

Then he goes on and he says, but it's interesting.

This was very difficult for the people of Israel to comprehend that God would be using a heathen man, an unbelieving man who apparently knew nothing of God, a man who worshipped idols, to be his tool and to be, in quotation marks, a savior, the anointed one for the people of Israel.

And in the end, God was doing this for two reasons: in order to save the people of Judah and to release them from bondage, and secondly, so that the people in the world would come to know God and His almighty works.

And so we could perhaps surmise that Cyrus had no idea what his ultimate duty and task was that God was using him for such an important office to accomplish such an important task.

We remember the Apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul.

Was he seeking God? He was actually on a mission to capture everyone that was a follower of Christ or Christians, put them in prison, and one by one kill them, get rid of them so that there would be no followers of Christ any longer.

When Paul or Saul was on his way, filled with wrath and foaming at the mouth, God suddenly stopped him in his tracks with a bright light, blinded him, and he fell to the ground and said, Saul, don't kick against the pricks, don't resist.

Saul says, Who are you? He didn't even know who was speaking to him and addressing him.

He was led to Damascus where he fasted and prayed for three days.

And I'm sure he was there tasting the foretaste of hell until Ananias came and was able to lay his hands upon Saul and preach the gospel onto him.

So at times God can use evil to accomplish good.

Imagine Joseph, how his brothers mistreated him, threw him into a pit, sold him to passing merchants, and he was brought to Egypt.

And then there, initially in Egypt, he was, or he ended up in jail.

Father got the news from the other brothers that a ravenous beast attacked your favorite son, killed him, and here is his beautiful coat that is covered with blood.

This is evidence of what happened.

Father was so sad and heartbroken.

Just think of the evil that had happened to his son.

But imagine using these evil acts of these siblings.

There was those years of plenty and then the years of famine.

And at that time, by that time, Joseph was exalted to be number two or was it number three in the nation.

And the people of Israel came to Egypt seeking for food and eventually they were brought, the entire family and all the people of Israel into Egypt where they were able to be for many, many generations.

And so at the end of his life then it says here in this way, but as for you, you thought evil against me, Joseph is saying to his brothers, but God meant it for good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people and to keep them alive.

And so we continue here in this earlier part of the chapter.

And why was God doing all of this? Why did he choose this man Cyrus, the king of Persia?

And in the end, through all of these works and deeds, the people hopefully would come to know and realize how God is almighty.

It says, as it says here in verse six, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside me.

I am the Almighty, I am omnipotent, I am all seeing, and I am all knowing.

There is only one true living God.

So the prophet here says, I am the Lord and there is no one else.

And so God often allows bad things to happen.

And even though evil things and bad things are happening continually here in this world, in the end God is in control.

We remember when the people of Israel were there in Egypt initially, they were in great favor because Joseph was one of the leaders.

But when Joseph passed on, new pharaohs came to power who knew nothing of Joseph.

And they began to mistreat the people of Israel there in this foreign land.

And the mistreatment came to be worse and worse and worse.

And the people of Israel began to sigh and cry and pray unto God in heaven that save us, spare us, and redeem us from this land of iniquity and sorrow.

God could have snuffed out this evil leader, the Pharaoh, but he didn't.

And in the end, the people of Israel asked to be released through Moses from this land of tribulations, but the Pharaoh wouldn't let them go.

So God had to send plagues upon the land of Egypt.

And finally, after the tenth plague, the Pharaoh relented and said, Go.

But just think of all of the difficult things that the people of Israel had to experience during these times.

And then in the end, God says of Pharaoh in this way that, and in very deed for this cause have I raised you the Pharaoh up, for to show in you my power.

So in the end, the book of Exodus says that he raised up Pharaoh who was an evil leader toward the people of Israel for a reason.

Why I raised you up to show in you Pharaoh my power and that my name may be declared through the Pharaoh throughout all the earth.

Imagine how difficult that is for the carnal mind to understand.

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that he allows the sun to shine on both the evil people and the good people.

He allows the rain to come down upon the fields of those who are righteous as well as those who are unrighteous.

So God is equal in this.

But imagine the Old Testament saint, the righteous Job.

God said to Satan that Satan, I'm now allowing you, giving you permission, giving you power to go and taunt, tempt, and even torment Job.

It's open season, go and do what you want to this poor man Job.

And we could say that Satan had his heyday and poor Job was stricken with many adversities, many setbacks, lost his family, lost all of his possessions, his servants, and even his wife.

And ultimately in the end, he was stricken with boils from the top of his head to the heel of his foot.

God, just think of the liberty that God gave to Satan to torment this poor wretched Job.

But yet God has set the limits to what Satan could do.

And in the opening chapter of the book of Job it says everything he has that Job has is now in your hands, Satan, but on the man himself do not lay one finger.

You can go so far but your waves will stop right here.

So in the end, it seemed like God was sleeping, that where was God?

But ultimately God was in control.

So the lead up to this text is that God can use evil for the purpose of doing good.

And we can read three different reasons for why he did it.

Verse 7 it says, I form the light and I create darkness.

I make peace and create evil.

I the Lord do all these things.

So in the end, that people would realize that God is the almighty one.

And then secondly, he did all this for this reason, for Jacob my servant's sake and Israel mine elect.

I have called you by name and I have surnamed you though you have not known me.

And then thirdly, he says, I did all this for this reason that you would know that I am the Lord and there is no one else.

There is no God beside me.

I girded you though you have not known me.

And so this now leads up to our text and a long 45-minute introduction to our text.

So hopefully we can quickly go through our verses and find the conclusion to this morning's sermon.

So with this lead up, then the prophet continues with a hymn and a prayer and he says, drop down ye heavens from above.

So what does he mean drop down ye heavens from above?

Well, what is it that drops down from the heavens?

Isn't it rain and isn't it dew which moistens the earth and is the source of life, plant life and animal life here on this earth?

So especially there in the Mid East in those arid countries, rain was a special sign of God's blessings for those people in those arid lands.

So now the prophet is telling of one of these, one special blessings that God is giving unto the people.

So drop down, we could say rain, from the heavens from above and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation and let righteousness spring up together.

I the Lord have created it.

This was very difficult for the people of Israel to comprehend as I've tried to explain already.

Even though they were there in the land of captivity and bondage in that foreign land longing to return to their homeland, the promised land of Israel.

Israel now God is using this heathen man who knew nothing of God as his tool or instrument and releasing them from bondage and bringing this blessing in this way upon the people of Israel.

And this is what this verse is saying that now God is showering you with these many blessings in the outward sense but especially in the sense that now you are being released from captivity and allowed to return.

And so he continues and it's a funeral cry, a lamentation that's often said at funerals.

Woe, woe unto him that begins to strive with his maker or begins to murmur or complain or begins to argue with his creator.

The people I'm sure begin to in their minds murmur and complain and say how could you God allow this to happen to use this heathen man to be our anointed one.

God you can't do it, you can't allow it to be so.

God doesn't allow anyone to begin to challenge him and to argue with him.

And so this is what the prophet is now beginning to address as he continues on to the rest of our selected verses for this morning's text.

Woe unto him that strives or argues with his maker.

Let the potsherd or the fragments or the pieces of broken pottery strive with the pot maker of the earth.

And then he goes on to say that can the clay say to the one that made it, to the pot maker?

So can the clay in the pot say to the one that made the piece of pottery, Why did you make this piece of pottery in this way, in that way?

I am dissatisfied with the outcome of what you did when making this pot.

Does the clay say that to the pot maker?

So these are the questions that the prophet is using rhetorical questions when addressing this issue.

What can the clay in the pot say to the pot maker?

What are you making or to his work?

He has no hands at all.

I'm completely dissatisfied with the final outcome and the product of what you have made.

So then he goes on and continues and woe unto him that says to his father, Why did you beget me?

Does a child go to his father and say, Why am I here? Why did you impregnate me so that I am born?

Does a child say that to his father?

These are the questions the prophet is using in addressing the big issue at hand.

Or to the mother, to the mother who is in travail of childbirth, does the child say that?

What in the world are you doing? Why are you bringing me into the light of this world and allowing me to be born?

These are the questions that the prophet is placing rhetorical questions and using them to illustrate how the people of Israel have been relating to God the creator, the almighty one, using this as an illustration.

And thus says the Lord, the holy one of Israel and his maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands, command me.

And in the end God says through the prophet, I have made the earth and I have created man upon it.

I even, my hands have stretched out the heavens or made the heavens and all their hosts I have commanded or I am in control.

I am the almighty one over everything that is in this world or in this universe.

And so God is using this, we could say, evil man to accomplish these things that are good.

When we are out in nature, even though we come to a still pool of water that may be filthy and dirty and muddy, when the surface is still, even that dirty pool of water will reflect a bright image back to us from its surface.

So God is able to use his tools, many types of tools, to accomplish his good or his will.

Just think of the things that have happened in this world, the earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis that have killed hundreds and thousands of people.

People in their minds may question that what is happening, why is this happening, is God sleeping, how did he allow this to happen?

Or when we hear of that tragic accident that took place last week when that young 22-year-old boy suddenly died in that fatal car accident.

Oh, how difficult it was, especially for the mother and the father and the two younger brothers.

I was watching when I arrived late to the funeral.

The funeral was almost a half hour late in beginning as the mother and father and the two younger siblings had such a difficult time saying their last farewells, hugging and kissing the remains of their son, their brother until finally the lid of the casket had to be closed and they had to say their last farewells and goodbyes forever.

Oh, I'm sure the many, many questions and all the struggles that they were going through, why, how did this happen?

But we never know, it could be that even this serious tragedy could be used to awaken some individual or individuals back to seek the living God and to receive the grace of repentance and return to God's kingdom.

God's ways are not our ways.

But just think of the ultimate sacrifice, God's only son who was born here in this world, we could say in a filthy stall surrounded by sinners in a world of unbelief.

And God's son Jesus, during his life, came into contact with the Pharisees who derided him, mocked him, and ridiculed him.

He came in contact with the filthy lepers, came in contact with those who were possessed by demons.

He came in contact with a woman who was hemorrhaging, her monthly cycle would not cease from flowing.

And in the Jewish culture of that time, a woman in her cycle was considered defiled.

Jesus came to this, in quotation marks, this defiled woman, put his hands upon her and healed her.

She became whole again.

But imagine Jesus, who was sinless, never committed one error in his life.

He became the greatest sinner in this world.

How is that possible?

The Lord God cast every sin that had ever been committed and will ever be committed upon the shoulders of Jesus.

He was sinless, was carrying everyone's sin and he carried it to the cross and he died and was buried and he rose completely freed from this burden and this weight of sin that he was carrying.

And in this way he prepared that gift of salvation and opened the way to heaven.

So God can use evil things to do his good.

Imagine if God just outright destroyed evil, what would happen to you and I?

We would have no hope.

We would sink into the deepest corners of condemnation and hell.

For the Bible says there is no one who is good, not one.

There is no one who is righteous, not one.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

But imagine what God has done on our behalf through the merits of his son Jesus Christ.

He has mercy upon us and he forgives us our sins daily and momentarily.

And then he uses us, his redeemed sinners, his pardoned sinners, as his tools to be the light and the salt of the earth.

Brother and sister, we can be of good cheer even this morning when our sins are forgiven.

We have peace with God in heaven and we have that assurance that our names are written there in heaven and we are on that journey toward that everlasting destination.

This is our goal of faith.

Let us cling with our weak hand of faith to these grace promises of Christ Jesus.

He promises to lift, to carry, and he will ultimately bring us one day to that everlasting home in heaven.

Believe even now sins and faults and cares forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

Amen.

The Lord bless us and keep us.

The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us your peace.

In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.