“Post Tenebras Lux”
[Isaiah 60:1-6]
January 6, 2013 Second Reformed Church
During Hurricane Sandy, many of us
lost power for quite a number of days, and we found ourselves in darkness – no
electricity – no power of any kind. After that period of darkness, many of us
longed to see light – we did everything we could with flashlights and candles,
but when the electricity finally came back on, there was a rush of joy in
having the light back.
During the Reformation, John Calvin,
and then the other Reformers, adopted the phrase “post tenebras lux” – “after
darkness light.” They understood that
the Roman Catholic Church had erred and led the Church into a period of
darkness – into a period of thinking there was something that we could do to
earn our salvation. After the Reformers came on the scene, light burst forth as
they announced to the Church that salvation is by faith alone. And that is what
the Scripture teaches. After centuries of darkness – after centuries of people
trying to find a way to make themselves right with God – it was again
understood that salvation is by faith alone, through Jesus alone.
Isaiah was given the prophecy that
we read this morning while Israel was still in captivity under the rule of the
Babylonians. It was a period of darkness for Israel. They didn't know where God
was or what He had planned, and the prophet Isaiah revealed to them that there
was yet hope after Babylon.
Chapter fifty-nine deals with the
Lord’s judgment on Israel for their sin, but it ends with the promise that God
has not forsaken Israel – God will bring His people into the light – God's
people will be saved if they believe by faith alone in the Savior that God
promised.
Our reading this morning begins with
the prophecy of the future of Israel – and not merely the future of Israel as a
landlocked province – but of Israel as up people who believe in the Savior that
God promised to send. Israel is all those people – from wherever they come –
who believe by faith alone in the Savior that God sent.
Isaiah begins by saying, “Arise,
shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” And we will need to remember that they
received this message while they were still in captivity – whereas God had told
them before to sit down in the dust and mourn for their sin, God now tells them
that the darkness – the calamitous state of the Church – the result of the sin
that the Church had continued in in rejecting what God had said – was being
replaced. He told them to arise, to shine – to show forth the Glory of God
amidst their captors because the Glory of God was risen among them. It was not
possible for Israel to make things right with God but God promised to bring
them prosperity and salvation. The light that would chase away the darkness was
from God Alone.
We look at this to some extent last
week, as we considered Who the Word is – and we looked at the Scripture which
says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5, ESV). The
darkness has not yet been completely done away with, but in Christ – in belief in
Him Alone for salvation – the darkness can be removed from our lives, and that it
is not possible – if we believe by faith alone – for the darkness to overcome
us again.
And how great is the darkness – is
it really that serious? Isaiah continues, “For behold, darkness shall cover the
earth, and thick darkness the peoples;” the darkness of sin covers and condemns
every person from the moment of their conception. The darkness is deep and impenetrable
by those who do not believe. Isaiah contrasts this with the Love of God. The
darkness would hold us down and keep us down and prevent us from following
after God and believing what He said and seeing that salvation is theirs through
faith alone. But God's Love is so great
that He sent His Son – God in the flesh – to make the Way for all those who
would believe in Him.
It is a matter that we should
meditate on – is a matter that we should take time to consider – to look at the
Scriptures and see what it says about the fact that God came to earth in the flesh
– what kind of love is this? It is not a love that is based on who we are,
because we are all sinners deserving of God's Wrath. It is a love that God has
that desires to save a people for Himself – that He would be glorified as He
ought to be glorified. It is a love that saves us for God's Sake – for God's Glory
– to show how great God is – not based on anything that we have done to earn
salvation.
And Isaiah looks toward the future –
toward a time that he would not see in his flesh on earth, “but the LORD will
arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. “ The promises given Israel – and all those who
believe by faith alone in the Savior, God would send – that although darkness
covers the world now, God will overwhelm the darkness until the darkness is put
away.
That is a hope we look forward to – that
the day will come when there will be no more sin and no more evil and it will
be taken away from us – and we will enter the Kingdom of God as holy sons and
daughters – brothers and sisters of Jesus. As John records, “Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God
is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God
himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying,
nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4,
ESV).
Isaiah was allowed it glimpsed into
the future. The hope we all long for us Christians. After the judgment, all
evil and sin will be put away and we will be with God forever in His Kingdom.
That day is still coming – that is our hope – that through belief in Jesus Alone
by faith alone, we will be received into that Kingdom – and in that Kingdom all
sin and all evil will be put away from us and we will live and worship God and
our Savior Jesus Christ in the Kingdom – in peace, in perfection, in holiness –
and all the troubles and trials of the world will be put away and ended – as
Jesus said, “it is finished.”
And Isaiah tells the captives that
the Glory of God will be seen among them – the increased favor of God will be
seen among them – the captivity was not the end – for all those who faithfully
believed, there was yet a future – there was yet glory to be brought into. As
Paul wrote, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and
to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for
vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he
has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:22-24,
ESV).
There is part of us wants to cry
out, “Why do any have to suffer?” But when we ask that we ask the wrong
question, because we are all sinners and the wages of sin is death – the best
we can rightly expect for our lives and our actions is eternal death, but God
has said, “No, I will choose a people for Myself and I will save them through My
Son through faith alone and they will see the Glory of God in a way that they
never expected – in the volume they could never conceive. Shall we not be
surprised by this grace – by this salvation? Shall we not find ourselves in awe
in knowing that the Almighty God – despite our sin against Him – has chosen to
save some, and to reveal the fullness of His Glory to them, bringing them into His
Kingdom as His holy people?
Isaiah
continues, “And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness
of your rising.” Isaiah reminds Israel of
a mistake that they continually made throughout history and still make – the
Savior is not just for Israel, but for all the nations. As God promised
Abraham, “and
in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you
have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18, ESV). Salvation is not about our biology
– is not about our family heritage – is about believing in Jesus Christ Alone by
faith alone for salvation.
And it won't just be poor who
believe in Christ, but kings – leaders of countries – will also come to
believe. We talk about the three kings, who visited Jesus after His birth –
after they had moved to a house – and though we don't know the actual number of
people who came, we know that the word used for them actually means – astrologers
– these were persons who studied the stars to try to interpret the future –
like today's horoscopes and other such blasphemous enterprises. But these
persons – however many of them there were – saw all the signs in the sky – they
read the prophecies that God had given to Israel and they recognized that God,
the King and Savior, had been born in Bethlehem. And so they came, “And going
into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and
worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and
frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11, ESV).
And let us notice two things: they
worshiped the Baby Jesus – they did not merely honor him, but they understood
that He is God Almighty, and they worshiped Him. Let us also notice the gifts
that they brought: gold – which would be given at the birth of the King. They
understood that this baby was King of Israel – and King of all of Creation.
Frankincense – incense which was burned in the worship of God – which they gave
to this little Baby – again, recognizing that this little Baby was not just any
baby, but He is the Incarnate God – the Only Savior. And perhaps strangest of
all, they gave Him myrrh – a spice that was used for embalming. Did God tell
them what would happen? Did they understand that the Savior had to die? We are
not told.
But Mary knew – Mary and Joseph knew
– as they brought Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised, the prophet Simeon
said, “And
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is
appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is
opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts
from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35, ESV). Is it any wonder that
the Scripture tells us, “But
Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19,
ESV).
Mary and Joseph had been visited by
angels and been told that their Son would be the promised Savior that God would
send. Shepherds who had seen angels in the sky worshiping and glorifying Jesus
sent them to Mary and Joseph to tell them that He was indeed the Savior. Magi
from foreign lands came to worship Him and to give Him gifts, which indicated
that He is King of the Universe – God Himself – and One Who would die.
In bringing Jesus to the Temple for
that rite of childhood, Simeon told Mary that Jesus would divide the nation –
and that she herself would be pierced through the heart. And we know that Mary
was there on the day of crucifixion to see her Son tortured and put to death by
crucifixion.
And so God through the prophet
Isaiah to instruct the people in captivity, “Lift up your eyes all around, and
see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from
afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.” God told them to lift up
their eyes – to stop looking at their captivity – to stop looking at themselves
– to stop being concerned about themselves and only themselves – to look up to
see the salvation that God was sending among them – the Savior would be born
among them. And God promised that not only would the Savior come, but people
would come and believe in Him, not just in Jerusalem – not just in Israel – but
from afar – men and women from all over the earth would come to hear the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and believe that He is God the Savior and they would join
together as the people of God – as the Israel of God. God told them to get
their eyes off themselves – look forward to the hope that is coming and believe
in and hope in and preach it to every man woman throughout the earth.
Are
you number one in your life? Is your focus on yourself and your well-being and
how much you can do for you? If it is, God says to you this morning lift up
your eyes – none of this is about you – and if you are not focused on the
Savior, God has sent, you are still in darkness.
“Then
you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult,”
God,
through Isaiah, tells the people if they lift up their eyes and keep their
focus on Jesus, the Savior Who was yet to come – Who has now come – Who we know
has come and lived and died and risen and ascended back to His throne – if they
keep their eyes on Him and the Promise of God – they will see it – they will be
radiant – they will thrill and exalt with joy. It is frightening to look out at
you and wonder if you have been thrilled with that. If you have been shaken and
awestruck by what Christ has done – I can't see your hearts, but God does.
Isaiah
continues, “because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth
of the nations shall come to you. A
multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all
those from Sheba shall come. They shall
bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the
LORD.”
God rightly claims all of the wealth
and the glory and the treasurer of the world for Himself – and He says that
those who see the Savior – those who believe in the Savior – those were thrilled
by the Savior – those were awestruck by the Savior – those who are shaken with
joy for the sake of the Savior – will dedicate their treasures to God.
The light has come in Jesus Christ
and the darkness is being put away – and one day Jesus will return and the
darkness will be fully and completely and finally put away. If you believe that
– if you've had that epiphany – if you have had that enlightenment – if you
have had that realization – if you believed by faith alone – you ought to be
different.
Our response ought to be like that
of Isaiah on the day of his call – as he tells us: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe
filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two
he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’
“And the foundations of the thresholds
shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And
I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the
LORD of hosts!’
“Then one of the seraphim flew to
me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the
altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips;
your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’
“And I heard the voice of the Lord
saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, “Here I am!
Send me’” (Isaiah 6:1-8, ESV).
Do we understand that the light has
come? Have we understood Who the light is and believed in Him by faith alone?
Have we understood that there is darkness yet all around us – and only through
Jesus Christ is there true light? Are we willing to welcome anyone who comes
confessing faith in Jesus Alone? Will you rejoice in anyone who comes in faith
and belief? Are we willing to turn over everything to God for Him and His work
and His Glory? Do we really trust Him? Are our eyes on ourselves or are they on
the Promised Savior?
Isaiah told the captives: after
darkness, light would come. We know that 2000 years ago Jesus, the Light of the
world, came to earth to save all those who would ever believe in Him. During
the Reformation, they reclaimed the slogan, “after darkness light” – the point
being that salvation is by faith alone. They also said that the faith alone is
not a faith that is alone. We can mouth the words, but if our hearts haven’t
changed, if our lives haven’t changed – we really don't believe.
Sometime after Jesus' birth a group
of Magi – astrologers – came because in the midst of their pagan mythology they
understood one thing correctly: God had sent the Savior for all those who would
believe in Him Alone – this Savior is King of the Creation – this Savior is God
in the flesh – and this Savior would have to die to accomplish His work.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for the
promise that after darkness, there is light. We thank You for the promises that
were given to the captives of Babylon – to encourage them – to strengthen them
– to fortify them in the faith. We thank You for the truth that Jesus – the Light
of the world – has been born in history – and He is the Savior – the
long-awaited Savior that You promised for the salvation of Your people. And we
ask now that You would keep us from the darkness – the You would keep us from
straying away – from being more concerned with ourselves than with You. Lord,
help us to lift up our eyes and to go forward, knowing that You are our God and
Savior – You have been victorious over the darkness – and You are putting it
away. May Your Kingdom come. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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