"Call the Sabbath a Delight" Sermon: Isaiah 58:1-14 (video)

 (593) "Call the Sabbath a Delight" Sermon: Isaiah 58:1-14 - YouTube

"Call the Sabbath a Delight" Sermon: Isaiah 58:1-14 (manuscript)

 

“Call the Sabbath a Delight”

[Isaiah 58:1-14]

June 27, 2021 YouTube

            Jesus tells this parable:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14, ESV).

Is it wrong for the Pharisee to refrain from breaking the Law, to fast, and to give tithes of everything he receives?  No. The problem is that he is going through the motions of keeping the Law with no true piety or holiness.  He is doing what he believes is expected of him with the expectation that he will be rewarded, rather than having a true heart belief that leads to his keeping of the Law.

This is the accusation that God brings against His people in our text.

            And we see, first, going through the motions is not enough.

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.”

God tells Isaiah to cry out to the people – to not hold back the rebuke of God – to cry out loudly, with attention drawn to His message like the announcing of the trumpet.  God tells Isaiah to declare to His people that they have sinned against God – all of them.

They come to God every day, wanting to hear good things from God.  They want to hear that God is pleased and they are wonderful people – and God is lucky to have them.  They think they are a truly righteous nation.  They are self-deceived in believing that they have been obedient to God because they have merely kept the blatant word of the Law.  They come before God excited to hear how God will praise them.

And when they do these things and God does not respond as they think He should, they get angry with God:

“‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.”

“God, what’s wrong with You?  Don’t You see that we have fasted?  How good is that?!  Don’t You understand how humble we have been?  Don’t You know how pleasing we have been to You?  Why aren’t You praising us?”

And God rebukes them in this: “You only fast – You only keep My Law – in letter only – not in heart – because you believe I will praise you and make you feel good about yourself.  You say you keep My Law, but you oppress your workers.  You say you love Me, and you abuse and hate those who work for you. And whenever you fast, you get in arguments with others that lead to fistfights.  I will not hear or reward that type of fasting – fasting like that is not true fasting.”

Jesus says, “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18, ESV).

 Jesus says, “If you are fasting – or keeping the Law in any way – simply to have others praise you – thinking that God will praise you – you’ve missed the point of the Law.  You have received all that you will receive in the praise people have given you for your pursuits.  If you are going to fast – to keep any of the Law – don’t march around with trumpeters or whine and moan about how hard it has been.  No, obey God quietly.  Be obedient for your love of God and your neighbor – not looking for or expecting praise, but desiring God would be praised and worshipped.”

Going through the motions is not enough.  If that is all there is to your obedience, it is not acceptable.

Second, heart-obedience includes love of God and love of neighbor.

“Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?”

The externals – the things that are seen – are not the most important part of rightly, truly, piously keeping the Law.

 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

God’s “fast” – obedience to God – is delivering people from wickedness – guiding them out of sinful lifestyles, freeing them from oppression, sharing your food and home and clothes – all the gifts God has given you, as you are able to share them.

Does this mean God doesn’t care if we keep the letter of the Law – for example, that we actually, physically fast – or strictly obey any other of the commandments?  No.

God is saying that if our keeping of the Law is only checking off a box and waiting for God to praise us, we’ve got it wrong.  It is good to fast.  It is good to worship God.  It is good to refuse to worship idols.  It is good to keep the Sabbath.  But when we keep the Law, we must do so for the love of God and neighbor and respond by acting rightly towards God and neighbor. The fast validates itself through social mercies and abolishing wrong social structures.

John writes, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (I John 4:20-21, ESV).

In Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats, God addresses those who think well of their life before God, but have never shown love to their neighbor:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:41-46, ESV).

But, if we do have that heart-obedience with includes love of God and neighbor, we will experience the superabundant free grace of God and progressive reinvigoration – God will grow us and mature us and make us into the Image of His Son, as is His intention for all those who truly believe.

 “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”

Don’t misunderstand, God is not saying that our good works will save us.  Rather, He is saying, if we have been saved – if we have believed in Jesus savingly – we will do good works and God will be pleased and grow us in them and in our progressing in holiness.

For Jerusalem specifically, there is also the promise in this text that after the exile, God will bring them back – they we be obedient and faithful, loving God and neighbor, and God will see that Jerusalem and the Temple are rebuilt.

Heart-obedience includes love of God and love of neighbor.

And third, let us call the Sabbath a delight.

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

God gives Israel the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8-11, ESV).

Jesus says, “And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:27-28, ESV).

And the author of Hebrews writes, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10, ESV).

How do we put this all together with what God says in Isaiah?

            God rested on the Sabbath, so He calls humans to rest on the Sabbath – to not engage in their normal routine – and to especially give the day to the worship of God.  The Sabbath is not given as a list of rules that must we reluctantly obey – no, the Sabbath is a time of rest from work and the rejuvenation in worship with other believers. And there is a further Sabbath rest in the Kingdom for all those who believe.

            The Sabbath is a day of trust, faith, obedience, and worship of God, and it is a day that God has given to humans for refreshment and growth.  If we keep the Sabbath Law in the love of God and neighbor, it will be a delight to us as we do what God commands and receive blessings. It is a delight as we renounce our sin, receive forgiveness by God through Jesus, and pursue the holiness we are called to.

            But it’s not just the Sabbath Law:

            David writes, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-11, ESV).

            All of the moral Law is a delight to the believer.  So, when God speaks of calling the Sabbath a delight, that is symbolic of the entire moral Law.  It is a high example of what it means to love God and neighbor as expressed in the moral Law.

            God says, “If you have heart-obedience for the Sabbath and delight in it as true believers, you will find all of the moral Law a delight to obey and rest in.”

            God did not give us the Law to prove how wonderful we are.  God did not give us the Law to make our lives unbearable.  If we keep the Law without delight – only to be recognized and ultimately praised by God, we will fail and anger God.  If we love God and love our neighbor and delight in the Law of God and obey it in those loves, we will rest in the joy of the Lord.

            Let us call the Sabbath a delight.

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, we thank You for showing us how Israel wrongly kept the Law – how we wrongly keep the Law.  We thank You for explaining that keeping the Law is not merely a matter of doing what is right but doing it with the right motivation and in love of God and neighbor.  Cause us to be delighted in what You have commanded and send the Holy Spirit to empower us to delight in obeying Your Law.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Comfrot for the Contrite" Sermon: Isaiah 57:14-21 (video)

 (572) "Comfort for the Contrite" Sermon: Isaiah 57:14-21 - YouTube

"Comfort for the Contrite" Sermon: Isaiah 57:14-21 (manuscript)

 

“Comfort for the Contrite”

[Isaiah 57:14-21]

6/20/21 YouTube

            You may be aware the repetition is helpful in learning – both as something is repeated to the learner and as the learner puts the things taught into practice again and again.  For example, the teacher may say, “B is for bat.” “B is for bat.”  And the student will repeat it back to the teacher.  This is a point of examinations:  a teacher will teach and repeat concepts and have the students engage in them, and then the students show whether they have grasped the information by repeating it on an exam.

            We remember that Isaiah is preaching around 700 B.C., and Jerusalem is taken into the Babylonian exile around a hundred years later and spends about seventy years there.  Throughout the book of Isaiah, we have seen God tell His people that they are His people – that they have sinned against Him – they have engaged in idolatry, they will be disciplined through exile, and God will comfort them and return them to the land.

            In this morning’s text, we see God again comforting His people.  We have seen this a number of times before, most famously in chapter forty: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2, ESV).

            The comfort God gives Jerusalem is a promise and a hope for them as they endure their captivity.  Jesus comforts His disciples and us with the promise of bodily resurrection and the Kingdom.  Jerusalem has one hundred years to wait – an amount of time that could lead to panic, despair, and disbelief.  So, God repeats His message of comfort to them.

            God tells them not to despair.

            First, God comforts the contrite.

“And it shall be said, ‘Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.’

God reminds His people of the promise He made concerning Cyrus, the future king of the Medo-Persian empire – who would conquer the Babylonians.  God reminds her that He calls Cyrus to build up Jerusalem – to build her up in strength – to prepare the way for her to go home, and to remove every obstacle in the way of her return.

God says of Cyrus, “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 45:11-13, ESV).

And Cyrus makes a proclamation:

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“’Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem’” (Ezra 1:1-4, ESV).

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’

God comforts those who are contrite – those who are sorry for their sins – those who repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness.  As Jerusalem is taken into captivity, many will understand that their sin is bringing them there, and they repent, and God comforts them during their time of discipline.

The author of Hebrews tells us to be comforted during discipline because it proves God is our Father and we are His children: “For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11, ESV).

He is the Holy God Who disciplines us, forgiving us when we are contrite, and comforting us with His Son’s promise:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3, ESV).

God comforts the contrite.

Second, God heals the contrite.

“’For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.’

God does not discipline His people to the point that they are destroyed.  God contends with His people over their sin.  God is angry with His people for their sins.  But it is not forever.  God has mercy on His people and forgives the contrite.  God does not cause their spirit to faint or the breath of life to leave them.  God does not “beat the life out of” His contrite people.

“’Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.’

And that’s not to say that their sin – our sin – is a minor offense.  Idolatry is a high crime – it is putting someone or something in the place of God.  It is adultery.  And God gets angry and strikes His people when they sin – part of disciple can include physical as well as other punishments.  For example, God turns His face away in His anger.  God absentes His presence from His people.  They are no longer in the immediate affection of God – which ought to cause them to jump up and realize something is wrong and repent – be contrite before God.  Instead, they continue in their sin, oblivious to God’s discipline of them.

 “’I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will heal him.’

Still, for the people of God – for all those who believe in the Servant Savior – Jesus, our God – God promises to heal them.  God will restore them.  God will comfort them – and those who mourn the death of their friends and family members.  And their response to this will be praise to God.

We must understand that this does not mean that God will physically heal every person who believes in Him and Jesus now – in this life.  God can – and He may.  But this is a promise regarding their return to Jerusalem, but even more so, reception into the New Jerusalem.

John records, “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 21:3-4, ESV).

So, this is a promise for us as well – if not now – then on the last day:  God will heal us.  God will restore us.  God will comfort us.  There will be no more sorrow or pain or death.  And we will praise our Triune God more purely and more fully than we ever did before.  In the Kingdom, we will be forever healthy in mind and body and soul and spirit, and so we cry out, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

And God says, “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near.”  Remember repetition:  saying peace twice means peace will surely happen – it will be for all those who believe – and it will be continuous – eternal peace.  It will never end.  And when we are told it is for the near and the far, it means for all peoples, and nations, and tongues.  God will bring peace through Jesus to Jews and Gentiles who believe.

However:

“’But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”

Those who persist in their sin – those who are never contrite – those who never repent of their sin – are like the tossing sea – unstable, violent, ruthless, loud, bringing up everything foul.  For these, there will be no peace.  There will never be peace.  They will continue in the life to come to eternally suffer for never believing – for never being contrite – they will not have a moments peace.

“And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:9-10, ESV).

God comforts the contrite.  All those who believe in Jesus and repent of their sins will be comforted in this life, though we suffer and are disciplined – Jerusalem is sent into exile.  And in the New Jerusalem – when Jesus returns – we will be comforted and never be discomforted.  We will praise our God and Savior.

God heals the contrite. God brings His people back out of exile and heals them in many ways – and God heals our souls – bringing us back to spiritual life when we believe.  And when the New Jerusalem comes – at the return of Jesus, all who believe in our God and Savior will be healed in mind, body, spirit, and soul, forever whole and joyful.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You that You do not leave us without hope and comfort in You.  Help us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, showing that God is our comfort and our joy.  Draw people near and far to Yourself.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"The Lord is Our Refuge" Sermon: Isaiah 57:1-13 (video)

 (544) "The Lord is Our Refuge" Sermon: Isaiah 57:1-13 - YouTube

"The Lord is Our Refuge" Sermon: Isaiah 57:1-13 (manuscript)

 

“The Lord is Our Refuge”

[Isaiah 57:1-13]

June 13, 2021 YouTube

            Who is the Lord for those who obey God and those who are idolaters?

            God tells Jerusalem – and us – that He is different for those who are obedient to God and those who are idolaters – for the righteous and the prostitutes.

            God begins by talking about the righteous who die.

“The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart;”

The word “perishes” that God uses here indicates that this is not a normal death.  This is a sudden death – an accident or murder.  There is no reason to believe this righteous man will die, but he does.

So, God says a righteous man dies suddenly and unexpectedly in a tragic way, and no one learns from it.  No meaning is gleaned from it.  No one considers their own lives and who they should be and what they should do before their own death.

Moses writes, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, ESV).

We all ought to consider the death of the righteous – especially the unexpected death of a righteous person.  The wicked should consider death even more so.  And this is not a morbid thing – everyone will die unless Jesus returns first.  It is something we ought to be prepared for because it could happen suddenly and unexpectedly.

 “devout men are taken away, while no one understands.”

“Why?” Is not an uncommon question when people die – especially devout people – righteous people – and especially when their death is sudden.  We don’t understand why they died at the time they did or in the way that they did.  Even unbelievers may be shocked to see someone they understood to be an outstanding person in the neighborhood die suddenly or in a sudden way.

Even so, though we may not understand specifically why a righteous person dies suddenly and unexpectedly, we know something about the death of the righteous, don’t we?  We know something about the believer who dies in faith, don’t we?

The Psalmist writes, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15, ESV).

And David writes, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6, ESV).

God says, “For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;”

When a righteous person dies – even suddenly and unexpectedly – the righteous person is taken out of the world and does not live through the punishment of the wicked.

“he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.”

The righteous enter into the eternal peace of God.  There is no more pain or sorrow – ever.  They rest in their beds – a euphemism for the grave – until they rise on the last day.

No matter how the righteous die, their death brings them to a far better place and life than they ever had on this earth.

The wicked – who God calls prostitutes – do not have such a promise or hope.

“But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.”

Unbelievers are the children of wickedness and disobedience – children of sorceresses, adulterers – for example – and every other type of sinner.  There are conceived by the wicked and raised to be wicked.  (Of course, not everyone brought up in a bad situation stays wicked; this is a specific look at those who are raised and remain in wickedness – becoming prostitutes to idols themselves.)

“Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit,”

The adulterers are arrogant.  They mock God’s evaluation of them.  They stick their tongues out at God – telling God that they don’t need Him, and He can go away.  God condemns them as the children of transgression and the offspring of deceit.  These have transgression and deceit as their parents, and they are just like their parents – reveling in sin and lies.

“you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?”

Jerusalem joins in Canaanite idolatry:  they set up Asherah poles and worship them, and they worship the god, Moloch, who requires the sacrifice of children – thrown into the fire.

How can they boast when they deny the Ture Gd?

Paul explains the delusion and deceit involved in idolatry, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thessalonians 2:9-12, ESV).

 “Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?”

Rather than bring their offerings to the Temple, they pour them out before idols as they pray.

Rather than give our tithes and offerings to Bible-believing churches where the Gospel is taught rightly, we keep our money – most of our money – for vacations, food, cars, stereo systems, jewelry – our idols.

“On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice.”

They literally prostitute themselves before the idols in the hopes that such “holy prostitution” would be pleasing to the gods.

“sleeping your way to the top,” we call it.

“Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial;”

God says it is to be obvious that Jerusalem – and we – believe in God, the One True God.  Anyone who encounters us should know what we believe.  Our beliefs about Jesus are not to be hidden, yet that is what Jerusalem is doing.

God says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, ESV).

God is not necessarily saying that the law is to be written on the actual doorposts of the house, but that God’s Law is to be obvious in the believer and to the unbeliever.  Whatever we are doing, it should be obvious that we do so because we believe in God the Savior and seek to obey Him.

Jerusalem is not doing this – they are putting the Law behind the door so no one will see it – and they will not have to be reminded of it either.

You may have seen a mezuzah on the doorpost of a Jewish person’s home – some Christians have it, too.  It is a small rectangular container that contains a scroll that says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Jerusalem claims to believe God’s Law, but she doesn’t want to offend anyone – she doesn’t want to be convicted by God’s Word, so they hide it behind the door, rather than having it right out in the open on the door.

You may have heard the expression, “undercover Christian.”  That refers to someone who says he is a Christian, but there is absolutely nothing about him that would make you think that he is a Christian.

“for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a covenant for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have looked on nakedness.”

Jerusalem is engaged in real prostitution – in the Temple, and in front of the idols on the hills and in the valleys.  They have lifted lust to the place of a sacrament.  The phrase “have looked on nakedness” is a euphemism for phallus worship.

Physical intimacy between spouses is a good thing, yet we have accepted “friends with benefits” as a normal thing.  We reduce the profound intimacy that God has given, instead treating it as nothing – a throwaway – a piece of gum that has lost its flavor, only to be replaced with another.

“You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol. You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, ‘It is hopeless’; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint.”

Jerusalem is devoted to her idols.  No matter how much is required of them to get the idols to answer them and give them what they pray for – what they sacrifice for – even if they never receive anything from these impotent idols – they continue in their obstinate pursuit after idols all the while they boast of their faithfulness.

One reason they consider themselves faithful, despite their idolatry, is that God does not punish them – not for a long time.

 “Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me? I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you. “

            God tells them that they may claim for be faithful people of God, but their actions – their idolatry – their devotion to the idols, shows that they do not believe in the One True God at all.  They are deceived – they are ignorant – they are blind.

            Have you spoken to people who say they are Christians, but they don’t go to church, they say that there are many ways to Heaven, that God just wants us to be good, or that they don’t believe the Bible is for today – or, even, that they don’t believe in God?  I have.

            The “good” such people do for their idols has no profit before God.

“When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away.”

God tells them that the day will come when they cry out to God, and God tells them to cry out to their idols.  If they have such faith in them, let them save them if they can.  And, of course, they can’t.  They idols will eventually fall apart and return to dust and blow away in the wind.  Only God, the True God, never dies or weakens, but remains Almighty forever.

The end for the prostitutes – the unbelievers – those who prostitute themselves before idols and never believe – is to be cut off from God forever.  God will not hear them. God will not deliver them.  God will let them descend into the eternal suffering they have prepared for themselves.

This is a warning to all those who don’t believe in the Servant Savior – in Jesus Alone for salvation – you are cutting yourselves off from God to damnation.  Give up your idols, repent and submit to the One True God.

We are reminded again of the righteous:

“But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain.”

All those who take refuge in the Lord – all those who have faith that leads to salvation – they shall be brought into the New Jerusalem, where they will live in peace, in the refuge of our God, worshipping Him forever and ever.

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3, ESV).

Put away your idols.  They are a stench in the nostrils of God – little idols, as well as big idols – they can do nothing but prepare you for Hell.  Rather, believe in Jesus, the Savior sent by God to redeem all of His people.

For the Lord is a refuge to all those who believe.  And when the believer dies, he is brought into the presence of Jesus, worships Him, and finds everlasting peace.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, we thank You for delivering Your people from the worship of idols and bringing us into Your refuge.  Help us to show those who are still enraptured with idols that it is a futile and damning pursuit.  Help us to root out the idolatry that remains in us.  And thank You for forgiving us through Jesus and for His preparing a place for us in the New Jerusalem, in Your Peace.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Wicked Shepherds" Sermon: Isaiah 56:9-12 (video)

 "Wicked Shepherds" Sermon: Isaiah 56:9-12 - YouTube

"Wicked Shepherds" Isaiah 56:9-12 (manuscript)

 

“Wicked Shepherds”

[Isaiah 56:9-12]

June 6, 2021 YouTube

            There is a stark difference between the first part of Isaiah 56 and the second part of Isaiah 56.  The chapter begins with God telling His people to be obedient and promising that He will bring the outcasts into the Kingdom.  People who would have been forbidden to enter the Temple will be draw by God through Jesus and allowed now to enter and be part of the believing community.

            This section concerns the condemnation of self-seeking leadership.  This leadership would have included the kings and other governmental leaders as well as the religious leaders – the priests and prophets.

            As we look at our text, we will look at it primarily in the religious leaders, but keep in mind that these things apply to the governmental leaders as well.

            God begins:

“All you beasts of the field, come to devour—all you beasts in the forest.”

God describes the leadership as beasts.  The leaders that God has given to Jerusalem are acting like a wild boar.  Whether they are in the field or in the forest, their concern is to fill their belly.  The needs of the people and their protection is down on their list of concerns.  They are looking out for their own interests – their own satisfaction – whatever it is thar they desire to devour.

Think, for example, of ministers who preach what his people want to hear, so the pastor will be thanked and smiled at and, at the right time, given a raise.

Paul writes, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (II Timothy 4:3-4, ESV).

Take, for example, Joel Osteen, who says he does not preach about repentance and sin, because “people feel bad enough about themselves” (https://christiannews.net/2016/03/31/joel-osteen-says-hes-not-cheating-people-by-neglecting-to-preach-on-repentance-hell/)

Why does a minister do this?  It’s not to care for his people.  His people need to know that they must repent of their sin and believe that Jesus is God the Savior. They need to know everything that God has said in His Word.

Ministers are called to protect their people and lead them in the truth.

David writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4, ESV).

David says he is comforted by the Shepherd’s rod and staff – what is that?  The shepherd carried these two instruments:  the rod was used to beat off any other animal or person who wanted to harm the sheep.  The staff was used to guide the sheep in the direction they should go.

“His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge;”

The shepherds are to be watchmen – like the men who watch from the towers of the city and give advanced warning of intruders – enemies – advancing against the city.

God condemns these watchmen as being blind – they cannot see the enemy approaching, because they have blinded themselves.  And they don’t have the knowledge to be able to tell between a friend and an enemy.  They are useless and a danger to the city because they cannot see who is coming, and even if they could see, they can’t tell the difference between the intentions of those coming towards the city.

How many of our ministers have blinded themselves to the clear teaching of Scripture that Jesus is the Only Way to salvation and preaches that all ways are really the same – God doesn’t care what you believe so long as you are a good person.

Again, “they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough.”

Ministers are supposed to preach the Gospel and bark like dogs against false teaching so the whole congregation knows what the lies and deceptions are coming their way. They are to be the force behind the “beware of dog” sign on the church – protecting their people.

A friend of mine contacted me about a woman who says she is a Christian but is teaching the heresy of Modalism.  Modalism is an ancient heresy that teaches that there is One God – which is true – and this One God expresses Himself in three different modes – sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Spirit.  The Three are the One God, but not Three Persons – it is a denial of the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. And true Christian ministers ought to respond by barking!  This is a lie!  This is not the Word of God!

Such ministers are not shepherds, they are dogs who like to sleep, who like to lie down, who like to dream about themselves and how wonderful they are.  Rather than preach God’s Word, they preach whatever gets them the most luxury and pleasure.

That is not to say that the people are innocent – the sheep are not innocent – Christians are not innocent – each one is a sinner.  But how much worse is it if the sheep – who sin and need guidance and protection – are “led” by a wicked shepherd?

“But they are shepherds who have no understanding;”

One of the problems is that the shepherds are not genuinely interested in Who God is and what He requires of His people.  These shepherds are interested in making the people feel good and telling them that what the culture says is true and normal and right is true and normal and right – no matter what the Bible says.

Victoria Osteen recently preached, “So I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?" (http://www.breathecast.com/articles/joel-osteen-wife-victoria-responds-to-critics-regarding-worship-for-yourself-quote-video-19555/).

Osteen says that the point of worship is for us to be happy.  She has no understanding.

Isaiah tells us in chapter six that worship is all about God, and He overwhelms us with His Holiness and causes us to repent and follow in faith and obedience – our response fills us will joy – even if we ae not happy in our circumstances.

We will remember when the King of Israel was seeking a prophetic word about his desire to go to war, and we read, “And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.’ And Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let not the king say so’” (I Kings 22:8, ESV).

All the prophets of the king tell him what he wants to hear – except for Micaiah.  The king doesn’t want to hear from Micaiah, because Micaiah speaks the Word of God – whether the king likes it or not.  The other prophets don’t care what God has to say – they are happy in their ignorance to simply tell the king what he wants to hear.

One of my classmates in seminary reacted to my talking about reading theology to be a regular and continuous practice in my life, and she said, “Why would you ever want to read theology after you graduate from seminary?”  In other words, “Why would you ever want to spend time trying to know God and His Will better after you graduate from seminary. Just tell the people what they want to hear.”  She has no understanding.

“they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.”

God says that the shepherds of Israel – the priests – the ministers of Israel – let the people go their own way – which we happily do – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6, ESV).  The wicked shepherds don’t care because they are only out for their own gain.

Any minister – any seminary student planning to answer a call to the ministry – must not think that being a pastor – a shepherd – is about being well-thought of, well-paid, and getting everything you want – most of the time it will be closer to the opposite – if you actually preach the Word of God and seek to be faithful and obedient.

“’Come,’ they say, ‘let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.’”

Such wicked shepherds don’t care about the people they have been given charge over – just as the prophets and priests didn’t care – overall – for Israel – they only care for what they can get out of her – the best seats – free food and wine – compliments – meanwhile, they despise the Word of God.  They preach nothing different.  They do nothing different.  Why would they?  They believe that they have never had it so good, so they keep up the pattern believing nothing will change from day to day.

God condemns the self-seeking leadership in Jerusalem – in the nation of Israel.

Ezekiel records God’s condemnation of the shepherds of Israel as well:

“’Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them’” (Ezekiel 34:7-10, ESV).

God condemns the self-seeking leadership in Jerusalem – in the nation of Israel – and in the world today – in the church today.

What are we to do with this Word from God?

We are to understand it in the historical setting of Jerusalem before the Babylonian exile.  We are to understand how these shepherds sinned.  Shepherds – with us all – are sinners. And we are to understand that God punishes sin – God disciplines all of His people – including shepherds.

            Paul, who was a shepherd, confesses that he is a sinner, though saved by Jesus Christ Alone:

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

            “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Romans 7:15-25, ESV).

            Still, he preached the Whole Word of God.  He strived after holiness.  He taught what God calls a shepherd – a minister – to be:

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (I Timothy 6:11-16, ESV).

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (II Timothy 4:1-5, ESV).

Hold your shepherd to the biblical call upon him.  And pray for him.  Pray for his physical health.  Pray for his mental health.  Pray for his emotional health. Pray for his spiritual health.  Pray that God would keep him a faithful and obedient shepherd.  And receive the Word of God in faith and obedience as he preaches it to you.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, You have shown us the wicked shepherds in Jerusalem, and we mourn that there are wicked shepherds in our churches today.  We pray for those shepherds who are striving after holiness in faith and obedience while not excusing or ignoring their sin.  Be with those who desire Your Will above all else.  Supply the needs of our pastors physically so they can use their bodies to lead Your people and give You glory.  We pray for the mental needs of our pastors – that they would strive to know You and Your Word more fully and better.  We pray for the emotional needs of our pastors – that You would comfort them and keep them steady in rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn.  And we ask for the spiritual needs of our pastors – that they would remain deep in Your Word , rejoicing in Who You are.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.