Midweek 1
Isaiah 64:1–9
December 5 2012 Midweek 1 Sermon
1Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence— 21as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. 5You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?1 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. 8But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. (Isa 64:1 ESV)
Sermon
"Wait till your father comes home!" How many of you remember hearing those words when you were growing up? Perhaps some of our young folks are still hearing these words today: Wait till your father comes home! What images do these words bring to your mind? What events do these words bring to your mind? When you hear these words it usually doesn't mean he is coming to congratulate you on your behavior.
We are now in the season of Advent, and At Advent, God Is Coming.
I.
Advent means "coming." Advent has two focuses: the first coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas and the second coming of King Jesus at Judgment Day. Very often we only think of Advent in connection with the joys of Christmas. We can't wait for Christmas! We join Isaiah as he declares in our sermon text, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down" (v 1)!
However, as we read Holy Scripture, we discover that both the Old and New Testaments connect Advent to Judgment Day. In 1 Thessalonians, we read: "For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (5:2). And also, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, . . . with the sound of the trumpet of God" (4:16). Jesus himself said, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. . . . When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne" (Mt 25:13, 31).
In the Old Testament, the prophet Amos said, "Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! . . . It is darkness, and not light. . . . Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?" (Amos 5:18, 20). Isaiah says, "Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! . . . Behold, the day of the Lord comes, . . . to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it" (Is 13:6, 9). Doesn't sound quite like a season of joyful anticipation of Christmas, does it? Hmmm . . .
Advent means God is coming. A holy God is coming, and we are sinners. Yes, in our text, Isaiah first sounded quite eager to have the Father come: "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down" (v 1). But then it's almost as if he rethinks what he just prayed for. He says to this God, "Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?" (v 5). Oh, no. Now that I think about it, Father, maybe I'm not so eager for you to come down. Isaiah realizes that God has reason to come to us in terrible judgment.
Our so-called "good deeds" cannot prevent God's judgment. Isaiah knows he has to admit, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (v 6). The polluted garments of which Isaiah speaks refer to women's monthly menstrual garments. These soiled garments make a person ritually unclean and unable to enter into God's presence in the temple. Just so, our good deeds or good works do not work to get us right with a holy God. Even our attempts at good deeds are sin. Isaiah understands our sin brings us destruction. He goes on to say, "We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away" (v 6).
Are you enjoying Advent yet? Are you looking forward to the second coming? Wait till your Father comes home! Oh, no . . .
But hold it. This is only half of the story. This is what we Lutherans call the Law. What about the Gospel? What about the Good News?
We can say and believe in Advent: "Hurray! God is coming!" God is just and must deal with sin, and at Christmas he did come to deal with sin. And he dealt with it by punishing himself. He paid for sin himself. He redeemed us from his judgment and placed us under his mercy. So, today we can wait for his coming and wait with joy. Oh, I can't wait till my Father comes home! Listen to what Isaiah tells us in today's sermon text: "But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. . . . Remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people" (vv 8–9).
God is our loving father. He is the potter; we are the clay. We belong to him. We are the works of his hands. He has personally created us. We are precious to him. He is our Father who loves us. Sorry for our sin, we humbly go to our Father for forgiveness. What is the assurance of our forgiveness? It is simply this: Advent announces the coming of our loving God in the flesh.
In John 1:14 we read, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The Word is a title for Jesus. This single verse is John's commentary on the miracle of Christmas. The eternal Word of God became flesh, became a human being, was born among us. We call this truth of Scripture the incarnation. Incarnation means to become flesh. Carne is a Latin word for flesh or meat. When you buy a can of chili at the store, you might see a label that reads "chili con carne." That means chili with meat. At Christmas we celebrate that Jesus, the eternal Word, became meat. He became a flesh-and-blood human being. He did so to become our Savior.
This loving God-in-the-flesh comes to us at Bethlehem's manger. Look inside that manger. Look inside that feed trough. What do you see? You see not just a cute baby boy. You see God in the flesh come for you!
Look upon Calvary's cross. What do you see? You see not just a victim of injustice receiving an unjust punishment. You see God in the flesh paying for your sins and for the sins of the world!
Look inside that empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning. What do you see? He is not there! He has risen from the dead. He is God in the flesh, victorious over sin, victorious over death, victorious over the devil. And he did this for you!
When the end of the world and Judgment Day arrives, look! Who is coming again? Look! Who is coming in glory to take you and all who trust in him to heaven? Who is it? It is God in the flesh, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Oh, wait till your Father comes home! But this time it will have a happy ending. Now these words are not a threat, but a promise. He comes with mercy and forgiveness and love.
Advent tells us our Lord is coming. He is coming as the babe in the manger and as the king at Judgment Day. He is holy and just and takes seriously our sin. But he is especially merciful and forgiving and loving. So it's only fitting that at the beginning of Advent we pray that last prayer recorded in Holy Scripture and pray it eagerly: "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20).
In the name of Jesus. Amen.