Lent
Jeremiah 31:31–34
31"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer 31:31 ESV)
"I'll be back by eleven, Mom. I promise!"... "Don't worry, dear. I'll remember to stop and get milk on my way home. I promise!"... "This is the last night I have to work late. I promise!"... "This morning's sermon will be short. I promise!"...
We hear promises all the time. They're at the very heart of our relationships with one another. Making a promise signifies that something is important to you. You desire to have a strong relationship with the person to whom you're promising. Our text certainly reflects that. God demonstrated his love to mankind by making promises of forgiveness and salvation. And he fulfilled every one.
The Promises of God Are Able and Dependable.
I.
Our record isn't as good. No doubt, you've heard or said the words "I promise" before. No doubt, you've broken some of your promises.
Consider Josh after baseball practice: Gee, it's kind of cold out here. My name is Josh. I'm seven, and I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up from baseball practice. I guess I'm used to it—waiting, that is. My dad is late a lot. He's got a real important job at a big company downtown. I don't see him much, because he's on the road. Sometimes we don't even go to church, because he has to work. Mom gets angry with him and says he should talk to us about Jesus. He said he would when we were baptized. I wonder where he is. He said he'd pick me up. He promised.
Or Andrew: Where is she? I'm waiting for my wife, Susan. We have a dinner party to go to, and she's late. She's late a lot, or just not around at all. She's always off with friends or working late. Seems like she's gone whenever I'm home. Been pretty rough this year. I had to take a pay cut. My new boss is, well, let's just say he's not my favorite person. If ever I needed someone to be here for me, to listen to me . . . Susan's been gone a lot. Seems like she's developing a separate life. I know she loves me.... I think she loves me.... When we stood at the altar, she said she always would.... She promised.
Or Virginia: Wow! Haven't seen this in a long time! Amazing what you run across in the attic. I was looking for boxes to wrap some birthday presents. Oh, here's my old confirmation certificate. Let's see. "Do you promise to remain faithful in your worship and use of the Sacraments?" Sure, why not? Okay,... I confess we don't go every Sunday. Hey, things come up. But at Christmas and Easter, our family fills up two pews. "Do you promise to continue steadfast in the Word of God?" Well, what does steadfast mean, anyway? So we don't have family devotions or read the Bible at home. We taught our kids how to pray, and they have a healthy respect for God. "Do you promise to continue in this faith and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it?" That's getting a little personal, don't you think? I'm comfortable with my faith. It serves me well when I need it. Yeah, I promise.
Did you see yourself? Every one of us was there, because we've all broken promises to kids, friends, spouses, even God. As Christians, we promise to obey our parents, read the Bible, remain married for life, share our faith with others. But, how many times we forget about these promises. They seem less important with time. Or even worse, we remember our promises but choose to ignore them. My needs are more important. People will understand. God will understand.
The reality is that our relationships with other people are hurt and even destroyed when we break promises; when we don't keep our word. It's no different with God. Joshua 23:15 says "every evil threat of God will come true if you break your covenant with him." It's more than just failing to read the Bible or lusting after a co-worker. When we break a promise we become liars and we sin against our neighbor. When we break these promises, we sin and weaken our relationship with God. If we break promises, and we have, there's going to be hell to pay!
While we were busy breaking our promises with God, he was making one with us. God promised to "bring upon you all the evil things..." to those who break the covenant with God, including eternal punishment and hell. God promised that "no sin would go unpunished." The cross of Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. On the cross every sin was punished; every evil was poured out upon God's Son standing in for us. The cross is bloody. The cross is shameful. The cross is violent. The cross is vile and ugly. That's because sin is shameful. Sin is vile. Sin is ugly. And we are all sinners. The shame and ugliness of the cross is your shame and ugliness. The violence and blood of the cross is God's punishment for your sin. Our meditation on the suffering and death of Christ is nothing other than looking at ourselves in a mirror. The horror of his torture, his flogging, his beating, his whipping, his crown of thorns, and his nails is the horror of your sin. God kept his promise to punish every sin.
In our text today from Jeremiah, God also said he would "forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more." That promise too was realized in the work of his Son.
Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises of forgiveness and eternal life. He lived the life we should have lived, he died our death, and he paid the ultimate price. There was hell to pay for the promises we broke and the relationship we destroyed with God,... and Jesus Christ paid it. He suffered hell for us on the cross when he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
God didn't stop there. Not only did he earn our forgiveness, but he promised to bring it to us. He fulfilled that promise at our Baptism, when our sins were forgiven and we were given the gift of faith. That baptismal promise is as effective today as when it was first made. So often I hear Christians say, "I don't feel forgiven. My sin is too big." God's promises are sure. They are not dependent on us. The Bible constantly reminds us of that. God promised the Israelites a way out of slavery in Egypt and a new home. Even though they doubted God, cursed the hardship of the wilderness, and erected a golden idol, Joshua led them into the Promised Land and proclaimed, "Not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you" (Josh 23:14). God promised David that the Messiah would be his descendant. Even when David committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to cover over his sin, God traced the line of Christ through their offspring. Jesus promised Peter that he would fish for men. Even after Peter denied Christ, God spoke through Peter on Pentecost, and three thousand were saved.
Have you come here today feeling guilty because you haven't talked to your kids about Christ? Do you regret doing something that hurt your marriage? Are you sorry that worship and Bible study have not been a priority in your life? Your broken promises are gone. Forgiveness is yours right now. Forgiveness doesn't wait until after you do fourteen good deeds or get a warm fuzzy feeling inside that tells you you're forgiven. God forgives you, loves you, and forms a relationship with you at your Baptism because he promised. God nourishes and strengthens that relationship with you in Holy Communion, because he promised. And God renews and restores you, changing your cold heart into a heart full of love as you give yourself for others in service, because he promised. God preserves and keeps you in faith until the day Jesus returns through his Word and Sacraments, because he promised.
Our promises now take on a new look. I've heard of one pastor who had the tradition while studying the Fourth Commandment in confirmations classes, he had his students take out a piece of paper and design their dream home. He put one condition on the assignment: that the dream home contain a room for their parents. He impressed on them that honoring mother and father takes place throughout our entire life, even when our parents may no longer be able to care for themselves. Seven years ago, his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As the disease progressed, he and his wife took her into their home. They provided for her every need. Two months ago, she died, still living in their home. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do this, but the point was that he kept a promise not only to a small confirmation class, but to the Lord. His actions teach his students more than any lecture ever could.
Our promises are our Christian witness. We are only able to say, "I promise," and keep it, because of a God who has done that very thing in our lives. In an age when divorce is increasingly rampant, a happily married couple points to Christ. When it's easier for everyone to inhale dinner and let the kids go play, a family that sets aside time for devotions shows their neighbors that God is the priority. When society says putting your parents away at the first sign of disease—or even killing them—is okay, children who provide for their parents' need, even at a great personal cost, show they believe something different. This won't be easy, and you'll break your promises again. But when you do, God will lead you to this place, this altar. You'll kneel under the weight of your broken promises, receive bread and wine and, attached to them, the very words of Christ: "This is my body. I promise. This is my blood. I promise. You are forgiven. I promise." Amen!