God's Word at Work

“I Will Not Keep Silent”
Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning’s meditation is recorded in the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 61, particularly these words: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” This is our text.

In the name of Jesus. (Amen) MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Some of you looked surprised at that greeting this morning! No, Christmas is NOT over yet! As a matter of fact – Christmas is just beginning. The tree may be dry and drooping. The toys may already be broken. The batteries may be dead already. But Christmas is not yet over! Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”? Well, that’s how long the season of Christmas actually lasts. And after those twelve days, on January 6th, we move into the Epiphany season – which begins with the Wise Men from the East visiting the new born King.

The season of Christmas may last for only twelve days each year, but Christmas itself will last forever. That is the message of Isaiah in today’s text. And Christmas is not about our celebration, or our generosity, or our goodness – but it is about God, about His gift, and about what he has done, and will do, for us in Christ, the child born in Bethlehem.

There are only 66 chapters to the book of Isaiah. So when we get to chapters 61 and 62 we are getting pretty close to the end of the book. Isaiah, throughout most of this book has called the Children of Israel to Repentance. He has told them that they have to change their ways. He tells them that God is not pleased with their worship of false gods and their completely ignoring their worship of the true and only God. And because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord, their God, they will suffer defeat at the hands of their enemies and they will be deported and exiled to a foreign land. All of this was because of their sinful rejection of God and his grace. Isaiah had some very harsh words for God’s people.

But Isaiah wasn’t just talking to the Children of Israel. As a matter of fact, much of the Bible has that same message. Because of sin; because of rebelliousness; because of hard hearts and hard heads – all people are under a serious threat and warning from God. “The soul that sins, it shall die.” “The wages of sin is death.” “There is not one just man on earth who does good and sins not, no, not even one.” Over and over the Bible reminds all people, and that includes you and me, that we are sinners who deserve God’s wrath and judgment. We deserve to be punished because of our sins. We have fallen way short of the absolute perfection that God demands of his people. Because of our sins, we deserve the punishment of eternal death and hell. That’s true for us, just as it was true for the people to whom Isaiah prophesied the Word of God in his day.

But Isaiah did not leave God’s people without hope. Isaiah promised God’s deliverance of His people. Isaiah promised a “suffering servant” by whose stripes, God’s people would be healed. Isaiah promised that a remnant of God’s people would return to the promised and land and be blessed by God. That is what our text for today is about – God’s promise to his people of a restoration of their nations. God’s promise that sins would be forgiven and righteousness would reign. Listen again to our text. “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” Notice that this redemption, and salvation, and righteousness is all God’s doing. It is God who clothes us with garments of salvation. It is God who arrays us in a robe of righteousness. It is the Sovereign Lord who makes righteousness and praise to spring up.

And how does he do that? God sends his Son into the world. God becomes a man and dwells among men. God comes to live the perfect life that we could not live in our stead. God becomes man so that he can suffer for us, and die the death that we deserved because of our sins. God gives us his only, begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, and laid in a manger.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have forgiveness of sins, by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s righteousness given to us, so that we might have life eternal. This is good news. This is the best news that there ever was. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” It is not our works that have saved us, but it is God’s Grace in Christ by which we have been saved.

Isaiah had good news to share about the remnant who would return and the restoration of Israel, and in our text he said, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet.” You and I have good news about a Savior who saves. You and I have good news about forgiveness of sins. You and I have good news about God’s Grace, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. For the world’s sake we cannot keep silent. For the sake of sinners everywhere we cannot remain quiet. We too must proclaim the good news. We too must tell the wonderful story – of Jesus, and his love.

Christmas is not over. Christmas continues until Christ comes again in his glory and calls home to heaven all those who are righteous through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let Christmas die! Continue to tell the story, of Jesus and his love.

And live in the peace and joy of knowing that sins are forgiven, because God became a man, born of a virgin, laid in a manger, for you and for me! To God alone be the Glory! Amen.

And may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

FROM DAVID’S HOUSE
2 Samuel 7: 8-11 & 16

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in the 2nd book of Samuel, chapter 7, particularly these words: “Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” This is our text.

In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. We read in our Gospel lesson for today, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.”

Mary and Joseph were both “of the House and Lineage of David.” This ancestry, or family tree, was very important in the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the Messiah — He was the promised one — and the promise was given that he would be born from David’s family. That is what our text for today is all about — one of God’s promises to David that “David’s throne would be established for ever.”

Everyone was looking for this coming Messiah. He was to be a great King — just like his ancestral father King David. Our text for today talks about some the things that King David and Jesus Christ shared in common.

In our text we read, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.”

David wasn’t born in a palace. David wasn’t born to a rich and powerful family. David wasn’t educated in the best schools of his day. But rather, David was born to a hard working family — and David had to work hard himself — as a young man he followed the sheep and cared for them. He was the shepherd boy for the family of Jesse his father. There were no servants in this household to care for the sheep — so a Son had to care for the sheep.

Likewise, Jesus Christ came into the world by means of a lowly birth. Born in Bethlehem — David’s own hometown, as the Scriptures had promised. But Christ wasn’t born in the best house in town — not even at the best hotel in town — because the Scriptures tell us, “there was no room for them in the Inn.” There was no room for the Son of David — no room for the Promised Messiah — so he was born in a cattle shed — a stable and laid in a manger.

Certainly these were not the dwelling places for kings — David following sheep and Christ born among the sheep. And yet it was from these humble and lowly beginnings that God raised a great king for Israel — and the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Today we seem to have lost the simple things of Christmas in our materialistic and fast paced world. Today Christmas begins before Halloween and is pushed so hard we’ve almost lost Thanksgiving in the Christmas rush. Have you watched many of the T.V. Christmas specials?? There doesn’t seem to be as many as there used to be — But how many tell the real story of Christmas and of Christ! How many tell about the love of God for sinful mankind.

The simple message given to the shepherds that first Christmas night, is the most important Christmas message to be told, “For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.”

Like the simple shepherd boy who became King — So his descendant, born in the stable, becomes the Savior of the World. Keep the meaning, and the message of Christmas simple — “Jesus Christ is born today.”

Another way in which Jesus and David were alike was the importance that their lives played in History. God promised David in our text, “I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.” And indeed David was a great leader of his people and his name was great. Throughout history, King David will be remembered as the great King of Israel.

BUT, the name of Jesus Christ is even greater still. Our Scriptures tell us, that “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” And again we read, “There is no other name, given among men, whereby we can be saved.”

The name of Jesus Christ is indeed great. More books have been written about Christ, than about any other person in all of history. And even though there are millions upon millions who do not accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, there are very, very few who have not at least heard the name — and in someway associate that name with God and Lord.

God has made the name of Jesus Christ great. And we are to continue to make him known and to spread the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ. The Christmas story is a wonderful way to share this great Lord and Savior as we tell of God becoming a man – in order to save man from sin. We continue to make Christ’s name great among the people as we tell the message of Christmas.

Both David and Jesus Christ were Kings, but their kingdoms were different. David ruled an earthly kingdom, which lasted only a short time in history. BUT JESUS Christ is King forever — Ruling the Kingdom of Heaven through all eternity. It was this eternal kingdom of Christ that God was talking about in His promise to David in our text, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”

The Jews were looking for the Messiah to be a king like David — One who would throw off the bondage to Rome, and who would set up and rule an earthly kingdom. But Jesus made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world. Christ’s was an eternal kingdom — Heaven itself. The enemy Christ came to defeat was not Rome — but sin and death. The victory Christ came to win was not a military victory, but a spiritual victory of the powers over evil, and darkness, and death.

The Jewish leaders of Jesus day missed the Christ — because they were looking for a Messiah who would rule an earthly kingdom. — How many people this year will miss the Christ Child as the Eternal King?? How many will miss completely, the real message of Christmas?

Have you noticed? There are already advertisements up for “AFTER CHRISTMAS” sales! Already, life moves on — already another Christmas is over — and Christmas hasn’t even gotten here yet!! How many people have you met already who are wishing that Christmas was over so that they could get to the checkouts quicker and not be bothered by so much traffic? For many people, Christmas is nothing more than parties, and presents, and cookies, family reunions, and all the other trappings — and in all of this, the simple gift of God’s own son, laid in a manger is often over looked, and lost.

Enjoy your Christmas this week — but don’t miss the Christ Child. Don’t overlook the very heart and core of what Christmas is all about — the greatest gift every given — God’s own Son, given to be our Savior from sin and our King eternal. Christmas is the birthday of Christ! Make it a joyful Birthday Celebration for the King — born of David’s Royal House. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Matthew 1:18-25

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