December 28, 2008 — Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 — “I Will Not Keep Silent” — Pastor Jerome Teichmiller
Christmas, Teichmiller Comments Off“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.
