God’s Recompence Comes To Save You
Isaiah 35:1-10
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If you have not
noticed, I love the Old Testament. I mean, how can you not love it? At least,
there is a lot to love if you understand the Old Testament correctly.
Now I suppose you
want to know how to understand it correctly. It is rather simple. You need to
understand it as Jesus does, and as Jesus desires you to understand it.
Of course, there
is something that gets in the way. What is it that gets in the way? Human pride
and hubris! OK, let us be more honest, SINFUL human pride and
hubris. I am sure you have heard it, and maybe even expressed it yourself. It
comes out like this – “we are New Testament Christians, not Old Testament
Christians. We are about the Gospel, not the Law. The Old Testament is Law, the
New Testament is Gospel.”
Is that really
true? No, it is not! In fact, Jesus, Tru God, revealed that God’s will is more
impossible to accomplish than how the Jewish religious leadership was teaching
it at that time. Seriously!
In His sermon on
the mount as recorded by Matthew, right after what many refer to as the
beatitudes, Jesus declares this. “You have heard that it was said to those
of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable
to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and
whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Mt.
5:21-22)
A few moments
after that, He makes God’s Law more clear by saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall
not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with
lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your
right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better
that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into
hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go
into hell.” (Mt. 5:27-30)
So, those who
claim there is no Law in the New Testament are foolishly deluded, deceived by
Satan’s scheming. But these also have deficient view of the Gospel. Let me help
to define these terms. Law is, simply put, God’s demands upon mankind – what we
are to do and not to do according to His will.
Gospel on the
other hand is what God has done and is still doing for sinners IN CHRIST
JESUS that brings to us forgiveness, life, and salvation.
So, how to
understand the Old Testament as something other than the Law, something other
than telling us how to live good lives? How about we let Jesus explain it.
John’s Gospel has the account of Jesus talking with “The Jews,” those who were
the religious leaders at the time in Jerusalem. He had just healed a man, on
the Sabbath – to “The Jews” this was an egregious violation of “The Law,” a
breaking of the Sabbath.
To them it is all
about the Law – and the perfect keeping of the Law – something which they
should know is impossible. Which is why Jesus declared what He did about some
of the commandments as we heard a few moments ago.
In this
conversation though, Jesus points out to them that people will not be saved by
keeping “The Law.” In fact, the entire Old Testament, while it does tell us how
to live in accordance to God’s will, is about something much greater. “You
search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and
it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you
may have life.” (Jn 5:39-40)
Now we can look at
the Old Testament anew – or as I like to say, with Jesus colored glasses. What
I mean is this. Look at the Old Testament to find where it is about Jesus,
where it is pointing forward to God’s Christ coming into the world.
You might say that
the entire Old Testament is a study in Advent. It is all about the One who is
to come. It is a exercise in waiting for God’s salvation. So, let us examine
the prophecy God inspired Isaiah to record for us with Christ in mind.
The wilderness and
the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the
crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory
of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall
see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
These are promises
of earthly glory being restored. What is that all about? Is that Advent
language looking forward to Jesus? Of course it is! It is Advent language and
if you look at Romans 8, we see it clearly outlined for us. Christ has already
come – He has made the sacrifice upon the cross, has risen and ascended, and
creation is waiting for His 2nd Advent to re-create all things new.
In Romans 8, God
inspires Paul to explain Advent hope. For the anxious longing of the
creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation
was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it,
in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to
corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know
that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together
until now. (Rom. 8:19-22)
Isaiah then is
expressing that even creation knows it is all about God’s Christ, and it hopes
for the day of His first Advent, so that it can look forward with eager
expectation to the glorious restoration to created glory at His second Advent.
Strengthen the
weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious
heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with
the recompense of God. He will come and
save you.
Here we now get
down to the serious business. Who has weak hands? Those who are trying to grasp
the things of God by faith. You know what it is like? Trials, tribulations,
anxiety, the cares and concerns of life would overcome you. You feel as did the
man who declared to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief.” (Mk. 9:24)
Who has feeble
knees? When we understand the severity of our sins – let us consider God’s holy
and perfect will for our obedience as Jesus gives it, not just our outward
obedience – but also in our heart and mind – then we know the weight of sin.
That weight is oppressive, it drives us to our knees in repentance begging God
for His mercy.
As for anxious
hearts? Which of you does not have one of those? Be honest. How do you think of
it? “Have I got enough to live to the end of my retirement? Wow, food prices
have skyrocketed. Medical bills are outrageous.” You cannot live in the midst
of this fallen world and not have some anxiety.
“Be strong; fear
not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He
will come and save you.”
God’s vengeance
sounds terrible! How can we be strong and fear not when that is mentioned? We
know of His righteous wrath against sin! We know the warnings of eternal
torment for the impenitent! Are these things not true? Of course they are.
But. God’s
vengeance against sin is prophesied to Advent – to come upon – the world.
Where? In Christ.
I know, we want
the Baby in the manger. We want the angel’s singing gloria in excelsis Deo. We want
silent night!
But we also do not
want is God’s vengeance.
Unfortunately,
that means we want God incarnate to go to the cross! It means you want Jesus to
die in your place, to suffer God’s vengeance in your place.
It is in Christ
that God’s recompence, His reward comes to save you. Jesus is the recompense of
God. He is the just reward given to you. It is not because we are deserving by
our life nor even by the desires of our hearts nor thought of our minds.
God’s recompense,
Christ, comes to us because of His grace.
He speaks a Word
of forgiveness in your ear, and your sins are no more.
He places His body
which was pierced upon the accursed tree to bear your sin, into your mouth. He
pours His shed blood between you lips and fills you with Himself, cleansing you
of all sin and filling you with His life unto eternal salvation.
Do you now
understand the rest of the passage? Your blind eyes are now open! Your ears are
unstopped and hear the life-giving Word. Your legs are enabled to walk by faith
and your tongue is now freed to sing for joy.
As you prepare to
celebrate the birth of your Savior King, it is not only His first Advent for
which we prepare. You are also prepared for His return, His 2nd
Advent in glory.
So hear again the
joyous word Isaiah recorded for us 700 years before Christ’s first Advent so
that it may give you the perspective to receive Him Who has come, as you live
in joyful expectation for His return.
“Then the eyes of
the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the
lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters
break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall
become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of
jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a
highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean
shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if
they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any
ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed
shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion
with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain
gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
In the name of
Jesus. Amen.
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