Feb 6, 2011 from Richard Waldschmidt on Vimeo.
Isaiah 58:5-9 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
The Lord Has Your Back
I. So You Can Stop Just Going Through The Motions.
II. So You Can Reflect The Light God Has Given To You.
In the name of Jesus, our Light, dear fellow redeemed children of God,
About two years ago, a popular movie came out called “The Blind Side.” It told the story of Michael Oher, a professional football player who was taken in by a family who opened their home and hearts to him. Michael plays left tackle. Football fans know how important that left tackle is to the quarterback. The left tackle’s job is to protect a right handed quarterback when he is setting up to throw the ball down field. Because the quarterback doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head, he can’t see the 300 lb.+ defensive linemen baring down on him. The left tackle is supposed to protect the quarterback’s back. On this football weekend here in America, not all the fans may know about where the left tackle plays or what he does, but the Lord assures us in His Word of something even more important. The Lord assures us that he has our blind side. The Lord has your back. I. So We Can Stop Just Going Through The Motions. II. So We Can Reflect The Light God Has Given To Us.
Ever known anyone who just couldn’t see their own fault? They couldn’t see that it was their words that had wounded hearts. They could not see that they had taken advantage of another person. They couldn’t see that they their actions were selfish and wrong. As God’s Word begins today, the Lord is addressing people who were blind to their own fault. The people of Israel thought there was nothing wrong with their worship. They thought that they brought their sacrifices on time. They worshipped when they were supposed to. They fasted when they were supposed to. Yet God’s prophet, Isaiah was talking about judgment and how their “voices would whisper from the dust” as their enemies destroyed their country. They asked God “what’s the deal?” They thought that they had kept their end of the bargain and they were wondering why God wasn’t keeping His. God gives us a look into their thoughts as He says, “For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?” Yes, they fasted but we can see from what God says that they were just going through the motions. Apparently they were connecting their fasting with profit-their own profit.
God now helps them to see what they could not see in themselves. “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?” The people thought that they had been bowing down to God as low as a row of reeds and cat tails in the marshes along the Jordan River go low to the ground when the wind blows hard. They didn’t realize that God was not looking for a head bowed low. He was looking for a heart bowed low. He wasn’t looking for someone lying on scratchy sackcloth and with ashes on his hands and face so that everyone could see. God was looking for a heart that felt the scratchy uncomfortable feeling of a relationship with God wrecked by sin.
The people did not understand that fasting didn’t earn them God’s favor. It merely got their hearts ready to think about their relationship with God. Nothing we do earns us any favor from God. Jesus made that clear in His Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel Lesson today. Yes we are salt and light in the world. But no one should get to thinking that they can earn God’s favor. Remember Jesus pointed to the Pharisees who were great at fasting and looked right at home in sackcloth and ashes and said, “Unless you scribes and Pharisees, you cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus made it clear that he had not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it- to fulfill it for you and me. He never just went through the motions. He did that because we needed a Savior.
Now I don’t do a lot of fasting and the closest I ‘ve come to sack cloth is a gunny sack at a fourth of July picnic. But I’m pretty good at going through the motions. So are you. Has this ever happened at your house? While you were eating suddenly someone says, “We forgot to pray!” Then the debate starts. “No we prayed, I think.” “We’ll let’s do it again just to be sure.” Just think about that for a moment. First we go through the motions in the prayer and then when we realize that the first thing that goes through our mind is going through the motions again to make things right. We need a Savior.
We have a Savior who has our back. He let His back be laid open by the scourge. He laid his back on a cross. He put himself in between God’s anger and us. He took the blows of God’s punishment so that we never would have to feel God’s anger.
Athletes are looking for muscle memory so that muscle perform tasks without thinking. But spiritual muscle memory- going through the motions without thinking is not a good thing. The God who has your back is looking for a changed heart. That heart shows itself in thankful words and deeds.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” We might holler an objection, Lord if I do those things I might get taken advantage of. The Lord has your back! He’s watching your blind side so that you can reflect the light He has given to you.
“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” Jesus gives us the honor of being little reflectors of his love and light. You can let the light of Jesus shine in your life. You can help those who need help. You can pick up those who have fallen down. You can help those who can’t help themselves. You don’t have to worry about being taken advantage of. The Lord has your back.
We don’t have to search all over the world to find someone who we can help. Aren’t there people in all of our families who are carrying heavy loads on their hearts? The Lord brings people into our lives for us to help and show our thankfulness. Remember the Bible reminds us to show kindness to strangers and adds that some have entertained angels unawares.
The importance of that left tackle was shown millions of people watching Monday Night Football years ago when a quarterback named Joe Theisman was hit from the blind side and his leg was badly broken. Since then coaches have drafted players who are big and strong and fast to play in that position. As you move through this wicked world reflecting the love of Jesus, you might look a defenseless lamb to all of the wolves out there. But someone big and strong is watching your blind side. Yes the Lord has your back. Amen
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