March 14/15 sermon on Isaiah 12 by Pastor Eckert

March 14/15, 2010 Lent 4
Sermon on Isaiah 12 by Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Isaiah 12:1-6
1 In that day you will say:
"I will praise you, O LORD.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
"SURELY IT IS GOD WHO SAVES ME" - PRAISE HIM:
I FOR TURNING HIS ANGER AWAY (1)
II FOR GIVING US SALVATION (1-2)
III FOR BEING OUR CONTINUING STRENGTH (2-3)
IV BY MAKING KNOWN WHAT HE HAS DONE (4-6)
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The second book of the Bible, Exodus, begins with these words in chapter 15: "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: ‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.’"
Later in that same chapter we have the words, "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them." And then these words of promise, "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."
I hope your knowledge of Old Testament history tells you right away for what the people were praising God. It was for their deliverance from slavery in the land of Egypt, a deliverance that would lead not only to an earthly promised land, but in that land to the birth of the Savior, and through Him to heaven as our eternal promised land.
Today’s sermon text from Isaiah was written about 700 years later, about halfway between the time of the exodus from Egypt and the time of the birth of Jesus. It includes some words very much like Moses’ words and reminds us of our deliverance too, a deliverance for which we have every reason to praise our gracious God and say,
"SURELY IT IS GOD WHO SAVES ME" - PRAISE HIM:
I FOR TURNING HIS ANGER AWAY (1)
1. Let me start out with a jury case from this past December
a) on the basis of evidence a guilty charge was brought, and
sentencing in February was for years in prison with follow-up
b) that sentence was deserved and the person could do nothing
about it; the anger of justice could not be avoided
2. God has every reason to charge and sentence us
a) we are all sinful and sinners by nature
b) not a single person can say he is innocent, that his words and
thoughts and deeds meet God’s standard of being righteous;
whether sin by commission or omission, we all deserve the
wages of sin, a charge that brings a terrible sentence: hell
3. But God promises comfort instead (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) that comfort is that not a single charge stands against us
b) that means no judge is going to sentence us for our sins
4. Praise God (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) definitely God has every reason to be angry: we are sinners
b) but He has turned His anger away
c) now why and how could He do that? - praise Him!
II FOR GIVING US SALVATION (1-2)
1. Note that this is giving
a) Israel didn’t earn or work out its deliverance from Egypt
b) God’s power did it: He used 10 plagues, He parted the
Red Sea so they could escape, He destroyed the pursuing
Egyptian army ("The horse and its rider he has hurled into
the sea."), He provided for the often ungrateful people for 40
years in the desert, He led them into the promised land
2. This giving we celebrate for us too (1)
In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me."
a) "In that day" referred to God in His love keeping His
promise of deliverance, His love that preserved the nation of
Israel so that His promise of a Savior would be fulfilled b) we in Lent celebrate this deliverance too, celebrate the fact
that God sentenced His Son in our place, that God so loved the
world that He gave His Son, His Son who atoned for our sins
on the cross with an innocent sacrifice for us the guilty, His
Son who arose from the dead to prove His victory so that we
instead of perishing might have eternal life
3. This removes our fear (2a)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid."
a) trust in self? - that brings fear: have I done enough?
b) but instead of fear we have trust in our Savior who did
everything for us, who says, "Fear not, Peace be with you!"
4. Praise Him for giving us His salvation (2)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
a) let’s do that praising in song right now
b) please turn to Psalm 31 on page 77 in the hymnal
c) let us now bring our praise as Moses did, as Isaiah did
III FOR BEING OUR CONTINUING STRENGTH (2-3)
1. God’s Word is the source of that strength (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) how does God come to us? it is by His means of grace,
by His means of bringing His grace to us, by His Word as
it is read or heard or proclaimed, by His Word that comes
in the washing of Baptism and in the meal of the Lord’s Supper
b) thereby faith is given; thereby joy is given when we know that
our sins are forgiven and cannot be used to charge or condemn
us; thereby strength is given to live a Christian life
2. Do we neglect that source? (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) many don’t come to the well of God’s Word, for example
in our church services; many have time to draw from the
world’s well on TV for hours on end, but no time to open
their Bibles for the strengthening God’s Word gives
b) and some, instead of drawing water from the wells of salvation
with joy, maybe reluctantly go to church only because it’s a
custom, or because parents or teachers are pushing
3. Instead draw water with joy (3)
"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
a) at Jacob’s well one time Jesus talked with a Samaritan
woman who came for regular water and told her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
b) what joy was hers when she understood that Jesus truly was
living water, the source of true life; and what joy is ours!
4. Praise Him for His strengthening Word (2-3)
"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become
my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
a) regular drinking water satisfies for a while
b) living water from the wells of salvation has eternal value
c) praise God! - and now how also can we do that?
IV BY MAKING KNOWN WHAT HE HAS DONE (4-6)
1. The purpose of the exodus from Egypt was for all
a) it led to the birth of the Savior who was the glory of Israel
b) but that Savior also was for revelation to the Gentiles
2. So with us; we aren’t here just for us (4)
In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted."
a) it is easy to think of supporting ourselves here, maintaining our
church and having a school that we support for our children
b) but if we truly believe in God’s salvation and recognize others
need it as much as we do, then we want to share that with all
3. That means making it known (5)
"Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world."
a) the world starts here, but it does not end here
b) so work here and support here; but do that for others too
4. In this way praise God in all ways for His greatness (6)
"Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
a) in closing now, let’s do that praising in song again
b) please stand and turn to Psalm 73 on page 94 in the hymnal
c) let’s sing that together now, keeping in mind our Isaiah
sermon text and thinking especially of these words, "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."