{"id":1563,"date":"2021-09-12T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1563"},"modified":"2021-09-21T19:24:28","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T02:24:28","slug":"the-sixteenth-sunday-after-pentecost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/12\/the-sixteenth-sunday-after-pentecost\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"blob:http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/c5be1de5-7d8f-4933-9cdd-b57c0630c60e\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> Isaiah 35:4-7a<br><br>Be Strong!\u00a0 Do Not Fear!<br>\u00a0<br>Say to those with fearful hearts, \u201cBe strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.\u201d \u00a0Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.\u00a0 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.\u00a0 Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.\u00a0 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.\u00a0 (NIV1984)<br>\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<br>\u00a0<br>If you are at all familiar with the book of the prophet Isaiah, then you know that this portion of God\u2019s holy Word\u2014 especially chapters one through thirty-nine\u2014 are very \u201cheavy\u201d on proclaiming God\u2019s Law.\u00a0 Through His servant Isaiah the Lord God Almighty pronounces His judgements on a rebellious Jerusalem and Judah, on the nation of Assyria, on the nation of Babylon, on the Philistines and the Moabites, Cush and Egypt, Edom and Arabia.\u00a0 In Isaiah chapter 34 (the chapter preceding our text) the Lord God Almighty announces His judgment on all the earth with these words,\u00a0<em>\u201cCome near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!\u00a0 Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!\u00a0 The LORD\u00a0is angry with all nations, his wrath is upon all their armies.\u00a0 He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(34:1-2).<br>\u00a0<br>And yet, amidst all of this Law, included among all of these powerful pronouncements of God\u2019s judgments on the rebellious and the unfaithful, God the Holy Spirit led the prophet Isaiah to include some of the sweetest gems of God\u2019s Gospel message in all of Scripture!\u00a0\u00a0<em>\u201c\u2019Come now, let us reason together,\u2019 says the LORD.\u00a0 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(1:18).\u00a0\u00a0<em>\u201cTherefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:\u00a0 The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(7:14).\u00a0\u00a0<em>\u201cFor to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.\u00a0 And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(9:6).<br>\u00a0<br>This pattern of proclaiming both Law and Gospel, judgment and salvation continues here in our text for today.\u00a0 With that pattern in mind let\u2019s see how through these ancient, inspired words, the Lord God Almighty continues to proclaim to you and to me:\u00a0\u00a0<strong><em>Be Strong!\u00a0 Do Not Fear!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Be strong, do not fear because the Lord your God will come with vengeance!\u00a0 Be strong, do not fear because the Lord your God will come with salvation.<br>\u00a0<br>We\u2019ve already noted why God\u2019s faithful people in the days of Isaiah\u2019s felt weak and fearful.\u00a0 The judgments that the Lord would bring down upon the unfaithful people in Jerusalem and Judah would also be endured by the faithful.\u00a0 The death and the captivity that the unfaithful would experience would also be experienced by the faithful.\u00a0 That\u2019s why God the Holy Spirit led Isaiah to proclaim to the faithful among God\u2019s people that two-fold pattern of both judgment and salvation.\u00a0 Look once again at the opening verses of our text.\u00a0 We read,\u00a0<em>\u201cSay to those with fearful hearts, \u2018Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.\u2019\u201d<\/em><br>\u00a0<br>The all-knowing and all-seeing Lord knew exactly why His faithful children had\u00a0<em>\u201cfearful hearts.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 He knew that His judgments against the unbelievers and His judgments against the unfaithful could cause His children to feel weak and helpless.\u00a0 To overcome this weakness, to drive out this fear from their hearts the Lord Himself says to them,\u00a0<em>\u201cBe strong, do not fear\u201d<\/em>!\u00a0 These bold words set troubled hearts at peace.\u00a0 When the Almighty God of heaven says,\u00a0<em>\u201cBe strong, do not fear,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0this is far different from an empty platitude.\u00a0 This is far more than just a command.\u00a0 These words have the power to cast fear out of our hearts because these words promise that God Himself is going to actively intervene to on behalf of His children.\u00a0 These words have the power to assure God\u2019s people that they can be strong and they can get rid of their fear because the Lord their God is going to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome with vengeance.\u201d<\/em><br>\u00a0<br>God\u2019s people never need to fear that if they don\u2019t do something to \u201cget back\u201d at the people who are causing them grief, if they don\u2019t do something to \u201ceven the score\u201d with the people who have wronged them\u2014 that these people will simply \u201cget away\u201d with what they have done.\u00a0 God\u2019s response to that is,\u00a0<em>\u201cBe strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Whether it is in this life or on Judgment Day, the holy and just God will see to it that justice is done!\u00a0 As the apostle Paul said to God\u2019s people in Thessalonica,\u00a0<em>\u201cGod is just:\u00a0 He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(2 Thessalonians 1:6).<br>\u00a0<br>Do we ever have\u00a0<em>\u201cfearful hearts,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0my friends?\u00a0 Yes, we do.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 There are the uncertainties of life that we have to deal with whether we like it or not.\u00a0 Diseases like COVID-19 stalk even healthy bodies.\u00a0 Hearing, eyesight and mobility can and are lost due to accidents, disease or old age.\u00a0 The Lord has revealed to us that the \u201clast days\u201d in the history of this world\u2014 the days in which we are now living\u2014 will be times of stress and anxiety as wars and hatred, famines and pestilence and natural disasters, false Christs and false teachings become more and more prevalent.\u00a0 Far from \u201cevolving\u201d toward a state of harmony and perfection, this earth and the life it sustains is careening toward destruction.\u00a0 There are times when it seems as though evil is winning.\u00a0 Yesterday was the 20<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of 9\/11\u2014 the worst terrorist attack our country has ever endured.\u00a0 Not only does 9\/11 serve as a graphic reminder to us of how far some people are willing to go to destroy us \u201cinfidels,\u201d but it is also a graphic reminder to us that we are still in their crosshairs.\u00a0 As we look around in our own country, we see examples of how the righteous suffer while the wicked seem to prosper.\u00a0 As we look around on an international level it seems as though all too often injustice prevails.\u00a0 And, of course, the end of every human biography is physical death.<br>\u00a0<br>That\u2019s why the Lord God Almighty says to our\u00a0<em>\u201cfearful hearts\u201d<\/em>\u00a0exactly what He said to His people in the days of Isaiah,\u00a0<em>\u201cBe strong, do not fear\u201d<\/em>!\u00a0 Those bold words now set our troubled hearts at peace because they not only assure us that the justice of our God will prevail, but those bold words set our troubled hearts at peace because of this wonderful promise,\u00a0<em>\u201cYour God will come\u2026to save you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The Almighty God who has the power to fulfill His promise to bring His enemies (who are also our enemies!) to justice also has the power to fulfill His promise to save us\u2014 His dearly beloved children.\u00a0 This glorious promise applies to us on at least four glorious, intertwined levels.\u00a0 First, our God fulfilled His promise to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome and save us\u201d<\/em>\u00a0when the eternally begotten Son of God came into this world as our true flesh-and-blood Brother with just one\u00a0<em>\u201cgoal\u201d\u2014 \u201cto save us from our sins\u201d<\/em>!\u00a0 Through His perfect life, through His innocent suffering and death (Pointing to the cross) and through His physical resurrection from the dead, Jesus has\u00a0<em>\u201csaved\u201d<\/em>\u00a0us for all of eternity!\u00a0 Second, our God fulfilled His promise to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome and save us\u201d<\/em>\u00a0when He came to us through the water of Holy Baptism.\u00a0 Through this precious and priceless Sacrament the Lord God Almighty\u00a0<em>\u201csaved\u201d<\/em>\u00a0us by washing away all of our sins and by adopting us to be His own dearly beloved child.\u00a0 Third, our God fulfills His promise to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome and save us\u201d<\/em>\u00a0when He comes to us through His powerful Means of Grace\u2014 the Gospel in both Word and Sacrament\u2014 to assure us that all of our sins are completely forgiven and to strengthen our faith and trust in Him.\u00a0 (Pointing to the cross)\u00a0 And finally, one day, our God will fulfill His promise to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome and save\u201d<\/em>\u00a0us by visibly returning to this earth as the Victor over sin, death and the devil and ushering us into the eternal glories of His heavenly Kingdom.<br>\u00a0<br>Now look at verses five and six of our text.\u00a0 Here we see that God\u2019s promise to\u00a0<em>\u201ccome and save us\u201d<\/em>\u00a0is pictured in a very beautiful way when He says to our\u00a0<em>\u201cfearful hearts,\u201d \u201cThen will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.\u00a0 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>These prophetic words of Isaiah dovetail perfectly with portions of Scripture such as our Gospel lesson for today.\u00a0 (Mark 7:31-37)\u00a0 Think of how many times Jesus used His divine power to\u00a0<em>\u201copen the eyes of the blind,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0<em>\u201cunstop the ears of the deaf,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0to heal the\u00a0<em>\u201clame\u201d<\/em>\u00a0so that they could\u00a0<em>\u201cleap like a deer,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and to\u00a0<em>\u201cloosen the tongue of the dumb\u201d<\/em>\u00a0so that they could\u00a0<em>\u201cshout for joy\u201d<\/em>!<br>\u00a0<br>As we are reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus\u2019 life and ministry, as we read example after example of how Jesus used His divine power to grant physical healing to anyone and everyone who came to Him for help, we need to see each and every one of those miraculous healings as a testimony to the fact that Jesus also uses His divine power to grant even greater healings\u2014 spiritual healings!\u00a0 Jesus used His diving power to\u00a0<em>\u201copen\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the eyes of the spiritually blind so that they could see that He\u00a0<strong>is\u00a0<\/strong>the long-awaited Promised Messiah!\u00a0 Jesus used His divine power to open the ears of sinners so that they could hear and understand the Truth of God\u2019s holy inspired Word.\u00a0 Jesus used His divine power to loosen people\u2019s tongues so they could share with others the glorious message of God\u2019s Gospel.\u00a0 And as proof that Jesus continues to use His divine power to achieve all of these glorious miracles right down to this very day\u2014 just look in the mirror!\u00a0 This is what Jesus has graciously done for you!<br>\u00a0<br>Ah, but there is one more picture that the Holy Spirit wants us to rejoice in today. \u00a0Isaiah says to you and to me,\u00a0<em>\u201cSay to those with fearful hearts, \u2018Be strong, do not fear\u2026water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.\u00a0 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 It certainly does not take much to imagine the impact that these words must have had on the people of Isaiah\u2019s day and age.\u00a0 They knew all too well that without water the land all round them was nothing but a dry and barren desert.\u00a0 But where there was water there was life!\u00a0 Where there was water there was a lush oasis!<br>\u00a0<br>Once again it is not difficult for us to \u201cconnect the dots\u201d between these prophetic words of Isaiah and the ministry of our Messiah.\u00a0 Do you remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob\u2019s well?\u00a0 After she asked Jesus to give her some of the\u00a0<em>\u201cliving water\u201d<\/em>\u00a0He had spoken about, Jesus said to her,\u00a0<em>\u201cWhoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.\u00a0 Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(John 4:14).\u00a0 Jesus expanded on this truth when He said to the people in Jerusalem,\u00a0<em>\u201cIf anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.\u00a0 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(John 7:37-38).\u00a0 Just as physical water is essential for physical life, so also spiritual water, the\u00a0<em>\u201cliving water\u201d<\/em>\u00a0that\u00a0<strong>only\u00a0<\/strong>Jesus can provide, is essential for eternal life!<br>\u00a0<br><em>\u201cSay to those with fearful hearts, \u2018Be strong, do not fear.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When we strive to put ourselves into the sandals of the people who first heard these words of Isaiah, it is very easy to understand why they needed to hear such powerful words of comfort.\u00a0 As they also endured the judgment that the Lord God Almighty was going to bring upon the unfaithful and the rebellious, they needed to hear that the Lord their God would come to save them.<br>\u00a0<br><em>\u201cSay to those with fearful hearts, \u2018Be strong, do not fear.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When we find ourselves in danger of being overwhelmed by the fears and the disappointments of this life, when we find ourselves being overwhelmed by troubles and by troublemakers today, we also need to hear these powerful words of comfort.\u00a0 May God grant that these words of the prophet Isaiah will always serve as a pool of refreshing water for you and for me.\u00a0 Our God knows, my friends!\u00a0 Our God understands!\u00a0 Our God is always with us!\u00a0 Our God will always faithfully fulfill all His promises to us!\u00a0 Be strong!\u00a0 Do not fear!<br>\u00a0<br>To God be the glory!<br>\u00a0<br>Amen <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Isaiah 35:4-7a Be Strong!\u00a0 Do Not Fear!\u00a0Say to those with fearful hearts, \u201cBe strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.\u201d \u00a0Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.\u00a0 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-worship-service-podcast"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1563"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1570,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1563\/revisions\/1570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}