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Last Sunday of the Church Year

November 23, 2024
By Rev. Joshua Reinke

Text: Isaiah 51:4-6
Theme: Salvation Forever


Outline
1.    Trust in the Lord’s Salvation
2.    Hard to trust in our world today
3.    Steadfast because of His Holy Spirit

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


My dear beloved flock, the text for our mediation today is the Old Testament lesson of Isaiah chapter fifty-one verses four through six.
Intro: Boys and Girls, I pray that you are doing well today. Have you ever been waiting a really long time for something amazing? Maybe it seems like your birthday or Christmas just won’t get here fast enough. You live your lives eagerly waiting for those great fun days. The same is true for us as Christians, we look forward to an awesome day. One better than any birthday or Christmas. It is the day of Jesus’ return, when we will live with Him forever. As we wait for that day, how can we live in the trust that He gives to us? You may go back to your seats and those who love you.


1.    Trust in the Lord’s Salvation


Our Lord today promises that His salvation is assured. He is talking to a nation that is under siege. The Assyrian army is at the gates of Jerusalem itself. The land is war-torn and desolate. Yet, the Lord promises through Isaiah that He will act to save His people. “My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples.” The Lord will judge between the nations. He will act in His righteousness for His people’s salvation. He promises that He will be coming soon to save the people and redeem them from all of their enemies. The Lord saves Jerusalem from the hand of the Assyrians during the time of King Hezekiah by the work of the angel, breaking the siege. He brings His people back from exile in the land of Babylon through His servant Cyrus. Yet, the Persian king could not deliver God’s people from their sins and from death. A greater deliverer was to come in order to accomplish that rescue.  


No matter how great Cyrus, Hezekiah, and all the other kings of Persia, Israel, and Judah were, they could not provide the ultimate deliverance that we need from our sins. We need a greater deliverer. That greater deliverer is none other than the Servant of Yahweh in Isaiah. None other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh for us. Unlike Cyrus or the other kings, Jesus saves us from more than just physical enemies. He saves us from all enemies, physical as well as spiritual. He saves us from the power of the devil by being tempted as we are, yet withstanding through the power of God’s word and living a prefect life in our place. Jesus saves us from our sins. In our place, Jesus bore the wrath of God for us on the cross of Calvary. There God promises that you are saved, redeemed, and His beloved child because of the sacrifice of Jesus that covers all of your sins. He even proves it by raising Jesus from the dead again. Rising again from the dead Jesus destroys the power of death and gives you new life forever.


2.    Hard to trust in our world today


This fact of our salvation because of what Jesus has done for us is hard for us to trust today. It is hard for our sinful nature to comprehend this fact. When confronted with the Lord’s salvation, we balk. Our sinful nature says “I am not that bad of a person.” “I lead a pretty good life.” “I have not done that many sins.” “I do not need salvation.” “Just give me some time, I can do it on my own.” 
Other times we might reply with skepticism, as much of the world does today. “What do you mean that Jesus died for me?” “How can one guy’s death over two thousand years ago mean anything for me today?” It is hard, in the midst of the darkness of this world, to trust in our Lord’s salvation. It is hard to remain faithful in this world. We do not know when Jesus is going to come again, so the world tempts us to think that He is never going to come again. It’s been so long already, surely, he’s too delayed so just go on living your life however you want to live.


We agree that two thousand years ago was a long time. It seems impossible that Jesus’ death has any impact upon our lives today. After all, a lot of people have died since then. During the Roman times, a lot were crucified. Yet, Jesus’ death is different. As God in the flesh, His death was not because of Himself, but because of us. His death does have an impact upon our lives, today and forever.

 

3.    Steadfast because of His Holy Spirit

 

How? Because of the very fact that He defeated death for us. He lives forever and because He lives, so too do we. How do you and I know this? Because He gives us of His Holy Spirit that we can remain steadfast in this world. We can answer the doubts and skepticism with the very word of God. That God does indeed keep His promises. Note the number of times that God says I, me, or my. He uses the first person twelve times in these three verses. His salvation is fully dependent on what He has done for you and me. 


His salvation is not just for a brief period of time. His salvation is forever. It is not tied to this world or how we feel. It is secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is being prepared for God’s people even now by Christ (Jn 14:2). His righteousness will never fail. God’s righteousness did not fail to secure our salvation: Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” God’s righteousness did not fail to declare Jesus innocent of all charges by raising him from the dead. God’s righteousness will not fail to finish the work Jesus has begun in us by the Holy Spirit’s power through the Word and Water of Holy Baptism. God’s call to listen is a call to look to Him and away from all the false hopes that the world offers. It is a call to seek God’s eternal salvation, to yearn for it more than we do food, friendship, and financial gain. While none of us can claim to do this perfectly, it is precisely for this reason that God’s salvation is so precious and pure. It is His righteousness that will not fail. It is His salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that will last forever. He calls us to receive what he has provided, and he promises that we will be forever glad.


Let us always depend upon the Lord for His salvation and constantly hold steadfast to His promises.


The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
 

Tags: Isaiah, Salvation