Salvation Comes to the Nations May 11, 2014 Isaiah 56:1-8 For those who might be visiting us this weekend, let me set the stage. We have been using

Transcription

1 Salvation Comes to the Nations May 11, 2014 Isaiah 56:1-8 For those who might be visiting us this weekend, let me set the stage. We have been using the sermons over this past year plus to study the book of Isaiah. I believe those who have been with us for this study would agree that it is indeed a very rich book, a very important book, a book that at times seems to have been written by Paul or Peter, a book that points us again and again and again to Jesus, or the coming of the Messiah. It is perhaps the one book in all of the Old Testament that is most concentrated in its depiction of the Messiah. It is a clear statement of fact and not just my opinion that Jesus is front and center in the book of Isaiah. And in these recent weeks we have gone through chapters 53-55, noting how the work of the Messiah in bearing the sins of the people has a profound impact on life as we know it. On the basis of this sacrifice, God offers a new covenant with His people. In chapter 55, we saw that God then calls people to respond to this early proclamation of the gospel by coming to Him, calling on Him, turning to Him. There that brings us up to speed. Then, all through the book thus far, we have pointed out the many times the text hints at or blatantly states that the nations, the islands, the people far from God would benefit from the coming of the Jewish Messiah. The scope of the Messiah s ministry would go beyond the people of Israel, beyond the land of Israel, beyond those who have Jewish roots. Indeed, it would go to people like us. It is this issue that is front and center in the text of this morning, Isaiah 56. What I see here as significant is that the promise made back in chapter 54, based on the work of the Messiah in chapter 53 is here extended to the nations in chapter 56. In fact, that is the central point, that the nations can have the same iron clad promise from the Lord God of Israel despite the fact that they do not share their history. And in my mind, nothing could be more important and powerful for us to hear this morning than the promises made specifically to us here in Isaiah 56. It is no coincidence, nor small thing that He takes up a specific fear of rejection that so often plagues Christians: being rejected by God. Hear these words of hope and promise to people just like us as I read Isaiah 56:1-8. This is the word of God.

2 Main point: The iron clad promise of salvation for those who bind themselves to the Messiah extends to all people, not just the Jews. In other words, we must not think that God has His own people, whom He loves, and then He has a somewhat lesser relationship with people like us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here the prophet takes the time to assure people like us of the promise of salvation, the status of acceptance, the position of honor we occupy. God does not treat people like us as second class citizens, never has and never will. We are going to focus on the first 8 verses this morning so you can see this point clearly. So as we go through the details of this text, I urge you to clutch this text tightly to your heart. As much as any text in Scripture, this text was written for you. (2 parts) I. The coming of the Messiah extends the iron clad promise of salvation to foreigners. vv. 1-3 In other words, the good news proclaimed in the previous chapters is designed to be good news to Jews AND TO FOREIGNERS. Indeed, it is the same good news for both. And the emphasis here is specifically directed to the foreigner, the nations, to outcasts like us. v.1- This is what the LORD says: Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. In one sense, this has been the basic message since chapter 40. Salvation was coming, it was close at hand. And this information ought to cause people to examine their lives and make all adjustments necessary. The coming of the Messiah marked both judgment and salvation. It was indeed good news, but would not be good news for all. Some would not heed the warning. Some

3 would not get serious about the things of God. Some would just ignore the proclamation and just keep on doing what they have always done. Notice here the references to salvation and righteousness. This is important because this salvation would not be based on our righteousness. We have none. Instead, the righteousness needed for us to survive judgment would come from God Himself. If I remember correctly, the apostle Paul said the same thing about the coming of Christ in Romans. Does anyone remember that passage that we recited every week? I am not of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. Rom. 1: Yes, salvation is directly tied to righteousness, this stuff we need to be right before God. And yet, we have none of it. Instead, it comes to us from God. In the Messiah this righteousness is revealed, it is made visible for all to see. Salvation comes because of Him. Once more, this is good New Testament theology right here in the Old Testament. But the point here in v. 1 is that if the Messiah is coming, if He is close at hand, then we need to be ready. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. A blessing is held out to the person who is ready, the one who takes seriously the things of God. Some might see here a call to good works, but v.1 makes clear that right standing before God is not based on our righteousness. No, salvation is based on the righteousness of the One who comes. But that doesn t mean we should sit by, idly waiting for something to happen. There is a role for faith filled obedience in preparation for the coming of the LORD. I word it this way, because other texts make clear that this is what is in focus. We do the right things we do, not because they gain us salvation, but because God has called us to respond to His call and live lives of obedience by faith that He is going to keep His promises. Notice we obediently REST from work!

4 In other words, we do the right things not because they gain us status before God but because we believe in the One who comes and we want to be shown ready and faithful at His appearance. We demonstrate by our actions that we understand the magnitude of His appearance. 3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, The LORD will surely exclude me from his people. And let not any eunuch complain, I am only a dry tree. This is the verse that most excites me this morning. I would like to linger over it for a few minutes. First, notice the word foreigner. Even today, we know what that means. It is not a term of love, of endearment. Foreigner is meant to convey a sense of non-acceptance, a recognition that you do not belong, that you do not occupy a position of honor, or favored status. Foreigners deserve none of the honor of citizenship. The book of I Peter uses the term aliens to convey this same sense. Aliens know they do not belong. They know they are out of place. They have signs on their backs saying, not one of the in crowd. It is almost like not being Lutheran in Seward. Foreigners know they do not belong. Next, I draw your attention to the word bound. Again, you know what that means. You know what it means to bind something to something else. It means to tie tightly, permanently. To bind is to stick like glue, to handcuff, to strap to. You bind your load to the trailer so it won t fall off. When you are bound, you are bound. Now, here, the foreigner is bound to the LORD, to Yahweh, to the God of the covenant, the God of Israel. Already, this is amazing. A foreigner has bound himself to Israel s God of the promise. We might say he is hanging on for dear life. It is clear here that the purpose of the binding is salvation. The foreigner has strapped himself to, tied himself to, bound himself to the LORD, hoping to be saved. Now, I know there are those who would object to this word picture because it makes it look like it is something we do. The text is clear that it is the foreigner who is binding. But I see no problem with this picture at all. Hanging on to the LORD for dear life deserves no credit. It is not a salvation by works. The Savior does the saving, we are simply hanging on for dear life.

5 Actually, I think this is a good visual for salvation. When we are bound to the LORD to save us, we are making clear that if our Savior drops us or fails us, we will surely die. The image makes clear we receive no credit, no merit in salvation. The only thing we can do is cry out to the Lord to save us and then hang on for dear life. It acknowledges that we cannot save ourselves. Our only hope is that our Savior is able to save us. I think it is a good image. AND, it is biblical. It is the text of Isaiah and it is clear. Then, we see the thought rolling around in the head of the foreigner, The LORD will surely exclude me from His people. This is the exciting part because it hits us where we are at. At issue is the thought from the foreigner that he will not be saved, that he will not be counted among God s people. Why might he think that? I can think of several reasons. The first is that he knows he is not part of the chosen people. He reads the text of Scripture and doesn t see his name or his family s name in the list of begats. So, he assumes that his tie to the Messiah is not as strong. The second reason might be that he is not as familiar as he should be with the history of this God. He never fails, He never loses, He always keeps His promises. But if this foreigner is unfamiliar with such stories, he might be open to doubt. After all, isn t this the problem with even the children of Israel? But the third one that comes to mind is probably the most common. He is convinced that he has fallen short of the grace of God. He knows his sinful heart. He is all too aware of the wrong he has done. And so, he reasons, why would He save me? Can you see anyone thinking such a thought? Oh yes, I see it every day. In fact, I have thought it a few times myself. But what do we see here? A mild rebuke from our LORD. Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say... Don t ever think such a thing. In other words, the command here is based on a promise. Don t ever doubt the promise of God to save those who are bound to Him. That is the point, a point we all need to tuck inside our hearts. When we trust the LORD to save us, we need never think He might drop us. The last part of this verse gives a different word picture. And let not any eunuch complain, I am only a dry tree. By definition, a eunuch is a man who will never father children. In the sense of the allusion, he will never bear fruit. And according to the Promise, those who trust the Messiah will bear fruit, they

6 will multiply! And yet, the promise here is that the covenant of chapter 54 will include even those convinced they will never bear fruit. In other words, the point of this verse is that no one who trusts in the LORD for salvation will be left behind, left out, failed. All will receive the blessings of the promise. Can you see why this is such good news? Because this righteousness comes from God and not us, we are not dependent on our own. The only question is whether we are hanging on for dear life to our Savior. If you are, you shall be saved! Amen? II. The promises of acceptance and blessings extends to foreigners. vv. 4-8 In a sense, this is the same point as the first part, and yet I see significance here in the repetition of the promise of blessings. Notice the series of I will statements here from the LORD. 4 For this is what the LORD says: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant There it is again, to those who have by definition been cut off from the blessings associated with God s people. And yet here they are clinging to the promised covenant. 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. Here we have the first two I will statements. There will be space in God s house dedicated to them. They will receive a name, a special name. Yes, their names were not listed in the blessed line of Scripture, but they will receive a name better than that line. They will receive an everlasting name, a name that does not end at death. Their new name, ( Christian perhaps?) will identify them as blessed forever and ever.

7 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant There we are again, notice foreigner, bind themselves, serve Him, love Him, worship Him, follow Him, trust in the promise. 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. The third promise is that such people will be acceptable before God. Unlike even the children of Israel, who chose to be kept at a distance from the presence of God, these foreigners will be ushered into the holiest places of God. And they will be accepted, their offerings will be accepted, their prayers will be answered. Do you think it is a coincidence that Jesus quoted this verse when He cleansed the temple? Do you think it a small thing that He rejected the way the Jews of His day polluted the temple and turned it into a den of thieves? No, the house of God was to be a place for the WORLD to gather. 8 The Sovereign LORD declares he who gathers the exiles of Israel: I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered. The last of the I will statements of this chapter. And what is it that the LORD will do? He will gather outcasts, exiles, AND OTHERS. Notice the appeal to His sovereignty. He has the authority and power to make and back up such a claim.

8 Can you see how this answers the initial fear of v.3? The fear is that outcasts such as us might not make the cut with God, that His attention and care and concern will fall mainly with the Jews. And yet, the truth is that with the coming of the Messiah, the promises made to the Jews are extended to non- Jews as well. The same promises are issued to both. Indeed, it is the same promise in the same context. All those who bind themselves to the LORD for salvation will be saved. Period. No exceptions. No terms and conditions in fine print. No hidden clauses. No addendums for people who sin too much, or do too little of good. No, the promise is the promise, and it is the same for all. That is the promise of salvation from the LORD based on the completed work of the Messiah in bearing their sins, all their sins, past present and future. Isn t this good news? If we believe this passage is the Word of God, then what should be different about our lives? 1) We will bind ourselves to the LORD 2) We will fight the battle of assurance against the enemy who seeks to convince us otherwise. 3) We will share this news with those still trying to earn salvation through their own righteousness.