Exposition by Max A Forsythe
One of the creative media phrases for 1995 has already been announced and picked up in several cartoons and commentary articles. The phrase is simple and pregnant with meaning. It is this: “Happy Newt Year” (N E W T)! Thus is the man of the New Year celebrated as the Gingrich who will undoubtedly steal Christmas for years to come. If the new legislature is even remotely successful in pulling off a much needed social revolution, many of the Santa clause programs in our government may certainly suffer. For far too long, the Santa myth of free gifts at no cost has dominated political thinking in this fair land of ours. And unfortunately, the free gifts have become entitlement programs far more sacred than the myth of freebies once handed out by a fabulously rich Uncle Sam. And this social transformation will be more difficult than that of any children passing from innocence to reality when they first learned the truth about Old Saint Nicholas.
Now, this Santa expectation is not our only problem as a society. Another related problem is the childish nature of so much of our population. By this, I mean that our educational and entertainment establishments have held back far too many people from maturity and encouraged a teen age mentality far into middle age. One of my best students at school could profit very much from a State program that would pay for her first two years of college during her last two years of high school. All she would have to do is transfer to a college right now. I have put her in touch with the proper authorities, but she has decided that she wants to enjoy her last two years of youth before committing to a life of work and adult responsibilities. At least she is smart enough to know what to expect; far too many people never intend to take on that commitment. They will put off growing up, like our country itself, until reality breaks in and forces the issue.
Given these realities, it should come as no surprise that the majority of people would put off a spiritual commitment to the God of heaven as long as they possibly can as well. This fact we can observe without looking too far. In fact, the vast majority of people have hardly the least interest in knowing anything about our Holy God. In the ongoing cultural/spiritual wars of our day, much blame is pointed at the worldly organizations, institutions and leaders who it is believed would keep people from coming into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. A common assumption within the evangelical world is that if people only knew the truth, if only people could hear the good news, then they would accept the logic of God’s plan and invitation. Certainly, there is much work that we should be about in our witness in these matters. However, the very doctrines that make us Reformed in the faith should make us pause when we consider the ease of anyone’s coming into the Kingdom.
It is not a natural phenomenon - this coming into faith! The key verse in our passage from Isaiah today is verse fifteen. And here we see something of the glorious nature of our God and King. In the first three lines, Isaiah reveals the separateness of our God. High and lofty is the Holy One. He is One who lives forever. He is One whose very name is holy. So holy that His existence is completely different from anything we can imagine. However, because of His glorious nature, this Almighty God of the universe promises us that He will be with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit. Do you know how difficult it is for the human being to be contrite and lowly in spirit?
These two attributes are the direct opposite of our sinful human nature inherited from Adam and Eve. Someone has once said that the hardest phrase for anyone to utter are the three little words: “I was wrong”. That secular author might have just as well gone all the way to an absolute theological truth: “I have sinned”.
What does God say about His relationship to people who will sincerely admit that fact? Look at the promise of verse fifteen, the last three phrases. For all of those people who can admit the truth of sin He promises to live with them as well. And being here in us we may know that our human spirit and hearts may be revived because of His presence. Jesus told Nicodemus that this spiritual coming could be called the second birth. But the labor pains of admitting our sinful nature cannot be avoided! Yes, by our conscience and by the faithful prayers and witness of family and friends the difficult preparations of verse fourteen can be accomplished. Verse sixteen also tells us that God Himself will contend with our spirits, but there is a limit. “I will not accuse forever”. He also tells us that He will not always be angry for our benefit. Yes, it is very true as we see in verse seventeen, that He is enraged by our sin. He will indeed punish and even hide His face in anger. We see all of these actions throughout the whole history of Israel.
We can also realize the full range of God’s righteous wrath in our own sinful lives. Are there times when you have realized your need for a righteous and holy God? Have you in the past sought His presence without admitting sin? What happened in such a circumstance? I doubt very much if He could be found. Have you ever had things go wrong in your life and wondered if God was reaching out and punishing you specifically for some grievous sin? Perhaps it wasn’t punishment, exactly. Both Martin Luther and Sgt York had their lives transformed by lightning storms.
Once a father was sitting at the end of his lane with two young daughters in the pick up. They were waiting for the school bus on a particularly blustery day. All of a sudden, a tree fell right in front of the truck and the branches scratched away at the last vestiges of paint. He started to put the truck in reverse when the tree behind him gave way and blocked him in place. That same year, a close family member had a tragic accident and barely survived. Now, he had been a liberal Presbyterian for most of his natural life. When he shared the coincidences of that morning and the troubles of the year, a Christian friend couldn’t resist asking him if there was something God wanted him to learn. The friend earnestly believed that it should be very obvious that if in the same year, so many people were miraculously saved, that there should be some real interest in what the Almighty was up to.
Yes, God is enraged at our sin, and He will go out of His way to get our attention. If we will be contrite and admit our sin and our sinful nature, then the promise of verse eighteen may be our experience. “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him: I will guide him and restore comfort to him,” Those who mourn for their sin will by doing so give praise to God Himself. “Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.” All because of what simple little confession? “I have sinned”.
By the vows that you all have taken to join this congregation, you have publicly admitted this fact! I hope you have never had any second thoughts about that confession. Because if that confession was not sincere then the last two verses of this portion could be an eternal curse.
How much like the restless sea are the wicked. More and more people are choosing and enjoying what I call a soap opera life. They actually are enjoying havoc, restlessness and feel that they have a right to inflict it upon everyone around them. We see this in our jobs, our schools and neighborhoods. When one of our young hooligans at school was confronted with justifying his outrageous behavior he announced that he and everyone else in the class was bored and needed the behavioral tension to feel better. How true is God’s word here at the end of this passage: “There is no peace for the wicked”! And unfortunately, until Christ returns we will have to put up with a fallen world where our peace is purposely interrupted. And yet, by God’s grace those actions can draw us closer to the God of peace so that He can quiet our fears and heal our souls. May this be our constant experience as we go through life. And knowing this, may we have greater confidence for the near future as the probability and possibility for social upheaval expands even as the new government hopefully attempts to roll back two generations of secular and humanistic experimentation. May God guide and help us in the coming year as we have opportunity to witness in the midst of economic and spiritual turmoil.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary Series: God Delivers.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213
(c) 2001 01
January 1995
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.