On this 7th Sunday after the Epiphany the three readings are Isaiah 43:18-25 (God accuses His people); 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 (God is faithful) and Mark 2:1-12 (Jesus forgives and heals the paralytic). The verse selected to preach about is Isaiah 43:24, “You have bought me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.”
Finally, one of the verses in the Bible that demonstrates the essence of the purpose of the church; namely, to get your money. I challenge you again this week to ask the typical man-in-the-street how he would apply this text to his relationship with God and the answer will be clear. “The church indeed is interested in getting our sacrifices including our money.”
In one form or another, this is truly the message of all religions. God is expecting something from us before He will give us something from Him. That something from us may go to the extreme of human sacrifices to continual prayer to taking care of the less fortunate and the list goes on and on. The essence of all religion is that the mess in which we find ourselves is due to our neglect of serving God properly. He expects to be served not only with praise but with burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense (verse 23).
In most congregations the people will not agree with the need for burnt offerings and the like but they will regard it necessary to give God proper praise, prayer, time, talents and treasure. Some will deny that these are necessary in order to be justified but they will want to cling to them as assurance of remaining sanctified and worthy in His sight as well as a way of distinguishing Christian from unbeliever.
The preaching of the Law needs to be clear and unambiguous. No amount of our praise, prayer, sacrifices and helping the needy merit one second of eternity or any assurance that once saved, we will always be saved. Which at first hearing makes our condition before God even worse. On the one hand, it certainly sounds like He demands something from us but then He continues by declaring whatever we offer as being insufficient for salvation.
It is at the point of recognizing this fact that the true God of the Christian faith is revealed. For we know Him best not so much for His attributes of being all-knowing, all-present and all-powerful but for His work of creation. In a meaningful way His work of redemption is a form of re-creation. For what we ruined in regard to His first creation, He now re-creates by making a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (verse 19), as well as waters in the wilderness to give drink to His people (verse 20).
Who can not think of the Messiah, Jesus Himself, Who is the way (road) of life and brings waters of life to the thirsty that will quency thirst eternally? For God has again done what we cannot do. Out of nothing He once created the universe. Out of our lives of nothing filled with sins and iniquities, He creates life by blotting out our transgressions and no longer remembering our sins.
At this point in the sermon, the preacher will want to expand on how God did that through the life, work, death and resurrection of His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. The epistle from 2 Corinthians reminds us that we are established in Christ sealing us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, not because of our wonderful works but in spite of our sinful nature and horrible sins. The Gospel from Mark 2 reveals that like the paralytic, we also have been forgiven our sins without merit or worthiness all because of the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Our sacrifices of praise and prayer then are evident from hearts responding in thankfulness for our re-creation and new life by the One Who foretold in Isaiah 43:19 that He will do a new thing. What an astounding God Who after declaring our works a burden to Him (verse 24) then goes on to announce that He will take care of our distressing situation by blotting out our transgressions and no longer remembering our sins. To God indeed be the glory alone!
Name:Tom Baker
When I am terrified due to my sin Isaiah 43:24 is one of the most reassuring verses. In addition it is helpful when speaking to people who believe in grace + something is how one is saved.
If in the Law there is no assurance of once saved always saved ( ie, no amt of our praise, prayer, time, or sacrifice can give us this assurance), then what mis-application of the gospel promises gives much of the evangelical church such assurance?
What does the “Sermon B” in the header mean?
Normally you would not consider Isaiah 43:24 to be so reassuring as unhingedsquare points out. When God says that we have bought no sweet cane with money or satisifed Him with the fat of our sacrifices, our first inclination is to imagine that we ought to start doing that in order to appease Him. But the next verse shows the true context of verse 24 in which God promises to blot out our transgressions and no longer remember our sins. The truth is now clear. God will forgive us because that is the only option since there is nothing we can do to appease His wrath.
To anonymous asking about “once saved always saved” the mis-application of the gospel promises that gives much of the evangelical church such assurance appears to be that God is sovereign. While the Bible is clear that God is in control of all things, that does not mean that God’s will cannot be broken by man. God’s will was that Adam and Eve would live eternally in the Garden of Eden. They broke that will. While we certainly can break the will of God, we cannot break His promises. And there is no promise in the Bible that would conclude “once saved, always saved.” If there is, point it out and I’m on my way to being a 5 point Calvinist.
As an aside, my radio program begins again next week Wednesday, March 1 on kfuo.org at 6:05 pm. I’ll have something to say about this subject even that night. Thanks for the comment.
The “B” in the header refers to the fact that many pastors use what is referred to as the 3-year lectionary series. Every three years the same readings are repeated including the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel. We are in Series 2 or Series B beginning in Advent 2005 throught Pentecost 2006 (roughly December through November). Thanks Eric for your question that many others probably have but did not ask.