When God Heals the Land

Text: Isaiah 35:1-10

Focus: Peace

Function: Preaching good news at Christmas.

Form: GOK

Intro:

Bishop Tom Wright writes some great stuff about evangelism in the 21^st Century. In England, where Christianity became a thing of the past. England, where registered Spiritualists, Mediums, Psychics and Palm Readers outnumbered Ordained clergy 80,000 to 30,000. He has lost no hope about the possibilities of people coming to Jesus Christ for their salvation, healing and restoration.

He says, in this post-Christian culture, instead of different denominations fighting over whose doctrine is the most pure, instead of political factions arguing whose platforms are the most just, instead of races, economic classes or nations arguing about who is the best, we have all come to the place where we confess our own sinfulness and call out to God that we need a Savior.

Evangelism isn't proving to others who is more right in their doctrine, or who knows God's word the most. Nope. Evangelism depends on not what we say we know, what we have heard and can repeat about God's word, but the way that we do it. The way that Jesus is presented to a sin-sick world.

He says, there are 4 great longings inside of every human being. The longing for beauty, the longing for peace and justice, the longing for God, and the longing for community.

He says, that when the Church gets off of its own self-importance and again, begins calling humanity back to God who created these longings, the God who satisfies these longings, evangelism will come out naturally.

And the word LONGING adequately describes our needs.

The teachings of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the way He came to earth as a baby, the way He loved sinners, the way He tried to get the religious to abandon their religious control for the greater good of bringing people back to God are all the things we long for, that we try to re-create during the Christmas season.

I love this Cross (point to cross on chest). Pat Shepard gave it to me this Christmas. I love this tie as well, Jill Randolf gave it to me this Christmas.

I love driving around and seeing the lights, and the beautiful Christmas decorations. I love this sanctuary. I have sometimes wondered about the extravagance of all the energy and time spent at Christmas. But I realize that it touches us inside, in that spot where we all need beauty.

When I read our passage, especially the last verse, The redeemed of the Lord will come with singing and dancing into God's own city and there will never again be sorrow or tears, I see the hope that God wants us to have.

More than anything, this verse explains the promise of God. The promise that Jesus will come again and set everything right. Or, as the English say, “To the Rights.”

He will indeed provide justice for the oppressed and satisfy the longings of those who suffer.

What joy! These verses remind me of the last few chapters of Revelation. The tree of life that heals the nations. The river of God bringing refreshing. The city of God that accepts everyone.

I love this verse about the highway of holiness. When I first read that verse. I didn't quite understand it.

At the time, the highway of holiness meant to me that this was the straight and narrow road that leads to life.

You know Jesus teaching: “Wide is the path that leads to destruction, and many are those who walk on it. Narrow is the path that leads to eternal life, and few there are that walk on it.”

I was pretty sure that I was on the straight and narrow. And I was proud of the fact.

I remember sermons about the straight and narrow. I remember the illustration about how a little bit off may not seem like a big deal immediately, but over time, the distance becomes greater.

For example, If Dan is standing at the back of the sanctuary, and I want to bump in to him and I aim myself at him and I am off by just one degree, I will still bump into him at the back of the sanctuary, maybe just a little bit off center.

But if Dan is standing in China and I aim at him and my aim is off by one degree, by the time I get there, I will be about 450 miles off my target. Even though it is one degree off course, it is a big miss.

I remember hearing that what seems small now, in sin, will do nothing more than lead us farther and farther off of course, the more we permit it.

It was all up to us to keep on the straight and narrow, and if we miss it, then too bad for us.

And I am not mocking the straight and narrow. It is a true teaching, straight from Jesus' own mouth.

But I like the way the straight and narrow is described better than that sermon illustration.

This road reminds me of a bowling alley with bumpers in the gutter so that the ball has to hit at least something.

It takes a lot less skill to hit something. I am not saying that we shouldn't be knowledgeable about God's word and what the right path is. God's word corrects us and keeps us right.

What I am saying is that we who have received Christ are on that road, and we have a shepherd who promises to get us there.

Except for direct rebellion from God, Sin, which God promises to correct us from if we are His, the job of getting there is up to Him.

That is why Isaiah paints the narrow road as such a great place of love, help, strength and healing.

That is the hope, that is the promise, that is what our faith will indeed bring us.

This is the promise that God has given to humankind.

And it is all described in this song that Isaiah the prophet sings to God's people.

Eugene Peterson titles the passage as “The voiceless break into song.” Jesus comes for the entire world. Rich, wise scholars worshiped Him and gave Him gifts of the finest of the land. Shepherds, the outcasts of the culture, were called to the manger the very night He was born. Even the angels came to worship.

Verses 1 and 2, describe the longing for beauty:

^1-2 Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower—
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom,
a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift.
Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts.
God's resplendent glory, fully on display.
God awesome, God majestic.

Beauty is a gift that God gave to us. He created our longings and meets them.

Verses 3 and 4:

^3-4Energize the limp hands,
strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls,
"Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here,
on his way to put things right
And redress all wrongs.
He's on his way! He'll save you!"

The Savior comes and He is here to put things right. Every soul that has ever been treated unjustly, and has cried out to God for peace will have things set to the right.

Every person who suffers from the injustice of others will indeed someday be vindicated. God does care. God does see. God will judge and God's judgment will be completely fair.

God's promise is to satisfy the longing for justice.

So, how we spend our time and money, what we do when we see the struggling poor, what we do when we hear of racism, or of the oppressed being hurt further, how we stand up for the rights of the least of these will determine whether or not that reward will be in our favor, or against us.

God will defend the poor, that is a promise. God will set it to right.

And, He will deliver the sick. Verse 5:

⁵Blind eyes will be opened,
deaf ears unstopped,
Lame men and women will leap like deer,
the voiceless break into song.

There isn't a sickness, disease, human frailty that He doesn't know, understand or care about.

When Jesus walked planet earth, He healed every single person who asked Him. He healed them regardless of their spiritual condition. Although, in the question, in the asking, they demonstrated their faith in Him.

And then there is the longing of spirituality. Verse 7:

⁷Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert.
Hot sands will become a cool oasis,
thirsty ground a splashing fountain.
Even lowly jackals will have water to drink,
and barren grasslands flourish richly.

Bishop Wright, in the chapter that describes men and women's longing for God titles the chapter “The Hidden Spring.”

He describes it like this. A benevolent dictator wanted to control the health of the people. The land was covered with springs, so he had the entire land covered with concrete to stop the springs. And then he piped the water to every person. He was able to add nutrients and chemicals to add the people in their health. Sometimes the water tasted funny to the people, but they had an adequate supply.

Then a generation later, the pressure of the springs finally erupted and the water broke out, covering the land with mud and bringing confusion.

But the people found that they had their own access to water whenever they wanted.

He describes this as the Church, initially in an attempt to do the right thing, falsely bottled up God and sold Him as a commodity to the people. All the while, God Himself is longing to break out and flow freely in the lives of His people. People thirst for water, they long for it. In the same way, we thirst for God. And God thirsts for us.

And finally, the passage speaks of the human longing for community. Verses 8-10, a description of what the Church should be. Back to the highway:

^8-10There will be a highway
called the Holy Road.
No one rude or rebellious
is permitted on this road.
It's for God's people exclusively—
impossible to get lost on this road.
Not even fools can get lost on it.
No lions on this road,
no dangerous wild animals—
Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening.
Only the redeemed will walk on it.
The people God has ransomed
will come back on this road.

I love this description of the Church. Again, instead of a bowling alley with bumpers on the lanes, it is a road with a real soft fence, plenty of on ramps and little or no exit ramps. It is a journey all the way to heaven. And the joy is in the journey.

And it is community. No one rude or rebellious. It is marked by kindness and obedience.

You can't get lost, even if you are foolish.

The rest of the Church is there to aid us.

The road has clear signs for direction, given to us in God's word, Sunday School, pastors, teachers but more than anything, the example of the leaders all the way down to the least of these.

And, is is a safe place, “no lions, tigers or bears Oh MY.” The church is a safe place, designed to insure the safety, especially the safety of the most vulnerable.

CONCL:

When the Church comes to this ideal, it will indeed be evangelistic. It is God's description of who we are and who we are supposed to be.

Please come to this body. No matter who you are, your presence here will enrich it. Together, we will seek the Savior, who promises to make everything right.

I am telling you, salvation, entrance into the family of God is a gift. It is a treasure. It is the best present ever.

Today, we have freedom from what binds us, hope for the future and eternal life.