The 21^st Sunday After Trinity

SERMON

Text: Isaiah 45:1-7

"Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD do all these things.’"

In Christ Jesus, the world’s only Savior and undeniable Lord, dear fellow redeemed:

My name is Cyrus. You may not know of me, although some of you may have heard of me as you studied ancient history. I was born in a country now called Iran 555 years before the birth of Christ. From little on I was a born leader. I became the first king of ancient Persian, deposing that despicable Mede, Astyages, to the pleasure even of his own people. It was said of me at the time of my coronation, that all men rejoiced—even my enemies. I created the largest empire in this world’s history up to that time. It extended from Turkey and Egypt in the west to Pakistan in the east, from the southern steppe of Russia to the Arabian Sea. I ruled with benevolence, and my people mourned my premature death when I was killed in battle defending our borders at age 26.

It is not this general history of my life, however, that I want to share with you today, for the lessons I would teach you are not found in the facts I have thus far recounted. They are rather found in the extraordinary greatness of the LORD God to which I would now point, and His personal involvement in each of our lives. The LORD God was deeply involved in my life, even though I must confess that during my first seventeen years I never knew Him.

You heard my name mentioned by Isaiah. What is absolutely astounding and ultimately very revealing is that Isaiah wrote these words 200 years before I was born. The LORD God, who knows all and controls all, moved Isaiah to speak prophetically of me two centuries before I lived on this earth. What did Isaiah reveal beyond my name? He revealed that the LORD would anoint me with His Spirit, so that I might come to know Him; that He would call me to bless His people; and that He would gird me, so that I might proclaim His name among the nations. The lessons that I would have you learn from me are that the LORD God has done the same things for each of you, and so is profoundly involved in your lives too! MY NAME IS CYRUS—LEARN FROM ME!

I.

Learn, first of all, that the LORD anointed me, as He has you, to come to know Him! Listen once again to the prophetic words of Isaiah:“Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: ‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” Isaiah says the LORD anointed me and upheld my hands, so that I might subdue nations before Him. This I did, but I was unaware initially that it was God, who enabled me to conquer my enemies. I attributed my success to my own prowess and the influence of my own nation’s deities. But when Isaiah speaks of breaking in pieces “the gates of bronze” and giving me the “hidden riches of secret places,” he is prophesying of a very specific conquest, that of Babylon. Babylon was the greatest city of my day. Its beauty, wealth, and culture were unequaled. 100 brass gates defended it, and the Babylonian kings filled secret vaults with fabulous treasures. This conquest changed my life, and I am not talking about the mere accumulation of wealth and honor that came to me as its conqueror.

It was in Babylon that I met believers like the pious, old statesman Daniel. He had predicted the downfall of Babylon by interpreting the handwriting of the LORD God written in stone upon the wall of a banquet room. I kept him in place as one of my representatives, and it was through him and his fellow Jews that I came to know the LORD. He was the God of Israel, and it was through a consideration of His words that I came to understand that I had been anointed for the very purpose that I might come to know the true God. I conquered the largest empire in history up to my day, but what good was that to me on that fateful day when I died in battle. As Jesus later asked, “What is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mt. 16:26)

Learn from me now, for you too have been anointed to come to know the LORD God! Your New Testament scriptures testify of your anointing, even as Isaiah spoke of mine. Your apostle Paul states, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us in God, (has) also…sealed us and gives us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit” (2 Cor. 1:21-22). Your apostle John likewise states, “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 Jn. 2:20). The LORD God has chosen you and anointed you with His Holy Spirit. He has brought you to faith and into a personal relationship with Himself, so that you might be freed both from sin and spiritual ignorance with the hope that you might know Him well and walk with Him throughout life as His beloved children! As with myself, the LORD God knew you long before you walked upon this earth. Your Scriptures point out specifically that He chose you before the foundation of this world in connection with Christ, and that in view of His divine choice you have received the anointing of the Spirit and have been brought to faith (cf. Eph. 1:3-10). While the LORD God no doubt has appointed you to do many things in and with your lives, there is nothing more important than coming to know the LORD as your Savior. Even were you to create an empire such as mine, what good would it do you if in the process you lost your immortal soul? Rejoice in that fact that the LORD anointed you to come to know Him!

II.

Yes, MY NAME IS CYRUS—LEARN FROM ME! Learn, secondly, that the LORD called me, as He has you, to bless His people! Isaiah wrote prophetically concerning me, “For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.” The LORD called me, that is He commissioned me and determined that I would fulfill His specific purpose in connection with His Old Testament people of Israel. What was it that I was to do? God’s had permitted King Nebuchadnezzar to take Israel into captivity in Babylon. For 70 years they languished in captivity, hoping and praying that the LORD would in mercy allow them to return to the land of Palestine. It was my God-intended purpose to make that return possible. As you heard in the Old Testament lesson today, that is exactly what I did shortly after God enabled me to conquer the Babylonians. I issued the degree permitting the return and restored to Israel all of the articles stolen by Nebuchadnezzar from the LORD’s house. While God enabled me to accomplish many things during my short life, these actions were among the most important, for they specifically fulfilled what God intended me to do and had prophesied that I would do!

God has also called you. It is a truth repeated time and time again in that which you know as the New Testament epistles. Listen to these words of the apostles Paul and Peter: “God did not call us to uncleaness, but in holiness” (1 Thes. 4:7). You are “called to be saints” (Rom. 1:7). “As the Lord has called each one, so let him walk” (1 Cor. 7:17). The LORD has “called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). He has “called (you)…that you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). God has called you personally to holiness, to be His saints in this world, which is desperately in need of holiness. He has given each one of you specific things to do, and it is only when you discover those intentions of your God and fulfill them that you will find real meaning, purpose, and blessing in life. Your St. Paul wrote, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Just as God prepared beforehand the work that I was to do on behalf of Old Testament Israel and announced those plans prophetically 200 years before they occurred, so He has prepared beforehand those things He wants you to do! What are those things? The Scriptures provide a general instruction when they say, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). In general, look for opportunities to serve others—to do good for other, especially for your fellow believers. In particular, seek God’s guidance in prayer each day, asking Him to help you discover those good works He has planned for you. Life is truly exciting and rewarding when we learn this simple lesson—the LORD has called you to bless His people!

III.

Yes, MY NAME IS CYRUS—LEARN FROM ME! Learn, finally, that the LORD girded me, as He will you, to proclaim His name among the nations! Isaiah concluded His prophecy with these words, “I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD do all these things.” The thought of being "girded" may seem strange to you. It is actually most easily understood if you think of a military orderly helping a commander put on his armor in preparation for battle. The orderly would tighten the straps and adjust the various pieces of armor so that they fit properly and permitted easy movement while providing maximum protection. The LORD, Isaiah said, girded me for the specific purpose of making known to the peoples of the world that it is indeed the LORD God who is in control of the destinies of all men. The false gods of light and darkness, that dominated the minds of the men and women of my day, were nothing but product of men’s imaginations. They did not create the world, nor did they rule it. No, I learned that there was but one, true God—the LORD! He controls this world and monitors the affairs of men. It is before Him that all should bow and, indeed, will one day bow, when He in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ comes to sit in judgment of this world.

Dear friends, the LORD will gird you to proclaim His name among the nations! Your God has called you “to make disciples of all the nations” (Mt. 28:19) and “to preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). Last Sunday you heard Pastor Schierenbeck speak of the doors God can and does open for each of us to proclaim that gospel. He will gird you, that is He will prepare you in every necessary way to fulfill the purpose of proclaiming His name among the nations. In your bulletin today, you can read accounts of the ongoing work in India through the eyes of both Missionary Koenig and Tim Schreyer. Tomorrow evening our voters will hear of a very special opportunity in which we can all participate. Details will be included for everyone in the next Immanuel Home Messenger. It is hoped that we will be able to send a "mission helper team" to Tanzania early next year to complete the building of a new seminary, which will serve the proclamation of the gospel in central and eastern Africa. These are exciting challenges. They will exercise our individual and corporate wills, but the LORD, who has anointed us to be His children and called us to fulfill His chosen works, will gird us for the work ahead and enable us to accomplish everything He has given us to do! Yes, MY NAME IS CYRUS—LEARN FROM ME and you will enjoy the distinct blessing of your LORD God! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting