The 7th Sunday after Trinity

SERMON - Listen Carefully when God Speaks!

INI

Text: Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

In Christ Jesus, the Word sent by our God to reveal to us His loving kindness, dear fellow redeemed:

Do you want to grow closer in your relationship with God? Do you want to become stronger in your faith? Do you want to live a life filled with hope, joy, and confidence? If your answer is “yes≵ to these questions, it is my pleasure to inform you that all three of these spiritual goals are not merely possible, but absolutely obtainable if only you will LISTEN CAREFULLY WHEN GOD SPEAKS! God has chosen to work among us and within us through His means of grace—the gospel in word and sacrament. Today we will focus on that gospel Word of God—its power, its grace, and its blessing! In our text taken from the prophecy of Isaiah, the LORD God Himself is speaking. He declares, first of all, that His Word is like the rain that waters the earth! He then states emphatically that His Word causes us to grow and blossom! Finally, He assures us that His Word accomplishes His will within our lives! My dear friends, it is therefore imperative that we LISTEN CAREFULLY WHEN GOD SPEAKS!

I.

The LORD God declares as our text begins: “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth,… , so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.”

Have you ever noticed the difference that a good soaking rain makes in your lawn or garden as opposed to simply watering them with a sprinkler? It makes all the difference in the world, does it not? After a good soaking rain the entire yard or garden looks brighter, greener, and completely refreshed, whereas when you use a sprinkler there are always going to be those sections left untouched, while the water in other parts is often distributed unevenly. God compares His Word to a good soaking rain, or to winter’s deep cover of snow that prepares the ground for spring and the growing season. Even as that rain and snow do not just bounce off the ground and return up to heaven without having an effect, so God’s Word does not proceed out of His mouth without effect, but rather there are dramatic results whenever and wherever it is spoken!

At this point the LORD is speaking of the general effects of His Word in this world. I have mentioned this book before—How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt. It speaks of the impact of Christianity upon our world. It begins with a presentation of the gospel message of forgiveness of sins and redemption we possess in Christ, for as the apostle Paul declares to the Romans: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (1:16). It is the gospel word, which first impacts people’s hearts and then dramatically affects their lives. Professor Schmidt addresses such issues as the impact God’s Word has on discussions regarding the sanctity of human life and the freedom and dignity of all men, women, and children. He properly links our Christian faith, which encourages charity and compassion, to the establishment of hospitals and orphanages. He speaks of the role of Christianity in education and the establishments of universities. He addresses the impact God’s Word has upon science, on labor relations, and matters of social justice. He concludes with a consideration of the arts—music, literature, painting, and architecture. Wherever Christianity has impacted the hearts of human beings, societies as a whole have been refreshed!

Why is that? It is because Christianity is based upon the truths of God revealed to us through His Word—the Bible. Wherever that truth is known and believed, it acts as a good soaking rain that brings with it great blessing. This cannot be said in general of other major world religions—Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. This cannot be said in general of the philosophy of secular humanism. Why not? It is because each of these other religions as well as secular humanism are not based upon divinely revealed truth, but rather upon the opinions and prejudices of men. Oh, yes, each of these religions and philosophies can accomplish some good, just like a sprinkler watering a portion of your lawn, because even fallen man can stumble upon some truth through a thoughtful consideration of God’s creation, but that good will be extremely limited, and it certainly will leave individual souls to languish in unbelief! My dear friends, LISTEN CAREFULLY WHEN GOD SPEAKS! His Word is like the rain that waters the earth!

II.

His Word also causes us to grow and blossom! The LORD God says through Isaiah: “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth.” God’s Word not only has a general effect on the world, but more importantly it has a specific effect upon the hearts, souls, and lives of individuals. This is what He means when He states emphatically that the Word “makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.”

Each spring I look forward to the flower basket fundraiser put on by our Immanuel High School sophomore class. I generally buy two baskets—one for the front and one for the back of our home. I am afraid that I am not too good with plants. If there were a “plant” society watching out for plants, just as there is a Humane Society looking out for the welfare of cats and dogs, I am afraid I might be accused of plant abuse at times. I tend to get busy and forget to water my plants until they begin to look quite sad, but what I have noticed is that when I do water them regularly, they are much less stressed and they produce many more buds and flowers. So it is, I am sure, for all of your fields, lawns, and gardens. Regular watering produces marvelous results and benefits for you—flowers on the table, food in the refrigerator, income in the bank.

My dear friends, so it is for each of us when we are watered regularly with God’s Word. Jesus says: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). God’s Word reveals His truth, which in turn has a profound effect upon our thinking and consequently words and actions and therefore our entire lives. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

When you and I come to know the truth about ourselves—that by nature we are lost and condemned sinners destined to be separated from God forever if left alone in our sin, but then also come to know the truth about God—that He is compassionate and that in His love for us He willingly sacrificed His own Son in order to gain our freedom and restore to us the hope of life everlasting, how can such news not cause us to grow and blossom? In Christ we now enjoy a favored status as saints of God. How can we not fall to our knees in grateful adoration? Such news will affect not only our relationship with God—we will want to be closer to Him and listen to what He has to say to us, but also our relationship with our fellow men. We will want to help them and love them with the goal that our mutual encouragement will strengthen us all and prepare us for faithful service in God’s kingdom here on this earth while securing for us an eternal home in heaven. Once again, my dear friends—LISTEN CAREFULLY WHEN GOD SPEAKS! His Word causes us to grow and blossom!

III.

His Word also and finally accomplishes His will within our lives! The LORD assures us: “My word…shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” This is our great confidence. God’s Word is powerful. Through it God created the entire universe in which we live. Through it He continues to sustain that universe and will do so until the end of time. The writer to the Hebrews describes God’s Word as “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (4:12).

The apostle Paul tells us: “God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4). The primary purpose of God’s Word for our lives is to secure our eternal future. Therefore, His law works within our hearts to convict us of our sins, causing us to fear God’s wrath and to grieve over our rebellion. His gospel then lifts our eyes to the cross of Christ upon which we see the Son of God dying in our place. We see His body removed, but our sentence of death remains nailed to the cross and dissolved in the cry of our Savior, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The gospel assures us of our redemption and that by faith God brings us into His family and makes us His heirs. This is His eternal will for us accomplished through the life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

But that will extends also to this life. The “Word of Truth” found on the front cover of your bulletin today is that familiar verse from Psalm 119—“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God’s Word shows us how we are to live our lives. It is not intended, as many in the world think, simply to limit and restrict us, but rather as a light enables us to see clearly and avoid those things that will cause us to stumble and hurt ourselves, so the Word of God serves to free us and guide us in those ways which will truly bring blessing into our lives and the lives of everyone around us. It is God’s Word which helps us identify our natural self-centeredness and helps us to overcome those tendencies and then to live our lives in loving service to others. It is God’s Word which leads us to let go of anger and resentment, jealousy and the desire for revenge, and replace those feelings and emotions with the virtues of love, patience, long-suffering, and forgiveness.

It is God’s Word which provides us with those truths necessary to comfort and encourage one another along life’s road—especially when that road becomes rugged. My dear friends, let us therefore all LISTEN CAREFULLY WHEN GOD SPEAKS, for His Word accomplishes His will within our lives, and that will always lead to our blessing! I would like to close our sermon today by reciting stanza three of one of my favorite hymns found in our Worship Supplement: “Thy Strong Word” (Hymn 775):

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
Soli Gloria Deo!