Rev. Dustin ParkerHe equips us so that...
Concordia Lutheran Church
Pentecost 15, October 16, 2011
Come Worship the Lord with Us,
For He Equips Us, So That…
Isaiah 45:1-7
† In Yahweh’s Name †
May you realize that God summons you by name, pours out His Spirit upon you, and equips you, so that even though you didn’t know Him, you would come to know His Name, and more than that - all people from East to West would know He is the I AM, and that there is no other god!
Three who were chosen, led to victory, and equipped…
Today’s sermon is a tale of three kings, each chosen by God, and spoken about in our Old Testament and epistle readings. The first may be hard to grasp, the second may be obvious, the third will be the surprise.
For each of the kings, it became obvious that they were God’s choice, that He summoned and led them through life. In the process of God’s guidance, something was accomplished, something incredible, something far beyond the king’s most incredible dreams.
For it was not their own achievements that mattered the most, it was something far more special, something far more long-reaching, something far more Godly.
It is the “so that”, the reason behind God’s taking them by the hand. His manipulating the events of their lives to become something enduring and glorious.
One King didn’t know who God was, or what God was doing. The second King knew well, and rejoiced at the challenge, the third king, well, we will have to see…
The King of Iran
Taken by the Hand
Enemies Destroyed
Equipped for a Mission – to reveal the Lord
The first King seems to be an odd ally for God, in both that day and this. Cyrus was the King of Persia, or to use today’s language, the President and ruler of Iran. This prophecy of Isaiah was probably about as believable then, as it would be today. Can you imagine how Israel would take the news that President Ahmadinejad of Iran would fund the rebuilding of the temple, and protect Israel from Syria, Iraq and those who were hostile towards it?
Isaiah’s words are startling to hear, to hear that the reason that Cyrus was unstoppable as a military and political force was that God’s hand was upon him, guiding Cyrus, sustaining him, making sure that Cyrus’s opposition melted before him.
it seems beyond ironic that God would so use the natural enemy of Israel to bless Israel. The picture of the God loosing the belts – imagine kings having the belts cut off, having to parade before Cyrus holding up their pants! Even the places where they buried their nations treasure would be known to Cyrus.
Despite Cyrus not knowing who God was, despite Cyrus’s not realizing that it was God that summoned him to this role, that it was God who anointed Cyrus, who placed his hand upon him and guided him. It was God who named Cyrus, a phrase very akin to the old English concept of knighting him, bestowing honor and authority and responsibility upon Cyrus. Equipping him, as it says in verse 5, but God is equipping and establishing the rule of Cyrus, the king of Iran. Yeah – that Iran.
It doesn’t make sense until you see the purpose – the “so that”
We see the beginning of the “so that” in verse 3 – “that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of God’s servant Jacob and for His people Israel – the people who wrestle with God – its for their sake as well – that God establishes this king, so powerful, so unstoppable. Then in verse 6
I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
That’s the amazing thing about Cyrus, that even though he really didn’t have a clue about God, that God would use him to be a blessing to people who lived from the place where the sun rises, to the other extreme, to the place where it sets. Because and through Cyrus reign, because Cyrus would help re-establish the temple in Jerusalem, God would bring knowledge of Him to the world…
The King of Kings
Taken by the Hand
Enemies Destroyed
Equipped to reveal the Yhwh
Which brings us to the second king.
This king, is also chosen and named and anointed to be the Savior of Israel. Those who oppose him will be truly insignificant, as they will actually do the very deed which will cause Jesus to reign and deliver the people of Israel. But the path is a bit different. We must understand this, that every prophecy that Isaiah utters of Cyrus becomes even more true in the person of Jesus.
The difference is that the Son does know the Father, He comprehended what lies behind that word, so often heard – LORD. It is not a title, nor even a formal name – it is the personal name of God, given for the people to call upon. It is the “I AM that I AM” that Moses was told to reveal to the people bound in their captivity in Egypt. It is the Je – in Jesus, the four consonants YHWH – often spoken as Yahweh or Jehovah.
Unlike Cyrus, the way for this anointed, this Christ’s victory was found in bearing the pain of the cross, His war was not against rival human enemies and kingdoms, but against the realm of death, and the treasure that would be liberated was not gold or silver but the very people of God. The temple, not on of brick and stone, but one of flesh and blood, soul and spirit – the kingdom where the Lord God of Israel reigns, over his people.
As with Cyrus, for Jesus the King there is only one mission – to make the Father known, to reveal to all people that there is no other god, no other authority, that YHWH. He is our God, who calls to himself a people. In restablishing the temple of God, a place for God’s name to be put that people could call on that name, Cyrus did this! Yet in living among us, Jesus did so much more. He came and dwells with us, that we could talk to Him, and when He ascended, He promised that in our baptism we would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Revealing that God does care, that God does love, that God does heal and forgive.
One anointing for one mission….
The Priests and Kings of God
Taken by the Hand
Enemies destroyed
Equipped to reveal the Yhwh!
Which leads us to the third king….
You.
You, like Cyrus and Jesus are those anointed and chosen by God for a purpose:
Hear how Peter describes it in 1 Peter 2:
9 But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven. 10 In the past you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; then there was no mercy for you, but now mercy has been given to you. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (BBE)
We have the same summons that Cyrus and Jesus had, “But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God,
We have the same purpose, it is for the same reason God has summoned us, and laid His hand upon us, and guides our way. I love how Peter puts it, “so you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven.”
or as Isaiah put it:
I equip you …6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
We have an advantage over Cyrus, we grasp that God is named YHWH – and we know what that means – He is our Lord, our God, we are His children who are named His, and who can call on His name.
There is no other God. There is no other source of life, or hope, or love.
This is why Paul writes to those like us,
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
You were summoned, and anointed in your baptism, and named as His people, His ambassadors, those to bring the news of Christ’s delivering us from the wrath to come, to a world that doesn’t know Him. You do so, because of Jesus, by the power of God, and in His peace.
AMEN.
Pentecost 15, October 16, 2011
Come Worship the Lord with Us,
For He Equips Us, So That…
Isaiah 45:1-7
† In Yahweh’s Name †
May you realize that God summons you by name, pours out His Spirit upon you, and equips you, so that even though you didn’t know Him, you would come to know His Name, and more than that - all people from East to West would know He is the I AM, and that there is no other god!
Three who were chosen, led to victory, and equipped…
Today’s sermon is a tale of three kings, each chosen by God, and spoken about in our Old Testament and epistle readings. The first may be hard to grasp, the second may be obvious, the third will be the surprise.
For each of the kings, it became obvious that they were God’s choice, that He summoned and led them through life. In the process of God’s guidance, something was accomplished, something incredible, something far beyond the king’s most incredible dreams.
For it was not their own achievements that mattered the most, it was something far more special, something far more long-reaching, something far more Godly.
It is the “so that”, the reason behind God’s taking them by the hand. His manipulating the events of their lives to become something enduring and glorious.
One King didn’t know who God was, or what God was doing. The second King knew well, and rejoiced at the challenge, the third king, well, we will have to see…
The King of Iran
Taken by the Hand
Enemies Destroyed
Equipped for a Mission – to reveal the Lord
The first King seems to be an odd ally for God, in both that day and this. Cyrus was the King of Persia, or to use today’s language, the President and ruler of Iran. This prophecy of Isaiah was probably about as believable then, as it would be today. Can you imagine how Israel would take the news that President Ahmadinejad of Iran would fund the rebuilding of the temple, and protect Israel from Syria, Iraq and those who were hostile towards it?
Isaiah’s words are startling to hear, to hear that the reason that Cyrus was unstoppable as a military and political force was that God’s hand was upon him, guiding Cyrus, sustaining him, making sure that Cyrus’s opposition melted before him.
it seems beyond ironic that God would so use the natural enemy of Israel to bless Israel. The picture of the God loosing the belts – imagine kings having the belts cut off, having to parade before Cyrus holding up their pants! Even the places where they buried their nations treasure would be known to Cyrus.
Despite Cyrus not knowing who God was, despite Cyrus’s not realizing that it was God that summoned him to this role, that it was God who anointed Cyrus, who placed his hand upon him and guided him. It was God who named Cyrus, a phrase very akin to the old English concept of knighting him, bestowing honor and authority and responsibility upon Cyrus. Equipping him, as it says in verse 5, but God is equipping and establishing the rule of Cyrus, the king of Iran. Yeah – that Iran.
It doesn’t make sense until you see the purpose – the “so that”
We see the beginning of the “so that” in verse 3 – “that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of God’s servant Jacob and for His people Israel – the people who wrestle with God – its for their sake as well – that God establishes this king, so powerful, so unstoppable. Then in verse 6
I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
That’s the amazing thing about Cyrus, that even though he really didn’t have a clue about God, that God would use him to be a blessing to people who lived from the place where the sun rises, to the other extreme, to the place where it sets. Because and through Cyrus reign, because Cyrus would help re-establish the temple in Jerusalem, God would bring knowledge of Him to the world…
The King of Kings
Taken by the Hand
Enemies Destroyed
Equipped to reveal the Yhwh
Which brings us to the second king.
This king, is also chosen and named and anointed to be the Savior of Israel. Those who oppose him will be truly insignificant, as they will actually do the very deed which will cause Jesus to reign and deliver the people of Israel. But the path is a bit different. We must understand this, that every prophecy that Isaiah utters of Cyrus becomes even more true in the person of Jesus.
The difference is that the Son does know the Father, He comprehended what lies behind that word, so often heard – LORD. It is not a title, nor even a formal name – it is the personal name of God, given for the people to call upon. It is the “I AM that I AM” that Moses was told to reveal to the people bound in their captivity in Egypt. It is the Je – in Jesus, the four consonants YHWH – often spoken as Yahweh or Jehovah.
Unlike Cyrus, the way for this anointed, this Christ’s victory was found in bearing the pain of the cross, His war was not against rival human enemies and kingdoms, but against the realm of death, and the treasure that would be liberated was not gold or silver but the very people of God. The temple, not on of brick and stone, but one of flesh and blood, soul and spirit – the kingdom where the Lord God of Israel reigns, over his people.
As with Cyrus, for Jesus the King there is only one mission – to make the Father known, to reveal to all people that there is no other god, no other authority, that YHWH. He is our God, who calls to himself a people. In restablishing the temple of God, a place for God’s name to be put that people could call on that name, Cyrus did this! Yet in living among us, Jesus did so much more. He came and dwells with us, that we could talk to Him, and when He ascended, He promised that in our baptism we would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Revealing that God does care, that God does love, that God does heal and forgive.
One anointing for one mission….
The Priests and Kings of God
Taken by the Hand
Enemies destroyed
Equipped to reveal the Yhwh!
Which leads us to the third king….
You.
You, like Cyrus and Jesus are those anointed and chosen by God for a purpose:
Hear how Peter describes it in 1 Peter 2:
9 But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven. 10 In the past you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; then there was no mercy for you, but now mercy has been given to you. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (BBE)
We have the same summons that Cyrus and Jesus had, “But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God,
We have the same purpose, it is for the same reason God has summoned us, and laid His hand upon us, and guides our way. I love how Peter puts it, “so you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven.”
or as Isaiah put it:
I equip you …6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
We have an advantage over Cyrus, we grasp that God is named YHWH – and we know what that means – He is our Lord, our God, we are His children who are named His, and who can call on His name.
There is no other God. There is no other source of life, or hope, or love.
This is why Paul writes to those like us,
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
You were summoned, and anointed in your baptism, and named as His people, His ambassadors, those to bring the news of Christ’s delivering us from the wrath to come, to a world that doesn’t know Him. You do so, because of Jesus, by the power of God, and in His peace.
AMEN.
