Remember and Listen

Sermon Isaiah 46:8-13

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation of the heart and meditation of the mind, for the incarnation of Jesus and also his second coming. This year, we have chosen Isaiah as the sermon series for Advent, because many passages in Isaiah foreshadow the restoration and revival that will arise through the coming of Jesus Christ. Is there really a connection between Isaiah and Jesus Christ? In the earliest gospel, the gospel of Mark, Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”. From the opening verses of Mark, we learn 3 things. First, we learn the reason for Mark’s writing. It is to present the good news of Jesus. Secondly, we learn how Jesus is good news. It is because of his identity as the anointed representative of God. This identity is evident from his titles, both as Messiah, meaning the anointed one, and also from his title as the Son of God. Finally, we learn that this good news of Jesus’ identity did not arise out of the blue, as if it is something conjured by Mark. Rather, from the opening verses, we also learn the third point: the good news of Jesus is the continuation and fulfilment of God’s work through the centuries. Many of the clues to a proper understanding of the Jesus event can be found in the Prophets, especially from Isaiah. In a way, Mark is telling us, as you and I begin thinking about Jesus, to first think about the words of Isaiah. For Advent this year, we hope to do the same. At the Chinese service, we will be exploring the meaning of “good news” in Isaiah. I encourage all of you to listen to those sermons on the church website during this time of Advent. They will be complementary to our Isaiah sermons in the Bilingual service. Over here, we will share with you the meaning of “salvation” in Isaiah. What is salvation? All of us know that Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God is our Lord and Savior. But I believe this understanding would be further enriched when we first appreciate God himself as our Lord and Savior. This is the insight we hope to share from the book of Isaiah during this time of Advent.

And so we ask: What is salvation? In what way is God our Savior? Last week, on the first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Daniel first shared on this topic. From Isaiah 63, we learned that God is our Savior because he is the divine warrior defeating sin and evil. Salvation is God delivering us from evil through his judgment. In doing so, he vindicates those who are righteous from those who are not. Can we believe in this? Yes. God’s judgment indeed came upon the evil Edomites shortly after Isaiah’s prophecy. God proved the validity of his words by acting upon them.

Today, we shall continue this reflection of God as Savior. Once again, God proclaimed his salvation in chapter 46 just as he did in chapter 63. In verse 13 “I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.” In chapter 63, we recall that the judgment is on Edom; in today’s passage, the judgment is on Babylon. Once again, God proved the validity of his words by acting upon them. In verse 11 God declares, “From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.” This man is Cyrus II of Persia[1] . History tells us that this man would go on to topple the Babylonian empire. After his conquest, he issued the Edict of Restoration[2] , which allowed the Jews to be liberated from exile, and they could return to rebuild the temple and their homeland in Jerusalem. This was a momentous act of salvation; perhaps even more spectacular than the judgment upon the Edomites. In this case, not only was evil destroyed, the righteous were also delivered. But we should not be focusing on the act of salvation alone. We must reflect on the theology behind the analogy. It is more significant to reflect on what this act of salvation demonstrates about God as Savior. So what is the significance? As we read on, verse 11 spells this out for us in God’s self-revelation: “What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” And so the significance is this: God’s salvation fulfils his own purposes and will.

And this is the perspective I wish to highlight about God as Savior. Pastor Daniel reminded us that God’s vengeance and judgment upon evil is his act of salvation. We might be awed by the act of deliverance. We might be enthralled by his display of power and show of strength. We might therefore go on to interpret that God is our all-utility Savior. We think up all kinds of troubles and crisis situations where God can save us like Superman. Yet, nothing is further from the truth. God’s act of salvation is not a circus performance. Neither is it a random act of kindness or even a heroic act of chivalry. God’s act of salvation is primarily God-centred. What has been spelled out in verse 11 is also stated in verse 10, “10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” This is why God saves. This is how we should understand God as Savior. Allow me to repeat my point: God’s salvation fulfils his own purposes and will.

This naturally leads to the question: what then is God’s purpose and will? Unfortunately, to answer this question completely would go beyond our sermon limit. However, I will mention two key points relevant to our context. First, God’s purpose is often linked to his relationship with his people. Edom was judged not just for their treachery, but treachery to the Israelites. Similarly, Babylon was judged because God’s people were under their captivity. God isn’t just a Savior, but rather a Savior of his people. Secondly, God’s will is to bring about his righteousness. It is no coincidence that Edom’s evil deeds and Babylon’s idolatry were stated before God pronounced his act of salvation. If I may put it in simple terms, God’s will is always about good over evil, truth over falsehood.

You might ask me: what is the importance of your point? God’s salvation fulfils his own purposes and will. Fine. So, let God do what he wants to do. Let him save when he wants to save. What has that got to do with me? Fair enough. If you want nothing to do with God, I guess none of these things matter very much for you. But if you enter into a covenant with God, if he is your God and you are his people, if you are a member of the kingdom of God, then there is no avoiding God’s purposes and will. God is concerned about your salvation and deliverance. God extends his righteousness until all of evil is destroyed. In simple terms, you live within God’s reality, and things will happen according to his will. Evil will be judged, the righteous will be saved. And what he wants to do, he will do. That is the point of today’s passage. He is the God like no other gods, because he is the true God. And because his will always becomes reality, you who choose to live in God’s reality should be very mindful of his purposes and will.

It is easy for us to forget, that God cherishes his covenant and keeps his promises. Sometimes we despair when we don’t “feel” God is there. We are lost. We give up. We try our own ways of success and satisfaction. Sometimes we go into extreme lengths to pray for God to act. We think there must be something we can do to reaffirm God’s love. Or something we can do to further ensure our salvation.
It is easy to forget. So remember and listen. Remember that God cherishes his covenant and keeps his promises. Remember the exodus from Eygptian slavery. Remember the deliverance from Haman’s plot. Listen to the promises of God and obey him.

It is easy for us to forget, that God is there fighting the evil of this world. Sometimes we see injustices and question our faith. We are frustrated. We doubt. We fight fire with fire. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that God doesn’t really care. It is so much easier to use worldly methods than to use love. It is so much easier to pleasure our desires than to help the community.
It is easy to forget. So remember and listen. Remember that God judges against evil. Remember what happened to Edom. Remember what happened to Babylon. Listen to the warnings of God words and obey him.

It is easy for us to forget, that God is the highest authority. He is bigger than the princes and principalities. He is bigger than our problems. So remember and listen. Trust in him. He will bring his righteousness near. (v.13) It is easy to for us to forget, that God controls history. Empires rise and fall by his will. So remember and listen. Put your security in him. Store your treasures in heaven. It is easy for us to forget, that God determines life and death. He can give life to the dead. He can restore what is hopeless. So remember and listen. You know the stories and you must believe them as your own. He will not delay his salvation anymore. (v.13)

We are humans. So it is easy for us to forget. This is why Isaiah reminds us: Remember and Listen. Over the years, we have explored many parts of the Bible, sharing about the works of God. We went from Judges to Esther, from Ezekiel to Isaiah. The sermons cause you to remember, but only you can choose to listen and obey. In some ways, we are more fortunate than the original readers of Isaiah. They experienced the salvation through Cyrus. But we experience the salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah above all messiahs; the Son of God above all sons of God. His salvation is eternal. During Advent we remember God’s act of salvation. But we must also listen, living out a life worthy of the redeemed.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Restoration#Return