Title: GOD ACCEPTS YOU, IN CHRIST!
Theme: GOD GATHERS THE OUTCASTS, SO THAT SALVATION IS OURS!
Text: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 English Standard Version (ESV)
Salvation for Foreigners
1Thus says the LORD:"Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
Isaiah 56:6-8
6"And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." 8The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered."
Dear friends in Christ,
Moving, garage sales, time to clean up, we’ve all been there one time or another. My daughter Amy just moved to an apartment closer to the school she teaches at. She’s found it necessary to go through all of her things and to discard some of her stuff. But, much of what she needed for her new home she got from friends, the Salvation Army and second hand shops in the area. Things that had been discarded like her beautiful 1970’s vintage floral couch and chair – you know, like the ones you might see in a little cottage up north - are once again being used and loved.
May be you’ve taken some time to clean out the garage or just go through some of your things as well. You might even put it out by the road for the garbage man. Many times it doesn’t make it to the garbage truck. Before long, someone stops by, looks it over and places it in their car and off it goes. What had been cast out from your home is now used and loved by another. Much like our Old Testament reading today:
GOD GATHERS THE OUTCASTS, SO THAT SALVATION IS OURS!
Just as Amy has gathered many unrelated things from various places and formed them into her home today, God gathers the outcasts from the corners of the world into His loving family.
1Thus says the LORD:"Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. (Isaiah 56:1)
God accomplishes what He wills and the truth is that no one will be saved apart from being both just and righteous. Salvation will come to those who meet both God’s justice and His righteousness. Isaiah’s call was unsettling for those Israelites who thought that as part of God’s chosen people they were to be saved and redeemed by the keeping of the law. The call of John the Baptist had much the same effect:
Matthew 3:1-3
English Standard Version (ESV)
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.” (Matt 3:1-3)
Repentance and faith are required of God’s chosen people. Many rely on their own righteousness or feel that living in conformity to the demands of God’s covenant is unnecessary. The salvation and deliverance to be revealed would come in the Messianic promise and revelation in the God/man Jesus Christ.
GOD GATHERS THE OUTCASTS, SO THAT SALVATION IS OURS!
We too tend to soften God’s requirements of righteousness to fit our sin into His plan of salvation. For many, white lies as they’re called, cheating, stealing - or name any sin you can think of – they all become permissible in the eyes of many church going Christians. Today, living together and pre-marital sex or sex outside of marriage at any age is considered by many no big deal.
Parents wrestle with the fact that their children are living together outside of marriage while some just look past the sin as if it’s really nothing. Even some elderly who are widowed or are widowers engage in sexual activity outside of marriage. The truth remains that this is sin and not in line with God’s will.
Even we who serve the church of God at times fail to deal with this situation, preferring not to upset families by thinking that we’re being loving in turning away from sin for fear that members might get upset and leave the church.
God requires true repentance. Are you repentant or do you think that God condones sinful behavior because you come to church?
I have to answer these questions too. Looking to be ordained in God’s church in a short while requires me to be faithful to his justice and His righteousness. It is something all of us need to reflect on. Do we see continued sin as no big deal or does it bring us to our knees in prayerful repentance?
Paul warns the Galatians about the deception that sin can cause us. He tells them in chapter 6:
Galatians 6:7-8 New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal. 6:7-8)
ILL.
In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church's integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation and without repentance."
Quoted by C. Swindoll, John The Baptizer, Bible Study Guide, p. 16.
It is not repentance that saves you though. It is Christ and His sacrifice for sin and in this salvation we have much to be thankful for because:
GOD GATHERS THE OUTCASTS, SO THAT SALVATION IS OURS!
How do we know this?
8but God shows his love for us in that while we were STILL sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)
Now back to our text today in Isaiah we read:
6"And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; (Isaiah 56:6-7)
God has called the outcasts and foreigners to join themselves to the Lord. His gracious call is to those who were not part of God’s chosen people - the Gentiles and foreigners the outcasts are brought into covenant relationship with Him.
8The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered."
Many times those gathered are those that society and even God’s people look down upon but thankfully God sees all his children and calls them to Himself through the Gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit.
GOD GATHERS THE OUTCASTS, SO THAT SALVATION IS OURS!
We too are gathered to the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has given you His Spirit to believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh for you. He has fulfilled the law and lived a sinless life for you. He has taken that sin that you find comfort in and nailed it to the cross with all the sins of the whole world for you. He has defeated sin, death, Hell and the Devil for you.
He has also washed you clean of all your sins in the waters of Holy Baptism so that you are free of sin. Then by His Holy Spirit He calls you to newness of life in the blessed Good News that your sin has been taken away forever by Christ’s atoning sacrifice and He has replaced your filthy rags of self-righteousness with the sinless righteousness of Christ.
Our heavenly Father has gathered the outcasts – you and me - He has forgiven our sin in Christ and he calls us to the glorious Kingdom of his Son who came in the flesh to live, suffer, die and rise again just for you.
On moving day, as we cast out those old, worn out and no longer wanted things of ours remember that our loving God has redeemed you and me - the outcasts from this world. He forgives our sin and calls us to newness of life in His beloved son. His call will have the effect that He desires and His will is that all will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.(1 Tim. 2:4)
Looking at Amy’s apartment you and I might see many disconnected pieces woven into this apartment that she calls home. God’s house will also have many who we might think - don’t fit - but thanks be to God, we who name the name of Christ do fit because God has a place for the outcasts who have been called by the Gospel, brought to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and believe – you and me.
May you be comforted in this Good News now and forever.
Amen
And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in and through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen
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