"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see light and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:10-11)
Week 19 (from the New City Catechism, www.newcitycatechism.com)
Question: Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favor?
Answer: Yes, to satisfy his justice, God himself, out of great mercy, reconciles us to himself and delivers us from sin and from the punishment for sin, by a Redeemer.
*Cf. The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 12-18.
For the last several weeks, this catechism has focused on sin. Prior to that, we were considering God’s Law. Each of these weeks, the weight of the Law and my own transgression of that Law grew heavier on my shoulders. Last week, in reflecting upon the just judgment of God on our sin, I found that I didn’t have much to write. I was beat down. I remember thinking, “Will this relentless assault never end? I am crushed under the weight of the Law!”
John Calvin begins his masterful Institutes of the Christian Religion by writing, “[It] is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself” (1.I.2). A vision of the glory of God, revealed to some degree by the Law, leaves us with singed eyebrows and sore eyes. It is more than uncomfortable. Not only do we see the greatness of God, but our own smallness and corruptness is revealed in the light of God’s glory. Perhaps we even cry out like Isaiah did when he saw the Lord, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (6:5).
It is at precisely this point that the Gospel arrests us. Just as we come to the realization that we are weaker and more sinful than we ever might have believed, we hear the glorious good news of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. In Him, we find that we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope! If you’ve ever been confined to a terribly small, stuffy room, you know of the freedom and joy you experience when the doors fly open and you walk free into the immensity of open sky and earth. Christians know this freedom. Free from the crushing weight of the Law and brought into the glorious freedom of the saints in light, we can cry out in joy along with the Psalmist, “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me” (18:19).
And at some point on this journey of faith, as we more and more apprehend the earth-shaking reality of God’s grace in Christ, we find that the glory of condemnation (the Law) pales in comparison to the glory of the Gospel. This ministry of reconciliation, of the Spirit, is more—brighter, stronger, longer, deeper. “For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory” (2 Cor. 3:9). In the glory of the Spirit, we indeed find freedom, peace, and the fullness of joy. Instead of singed eyebrows and sore eyes, we walk away from this kind of glory changed in another way. “And we all…beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). In ways you don’t even perceive right now, you are being changed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ!
What is remarkable about the Gospel is that God does this. His glory. His Law. His justice. His sacrifice. Our reward. The math on this equation doesn’t work! Best for us to simply draw a sharp intake of breath in awe-struck wonder and say, “Thank you, Lord.”
It is my hope that we can experience something of this trajectory in our worship each week: our sin, God’s salvation, and our grateful response. As we experience this, we are somehow moved to live it out, and our lives take a certain shape as we begin to bear the fruit of righteousness—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The Spirit helps us in this. It ultimately, however slowly, leads to a life that is saturated with humility (I am a sinner), hope (I have a Redeemer), and thanks (God did this for me). It shapes our relationships at home, in the neighborhood, at work, at school…wherever life takes us.
This is not clean, linear work. It is not formula. It is the messy, unpredictable, Spirit-infused life of a follower of Jesus Christ. We all get to experience it together here at FCC. To be sure, we find each other at various points along the path of Christ in our life together. The point is not to be at the same place; the point is to be on the same path. And, to be crystal clear, the path is Jesus Christ.
When we gather at the Table, as we will this morning, we are reminded that we are united in and through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who fulfilled the Law that we could not, who took the punishment for our sin, who reconciles us to God today and forever. Brothers and sisters, you are children of grace! Your identity is secure! Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Ah Lord, that thou shouldest be so patient, and so full of forbearance, as not to send me to hell at such an instant! But, oh Lord, that thou shouldest go farther, and blot out mine iniquities for thine own sake…Lord, what shall I say it is? It is the free grace of my God. What expression transcendeth that, I know not.
John Owen, from the sermon “A Vision of Unchangeable Free Mercy” in The Works of John Owen, edited by Thomas Russell, Volume 15 (London: Richard Baynes, 1826), 37.
Finally, a quick heads-up on these upcoming events:
Heads-up on these upcoming events:
- Communion this morning;
- Men's lunch--Wednesday at Pal Joey's (12:00 pm);
- Sunday school celebration and picnic--next Sunday (June 9);
- Garage sale--June 15;
- VBS--June 17-21--grab a handful of invitations and saturate your neighborhood!
Sincerely,
Pastor Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment