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Isaiah 55:10-11
The Lord's Word is Not Empty
Morning Service
Pentecost VIII, 2005
Hope Lutheran Church, Aurora, CO
Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Dear Tyler Massey, family and friends of the newly baptized, people of God,
This morning we have the privilege of considering together the wonderful gift of the Lord's Word. Both our Old Testament reading (Isaiah 55:10-11) and the reading from the Gospel of St Matthew (13:1-9,18-23) extol this gift.
Jesus tells us, in a parable, the the Word of the Lord is like seed thrown out in generous fashion by a generous farmer. That seed, when it falls in good soil, grows and bears fruit, yielding thirty, sixty, even an hundred-fold crop.
Isaiah preaches to us that the Word of the Lord is like the rain and the snow that waters the earth and brings forth fruit. Other beautiful images from the Scriptures could be added to the list.
The Word of the Lord is like a refreshing stream or river. Psalm 1: Blessed is the man... who delights in the Law of the LORD, He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither.
The Word of the Lord is like bread that nourishes. Deuteronomy 8: Man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
All of these images, seed, rain, rivers and bread, talk of growth and life, but we will add another: The Word of the Lord is like a sword. Ephesians 6: Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
In all of these passages the Lord Jesus is teaching us what we have before us, what He gives us in His Word, for His Word is indeed a great treasure that we should esteem and hold dear to our hearts. He has even given us this promise, again from the Old Testament Lesson, “So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth, it shall not return to Me empty.” The Lord's Word is not empty or powerless, it is not lazy or dead, but is full. This morning we will rejoice in the Lord's gift of His Word, as we consider these three points:
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The Word of the Lord is full of truth.
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The Word of the Lord is full of holiness.
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The Word of the Lord is full of Jesus.
I. First, the Word of the Lord is full of truth.
It is a terrible fact that today in many churches there are pastors that teach that the Lord's Word, the Holy Scriptures, are not completely true, but contain errors. Instead of teaching that the Bible is God's Word, these teachers say that the Bible contains God's Word. In other words, parts of the Bible are inspired by God and are true, but other parts of the Bible are merely the words of men, and therefore contain error. Or, they might say that, because the Scriptures were written by men, they are fallible, but that there are truths hidden underneath these words. It now becomes the job of the teacher and the people to find out which words are God's and which are men's, which are true and which are false. And if this is what's going on, we know who is in charge. Its not the Lord and His Word, its man who is choosing which word he likes and which word he dislikes.
This all serves to push the Lord out of His Word and His Word out of our hearts, so we can live and believe as we wish. We can decide what is true for us, you've heard it all. But against this nonsense we rejoice that the Lord's Word is full of truth, that there is not one error. That the Lord's Word is, in theological language, inerrant and infallible, that is both without error and unable to err. Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken,” [St John 10:35] and while praying to His Father, “Your Word is truth.” [St John 17:17] St Paul says as much when he exclaims, “Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar.” [Romans 3:4] The Lord's Word is full of truth, it is completely trustworthy.
This is good news, for we need not worry or wonder when we take up the Lord's Word, “Is this true? Is this right?” The answer is always “yes”, for the Lord wants to give us His sure and certain Word, that in it we may find our sure and certain salvation and have the sure and certain assurance that our sins are forgiven through the death of Jesus.
And so we rejoice that the Lord's Word is full of truth, and there's even more rejoicing, for
II. the Lord's Word is also full of holiness.
In the middle-ages there was a fascination with holy things and holy places. (I guess it's really no different today.) The holy things were relics, a piece of cross on which Jesus was crucified, a tooth of St Andrew, a lock of Mary Magdalene's hair, a drop of St Augustine's blood. All of these were thought to be holy, and therefore have the power to work miracles. People went on pilgrimages to the holy places to see and touch the holy things for help and aid, and be healed of their illness or see some other work of God. It might seem a bit silly to us who are heirs of the Reformation, but the bulk of medieval piety was built around these relics.
With this in mind, hear how Dr. Luther speaks of the Lord's Word.
The Word of God is the true relic, the true holy thing above all holy things. Indeed, it is the only one we Christians acknowledge and have. Though we had the bones of all the saints or all the holy and consecrated vestments gathered together in one heap, they could not help us in the slightest degree, for they are all dead things that can sanctify [or make holy] no one. But God's Word is the treasure that sanctifies [and makes holy] all things. [The Large Catechism, Third Commandment]
The Word of the Lord is full of holiness. It, and it alone, makes holy. So this morning we witnessed your baptism, Tyler. That was no ordinary water, but holy water, because it was water joined to the Word. You are a child because of God's Word, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit put on you according to the Lord's command.
All of you who are baptized are called saints, that is holy people, not because your works are holy or your lives are holy or because you work miracles. You are holy because you have the Lord's Word, because you, by faith, cling to the Lord's promise of the forgiveness of all of your sins. We believe in the one, holy, Christian and apostolic church. The church is not holy because of her great works and deeds, but because she has the Word of God, it is the only holy thing that we have.
The Word of the Lord is full of holiness, and so it has the power to make us holy. As Paul teaches us, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation,” [Romans 1:16] and, “Faith comes by hearing, and hear by the Word of God.” [Romans 10:17].
Isaiah says the same in our text. The Word will not return empty, but accomplish what is sent to do. The Word does the work, is creates and sustains the faith that it demands. The Lord's Word is powerful and effective; no human works or will here, the Lord's Word converts the soul.
And so we rejoice that the Lord's Word is full of holiness, and, third,
III. We rejoice that the Word of the Lord is full of Jesus.
It is sad that in our day many Christians do not see this. They see the Bible as chiefly an instruction book, a rule book, a law book. They say that the Bible is the “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth,” the handbook of Christian living. Now, it is true that the Bible does indeed have Laws and instructions on how we should live our lives here on earth, but is this the chief concern of the Scriptures? Is God mostly concerned that we get our lives straighten out? That we become holy by keeping the Law and following His instructions?
No. The Bible is chiefly about Jesus. The Word of the Lord is full of Jesus. From the beginning to the end, from Genesis to Revelation, this book, this Bible, is full to overflowing with Jesus. Jesus is even called “the Word” [St John 1]; He is the grand subject of the Scriptures.
Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify of Me.” [St John 5:39] The Scriptures testify, they witness to Jesus. On the road to Emmaus the resurrected Jesus came and walked beside Cleopas and another one of His disciples, neither of whom recognized Him. After hearing of their disappointment in His death, Jesus chastises them, saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And, says St Luke, beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
In all the Scriptures concerning Jesus: on every page, around every corner, there is Jesus; the Lord's Word is full of Jesus, and if the Bible is full of Jesus, then it is also full of salvation, full of God's grace and mercy and love, full of the forgiveness of all of our sins, full of comfort and peace and life.
Oh what a treasure the Lord has given us in His Word, what a gift! For His Word is full of truth, full of holiness, and full of Jesus, and it is all for us; it is for you. May God continue to grant that His Word would have free course among us, that we would rejoice in its fullness, and find in His Word our life, and salvation, and the forgiveness of all of our sins. Amen.
And now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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