Here's a God-Pleasing Faith!

5th Sunday after Epiphany, 2/6/11
Isaiah 58:5-9a

Here’s a God-Pleasing Faith!
I. Not mere religious ritual
II. But a faith full of love
III. A faith blessed by the Lord

Have you heard? It’s not popular anymore to say that you’re a religious person. That probably comes as no surprise. After all, everywhere we look, it seems like religion is taking a hit—in our schools, in the media, in fictional and non-fiction publications.

But it is popular to state that you’re spiritual. Spiritual, but not religious. You might wonder, “What’s the difference?” Being religious implies that you’re a member of an outward organization and that membership is evident by what you do. You support that organization with your efforts and even with your contributions. Being religious implies a wider web of influence.

But being spiritual is a very personal thing. Other people, even those who would say they know you, may not be aware of your spirituality. Being spiritual also implies that you choose how to express that individually. You’re not concerned about how others are expressing their spirituality. You don’t influence them and they don’t influence you. More or less, you’re a spiritual island to yourself.

Did you catch what was missing in both descriptions? I never mentioned the word “faith.” That’s because people try to leave what they believe out of the discussion. They want to focus simply on what they do.

It’s been that way as long as sin was in the world. Recall the event of the world’s first murder. Cain and Abel were both involved in acts of worship. But Cain was just going through the motions. His religion was based on ritual that was devoid of faith.

Too many people fall into that trap. And the temptation for us to do the same is great, sometimes overwhelming.

It happened with God’s Old Testament people during the time of his prophet Isaiah. In this morning’s sermon text, the Lord tells them what he thinks about their religious practices. And in doing so, he presents to them what he’s looking for.

Have you ever wondered what God is looking for from you? Then listen because here’s a God-pleasing faith. Let’s see what it is.

Part I.

Do you admire a person that’s two-faced? None of us do. In fact, it infuriates us. Do they think we’re that ignorant not to notice?

Somehow the Jews of Isaiah’s day forgot that God notices everything and he doesn’t forget. In the verses right before our text, he blasts them for fasting and then exploiting their employees. He points out how they did the “worship” thing, and then went home and quarreled with each other and even struck each other. And the worst part of it was that they thought nothing of it.

The Lord made it clear he wasn’t pleased. He told them, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?” Their religion had become mere rituals. They gathered on the Sabbath to whisper a few prayers and double-down into a couple bows of feigned humility. They nodded their heads in fake agreement with what was being said. They offered outward compliance with what was expected of them.

Obviously that’s not what the Lord is looking for. He doesn’t want mere religious rituals.

We know that. I don’t think I’ve told you anything new. But let’s not forget it. Being here this morning sitting in the right place, saying the right words and making the right offering at the right time aren’t what God is looking for. Just because we’re here this morning doesn’t mean we get a star next to our name on our weekly chore chart on God’s refrigerator door. When you spoke the confession of sins at the beginning of worship, did you mean it? Or was it ritual? In a few minutes will your words of the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer be heartfelt or ritual? Even more important, how will you act when you return to home and work? Remember, God is not pleased with mere ritual.

Part II.

So what does he want from you? From me? What should we give him? Where do we start? What really matters to him? We could spend every waking moment praying to him and it wouldn’t matter. We could offer him everything we own, and he still wouldn’t be pleased. So what does he want?

One Christian once said, “If God can’t have your heart, then he doesn’t want anything from you at all.” The Lord wants your heart of faith. Well, just what does that look like? First, a heart of faith is aware of its sin. It not only confesses its sin, but it also knows what the punishment for sin is—death in hell. A heart of faith realizes that we offend the holy God daily with our sins and that we have nothing to offer him for a single sin.

But a heart of faith also knows and trusts the grace of God. God’s grace is his undeserved favor. God showed us his grace in his Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus came to deal with our sins. He lived a holy life in our place. And then he died as our Substitute. He took the punishment of our sins upon himself. God’s highest will is for us to trust that Jesus is that Savior who won forgiveness for us. That’s the heart he’s looking for—a heart full of faith in Jesus.

That faith which lives in us is evident to others by the way we live. Yes, that involves what we’re doing right now. Our worship is a reflection of our faith in Jesus. God is pleased with such worship. What we’re doing right now is an important part of our response of faith.

But so is our life when we leave those doors. The Lord said through Isaiah, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” He mentions acts of mercy to those in our community—the oppressed, the needy, those who are victims of injustice. But he also mentions caring for our own family members—our own flesh and blood. What we believe here translates into how we treat others out there.

Here’s a God-pleasing faith. It’s a faith full of love.

It’s true that many people suffer because of their own foolishness and sin. But it’s also true that we tend to overlook those who truly need our help and compassion. Instead of our ridicule, they need our loving care and assistance. If we’re honest, we must confess our selfish heartlessness. And I realize that our individual efforts are just a drop of charitable water in the ocean of needy humanity. But it’s really a matter of the heart. That’s what the Lord is looking for. He’s looking for a heart filled with love for Christ that spills over into love for our neighbor. Only Jesus did that perfectly. We don’t, not even close. Thank God, then, for his forgiveness, a forgiveness that is full and free, won for us by Christ on his cross. Let that thankful heart show itself in a fruitful faith, a faith that loves others.

Part III.

I suppose that one way of looking at your Christian faith is to consider what it takes from you. Your faith in Jesus means you don’t feed your sinful nature. It means you won’t enjoy the ill-gotten gain that others do. It takes your time, your efforts, even some of your money.

But none of us thinks that way, do we? Instead, we proclaim what our faith gives us. And that’s a God-pleasing faith. The Lord speaks about those blessings he bestows on those who have such a faith. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”

Talk to people in our area whose electric service was interrupted by the recent ice storm. They can’t wait to see daylight. Light makes their situation more bearable and gives them some joy. The same holds true in a far greater way with the faith your God has given you. Eternal life in heaven is yours no matter how dismal your earthly surroundings. Your Lord blesses you with joy.

Isaiah also speaks of healing. He’s not speaking about relief from your daily physical aches and pains. He’s speaking about spiritual healing. That’s a healing God bestows through the forgiveness of sins. Your faith in Jesus grabs hold of daily forgiveness, full and free.

What’s more, you’ve got the almighty Lord on your side. In fact, he goes in front and behind you like an army guard. The same Lord who protected the Israelites in exodus with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night protects you every second of every day. He even sends his holy angels to protect you.

And if all that weren’t enough, he promises that when we cry out to him, he responds, “Here am I.” Your God is not some impersonal force in the vast universe. He’s your personal God who wants a close, loving relationship with you. He’s with you always. He comes to you personally in his word and sacraments. He wants you to know and believe that you’re never alone, no matter what you face. Even death cannot separate us from him.

Here’s a God-pleasing faith—a faith blessed by the Lord.

Child of God, you are truly blessed! Let your faith in Jesus lift your despairing eyes. Let his presence and protection comfort and guide you. Know with all your heart that, with your God-pleasing faith in Jesus, all is well. Hell itself can’t conquer you. Your God loves you so much that he died for you. He’ll let nothing take you from him. Those are blessings God gives you because he gave you a God-pleasing faith. Cherish that faith! Hold it fast! Amen.