Your Word? Is That It, Lord?

8th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/3/14
Isaiah 55:10-11


Your Word? Is that It, Lord?
I. Yes, because it’s MY word.
II. Yes, because it accomplishes MY will.


You’ve made an appointment to see your doctor about a nagging pain that you’ve never felt before. She examines you and responds, “I’ll order some tests for you. In the meantime, take Ibuprofen for the pain.” You leave her office less than satisfied. You’re still in pain and you don’t know the cause.

You call your lender because your finances are tight and you don’t see any relief coming. The rep tells you, “We can give you a one month extension, but that’s it.” You’re relieved you don’t have to make a payment for 30 days, but you have no idea what you’ll do after that. You put down your phone less than satisfied.

Your employer issues a statement that 2015 wages will increase 1%. You’re happy that your income won’t be flat, but the wage increase won’t cover the increase in cost of living. You’re less than satisfied.

I could site more examples, but by now I’m sure you get my point. We’re thankful for the small blessings we receive each day, but in the meantime, we’re still worn out. We feel rejected, depressed, unappreciated. Worse yet, we know guilt all too well. We’ve let down our loved ones and our God. Our best efforts aren’t good enough.

I know that’s how I feel. How about you? And so we come before our God this morning knowing that he knows exactly how we feel and he tells us, “Here’s what I can do for you. Here’s my word.” And instead of elation and gratitude, our reaction might be, “That’s it, Lord?” Were we hoping for so much more from him?

If so, then these words of Isaiah this morning are just what we need. When we incredulously ask, “Your word? Is that it, Lord?” he responds with a loving and an almighty, “Yes.” Join me this morning in seeing what his “yes” is all about.

Part I.

So, today we have rich people getting even richer, while the poor become poorer. Same thing in Isaiah’s day. We have government leaders who don’t seem to care about what needs to be done to help the nation. Same thing in Isaiah’s day. We have world powers flexing their political muscle and causing all sorts of death and destruction. Same thing in Isaiah’s day. We have people who care nothing about what’s right or wrong nor about their accountability to God. Same thing in Isaiah’s day. I guess there’s nothing new under the sun.

So, what’s the solution? A show of power, right? In fact, we’d like an almighty show of power. We want our God to make the enemies of his Church knuckle under. Right the wrongs. Reverse the injustices. Heal the oppressed. Let the whole world know that you, Lord, are in charge and it’s time for everyone to shape up.

That’s been tried before, remember? More than once. Perhaps most notably, God revealed his power before Pharaoh in the time of Moses. Pharaoh watched as God gave him ten amazing displays of his power, each one of them a direct attack on the false gods of Egypt. Recall Pharaoh’s reaction. He hardened his heart. Those divine blasts of power didn’t change him. Pharaoh drowned in the waters of the Red Sea with a hard heart.

So, now what, Lord? He says, “Here’s my word.” Your word? Is that it, Lord? But recall what God did with his word. On the first six days in the world’s history, God repeatedly said, “Let there be,” and instantly there was. From the atoms to the planets, from the depths of the seas to the expanses of the universe. God spoke, and it happened. It happened exactly as he wanted it to. It happened because it was his word.

What he says will always occur because it’s the word of our ever-faithful God. Our God has never said one thing and done another. He never will. Our God has never made a promise but failed to keep it. He has never planned to do something but found that he couldn’t accomplish it.

Our God has chosen to work through his word. He says in our text, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth.” When that doesn’t impress us or satisfy us, when we respond, “Your word? Is that it, Lord?” he responds, “Yes, that’s it because it is MY word.”

The Lord breaks into our world and exclaims, “Here’s MY word!” and the world’s response is—to quote the line of a song, “That don’t impress me much.” It either considers God’s word to be mythical folly, or it considers its own ways and wisdom to be much higher. And that’s nothing new. It goes all the way back to words that were spoken under the shade of a fruit tree in paradise. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. But we should be surprised—rather ashamed—when that’s our attitude as well. When we want something more than what God tells us in his word, when we feel his word doesn’t answer our needs, when we conclude that his word doesn’t have the power to do what needs to be done, when we know what he says in his word, but we have a better way—then we’re telling our God, “Is that it, Lord?” Praise him for the countless times he has reminded us, “Yes, that’s it, and recall your sinful place under me and my word.” And when we do, he uses that word to bring us what we need the most—the forgiveness which Jesus won for us and through that forgiveness the restoration of our loving relationship with him—not alongside of our God, but under him and his word.

Part II.

God’s will. We often wonder what it is that God wants. We’re not alone. Countless people have pondered what God’s will is. Some have concluded on one extreme that everything that happens is God’s will. He’s behind everything that occurs in our world. But that’s an awful, terrible thought. If that were true, it would mean that it’s God’s will for children to be abused even in the worst and most shameful of ways. It would mean God is responsible for the wars going on in our world right now. I don’t know about you, but I can’t love a god like that. On the other extreme is the thought that he has no part at all in what goes on in our world. He simply sits back as a non-participating observer who gets enjoyment watching what goes on each day. I can’t love a god like that either. I need him to be involved in my life every day.

And he is. Through his word. Listen again to what he says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Our weather this summer here in the Midwest has been unusual. Not only has it been cooler than normal, here it is the beginning of August and our lawns are still green. In normal summers by now they’re brown and dormant. And you know why it’s different this summer. The rain has come down from the sky in a timely and sufficient way. That’s the way it works.

God says the same thing about his word. “It will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” It does what God intends, what he wants. Well, what does he want? He tells us in his word, “God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). That’s God’s highest will. I know that because he tells me in his word. I know that because his word tells me Jesus came into this world to pay for the sins of all people, and his death and resurrection assure me that he did just that. Our God wants every sinner to spend eternity with him in heaven. And he uses his word to accomplish his will.

That doesn’t appear to be working so well, does it? A comparison between the number of people in our world who claim to be Christian with the estimated number of people inhabiting our earth quickly reveals that Christians are in the minority. His word doesn’t appear to be accomplishing his will.

But recall our Lord’s Parable of the Sower and the Seed, today’s gospel reading. Jesus used it to explain that the power to create and sustain faith is always in the seed—the word of God. When it accomplishes that will of God, it’s all God’s doing by the working of the Holy Spirit. When it doesn’t accomplish his will, it’s our own fault. He doesn’t cram his saving word down our throats. He wants us to believe his saving word but he doesn’t force us to. Let me reiterate: our God wants no one to perish but everyone to come to repentance. And he gives us his word to accomplish his will.

Your word? Is that it, Lord? And the Lord replies, “Yes, because it accomplishes MY will.”

So, let me suggest two reactions to that great truth. First, rejoice and praise the Lord! He has used his word to accomplish his highest will in you. God has already accomplished what he wants eternally for you. How amazing that is in view of all the uncertainties of this life! What else really matters? You know and trust in Jesus for your forgiveness and salvation. Rejoice and praise the Lord!

Second, let’s use that word. Be a sower of the word, casting it here and there. You don’t have to preach a sermon or present a systematic review of all the Bible’s truths. Even children know, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Be the salt and light of the earth. Others will want what you have when they see how you handle the joys and the sorrows of life. And then you have the chance to cast the seed of God’s word and, instead of questioning it, you can say with confidence, “This word is all I need and all anyone needs, because it is God’s word and it accomplishes his will.” Amen.