Restoration, Grace, and Peace
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In this season after Pentecost, living out the expansion of God’s kingdom, this morning, our texts lead us to something special. We should always look for what the passage has to say about God. These passages reveal one of my favorite aspects of who God is. It’s a church word, but it’s a church word because it’s worthy of 2000 years of meditation and reflection. I’m talking about the message of Grace. And what is grace? Grace is undeserved favor. When God looks on us, it gives him joy. But not because we are so good or amazing, but because he is loving. When we think about the undeserved favor that is grace, sometimes we skip over that “undeserved” part. But it is undeserved. There’s nothing inherently wonderful about you or me that God loves us. If you think there is, then the thing that characterizes your spiritual identity might be pride, but it’s not grace. When God looks at you and smiles, it’s not that “There’s just something about that Thom, he just makes me smile.” No, when he looks at us, he sees what Jesus did, he sees that his work was applied to us, he sees someone Jesus died for and that makes him smile. And that is undeserved favor. That is grace.
So where do we see this undeserved favor in our passages? My favorite one is from Isaiah. It clearly shows that God is not simply a God of judgment in the Old Testament and a God of grace in the New Testament. No, contrary to public opinion, God is a God of grace in the Old Testament as well as the New. After pointing back to his covenant, calling Israel back to himself in no uncertain terms, the Lord shows his heart for them and extends to them his grace.
14 And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”
He sees a weary, discouraged Israel and he commands that all of the obstructions be removed from their path. And not only that, he’s calling for the path to be built up.
We have a fairly long gravel driveway at our house. That thing does not maintain itself. Our son, Edmund got a new bike for his birthday, but he has to learn how to balance on a long gravel road. For him to really get it, we need to take him where the road is steady, flat, prime for riding. One day we hope to be able to pave our road or make a riding course, but for now he needs to get to a solid surface. For the people of Israel, God wants the road prepared, made steady, with obstacles removed. He’s not telling Israel to do it for themselves, any more than we would tell Edmund to improve our driveway, but God wants it done for them. Who will build up their road back to him? Who will remove the obstacles? A yet unnamed source of help.
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
While God is far beyond us, transcending this sinful world, and remembers eternity before sin ever existed, he defies our categories for what is weighty, holy, and righteous, yet he wants us to know that he is also present with the lowly of spirit and those who are humble and sorry for their sin. He’s there with them, with you, with me, to revive their heart. To bring them comfort after considering, really considering what they’ve done and left undone, in their thoughts, their words, and their actions, and humbled themselves in the presence of someone who has never done or thought anything wrong, but is the source of all goodness, righteousness, joy, and love. He brings himself into the presence of the contrite to revive their spirit, to revive their heart, not coming as a judge, though he has every right to, but coming alongside the humble to love and encourage them.
16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. 17 Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
He’s not going to level charges at you forever. He will make his case and he has made his case. When he sees you in a pattern of sin, he may try to snap you out of it. He sent Israel into exile to think about what they had done for 70 years. But they didn’t snap out of it. They slipped back into their old ways, they continued in sin. You see, Israel was stubborn in sin. And in the New Testament, Israel serves as a parable for us. What do you think? Have you ever seen this pattern in your own life? When you find yourself stuck in sin, it is met with something to snap you out of it, to steer you away from the danger. So, something goes wrong. And you look up from your sin and remember: There’s someone who knows you and your heart and your sin and he wants you to stop it because it’s bad for you, and it’s unworthy of you and it’s unworthy of him. And other people see what you’re doing and start mourning over your sin. But you keep on going. This is a common pattern for sin to assert itself into our lives. So after all of that, after you repeatedly decide to turn in the wrong direction, what is God’s response? Does he kill you? Does he hate you?
Look at vs. 18
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him.
Does he kill or hate us, when if he used the standards we expect from the world around us, he just might? No! “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners” so that they say, ‘Peace, peace to the far and the near,’ and I will heal him.” The only one who can truly know you, far better than you know yourself, who has seen what you’ve thought, and done, he has seen everything, but he promises to bring you healing, restoration, and comfort, to you and to your mourners. When people see the healing that you received, the message of peace will go out, far and wide.
We see this in our New Testament reading. Paul’s speaking of Jesus here. It says in v. 17:
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
And remember when Jesus sent out his disciples out into Israel, he told them whenever he entered a house to say, “Peace” to those who lived there, and if they were a person of peace, they’d return it.
The church as the recipients of God’s grace, the witnesses of his healing presence go out into the world, open their lips, and their mouths declare God’s praise and his peace.
After their healing takes place, God says again, “and I will heal him.” So first Israel is healed, then everyone sees and spreads the word. And then again, he says, “I will heal him.” Why the repetition? Well, God isn’t just going to restore you from your guilt, though he will do that; He has done that. He’s also going to bring you final healing. We see here in this passage, sin, death, where God strikes Israel, a restoration and then a final restoration, a picture of resurrection. Israel’s narrative points the way to Jesus’ narrative. And that is the narrative that we’re grafted in to at the Cross.
At the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, peace is proclaimed between God and man, to the far and to the near. It is there that the way from sinful man to God is built up and made not only traversable, but indestructible.
And at the resurrection of Jesus, we see a picture of that final healing, the final healing that we will receive on the last day.
From the restoration of Israel from exile, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the restoration of your life from sin and death to new life. Isaiah’s picture of grace has become your story and my story, and we respond by saying, “Peace, peace”!
If you are a Christian, someone has proclaimed peace to you. God has brought healing and restoration even to the backslider. I hope you have come to know that peace: the person who has the only opinion that matters looks at you in all your imperfection and smiles.
Isaiah doesn’t leave us there, though, and neither does Paul, and neither does Jesus. There’s a warning for those of us who see God’s offer of grace and keep walking and say, “Fine, that means I don’t have to engage with any of this.” Look at vs. 20:
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
The grace and peace of God is extended to everyone: sinners and perfect people (who are just blind sinners). But there is no peace for the wicked, for those who look at someone offering peace, and smirk, or laugh, or walk away, or spit, or swear. For those who refuse the peace that is offered them, there is no peace. And so we have a choice. We can receive the grace and peace of God, offered by Jesus on the Cross, or we can refuse it. It’s not a hard choice. God wants you to receive his gift of grace and peace to you. He went to unimaginable lengths to give you that opportunity. He built up the road back to him. Even if you don’t receive God’s gift of grace and peace, it may eventually choose you. But please don’t take that chance. Don’t miss your chance for peace. In this season after the birth of the church, and it’s journey out into the world, remember that peace was proclaimed to you and go and do the same.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.