Second Sunday after the Epiphany



First, God’s Good News is really good news because he gives it to really bad people. How bad? Judge for yourselves. From a couple of chapters prior to our text: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies” (Is 59:2-3a). How bad? “Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways” (v 7). Understand that in our text, God speaks this Good News to really bad people who had forsaken Him, chased after other gods, and committed unspeakable and idolatrous acts.

But that’s good! It means God disqualifies no one from His Good News no matter how unspeakable the sin. It means He will not disqualify any of us, His really bad people today. How bad? Judge for yourselves. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph 2:1-3). By nature we are all really bad. We need some really good news!

But let’s get specific. On this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday we need to speak of one of those unspeakable sins, the sin of abortion. Yes, abortion is political and controversial. But at its core, it is a sin. That’s why we are compelled to speak about it. We speak about it so that we can make it very clear that it is a sin. Abortion destroys, in very brutal ways 3,000 times a day, a tiny human life. Abortion destroys a life gifted and created by God. Abortion destroys a life for whom Jesus was born and died. A Christian cannot defend abortion as a choice or a right. To do so supports those who Isaiah says, “are swift to shed innocent blood” (59:7a).

We speak about abortion today because of the great pain and regret suffered by those involved in this decision. Since seventy-five percent of those having an abortion are Christian, there could very well be someone here this morning who has been affected by an abortion decision. You may very well feel like the people Isaiah was talking to when they realized the gravity of their sin. “We hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom” (59:9b). If that describes you, if that describes any of you because of sin in your life, God has really good news for you today!

God’s Good News is really good because it restores sinners so completely. Those really bad people will be “a crown of beauty . . . a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (62:3). We’re not just talking about something beautiful here but something really beautiful, something royally beautiful and, therefore, precious to God.

Those really bad people will be given new names. Instead of “Forsaken,” they will be “My Delight.” Instead of “Desolate,” they will be “Married” (v 4). What incredible restoration! This is not, “You’ll be restored and you’ll be okay to God.” This is not, “You’ll be restored and God will be your friend.” This is, “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (v 5b).

If you have had an abortion or pressured someone into an abortion, I’d like to talk with you right now. You other sinners can listen in because we all need to hear this, but we don’t talk about abortion much in church and so those struggling with this sin don’t always hear the Good News applied to them. But I hope you are hearing it today! Take what you are hearing personally. God’s restoration of the sinner is a complete restoration. God’s restoration of you is complete. You are precious to God, like a royal diadem. You may feel forsaken, but you are God’s delight. It may seem like you are desolate and alone, but you are married, joined to God by His great love for you. Indeed, He rejoices over you as a bridegroom over His beautiful bride.

Yes, God’s Good News is really good news. So stunningly good we are compelled to ask, “How can this be?”

This really good news of restoration for really bad people comes as God’s gift through His Son Jesus Christ. God restores us as “royal diadems” by emptying Himself of His divine royalty and taking the form of a servant. Jesus was conceived and born to take on human flesh. God restores us as “crowns of beauty” by impaling His Son with a crown of thorns and nailing Him to a cross. The blood that flowed from that cross cleanses the blood on our hands because of sin and our toleration of sin. Jesus the King became a pauper so we could be seen as royalty in God’s eyes.

This really good news comes as a gift from God through Jesus. The only reason we can be called “My Delight” is because God made His Son in whom He delighted the Forsaken One. God placed all of our unspeakable and idolatrous sins upon Jesus. God forsook Him. God turned His face away from Jesus so He could shine His face upon us and delight in us.

The only reason we can be called “Married” is because God made Jesus “Desolate.” What Jesus suffered on that cross was more than torturous physical pain. Jesus suffered the very desolation of eternal hell we all deserved. What love that God would condemn His Son so He could rejoice over us! Now nothing separates us from that love. Nothing stands between us and God. We are married!

God’s really good news completely restores because He accomplishes it for us through His Son. There is nothing for us to do. There is nothing left to do. We receive this gift through faith and humbly rejoice.

But we do not rejoice to ourselves. When you have really good news like this, you can’t keep silent. Isaiah couldn’t. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch” (v 1). The Epiphany season is about making known this really good news. It’s about shining the brightness of this good news into a sin-darkened world and into sin-darkened lives.

God gives many opportunities to shine this good news. World missions, national missions, and local missions provide opportunities for support either directly or indirectly. (Here you may want to list some specific opportunities available in your church body, area, or congregation). God provides less formal opportunities to shine as we live out our daily lives and interact with neighbors, co-workers, classmates, or family members. We can be open to opportunities to witness to how this really good news has been good for us.

God also gives opportunities to shine this good news through the life issues facing our nation and affecting our lives. Silence about these issues forfeits many such opportunities. God’s good news message of life is tailor made for issues of life and death. Maybe it’s another negative pregnancy test for the infertile couple or a positive pregnancy test for the teenager. Maybe it’s that biopsy report, a debilitating stroke, or a frightening diagnosis. When bad news comes with its darkness, people need some good news shined upon them.

We have really good news! We have the good news of a Savior who loves us and forgives us, a Savior who holds us in His hands as a precious jewel and who will never abandon us, a Savoir who knows about suffering and how to bring good from suffering. With such good news, how can we be silent?

As we said earlier, when people sin against life and have hearts burdened with the darkness of guilt and regret, we have good news to shine upon them. We have the good news of a Savior who has taken our sin and taken our place on a cross because of that sin. We have the good news of a Savoir who not only restores, but restores completely. With such good news, how can we be silent? How can we not address the life issues and shine this good news upon them?

Whether it’s writing a check to support missions overseas or making an evangelism call in our neighborhood, whether it’s volunteering at a pregnancy center or doing a Bible study on post-abortion syndrome, God provides many ways to shine forth His good news.

And remember, it’s not just good news. Sometimes you just have to use an adverb. The Good News of the birth of our Savior is really good news!

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