Rev.
Jeffrey T. Howard
Beaver
Dam and Pitts Creek Churches
Sermon – Isaiah
55:10-13 – God's Word Will Not Return Empty
July
13, 2014
In
1993 an agricultural study was conducted by the University of
Illinois to determine the relationship between rainfall and corn
production. They planted corn and controlled the amount of water it
received it covering them when it rained and giving the corn a
precise measurement of water. They established three control groups,
one with below average rainfall, one with average rainfall and one
with above average rainfall. They also setup three test groups which
corresponded to the the control groups, but received 25% more water
than the control groups. As the corn grew they measured the corn
production in both the control groups and the test groups to see what
effect the 25% more water would have. They determined that providing
corn with 25% more water leads to great corn production.1
The
prophet Isaiah knew this 2500 years ago. We will get to this, but
first let's pray.
“God
of goodness and growth, let your love be made real in me this day.
Soften the hardened places of my heart and crowd out any corners of
greed or anxiety. Make me be fruitful in thought, word, and deed.”
Amen.2
Isaiah
55:10-13
10
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, 11
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. 12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and
hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands. 13
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of
briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for
an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."
The last chapters of the Book of Isaiah were written at
a time when the people of God were picking up the pieces of their
lives after a national disaster. Their lives had been uprooted when
the Babylonians had defeated their armies, destroyed their cities and
farms, and burnt their temple to the ground. Now they had returned
to rebuild.
When the temple, that Solomon had built, stood the
people believed that God was in it. His glory shone in the Holy of
Holies. But when the temple was destroyed the glory of God left
Jerusalem and went to heaven. Even as they rebuilt the city and the
temple they felt that God was still far away. Also there were many
people who chose not to return to Jerusalem. They remain scattered
around the Persian empire and beyond. How could they come into
contact with their God?
The prophet Isaiah told the people of God that God's
presence should not be thought of as located in some physical place.
God did not live in a special holy place on earth where people had to
come to experience his presence. Rather, people could come close to
God though God's word, the Bible. The people of God, at this time,
began to setup gatherings where believers could come together around
scipture. The Greek word for gathering is “συναγωγή”
which
comes into English as “synagogue”.
In a gathering or synagogue the people of God would
come together to read and study God's word. They would have a
teacher, a rabbi, who was trained in biblical interpretation. He
would know what past teachers had said about a passage from scripture
and would help his people to apply God's word to their lives. And
through the study of scripture the people began to experience the
presence of God and the deepening of their faith. According to
Isaiah just as rain comes from the sky to water the crops and make
them produce so too does the word of God come from heaven to nourish
faith in our hearts.
The early Christians adopted this Jewish idea that our
faith grows when we read and study scripture together with someone
who is trained in biblical interpretation. They gathered in groups
and used the Greek name for assembly, ἐκκλησία
, which comes into English as “church”. Our Presbyterian church
continues this practice of gathering people to study God's word with
a person trained in biblical interpretation. We call this person a
“teaching elder”. That's my title. A my role is to gather us
together to read and study God's word nurturing our faith.
So according to Isaiah whenever we come together to
study the Bible our faith grows because just as rain causes the crops
to grow so too does the word of God cause faith to grow in our
hearts.
According to the University of Illinois study, which I
talked about earlier, a 25% increase in rainfall causes greater
production of corn. So too a 25% increase in the time we spend with
scripture will cause our faith to grow more abundantly. So I urge
you to increase your consumption of God's word. Be in worship every
Sunday. Attend Bible studies. Pray and meditate on scripture every
day. And your faith will grow in abundance.
Let me tell you a story about the Bible leading someone
to faith. Rosaria Butterfield was a self described leftist, lesbian
professor. She was an atheist and had little time for students who
wanted to insert the Bible into their thought. As a scholar she
wanted to know why Christians hated her so much. She thought it had
something to do with the Bible they read. Her experience of
Christians was that they would put scripture on the placards they
raised from the sidelines of gay pride parades. So she decided to
read the Bible for herself to find out how it taught Christians to
hate so much.
She
wrote an article for a local newspaper about the “unholy
trinity of Jesus, Republican politics, and patriarchy”.
This generated, as she expected, numerous pieces of hate mail from
Christians. But she received one letter that was different. It was
from the pastor
of the Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church, Ken Smith. Rev. Smith
did not call her names. Rather he asked her to examine her
assumptions about faith. And Ken invited her to dinner with himself
and his wife, Floy. Rosaria accepted the invitation and they began a
conversation about faith.
Rosaria
read the Bible over and over and asked Ken questions about it as she
did. Ken and his church prayed for her for two years. And then one
day she was ready to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of her life.3
Remember
these words from Isaiah.
Isaiah
55:10-11
10
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, 11
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 role as Christians is not to hate people we
disagree with but to share God's word with everyone. Tell them what
God has done for you. Invite them to come on Sunday mornings, to
prayer session and Bible studies and experience the Bible for
themselves. Pray for them. Share scripture with them. And one day,
maybe years later, they will come to faith. And whenever someone
comes to faith this happens.
Isaiah
55:12-13
12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and
hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands. 13
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of
briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for
an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."
Let's pray. Father in heaven we thank you for your
word which pours down upon us in blessing. We thank you for the
faith that is flourishing in our hearts. Grant us the grace we need
to proclaim this good news to people who seem to be so far from you.
Help us to share our faith and bring others to faith in you. This we
pray in your son's name. Amen.
1http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/pubdoc/B/ISWSB-73.pdf
2Feasting
on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 ©
2014 Westminster John Knox Press p78
3http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/january-february/my-train-wreck-conversion.html?paging=off
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