Title: ALL THINGS MUST WORK TOGETHER
Focus: Rest in the knowledge that all things must work together, so that God’s purposes will be realized for the salvation of his people and the renewal of all things.
Function: To encourage the people, especially in light of tragedies and calamities, to deepen or anchor their trust in our heavenly Father’s providential reign.
Text: Isaiah 45:1-13
INTRODUCTION
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging,” so says the Psalmist (Psalm 46). Hmmmm! What does he know that we need to know today?
In the last 5 weeks we have seen calamities and wreckage all over the world: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—about 1000 deaths and hundreds of thousands ending up homeless and destitute in America. Hurricane Scott in Latin America--with mudslides killing 1400 villagers or more. And recent torrential rains and flooding in the Northeast have led to deaths and havoc for many Americans.
Terrorists bombed some tourist attraction in Bali, Indonesia and killed about 30 people while wounding others. Homicide bombers in Iraq did likewise and wounded dozens more. A shootout between Islamic militants and Russian security forces somewhere in Russia led to 100 deaths. Earthquakes in India and Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan caused the deaths of more than 40.000 people, with more than 2 million people becoming homeless, having to face a winter in tents. And some World Health Officials are now talking about the real threat of a pandemic spread of Asian Bird flu. What’s going on? Where’s God in all of these calamities and tragedies?
A leading, radical Muslim cleric in Indonesia said (in response to the terrorist’s bombing in Bali) that the bombing “was an act or sign of God’s displeasure on the nation of Indonesia. The government of Indonesia had better go to Islamic rule and law and tradition rather than a western style of democracy.”
Such a statement may seem
preposterous to western ears, but to me it is one more reason for Christians to
raise some hard questions and find a reassuring word from the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we turn
to the Scriptures today and we hear this message coming through: rest in the
knowledge that all things must work together, so that God’s purposes will be
realized for the salvation of his people and the renewal of all things.
Today the prophet Isaiah introduces us to a very important ruler of his day: Cyrus—king of Persia and ruler of a vast empire. Cyrus is a man of power. When he says, “jump!” you jump. Cyrus must be obeyed.
Cyrus is also an open-minded, flexible king: he is willing to accommodate the religious beliefs in his Babylonian empire, and thus he restores and maintains the temples of many different gods. Cyrus, however, also accommodates the Jewish exiles in his empire: they believe in the One true God, the God of Israel. When it comes to religion in his domain, Cyrus is flexible.
Now if you were a journalist in Cyrus’ days, you would report Cyrus’ deeds in the Star Tribune; and local t.v. stations would talk about the rising popularity poll of Cyrus. But no one would do what Isaiah the prophet does: Isaiah reports to God’s people--the Jews in exile and the remaining people in Israel—that Cyrus is an instrument in God’s hand to restore Jerusalem and the temple and the nation of Israel. Listen:
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings
of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:….” In other words, Isaiah informs
God’s people that Cyrus is a pawn, an instrument in the hand of God. Cyrus may
think that he is absolute ruler of his empire, that he has total control over
the destiny of his subjects, but such thinking, it turns out, is a delusion.
Isaiah makes clear that God is sovereign ruler, and that Cyrus is an instrument
in God’s hand.
Isaiah, then, provides us with a
number of insights about God’s workings in the midst of political power plays.
World events, including seemingly senseless and horrific acts of violence as
well as so-called natural disasters—these all are under the scrutiny and
control of our heavenly Father. Consider the text and note:
1.
Cyrus fights the
battles; but the Lord moves Cyrus: Listen:
“I will go before you [Cyrus] and will level the mountains; I will break down
gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of
darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the
Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” Clearly, Cyrus’ success as conqueror hinges on the
Lord’s protection and blessings in the conquests. The invisible hand or power
of God becomes visible in the power exercised by King Cyrus.
In light of the Bible’s teachings,
the Christian church explains this power as the “providence” of God. “Providence is the almighty and ever present power
of God, by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and
blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and
sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance
but from his fatherly hand” (L.D. 10). Cyrus may think that he is
handling the affairs of his kingdom. But really, it is God who handles the
blueprint of life and history.
2.
We must learn to acknowledge
God in the midst of history: Why? Because God reveals himself or makes his power known to all
creatures. Listen: (vs. 5) “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart
from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, [Cyrus] though you do not acknowledge
me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know
there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.” You and I, my friends, must learn
to look for the hand of God in the affairs of the nations of the world and in
all the circumstances of life.
Rest in the knowledge that all
things must work together, so that God’s purposes will be realized for the
salvation of his people and the renewal of all things. Listen again: (vs.4) “For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my
chosen, I summon you [Cyrus] by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though
you do not acknowledge me.”
The Lord will use all kinds of people and all kinds of
forces, including the laws he has ordained in his creation, as well as the raw,
chaotic powers of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. The Lord
uses them all to somehow draw our attention to him and to somehow achieve his
purposes for his people and his world. Listen: (vs. 7) “I form the light and
create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all
these things. “ Rest in the
knowledge that all things must work together under God’s sovereign power.
3.
I know, I know, this
means that you and I must live with tension: Oodles of people have given up on the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, because they can’t square the death of 6 million Jews in the
Holocaust with God’s love and power. “If
God is all-powerful and loving,” they say, “why does
not he stop these horrible things in our lives?” “Why must innocent people die
and poor people suffer injustice?” The question of
“Where is God in all this mess we encounter everyday?” creates a lot of tension
within us. And many end up rejecting their trust in God altogether. But that’s
a mistake!
It’s as if God anticipates such a
response from us. And so, through Isaiah, God speaks to us and says (vs. 9ff) “Woe
to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the
potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’
Does your work say, ‘He has no hands?’ Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What
have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’ In other words, know your place
before the Lord!
The posture we must adopt in the
midst of everything that is going on is a posture of resting in the knowledge
that all things must work together, so that God’s purposes will be realized for
the salvation of his people and the renewal of all things. Such posture of
resting means that we must learn to live with the tension of unanswered
questions. “This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its
Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give
me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth, and created
mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their
starry hosts. I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his
ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free…” (vs. 11-13).
APPLICATIONS
Many today are unwilling to live
with this tension. Many refuse to rest in the knowledge that all things must
work together. Sometimes, it’s hard to live with unanswered questions. It’s
clarity we want, not mystery.
In 1960 my 5-year old sister was
killed by a truck while crossing the street. The foundations of my family were
shaken. In their grief and sorrow, my parents, however, did not despair, or
rebel, or gave up on God. They chose to live with tension and unanswered
questions, while at the same time trust in God. Rebelling against God or
rejecting our heavenly Father because we can’t see how God’s love and power fit
into the midst of human chaos and suffering is far worse than living with
mystery and resting in the knowledge that all things must work together under
God’s powerful right hand.
You know what I consider the bleakest picture, the most
despairing point of view in life? It’s the picture that has no room, no place
for God. It’s true: I do not for one moment understand the mystery of God’s
hand in tragedies and seemingly senseless deaths. But if I must leave God out
of these situations—as if God is totally out of the picture—then I am left with
nothing else but despair. God does not want us to despair. God calls us to
trust—even when everything seems so hopelessly out of control.
Go ahead. Draw near to God in your prayers and ask him:
“Lord, where are you in this calamity? How must I square this mudslide, that
hurricane, that senseless violent crime, that horrendous injustice, that
tyranny by this dictator—with your power, your love, your purposes? We may have
to live with mystery and unanswered questions, but this much I know: our faith
will deepen as we rest in the knowledge that all things must work together, so
that God’s purposes will be realized for the salvation of his people and the
renewal of all things.
Remember, asking these tough questions on our knees:
·
Honors our Creator: Our heavenly Father will not abandon the works of his
hands. In fact,
through his Son, the Lord Jesus, our heavenly Father has brought about the
great turn around. That’s why Scripture says, (Colossians
1:16ff) “For
by (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were
created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together.” In other words,
Jesus is the key. He is the firstborn over all creation; and he is the
firstborn from among the dead. He is the Creator and the Savior, the One who
upholds, and the One who delivers and makes all things new.
Also, asking the tough questions
about God’s hand in the daily affairs of our lives:
·
Reflects our dependence
upon God: Our
heavenly Father is indeed the potter; we are indeed the clay. He is infinite;
we are finite, creatures, frail, and utterly dependent upon God for every
breath we take. It is alright to strike this posture of dependence; It’s the
posture of faith, of deep trust in the knowledge that all things must work
together. Go ahead. Talk to the Lord, lay before him the questions that bother
you. And be sure to place yourself before the cross of Jesus. Yes, you heard it
correctly: asking the tough questions about God in the midst of human
suffering:
·
Leads us to the death and resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ: Earlier I said
that Jesus is the key to all of life and to the affairs of the world. When he
was crucified as the sinless Son of God, Jesus took upon himself all the
world’s sins, all our suffering, and all our misery. And he died for us, in our
place. Then, three days later, the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead.
Thus he conquered the power of sin and death. And thus he opened the way for
eternal life and full restoration. This is what we are waiting for today—the full
restoration of all things. And that’s why Christians continue to pray “Maranatha—Lord Jesus, come soon.”
It’s like this: all of life’s
circumstances, all of the developments in history, all of the seemingly
senseless occurrences of calamities and tragedies, all of the conniving and
politicking of politicians, kings, queens and tyrants, along with all the
beauty and joy and laughter and happiness that come our way—all of these things
are like a cathedral that is completely surrounded by scaffolds.
Have you ever seen a large building
like a cathedral surrounded by scaffolds? It’s not a pretty sight. I remember
seeing one cathedral on a daily basis for more than 5 years under restoration.
The massive, elaborate scaffolds basically hid the church; carpenters hammered
away for months; sculptors restored old carvings and chiseled new ones;
bricklayers patiently mixed the right kind of cement to restore the bricks of
the church. And the entire worksite was a mess. This went on for 5 years.
Then came the day when the scaffolds fell away. It was on
that day that the people in that town understood that the five years of hard
work were worth it and the thousands of dollars were well spent. Because on
that day they saw a fully restored cathedral, its roof brilliantly reflecting
the sunshine, its stones and structure renewed and restored.
There will come a day when the
risen, ascended Lord Jesus comes again. Then the scaffolds of history and daily
human affairs will fall away. And then the splendor of God’s renewed creation,
and the beauty of God’s church—the people of faith in Jesus Christ—will be
fully revealed.
Now we live with mystery and unanswered questions. True, but
we live with hope. Now we live with tension, to be sure, but that’s part of
what it means to live by faith, resting in the knowledge that all things must
work together, so that God’s purposes will be realized for the salvation of his
people and the renewal of all things.
Glory
be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.