The Lord Has Done Glorious Things

THE LORD HAS DONE GLORIOUS THINGS

April 16, 2006 - Easter Sunday - Isaiah 12

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In the name of our risen Lord, grace, mercy and peace on this Festival Sunday:

Today, we are going to be reminded that we cannot and we dare not ever underestimate the power of Jesus’ resurrection. No matter how often we celebrate Easter, no matter how often we hear that death has been swallowed up in victory, it ought never be enough. We need to hear that message over and over again to remind us as Isaiah says that there is reason to rejoice. There is reason to celebrate, not just this Sunday but also every Sunday, not just every Sunday, but every day of our lives. This reason to celebrate and rejoice is especially important in our day and age because of the doom and gloom that is around us. Every day we hear that we are on the edge of disaster, economic ruin, wars and terrors. People sometimes grow glum and are filled with despair. They just don’t know what the future holds.

Today, we celebrate the fact that the future is certain, that indeed Christ is risen. Christ has come back to life so that we, no matter what happens between now and eternity, have eternity as our home. Heaven is the place where Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for each and every one of his believers. No wonder Isaiah is so filled with joy in chapter 12. No wonder a joyous verse in our Verse of the Day from the Psalms (118:24). Psalm 98 begins the same way, "Sing to the LORD a new song for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations" (Psalm 98:1,2). This sums up our text today. In the verses of our text we heard these words: "The Lord has done glorious things." We are going to consider that as our theme this morning, THE LORD HAS DONE GLORIOUS THINGS! This means

I. The Lord has become my salvation (as our personal Savior). Therefore with joy and rejoicing we II. Let this be known to all the world (this salvation has come).

I. THE LORD HAS BECOME MY SALVATION

Why the reason to rejoice in chapter 12 of Isaiah? If you read Isaiah, you realize that sometimes he was a prophet had to come and proclaim God’s judgment against God’s rebellious people. Isaiah didn’t always have such a joyous message. When you turn back and look at chapter 11, you find that Isaiah tells the people that from the tribe, the family of Jesse, and a branch will spring up from that root. There will come one who will destroy all the enemies of Israel. Now, of course, from Jesse’s line comes David and from David’s line comes the Savior. That is the joy that he expresses in chapter 11, describing all of this how the children of Israel are going to be delivered and how the world is going to be delivered from enemies. Then he says as chapter 12 begins: "In that day you will say: ’I will praise you, O LORD.’" The children of Israel would find reason to praise the Lord. Isaiah states that reason for rejoicing: "Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me." We remember that Isaiah lived only a few generations after the children of Israel came out of Egypt.

They had wandered for forty years in the wilderness. We know that as we study the history of the children of Israel we see how the Lord delivered them. In the forty years the Lord never left them or forsook them. But we also remember as we study their wandering, the fact is that we probably remember that the children of Israel liked to grumble and complain. They rebelled against God. When they got to the Promised Land, they worshipped false gods. Here Isaiah reminds them that when they rebelled from time to time the Israelites had to endure God’s wrath and punishment because of their rebellious, wicked and sinful nature. But what else does God say? "He forgave their sins." God wasn’t angry with them forever. They would have reason to rejoice because the Lord has done glorious things.

Verse 2 continues: "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Time and again, when the children of Israel grumbled and complained, they endured God’s punishment. Time and again the Lord God forgave them and delivered them. When they came to the Promised Land, after God had protected them for forty years, God now drove out their enemies. The Lord God almighty defeated the greatest armies in the world. Lately on TV in the Ten Commandments, what happens to Pharaoh’s army? That great Egyptian army is destroyed. This greatest army in the world was easily defeated by the power of God and not by the small tribe of the children of Israel. God has done glorious things. As Isaiah says: "He has become my strength, my son, my salvation." The Lord had delivered them. We are also reminded today that he delivers us.