Jesu Juva
“God Never Bails on His Promises”
Text: Luke 3:1-20
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
It isn’t working out.
Have you ever heard that? Either spoken to you, or maybe you’ve said it yourself. It isn’t working out. That’s often spoken by either a girlfriend or boyfriend, or nowadays, a husband or wife, as a reason for ending their relationship. It isn’t working out . . .
But what, exactly, isn’t working? Truth is, if something isn’t working, there’s only one reason for that: sin. That’s the only reason anything in our world doesn’t work anymore, or as it should. In the beginning, it was not so. Everything worked perfectly. Now, not so much. We keep messing it up.
So in a relationship, if it isn’t working out, then it’s either because of my sin - I don’t think I’m getting what I want or what I think I’m entitled to; that’s the self-centered nature of sin rearing its ugly head. Or, it’s because of the other person’s sin, sin that I’m not willing to forgive. And so sin drives us apart.
Sin drives us apart from God, too. And not only in the beginning, but even now. And not just with unbelievers, but sometimes even with believers, with those who are in the Church, the Bride of Christ. My faith just isn’t working out . . . Maybe because I want what God has told me is not good for me, and instead of restraining myself, I go for it anyway. Or maybe I am disappointed with God - He’s not doing what I thought He would. My life is a mess. I thought things would be better. So why continue? Why go on?
Maybe John had those thought?. Maybe it was his disciples. John was in Herod’s prison. It wasn’t working out. He was supposed to be out baptizing and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins - not rotting in prison! This isn’t working out . . .
Personally, I think John was clear-headed about this. He knew, as he had confessed before, that Jesus must increase and he must decrease (John 3:30). Which he clearly was! (Though maybe he didn’t think it would end like this.) But perhaps his disciples weren’t quite so strong in faith. Maybe it was John’s disciples wondering this and being tempted to leave it all behind. What’s the use, after all, of being a disciple, a follower, of someone in prison?
So John sends his disciples to Jesus. Go ask Him, if He’s the one.
Maybe you’ve had those thoughts, too. If you never have, I think you’re in a very small minority! Because life is tough, and the attacks of the devil are strong and relentless, and the sin in us and around us is both enticing and seeks to overwhelm us. And as it goes on and on and nothing seems to change . . . I thought it was going to be easier than this. Why isn’t God helping me? Why isn’t God here for me? Are you the one, Jesus, or shall I look for another?
A quick read through the Scriptures and you’ll soon realize how often this very question comes up! With Abraham, with Jacob, with David, all through the Psalms . . . Why are you doing this, God? Why aren't you doing what I need? Where are you, God? How long, O Lord, how long?
But here’s the truth: While we sometimes bail on each other, God never bails on us. If we think He is, or it seems like He is, if the ways of God seem wrong to us, or we can’t see how He is working, the problem is not with God but with us.
With John’s disciples, yes, John was in prison, but Jesus was doing exactly what was foretold in the Scriptures: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. The salvation and new life Jesus was bringing and had come to win for all people of all time was springing up wherever He went. Even with John. Yes, he was in prison, but even so and even there, God was working through him, even if we can’t see it or don’t know how.
Luther, in writing about the birth of Jesus, talked about this - how things look completely different whether you are seeing things from a heavenly perspective or an earthly perspective. Things that seem so humble on earth are highly exalted in heaven. The birth of Jesus is one of those things, ignored by most, but praised by the whole heavenly host of angels. And such small and simple things like giving a cup of cold water to a child (Matthew 10:42) or one sinner who repents (Luke 15) are so easily overlooked by us, but bring great rewards and joy in heaven.
And what about your life? It may seem as if things aren’t working out, but maybe they are . . . Maybe what you’re going through is exactly what you need, right now, to train you, to discipline you, to bring you to repentance, to drive you to prayer and the Word of God. We see defeat, heaven sees success. We see weakness, heaven sees strength. We see death, heaven sees life. And where we see life, heaven sees death. The difference is seeing with the eyes of faith - faith formed by the Word of God and the words and promises of Jesus . . . or seeing with our physical eyes and relying on our own judgment and reason. The eyes of faith are what we need. Relying on our own judgment and reason is why we’re in the mess we’re in. It is the Word of God that tells us what is, and gives us the faith to believe it.
That’s why John sent his disciples to Jesus. To receive the faith to believe what he knew. That Jesus was the one, and there is no other, no matter how things looked. Maybe He wasn’t being the kind of Saviour they wanted or thought He should be; but He was - and is - the one we need.
And this is also why (as we heard) when the world plays the flute, the Church does not dance; and when they sing a dirge, the Church does not weep. What the world rejoices in and mourns over is not the same as what God rejoices in and mourns over. The Church and the world do not see things the same. Now, that’s hard and can cause conflict, and sometimes severe conflict between the Church and the world. But so it will be, and we really shouldn’t expect otherwise. Yet in the end, as Jesus said, wisdom is justified by all her children.
Children. There’s only two kinds, really: the brood of vipers (that we heard about last week), they’re the offspring of those who teach wrongly and falsely, or perhaps we could say worldly; and the children of wisdom, they’re the offspring of God. And the two see things very differently; from different perspectives. In the end, Jesus is saying, we will finally see the truth, all that we could not see now. And in the end, it is the children of wisdom, the children of God, who will be justified.But until that day, faith will be a struggle.
Maybe some examples of this . . . John was in prison, yet Jesus says that among those born of women none is greater than John. Joseph and Mary are the parents of the very Son of God, yet they are the most wretched and despised of pilgrims in Bethlehem. And the Son of God Himself is laid in a manger.
And what of you? Are you poor, lowly, despised, persecuted, rejected, neglected, hated, or in prison? Are you wondering, doubtful, questioning, worried, downcast, or afraid? Has the question come into your mind about Jesus: Are you the one? Am I a child of God? It isn’t working out . . . If that’s you, follow the direction of John - go to Jesus for the answers and for assurance.
Am I a child of God? Jesus baptized you and made you His child. You received great and precious promises there. And God never bails on His promises.
Are you the one, Jesus? Look at the cross and see. See what? All your sins, the death and condemnation you deserve, on Him. And then hear what He has to say to you: Father, forgive them. And you are forgiven. ALL your sins. His blood shed there washing and cleansing you. God promised that He would do that for you, and God never bails on His promises.
Where is God when I need Him? He is here, in His Word, and on the altar. To speak to you and to feed you. To comfort you with His promises and heal you with His forgiveness. And to give you the eyes of faith to confess and believe this truth: that God never bails on His promises.
So shall we look for another? By no means! Instead, this Advent season, and soon this Christmas season, look to the manger, and see much more than a baby - see a God who never bails on His promises. For there in the manger is the eternal God in human flesh. There is the almighty God lying in weakness. There is the God who gives life to all dependent on His mother for His life. There is the God who is greater than all in humble lowliness. And He is not ashamed to be there, like that. It is who He is. A loving God who gives Himself for you. Whether you’re on a throne or in prison, a president or a pauper. Because truth be told, everything is working out perfectly with Jesus for you.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
