Shower Us With Your Word Is 55 10 13

Sexagesima                                          23-February-2025

Sermon Text: Isaiah 55:10-13

Sermon Theme: “Shower Us With Your Word!” I. Your Word Alone Brings Life From Above!(vs.10-11) II. Your Word Alone Restores What Our Sin Corrupted! (Vs.12-13) By Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” In the 33rd Psalm we sing forth the reality of our created world. It wasn’t an accidental big bang billions of years ago which created our worlds and brought life to our planet, it is the Word of the Triune God spoken which created all things out of nothing. God, Who cannot lie, testifies from Sinai, “Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Jesus of Nazareth - The Truth - teaches, Mat 19:4 ... "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,' The Spirit of Truth, God the Holy Spirit writes teaching of Jesus, Col 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

    Today the sign post on the road through the place of the skull to resurrection life reads, “Sexagesima.” We are roughly sixty days away from again hearing the joyful “alleluias” echo in our sanctuary. Sixty is six times ten. Six the days of creation. Ten God’s perfect work of rescuing us from sin, death, and the devil to restore creation from our corruption. This is why our Scripture readings today deal with God’s Word recklessly scattered all over creation to reclaim it as the Lord’s own. To the preacher Paul’s struggles comforted by the healing balm of Christ Jesus’ Word of grace spoken to him. To God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah to shower His Word upon His exiled children in Babylon.

     Learn to cling to the Word of Christ although Satan constantly attacks to steal it, worldly trials attempt to kill it, and the desires of our sinful flesh try to choke it from taking root in our hearts and lives. Daily pray: “Lord, “Shower Us With Your Word!” I. Your Word Alone Brings Life From Above!(vs.10-11) II. Your Word Alone Restores What Our Sin Corrupted! (Vs.12-13)

I.  Jas 5:17-18 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. (18) And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” James fixes our eyes back on an historic drought in the days of the prophet Elijah. Elijah was sent to preach to the northern kingdom of Israel when wicked king Ahab and queen Jezebel ruled in Samaria. Ahab and Jezebel worshiped fake gods/ idols that they claimed controlled the climate. They worshiped Baal a male idol, and his wife Asherah a female idol. Their worship perverted human sexuality promoting prostitution to show their imagined dead idols how to bring fertility to the dry land. They would cut themselves and bleed to appease these lies, and often even sacrifice their own children. It was all a lie from Satan and they sacrifices were all made to demons. All worship is not the same. Paul testifies of man made worship: 1Co 10:20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.

      Samaria and the northern nation of Israel would be destroyed by the Assyrian invasion in 722B.C.. The southern nation of Judah didn’t learn from the destruction of their sister nation. They continued to draw near to the True God with their lips, while they had given their hearts to idolatry of fertility idols. Mercifully the Lord God would raise up Babylon to take them captive for seventy years. In Babylon they would learn to turn from man invented religions and idols. The Lord would comfort and sustain them through His Word of promise in Jesus alone. Still many fell into trusting the Babylonian idols of Marduk.

      The Lord through His preacher Isaiah calls the people to repent and return to Him. He alone is the source of all life- spiritual and physical! (Vs.10-11) The lie the fallen angel Satan and his demon horde whispered to our father Adam is the same lie he continues to place in your ear. “Has God indeed said...” “You can’t trust His Word, follow your own feelings, desires, wisdom, and self chosen ways to find godhead in yourself.” “You can blaze your own path to heaven. You don’t need baptism, His Word, forgiveness, sermon, or supper.” Luk 8:11-12 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (12) Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” Where God’s Word is showered upon us the devil will attack to steal it away. Satan will never allow the Church to possess the true Gospel in peace. Christ’s living Word brings the cross.

       Repent of staying away from the rain shower of God’s Word within His Church every day you have an opportunity to gather to hear. If you have ears - use them to hear! Hear the rain of God’s Word showering down upon you. We were lifeless dead dirt in Adam we all died to all true spiritual things. Dead things don’t choose to follow Jesus. We must be born from above through the shower of heavenly water and His Word. Baptism is never your choice or doing - it is His all our Redeemer’s sufficient grace. He who has brought us from Satan to God, from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and who preserves us in the same. (L.C. 2nd Art.) Apart from the Father’s Word and Promise in Christ Jesus bearing fruit by the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives - we were dead dirt.

    Listen! (Vs.10)The rain and snow come down from above, from heaven sent by the Creator to bring life to His creation. When rain showers upon a desert it springs forth from barrenness to new life and beauty. So it is with our spiritual life - we need to be constantly showered with God’s Word from above! Let it shower upon you daily in family Bible reading and prayer, weekly in the Divine Service. Deserts that spring forth to life and beauty with the spring rains - soon dry up and die when the rain ends - don’t let this happen to you!

    Hear! (Vs.11) Our Lord God promises that His Word never returns void. It accomplishes what He pleases. The Father’s pleasure is that all sinners might be save by coming to know Jesus the only Redeemer of mankind. Learn from Jesus the reckless Sower - scatter the Word of Christ wherever you tread. Beaten paths, rocky soil, weedy soil, good ground - it isn’t up to you to make it grow - only scatter it recklessly. It may be the Word showered upon a fellow sinner through your mouth softens their hard heart, breaks their rocky life, or pulls the choking weeds. Trust the power of Christ’s life giving Word. It alone is the means by which God the Holy Spirit brings us eternal life from above through Jesus’ forgiving all sufficient grace. Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Shower the life giving Word daily upon your spouse, children, family, friends, neighbors, and even your enemies. Love them! Tell them of Jesus! Pray, “Lord Jesus shower us with Your Word which alone brings us life eternal from above!”

II. Adam’s rebellion against our Creator corrupted creation which God declared, “Very good!” Adam’s sin is our sin. Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— The consequences of our sin is catastrophic to this created universe. If you have ears - hear reality, “Gen 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. (18) Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. (19) In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." The whole of creation groans under the burden of our sin and corruption.

       We cannot restore this creation through our technology and worship of scientism. Only He who created it can recreate and renew it!

     Pray to Him! “Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - shower us with Your Word which alone restores what our sin corrupted!” Listen! (Vs.12) You don’t find a path to God. He finds you. He is your Good Shepherd laying down His innocent life for His straying guilty as sin sheep - me and you! He gathers us into His fold to lead us out from sin with the peace of sin forgiven. The cemetery is only a temporary resting place for our bodies. The Lord and Giver of Life claims us as His own Temples in Jesus. Even in grief we have hope! On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. Creation rejoices to hear the Gospel echoing forth from Christ’s Church through your lips! St. Paul echos this joyous promise of God through the prophet Isaiah, Rom 8:18-21 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (19) For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; (21) because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

        Lord God You created my ears, open them to hear this precious promise of restoration in Jesus alone! (Vs.13). The curse of our sin is reversed through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. Hear history’s consummation in King Jesus! Rev 21:5-7 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." (6) And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. (7) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Even now the Holy Spirit daily and richly calls you by the Gospel, daily and richly enlightens you with His gifts, daily and richly makes you holy, daily and richly keeps you in the One True Faith in Jesus with His Church on earth! Let His Word root the weeds of cares, riches, and pleasures of this life from your heart. Instead of their thorns - let His Word bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit through you! Gal 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (24) And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (26) Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

        Do you remember the fourth Sunday in Advent? We prayed for rain -Isa 45:8 "Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it.” Lord Jesus shower us with Your Word! Never stop praying for His all sufficient grace! Amen.