Which God?

Text: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

My goal this morning is to persuade you that Isaiah and John the Baptizer are one and the same.

Not literally. The two lived about 750 years apart. This isn’t a situation like asking if Sir Francis Bacon was the real Shakespeare. Nor is it a Batman/Bruce Wayne kind of a situation. I’m not suggesting that the two were literally the same person. What I’m saying is that the Old Testament Reading and the Gospel reading— which sound so radically different— are both really saying the same thing.

A Righteous Judge or A Lumberjack?

The contrast between the Old Testament Reading and the Gospel Reading is quite intriguing. Isaiah describes the coming Savior as the shoot from the stump of Jesse” who will judge with righteousness and equity, etc. (Isaiah 11:1-10). His rule will bring such peace that the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the lion will lie down with the calf, the infant will play safely over the cobra’s den. “9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

On the other hand we have the Savior that John the Baptizer is pointing to: the Savior who baptizing with fire; who is chopping down unfruitful trees and throwing them into the fire; who is “burn[ing] the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:11-12).

Which is it-- Isaiah’s Savior or John’s? The answer is “Yes”.

They really are the same. Isaiah and John are talking about the same person. They’re both pointing to the same Kingdom. If you try to keep them separate, if you try to take Isaiah without John, then you lose both.

Our world likes to try to wrap itself in Isaiah’s Savior and His Kingdom but it has no time for John’s Savior or repentance. Perhaps that’s why they have no use for Advent— for this time of preparing our hearts and minds for our Savior’s birth. They prefer to skip right to Isaiah. They jump right to the lights and decorations and parties before Christmas actually begins— let’s be honest, before Halloween even begins! Perhaps that’s also why, for them, the joy and peace evaporate on Christmas Day.

There’s no denying the need for someone to point the way to a new world. To the sort of place that Isaiah is talking about. A place where wolves live in peace with lambs; where the calf and the lion and the fattened calf lie down together; where a little child leads them. We are so far from that level of peace. But you and I can not simply wrap ourselves in Isaiah’s vision and try to claim it as your own.

The blessed place that Isaiah describes is, in fact, the Kingdom that John the Baptizer also points to. And that’s the problem.

It’s sort of like the problem illustrated in the recent television show “The Good Place.” Now, forgive me if I get this wrong (I’ve never actually watched the show), but my understanding is that a woman dies and finds herself in heaven even though she doesn’t belong there. She ended up there through some sort of mistake. She doesn’t belong there. Nor does she fit in. That’s a great premise for a television show. That’s great drama because it is such a huge problem— not just because of the danger that she’ll be found out and sent somewhere far less pleasant, but also because of the danger of her corrupting that perfect world. I don’t know if they explore that side of it, but both of those are problems: her risk of being found out and the risk that she will ruin that perfect existence that everyone is enjoying.

Isaiah ends this part of his description of God’s Kingdom by saying “9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

Who is the ‘they’ who hurt and destroy (Is. 11:9)? You and me. Isaiah paints an amazing picture of the Kingdom that John declares is now coming to you. But you and I have no place there.

When the Righteous King arrives to finally and fully bring about His Kingdom, will you be gathered in or will you be thrown into the fire? Will He discover all sorts of fruit in your life or will you be chopped down and thrown to the fire?

It’s not just the world around us. Our celebration of Christmas often whitewashes the One who is coming and the Kingdom He is bringing. You’re anxious for Christmas, but you have no time for Advent.

You’re anxious to seize the Kingdom that Isaiah promises, but you’re not willing to hear John’s warning to repent.

And that’s a problem. Because, whether you are willing to hear it or not, anything that does not have a place in the Kingdom that Isaiah described so beautifully will be thrown away and burned.

Without Advent, Christmas is only a mirage. It is, at best, a fleeting glimpse of what God had hoped to give you— but you would not.

Isaiah and John are really saying the same thing. In fact, in a sense, a good test of whether you’re whitewashing Christmas is whether or not you perceive a difference between Isaiah’s God and John’s. If they seem dissonant to you, then you might be overlooking Isaiah’s full message.

Repent.

Before Christmas comes, before you try to wrap yourself in visions of a world where the lion lies down with the lamb, repent.

Repent and believe that the little child who Isaiah says will lead His people in perfect peace is the Child of Bethlehem.

Repent of all your sins that have made this world something that is so far from the paradise that He desires for you.

What was it that kept Him silent as He was falsely accused and condemned? Repentance.

Why was He willing to allow Himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter? Repentance.

True repentance. It was not only His Father’s will that led Him to the cross. It was true repentance over His sins— the sins that He took from you. He willingly went to the cross because it was the just punishment for the sins of humanity that He had taken upon Himself.

There on the cross, He repented for your sins. He accepted the full fire of God’s wrath for your sins, He bore the full force of the fires of Hell for you.

In the process, His cross became a life-giving tree for all who believe in Him.

Be Filled with Joy and Peace

You may not be willing to prepare yourself for Christ’s coming, but He did not fail to.

He has baptized you, not only with water, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

You are, by nature, sinful and unclean. You do not belong in His Kingdom any more than you belong at the bottom of the ocean. So He has determined to prepare you for the day that His Kingdom comes.

Isaiah’s vision, which seems so elusive to the world, is now His promise to you.

Advent might seem like a distraction from the celebration of Christmas, but it’s just the opposite. That time of preparation, of repentance, is what allows you to truly receive the peace and the joy that the day holds.

In fact, His Kingdom has come to you right here, within these walls. You were gathered into it through baptism.

He invites you to eat of the fruit of His cross— His very body and blood, given and shed for you. And He will not allow those who have been “fed by His body and blood, to be devoured by the infernal wolf. He will not allow the strength of the Spirit to be overcome by the weakness of (your) flesh” (Excerpt From: Johann Gerhard. “Meditations on Divine Mercy.” Apple Books. https://books.apple.com/us/book/meditations-on-divine-mercy/id966417732).

The sinful nature that would make you a complete outcast from Him has been destroyed and you have been given new birth into His Kingdom.

In fact, you are now a stranger to this world. It is that Kingdom, where they shall not hurt or destroy any longer, which is your true home.

Isaiah and John might seem to offer conflicting visions. But they’re really one and the same. And, through them, the God of hope fills you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Rom. 15:13).