Hear the Good news!

In October my wife and I will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. So far, she has put up with me for almost 4 years. However, before we got married, she and I dated on and off for about 10 years. Yes, you heard that right, it took me 10 years to get the girl. I mean we, like many people had a lot of ups and downs but developed a wonderful friendship that has helped us tremendously. It all started in 2010. I had big plans for our first date. She wanted to go see a concert. The group singing was then called Lady Antebellum So, I did what any guy who is trying to impress the girl and bought tickets to take her to this concert. Now, I didn’t get us very good seats, but she had a friend that had floor seats, so she helped us sneak to the floor. This was working out to be a wonderful first date. We got to sway dance and she was cheering and enjoying herself. It was looking to be a big win for me! I was really impressing the girl! Then Charles Kelley, one of the singers, came down from the stage to high five the crowd. He even sat sideways on the guardrails. Of course all sorts of girls were coming up to high five and touch him and get his attention. So, Tammy went up and she did the same. Apparently, she grabbed his shirt and pulled a little. So after he walked back on the stage, some security guards came up and asked Tammy to come with them, I followed. Apparently, Charles Kelley felt she was pulling him down and they had to escort her out. We were kicked out of the concert. How’s that for a first date? Things were going so well and then they turned for the worst!

As you might expect, she was upset. I mean if you are going to go down in the crowd, you need to expect people to grab on to you, high five you, all that stuff. She doesn’t like it but I ask, how are you singing live and telling a security guard to get her out of there? I mean these are logical questions! All that aside, I was bothered. I mean I really liked this girl and I wanted to make a great impression and I wanted to kiss her. None of that happened! I had totally missed my mark. Speaking of missing my mark, did you know that is what the word “sin” actually means? It is an archery term. Sin is anything that misses the mark that God has for our lives. The next question, naturally, is well what is God’s mark on our lives? The answer is Holiness. Several times, throughout the Bible, God calls us to holiness. In Leviticus 19, you know everyone’s favorite book of the Bible, God calls everyone to be holy for I, the Lord your God is holy. Then in the very next chapter we are told to consecrate or separate ourselves and be holy. In Exodus, the nation of Israel is called to be a holy nation. However, those are just Old Testament references. 1 Peter quotes Leviticus saying, be holy, for I am holy. Then in 1 Thessalonians we are told that we aren’t called for impurity but for holiness. Have I made my point or do you need more? God wants us to be holy.

Here is the thing, I don’t think that surprises anyone. I think everyone wants to be good people. I think everyone wants to do what is right. But, none of us succeed all the time. In fact, all of us fail and fail quite often. This is what was happening to Jerusalem in our passage in Isaiah. Jerusalem wanted to do right. They wanted to follow after God, yet like my first date, things went wrong. People started doing wrong things. “Ezekiel, never too shy to speak explicitly, even shockingly, of sexual matters, nevertheless confines his accusation to pride and neglect of the poor.” But, it isn’t all bad. They tried to offer the sacrifices. They were trying to make things ok. But, verse 11 reads, What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. Who asked you to do this?” Well, um, you did. There are quite a few references as to what to offer and what to do. In everyone’s favorite book, there are several references as to what to sacrifice if you commit certain sins. There are even offering flexibility based on income. I mean it is laid out plain. God asked for these sacrifices. However, in Isaiah we are told, bringing offerings is futile.

So what changed? Well nothing, God doesn’t change. Instead, it is our attitude about it. See, the people thought they could do whatever they wanted and just bring an offering and God is good. The same type of thinking exists today. I did something wrong so let me pray some prayers, read my Bible, and maybe sing some songs about God and God is good. The problem, though, is that isn’t very good news to me. See, like my first date, I try but I know my sins. I know how I think. I know how bad it gets. So, if it is up to me, that is disappointing! But, Isaiah shifts the focus away from what we do and moves toward what God does. He says, Come, let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, even though you have missed the mark unimaginably, they shall be white as snow! The word for snow here is a reference to purity. Though you missed the mark completely, I will set you back on track. Though you messed up, I can give you a second chance!

If you were wondering, after Tammy and I were kicked out of the concert, we walked around to the front of the building, walked back in and took our cheap seats up top and enjoyed the rest of the concert. Now, given the circumstances, I admit, I was too scared to kiss her. But, good news, she gave me a second chance. We had other dates and I even got to kiss the girl!

The good news for us today that no matter what we have done; no matter how far we have missed the mark, God’s reconciling love gives us a second chance. For God so loved the world that he gave, he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life.

Friends, your goodness can’t win God’s love. However, your badness can’t cause you to lose it either! God offers us a gift, that gift is his love. It is a love that offers his one and only son and that one and only son offers anyone redemption. Come, let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Friends, hear the good news. God is doing something amazing in your life. No matter how bad you messed up. God offers you the ability to have a do over. That is pretty good news, even better than getting to kiss the girl….and that is saying something!

Amen.