St. Paul Lutheran Church
Sermon by Pastor Balogh

JAN 27, 2008

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on
those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

I am disturbed.  Disturbed because of quite a few things I see happening
in our world.  What do I mean?
In the past month we have had at least three specific cases of children
callously being killed.  There was the father who threw his four children
off of the bridge to drown.  There was the babysitter who threw the 18
month old child off of the highway overpass.  Then there was aunt who
walked her niece and nephew, along with herself into traffic to die.
That's just some of the cases, that stick in my mind.  But I ask, "How
many times has it happened now that people in a hurting world have
determined to reach out and hurt others, to kill and maim rather than to
reach out for help and guidance?"  You read about those things and you
just want to cry out, "What is wrong with you people!  If you want to
hurt someone hurt yourself but don't hurt and kill others especially
don't hurt and kill the children!"
My problem though goes deeper than that.  I believe all of this is
happening because of a greater underlying sickness in our nation.  Our
society is becoming totally hedonistic, seeking only its own pleasure
without regard for anyone else.  Thus, people are being snatched from
homes, children and adults for the most awful things.  Old people are
being brutally murdered in their homes often for just pennies.  There was
even a recent case where two teens killed just to see what it was like to
kill a person.  We are a nation that does not treasure life and the
preciousness of the soul.  We are a nation that has slowly but surely
abandoned its morals.  What was once considered evil and wrong is now
tolerated and promoted.  What was once considered good and right is now
ridiculed and scorned.  In other words, I believe that what is said in
our text about the people of Israel back then is now something that is
true today.  We are not a people living in light.  We are a people who
are in darkness and shadow and I'm not even sure we know it.
Let's look at this text and wrestle with the issues.  Our theme will be:
A LIGHT HAS DAWNED.  1st. Understand the land of darkness and shadow.
2nd. Understand that the Light that has come.  3rd. Are we moving
backward?
The words of our text were written by the Prophet Isaiah some 700 years
before Jesus came into the world.  These are words about Jesus and his
coming and we know that because God inspired the Apostle Matthew to quote
and point to these words as fulfilled in the life of Jesus.  Yet it would
do us well to pay attention to these words and why they say what they do.
These words speak of people walking in darkness, of people living in the
land of the shadow of death.  What does that mean?  Simply put they are
words pointing to the spiritual state of the people of Israel.  In the
Holy Bible darkness is often used to represent that which is of evil and
Satan, that which is of sin.  In the same manner the idea of light is
used to speak of what is Godly and good.  In just that light alone it is
clear that God's people, at least those who were supposed to be God's
people were having a problem.  They were having God problems.
Thus they are called people walking in darkness and living in the shadow
of death.  To walk in darkness means they were doing those things that
were evil and wrong.  I think we can refer to Ephesians to understand
what these things are.  In Ephesians 4 and 5, we find various verses to
help us understand what it is to walk in darkness.  We read there, "So I
tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live
as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened
in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having
lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as
to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for
more...therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully
to his neighbor...Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must
steal no longer...do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your
mouths...And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God...get rid of all
bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form
of malice...there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed...nor should there be obscenity, foolish
talk or coarse joking...of this you can be sure; No immoral, impure or
greedy person-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
I believe those words are clear.  The deeds of darkness are the acts of
the sinful nature.  Deeds of darkness are when we give ourselves over to
the evil instead of working for the good.  These words also explain for
us the idea "living in the shadow of death."  When you live in this way,
when you throw out God and his Word by your actions, when you toss aside
his truth and majesty for the pleasures and pursuits of this world be it
for money or any other worldly reason, you cut yourself off from the
Lord's gift of heaven.  You are living but living under the penalty and
threat of eternal death.  You are living but not in the light, you are in
the shadow of death and it is not a pretty thing.
So it was in the land of Israel.  The people had forsaken the true
worship of God, had abandoned religiously the morals and right things of
God.  Not only did they live this way, they loved it, defended it, were
callous about it and closed to the marvel of God's love.  Isaiah was sent
to warn them and to call them to repent.  They laughed at him and
eventually put him to death.
I believe we are in the same place in our world today.  We have begun to
shut the door to the Lord.  We, yes, even people in this church but
especially our nation as a whole, are living and doing things not of the
light but of the darkness.  Do I need to speak of the lack of morals in
our midst, how people are willing to disregard God, lie, cheat, steal,
whatever for the sake of pleasure?  Teachers are molesting our children,
children are molesting each other...it goes on and on.  The drugs, the
lack of personal responsibility, the foul language, the abandonment of
our children to others because we parents are too wrapped up in
ourselves.   Those are just the problems on the surface.  The real
problem is that we are turning from the light to the shadows.  We think
the darkness is more fun and precious but worse, I don't even think we
realize we are doing it and the danger that it poses.  We are turning
from the light to darkness and we've got all the excuses in the world to
con ourselves into thinking it's all right!
Don't we know about the light?  Aren't we a people who today have a clear
knowledge of the light that the Lord sent our way?  Yes we are.  We have
the truth and wonder of Jesus, the Light of the World among us.  We have
God's Word among us, a word that is a light for our path and a lamp for
our feet.
That light is Jesus.  Jesus came to show us the full extent of God's
love.  God in grace and mercy sent Jesus to be our Savior.  He did that
in rather unique way.  God had his Son take our sin and pay for it.  God
had his Son endure the pangs of hell on the cross for us.  Then so that
we would know that redemption has been won by Jesus God raised him from
the dead and eventually took him back to heaven placing all things under
Jesus.  That's what Jesus is all about, the grace and mercy of God given
in the redemption of Jesus.  Don't we know that the salvation and love of
God that is ours because God has poured his forgiveness into our lives?
Poured it in the person of Jesus.  Yes, we have seen God's great Light.
That light has dawned upon the world and the world refuses to see.  Do
we?
Do we grasp and live like Jesus is the ruler over all things?  We confess
almost each Sunday, Jesus judges both the living and the dead, that is,
he looks into each heart and on the basis of whether faith in Him is
there or not, determines our eternal existence.  Faith is the key.  Faith
in the grace and mercy of God.  Faith that is living and active through
the work of the Holy Spirit.  Faith that is not just lip service but
head, heart and hand service.  God's Word makes it clear that faith that
doesn't follow Jesus is a dead faith.  Faith that doesn't trust the words
and promises of God is a dead faith.  Faith that isn't motivated out of
love for Jesus to do what is good and right in the eyes of God is a dead
faith.  Faith that wants to play in the shadows and lurk in the darkness
is a faith in trouble.
Don't we understand that Jesus is also a light for right living and
godliness?  As the children of Jesus what is God's encouragement to us?
Again we'll turn to Ephesians 4-5.  Notice that this section is titled
"Living as Children of Light."  "You, however, did not come to know
Christ that way.  Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in
accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard
to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being
corrupted by it deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your
minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness...Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly
loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God...For you
were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children
of light...and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with
the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them...be very careful
how, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise...speak to one another
with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your
hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
There is the impact of Jesus in our lives.  He is the light we are to
live in.  He is the center of our very being.  As your years in the Lord
have progressed is there more light than ever or have we backed ourselves
into the shadows?  Is our walk with the Lord better or worse?  Ask
yourself these simple and pointed questions: Has my church attendance
improved or gotten worse?  Is communion attendance better or worse?  Are
your children in church and Sunday school?  When I look around in my
life, do I find myself surrounded by believers or those who don't care
about the Lord?  Am I a person who joyfully and easily speaks of my
Savior to others?  Am I sure that what I am telling others is light?
We are blessed with the Great Light of the Lord.  We have the wonder and
joy of Jesus.  I pray that as our society more and more turns from the
truth of Jesus we will still be found in that Light, singing and making
music in our hearts to the Lord, giving thanks to God for everything in
Jesus.  Amen.