God's Word Does What He Says

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

In these words, the prophet combines a multitude of teaching from our Lord. Here, we learn of the nature of God's provision for us in our bodies, His care for our souls, and He, by inference, reveals Himself and how He works toward us.

As Isaiah tells us, the rain indeed falls from heaven and waters the earth. Rain is not something you can get on your own. Sure, there are great feats of engineering that can deliver water to places far from its source, but none so well and so evenly as the rain our Lord sends. In its due time, the rain falls from heaven and waters the earth, so that bud and bloom sprout forth. From each plant according to its kind comes forth flower and fruit, and the earth yields its abundance for our benefit.

Furthermore, rain never falls up. When the Lord sends rain, it always comes from heaven down to earth and waters the earth. You cannot give the rain back. When rain falls, it does not fall in vain, but accomplishes its task.

Without water, life on this earth would not exist. The rains that water our land make our lives possible, as well as our livelihoods. In this country, we take for granted that when you turn on the tap, drinkable water will come out. Water drives our bodies and forms our seasons. Water may be the single most creative, and destructive, force God has created on this earth.

However, we are in total and abject poverty when it comes to our water supply. Where God does not send the rain and the snow, there is no water, and life withers and fades. Despite what engineering has accomplished, none is able to make it rain against the will of God. Sure, man can make golf courses in the desert, but only God can make desert into farmland. But by the will of God, your crops would not grow and your animals would not live. God provides the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, and that rain gives life to all upon whom it falls. It is the Lord who gives growth and increase.

In our text, the prophet Isaiah uses the rain to teach us about the Word of God. Just as rain falls from heaven, so also the Word of the Lord comes down from heaven to us here on earth. Unlike the Greek legends, we have stolen nothing from God. What we have, especially the Word, is a gift of God given by His gracious will. The Word comes to us as a gift from the mouth of the Lord, and it does not return. Like the rain, the Word of the Lord accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent.

And the purpose for which the Word was sent is to kill and to make alive. The Word of God preached into the hearts of men is a sword that destroys. It cuts right through the heart of sin and death that is born in each of us and kills the old, evil Adam in each of us. But that two-edged Word also makes alive. It is the very Word of life that can turn dry bones into an army for the Lord. It is the Word that created the heavens and the earth and all was and is and ever shall be.

The Word of God also provides for and sustains your life. By the Word of the Lord you and I were created, and by His Word we take each breath. The Word of the Lord causes the corn to grow and the pigs to farrow and all the fruits of the earth to come forth in abundance. At His speaking, the Lord provides for you all that you need to support this body and life.

Now, just as in these verses the prophet has taught us about the rain and the Word of the Lord, so also does he reveal to us the Lord God of heaven and earth. As the rain comes down from heaven to water the earth and give life, and as the Word of the Lord springs forth from the mouth of God, so the Lord Himself has come down out of heaven and revealed Himself to us, His children. He has revealed that He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Knowing this, you can never go back. The Lord will never ascend back up into the highest heaven, never to be heard from again. He will not turn His back on His creation, no matter what happens. And He will never change. The Lord is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And once you know this, you have no excuse for denying or doubting what He has revealed to you.

But this is no hardship, because what the Lord has revealed to you is that He is the Author of all life, including yours. It is the Father who said, “Let there be light” and there was light. It was the Father who said the word at which you were conceived. That selfsame Father of the universe is your dear heavenly Father who yearns to give you all good things. And how does He do all these things? By His Word. The Word of the Lord accomplishes His will. And the Word of God comes to us in the flesh, in the person of Jesus. St. John calls Him the Word Incarnate. Jesus Christ is the word of life come from the Father for you. And by the working of the Word Incarnate for you, the Holy Spirit works within you, and every believer, to create and sustain new life in Christ.

The Holy Spirit works by the Word of the Lord to call you to faith, and to sustain you with His gifts. He calls you here to this place, to hear the Word preached and to receive the Blessed Sacraments for the forgiveness of your sins. He brings you here, so that you can rest in the Lord and receive His gifts. He gives you enough on the other six days so that you can rest in His house on the Lord's Day. He provides your daily bread from the fruits of the earth so that you can come to Him and be remade by Him through His Word and Sacraments. He does not leave you lacking, and He does not suffer you to neglect that fact. The Lord makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust, but He desires that His children come to Him for His gifts, and that you return thanks for all His benefits to you. Stop working for what is not food. Stop toiling for what does not satisfy. Come to Him, as the Holy Spirit compels you, and receive the bread without price. Eat and drink of the food of life.

So, then, what is the Word which the Lord sends to you? Firstly, the Word of the Lord proclaims “Repent and believe!” The Lord's thoughts are higher than yours. The Lord's ways are beyond your understanding. Repent of your thinking that you can make it on your own. Repent of your trying to understand the mind of God. Repent of trying to out-plan the One who planned the universe. Believe that He is God, and you are not. Believe that He has the power to take care of all your needs. Believe that He is truly your dear Father in heaven.

The Lord's gifts are for you, and they are free. However, they are not yours to take as you will. The Lord gives His gifts where and when He wills. Just as you cannot grow corn in a snowbank, you cannot find the forgiveness of your sins anywhere other than where God offers Himself. You cannot find life in anyone or anything other than Christ Jesus.

And here, in His Divine Service, is where He has promised to be. Our Lord Christ gives Himself to you through the preaching of His Word, where the wondrous deeds of God are proclaimed and salvation is enacted in you, and He gives Himself to you in His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Here, and nowhere else, the Lord comes to you and serves you with His gifts, restoring you to life again and strengthening you with His food of life to live another week as His child.

Here is where the Lord provides for your needs of body and soul. And the Lord is not stingy. He will give you all that you need to support this body and life. He will give you your daily bread. He will breathe new life into you, sufficient to carry you through this next week, through all the changes and chances of life. Then He will bring you back here to receive His gifts once again.

Secondly, the word that the Lord sends to you is this: I forgive you all your sins. This is not an empty or void word. This is a true, powerful, and life-giving Word. This message is stronger than all others, because only this word has the power to raise you from the dead and make you alive in Christ.

This word is made effectual by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you. The Author of Life, the very Son of God has given His life for you. He has suffered the death due for your sins so that you can live the life full of His righteousness. Just as the rain falls from heaven and waters the earth and gives life, so the blood of Christ rains down from the cross to give life to all who are washed in it and who partake of the Cup. The life of the Word has become your life, because you are filled with Christ.

Having been remade in the image of Christ and revived in your Spirit by the forgiveness of your sins, the Holy Spirit will lead you forth in peace and joy. The Lord does not turn His back on what He has planted, but will continue to water and give growth to the seed He has sown. The Holy Spirit remains with you, preserving your life and strengthening your faith each and every day. He calls you with the Gospel, gives you the gifts of God, and keeps you in the one true faith, together with the whole Church on earth.

The Lord has given an everlasting sign, by which you know that this is true. He has placed His Name upon you and has called you His own. He has marked you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified, and has proclaimed that your sins are forgiven. The Word of the Lord remains forever. The life of Christ remains yours forever. Go out with joy and be led forth in peace.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.