St. John's & Zion Lutheran Churches

Focus On God’s Family — His Church

Sermon on Isaiah 66:10-14

Text: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. 11 For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
12 For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. 13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.

When God created mankind, he also gave many blessings to them. One of the greatest is that of being a part of a family. God created Eve as a companion for Adam. He had in mind to bless this union with the gift of children. Thus, the family was born, which is the basic building block of any society. Throughout the Scriptures, God often uses the picture of a family to teach his people some wonderful lessons. This morning, we are going to focus our attention on the relationship of a mother and her children. The loving mother takes care of her children. She protects and comforts them. She is filled with pride as she watches her children grow. As we study this portion of Scripture, we want to FOCUS ON GOD’S FAMILY – HIS CHURCH 1. For Nourishment, 2. For Comfort, and 3. For Growth.

Verse 10 reads, “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.” All are invited to rejoice over Jerusalem. There had been many reasons to mourn over Jerusalem in the past, since Jerusalem had so often turned away from the Lord. She had faced many hardships as a result of her rebellions. In the years to come, the beautiful city of Jerusalem would be destroyed by the invading Babylonian armies. However, in God’s good time, he would bring his people back to Jerusalem. They would rebuild the city and its temple. There is no doubt that there was a great deal of rejoicing when that happened.

However, there is more to this verse that just rejoicing that a construction project was completed. Prior to our text, we have the picture of Zion giving birth to children: “No sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:8) The reason for the rejoicing is the birth of the children of Zion. Throughout the Scriptures, Zion and Jerusalem are names that are given to God’s people. The prophet looks across the generations and sees the New Testament church being born. After Jesus completed his work of salvation, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples is a miraculous way on Pentecost. That date is often referred to as the birthday of the Christian church. Throughout the centuries, the church has given birth to more and more children as they have been brought to faith through the Means of Grace. You and I are a part of this family. In this sense, the church is our mother.

God pictures the care that we receive from this mother in verse 11, “For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.” The infant looks to their mother as their source of nourishment. They cannot survive without it,

In the same way, we receive the nourishment that we need to survive from the church. The apostle Peter used a similar picture when he wrote, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2&3) As a loving mother nurses her child, mother church gives nourishment to the children of God. This nourishment is the Word of God. Like newborn babies, we need the constant nourishment that is found in the Word of God. In it, we find the harsh statements of the law, which points out our sins. It shows us the standard that God has set for us. As we compare what is said in the law to what we have done, we quickly see how far sort of that standard we have fallen. The Word, also, contains the sweet message of the gospel, which points to our only hope of salvation, Jesus Christ. He came to the earth to rescue us from our sins. He had that in mind as he lived a perfect life on our behalf. Because those sins had to be paid for, Jesus willing stepped into our place and was punished for all of our sins on the cross. His resurrection assures us that we are now accepted in God’s sight. This nourishment for our souls is necessary for our soul’s health. It cannot be found elsewhere.

Unfortunately, there may be times, when we catch ourselves thinking, “I know all of that stuff. I have heard it since I was a child. I really don’t need to keep reading and hearing all that often.” Can you imagine, that a baby would ever look at their mother and say, “I have already had that milk, so I really don’t need to nurse any more?” Of course not! They know that they need that milk to survive. The same is true with the nourishment that we receive from the Word of God. If we pull away from hearing God’s Word, our faith may live for some time, but eventually it will die. God has established the church so that his children might receive the nourishment that they need from his Word. Through it, the Holy Spirit keeps the miracle of faith healthy and growing in our hearts.

The next verses show invoke another beautiful picture of a loving mother as she cares for his children. “For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Verses 12&13) It gives the picture of a child, who is safe and secure in its mother’s care. God says that he “will extend peace to her like a river.” This peace that God is speaking about is not peace between nations. Unfortunately, that peace is all too often broken. Rather, the peace that he extends to us is the peace of knowing that our sins are forgiven. This is the peace that Jesus came to establish. He, himself, said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

We have the picture of a child who feels safe and secure, as uses the picture of being carried on the arm. What child doesn’t feel safer when they are in their mother’s arms? If there is something that frightens them, they long for their mother’s arms. How many times haven’t you seen it when a small child is crying because someone other than their mother is holding them? However, as soon as mom has a hold of them, they calm down. We, also, have the picture of a child being bounced on their mother’s laps. They don’t have a care in the world, because they are playing with their mother. They know that they are safe there. God, also uses the picture of a mother comforting her child. When the child is frightened or sad or worried, they go to their mother who comforts them. They say things to reassure the child. They hold them close to themselves. By the way, it may be interesting to note that the Hebrew word for child in verse 13 is actually a word that means a full-grown man. Mothers also have a way of comforting grown sins in times of trouble or grief.

Here, again, we have a picture of what God established his church to do. Through the Word that is spoken there, God reaches out to us when we are feeling afraid. He tells us again and again that he will provide and protect us. He promises us that he will always be there for us. As we hear his Word and apply it to our lives, we live in joy and peace. When the guilt of a sin threatens to overwhelm us, he reassures us that that sin was also paid for when Jesus came to the earth. He is not angry with us on account of that sin. When the sad times come in our lives, he is there to comfort us. He comforts us with the fact that he loves us more than we can ever imagine. He will help us through the difficult times. In his Word, he promises that, at the end of time, he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. To sum it up, we have these words from Isaiah 49:15, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”. God makes this promise to you that he will never abandon you.

We, also have the picture of the child growing in verse 14, “When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass.” How often don’t you hear someone say that the child is growing like a weed? The mother is filled with pride as she watches her children grow.

That is, also, why the church was established. She is here so that we can grow. As we hear the Word proclaimed and as we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion our faith grows. This strengthens us in our daily fight against the devil, the temptations that come from the world around us and our own sinful natures. As we grow in our faith, we are drawn ever closer to our God. We find our purpose in life as we hear that Word, which fills us with joy in knowing what God has done for us and we put that joy into action by living lives that are pleasing to him. There is also growth when someone else is brought to faith through the Word. Mother church is filled with pride as her children grow in the faith and knowledge of God.

This morning, we have spent a great deal of time talking about mothers. First of all, we want to stop and say “Thank God for moms!”. Is there a more beautiful picture of love and care and concern? With that beautiful picture in mind, is it any wonder that God would use this picture to highlight the reason why he has established the church? He did so, because he loves us. He has given his church so that our faith might be nourished through the Word that is proclaimed there and the sacraments that are used there. God has given us his church so that they might use his words to comfort us in days of sadness. He has also given us his church so that our faith might grow and that others might be brought to faith in him. We thank God for his gift of mother church. Amen.