We trusted in Him, and He saved us.

Pentecost 21 – “We trusted in Him, and He saved us.” – Isaiah 25:6-9
Vicar Matthew Peters – St Paul’s Union Grove, WI – October 6th & 9th, 2005

Grace, Mercy, Peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text for today’s message is the Old Testament reading from the prophet Isaiah chapter 25 – especially verse 9:
In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Trust.
What does it mean to ‘trust’ someone? We hear that word almost every day, and we talk about trust in church all the time – and here it is again today in our scripture lesson. So what is ‘trust’?
I’ve learned a great many things since becoming a father just over a month ago – and I realize that I have only begun to scratch the surface of what there is to know, but some things come right away. These days I’m learning a lot about trust. You see, Ben is just at that point now where he is beginning to show signs of real recognition and trust. Meghan will walk into his room when he cries, and her voice calms him – he knows it will be ok soon. If he gets fussy as he’s sleeping in my arms, he’ll open his eyes and see me – and he trusts that I am going to take care of him.
Parents and children know what it means to trust… how important trust is. Wives and Husbands know what it means to trust. Good friends know what it means to trust. And in this house of worship, we should know what it means to trust in God.

You’ll note that I said that we should know what it means to trust in God. I say that because I think that everyone here probably realizes that we, as believers, should, as Luther says, “fear, love, and trust in God above all things” (Small Catechism – Explanation of the 1st Commandment). The fact that we should trust our Heavenly Father is easily understood, but how often do we really do that very well?
‘Certainly we trust you God…’ but who doesn’t get a little anxious when things seem to go wrong? ‘Yeah, I trust God…’ but why not set aside a little less money for the church, just in case our retirement fund doesn’t pan out. ‘Lord, of course I trust in you…’
So how does God feel about that? We try to trust Him, and we do… but just not as much as we should maybe. Where does that put us in His eyes? How does He react when His children don’t really trust in Him? If we don’t trust in God, does that mean that we are not saved? If our trust falters… and we die… are we going to go to hell? Hmmm…

As we look back at the lesson from Isaiah, we understand that this is the shroud that covers humanity – the sheet that enfolds all people. This impure covering, and this layer of ‘stuff’ resting over us… it is doubt in God. And more specifically, our concern is what causes this doubt, the underlying source of all human weakness and frailty – sin.
Certainly you can think of a time that your trust in God has been shaken – that you’ve wavered – or maybe a time that you’ve completely lost it? We are sinful – therefore we will waver. It is human nature, humanity’s sinful nature – so where does that put us with God?

Well, considering this, I was reminded of a passage from “The Hammer of God” – it’s a work of theological fiction, about some young pastors from Sweden in days gone by.
One of these young pastors goes to visit a man on his deathbed – the gentleman had been going in and out of his right mind. His daughter is distraught because he is reliving the days before he was a Christian. He’s cursing, swearing, and screaming blasphemies – things that she had never known about her father, because he had become a strong believer. She is worried that if he dies like this, he will not be saved… she can’t see his trust.
So she asks her father in one of his wakeful moments, between the torments: “You are thinking about Jesus, are you not, Father?” She wanted proof that he would be saved. But the dying man, he answered her, “I am not able to, Lena. I can’t think any longer… But I know that Jesus is thinking of me.”

This man was beyond his cognitive ability to think or to reason… and you might say that the resulting actions might look like his faith had even failed. But in this moment of solidarity, he showed his daughter that he knew what it meant to trust.

Looking back to our scripture passage from Isaiah, we will see that the ‘people’, the ‘nations’ and even ‘us’ – ‘we’ are doing nothing. God is the actor – God does the work. The only thing that the people do is trust. And is trust really doing something?

“On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples,
A banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from their faces;
He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.”

My friends, I think that it is plain. We are not the ones acting, even our trust is because of God:

“Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in Him;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

This was Isaiah referencing the almighty goodness of God. The very same God who promised salvation to His people – and the same God who sent His son, Jesus Christ to be the fulfillment of that salvation. The prophet knew of God’s mighty acts upon the mountain – and now, we are privileged to know of God’s mighty acts upon the cross. We might even go so far as, just for the sake of understanding, substitute that key word into our text:

“On this [cross] the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples…
On this [cross] He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever.”

He has swallowed up death forever!

By the cross of Christ, all the sins of the world are atoned for. All the sins of this world, throughout all time… Jesus died for them. And to those who trust in the Lord, there is forgiveness. And although Christians will certainly die a mortal death, there is no longer an eternal death awaiting those who trust in God – but eternal life. It is by faith alone, trust in God alone that we are saved. And faith, dear friends – that ability to believe and to trust – that comes from God as well.
God has called us, and has given us faith. As the dying man realized, we cannot rely upon ourselves to have enough trust or faith… it comes from the one who is the source of all good things; God Himself. The One who created us, the One who sustains us, the One who died in our place – this One also provides the faith and the sustaining trust to deliver that salvation to each and every one of you.

And to assure us that we have been given this faith, God has given us His promise. He has given us the promise of salvation in His Word – in the Bible – and He has also given us the tactile, tangible, physical – touchable, feel-able promises in His sacraments. We have His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, and we are given the assurance of the Holy Spirit and faith in the waters of Holy Baptism.

Baptism now saves us…

We can trust in our baptism – on our savior – with the same assurance that the dying man showed to his daughter. Even if we are not able to think, or trust, or if we, as sinners, are not on our best behavior when we are called home… it is God’s trust, God’s faithfulness, and the grace of God alone that saves us.
And through these promises of God, we are reminded and we are reassured – each one of us who has been given the trust in our Lord Jesus Christ – You are forgiven all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.