YOUR LIGHT HAS COME. Epiphany - January 9/12, 2020

YOUR LIGHT HAS COME. Epiphany - January 9/12, 2020.

Isaiah 60:1-6. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.Then you will look and be radiant, our heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Dear Christian Friends:

This past week Iran and America teetered on the brink of war. Thankfully, war did not break out because war is terrifying. Nation attacks nation. Bombers, missiles, and drones fill the skies. Spies and terrorists infiltrate enemy territory. Fear and worry darken the hearts of people. War shatters lives. War disrupts international trade and ruins national economies.

Isaiah also talked about darkness, international trade, and hordes of foreigners entering a different country. But Isaiah is not talking about war. Isaiah is promising peace and prosperity. Of course, Isaiah is not promising political peace and economic prosperity. No, instead, Isaiah foretells the spiritual peace and prosperity that Jesus brings to all who believe in him.

That is the message of Epiphany. Jesus has come to bring his light of salvation and peace to the world. We see the prime example of that when the Magi came from the East to worship the new-born King of the Jews. They followed the light of the star. They saw Jesus. They worshiped Jesus. They gave Jesus precious gifts. Isaiah prophesies all this. He says, Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn… bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

1 The light of Christ also shines on you and me. Christ’s gifts of faith, forgiveness, and salvation also lead us to come to Christ and worship him. So, on Epiphany, we say what Isaiah says. YOUR LIGHT HAS COME.

Now, we have to ask, “To whom is Isaiah speaking? Whose light has come?” Well, there is more than one answer. Isaiah speaks to three different audiences. First, he speaks to the Jews of his own time. Isaiah also speaks to Jesus who lived 700 years later. Finally, Isaiah speaks to you and me.

First, Isaiah spoke to the Jews. The Jews were in trouble with God. That’s because the Jews had worshiped pagan idols. They had indulged in wickedness and immorality. For that God was going to send them more trouble. The Babylonian empire would conquer Judah. Then Babylon would hold the Jews captive in Babylon for seventy years.

But when Isaiah spoke to the Jews, that exile in Babylon was still a hundred years away. So, this part of Isaiah’s prophecy points to the time after the exile, when the Jews would return to Jerusalem. Our text says: "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. So, after God had punished the Jews for their idolatry, God would restore the Jews. God would bring the Jews and their children back home to Jerusalem.

But God also wanted to bring other people to Jerusalem. God wanted to bring the whole world to Jerusalem. Isaiah says, Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you … the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

This prophecy came to fulfillment when the non-Jewish Magi followed the star, came to Judah, found Jesus, worshiped Jesus, and gave gifts to Jesus. But the Magi were only the tip of the iceberg. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”

2 And that’s what happened. Over the last two thousand years, millions upon millions of sinners have seen the light of Christ. Millions have heard the good news that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead for their forgiveness, life, and salvation. Millions have worshiped Christ. Millions upon millions have received eternal life in heaven through faith in Christ.

And saving all these people from sin and death makes Jesus ecstatic. Isaiah describes Christ’s joy. Isaiah says to Jesus, Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

Sons, daughters, wealth, and riches all stand for the millions Jesus has saved. Isaiah further describes this. He says, Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense. Isaiah uses terms of international trade. Just like international trade boosts a nation’s economy, so the gospel going out into all the world boosts the number of those who are saved and praise Christ.

So, even in ancient times international trade has been a symbol for peace and prosperity. International trade is also why the world is relieved that Iran and America are not at war. You see, if Iran and America went to war, fighting would take place in the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz lies at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf. At its narrowest, it is only twenty-five miles wide, with Iran on the north and Oman on the south. Twenty-five percent of the world’s oil supply passes through it. If warfare closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world would lose a quarter of its oil supply. That would hurt world economies and international trade. That could cause a world-wide economic depression. So, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for oil tankers is vital to the world’s economy.

Keeping the good news of Jesus flowing is vital to the world’s salvation. Keeping the light of Christ’s love and forgiveness flowing is absolutely necessary for sinners to receive faith and forgiveness of sins. And that brings us to you and me, the third audience Isaiah speaks to. Isaiah says, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, 3 darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.”

Isaiah tells you and me, “You have seen the light. God’s glory is on you because the Holy Spirit has given you faith. But so much of the world is not as blessed as you are. The darkness of unbelief covers the majority of the world. The thick darkness of sin and damnation looms over billions of people. But not you. You Christians have the light. You have the hope of everlasting glory in heaven.”

That should bring us to two conclusions. First, that good news compels us to say, “Thanks and praise be to you, O God. You plucked me out of the dark pit of death. You rescued me from the dungeons of damnation. You have filled my heart with the light and life of Christ. You have made me your dear child. You have washed me and made me pure and holy in the blood of the Lamb, your Son, Jesus Christ. You have carried me out of the exile of unbelief into my homeland of the heavenly Jerusalem. So, thanks be to you, O Lord. Everlasting glory and praise be to you alone, O God!”

But besides leading you to praise God, the light of Christ also compels you to action. It makes you say, “I cannot hide the gospel light from the rest of the world. I cannot put the light of Christ under the basket of my busy life. No, I must reflect the light of Christ with my words and my actions. I must pray for our missionaries and support our missions with my offerings. I also need to get over myself and actually talk to others about Jesus. People are dying in spiritual darkness. They need the light of Christ. They need the light of faith.”

That’s what Epiphany is all about. Jesus saves you by shining his truth and his love on you. Jesus also uses you to shine the light of his gospel to the whole world. So, arise. Shine. YOUR LIGHT HAS COME. AMEN.