Can you do what you say? Probably.
That’s right: probably. Not: ‘Yes;’ not: ‘No,’ but: ‘Probably.’ You know milk is in the grocery store. Your mind remembers how to find the store. Your healthy body is capable of traveling to the store. You have resources (like a car or bike or county bus) to reach the store. Chances are highly likely that you will accomplish the desire of your words. You will enter the store and buy milk. But, just how effective are your words? You may intend leaving, but your car’s dead battery prevents you from leaving the driveway. Your brain understands the necessity of your trip, but it cannot convince a sick body to get up and run your errand. You may have one foot out the door, but then your child grabs your attention. Your words reveal your intentions, but your intentions do not always come true. You do not have the power to fulfill everything you say or want to do. It reveals an eye-opening truth: your words have limits. That is why our Old Testament reading does not center on the power of your words. Instead, the prophet Isaiah focuses your attention on the fact that God’s Word Works Results. It belongs to God Almighty. It works for God Almighty. Listen again to our reading. [T]he rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater[.]Don’t rush through these words; God is not teaching another science lesson. Our eyes may be tempted to look only at the results. (1) The earth bud[s] and flourish[es]. (2) Thousands of seeds burst out for next year’s planting. (3) Fields of grain produce bread for the eater. But the results are not the main point. Rather, the chief point is this: What makes the results? What causes the earth to bud and flourish? What produces thousands of seeds for the sower? What brings bread to the eater? The rain! One little seed cannot spontaneously sprout. The soil lacks the power to crack the plant out of its little shell. A farmer does not pry open the seed, take out little roots and stretch out a stem, leaves, and flowers. Plants thrive and flourish from the powerful effect of the rain. The rain produces results! Here’s the comparison:[S]o is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. What produces results in your life? The Word— and not just any “Word.” Look at the pronoun attached to “the Word.” “My Word.” That “My” does not refer to you or to me or to the President of the United States or to the Supreme Court of the United States. That “My” refers to God Almighty. The Almighty God who spoke: “Let there be”— and heaven and earth and land and waters and animals and people instantly come into existence (Genesis 1). The Almighty God who stood in a boat and commanded brilliant flashes of lightning and booming thunder and heaving seas: “Be still!”—and immediately the waters become like glass, the winds gently blow, and the skies unlock the sun (Matthew 8:23-27). The Almighty God who seizes the hand of a dead child and whispers: “Get up”—and she opens her eyes, sits up, and begins walking! (Mark 5:21-43) God’s Word Works Results because It belongs to God Almighty. That means you have a source to silence every fear! When money gets tight and gas prices rise, grab onto the assurance that God daily provides for you. When you are frightened about the future, remember that your Almighty God governs the future. When death takes a loved one and you hurt inside, believe Jesus has welcomed them into heaven. You can live without fear because God’s Word Works Results! Is that how you live… fear-less? Maybe you wake up each day wishing to carry less worry in life. Yet, you feel like marriage cannot and will never offer you the security, the happiness, and the love you truly want. Your mind is consumed with questions about North Korea and their nuclear capabilities. You can even leave worship fretting over the future of your church. Every day we battle fear. Any worry you carry does not come because God somehow did not help you enough. God’s Word Works Results because it comes from the mouth of the Almighty. The reason we feel alarmed is that we think our word can work results. It happens when you push aside the Bible’s blueprint for marriage and listen to your own thoughts— feeling as though your answers are going to make marriage happier and better. Fear creeps up when you doubt God is really in control— that God makes a promise to certain people in the Bible, but those promises are not meant for you. You may treat God’s Word like it is powerless— that you expect God to provide food, but you don’t expect him to pay bills. You trust God can heal your cut, but you don’t know if he’s going to heal your stomach. You see God miraculously control winds and waves, but doubt he does those anymore. That sinful nature inside of each of us strives to push God’s Word off to the side. That sinful nature tries to convince you that God cannot be trusted. If you cannot trust God, then you will look for another object to trust—even if that means you take the place of God. My friends, remember this truth in our reading: God’s Word Works Results. It works because only God has the power to do everything he intends. The instant sin enters the world, God gives his Word: You will have a Savior (Genesis 3:15). He keeps adding Words to this promise. He will be born in a little town called Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). His mother will be a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). People will marvel at his message (Deuteronomy 18:15). He will bring comfort to the world (Isaiah 40) because the weight of the world will be draped across his back (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53). How effective are God’s words? He fulfills them all—including the words that have changed your life forever: “It is finished” (John 19:30). At your baptism, God’s powerful Word brought you into a relationship with him. It is by his command you are made his child. It is by his promise that the consequences of self-trust are washed off from you. It is by his Word you are made his child. God’s Word Works Results. It belongs to God Almighty and It works for God Almighty. Look again at verse 11. [S]o is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty[.] Let me ask you: When it rains, where does the water go? Into the ground. For what purpose? For plants to take in the water, use it, and grow. In the same way, God’s Word always works a result. Some hardened hearts reject the Word. Others listen, but cave into the pressure to deny their faith. Still others hear, but love for worldly wealth chokes the Word out of life. For you, every time you hear the Word, you are growing in your faith (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). God’s Word works for God Almighty. [It] accomplish[es] what [he]I desire and achieve[s] the purpose for which [he] sent it. If you have ever cared for a plant, you know there is one thing that plant above all else: water. When you water a plant, sometimes you see results. You see new vines, new leaves, new flowers, new tomatoes and peppers and beans. In the same way, God’s Word Works Results. Yes, you can marvel at the many ways in which God has led the most confused soul to faith. You can stand amazed at the comfort it gives to the brokenhearted. You might delight in hearing testimonials how changed a person’s life entirely. Yes, many times we look for the Word to leave spectacular results that we can see! Yet, sometimes when you water a plant, you do not see the results. The plant is still alive, but you don’t know if anything about it has changed. Yet, God’s Word still Works Results--even when we cannot see the results. Those results may not always be what you expect. You may have in mind the perfect marriage with your spouse having perfect conversations and your every need being met in the perfect way. You feel your spouse is the one who needs to pay close attention to God. In reality, it just might be you who needs the Word to refocus your attitude. It is the Word that teaches you to put the needs of your spouse ahead of your own—even if it feels inconvenient. Those results may not always be seen now. You have worshipped here for weeks, months, years, decades— and it might feel like you get little out of worship. But then, one day someone close to you tragically dies. All of your friends and family mourn; grief rips into them. They have no idea where to find comfort. They reveal they have no idea what brings the greatest fulfillment to life. But you know. Because of all your years hearing and studying and learning about a Savior, you can share God’s love. You did not look like you grew, but in reality, you had been growing all along. Those results may not always look successful. God does not promise your congregation will always grow. He does not promise that your world will grow more godly. He does not promise that you will have lots of money and perfect health. It can feel like either (1) God did not keep his Word or (2) something is missing from the Word. Remember this: God sends out his Word to strengthen you. Faith grabs hold of God’s promises—even when you do not see the outcome of those promises. Even if money leaves you, trust God still cares for you more than the birds of the air or the grass in your yard. Even if health fails, understand God the Great Physician holds your wellbeing under his careful eye. Even if it looks as though Satan’s godless agenda is succeeding in this world, remember that Jesus won the war on Calvary. What happens is that your trust, your reliance on Jesus increases. The results may not be something the world praises, but you do not need the world’s praise. The result of the Word is to strengthen your trust in Jesus. Plants are living things; they either grow or they shrivel. To make a plant shrivel up, keep the water away. To make the plant grow, water daily. A plant cannot live without water. Christians cannot live without the water of God’s Word. To make a Christian rely more on himself, stay away from the Word. To make a Christian grow in faith, daily remain in the Word because God’s Word Works Results. So, just how effective are your words? Do you have the power to fulfill everything you say or want to do? No—but you don’t need to have that power. God’s Word has the real power to change hearts and to instill comfort. God’s Word equips you for whatever lies ahead this week. God’s Word tells you that the Almighty is in control. God’s Word tells you that God is powerful enough to make his Word bear results. That is why our Old Testament reading does not center on the power of your words. Instead, the prophet Isaiah focuses your attention on the fact that God’s Word Works Results. It belongs to God Almighty. It works for God Almighty. Comments are closed.
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