Advent Series - Joy | Revd. Walter Macdaniel Nakan

 

Advent Series - Joy (3)

12.12.2025

Fr. Walter Macdaniel Nakan

                                                                                                                                

Text: Isaiah 35:1 – 10; James 5:7 – 10; Matthew 11:2 – 11

 

Title: Joy in Redemption

For the last two weeks, we have been exploring the theme of Advent through the promise of Hope and Peace. The idea is to look beyond this world for hope and peace. This week, we will continue with the same notion that true joy can only be found beyond this world.

A quick recap of the last two weeks: greater hope is the judgement that brings restoration. As we awaits for the day, we are to live in holiness and to project the light of Christ to the world (because the whole world will too stands in judgement). But, without peace, we will continue to live in fear of the judgement, living in enmity with Him and with one another,  and so hope will only become a peripheral idea. Hence, the knowledge of the Judge whose word becomes decree that grant true peace through the restoration and preservation of peace could better prepare us to live in peace and holiness with Him and one another. Therefore, as we still live in this world, we need a constant affirmation from His word that in His promise, He has restored the peace through His Son Jesus Christ – thus allowing us to stand before Him in judgement.

For the benefit of understanding, allow me to deliberate the train of thoughts of my series as such; past, future, and present. Past being God’s promises of hope, peace, joy, and love partially fulfilled in Jesus Christ in His first Advent. Future is where the complete fulfillment of God’s promises through the second Advent of Christ made into reality through the prospect of Judgement. While judgement sounds eerie, it does not necessarily has a negative connotation to it. And finally, in the Present time would deal with our part of fostering that reality of hope, peace, joy, and love to the physical world while still pointing towards or invite people to the future perfection of hope, peace, joy, and love made perfect in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                                                                     

Suffering turns to Joy of Redemption (Isaiah 35)

Imagine being in a very long suffering, so long that you know nothing but frustration and pain, losing hope over the prospect of ever be liberated from such situation. No, I am not talking about a decade of suffering, but possibly centuries of suffering. The suffering was so severe that it robbed you of your identity and joy. That was the kind of suffering the people of God has to suffer during the time of Isaiah when he proclaim before them the prophecy of comfort (Isaiah 35).

Of course we cannot compare their suffering with ours because suffering brings equal results regardless of the degree of the suffering: it robbed you of hope and joy. Today’s sermon will use the familiar formula as mentioned earlier to bring us into the understanding of what joy are we to expect from God in light of His work to the people of Israel. And my hope is for us to be tethered to that future promise of joy in spite of going through a great deal of suffering at this moment. 

                                                                                                                                                     

Past: Suffering as the measure of faith

    While we often hear that suffering is the testing of one’s faith, but the Bible refute it clearly in James 1:13 clearly said that God tempts no one. But, in the light of Israel’s suffering after their unfaithfulness, we understand where we could arrive to that conclusion. Even then, God does not tempts His children but rather the suffering that they experienced was the product of their own choice – to be unfaithful to the LORD. But, do not get me wrong. I am not suggesting that those who fall ill or met with unfortunate accidents are sinful. It shows that, in this world, the sin affects everyone equally and the product of it is suffering. Even then, rest assured, because God has declared divine vengeance and holy retribution, as well as promise to come to our rescue; as He promised to His people through Isaiah (Isaiah 35:4). What does it mean for God to allow such a thing in the first place? Has God no concerns of His own children? Those are some of the questions that we will be asking as we read through the history of God’s people.

    But, here is the thing; we should not measure God’s faithfulness against ours. In fact, God gave liberty of choice and more often than not, we, His children chose wrongly. Suffering, on the other hand, should be viewed as re-alignment of our focus back to God as the source of all good things (cf; Isaiah 35). While suffering sometimes is the result of our own choice or the choice that others made, God allows suffering to a certain degree until we come to our ‘senses’ and become humble enough to cry out to Him for salvation.

How then we arrive to that realization in order to come to the point of humility?

                                                                                                                                                     

Future: The Restoration of the Broken world

    Last week I mentioned that the knowledge of the LORD would enable us to find true peace because He who spoke the word is Trustworthy. Now, in the context of today’s reading (especially Isaiah), His words promised restoration to lands that laid to waste due to the long period of war. Not only that, the restoration does not stop only with the natural world but also the living beings (the blind, deaf, and lame). Sure, the people of Israel, when hearing this prophecy would not think that it will be physical restoration but rather allegorical. It gives them hope, sure, but there is one point in history where God “did nothing” for them. A 400 years of “silence”. But, God’s silent does not mean that He is absent. 

    So, imagine having soaked in the heavenly displayed of God’s power throughout their history only for God stay “silence”, that must have caused great anxiety to the people of God. At times, in our history of faith, we were on fire over the displays of God’s presence in our lives that we ever so willing to commit ourselves to His service. But, on this side of heaven, suffering continues to robbed us from joy and hope – either it caused by us or others, nonetheless, suffering affecting everyone. Many of us left in bitterness and anguish.

    But, it took Israel 400 years later to experience God’s activities – and this time through the person of Jesus Christ. Even John the Baptist was unsure whether God will bring the redemption that He promised in Isaiah now that he is in prison (Matthew 11:2). It took him a quick reminder and physical evidences (Matthew 11:4 – 5) for him to let off the sigh of relief. John’s anxious query was not out of place. In fact, it was very human. Like many of us. But, what should be our focus on this verse (verse 5 of Matthew 11) is the fact that Jesus mentioned about good news has been preached to the poor. What good can the good news bring to the poor anyway? Short answer is; the joy of redemption.

    What Jesus has preached to them was not empty promise, but rather a profound reality of redemption; while some may experience the immediate effect (the blind, the deaf, the lame restored), everyone will definitely experience it in the future. Those the LORD has rescued will return (the ransomed of the LORD in ESV) says Isaiah 35:10. This world that filled with suffering is our exile before a complete redemption whereas we will return to the garden of Eden.

What should be our preparation of return then?

                                                                                                                                                     

Present: Walk on the Way of Holiness

    Be patient, James said in his epistle (James 5:7). Be patient here is not merely sitting around and do nothing when the enemy is clearly using the suffering to weaken our faith. Be patient here, as James stated it clearly, to ‘establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand’ (James 5:8). There is a sense of urgency in regards to Christ’s second coming. And we are to establish our heart – it means to prepare our hearts. How do we prepare our hearts? Let me first give you this perspective; God is holy and He cannot stand with unholy being (Isaiah 35:8). Therefore, in order for us to experience the joy of His second coming (in which also mean the complete redemption of everything that belongs to Christ), we too must become holy!

    Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to stand before the holy judge first, then we are to experience the promised redemption. But, we cannot stand before the holy judge while remaining unholy. Then again, how can we measure up to God’s standard of holiness if we refuse His grace through the preaching of the Words? Just as I pointed out last Sunday, I will say it again today, I pray that we no longer segmented our lives; living differently on Sunday and differently from Monday to Saturday. You and I have seen the displays of God’s mercy and grace in our lives whether on a personal level or through the Word of God. That goes to show that our God is ever faithful, and so are we called to be faithful. Most of the time, it is as simple as making decision of whether or not to curse in anger at the traffic or even to withhold our tongues from gossiping.

So, my dearly beloved in Jesus Christ, may the promised redemption bring joy in your lives to remain steadfast in your holy service to the Lord; especially as we await for the Day of the Lord that is at hand. Amen.