Advent 3a Wed Isaiah 35:1-10 The Way of Holiness

James 5:7-11 Matthew 11:2-15

There are a lot of small winding roads back in Pennsylvania and traveling on them in bad weather can be slow and dangerous.  Although the mountains are not as high as out here, there are many steep places and not much level land. If you are not going uphill, you are going downhill.

Consequently there are areas where the hills are steep and the valleys are very swampy.  The government usually does not want to build roads in these areas. Taxpayers do not want to pay the price needed to build such a highway.  So these roads usually get built by private companies.  The company obtains the rights to the land and builds the roads through the rugged wilderness area. 

They fill in the low valleys and level out the steep hills.  Sometimes they even build tunnels through the mountains and long bridges over the water to keep the roads more level.  Sharp turns or steep grades are kept to a minimum.  There are ten foot high fences along the sides to keep bears, deer and other animals from getting on the highway.  They have frequent rest areas and emergency phones are located at one mile intervals in case you break down or have an accident. These roads are called turnpikes and they are faster and much safer to travel than most roads. They make your trip through the mountains and swamps much easier and more enjoyable.

There is a catch to traveling on a turnpike, however.  You have to pay a toll.  When you enter the turnpike, you get a ticket that tells gives you access to the highway.  When you get to your exit, you present your ticket to the attendant, and pay the price for your journey. 

The roads in Isaiah’s day were not like turnpikes, in fact they were more like paths; they were crooked and full of potholes, obstacles, robbers and wild animals. Isaiah in talking about the roads however, used his poetic language to describe the sinful people of his time.

Isaiah uses the wilderness as a picture of desert hills and valleys, boulders and other obstacles caused by our sins that prevent us from reaching our destination.  Sin slows us down on our journey through life. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that when the Israelites turned away form God, the road ahead become difficult for them.  It is still the same today.

When we take these paths, these lows roads of our sinful hearts that lead us away from God, we find ourselves bogged down and mired in sin. Surely you have all told a lie, cursed someone, or cheated an acquaintance thinking it would do no harm, only to find it caused a world of hurt. Surely there are times when you look back at some selfish or thoughtless act with regret not only because it was wrong in the eyes of God but also because it has affected your life in a negative manner.  There are consequences for taking the wrong paths, for journeying down the wrong roads. Oftentimes those consequences hamper you for the rest of your life.

The wilderness is the place of testing, temptation, and trials.  Moses led Israel into the wilderness.  John came from the wilderness preaching and baptizing to prepare the way for Christ.  And Jesus was led out into the wilderness to be tempted in every way by the devil. Those roads to temptation are varied and not all roads appeal in the same way.  For some it is the lure of sex outside of marriage, for others it is illegal drugs or drinking alcohol to excess. Sometimes it is the urge to lie or gossip that we must resist. Those roads of temptation are roads we all should avoid my friends.

Whatever road calls out to you the most is the one you should resist traveling down. But there is a road that we can travel down safely. Isaiah tells us about a highway, a turnpike of sorts called the Way of Holiness.  Isaiah's Highway of Holiness is also a highway with limited access that comes with a price attached.  It's a picture of our life together as the baptized believing people of God, a journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land on God's Highway of Holiness.  The highway winds through the wilderness of this life.

 Isaiah used the thought of a highway rather than a road to illustrate that in the Church that is awaiting Christ, we are not traveling on a crooked path full of robbers, thieves and beasts. Rather, we are on a great, smooth highway.

Isaiah’s description of that highway is an excellent description of the Church.  This highway was not built by the good works of man. The path of righteousness was too steep and rocky for any man to build. Rather the highway of Holiness was built by Jesus Christ. He was given the rights to build that road at His baptism where he agreed to take on the challenge.  He paid a high price on the cross to build that highway and the road is paved with Christ’s blood. (That’s the reason many churches have red carpeting; it reminds people that they are walking on a road paved with His blood.)

You enter that highway at your baptism. It is a ticket given to you by the Holy Spirit that allows your heart complete access to God’s Word. Unlike a turnpike however and what many unbelievers do not understand is that the price to travel on the road has been paid in full by Jesus. Therefore all those who travel on the road called the church are happy and joyful, safe from the temptations of Satan. Those who are weak, those who are foolish and those who break down along the way by giving in to temptation receive the help and forgiveness they need through Word and Sacraments.

Therefore, when you enter the path that leads to eternal life there is no cause for fear. Here in the Church, there is forgiveness to be found; your conscience need not be burdened with sin and guilt. Instead, as one of the redeemed of the Lord you can live in peace. Even when things go wrong in your life, when your life in going downhill or you have an uphill battle ahead, God smoothes out the way to heaven for you. When you travel on the Way of Holiness, you are never alone. For you know that no matter what happens in this life, everything will work out for your good. (Romans 8:28) Our lesson tells you that all those in His church; all those redeemed by the blood of Christ shall ‘come to Zion with singing.’  The world cannot give you that kind of hope and joy. Only knowing what awaits you and all believers at the end of your journey can cause your heart to sing in such manner.

Not everyone sings however. The Way of Holiness is the invisible church, not the visible one. To be sure, Scripture does say there will be hypocrites among the Christians, but not in the Holy Christian Church.  Believers know that although they are unclean sinners; sin, Satan and the law cannot condemn them because the Lord has set them free. He is the one who has caused the Holy Spirit to grow like a flower in their heart. He is their deliverer who has paid for their passage in full.

They know it is not their enthusiasm, works or social standing in the congregation but the blood of Christ that redeems them.  They know it is not their doing but the gospel that calls, gathers and enlightens them as part of the Holy Christian church. Because of this, the redeemed go happily on the road to heaven and will one day enter the New Jerusalem to receive the crown of life.

Our certain hope is that when the Lord comes the second time, we will live in the church triumphant; free from all sadness sorrow and sin. Thus the first coming of Christ as a little child is tied to His second coming as our victorious Lord and Savior. For this reason, we can be strengthened in our earthly trials knowing that our Lord who has come once with healing and forgiveness will come again for us at the end of our journey. We pray, Lord Jesus come quickly. In Jesus Name, Amen.