Sounds Familiar! Nov. 30, 2025 Isaiah 1:1-20

Sounds Familiar
Isaiah 1:1-20
St. Peter’s Anglican Church
November 30, 2025

We are all familiar with the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

This has been made clear the past few weeks with the election of an avowed communist as Mayor of New York and a professed Socialist — the first cousin of Communism — as Mayor of Seattle.

History tells us that Communism and Socialism … while sounding good on paper … doesn’t work … and only benefits those in authority.

President Reagan said “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it and hell where they already have it.”

Margaret Thatcher said: “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Aside from the fact that socialism and communism doesn’t work … it is estimated that they are responsible for between 85 & 100 million deaths in the 20th century … and it continues today in countries like North Korea, China, Venezuela.

You would think that people would realize through a study of history that socialism and communism doesn’t work.

Just look at Venezuela … once a prosperous country … now a shadow of it’s former self … with a multitude of societal problems.

Those that implemented socialism in Venezuela ignored history and were in it for themselves.

And those that think that socialism is good in the US have also ignored history.

But it’s nothing new. Think about the history of Israel.

God had called them as His chosen people … He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt … He had destroyed the Egyptian army … He had provided for them for 40 years in the wilderness …

… and … when they entered the Promised Land … it was God who enabled them to have victory over their enemies.

But throughout their history … time and time again … the people of Israel had rebelled against God … just read the Book of Judges … and then the history of Israel after Solomon … where the nation became divided … into Israel and Judah … part of God’s judgement on them for their rebellion against Him.

And that brings us to our Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah 1 … where the prophet gives us a clear picture of what Judah had done — Listen again … 1:2-4:

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not consider.”
Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.”

It can’t be much clearer than that!

God had done everything for them … and after all that He had done for them … they still rebelled against Him … and as I said … as you can read about their rebellion in Old Testament … time and time and time again.

And so we read the result of God’s judgement here in Isaiah 1:

“Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.”

As we read that … it should sound familiar … think about some of the major cities in our country and the problems that they are having … and in some cases they are getting worse … and yet … they still elect and re-elect the same people who caused the problems or allowed them to happen …

History repeating itself … doing the same thing over and over … and yet expecting a different result.

But as always … things are not as bad as they could be … and thankfully God is still in control … and He has His people there.

… as we read 1:9:

“Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.”

What a comforting thought … that even when it looks like all is lost … and there is no hope … God still has His remnant … He still has those who follow Him and do His will.

However … as Isaiah continues … he addresses the moment … they were doing what seemed to be the correct things … from an outward point of view …

… basically though … they were only going through the motions … or … as we can call it … they were being religious … but their hearts were not in a real relationship to God.

As so God tells them through the prophet Isaiah … we read …

“Bring no more futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.””
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There was an outward appearance of religiousness … but that’s all it was — outward.

I am reminded our Savior’s condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees from Matthew 23:

‘“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.””

There’s a lot of churches around us … as I get off 95 I pass 5 churches on my way to St. Peter’s.

I don’t know them … I don’t know their practices … so I won’t comment on them.

But I do read about churches that have teaching and practices that are clearly contrary to what God has revealed in His Word.

I don’t need to get specific … but unless our worship has it’s foundation in the revealed Word of God … and our faithfulness to it … it is not acceptable to God.

We see this as Isaiah continues: 1:15

“When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.”

The picture is clear … God will not hear those that go through the motions of religiousness.
///
So … what are we to do?

Isaiah begins to address this when he makes clear the true outworking of our faith and worship:

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.”
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In other words … what is the evidence of our faith … what are the works that show what we believe.

Remember … as the scriptures clearly teach … our works DO NOT save us … but they are the evidence of our faith … they are the evidence of what we believe.

Remember … God’s Word makes clear all that we need to do … how we should act and react.

Solomon, in his conclusion in the book of Ecclesiastes summarizes it this way:

““Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.””

However … we know that we can’t truly fear God …

We know that we can’t keep His commandments …

And so … as Christians … we know that is why Jesus came.
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Today is the First Sunday in Advent … it is the beginning of the Church year.

In this season of Advent we look back at the first coming of our Savior … the Lord Jesus Christ … and we look forward to his second coming in glory.

We are reminded of his comings in the Collect for the Day — where we read:

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to
judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen

Notice the difference in the two comings … in humility … and in his glorious majesty.

But in our passage we see a clear picture of what will happen when our Savior comes the first time … if you will … the reason for the Seasons of Advent and Christmas!

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.”

This is one of the more familiar Old Testament passages that tells us the effects of our salvation …

“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.”

The entrance of sin into the world placed a stain on all of humanity … you can see this clearly throughout the Scriptures and into our 21st Century society,

But also … from the entrance of sin into world … we had the promise of a Savior.

In Genesis 3:15 we read:
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

And then … throughout the Old Testament we have what is called God’s unfolding plan of redemption … that is … more and more information about the coming Messiah … many here in Isaiah … such as:

7:14 ““Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.””

Or the fact that he came into the world to suffer for us and our salvation …

““Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.””

And others, such as where he would be born …

““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.””

All the prophecies … culminating with the birth … life … death and resurrection of Jesus … who gave his life and shed his blood for the sins of those who believe in him as Savior and Lord.

As we read in the familiar John 3:16, 17:

““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.””

This is it … the whole meaning of the seasons of Advent and Christmas … to celebrate and remember the comings of our Savior … the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without his first coming … his birth … life … death … and resurrection … we would not have forgiveness of our sins.

The words here in Isaiah 1 …

““Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.””

These words would be a lie!
//
Two weeks ago we went to NYC to see the Rockettes Christmas Show. It’s their 100th Anniversary.

While it is a secular show … celebrating the holiday season … there is … and has been since 1933 — almost their whole existence — a living nativity with live animals … celebrating the birth of Christ.

It is a clear reminder to all that without the events of the nativity … the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem … there wouldn’t be any seasons of Advent … Christmas … Lent … Easter …

All these seasons hinge on the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies … such as the one before us in Isaiah 1.

My friends … as we celebrate this Season of Advent … looking back to the first coming of our Savior … and looking forward to his 2nd coming in Glory …

… let us remember … and be thankful for … that as Christians … as we see history repeating itself …

… we know that as bad as thing might be … or might even get worse …

… God is still in complete control … and as Isaiah tells us … there will always be a remnant … of those who believe … those who fear God … and those who try to keep His commandments … praise be to God.