Hobbs “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11
I know, another seasonal metaphor from me…sorry I can’t help it! The Lord created the seasons and I think He did that for a reason. I think seasons in the physical realm help us understand what’s happening in the spiritual realm. (cf. Luke 21:25-27) There is a season for everything, says Ecclesiastes 3. Psalm 104:19 says, “He made the moon to mark the seasons.” In Daniel 2:21 we read, “He changes times and seasons.” Seasons matter.
God Arranges the Seasons
Here we are in the middle of another seasonal transition and it’s one of my favorites, Spring! Recently I watched an interesting documentary by the Bible Museum called “The History of Easter.” It was fascinating how many of our Easter traditions are so closely connected to Spring traditions. It caused me to reflect on God’s gift of “Spring” and why He would cause the most important event in history – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ – to be governed by the moon and be marked by Spring. The resurrection took place three days after Passover.
Passover is always in accordance with the first full moon in the Hebrew calendar month, the month of Nisan.
Thus, God, who arranged the seasons, set the moon to mark the seasons, and established His Passover in this particular season governed by the lunar calendar, caused this particular season to be Spring. And it’s not hard to see why – it’s the season of new life. I mean He could have caused the Passover to happen in the middle of August. Or worse, January!
--do you realize that when you sow the seed of the Gospel today it has potential to sprout up in righteousness and praise in eternity?
Not only does Spring correlate with the resurrection in timing and symbology, it also correlates to what is going to come in the Kingdom. In Isaiah 61, we read of what is known as “The Year of the Favor of the Lord.” In Luke 4, Jesus stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth and read it, declaring it was fulfilled in their hearing. In other words, Jesus was declaring that Isaiah was speaking about Him. We accept that today, but that was a pretty scandalous statement when He said it.
In that prophecy, Isaiah says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…to bind up the brokenhearted…to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of prisons to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2) It’s easy to see this fulfilled in Jesus’ life. It was clearly the ministry of Jesus, our Good Shepherd. I would argue it’s also the ministry of Jesus’ under-shepherds, and really anyone charged with sharing the Gospel – so all of us!
Righteousness and Praise Will Sprout Up
At the end of that chapter, we read this beautiful description of what is going to happen when all is said and done. Isaiah said in verse 11, “the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” Dr. Todd Ahrend, the guest speaker from Mission’s Fest, reminded us that “all the nations” means more than all the countries. It means all peoples, or people groups. Thus, before all people groups in the world, righteousness and praise is going to sprout up in the Kingdom. How is that going to happen? We all know sprouts don’t just magically appear in a garden. Sprouts come up from “what is sown.” A gardener sows seeds in the soil and when the season comes, they sprout up.
In the same way, sprouts of righteousness and praise will rise up in the Kingdom because people like you and me are sowing the seed of the gospel today. Because we are proclaiming the good news to the poor, binding up the wounded, and proclaiming liberty to the captive. Do you ever reflect on what life will really be like in Heaven? Some people have the misperception that Heaven is going to be full of floating on clouds and strumming on harps. That’s not the biblical picture, though. There will be reward (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15), responsibility (cf. Matthew 25:21), and relationships (cf. Luke 16:19-31, 1 Corinthians 13:12) in Heaven.
Regarding those relationships, do you realize that when you sow the seed of the Gospel today it has potential to sprout up in righteousness and praise in eternity? Do you ever ponder the fact that there will be people in Heaven clothed in the righteousness of Christ, singing praise to Jesus because YOU shared the Gospel with them? Does that not blow your mind?!
Sowing the Gospel
As you begin to see your mood gladden with the longer days, warmer weather, and sprouting flowers imagine the magnified glory of that moment when the spring of eternal life takes place! Instead of pretty flowers and green grass, it’s going to be righteousness and praise rising before all people groups of the world. I hope and believe we are going to get to see the fruit of our gospel ministry and it’s going to result in more praise and honor and glory that the King of kings allows broken vessels like you and me to be part of His eternal work.
Where do you get to sow the gospel? Well, in Africa, of course! Oh, also in Ukraine. And in Moline. And in your family. And in your Connect Group. And in your workout group. And in your knitting circle. And in your grocery store. And in your…well, you get the point. If you know Jesus, you have received the good news, been bound up, and set free! The question is are you willing to embrace the ministry as well, and sow the seed that will one day sprout up in righteousness and praise?
Lead Pastor, Brian Smith
Brian and his wife, Kellye, have five children, one of whom is with the Lord, and are licensed foster parents in Illinois. He has served at Wildwood since April 2017. His family has a hobby farm complete with Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, chickens, goats, a mini donkey, and a couple of Jersey heifers! Brian also serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve.
