2nd Sunday in Advent, 12/4/16
Matthew 3:1-12
Advent Preparation Is Heartfelt Repentance!
I. Preparation for the kingdom at hand
II. Preparation for the kingdom to come
I don’t mean to sound dismal, but, if you’re in the second half of your expected life span, then your Christmas traditions, activities, and preparation are likely on the decrease. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Your children are grown and have moved out. So you no longer feel the need to do some of the Christmas things that you used to years ago. Perhaps you’ve downsized your home and no longer have the space you once did, so some of your Christmas items had to go. You probably don’t bake as many Christmas cookies and other Christmas food favorites. You don’t need them. What’s more, you don’t have the energy you once had. You simply can’t be on your feet all day preparing for Christmas like you once were able to do.
But you also realize that you can celebrate Christmas without all that stuff. Those things at one point in your life helped you celebrate your Savior’s birth, but they were never the heart and center of it, so you can let go of them and still have a very meaningful Christmas. In fact, you could have a meaningful celebration without any Christmas items or activities at all.
You could, if you make sure you take care of one Advent activity. In fact, this Advent activity is absolutely critical to a proper celebration of Christmas. Without it, any Christmas celebration is spiritually empty and void. It’s the preparation John the Baptist called for in this morning’s Gospel from Matthew 3. I’m sure you caught it. He called for one and all to repent. Repent. And not simply to go through the motions. But do so from the depths of your heart. Advent preparation is heartfelt repentance. May God’s Holy Spirit fill us and lead us to make those preparations this morning.
Part I.
Depending on when you celebrate Christmas, you have either 20 or 21 days left to get ready. Retailers will give you daily reminders as to how much time you have left. But Christmas shopping is only part of our preparations. A minute ago we mentioned the decorating and the cooking. If you will have guests, especially overnight, you need to clean and prepare a room for them. Many of you send Christmas cards and well-wishes, even an annual family letter. Is it written yet?
When John the Baptist encouraged his listeners to prepare for Jesus, he didn’t mention any of those items. In fact, what he did mention seems a little peculiar to us. Listen again. “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘“A voice of one calling in the desert, “‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’” In Bible times, the preparations for a dignitary such as a king included highway and street maintenance. You’re aware that roads in those days were nothing like our modern thoroughfares. They were filled with bumps and holes and they twisted back and forth as they made their way forward. With the approach of a king, attempts were made to make them easier to use.
But you’re aware that John’s ministry was not concerned with civil works and local infrastructure. He was concerned about the condition of the human heart. He showed it by the way he lived. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea. John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” John didn’t set up his ministry in the most likely place—near the temple in Jerusalem. There were far too many distractions there. There was far too much sham worship there. He conducted his ministry in the desert—symbolic of the condition of the human heart by nature. Our sinful hearts are barren and fruitless.
And that symbolism continued in John’s attire and diet. No fine clothes here. Rough camel hair, just like his predecessor, the prophet Elijah, who was also a preacher of repentance. Locusts and wild honey were not common food choices among the Jews, but, again, they gave testimony that John’s message was different—it was a call to repentance.
By God’s power, his ministry made a huge difference in people’s lives. “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” John used God’s law to point out their sins and God’s gospel in the word and baptism to bring them to faith in the coming Savior and to receive forgiveness.
And the result—which was all God’s doing—was that people were ready for the coming of Jesus. John declared that the kingdom of heaven was near. He meant that God was about to reveal his gracious, saving activity in the person and work of his Son, Jesus Christ. Not long after John began his work, Jesus began his work and the people were ready for him because John had called them to repent of their sins and trust Jesus for forgiveness.
Advent preparation is heartfelt repentance. It’s preparation for the kingdom at hand.
Like you, I know far too many people who will gather around a Christmas tree three weeks from now and celebrate Christmas but want nothing to do with Jesus. I’m thankful that won’t happen with you. But there is a subtle form of it that we’re all susceptible to. It’s celebrating Christmas while forgetting how desperately we need this Gift of a Savior from our God. It’s celebrating Christmas thinking that we’re OK with God all on our own. It’s celebrating Christmas under the impression that we deserve a wonderful Christmas because we’re such wonderful people. John hammers to pieces every one of those spiritual delusions. He doesn’t declare, “Hey, wonderful people! God has something wonderful for you!” He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Only people who know how much they need a Savior have a Savior by faith in him. That faith is in a Savior who lived and died for you. So, make your Advent preparation for the kingdom at hand. Advent preparation is heartfelt repentance.
Part II.
Have you ever been caught unprepared? We all have. Whether it was for a test during our years in school, or for some project we said we’d complete by a given time, or simply some chores we intended to complete before guests arrive, we all know what it’s like to be unprepared. And it’s not pleasant. It’s embarrassing and even painful.
The entire nation of the Jews was looking for the Messiah to arrive. The fact that John proclaimed he was about to appear filled them with the desire to prepare. Matthew says the people came out of Jerusalem and from all over Judea. That’s rather astounding in a day and age of meager communication and transportation.
What’s even more astounding is that the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived. It’s astounding because the self-righteous Pharisees felt no need to confess their sins because they denied that they had sinned. It’s astounding because the Sadducees denied anything supernatural, even the existence of heaven itself. So why prepare for a Savior from sin?
It’s likely they showed up simply because John had created a powerful movement among the people and they, the self-proclaimed leaders of the people, didn’t want to be left behind. So they offered a sham repentance.
And John torched them for it. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” Not very politically correct, but it was the bald truth.
You see, what was at stake was no small matter. A failure to repent wasn’t simply a missed opportunity. It had eternal consequences. Listen again to John, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” John didn’t mince words. Repent, or face God’s righteous judgment.
We face that same judgment when Jesus returns. But you have nothing to fear. John tells us, “After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Jesus has baptized us, just as he baptized Stella at the beginning of our service. He sent us his Holy Spirit who has purified us with his holy fire. By faith in Jesus we stand before the holy God in the robes of Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus won that holiness for you when he came to this earth the first time to suffer and die for you. By faith in him you’re ready for his return.
Advent preparation is heartfelt repentance for the kingdom to come. Get ready! Amen.
December 3, 2016
November 27, 2016
The Return of Jesus: A Paradoxical Arrival
1st Sunday in Advent, 11/27/16
Matthew 24:37-44
The Return of Jesus: A Paradoxical Arrival
I. Absolutely certain
II. Absolutely uncertain
We’re coming to the close of the busiest travel time of the year. I heard that travel experts predicted the number of travelers to be the highest since 2008. I imagine we’ll hear in a day or two whether or not that prediction was accurate.
Either way, millions of arrivals occurred. For some of you, yours was among them. You made your travel plans, perhaps you made a flight reservation, informed your loved ones when to expect you, and then made your way to your destination. Perhaps you prayed for a safe arrival and the Lord granted it.
As we noted at the beginning of today’s worship, we’re at the beginning of another Advent season. The season of Advent is a season of expectation—the expectation of an arrival. It’s the arrival of the single greatest person in all of history. It’s the arrival of the eternal Son of God in human flesh and blood. We’ll celebrate it in four weeks. But that God-man also promised to arrive again. Jesus speaks about that second arrival in this morning’s text from Matthew 24. And what he tells us is a divine paradox. His arrival is both absolutely certain and absolutely uncertain. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to that paradox this morning so that we can look forward to his second coming with confidence and joy!
Part I.
Arrivals aren’t certain. Even if you plan meticulously, the unexpected can occur at any time and cause you to make a change in your arrival plans. For instance, nearly 1000 people here in the State of Ohio never arrived at their destination during the first 11 months of 2016. As of last Sunday, there have been 980 traffic fatalities in the Buckeye State. Every one of those people thought they were going to arrive, but they never did. It can be an agonizing truth that arrivals aren’t certain.
Unless you’re none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks about his second coming in the word of God before us this morning. In an age when travel plans were far less certain than they are today, Jesus never even hints that he might not be able to carry out his plans. He uses no “mights” or “maybes” when he informs his hearers about the “coming of the Son of Man.” He doesn’t give himself an easy out by stating he’ll try to come back. He doesn’t preface his intention with a “if things go as planned.” Just as God promised to send a Savior into the world when the time was right and he made good on that promise, so Jesus has promised to return to this earth and there is no doubt it will occur.
The problem, as explained by Jesus here in this portion of his word, is that people simply aren’t watching for it to occur. Please don’t misunderstand. Jesus doesn’t expect us to drop everything we’re doing and sit with our heads trained on the skies, watching for his return. Some of the Christians in Thessalonica nearly 2,000 years ago did that, and Paul scolded them for it. God certainly expects us to go about our lives each day, making the most of the opportunities he places before us for doing his will. He expects us to be busy carrying out our daily responsibilities in whatever calling he has given us. He expects us to be busy serving others.
But not to be consumed by living. Jesus gives this negative example, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” Doesn’t the Lord expect us to do the very things these ancient people were doing? Indeed he does. So what was wrong with what they were doing? He had given them a warning through Noah that destruction was coming. They could see Noah and his sons preparing for it as their building of an ark progressed. The closer the ark got to being finished the more likely the end was near. But they were too busy living their lives to pay attention. They lived each day for that day and took no thought for the possibility that tomorrow could be their last. In fact, they refused to believe what Noah had told them about the impending judgment.
It’s not one bit different today, is it? That shouldn’t surprise us. Only a minority of people living on the face of the earth believe that Jesus is their Savior and that he will come again. The vast majority denies that Jesus is the Son of God and that he will appear on the Last Day. So, it’s only natural that they are busy living life and taking no thought for Jesus’ return.
What’s problematic for you and me is when that attitude rubs off on us. Our world is so busy living life and we’re living in that world too. Our world is planning and striving to accomplish great things for the next day, the next month, the next year. If we don’t do the same, we’re going to get left behind. But the truth still stands. Jesus’ return is absolutely certain.
So, what should we, the people of God, do? Live your life in a spiritually healthy balance. Plan well, work hard, play hard, enjoy life; but do so knowing and believing that you might be seeing Jesus’ arrival before the day ends. Keep one spiritual eye on the thing at hand and one spiritual eye on the sky. Include in your prayers a request that Jesus returns soon before evil overwhelms our world. That’s a God-pleasing balanced life. But realize that none of us attains it, at least not all the time. We allow our lives to get out of whack. We become engulfed by what we want to accomplish. We live as the people did in Noah’s day. But that’s why you have a Savior named Jesus Christ. His life was always perfectly in balance with his Father’s will. So, by faith in him, his holy life is your holy life. And he died for all the times we live like there will always be a tomorrow, and a next month, and a next year. He died to make our eternity with him certain. His resurrection assures us of it. It also assures us that he will return. So know and believe this: Jesus’ return is absolutely certain. Live like it!
Part II.
Modern devices have made estimated arrival times much more certain. With our smart phones, we can have our route marked out in the palm of our hands, indicating the distance and estimated time to our destination. And with that same smart phone, we can call our loved ones and let them know when to expect us. Such modern devices have taken much of the guess-work out of estimated arrival times.
Jesus will arrive here on earth again. That arrival is absolutely certain. But it’s also absolutely uncertain when he will arrive and no modern device will help us with that uncertainty. Listen to Jesus describe his arrival. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” Jesus states the obvious. No thief ever announces when he will arrive to steal your possessions. It’s critical to the thief’s success that the owner is completely unaware that the thief is coming.
Likewise, no one knows when Jesus will return. The Bible states that even the angels don’t know the date or time. Wouldn’t it be good for us to know that most critical date in the rest of the world’s history? Well, imagine if you did know. Imagine if you knew that Jesus would return on November, 27, 2026. How much less likely would you be to spend time in regular worship? How much less effort would we put into sharing the saving gospel of Jesus with our world? After all, we’ve got 10 years for doing that. Let’s do some things we enjoy doing right now and we’ll get around to being concerned about our spiritual lives when 2026 arrives. The urgency would be nonexistent. We’d get lulled into spiritual apathy and sleep. The truth is, spiritual apathy occurs far too often the way it is, not knowing when Jesus will return. Can you imagine the spiritual tragedy that would occur if we knew the date and time?
Jesus concludes his encouragement to us with these words, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” How can you be ready for something when you don’t know when it will occur? How can you be ready to face Jesus in all his glory on the Last Day when he arrives with all his holy angels? Better yet, what do you need to do to be ready? Rest easy, child of God. You’ve been ready for the return of Jesus since the day the name of the triune God was proclaimed over you and the water of your baptism was applied to you. You’ve had saving faith ever since that day and that saving faith in Jesus makes you prepared for your Lord’s arrival.
That arrival is absolutely certain. It will occur just as certainly as he arrived the first time. But it’s also absolutely uncertain in that no one knows when it will occur. Until it occurs, stay grounded in your faith through God’s word and sacrament. Stay busy serving your Lord and others. And keep watch. Jesus will arrive. And by faith in him you’re ready. Amen.
Matthew 24:37-44
The Return of Jesus: A Paradoxical Arrival
I. Absolutely certain
II. Absolutely uncertain
We’re coming to the close of the busiest travel time of the year. I heard that travel experts predicted the number of travelers to be the highest since 2008. I imagine we’ll hear in a day or two whether or not that prediction was accurate.
Either way, millions of arrivals occurred. For some of you, yours was among them. You made your travel plans, perhaps you made a flight reservation, informed your loved ones when to expect you, and then made your way to your destination. Perhaps you prayed for a safe arrival and the Lord granted it.
As we noted at the beginning of today’s worship, we’re at the beginning of another Advent season. The season of Advent is a season of expectation—the expectation of an arrival. It’s the arrival of the single greatest person in all of history. It’s the arrival of the eternal Son of God in human flesh and blood. We’ll celebrate it in four weeks. But that God-man also promised to arrive again. Jesus speaks about that second arrival in this morning’s text from Matthew 24. And what he tells us is a divine paradox. His arrival is both absolutely certain and absolutely uncertain. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to that paradox this morning so that we can look forward to his second coming with confidence and joy!
Part I.
Arrivals aren’t certain. Even if you plan meticulously, the unexpected can occur at any time and cause you to make a change in your arrival plans. For instance, nearly 1000 people here in the State of Ohio never arrived at their destination during the first 11 months of 2016. As of last Sunday, there have been 980 traffic fatalities in the Buckeye State. Every one of those people thought they were going to arrive, but they never did. It can be an agonizing truth that arrivals aren’t certain.
Unless you’re none other than the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks about his second coming in the word of God before us this morning. In an age when travel plans were far less certain than they are today, Jesus never even hints that he might not be able to carry out his plans. He uses no “mights” or “maybes” when he informs his hearers about the “coming of the Son of Man.” He doesn’t give himself an easy out by stating he’ll try to come back. He doesn’t preface his intention with a “if things go as planned.” Just as God promised to send a Savior into the world when the time was right and he made good on that promise, so Jesus has promised to return to this earth and there is no doubt it will occur.
The problem, as explained by Jesus here in this portion of his word, is that people simply aren’t watching for it to occur. Please don’t misunderstand. Jesus doesn’t expect us to drop everything we’re doing and sit with our heads trained on the skies, watching for his return. Some of the Christians in Thessalonica nearly 2,000 years ago did that, and Paul scolded them for it. God certainly expects us to go about our lives each day, making the most of the opportunities he places before us for doing his will. He expects us to be busy carrying out our daily responsibilities in whatever calling he has given us. He expects us to be busy serving others.
But not to be consumed by living. Jesus gives this negative example, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” Doesn’t the Lord expect us to do the very things these ancient people were doing? Indeed he does. So what was wrong with what they were doing? He had given them a warning through Noah that destruction was coming. They could see Noah and his sons preparing for it as their building of an ark progressed. The closer the ark got to being finished the more likely the end was near. But they were too busy living their lives to pay attention. They lived each day for that day and took no thought for the possibility that tomorrow could be their last. In fact, they refused to believe what Noah had told them about the impending judgment.
It’s not one bit different today, is it? That shouldn’t surprise us. Only a minority of people living on the face of the earth believe that Jesus is their Savior and that he will come again. The vast majority denies that Jesus is the Son of God and that he will appear on the Last Day. So, it’s only natural that they are busy living life and taking no thought for Jesus’ return.
What’s problematic for you and me is when that attitude rubs off on us. Our world is so busy living life and we’re living in that world too. Our world is planning and striving to accomplish great things for the next day, the next month, the next year. If we don’t do the same, we’re going to get left behind. But the truth still stands. Jesus’ return is absolutely certain.
So, what should we, the people of God, do? Live your life in a spiritually healthy balance. Plan well, work hard, play hard, enjoy life; but do so knowing and believing that you might be seeing Jesus’ arrival before the day ends. Keep one spiritual eye on the thing at hand and one spiritual eye on the sky. Include in your prayers a request that Jesus returns soon before evil overwhelms our world. That’s a God-pleasing balanced life. But realize that none of us attains it, at least not all the time. We allow our lives to get out of whack. We become engulfed by what we want to accomplish. We live as the people did in Noah’s day. But that’s why you have a Savior named Jesus Christ. His life was always perfectly in balance with his Father’s will. So, by faith in him, his holy life is your holy life. And he died for all the times we live like there will always be a tomorrow, and a next month, and a next year. He died to make our eternity with him certain. His resurrection assures us of it. It also assures us that he will return. So know and believe this: Jesus’ return is absolutely certain. Live like it!
Part II.
Modern devices have made estimated arrival times much more certain. With our smart phones, we can have our route marked out in the palm of our hands, indicating the distance and estimated time to our destination. And with that same smart phone, we can call our loved ones and let them know when to expect us. Such modern devices have taken much of the guess-work out of estimated arrival times.
Jesus will arrive here on earth again. That arrival is absolutely certain. But it’s also absolutely uncertain when he will arrive and no modern device will help us with that uncertainty. Listen to Jesus describe his arrival. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.” Jesus states the obvious. No thief ever announces when he will arrive to steal your possessions. It’s critical to the thief’s success that the owner is completely unaware that the thief is coming.
Likewise, no one knows when Jesus will return. The Bible states that even the angels don’t know the date or time. Wouldn’t it be good for us to know that most critical date in the rest of the world’s history? Well, imagine if you did know. Imagine if you knew that Jesus would return on November, 27, 2026. How much less likely would you be to spend time in regular worship? How much less effort would we put into sharing the saving gospel of Jesus with our world? After all, we’ve got 10 years for doing that. Let’s do some things we enjoy doing right now and we’ll get around to being concerned about our spiritual lives when 2026 arrives. The urgency would be nonexistent. We’d get lulled into spiritual apathy and sleep. The truth is, spiritual apathy occurs far too often the way it is, not knowing when Jesus will return. Can you imagine the spiritual tragedy that would occur if we knew the date and time?
Jesus concludes his encouragement to us with these words, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” How can you be ready for something when you don’t know when it will occur? How can you be ready to face Jesus in all his glory on the Last Day when he arrives with all his holy angels? Better yet, what do you need to do to be ready? Rest easy, child of God. You’ve been ready for the return of Jesus since the day the name of the triune God was proclaimed over you and the water of your baptism was applied to you. You’ve had saving faith ever since that day and that saving faith in Jesus makes you prepared for your Lord’s arrival.
That arrival is absolutely certain. It will occur just as certainly as he arrived the first time. But it’s also absolutely uncertain in that no one knows when it will occur. Until it occurs, stay grounded in your faith through God’s word and sacrament. Stay busy serving your Lord and others. And keep watch. Jesus will arrive. And by faith in him you’re ready. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
