Advent Then and Now. December 7, 2014

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1 Page 1 of 8 Scripture Lesson: 2 Peter 3: 8-15a; 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord s patience means salvation

2 Page 2 of 8 Advent Then and Now December 7, 2014 Introduction: Advent. To our children it is a time of excitement and expectation leading to family gatherings and presents. To the Christian, it is the four Sundays before Christmas observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ in the world. We are in the second Sunday of that commemoration. Last week Bob and Nick s message nicely explained the tradition as they constructed an Advent wreath. But what does advent mean to you and me? Is it simply a memorial to help us focus our hearts and minds on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ? I don t think so. While I agree that we need to hold in high regard the celebration of Christ s birth, I believe that we must realize that we too are living in a period of Advent. Our Advent is for the return of Jesus to judge the earth, to claim His possession, and ultimately to bring about the new heaven and new earth. So what is Advent?

3 Page 3 of 8 I. Advent is a time of expectation From the time of the fall in the garden of Eden, God promised and man looked forward to the coming of our Savior: In Genesis God told Satan his future at the hands of the Savior when he stated; Gen 3: 15 And I will put enmity between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Genesis is also where we were introduced to Abraham where God proclaimed the coming of our Savior through his family: Gen 12: 2-3 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Throughout the Old Testament we can read of the expectation of our Savior. But what about the expectation of His return? What about our advent? It began with Jesus Himself; He tells us what to expect Matt 24: Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, And the moon will not give its light The stars will fall from the sky,

4 Page 4 of 8 And the heavenly bodies will be shaken 30 Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. From the words of Jesus, our advent began. Peter, Paul and the other writers of the New Testament talk of it with urgency, as if Jesus will return in their lifetime. Look back at today s scripture lesson in verse 10: 2Pet 3: 10, 13 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. We could spend the better part of a year in the study of the expectation of Christ s return. If this subject interests you, I encourage you to begin your in depth Bible study with this hope. II. Advent is a time of preparation The two best examples of preparation in the first advent comes in Luke 2. First from Lk 2: 25-32; 25 Now there was a

5 Page 5 of 8 man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord s Messiah. Further in the chapter we read of Anna Lk 2: 36a,37b 36a There was a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher 37b She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Now that s preparation! Our scripture lesson gives us the outcome of preparation in 2 Pet 3: 11b, 14 11b what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. So how do we prepare? Simply, we immerse ourselves in God; we pray regularly and without ceasing, we read His word and we do what it says. God is in us, but how much of us are we permitting God to fill. If our goal is our whole selves where do we stand? We must take a reading regularly. Does He fill us 25%, 50%? How much space do we give Him?

6 Page 6 of 8 III. Advent is a time of proclamation Proclamation can be fun like when we sing the beautiful songs of the Christmas season, but it can also be lonely as with the Prophets of old like Isaiah. He was likely a respected advisor in the royal courts, but once God called him, and he began proclaiming His words, many turned away from him ignoring Isaiah s godly advice. Some of these proclaiming prophets were even hunted down as criminals. Then there was John the Baptist, as told in Mark 1: 2-4, 6 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way: -- a voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. 6 John wore clothing made of camel s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Not my idea of a fulfilling social life, but he did what God called him to do. How does God call us to proclaim? Jesus Himself said it best when He told us in Matthew 28: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

7 Page 7 of 8 The other writers in the New Testament follow that up with how to proclaim the advent of Jesus through our words, but most importantly, through our lives. While proclaiming might be somewhat nerve racking, we will never be by ourselves. Jesus confirmed that with His words in Matthew; 20b And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Conclusion: The Advent of the Old Testament began in Genesis with the sin of Adam and Eve and culminated in the Gospels with the birth of Christ Many, many years. The Advent of the New Testament began with the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and will culminate with His return. May you continue your Advent in expectation, preparation and proclamation of the Good News. Don t lose hope in the waiting because as His Word says: 2 Peter 8 9 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

8 Page 8 of 8 Words of Wisdom To know who God is and what God is like is far more important than to see Him physically. God has disclosed His nature in the Bible. This means that when we study the Bible, we can know God more accurately and intimately even than someone who has seen a vision. Benediction The Lord bless you and keep you