Jeremiah 33:14-16 The Gift of Righteousness As a child, I was always so excited about the arrival of the season of Advent in the church, but not because it helped me to prepare my heart spiritually for the birth of our world s Savior. Instead, when I saw the Advent decorations and Chrismon tree in the Sanctuary at church, it meant that our family would soon be picking out a Christmas tree to decorate in our home. And, it also meant that I would soon be circling all the things in the Sears catalog that I wanted Santa Claus to bring to me on Christmas Eve! For me, Advent was a season of expectation, but not of the Lord s coming into the world as Emmanuel (or, God with us). No, for me, Advent was a time of impatient expectation, as I waited to see what gifts I had received on Christmas morning. PAUSE The word Advent means the coming or arrival, especially of something or someone extremely important. I have noticed many times throughout God s Word that God sent his prophets to prepare his people for what was coming. In the Old Testament, we see that God sent the prophet Jeremiah to His people to prepare them for a time of judgment and discipline. God used Jeremiah to foretell the coming of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the subsequent exile of God s people because of their sins and rebellion against God and his laws. God had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. He gave them his laws. He made a covenant with them to bless them with many blessings, IF they would worship him and only him, and live holy lives, that would represent the one true God to the rest of the world.
Of course, the Scriptures tell us that the people of God failed to keep their covenant with God by obeying his laws and living righteous lives. And so, in addition to the many other prophets who had warned God s people of God s coming judgment against their sin, God sent Jeremiah to tell his people that the time had finally come. Jeremiah is often referred to as the Weeping Prophet because he preached God s message of judgment from a broken heart as he witnessed the downward spiral of his nation toward their 70 year captivity in Babylon. And yet, all hope was not lost. Through Jeremiah, God also foretold a time to come when God would bring to his people peace and prosperity. Here in chapter 33, God says through Jeremiah, The time will come when I will heal Jerusalem s wounds and give her prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me, and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them. The joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord will be heard again, and they will sing together, Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven s Armies, for the Lord is good. His faithful love endures forever! In our Scripture lesson this morning, God promised that a special day would come. This would be the day God s Son, our Savior, Jesus would be born into the world. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about this same day when he said, For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven s Armies will make this happen! God promised that a day would come when he would cleanse all sin against him, and forgive all rebellion. He made this possible through Christ s first Advent. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, who gave his life on a cross as the sacrifice that atones for all sin. And, with his resurrection from the dead, we have the promise of eternal life. Again, Advent means the coming or arrival, especially of something or someone extremely important. In our Scripture lesson this morning, God has also promised that another very special day is coming. He says, The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous descendant (the Scriptures say a righteous Branch ) from King David s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. Now, listen to what Isaiah also prophesied concerning this day to come. He says, Out of the stump of David s family will grow a shoot yes a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice
to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt, and truth like an undergarment. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. This day to come is Christ s Second Advent, when He returns to reign on the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. In that day, God will bring peace and prosperity to all who love him. PAUSE During the season of Advent, we Christians prepare to celebrate again the birth of our Savior and King. But many times, like I did when I was a child, we make Christmas about us, instead of our Lord. We busily prepare a celebration in which we take time off work, receive gifts from others, over-indulge in our favorite foods, and we neglect preparing ourselves spiritually for the ultimate gift God has given to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Our Lord, Jesus tells us that we are to be prepared spiritually for His Second Advent, when he will bring his gifts of peace and prosperity to all of God s children. No gift we receive this Christmas can compare to the gift God has given us in Jesus Christ. In fact, God tells us in our Scripture lesson this morning that in the life to come, Christ is the only gift that will matter. Through Jeremiah, God says, In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And their motto will be: The Lord Is Our
Righteousness. A motto is a short phrase that expresses the guiding principle or purpose of a person, or group of persons. At Christmas, God gave us the gift of righteousness, that is, a right relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. And that is the only gift you can take with you in the life to come at Christ s return. The Lord, and the Lord alone, is our righteousness! You know, we spend a lot of time preparing for our Christmas Day celebrations. Yet in just a few hours, the gifts have been opened, the grand meal has been eaten, our loved ones have returned home, and our celebration seems quickly over. This Advent, how can your preparations for Christ s coming have eternal benefits, and give you lasting joy? May God bless you all, Amen.