When God Was in Hiding But Still in Control

December 31, 2007 by admin.

Matthew 2:13-15,19-23

 

 In the name of the Babe of Bethlehem, dear friends in Christ,

 

Just a couple more days, and the holidays will be over for another year. You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from people everywhere. But the relief that many anticipate is not necessarily because the hectic pace of shopping, parties, travel, and the like are finally coming to an end. Some are happy to see the holidays fade away because they find the holidays to be the most depressing time of the year. As I mentioned in an earlier sermon, suicides peak at this time of year, along with reports of spousal and child abuse. While many are celebrating with family and friends, others are left feeling unwanted, as if no one cares about them, not even God himself. They’re left by themselves to handle life and all that comes with it, and so often the burden heaped upon their sagging shoulders becomes too much for them to bear.

 

There’s some sad irony here, because Christmas is meant to provide hope. It’s meant to assure us that someone does care, that we’re never alone, because God is always with us. Yes, we have a loving Lord who cared so much that he sent his Son to save us. We have a loving Lord who is constantly watching over us. We have a loving Lord who promises to be us always until we’re with him forever in heaven.

 

This morning we have the account of the Baby Jesus having to take refuge in Egypt in order to escape a threat to his life. Even though he seemed to be a victim of circumstances, don’t think for a moment that the Lord was caught off guard by these events and fumbling for answers as to what to do next. Not in the least! This morning we find comfort in reviewing the time:

 

“When God Was in Hiding But Still in Control”

 

I. Completely rely on his protection

II. Confidently trust in his promises

 

We find Mary, Joseph, and their newborn just a few weeks or maybe months removed from Jesus’ birth. The wise men had made their visit to their home (cf. Mt. 2:11 – “house”), and were now on their way back, having left behind some gifts. Not just a coincidence or a nice gesture on their part, but these gifts serve as proof that God is always in control, for the gifts would help fund a little journey in Mary and Joseph’s future (v 13), “When [the wise men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’” God the Father was protecting his Son by sending him into hiding. He wasn’t safe in Bethlehem. The maniacal monarch Herod had become paranoid about his throne, misunderstanding the wise men when they told him they were looking for the “king of the Jews” (Mt 2:2). He assumed they were talking about an earthly king, a threat to his reign. So he asked them to report back to him once they had found the child, presumably so he too could worship him. But God was in control of this situation as well, sending an angel to tell the wise men to skip their little visit to Herod on the way back and to head straight home.

 

No news from the Magi only fueled the fire of Herod’s paranoia. He now had a new plan to eliminate his perceived competition (Mt 2:16), “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” Herod went on a bloody rampage. Some have concluded that thousands of baby boys lost their lives that evening, but keep in mind that we sing “O little town of Bethlehem.” Bible scholars estimate there may have been only 15-30 baby boys killed, which still doesn’t make the act any less brutal. That little town which not long before had been filled with angelic songs now became the site of bitter tears.

 

But one baby boy was spared, because Joseph listened to the angelic travel agent sent to him by God (vv 14,15), “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” The flight to Egypt saved Jesus’ life, and it saved our lives as well. We’ve been protected from eternal death because Jesus was protected from the sword of Herod.

 

Even though we’re still basking in the joy of another Christmas celebration, still we realize that our lives are filled with sorrows and trials yet to come. But should we expect otherwise? Does this fact mean that we’re not being protected by our God? Think of Mary and Joseph. Their lives actually grew very complicated once Jesus entered their lives. An expecting virgin to explain, a long trip to Bethlehem in the ninth month of pregnancy, an emergency barnyard birth in a “No Vacancy” town, and now an unplanned trip south to a foreign country. Mary and Joseph still faced grief and endured troubles even with Jesus in their lives. And so will we. Scripture tells us not to expect to be surrounded by a rose garden just because we’re Christians. Instead (Ac 14:22), “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” And you can expect to see your share in the coming new year. The very same hearts where Christ has made his manger bed will often be broken by grief. There are no guarantees that our future here on this earth will ever be free from pain and sorrow.

 

But we can still rely completely on God’s protection – the same protection that averted Herod’s evil plans. Even while in hiding God was still in control! Herod may have had his soldiers and henchmen hunting down the Son of God, but God the Father was using his own angelic soldiers to warn Joseph and to keep his Son safe. That same God also knows the evil plans of the devil and others who are intent on doing us harm. He knows everything that lies ahead in our lives. He’s seen our tomorrow before we even get there. And he knows how to protect us! What comfort there is for us when we completely rely on the Lord’s protection, understanding that even in our topsy-turvy world God is still always in control!

 

But how do we know that God will continue to watch over and protect us in the future? After all, we live in a world littered with broken promises. Friends – even so-called “best” friends – often turn out to be something different than we thought. Family members, whether intentionally or not, often let us down and fail to come through with promises they’ve made. When we hear the words, “I promise,” we almost cringe with the dreaded anticipation of being let down once again. But with God there’s never a disappointment. He was there for his Son, and through his Son he was there for the world. Don’t expect things to change. Confidently trust in his promises!

 

It was through the prophet Hosea that the Lord proclaimed (Hos 11:1), “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” This prophecy was made over 700 years before Christ’s birth. In our text Matthew reminds us that this passage also applies to Jesus. God was fulfilling another prophecy – keeping another promise – by using Herod’s threat to send his Son to Egypt. Even this event shows that God is always in control!

 

But all those Old Testament prophecies that spoke of Jesus being raised back in Galilee still had to be fulfilled. How was that going to happen with Jesus down in Egypt? No problem for the Lord (vv 19,20), “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.’” Again Joseph trusted the Lord (v 21), “So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.” But there was another obstacle facing Joseph: Herod’s evil son had taken his place. Again, not a problem for the Lord (vv 22,23), “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.” More changes in the plans, but even these were made to fulfill promises and prophecies made by God in the past (v 23), “So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’” Getting Mary and Joseph down to Bethlehem to have the baby fulfilled one prophecy, and now God controls history to get them back to Nazareth in order to fulfill more prophecies – giving us every reason to confidently trust in all of his promises today!

 

Our Lord doesn’t lie – never has, never will – so everything he’s promised us will come true. He promised us cleansing from all our sins (Isa 1:18), “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” He delivered on that promise (1 Jn 1:7), “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Now we know that he’ll keep us safe while we live our lives here on this earth (Ro 8:28), “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We know that eternal life in heaven is in our future because of the promise of our Good Shepherd (Jn 10:27,28), “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Eternal mansions await us (Jn 14:1-3), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

 

When it seems as if your life is spinning out of control, just look up. Look to the one who promises so much to you and to me, the one who has a perfect record when it comes to keeping promises. Listen to Jesus: “Trust in God; trust also in me.” Trust completely in his promises, knowing that the Lord is always in control!

 

With the end of the holidays you might be dreading getting back to the daily grind of the same old routine. Perhaps you find that thought a bit depressing. If so, follow the example of the shepherds when they went back to their “same old routine” (Lk 2:20), “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” They didn’t hide their joy, and it made a difference in their lives. Let’s not put Jesus back in hiding, but let’s take him with us every day, singing his praises and showing the joy that is ours with a God who’s always watching over us, a God who always keeps his promises, a God who’s always in control!

 

Amen

 

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

 

 

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Worship the Word Made Flesh

December 25, 2007 by admin.

There are a number of things that happen in life that I don’t understand. For example, I don’t know how you can take a seed that has been in a bag or on a shelf or in a drawer, and put that seed in the ground and add a little water, and it immediately turns into a plant or flower. I know that there is a scientific explanation to what happens, but I’ve never really been that concerned about it that I would look into it any deeper. I’m just amazed that soil dirt and water can make a seed begin to grow.

 

Wouldn’t it be foolish for me to say that dirt and water can’t make a seed grow because I don’t know exactly how it works? There are a lot of other things that would be affected if they could only happen when I understand them. It wouldn’t make any sense for me to deny things just because I don’t understand them. It has been said that “Seeing is believing.” And it is impossible to deny something that you see happen. Just because you might not understand it doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.

 

In our text for this Christmas, the Apostle John tells us about something that is impossible for us to understand. Because of that, many people deny that it is true. But we are going to look at these two verses from John’s gospel through the eyes of faith, not the eyes of reason or rationale. As we do, we will be lead, once again, to the true reason for the joy and happiness of the Christmas season.

 

So let’s look at these verses to see why we are joining Christians around the world today to

 

“Worship the Word Made Flesh”

1. The Son of God

2. The Savior of the World

 

 

As we consider this text, keep in mind who it is that wrote these words. This is the gospel that was written by John, one of the 3 “inner circle” disciples of Jesus. I always picture John as the quiet and contemplative disciple. Unlike Peter who often spoke before he thought things through, I see John as being one who was quicker to listen than to talk. He spent three years with Jesus and saw and heard many amazing, and even mind-boggling, things. After Jesus returned to heaven, John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the gospel from which our text for today is taken.

 

John wrote what the Holy Spirit led him to write, not what he believed took place or what he thought may have happened. He reports it as fact, even though much of it is just to complex and complicated for the human mind to fully grasp. For John, “seeing was believing,” and he had seen the power and godly nature of his Savior. It was about that Savior that John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

 

Verse one is made up of three ascending thoughts. It begins by stating that “the Word,” existed “in the beginning.” John will make it clear later in his gospel that “the Word” is a reference to Jesus. This term is unique to John and his gospel. But John was inspired to use that term for Jesus to teach us something very important about him. One commentator explains it this way, “What is then in John the meaning of ‘Logos’? (Logos is Greek for Word) He is that person in the Trinity who declares or expresses the personality of God…The Logos is then Jesus as the One in whom God reveals and expresses his inmost character.” (Ylvisaker)

 

John tells us that the Word, Jesus, was there “in the beginning.” That phrase should direct your thoughts back to the first words of the Bible. Genesis 1:1 begins, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” John confesses, though he couldn’t understand it with his limited human mind and reasoning, that Jesus is eternal. He has always been there. He was there before God created the world, and he was there when God created the world.

 

John takes that thought one step further in the second phrase of this verse. He said, “…and the Word was with God.” Again we turn to a Bible commentary to help us understand the whole realm of what this phrase conveys. “’With’ is the expression used to denote not only the general relationship, but more particularly the personal and the inward relationship in his devotion and association with the Father.” (Ylvisaker)

 

John proclaims the individuality of Jesus. He was a separate person from God the Father. We believe and teach that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all exist as separate persons. But we believe and teach that there is only one God. We have used the word “Trinity” to express that thought. It means 3 in 1. Don’t try to understand it. Your head might explode. Just believe it. John couldn’t understand it, but he believed it.

 

Even though they exist as separate persons, God the Father and God the Son share a unique unity. John says that Jesus was “with” God, expressing the perfect unity of thought and action that existed between God the Father and his Son.

 

That thought is taken even one step further as John writes, “…and the Word was God.” In this final phrase from verse 1, John makes a bold and dramatic statement. He proclaims that Jesus is God. He proclaims, from the beginning of his gospel, what many today deny and oppose. I have taken the time to talk with some of the JW’s who have come to my door. And I always begin by telling them that we have to agree on some Bible basics before we can continue our conversation. At that point I take them to this verse. I ask them to explain to me what that means if it doesn’t mean that Jesus is God. Needless to say, I’ve never had to go any further in my conversations with them.

 

John shows us the true nature of Jesus. Although our human reason cannot grasp it, Jesus is the true Son of God. And what is perhaps even more amazing than that is the thought of Christmas. That true Son of God loved us enough to become one of us to save us from our sins.

 

3. The Savior of the World

 

 

Moving to verse 14 of our text, John says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.” John tells us that the Word who was with God in all eternity, at one point in time “became flesh.” Bear in mind, Jesus never stopped being God. He didn’t transform from one being into another. He didn’t lose his godly attributes and qualities. He simply “became flesh,” he was “born of a woman, born under law,” (Gal. 4:4) as Paul wrote to the Galatians. He became one of us on that quiet night so long ago.

 

John reports that “we have seen his glory.” And indeed John did. During his three years with Jesus he heard the powerful words that Jesus spoke and he saw the incredible miracles that Jesus performed. He saw powerful men brought to their knees by Jesus’ message, and he saw sickness and death yield to the power of Jesus’ miracles. To top it all off, John was an eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus, being one of the very first people that Jesus appeared to when he rose from the dead.

 

We have also seen the glory of Jesus. This Christmas we have seen it in the message of the angel to the shepherds. We have seen it in the joy that filled Mary’s heart as she “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk. 2:19) We have seen his glory in the love of God who protected his Son from the wicked plan of King Herod.

 

And today we continue to see the glory of our Savior in the forgiveness of sins that he brought to the world. John said that Jesus came “…full of grace and truth.” Jesus came to us with an overabundance of God’s love. He came to us to reveal the truth of God’s love in the great sacrifice that he willingly made for us. We see the glory of our Lord, hidden in his humble Christmas appearance in Bethlehem’s manger, in the hope that we have for our eternal life in heaven. Our Lord “…became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” so that he could suffer and die for us and save us from our sins. We celebrate his birthday today because it marked the beginning of God’s fulfillment of his promise given first to Adam and Eve.

 

I cannot begin to understand how an eternal God could take on human form and become one of us. My mind is not big enough to wrap itself around that godly concept. No matter what human arguments might be presented to me, I simply point to the words of Scripture. When I hear what God used his servants to write, I respond without hesitation, “I believe.” We do it each week in our Creeds—“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary…” (Apostles Creed)

 

If you want to be convinced that God can do the impossible, put a seed in the ground and pour some water on it. Then watch what happens. Better yet, spend some time reading the Christmas story from Luke 2, or singing the Christmas hymns which praise our Savior. Then the Holy Spirit will “water” what has been planted, and all doubts will disappear as faith grows in your heart. May God continue to nurture that faith which has been planted in your heart which enables you to “Worship the Word Made Flesh.”

Amen.

 

“The peace of God….”

 

–Rev Roger Rockhoff

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Jesus, the Gift You’ll Always Remember

December 24, 2007 by admin.

Romans 6:23

 

In the name of Jesus, God’s Gift to the world, dear Christian friends,

 

I imagine that within the next 12-16 hours, all those Christmas presents under the tree that have taunted young and old alike will finally be freed of their colorful disguises of paper and bows and be revealed for all to see. Except for the moment of joy that may appear on surprised faces when a gift is first opened, the high point of the gift-giving process may simply be the anticipation itself. Think about it – it doesn’t take long for the “newness” of those gifts to fade, for them to take their place among the many other “things” that we have, to have even some of them forgotten completely. Show of hands – how many of you can remember what you received for Christmas just last year? Personally I’ve been trying to remember for a couple of days now, but I just can’t. I’m sure the gifts were something nice, but a year later it’s clear that
they didn’t impact my life all that much.

 

Isn’t it a bit remarkable, then, that even though the gift was given over 2000 years ago, we still remember what God gave us for Christmas? There’s a reason for that. Tonight let me begin our discussion this evening of God’s gift to the world:

 

“Jesus, the Gift You’ll Always Remember”

 

Many of the gifts we receive at Christmas may not be all that practical. They tend to fall more under the “luxury” category than the “necessity” one. It’s nice to receive a PS3, an iPod, a new plasma TV, jewelry, and the like, but it’s not as if we can’t live without them. It’s quite different with God’s gift. Jesus is a gift that is so greatly needed. He changed what would have been the inevitable outcome of our lives (v 23), “For the wages of sin is death.” OK, we admit it. We sinned and broke the rules. So we’ll just try to do better, to show God that we truly don’t deserve to spend eternity in hell. After all, we can do some things right, can’t we? Sorry, but the Bible tells us otherwise (Isa 64:6), “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” By ourselves we don’t possess the power to reverse what happened, no matter how “good” we may try to be. Earlier in Romans Paul makes it clear (3:20), “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in [God’s] sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

 

That’s why Jesus is the gift we so greatly need (v 23), “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus put things back in place, the way they were meant to be. He makes it possible for us once again to look forward to spending eternity in heaven with our God. On that first Christmas he entered our world and began a journey that was never marred by any imperfection or mistake on his part. He lived a perfect life, completely without sin, and he gave that perfect life and the righteousness that went with it to each of us on Calvary’s cross some 33 years later in exchange for every sin we and the entire world had ever committed. He did so not because we had earned his favor or somehow just deserved a break. No, he did it all out of love! That’s why we rightly refer to Jesus as God’s gift to us. We may have earned death because of our sins, but the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation all come to us as a result of God’s gift of Jesus!

 

Jesus is the gift that will never fade, break, or become obsolete – contrary to the things of this world. In a span of about three hours last night, we discovered half the lights on our two-year old Christmas tree wouldn’t work, snow blown into the roof vents of our house had started to melt and leak into our house, and the garage door broke. This morning Bruce called to let me know that the furnace in the child care center office had died. Add to all this the church refrigerator finally giving up the ghost last week, and you have a number of reminders of how the things on this earth don’t last forever. I’m sure each of you can come up with your own list. Quite a contrast to the eternity awaiting us in heaven, described in Revelation as a place where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (21:4). God’s gift of Jesus makes everything new! The gift he brings will last forever!

 

You’re not getting anything new this Christmas from God. Normally if you received the same gift every year, chances are you’d get a little tired of getting “the same old thing.” With God, every Christmas his gift to us is the same – but we never get tired of it! Every year he gives us Jesus – the gift we’ll always remember!

 

 

 

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Glorify the Baby Jesus

December 23, 2007 by admin.

Matthew 1:18-25

What would you have done if you were in Joseph’s place? Have you ever stopped to think about that for a minute or two? After a day at the carpenter’s shop, Joseph went home to find that Mary had some news for him. He went to see her, and she told him that she was pregnant. At the time of Mary and Joseph, the engagement, or betrothal as they called it, legally made them husband and wife. They did not live together, though, until a certain time period had elapsed.

 

So Joseph found himself with quite a dilemma. He loved Mary and didn’t want to make a public spectacle of her. But at the same time, she was pregnant, and he knew that they baby was not his. Matthew explained that Joseph had decided to quietly divorce her. Although he had the right according to the Jewish ceremonial law given through Moses, he didn’t want to bring unnecessary disgrace to Mary.

 

So what would you have done? Well, before Joseph could do anything, God intervened. He sent an angel to Joseph to explain what was happening. And if the message had come from anyone but an angel, you couldn’t blame Joseph if he had trouble believing what he was told. We’re going to consider the message of the angel to Joseph tonight and see why it is so appropriate for us at this time of year to

 

“Glorify the Baby Jesus”

 

1. A Miracle Baby

2. A Miracle Worker

 

 

The Matthew account of the birth of Jesus is not quite as well known as Luke’s account. You’ll hear that tomorrow night. But Matthew gives us a couple of very important details from the Christmas story that Luke doesn’t emphasize. He writes, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Mary and Joseph had already made the commitment to become husband and wife. But before all of the legal steps could be taken, Mary became pregnant.

 

Matthew tells us how it happened. He said, “…she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Of course, Joseph did not have that information at that time, so when he found out, he began to do what he believed he had to do. Matthew wrote, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Joseph, referred to as Mary’s “husband,” decided to “divorce her quietly.”

 

But he never got a chance to do that. Before he could act, an angel from God explained what was going on. Matthew explains, “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Angels often played important roles in Jesus’ life. Here, even before he was born, an angel was sent by God to play an important role in his life. The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that it was OK for him to take Mary home as his wife. The angel told him that the baby she was carrying was a miracle baby, a baby that had a very important future. That baby was to be given the name Jesus.

 

Long ago God had promised that he would send a Messiah, a Chosen One who would save the world from its sin. In order for that to happen, the one who was going to save the world could not be affected by the one thing that had condemned the world, namely sin. Jesus would later state, “Flesh gives birth to flesh….” (Jn. 3:6) meaning that sinful people give birth to sinful babies. King David confessed that he was “…sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”(Ps. 51:5) If the Messiah were to save the world from sin, he could not be born in sin the way every other child is born.

 

That would be quite a problem if it were up to us to solve. If every child born is born sinful, there wouldn’t seem to be any way to have a Messiah come into the world without the sins that are inherited from his sinful parents. And if it were up to us to solve that problem, there wouldn’t be anything that we could do about it.

 

But God took it upon himself to solve that problem. He performed a miracle and sent a miracle baby. This baby was not conceived by two sinful humans. He was, as we say in the Apostles’ Creed, “conceived by the Holy Spirit.” By sending Jesus in this miraculous way, God the Father was fulfilling another prophecy as Matthew writes, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him ‘Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’”

 

Some critics have gone back to that prophecy which comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah to try to deny the miracle that took place. The word Isaiah used was the Hebrew word “Almah,” which by translation could mean “a young woman.” A child born of a “young woman” would not have been a miracle. But in the account from Matthew, that word is translated into the Greek as “Parthenos,” which means “a virgin.” It speaks specifically of a woman who had not been with a man. In that case, the pregnancy would have had to have been a miracle, as it was. The Savior whose birth we celebrate is a miracle baby.

And how fitting that the miracle baby came to perform a miracle.

 

II. A Miracle Worker

 

 

The angel that appeared to Joseph spoke to him about the work that this child would do. Matthew wrote, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus. This was the New Testament version of the Old Testament name Joshua. You’ll remember that it was Joshua who saved the Children of Israel from the wandering in the wilderness by leading them into the Promised Land of Canaan.

 

 

The baby that Mary would have would also be a Savior. He would save his people by delivering them from the power of sin and leading them into the Promised Land of heaven. Obviously, this is more than any mere human could do. The Psalmist pointed out, “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—that he should live on forever and not see decay.” (Ps. 49:7,8)

 

Our text again assures us that Jesus would be up to the task. Matthew pointed back to the prophecy of Isaiah and wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” Since no human could redeem even one person’s soul from sin, it would take more than just a man. Isaiah foretold that the Savior would be called “Immanuel,” a name which Matthew explained means “God with us.”

 

The special child born by means of a special miracle would be no less than God himself. The true meaning of Christmas is lost on all those who deny this fact. Jesus, to them, is nothing more than a good man, a fine example to emulate, or an egotistical liar! God’s word assures us that he is indeed the true Son of God, able to do what his Father sent him into the world to do.

 

The angel who appeared to Joseph left him with no doubt about the baby that Mary was now carrying. Matthew concluded, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Joseph is often the forgotten character in the Christmas story. But he is a marvelous example of faith for all of us to admire and imitate.

 

No, we haven’t seen an angel who told us about Jesus. But God’s powerful word has come to us, as it is today, telling us what the angel told Joseph. The baby born in Bethlehem was a miracle baby. He was sent by God to do a miracle, namely, saving not only one person from hell’s fury, but the entire world. John the Baptist would point to him some 30 years later and proclaim him to be “…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn. 1:29) Three years after that Jesus would affirm to the High Priest that he was indeed, …the Christ, the Son of God.” (Mt. 26:63)

 

Today you and I are getting ready to celebrate the birth of this miracle baby. We believe what the angel told Mary and Joseph. We worship and honor Jesus as the true Son of God, “…born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those who were under the law.” We put our eternal hope and trust in him, knowing that the blood that he shed on the cross did wash away our sin and make us heirs of eternal life.

 

Joseph faced a pretty tough decision when he learned that his wife was pregnant and that the baby wasn’t his. But the message of the angel turned his fear and sorrow into great joy. That joy we share today. That joy flows from the faith that we have been given to believe that Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior. May your Christmas celebration, centered around the miracle baby Jesus, bring you joy and peace this year and always.

 

Amen.

 

“The peace of God….”

 

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

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Advent at Hand

December 20, 2007 by admin.

Malachi 3:1

 

In Christ Jesus, the Savior promised throughout the Old Testament, dear Christian friends,

 

Before us this morning we have the words of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets. His is the last book of the Old Testament Scriptures. He wrote these words about 100 years after the Jews had returned home from the Babylonian captivity. But even though they had been given back the land of their fathers, the faith of their fathers was lacking. The people were too earthly-minded, having no regard for the will of their God. So Malachi was called to preach a message of repentance to these people, to lead them to realize their spiritual deficiencies, so that they again would put their hope in the coming Messiah. And yet the majority of them still disregarded and even despised the message brought by Malachi.

 

There were some who did listen. A remnant of faithful people remained in Israel. They were willing to humble themselves under God’s mighty hand and to listen to his prophet. They repented and received the comforting words of the Lord as spoken through Malachi. Here were people who had grown discouraged waiting for the Lord’s Anointed One, the Savior. But now Malachi could assure them with the words of our text (v 1), “Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple.” It wouldn’t be long. Advent was at hand, and 400 years later it was fulfilled in glory. The Lord’s messenger would come to prepare the people for an even greater Messenger, the promised Messiah.

 

This evening let’s study this prophecy which proclaims:

 

“Advent at Hand”

 

I. The messenger shall suddenly come

II. The messenger shall establish the covenant

 

First of all, Malachi mentions a messenger who would be sent to prepare the way (v 1), “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” Who is this messenger? Malachi mentions him again in the last verses of his book (Mal 4:5,6), “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” As Elijah came before Elisha, so another “Elijah” would be sent to prepare the way of the Lord by turning hearts to repentance.

 

Who would this messenger be? None other than John the Baptist. The angel had said to his father Zechariah (Lk 1:15-17), “He will be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” When John was born, Zechariah sang in his song of praise (Lk 1:76), “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” Three decades later, his father’s words were fulfilled (Jn 1:6-8), “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” And by the message he proclaimed we see that John was faithful to his calling: “Make straight the way for the Lord” (Jn 1:23); “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Mk 1:3); “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt 3:2).

 

And soon thereafter, the other part of Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled (v 1), “‘Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.” As the Apostle John wrote (Jn 1:9), “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” This Messenger came to his own people, being born of the house of David. He came as the Messenger of the covenant, the covenant of grace established after mankind had fallen into sin, the covenant established with Abraham, promising him that the Messiah would come from his line. This Messenger was the only Son of his Father, the One made flesh to live and die as one of us. This Messenger was sent to set up a new covenant between God and man, a covenant that would never be broken because it would be based on God’s never-failing love. This Messenger is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man.

 

Advent is at hand. We are preparing to celebrate our Savior’s first advent. This helps to make us ready for his second coming. He came as promised the first time, and he will come as promised again. His second advent also will be sudden. Don’t let it catch you unprepared.

 

The numbers glare out at us — only 6 more shopping days left! Christmas seems to sneak up on us so quickly. We feel like we’re not ready for it. The cards may get sent out late; Christmas gifts may not all be found or purchased in time; the decorations may not all get put up–but such lack of preparation won’t be fatal. We can get over these faults. But being found unprepared for our Savior when he comes will be eternally fatal. So it makes sense to put him at the top of your list. Find room for him in your schedule and in your heart today, because the Messenger is coming again. And he will come suddenly.

 

When that Messenger comes, he will come to establish the covenant. Let’s take a closer look at that covenant.

 

At man’s creation God set up his first covenant. Adam and Eve were able to enjoy the Lord as their God, and they were to be his people. They were to honor and praise him, and in return they would live in happiness and joy for all eternity. But man broke this covenant with God by falling into sin. He became the object of God’s wrath, and a separation developed between God and his creation. Man became God’s enemy and, as a result, deserved to be cast away from his presence forever.

 

But God had another plan, another covenant. In the midst of his curse upon the devil he gave a wonderful promise to mankind (Ge 3:15), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” The Woman’s Seed, the promised Messiah, would slay the enemy separating God and man. This covenant promise was passed on to Noah, to Abraham, to David, and to all believers throughout the Old Testament. All nations would be blessed through the offspring of the people of Israel.

 

In the meantime, Israel was to live as God’s chosen people, showing with their lives that they were special, for God had made them his own. But from history we know how often they stumbled. Time after time they broke his covenant, living as anything but children of the Lord. They failed to live up to their side of the agreement.

 

But God in his grace nevertheless promised to establish another new covenant with Israel, the covenant to which Malachi refers in our text (v 1), “‘Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.” This is the covenant established by Christ the Lord! This is the reason for this holiday season! Here was a Savior sent by God to perfectly fulfill all the requirements of the old covenant (Gal 4:4,5), “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” This is the Messenger of God who took upon himself all our transgressions, atoning for everyone of them, making us at one with God again (Isa 53:4-6), “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows….But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed….and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus Christ became “a covenant for the people” (Isa 42:6). He made peace between us and God. He broke down the barrier standing between us (Eph 2:14-16), “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Christ Jesus abolished the law’s hold on us by fulfilling it for us (Ro 10:4), “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

 

The new covenant remains — we have salvation by faith through Jesus Christ. Those who believe in him are children of this covenant (Ro 5:1), “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And this is an eternal covenant. The promise, given through Isaiah, has become a fact (Isa 54:10), “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

 

So which covenant do you want to live under? There’s the covenant of the law established at the time of creation, or there’s the covenant of grace established by the Savior. If you reject what your Lord has done for you, you’re choosing to live by the law, and you shatter that covenant every day with your sins. So, consequently, you have to die eternally. But if you put your trust and hope in Jesus, then you’re living by the covenant he established. You’re recognizing your own inability to save yourself, and you’re turning to the only One who can save you. So make the wise choice, and let the Holy Spirit make room in your heart for your Savior, the One who has established the only covenant by which you can be saved–the covenant of grace.

 

Advent is at hand. “‘Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty” (v 1). Praise be to God, for he has come! As we just sang this evening (CW 28:2):

 

What the fathers most desired,

What the prophets’ heart inspired,

What they longed for many a year

Stands fulfilled in glory here.

 

Hosanna to the Messenger of the covenant! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

 

Amen

 

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

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Be Ready to Go But Willing to Wait!

December 17, 2007 by admin.

James 5:7-11

 

Dear Friends in Christ, Patiently Awaiting Our Savior’s Return,

 

The story’s told of a poor woman who lived in Atlanta, Georgia. She never really had much to call her own during her lifetime. On top of that, she had to endure a disease that brought her a great deal of pain and suffering. Although she may have been poor by the world’s standards, she was rich in God’s eyes, because she firmly trusted in her Savior for salvation. Knowing she was a woman of great faith, her friends found themselves hoping that the Lord would call her home, sparing her from any more pain. As her time grew short, one of them asked her, “Are you ready to go?” With a little smile forming across her wrinkled face, she replied, “I’m ready to go, but willing to wait.”

 

That’s a good picture of what it’s like for us as Christians living here on this earth. We know the day is coming when our Lord will come and take us to be with him. Since we know that that day will be the beginning of our eternal happiness in heaven above, having to live out our days here on this earth can seem quite difficult. And yet our Lord doesn’t want us to be lulled asleep while we anticipate his return. Instead, you might say that God wants us to be ready to go, but willing to wait.

 

That’s the lesson of our text for this morning, the lesson of this Advent season:

 

“Be Ready to Go But Willing to Wait!”

 

I. Expect the Lord to come

II. Endure whatever may come

 

James begins this chapter of his letter with a warning to a group of rich people who had become wealthy primarily by cheating others. The verse before our text tells us that these people had even been led to commit murder because of their greed and selfishness. Now, in the words before us this morning, James speaks to those who were on the other side of the coin — those who were suffering at the hands of these greedy men.

 

As much as they may have wanted to, James urges these people not to take matters into their own hands by seeking revenge on those who had taken advantage of them (v 7), “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.” Wait for the Lord to come! He will bring the ultimate judgment upon those who were afflicting them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. James tells them to sit tight and wait for the Lord’s return.

 

Why are we as Christians so certain that the Lord is going to come again? Because that’s what the angels said would happen after Jesus ascended into heaven. They told his disciples (Ac 1:11), “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Dare we ever doubt the Lord or his holy angels? The early church didn’t. Many of the early Christians believed Jesus would return during their lifetime. There was a sense of urgency as they prepared themselves for that day. That same sense of urgency was also evident in their mission work. They believed that their Lord was coming, and that he was coming soon. And they wanted others to know about it before it was too late.

 

Do we today have that same sense of urgency as we wait for the Lord? In our text James says (v 8), “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” Don’t be caught off guard. We have a tendency to think that the Lord’s coming is quite a ways down the road, that since so much time has already passed, there is still much more time to pass until he comes again. We conclude, “Hey, he hasn’t come for almost 2000 years! What are the odds he’ll be here tomorrow?” Don’t doubt his Word! Don’t take a chance and gamble, because it could cost you your soul! Jesus promised (Jn 14:3), “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.” And think about it — even if Jesus doesn’t come during our lifetime, death will. In either case, one day we all will have to stand before our God. We have to be ready. Expect the Lord to come!

 

So how does our Lord want us to wait for his return? He wants us to be patient, like a farmer awaiting the harvest (v 7b), “See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.” All a farmer can do is plant and wait. He can’t do anything to speed up the harvest. The October and November rains were needed to soften the ground and give the grain a head start, while the spring rains of April and May were needed to help that grain mature. But the farmer couldn’t make those rains come. He could only sit back and wait patiently for the crop’s arrival.

 

The lesson here? We are to do the same when it comes to the Lord’s return. As James Montgomery writes in his Advent hymn (TLH 59:3), “He shall come down like showers Upon the fruitful earth, And joy and hope, like flowers, Spring in His path to birth.” Yes, we are to “be patient and stand firm.” To “stand firm” actually means to “strengthen your hearts.” Be ready for the Lord by asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen your hearts by strengthening the faith in your hearts. Do this by clinging to his precious Word. Hear it often! Take advantage of the extra services offered this time of year. Come to the Lord’s Supper often to be personally reminded that the Lord who is coming again has already come and has given his body and blood for your salvation. Take the extra time on Sunday mornings so your children can attend Sunday School and so you can grow in your knowledge of the Word in our Bible Class. Make time for that Word in your homes. Read your Meditations. Be in the Word so you can wait patiently for the Lord to come!

 

Everyone of us here this morning could use a little more of that virtue known as patience. When patience is lacking, James warns us of the inevitable result (v 9), “Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” Are the holidays stressing you out? Tired of battling the crowds and the traffic? Does it seem like the expectations at work are even higher this time of year? Does the thought of having all the kids home from school for the Christmas vacation strike fear in your hearts? How are you handling the pressure? Do you find yourself slowly boiling over, snapping at your spouse and the kids, complaining about your coworkers and all the little things that bug you at work? Is your Christmas turning out to be anything but merry?

 

We find it so easy to blame everyone but ourselves for our foul moods. James warns us to put aside our grumbling. When we grumble and complain about each other, we’re actually judging one another. Only God has the right to do that. Advent is a time for waiting, a time to repent and to get rid of the ill will that may be building up inside of us. Don’t be pulled down with the rest of the world around you! Instead, wait patiently for your Lord to come!

 

We wait with patient expectation, just like children wait for the day to come when those Christmas presents finally will be theirs to reveal. Until then we have to endure and count the days. We wait for our Lord to come, but in the meantime, God gives us the strength to endure whatever may come.

 

We learn such endurance from looking at the lives of the prophets (v 10), “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” James doesn’t mention any names here, but he doesn’t have to. We know what the prophets went through. Jesus noted their endurance “from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah” (Mt 23:35). Just before he was stoned to death Stephen made the same point by asking (Ac 7:52), “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?” Historians record that James himself knew of such unrelent­ing endurance in the face of suffering. He was believed to have been cast down from the top of the Temple and beaten to death with a club.

 

Jesus never promised his children eternal happiness here on this earth. We also can expect to suffer, to endure “many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Ac 14:22). Jesus tells us very simply (Jn 16:33), “In this world you will have trouble” (so much for the TV preachers who promise other­wise!). Again Jesus says to us (Jn 15:20), “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

 

So what do we do? We do what Job did — we endure by persevering (v 11), “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.” When the devil brought suffering into his life, Job didn’t turn away from God — he turned to him. His confidence continued to rest in the Lord and in his promises. In faith Job could still proclaim (Job 19:25,26), “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” Job believed his Lord would come first to save the world and then again to judge the world. He believed he would live again because the Lord promised him he would. He persevered, and his faith saw him through all his earthly troubles.

 

God blesses all those who endure. Why? “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (v 11). You can endure because God cares about you! He knows what you’re going through (1 Co 10:13), “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” When the heat gets to be too much for us, the Lord pulls us out of the fire. The sufferings he allows us to endure always serve his purpose. That’s why we can look at them with the same attitude of the apostle Paul (Ro 5:3-5), “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” When we endure hardships while waiting for the Lord, we’re drawn that much closer to him. The more we’re brought down to our knees the more we recognize how much we need our Savior. Through him we receive the strength we need to endure.

 

Our sufferings also help us to stay focused on what’s most important — our eternity. In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus reminds us (Mt 5:11,12), “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Wait for the Lord, for the best is yet to come!

 

Meanwhile endure the attacks of this world with the weapons God provides. When a soldier is confronted by the enemy, he doesn’t throw away his shield and sword. They become that much more important to him. When we’re faced with tribulations and suffering in this world, how foolish it would be for us to go it alone without our trusty Shield and Weapon! We don’t go into battle alone! We endure with the almighty Word of God! We know that through that Word the victory already has been won by our Lord! Trust in him, and then you’ll be able to wait for his return with unrelenting endurance!

 

There’s a familiar poster which pictures a kitten clinging to a small rope by a single claw. Below the picture of that dangling kitten, in what seems to be an almost hopeless situation, are the words, “Hang in There!” How much more we have to hang onto as Christians! We have the enduring Word of our God! We have the promise of our Savior’s return! We have all we need to endure whatever may come until Jesus comes again!

 

The Advent season teaches us patience. As kids my brothers and I spent days exploring those packages under the tree. We knew exactly which ones were ours. We even planned which ones we would open first. When the big day finally came, Mom and Dad would still delay things by making the four of us take turns in opening our presents. We were ready to go, but not all that willing to wait!

 

Sometimes we feel that way when it comes to waiting to join our Lord in heaven. But understand this — God has a reason for each of us being here on this earth. He has work for us to do. When it’s time for us to go, he’ll come for us. In the meantime, we wait — patiently! And our prayers echo the thoughts of the hymn-writer (CW 9:5), “Teach us in watchfulness and prayer To wait for your appointed hour, And fit us by your grace to share The triumph of your conqu’ring pow’r.” Be ready to go but willing to wait! And while we wait, let’s share what we’re waiting for! Let’s share Jesus!

 

Amen

 

 

 

—Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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Advent Awaited

December 14, 2007 by admin.

Psalm 14:7

 

Each year as Christmas draws near, there are sights that you see that make it obvious what holiday it is that we are about to celebrate. As you drive around town, you see more and more yards decorated with lights and other ornaments. As the 25th gets closer, more and more yards are being decorated. Many have the familiar sights of winter, but others also have manger scenes that tell you what we are celebrating.

 

Around town you will also notice that the Christmas tree lots are beginning to get picked over. The fresh and full trees are quickly taken, and as the days go by, only the thin and homely trees are left. If you haven’t gotten your tree yet (if you are still using a live tree), you might feel that your time is running out.

 

There is one other sight that is quite familiar at this time. It is the sight of children sitting near the Christmas tree, shaking their gifts. They try to peek in the wrapping paper and shake the presents to see if they can figure out what is inside. With eager anticipation and great hopes for a good gift, they seem as if they just can’t wait until Christmas.

 

Tonight we are going to look at some people who were also waiting eagerly for Christmas. We are going to look at the people who lived before the first Christmas, the Old Testament believers. They also waited eagerly, because they knew how important it was for God to fulfill his promise and send their Savior into the world. We’ll try to understand just how they felt as they waited in eager anticipation for the first Advent and Christmas. Let’s consider:

 

 

“Advent Awaited”

 

1. The Promise Brought Hope

2. The Hope Brought Joy

 

 

For many of us, it is really difficult to truly put ourselves into the place of the Old Testament believers. It is difficult for us to imagine living during the time before the Savior had been born. We really can’t imagine how they must have longed for that promise to be fulfilled as hundreds and even a few thousand years passed by.

 

Think about it for a minute. Think about the things that you are waiting for in your life. How many of those things can you really not live without? If you have a Christmas list drawn up already, how many of the items on the list would dramatically change you life if you didn’t get them? I don’t imagine that there would be too many things that you absolutely had to have.

 

The believers of the Old Testament did have something that they just couldn’t live without. Oh, they were living their lives on earth just fine. But they wouldn’t be able to live eternally in heaven if they did not receive the gift that God promised to send them. David expressed their longing for God to fulfill his promise in the first half of our text for tonight. He wrote, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” Unlike you and I, who can do without almost any of the things that we are waiting for, the Old Testament believers could not do without the gift that they were waiting for.

 

Their desperate desire to receive that gift came form a clear knowledge of their own sinfulness. They knew that they had all fallen short of God’s demands. David wrote in verse three of this Psalm, “All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” They also understood the consequences of their sins. Again David wrote, this time in Psalm 5, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.” (Ps. 5:5,6) Finally, they also saw how it affected them. Again David spoke in Psalm 6, “…my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish… I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” (Ps. 6:2,3,6)

 

Under these circumstances, the Old Testament Christians wrote their “Christmas wish list.” “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” Shouldn’t that also be the first thing on our Christmas lists? It isn’t wrong for us to make up our own lists. It is probably pretty helpful for those who want to buy us things. But we need to keep things in the proper perspective. We can live without all of the things on our wish list, unless your in need of a vital organ transplant! But we can’t live without the first gift that God gave, the gift of his Son.

 

The Old Testament believers might have been getting a little antsy as the years and centuries passed. But they never doubted the promise that was first given to Adam and Eve. They knew that it had come from God, and therefore it was as good as done. Their faith in the promise saved them, but they still waited eagerly wondering if they might be the first to see the Son of God made flesh. They knew that they couldn’t just pretend that they didn’t need a Savior or that they had been good enough in their lives that God would just let them waltz right into heaven. They waited with hearts full of faith for God to send his Son.

 

The hope that filled their hearts was a sure and certain hope. It was just a matter of time. God would do what he promised, and knowing that, the Old Testament believers were filled with great joy.

 

 

II. The Hope Brought Joy

 

 

During the days of King David, the Children of Israel had much to be happy about. God had given them the land of Canaan, just as he had promised to Abraham. They lived in a very prosperous time, and their nation was well-known and respected. Times were good, and the people appeared to be quite happy.

 

But King David knew that there was still a very serious problem. He could see beyond the outward appearance to what was going on in their hearts. He saw the sin that corrupted them and the serious consequences that those sins would bring. He knew how important it was for God to send his Son who would rescue them from that horrible fate. He knew how important the first Christmas would be in bringing true happiness to God’s people.

 

And King David, as well as the Old Testament believers, knew that God would keep that promise one day. And that certainty brought them great joy. In our text David wrote with great confidence, “When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!” David wrote with such confidence, and that confidence brought great joy to him and to the people. They sang these words as part of their daily worship, using the Psalms as their Old Testament hymnals. They knew that when, not if, but when God fulfilled his promise, he would “restore the fortunes of his people.” And that meant the true fortunes—being heir and co-heir of eternal life.

 

The Old Testament believers sang with joy to the Lord. Today we join them as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We also sing the songs of Christmas that speak of God’s love and his gift. We join with Mary, who when she learned that she would be the mother of Jesus sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” (Lk. 1:46) We eco the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist who, when he heard Mary’s news sang, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Lk. 1:67) And we also remember the words of Simeon, who held the 8 day old baby Jesus and sang, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel. (Lk. 2:29-32)

 

You and I join the songs of these believers, only under quite different circumstances. We have seen the promise fulfilled. We have seen the baby Jesus in the manger. We are not waiting for God to fulfill his promise to send Jesus into the world. But we are waiting for Jesus to come again. As we await the holiday of Christmas this year, our hearts will be filled with anticipation. But it will be more than just wondering what is in the wrapping paper. It will be the true joy of the season, the joy that comes from knowing salvation through Jesus.

 

The child who sits at the foot of the Christmas tree shaking his gifts might be disappointed by what he finds. He might not get exactly what he wanted, and it just might bring sadness to his holiday. The Old Testament believers were not disappointed, and we are not either. God has sent the perfect gift, his Son. May we worship our God and his Son this Christmas, praising them for the salvation that they have brought to us.

 

Amen

–Rev Roger Rockhoff

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Advent–A Time for Hoping

December 10, 2007 by admin.

Romans 15:4-13

 

In him who provides hope for the hopeless, dear fellow redeemed,

 

Can you believe it? Only three more shopping days left! Where did the time go? We thought we had plenty of time, but now the day is almost here. There’s still so much to be done. Buying gifts, getting the food ready, all the decorating — and we only have three days left. Before we know it, the season of Hanukkah will be over.

 

That introduction doesn’t fit — at least, not for this congregation. It might fit in a synagogue, because Hanukkah is a time of celebration for people of the Jewish faith. Our celebration is still 16 days away. We celebrate Christmas because Jesus Christ came into this world not only for his people, the chosen nation of Israel, but also for you and me, non-Jews — “Gentiles” as we are called in Scripture. God’s gift of faith has made it possible for the Hope of Israel to be our Hope as well.

 

The Advent season reminds us of the generations of Old Testament believers who were hoping for the Messiah to come. We wait with the same eager hope for that Messiah to come again. Like God’s people of old, we also know that our hope will not be in vain.

 

This morning we come as Gentile Christians to our Father’s feet to learn more from his Word about:

 

“Advent–A Time for Hoping”

 

I. The basis of our hope

II. The certainty of our hope

 

Remember when you were a child and your mom or dad would go away for a day or two on a trip? To ease the pain of missing them perhaps they promised to bring something back for you when they returned. That promise gave you reason to hope. It gave you something to look forward to. Our hope for eternity is also based on promises, God’s promises (v 4), “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” The Old Testament believers based their hope of salvation on God’s promises–the Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies that refer to our Savior! These promises of God were also written for our learning and instruction. They give us hope, for through them we’re assured that he is truly directing all things for the good of his children.

 

Paul tells us we have hope “through endurance.” Literally this word means “to remain under.” It pictures a weight lifter picking up a heavy barbell, hoisting it over his head, and holding it there as he remains under its weight. We grow in hope as we endure the frustrations and disappoint­ments that come our way while waiting for our Lord to come again. In the end we are actually strengthened by God as we persevere and endure whatever may come our way.

 

And from the Scriptures we also receive “encouragement.” Here this word means “to call along the line.” We can picture a captain in battle, running up and down the line of troops, calling out words of encouragement. God gives us this same kind of encouragement with his promises as we wage our battles here on this earth. Those promises serve as the basis for our hope.

 

We also base our hope on the fulfillment of God’s promises — our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (v 12), “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’” “The Root of Jesse” is Jesus. Jesse was the father of King David, from whose line the Savior came. This Savior is the Cornerstone of the hope that we have. Isaiah foretold it in our First Lesson this morning, and Jesse’s Root did spring up as God promised. And he came, not only for the descendants of Abraham, but for all nations.

God’s promise of a Savior means so much to us because that Savior has already accepted us as his own (v 7), “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Jesus didn’t accept us because we were such cute and cuddly beings, so full of potential. Instead we’re told earlier in Romans (Ro 5:8), “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We weren’t brought into God’s family because of anything good in us. Instead Christ accepted us. Our status as God’s children demonstrates what a great and glorious God we have, a God who is worthy of all our praise.

 

Take one more look at this verse (v 7), “Christ accepted you.” So much for decision theology! The next time someone asks you, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ?”, tell them, “No, Jesus accepted me!” That’s why we have hope. That’s why Advent is a time for hoping.

 

Our hope is secure in Christ. If you were asked what the most important part of a ship was, what would you say? Would you choose the captain and the crew, the engines, the compass, maybe the steering gear? Even if you were planning to take a ride on the greatest and most modern liner afloat, you’d be lost without the most important part–the anchor! The hope of any ship surviving its voyage will always depend on the anchor.

 

Our hope depends on the anchor of Jesus Christ (CW 382:1), “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare to make no other claim But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” Jesus is our anchor when the storms of life assail us. Turmoil may strike us at home or in the workplace. We may be deserted by friends and family. Our health may fail us and our wealth may sink to the bottom of the sea. But the anchor of our Lord will still hold us firm (CW 382:3), “His oath, his covenant and blood Support me in the raging flood; When ev’ry earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”

 

Advent is a time for hoping. We base our hope on God’s promises, fulfilled by his Son, Jesus Christ. What makes this hope so certain? Our hope is sure because of our God — because of his truth and his mercy.

 

God spoke the truth when he promised a Messiah, and Jesus verified that promise (v 8), “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs.” The Virgin birth in Bethlehem confirmed God’s Old Testament promises. Jesus came as a servant, born under the law, to fulfill that law for us. Everything Jesus did was done to keep the promises God had made. And every promise that our Lord kept is added insurance for the hope that we have.

 

The Jews based their hope on God’s Old Testament promises. Being Gentiles, our hope is based on the mercy of our God. In mercy God sent his Son to fulfill the Old Testament laws for us, to make us also “his chosen people.” Because of God’s mercy, we are now able to approach him as our Lord (vv 9-12), “[Christ has become a servant] so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.’ Again, it says, ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.’ And again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.’ And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’” Paul uses four Old Testament passages to show very clearly that the Gentiles were also included in God’s plan of salvation. Did you notice the progression of thought? First the Lord is praised “among the Gentiles.” Then Gentiles are encouraged to “rejoice . . . with his people. After that they are invited to praise God themselves. Finally, Gentiles are also able to hope in the “Root of Jesse,” for out of his loving mercy the Lord has sent his Son for all people.

 

It’s the truth and mercy of God that brings us together as believers (vv 5,6), “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to possess the same kind of love and to show the same kind of mercy as that of our heavenly Father. With such devotion will come “a spirit of unity” among us, but only as long as we “follow Christ Jesus.” There is no unity if it comes at the expense of the true Word of God. Our unity is to be based on what Jesus says, and only on his Word. The saying is true, “If 50 million people believe a wrong thing, it is still wrong.” We’re never to just “go with the flow” or to “agree to disagree” when it comes to seeking unity. We are to be united first in our hearts before we proclaim it with our mouths. And where there are differences, there cannot be unity.

 

But when we do find fellow Christians who believe as we do, what a blessing it is! We share so many things in common. We firmly place our hope for eternity in God’s mercy, the mercy which also encompasses us as sinful Gentile Christians. In that mercy God has extended our time of grace here on this earth for us to find our only source of hope, and to then share that hope with others. In truth God guarantees our own resurrection to life eternal. Christ was raised, so our faith is not futile. We have a living Savior, a Savior who has promised us (Jn 14:19), “Because I live, you also will live.”

 

That’s our hope. With Paul, we pray that God will keep increasing that hope (v 13), “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”” It’s that hope that makes us positive people in a negative world. It’s that hope that assures us that we have life through Christ. And where there is life, there will always be hope!

 

Such was the motto of a man by the name of Jake Nivens. Jake was the long time trainer of the Villanova University basketball team. After medical testing he was informed by his doctor that he had the disease named after the New York Yankee Hall of Famer who contracted the sickness, known from then on as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Upon hearing of his fate Jake, possessing a quick wit, told his doctor, “That can’t be, I’ve never played baseball.” That was his way of handling this devastating news. Although he knew the prognosis, he also knew that it would do no good to collapse in hopelessness. For his own life he adopted the familiar philosophy of persistent athletes, “It’s not over till it’s over.” I was still at the Seminary when I saw the moment captured in television history, the picture of Jake sitting in his wheelchair following the Villanova NCAA championship game. He had a basketball net wrapped around his neck while holding up one finger, signifying that his team was indeed #1. He wouldn’t give up until he had seen that game. You might say that Jake Nivens’ hope brought him victory.

 

So much greater is our Christian hope. For even when it’s over, it’s not over. Advent is a time for hoping. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace!

 

Amen

 

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

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Advent Announced

December 6, 2007 by admin.

Genesis 3:15

 

In Christ Jesus, Whose Coming We Await, Dear Christian Friends,

 

The special midweek services we are once again having at this time of year serve a very special purpose. They are meant to draw our attention to many of the Old Testament prophecies so that we can see how they were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. These prophecies speak of the “advent” or “coming” of our Savior. Tonight’s text provides the very first advent promise, the first gospel message recorded in Scripture, the first time the Bible refers to the one who would deliver fallen mankind from sin.

 

This initial advent announcement was rather vague and mysterious, but so were many of the promises which would follow over the years. But little by little, the Lord used simpler language in his promises. It was as if he was painting a picture for the people, and each promise provided yet another detail of what to expect from their coming Savior. Finally the picture was complete, and there could be no mistake when it came to seeing Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, as the one in whom all the promises of God were fulfilled.

 

Tonight let’s begin our meditations on the promises of our coming Lord by going back to the beginning, to the days of the first paradise in Eden. We take as our theme this evening:

 

“Advent Announced”

 

I. The advent of the woman’s Seed

II. The advent of our Redeemer

 

The first advent announcement was made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They had been created by God in perfect righteousness and holiness. He gave them a beautiful home in which to live, a splendid garden which they were to keep. To show their love for him, the Lord asked one thing of Adam and Eve. They could eat fruit from every tree in the garden, except for one–the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 

For a time (we’re not told how long) Adam and Eve lived in perfect bliss and happiness. But then God and man’s enemy, the fallen angel called the devil, entered the picture. After rebelling against God and being cast out of heaven, Satan had taken as his mission to do as much harm to God’s creation as possible. So he naturally set out to destroy God’s greatest creation–mankind. And he succeeded. He caused Adam and Eve to doubt God’s word, and he led them to eat of the forbidden fruit. Man did what God said not to do. Sin entered the world. Man had fallen.

 

The relationship between God and man had been shattered (Ge 3:8,11), “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden….And he said,’…Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’” Sin’s results were painfully obvious right from the start, as we hear both Adam and Eve try to pass the blame on to someone else (Ge 3:12,13), “The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”

 

These excuses didn’t get Adam and Eve off the hook. Their sentencing would soon follow. But first the Lord delivers a blow to the serpent (Ge 3:14), “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.” And then we shift to our text–a curse for Satan himself, but a promise of hope for man (v 15), “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” “Enmity” or “hatred” would dwell between the woman’s Offspring and that of the devil. Satan and his power would be crushed, and mankind would be delivered.

 

Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of this first advent announce­ment. This “hatred” between the serpent and man was more than just a natural aversion that we hold toward snakes. That certainly seems part of the serpent’s curse, when it was stated that the snake would be “cursed…above all the livestock and wild animals” (Ge 3:14). But the serpent was only the tool used in the temptation. The real culprit was Satan himself (1 Jn 3:8), “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.” Jesus himself calls the devil a murderer and a liar, even the father of all lies. The serpent is the devil, and his offspring is sin and all of its deadly consequences.

 

The woman mentioned is Eve herself. But now a new beginning would come from the very one whom Satan had corrupted. The one who had introduced the transgres­sion of mankind would now introduce the redemption of mankind. This would be accomplished through her Offspring. This isn’t a reference to Seth or Enoch, to Noah or Abraham, to Judah, David, or even the Virgin Mary. These were certainly the offspring of a woman, but they were also offspring of a man. Eve’s Offspring would be “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” The Offspring spoken of in our text would have no human father (Isa 7:14), “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” The Angel Gabriel explained to Mary how this miraculous event would take place (Lk 1:35), “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” God himself would be the child’s father. Jesus Christ would be the woman’s Offspring, but he would be the very Son of God.

 

I want you to take note of how quickly God made his advent announcement to Adam and Eve. There was no delay. There was no instantaneous destruc­tion. There were no second thoughts. Immediately after they had sinned God had a plan to save them, a plan of love and mercy. He knew exactly what Adam and Eve needed–the same thing that we need today: a Savior from sin!

 

That Savior was Jesus, the Seed of the woman, but also the very Son of God. He would come as promised to complete God’s mission, to buy us back from the devil who won us over to his side through the fall into sin. Jesus would come to be our Redeemer.

 

That Redeemer is the one being referred to in our text (v 15), “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” The “head” is a symbol of life and strength. If you crush the head of a snake, his power has been eliminated. Christ would meet Satan head-on. He would endure his many temptations without ever slipping up even once. He would battle him all the way to the cross, where Satan’s hold on mankind was finally vanquished. There Jesus atoned for mankind. He made us “at one” with God again by delivering us from having to share with Satan in the wages of sin. Jesus came to disrupt the devil’s nightmarish plan for mankind (1 Jn 3:8), “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” And he succeeded!

 

The devil’s counterattack did little damage to our Redeemer (v 15), “You will strike his heel.” Jesus had to suffer bitterly for our sins, even suffering death on a cross. Satan did strike his heel. When you step on a snake’s head, you could be bitten in the heel. But the heel doesn’t contain any vital organs. The injury didn’t prevent Jesus from accomplishing his mission. As a matter of fact, Jesus used his death as the very means for crushing the power of the devil (Heb 2:14,15), “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” The prophecy was fulfilled, and our redemption is secure.

 

Let us never underestimate what our Redeemer has done for us. He stood in for us. He gave mankind another chance, a new beginning, by nullifying the fall into sin. Christ has ended mankind’s fall (Ro 10:4), “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” He robbed the devil of his control over us. As the hymn-writer says it (TLH 192:4), “Now hell, its prince, the devil, Of all their pow’r are shorn; Now I am safe from evil, And sin I laugh to scorn. Grim Death with all his might Cannot my soul affright; He is a pow’rless form, Howe’er he rave and storm.”

 

It’s through faith that you and I share in the victory of our Lord. Adam and Eve did. When Eve’s first son was born, she proclaimed (Ge 4:1), “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Many believe that Eve mistakenly thought that this first child would be the promised Redeemer. Nevertheless, we can see how they both took comfort and believed in God’s advent announcement.

 

It’s also that same faith that helps us resist the devil and his temptations. A crushed snake can still move and frighten those who get too close. So also the devil can still trouble the followers of Jesus when we stray too far from our Lord. In his Reformation hymn Martin Luther reminds us of this fact (CW 200:3), “This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will,” and his scowl can be very fierce indeed! But the verse continues (CW 200:3), “He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done!” We have the antidote for the poison of sin (CW 200:3), “One little word can fell him.” And that word is Jesus!

 

The devil still can make life miserable for us as we live in a world of sin. We are daily tempted to stray within his reach, to let go of our Savior and give in to his temptations. That’s why it’s so important to hang on to your Redeemer! Keep looking to Jesus! Keep looking to the one who makes our final deliverance a reality (Ro 16:20), “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” That final deliverance will come at the second “advent” of our Redeemer, when he arrives in glory to cast the devil and his angels into hell for good where they will never be able to touch the saints of God again. Until then let us pray (CW 28:5,6):

 

Crush for me the serpent’s head That set free from doubt and dread,

I may cling to you in faith, Safely kept through life and death,

 

And, when you shall come again As a glorious king to reign,

I with joy may see your face, Freely ransomed by your grace.

 

Amen

–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff

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When Jesus Comes to His People

December 3, 2007 by admin.

Isaiah 2:1-5

I have to admit to you today that I feel like I’m late. No, I wasn’t later for church this morning or even late getting up here to preach. I feel like I’m late for Christmas. Already for almost a month I’ve seen Christmas decorations on the store shelves. TV and radio advertisements have been hawking the latest gift ideas. Just the other night I saw the Charlie Brown Christmas cartoon on TV. As I drive around town I also notice that quite a number of people already have their houses and yards decorated.

I guess that brings up the question, When should you start getting ready for Christmas?” Or maybe I should ask, do we need to “get ready for Christmas?” Shouldn’t we always be ready for Christmas? Now I’m not suggesting that we should have a tree in our house year round or keep our yards decorated all year. Unfortunately, that is what it has come to mean when people talk about “getting ready for Christmas.” But as God’s children, we know there is much more to it than that.

For the next four weeks, we are going to be thinking about what it really means for God’s people to “get ready for Christmas.” Today we are going to go back some 700 years before the first Christmas to the time of Isaiah the prophet. God’s law had shown Isaiah why he needed to get ready for Christmas, and the gospel had assured him that God had a plan to help him get ready for the day he would stand before his Lord. Through Isaiah’s words today we will also see why and how we can get ready to meet our Savior. Today we will see how we can be sure to be ready

 

“When Jesus Comes to His People”

 

1. 
   People Will Come to the Lord

2. 
   People Will Work for the Lord

 

When Isaiah lived in Israel, he looked around and saw a nation that he described as “[a] sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evil doers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their back on him.” Isaiah saw a people that really were not prepared for Christmas. Hew saw a people that were not ready to meet their Savior. It must have been quite depressing for Isaiah as he walked through the towns and villages to see what was happening among God’s people.

But then the Lord gave Isaiah a vision of brighter days and better times to come. In our text Isaiah records what God showed him writing, “In those days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” Isaiah explained that what he saw would take place “in the last days.” Hebrews 1:2 tells us that this period of time began when Jesus came into the world. Matthew further tells us that it will last until “the Son of Man comes in his glory.” (Mt. 25:31) In other words, Isaiah was writing about the times in which we are now living.

To some, these may not seem like such glorious times. At first glance we might wonder where the “nations” are who are supposed to be “streaming” to the “mountain of the Lord’s temple.” It seems as if nations are running away from the Lord. With all that is going on with the terrorists and the fighting around the world, it sure doesn’t seem like too many people are rushing to find out what all the talk about God is. How many of you had to push your way into the church this morning because there were too many people in the way? Later Isaiah would say, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of our dawn.” (60:3) How many of the world’s nations today are considered Christian? How many world leaders make following the Lord a high priority in the way that they rule their countries? The current moral climate of the world may make you wonder if Isaiah had it all wrong.

But Isaiah wrote confidently, inspired by God, of course, “Many people will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” When you look around town, you will see that many people are “getting ready for Christmas.” But a closer look will show you people who are really getting ready for Christmas. You may not have been crowded out of the parking lot or had to squeeze your way into church this morning. But throughout the world there is a steady stream of God’s people from every nation on earth who are coming to the Lord. People in many different places have joined you today in spending time with the Lord in church. There is evidence in every believer that when God comes to his people with his grace, people do come to the Lord. Given an new life by his gospel message, they respond in faith to worship and praise him.

God’s kingdom is growing. Children are being baptized into his name this morning. Adults are studying his word. People are turning to him for guidance and protection. God’s name is