2nd Sunday of Advent Matt 24:42-44
2nd Sunday of Advent
12/5/10
Matthew 24:42-44
“Watch, He is Coming”
The theme of today’s worship is “Watch, He is Coming.” The question is why should we watch for his coming? Wasn’t his first coming, the event we celebrate as Christmas when he came as one of us enough? Wasn’t his life, his death, his resurrection enough? Jesus accomplished what he came to do, that is make peace between us and the Father. When he cried out in his death, “It is finished.” Wasn’t it finished? Why watch for his coming again?
It is exactly because of Christ’s birth n Bethlehem, his life performing miracles on this earth, his teachings, his perfect life, his suffering and death, as terrible as they were, along with that most glorious event of all, his resurrection that we need to watch for his coming. For in his coming everything is restored to the way God created it; when he said, “It was good.”
Think about the Old Testament reading for today. the prophet writes, “I see him but not now. I behold him, but not now. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel.” The prophet saw and beheld Christ even though he had not been born yet because he saw and beheld him through the Torah, what we call the Old Testament the Word of God. Can you see him, as the prophet did? The Star has come. The Scepter has risen! Christ has come.
If you are watching for Christ, truly and closely watching for him, you have seen his coming and bringing God’s love to earth, for God’s love is not the love that we have for each other. His love is the love that will cause one to die for another even when the other rejects his love. God’s love is the love best described in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. It is only through Christ that you can learn to love the way the Father loves you. Maybe you think you can love others as God loves you, but as hard as you try there will be a time when the line is crossed and there is no more love to give except in and through Christ.
That my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is why we in the Christian Church pay particular attention to Advent and Christmas and Easter. Those particular times of the year help us to remember to watch for his coming, as we remember Christ’s coming to earth and the love He brought and continues to bring which is truly something to watch and see. We need to pray, “Lord, help us see. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come, Lord Jesus come.
We watch because Christ will come again. There are those who have and will continue to predict when Christ will come again. We look at the troubles both natural and manmade that the world is experiencing and say Christ has to be coming soon, for he spoke of those things that will happen before the end of the world as we know it. But, the truth be told no one knows the hour to expect him, as we read in our Gospel Reading and Sermon Text. That is why Advent is so important. It helps us to prepare and watch for the Christ who came, because He truly will come again. As we wait we need to pray, “Lord, help us see. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come, Lord Jesus, come.”
Christ’s first coming and his promise to come again are not the only reasons we should watch. Some people are afraid to die. They don’t know what will happen when they die. But, as believers, we know we will be with our Lord forever. We need to tell those who fear death about Christ and help them watch for Him too, so they no longer need to be afraid.
Advent and Christmas give us opportunities to talk about Jesus, how He takes away all of our fears through faith, forgiveness, and salvation. We have much to offer others; we have Christ, who through his birth, life, death and resurrection has saved us from eternal death, for he has made peace between us and the Father.
Because he has done it all some people wonder why they need to be in church every Sunday, read their Bible every day, and pray constantly, if Jesus has already made peace between us and the Father. Maybe even you, from time to time, have wondered about those things, for after all did not Christ accomplish all those things in his death and resurrection.
As a follower of Christ you do those things to prepare your heart to watch for Christ in God’s Holy Word, as our Epistle Reading so beautifully explains. “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Bible is God’s Word. It is God, himself, speaking to you, leading you to Christ, for salvation is only in him. It is God, himself telling you of his love, joy, forgiveness, and peace which brings order to your lives of chaos and sin on earth.
Today as forgiven sinful people you and I prepare for Jesus’ return the very best way we can. We are gathered together to hear God’s holy word. We are gathered together to study God’s revealing word. We also read and study God’s word on our own, for the Lord’s coming, for the prepared, penitent believer, will not be like a thief, not that we will know the exact time, but that it will not catch us unprepared, for we are told in Revelation 3:3 “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you."
There is a difference in the lives of believers and the lives of unbelievers. In this sin-darkened world many live a frightened life in fear of the unknown that ominous future, the dread of the unknown. As prepared believers we look forward to the day of Jesus’ return, for we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:5 &6, "You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled"
You can only be apart from the others if you are prepared and the only way to be prepared is to know God’s Word, so that you are no tossed back and forth by false teachers, for we are told in 1 Corinthians 16:13,14, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love".
The Lord through his Holy Word has reminded each one of you today to watch for Jesus’ return. See the signs, hear God’s word and stand firm in the faith. Jesus’ return is unknown but is not frightening for every believer who is prepared, for as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." Day after day and year by year we watch for Jesus’ return; armed and prepared with the word of God.
Lord, help us keep watch. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come Lord Jesus come. Amen.
12/5/10
Matthew 24:42-44
“Watch, He is Coming”
The theme of today’s worship is “Watch, He is Coming.” The question is why should we watch for his coming? Wasn’t his first coming, the event we celebrate as Christmas when he came as one of us enough? Wasn’t his life, his death, his resurrection enough? Jesus accomplished what he came to do, that is make peace between us and the Father. When he cried out in his death, “It is finished.” Wasn’t it finished? Why watch for his coming again?
It is exactly because of Christ’s birth n Bethlehem, his life performing miracles on this earth, his teachings, his perfect life, his suffering and death, as terrible as they were, along with that most glorious event of all, his resurrection that we need to watch for his coming. For in his coming everything is restored to the way God created it; when he said, “It was good.”
Think about the Old Testament reading for today. the prophet writes, “I see him but not now. I behold him, but not now. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel.” The prophet saw and beheld Christ even though he had not been born yet because he saw and beheld him through the Torah, what we call the Old Testament the Word of God. Can you see him, as the prophet did? The Star has come. The Scepter has risen! Christ has come.
If you are watching for Christ, truly and closely watching for him, you have seen his coming and bringing God’s love to earth, for God’s love is not the love that we have for each other. His love is the love that will cause one to die for another even when the other rejects his love. God’s love is the love best described in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. It is only through Christ that you can learn to love the way the Father loves you. Maybe you think you can love others as God loves you, but as hard as you try there will be a time when the line is crossed and there is no more love to give except in and through Christ.
That my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is why we in the Christian Church pay particular attention to Advent and Christmas and Easter. Those particular times of the year help us to remember to watch for his coming, as we remember Christ’s coming to earth and the love He brought and continues to bring which is truly something to watch and see. We need to pray, “Lord, help us see. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come, Lord Jesus come.
We watch because Christ will come again. There are those who have and will continue to predict when Christ will come again. We look at the troubles both natural and manmade that the world is experiencing and say Christ has to be coming soon, for he spoke of those things that will happen before the end of the world as we know it. But, the truth be told no one knows the hour to expect him, as we read in our Gospel Reading and Sermon Text. That is why Advent is so important. It helps us to prepare and watch for the Christ who came, because He truly will come again. As we wait we need to pray, “Lord, help us see. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come, Lord Jesus, come.”
Christ’s first coming and his promise to come again are not the only reasons we should watch. Some people are afraid to die. They don’t know what will happen when they die. But, as believers, we know we will be with our Lord forever. We need to tell those who fear death about Christ and help them watch for Him too, so they no longer need to be afraid.
Advent and Christmas give us opportunities to talk about Jesus, how He takes away all of our fears through faith, forgiveness, and salvation. We have much to offer others; we have Christ, who through his birth, life, death and resurrection has saved us from eternal death, for he has made peace between us and the Father.
Because he has done it all some people wonder why they need to be in church every Sunday, read their Bible every day, and pray constantly, if Jesus has already made peace between us and the Father. Maybe even you, from time to time, have wondered about those things, for after all did not Christ accomplish all those things in his death and resurrection.
As a follower of Christ you do those things to prepare your heart to watch for Christ in God’s Holy Word, as our Epistle Reading so beautifully explains. “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Bible is God’s Word. It is God, himself, speaking to you, leading you to Christ, for salvation is only in him. It is God, himself telling you of his love, joy, forgiveness, and peace which brings order to your lives of chaos and sin on earth.
Today as forgiven sinful people you and I prepare for Jesus’ return the very best way we can. We are gathered together to hear God’s holy word. We are gathered together to study God’s revealing word. We also read and study God’s word on our own, for the Lord’s coming, for the prepared, penitent believer, will not be like a thief, not that we will know the exact time, but that it will not catch us unprepared, for we are told in Revelation 3:3 “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you."
There is a difference in the lives of believers and the lives of unbelievers. In this sin-darkened world many live a frightened life in fear of the unknown that ominous future, the dread of the unknown. As prepared believers we look forward to the day of Jesus’ return, for we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:5 &6, "You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled"
You can only be apart from the others if you are prepared and the only way to be prepared is to know God’s Word, so that you are no tossed back and forth by false teachers, for we are told in 1 Corinthians 16:13,14, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love".
The Lord through his Holy Word has reminded each one of you today to watch for Jesus’ return. See the signs, hear God’s word and stand firm in the faith. Jesus’ return is unknown but is not frightening for every believer who is prepared, for as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." Day after day and year by year we watch for Jesus’ return; armed and prepared with the word of God.
Lord, help us keep watch. Christ has come. Christ is coming. Christ will come again. When Christ comes no one will know. Come Lord Jesus come. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 5:02 PM
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