[Sermon Archive]

This Week's Sermon FIRST MIDWEEK ADVENT SERVICE 02 December 2009 "We're a Lot Alike" Jeremiah 33:14-16 LSB Series C Vicar Jeffrey M. Dock Soli Deo Gloria!

In the name of Jesus + Amen.

The Old Testament reading is a promise from God, spoken to His people Israel. There are many similarities between the Old Testament church and that of the New Testament. They were much like us.

They were brought into the church by circumcision, even as we're brought in through baptism. There are both normal earthly things through which God worked out our salvation. They were concrete realities you could cling to.

The Israelites heard the Word of God, the Books of Moses and the prophets, read to them even as we hear the Word of God read tonight. Both they and we learn from the Word what God has done for us, and what He desires from us.

The Old Testament people of God prayed to the Father, crying out their requests that He would save them from their sins and grant them relief from their earthly needs, just as we will pray here tonight. Both their prayers and ours find their basis in the Psalms and in the Holy Scriptures.

The people of Israel were saved through faith, by trusting in the coming Messiah who would bear their sins and be their savior. And here's where the prime difference between the Christian church today and ancient Israel is made most clear. Israel looked forward to the Messiah who would come, and we look back upon the Messiah who has come.

The believers in the Old Testament are as much our brothers and sisters in Christ as those Christians who surround us now. As much a part of the Communion of Saints as Peter or Paul. But we're separated by the defining event of our salvation. Indeed, separated by the one thing which makes the continued existence of the world possible. The one point in time which spreads its benefits throughout all of human history, and carries us into eternity. The event I spent so much time preaching about on Sunday. The Cross. The suffering servant. The crucified savior. We're separated not by the benefits of that event, for we all receive the forgiveness of sins through Christ's atonement alone- but by the time period in which we live. One group always looking toward the coming Messiah and what He would accomplish, and one group always looking back at the Messiah and what He did accomplish.

The Messiah of the entire human race was revealed to be the incarnate Son of God, and This Son of God went to a cross to die, and in so doing He defeated sin and death, and then rose again from the dead. His sacrifice brought life, and finished the Father's will for the redemption of mankind. The sacrificial system so foundational to Ancient Israel was no more, for here was offered the Lamb of God- the only true and worthy sacrifice. The only one innocent enough to be capable to bearing sin, and the only one strong enough to do everything the Father asked of Him.

In seminary, I once engaged in a debate with another student about who had the harder job. The Old Testament church who had to believe in the coming Messiah, whom they did not yet know. Or the New Testament church who knew the Messiah, but who now had to wait for His 2nd coming. It was a long debate, and no clear consensus was ever reached. Perhaps it was a pointless debate. Ours is not to wonder at which side of the cross we find ourselves on. Ours is not to dwell on why God called us into His church, and not our atheist neighbor next door. Ours is not to debate which Christians have had a harder time hearing the voice of their savior. The task given to us is simply to believe the words of Christ. To rejoice in the salvation that has been won for us. To praise God for all his wondrous benefits, and to serve our neighbor.

Much the same as the Old Testament church. They had not heard the specific voice of Jesus yet, but they had the Word of God. The exact way in which God was going to work out their salvation was not fully revealed to them. They simply had the promise of the Messiah who would save them from their sins, and that was enough. That was the bedrock of their faith- and core of their belief which kept their eyes focused upon God, and kept them alert to the voice of the true prophets.

So hear again the words of our Old Testament reading in light of all that. Look at it from two angles, both how the Israelites of old heard it and what they believed- and what this passage means for us today. "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in that land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely"

The Israelites heard the word of promise, and they believed it. They trusted in this righteous Branch who would come from the line of King David. They thirsted for justice on behalf of the oppressed people of God, and righteousness to fill their land. We hear this verse, and we think of Jesus. We look at the one born in the line of David, to a virgin who was miraculously with child. We rejoice that the promise God made to our forefathers was kept when He sent His Son. We wonder at Jesus Christ, the righteous branch who is also the true vine from which we grow off of; for we are dependent upon Him for our nourishment. We too hunger and thirst for justice, praying that God would vindicate His church and save us from our many enemies. And we also long for righteousness- both in our own lives, and in the world around us. Thus we pray that God would keep us from sin and also save us from the violence, greed, and despair of others.

The Old Testament reading ended with these words "And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'" For the Lord is our righteousness. The holiness of Jesus is given to us, and covers all of our sins. Jesus exchanges His perfect righteousness for a soiled garment of our own sins. Thus, we are Christian Church. An institution which bears the name of Christ. We are the baptized. People who bear the very name of the triune God placed upon us. Indeed- this is the name by which we are called- "The Lord is our righteousness." Though we fall into sin, we are not utterly cast down for our righteousness is not our own and not dependent upon us. Instead, it is the righteousness of Jesus freely given to us. The rights to that exchange won by his own suffering and sacrificial death, in our stead, upon the cross some 1,980-ish years ago.

So, let us look once more at the similarities between the People of God who are separated by the cross.

The Israelites brought sacrifices to the temple to atone for sin, with every animal sacrificed pointing toward the sacrifice of the Son of God. We come to this altar, Sunday after Sunday, to partake of the sacrifice yet again. God forgave the Israelites because they offered those sacrifices in faith as they looked toward the coming Messiah; even as we are forgiven as we partake of the flesh and blood of Jesus, sacrificed for us, in faith. In neither case are we forgiven because of the actions we do, but completely because of God's gracious love to us. It is faith alone- for faith clings to Jesus, the Messiah, and in Him is the forgiveness of sins.

The Israelites had no tangible sign that their sins were forgiven. They didn't come out of the temple glowing, or feeling holier, or hearing God part the skies and speak to them. They simply believed the Words of God. They trusted his promises, even if their senses and feeling told them otherwise. So also it is with us. The baptized and the 'un-baptized' look a lot alike. Nothing tangible sets us apart from them. No miraculous powers or divine gifts are available at our beck and call. We simply hear the Words of God, and we believe them. We remember our baptism and trust that God's promises will hold true.

This is what we're called to do, the same as the Old Testament church. We're called to believe God. When He promises something, we're to trust it. When He commands something, we're to obey it. It's not glamorous in the world's eyes. It's rather simple, and involves admitting that we're sinners who can't save ourselves. In involves holding out hope even when it seems all hope is lost. It involves faithful confession and practice in the midst of a world so hostile to both. It involves keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus Christ, and faithfully hearing His word.

But here is where we can learn a lot from our Old Testament counterparts. The remnant of Israel who remained faithful to God in spite of pillaging armies, corrupt kings, and false prophets were saved. They had forgiveness of sins. God used their faith to keep His church alive. And through that church, He brought forth His Son into this world. The Old Testament church often seemed weak. It was often torn apart by infighting and doctrinal disputes. Its leaders were often corrupt, and it was rocked by scandal again and again. Its godly prophets languished in prison, received little to no pay, and were hated by the world. Its congregations were small and scattered. But God preserved His church. And through that faithful remnant, He brought forth Jesus. The One who saved the entire world from its sins. The One who rules both Heaven and Earth. The One who will come again to judge both the living and the dead.

May God grant that the faithful Christians of the Old Testament serve as examples to us, and that we may cling to the Word of God as they did. That we rejoice just as did they in the great truth that the Lord is our righteousness. That we may face death trusting fully in the merits of our mutual Savior, Jesus Christ and so inherit eternal life.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.