church

INI
First Sunday in Advent
December 2, 2012
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

AN ADVENT PROMISE IN THREE TENSES
Jeremiah 33:14-16

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is
well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. Our sermon text comes from the Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 33,
beginning with the 14th verse, as follows [ESV]:

"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. 15 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 the land. 16 In those days Judah will
be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it
will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'” So far the Holy Word.

In the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Child of Bethlehem, Dear
Fellow Redeemed,

In the English language, tense is a function of time. Most of us, when we think
of tense, think of the three main tenses - past, present and future. "I travelled, I
am travelling; I shall travel." But there are other tenses, too, that nail down the
element of time even more precisely. Like the perfect, "I have travelled." Or
the past perfect, "I had travelled." Or even the future perfect, "I shall have
travelled."

Matters are further complicated when you consider that some foreign languages
like Greek have even more tenses, and not all of them have to do with time!
But don't worry - there won't be quiz. In fact, today we're only concerned about
the three major tenses, past, present and future. For the season we're entering
today, the season of Advent, is about all three. This morning we'll look at the
beautiful promise God made through the prophet Jeremiah, and we'll see how
that promise applies to the Church throughout all ages. That's why our theme
today is

AN ADVENT PROMISE IN THREE TENSES

I. It was fulfilled in the past.
II. It is being fulfilled in the present.
III. It shall be finally fulfilled in the future.

It goes without saying that keeping ones promises is important. People judge
you in large part according to how trustworthy your word is. Whether you tell
the truth, and actually do the things you said you were going to do. In short,
whether you fulfill your promises. Sadly, the history of the nation of Judah, to
whom the prophet Jeremiah was sent, was a long series of broken promises.
From the time of Moses onward, the people of Israel had promised to be true to
Jehovah, and follow Him only. But again and again they had forsaken the Lord,
and worshipped the false gods of the Canaanites, Baal and Ashtoreth, Molech
and Dagon. God had kept His covenant with Israel, but Israel had broken their
covenant with God. So a new covenant was needed, and in His mercy God
promised one. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which
they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. -- Jeremiah
31:31-32.

Before us we have AN ADVENT PROMISE IN THREE TENSES. At the
time Jeremiah uttered this prophesy, of course, there was only one tense, the
future. From the prophet’s point of view, the fulfillment of the promise lay
completely in the future. But we have the advantage of hindsight. We live 2500
years later, so we can look back and see exactly how that promise was fulfilled
in the past.

There was a near-term fulfillment. The prophet predicted, Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell securely. God’s punishment for their idolatry fell, and
for 70 years the people of Judah languished in captivity far away to the north in
Babylon. But the Lord made good on His promise and brought back the
remnant of Jacob. Jerusalem was rebuilt, and a second temple was erected. For
four centuries the people of Judah dwelt in safety.

But there’s a remote fulfillment that’s much more significant. For who do you
think the Lord was referring to when He said, I will cause a righteous Branch to
spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land?
Who was the Descendant of King David who would finally bring righteousness
and salvation to lost sinners everywhere? It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God
and Savior of the world. He was the King of Kings of whom Isaiah said, Unto
us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and
peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward,
even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. -- Isaiah 9:6-7.
That promise was fulfilled when a baby’s cry shattered the night’s stillness in a
stable in Bethlehem.

You see, God keeps his promises. If only we did! Let me ask you a personal
question. How many promises have you made to God? How many have you
kept? How often have you promised to give up those sins to which you are
particularly susceptible, and then later fallen into those very same sins all over
again? How often have you promised to be more faithful in your Bible reading,
or your prayer life, or your church attendance? To be kinder toward your
spouse, more considerate toward your children? And speaking of idolatry, what
about the idols in your life? How well have you kept the First Commandment –
to fear, love and trust in God above all things? How many times have the cares
and distractions and pleasures and worries of this world dragged your attention
away from your Savior and His cross? If you're like me, it's more times than you
can count. That’s why II Timothy 2:13 has always been a favorite passage of
mine, If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. -- 2
Timothy 2:13. Confess your sins! Repent of them and forsake them! Ask the
Lord’s pardon – He cannot deny you! For you see, God keeps His promises. He
proved that once and for all on the blackest of black Fridays, on a lonely
skull-shaped hill at the end of the road of sorrows. For on the hill called Calvary
the Lord fulfilled his promise, and sacrificed his only Son to atone for the sins
of the world. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him. -- 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus is our
righteousness! He Himself is the very righteousness we need to stand accepted
before God. That’s why our text says, And this is the name by which it will be
called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.

Which brings us to the second part, of course, because although the fulfillment
of God’s Advent promise did happen in historic time, it’s not ancient history.
It’s as up-to-date and relevant as this morning’s newspaper. That promise and
its fulfillment has more to do with your day to day life than anything else in
your life! I did say that this is AN ADVENT PROMISE IN THREE TENSES,
and the present tense is very much in view. For it wasn’t just fulfilled in the
past. It’s a promise that is being fulfilled right now in the present.

Advent as you know means “coming.” And Advent is very much a “present
tense” season, because it’s during this part of the year that the Christchild
comes into your heart again in a very personal way. Of course, the world never
heard of Advent; to them this is just the “Christmas shopping season.” But it’s
so much more than that for you. For you it’s a season of God’s promises
fulfilled. Jeremiah says, In those days Judah will be saved. Sometime I’d like to
preach a series of sermons on that word for “saved.” It may sound familiar to
you, because it’s the Hebrew word yasha’; it also forms the name of Joshua, the
great captain of Israel, and guess who else’s name stems from the same word?
“Yeshu’a,” or Jesus! Literally and figuratively, Jesus means salvation to us! In its
original form the word “to save” means to provide a radical rescue from a
desperate situation, it means to move from distress to safety. And isn’t that
exactly what the Lord Jesus has done for us? He has moved us from the distress
of our sins to the safety of His salvation.

Jeremiah goes on, In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell
securely. Security is a huge industry in the United States. One recent report
stated that there are over 14,000 different security companies operating in the
US, generating over $22 billion in annual revenue. It gives you an idea of how
preoccupied Americans are with security, of doing everything they can to make
sure that their possessions, their loved ones and they themselves are as safe and
secure as possible. Well, security is a big part of God’s promise here in
Jeremiah. When the “Branch of David” appears, the prophet says, then Judah
will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. By faith, you and I are the
modern day people of Israel. We Christians are now the seed of Abraham, and
God provides us with security that goes far beyond what any earthly company
could provide. You may not have 20 security cameras watching your home at
all times, but you have something far better, for the Lord is watching your
home! Scripture says: Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to
keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and
our shield. -- Psalm 33:18-20. You may not have armed guards standing watch
at your front door, but you have something far better, for Scripture says, He
shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their
hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You
shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you
shall trample underfoot. -- Psalm 91:11-13. Nothing can or will happen to you
outside God’s gracious good will for your life. For Jesus’ sake, your heavenly
Father provides you with perfect security in life. But also, and more
importantly, He has secured your place in the life to come. And that brings us
to part three.

ADVENT is a PROMISE IN THREE TENSES, and the final tense of course
is future. God’s promise of salvation in Christ will finally be fulfilled, once and
for all, when Jesus accomplishes His second Advent, when He comes again
with glory to judge the living and the dead.

We’ve talked about the way that Jeremiah’s prophesy was fulfilled in an
immediate sense – in Israel’s return from the Babylonian captivity, and in a
remote sense – with Christ’s coming to earth to redeem us. But if you read this
passage carefully, it also fits perfectly with our Lord’s coming in judgment on
the Last Day. In those days, the Branch of David – Jesus Christ – will execute
justice and righteousness. Perfect justice will issue forth from the throne of our
Savior on the Last Day. To those who spurned His salvation, to those who
trusted in their own good works He will say, Depart from Me, you cursed, into
the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: -- Matthew 25:41. To
those who acknowledged their sins – to those who fled to His cross for
forgiveness and salvation He will say, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: -- Matthew
25:34.

If Advent does nothing else for you this year, I hope it reminds you of this
future tense of God’s promise. I hope you can be like a pastor I once knew.
Every morning when he got out of bed, the very first thing he would do is pray,
“Lord, let this be the Day!” Do you think you could pray that prayer? Don’t you
think it would change your outlook on the day? “Lord, let today be your Second
Advent! Let today be the Day you appear in clouds of glory to take Your
redeemed children home to heaven!” What a great way to start your day! And
that’s the attitude we should all have. Jesus said, "Let your waist be girded and
your lamps burning; 36 "and you yourselves be like men who wait for their
master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks
they may open to him immediately. 37 "Blessed are those servants whom the
master, when he comes, will find watching. -- Luke 12:35-37.

Past, present, future. Knowing the difference between the tenses is important,
needless to say. A person who doesn’t know the difference between “I did pay
the electric bill,” and “I am going to pay the electric bill,” is a person who will
quickly find himself in a dark house with no heat. But when it comes to our
Lord’s gracious promise of salvation, it doesn’t matter which tense you use.
They’re all correct! For this is AN ADVENT PROMISE IN THREE TENSES:
it was fulfilled in the past, it is being fulfilled right now in your life, and it shall
be finally fulfilled in the future, when our Savior comes again in glory.

Oh, then, with hymns of praise
Those hallowed courts shall ring;
Our voices we will raise
The three in One to sing
And thus proclaim
In joyful song,
Both loud and long.
That glorious name. AMEN.