Prepare to Celebrate
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: History of OT Prophecies about Jesus coming in the flesh to bring redemption and reconciliation to mankind through His sacrifice on the cross as the Lamb of God. One of the prophecies that point to His arrival is:
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
There are many others and God’s people the Jews were watching, waiting and praying for His arrival so that He would reestablish the Kingdom of David and make them a great nation again. When He did come into the world many people saw Him and believed, but many others did not accept Him.
Now we have the prophecies that He and the Holy Spirit spoke through the writings of the Apostles in the New Testament.
Prophecies such as Revelation 22:12-13
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
And these prophecies, just as the prophecies in the Old Testament, give us hope for the coming of Christ Jesus into the world to complete God’s plan of redemption and reconciliation.
It is because of these prophecies that Advent has become a part of the liturgical calendar for those who belong to the Christian faith. So, Advent is a time where we can look back to His birth which the Old Testament looked forward to and a time to look forward with expectation to His prophesied return of the New Testament.
Just keep one thing in mind as you celebrate Advent. According to Dietrich Bonhoffer “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”
So why am I telling you this?
Transitional Sentence: Well, next Sunday we will begin celebrating Advent. But before we do I wanted to make sure everyone knows what Advent is.
What is Advent?
The word Advent in the Greek is Parousia. It means to be present or coming and is used most often in the New Testament to refer to the second coming of Christ Jesus.
a. So, what exactly is Advent?
Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ Jesus. It is a period of four Sundays leading up to Christmas eve which is set aside for penance, prayer and fasting. When Advent was first practiced it was a time of preparation for the second coming of Christ. It was not linked to Christmas because Christ’s birthday was already in the past. It wasn’t until Christians began celebrating His birth did Advent get linked to Christmas. And it wasn’t until the date of December 25 was officially set as His birthday did the actually set time of four Sundays and Christmas eve become the official time frame to celebrate Advent begin.
b. So, when did Advent start?
No body knows exactly when Advent began. It became a time of preparation for the second coming of Christ Jesus sometime around 380 AD. It wasn’t until later when Christians began celebrating Jesus’ birth that it became a time to look forward to His birth and to look forward to His second coming.
c. So, why do we celebrate Advent?
Advent has become the beginning of the liturgical calendar for the Christian faith. Although we don’t follow the liturgical calendar for everything we do we still celebrate Advent as a time to prepare for His coming. His birth and His second coming. Christmas has become one of the few things in the Christian faith that all of the denominations and faith traditions still celebrate. That makes it an opportunity for all those who call themselves Christians to agree on something and to come together as the body of Christ.
2. So, what are some ways of celebrating Advent?
a. The usual way is to use Five Candles with a wreath made of an evergreen branch. Each candle has a name with a meaning and scripture verses associated with it. The candles are lit in succession, one candle each week for the four Sundays before Christmas and the final one on Christmas eve or Christmas day. The five candles are Hope, Faith, Joy, Peace and the Jesus candle which is the light of God coming into the world.
1. Hope (purple - penance) The first purple candle symbolizes hope. Also known as the “Prophecy candle” in memory o the prophets, particularly Isaiah, who prophesied the birth of Christ. It symbolizes the anticipation felt in awaiting the coming Messiah. Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44
2. Faith (purple - penance) The second purple candle symbolizes faith. Also known as the “Bethlehem Candle,” signifies Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12
3. Joy (pink - joyfulness) The third candle is ordinarily pink and represents joy. This candle is pink because the rose color represents joy, also known as the “Shepherd’s Candle.” To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too. The third Sunday of Advent is meant to remind us of the world’s joy at the birth of Jesus and that the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent. Isaiah 35:1-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11
4. Peace (purple - penance) The final purple candle marks the last week of Advent as we anticipate the birth of our Savior. This final candle, also known as the “Angel’s Candle,” signifies peace. It reminds us of the angel’s message: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men” Isaiah 7:10-16 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25
5. Christ (white - light) The final candle, which is white represents light and purity and is called “Christ’s Candle.” It is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas eve or Christmas Day. This candle is white to represent pure light and victory. Luke 2:1-7 Romans 3:21-26
b. Another way to celebrate is to read specific scripture passages. Which can be done in the form of a daily devotional. Speaking of daily devotionals Amy set up a devotional for the church in the YouVersion app for smart phones. Many of you already received an invitation to participate. If you didn’t receive one and would like to participate please see Amy. She’ll get you set up.
c. Another way is to set up a nativity scene through the month while reading scripture.
d. One last way that I will mention is to setup an advent calendar. It’s a fun way to read scripture and a daily reminder of what this season is all about.
e. Does anyone celebrate Advent in a way I didn’t mention?
So, part of Advent is about looking forward to Christmas which was the day Christ Jesus was born into this world as a man. That day was the day when many Old Testament prophesies were fulfilled.
But we have Jesus. So, what do we want to look forward to during Advent?
3. Well, we should be looking forward to the fulfillment of New Testament prophesy. Here are the top three:
a. Christ’s second coming Rev 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Christ Jesus will return to bind up Satan, set up His millennial kingdom, and bring complete fulfillment to God’s ultimate plan of redeeming all creation.
b. Final Judgment Rev 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
After His millennial reign the Great White Throne Judgment will take place. Satan, his followers and all those whose names are not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. That is the second death. OUCH!
c. The New Heaven and New Earth Rev 21:1-9
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
After everything else has come about God will establish a new Heaven and a new Earth. The old will pass away and the new will be established.
Exit: So remember Advent is a time where we can look back to the birth of Jesus which the Old Testament looked forward to and a time to look forward with expectation to His prophesied return of the New Testament.
Advent isn’t scriptural, it’s a tradition. But it’s a tradition that helps us focus on the true reason for this season that so much of the world is celebrating. It helps us look past all the decorations, all the busyness, and the worldliness of what business has turned Christmas into so that we can see Jesus. It is because of Him that we have something to celebrate and to look forward to with hope, faith, joy and peace.
Do something everyday until Christmas to remember our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. And if you haven’t accepted Him yet as your Lord and Savior now is a perfect time, now during this season when we are celebrating His birth.
Just remember “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” Dietrich Bonhoffer
How many of you fit that description?
Well let’s celebrate.
Pray!
