Third Sunday in Advent (Dec 15, 2024)
Notes
Transcript
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
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Goal: That the hearers may rejoice in the peace of God they have through Christ and so look forward to the coming of our King.
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Multiple studies have proven that the holiday season exacerbates mental health issues. For some, the pressure to have “a perfect Christmas” can be overwhelming. For others, their loneliness is amplified. Such people need a real Christmas, one that results in great joy. But joy is not the same thing as happiness. It is infinitely better. Happiness is an emotion. Joyfulness is a condition. Happiness comes from your circumstances. Joyfulness comes from Christ assuring you of his abiding love and your glorious future. Therefore, happiness—“holiday cheer”—is fleeting. Joyfulness is enduring.
The day is getting nearer. We just lit the third candle on our Advent wreath — the pink one. Children are becoming more excited as Christmas draws closer. Some parents teach their children to count by using Advent calendars, or by counting the number the “sleeps” left before Christmas Day. Then there are others who dread that day. Why?
People without families anticipate another lonely Christmas.
Fathers and mothers who are unemployed are disappointed they can’t buy gifts for their children or for each other.
Still others, because of a death in the family, are spending their first Christmas without their loved one. So what’s to be so excited about?
Well, even in this season when it’s so easy to become distracted, disturbed, and depressed,
Our Heavenly Father Gives Us the Reason to Rejoice.
Our Heavenly Father Gives Us the Reason to Rejoice.
Whether we find ourselves in poverty or wealth, solid families or broken ones, happy situation or sad, for us as Christians, the reason for our rejoicing is not found in our circumstances. Rather, it is found in the gracious heart of God. He sent his Son to live, suffer, and die for us so that we might be reconciled to God.
Joy Is Not Found in our Circumstances.
Joy Is Not Found in our Circumstances.
Some people have bought into a lie that joy can be found in things of this world.
Adam and Eve bought the lie that they would find true joy apart from God, that God was holding out on them.
We too are often deceived into believing that created things hold more promise than the Creator (Rom 1:25).
Illustration: Sadly, too many see this season just as an opportunity to have their personal wants and desires met. People often look for happiness in the things of this world. “If only I could have” or “If only I could be” are the longings of the unfulfilled.
Even those who have it all—wealth, fame, and fortune—ultimately do not rejoice in their situation. I read recently that in North America, there are an estimated five hundred thousand households with assets of more than $10 million. Yet even with all of their incredible net worth, their planes, yachts, and mega-homes, many find that the more they spend, the greater their dissatisfaction. The spending becomes a mad attempt to cover up boredom and depression.
But such things people live and hope for do not deliver.
Solomon called it “vanity and a striving after wind” (Eccl 2:11).
Jesus put things into eternal perspective: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Mt 16:26).
There are some people who are looking for the very same reason to rejoice but believe a life of joy is not possible for them because of their circumstances.
This belief is just as wrong as the one before because it also believes the basis for happiness is life, wealth, identity— something different from what God promises.
Unfortunately this many times results in blaming God and becoming angry at Him. And this gets in the way of seeing how much He wants to fill us with joy.
Ultimately, it is our sinful nature that causes unhappiness, sadness, sorrow, and desperation.
And this sinful nature separates us from God, the true joy-giver.
And it always leads to death, both temporal and spiritual.
Transition: Our text points us beyond the transient things of this life. St. Paul, even in most difficult circumstances, exhorts us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).
Our Joy is Found “in the Lord.”
Our Joy is Found “in the Lord.”
We have joy because Christ conquered sin and death for us.
Everything that robs us of hope and joy has been defeated at the cross through the suffering and death of Christ on our behalf.
Since the sin that separated us from God has been removed by Jesus’ cross, we are now back together with him; we are “in the Lord.”
Therefore He calls us His children no matter what our condition or station in life happens to be.
And His relationship with us is based on grace.
This gives us a new sense of purpose in life, a reason to serve with joy; we rejoice to know our Father smiles on our service.
The child of God is sustained in this joyful purpose by the constant declaration “Your sins are forgiven.”
We have joy in the promise of Christ’s abiding presence: “The Lord is near” (Phil 4:5).
Christians do not need to be anxious about life (Phil. 4:6a) because the Lord who is near cares deeply for us.
He invites us to commit all of our cares and concerns to him (Phil. 4:6b).
We can be so confident of his care for us that even as we offer our prayers, we can already add thanksgiving.
We rejoice that he promises to come again.
He is also “is near” in his second coming. Although we do not know when, we do know it will happen.
He came into our world first in humility. That purified us so that we will rejoice—not tremble—when he comes again in glory.
In the meantime, the peace of God, which is far beyond all understanding and guards our hearts and minds, is given to us in the Gospel (Phil 4:7).
It is a peace that is based on the fact that God has reconciled us to himself through his Son:
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It is a peace that endures.
This peace guards and sustains us in our reason for rejoicing.
Paul writes this letter as an encouragement to the Philippians. He thanks them for the gift they sent him while he was in prison. He notes the many opportunities to advance the Gospel he has had while in chains. He encourages them to stand firm as they contend for “the faith of the Gospel” (1:27). Above all, he encourages the Philippians to rejoice. Lenski remarks,
Joy is the music that runs through this epistle, the sunshine that spreads over all of it. The whole epistle radiates joy and happiness
[Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1937], 691
Conclusion: No matter what circumstance or situation we find ourselves in, God gives us a reason to rejoice. He is always near to forgive, sustain, and support us. With the assurance of his love and presence in Christ Jesus, we can place all that we are and all that we have in his hands for time and eternity and rejoice in his grace and mercy toward us. Thanks be to God!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Liturgical Setting
Liturgical Setting
The Third Sunday in Advent is typically known as “Rejoice Sunday” (“Gaudete” Sunday on the old liturgical calendars). It derives this emphasis from the Old Testament Reading (“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one to save; he will rejoice over you with gladness” [Zeph 3:17]); the Epistle (“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” [Phil 4:4]); the Introit (“Rejoice in the Lord always”); and the Gradual (“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion”). Most churches will use blue or purple candles for their Advent wreath for each Sunday in Advent except this Sunday, when a lighter—usually pink or rose—candle is used.
Rejoice Sunday is a significant contrast from the other Sundays in Advent. The other Sundays emphasize penitential preparation for the coming King. There is not simply an emphasis on Christ’s first coming in the flesh—his incarnation—there is also a pointing forward to his suffering and death. The purpose of his incarnation is seen in the cross and the tomb, thus the emphasis on penitence and fasting. The shift to the pink candle points to a lessening of the penitential emphasis and more of a celebration in anticipation of the coming King who will return again.
Relevant Context
Relevant Context
Paul writes this letter as an encouragement to the Philippians. He thanks them for the gift they sent him while he was in prison. He notes the many opportunities to advance the Gospel he has had while in chains. He encourages them to stand firm as they contend for “the faith of the Gospel” (1:27). Above all, he encourages the Philippians to rejoice. Lenski remarks,
Joy is the music that runs through this epistle, the sunshine that spreads over all of it. The whole epistle radiates joy and happiness
[Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1937], 691
Textual Notes
Textual Notes
V 4: Paul begins this section of exhortations (vv 4–9) with the imperative “Rejoice.” For an excursus on the Pauline use of χαίρω chairō, see TDNT 9:369. The cause for this rejoicing is not because of circumstance. Our rejoicing is “in the Lord.”
The exhortation is also in 3:1, except that now, in v 4, he adds the word “always.” Paul repeats the exhortation at the end of the verse in the single word rejoice.
V 5: The ESV translates to ἐπιεικής epieikes as “reasonableness.” The KJV translation is “moderation.” The NIV has “gentleness.” The NASB has “gentle spirit.” The sentence following essentially gives us the sense of what Paul is driving at. Because “the Lord is at hand,” there is no need for anxiety about anything (see Mt 6:25–34; 10:19–20) Rather, because we have a gracious God through Christ, we can bring all things to him.
V 6: This verse also begins with an imperative, but it is in absolute contrast to the imperative “rejoice” at the beginning and end of v 4. “Rejoice . . . always”; “do not be anxious about anything.”
V 7: The result of leaving all in God’s hands is the peace of God. “The peace of God” (see 1:2) is to be taken objectively, the condition of shalom when by God’s act all is well with us. ‘Of God’ is to indicate source: God creates and bestows this peace” (Lenski, 878–79). This peace passes all understanding. Even the angels long to look into these things (1 Pet 1:12) The peace is found in Christ, through whom we have been reconciled to God (Eph 2:14–17). There is an actual objective peace, which through Christ’s atoning death and his resurrection is an established reality (Rom 5:1-2). There is also a sense of peace in the heart of the believer.
