Advent 2024 - Pt 5 - The Promise of His return!

GOOD EVENING LOVED ONES

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

BEFORE MUSIC

I want to read for us this evening a short part of the Christmas Story - The Story of Christ -

The Story of Jesus coming into the world. This beautiful and perfect and sinless Child in the Manger.

Luke 2:1–20 ESV

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

OPEN YOUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE TO

2nd Peter Chapter 3 as we will take a brief look at verses 8-14 as we come to the conclusion of the Advent Season as Christmas day is upon us and the celebration begins.

MY PRAYER FOR ALL OF US IS TONIGHT

is that we would all look to what is next and live in an ever growing urgency, and ever growing readiness, a growing intentional proactive, obedient, fruit bearing ready anticipation for what is next.

ENGAGEMENT –

Tonight and possibly tomorrow and possibly into this weekend - Most if not all of us and people around the world are going to celebrate the Birth of Jesus -

Now some are gonna do that intentionally and some are going to celebrate it by accident -

Here is what I mean. Christ is the word in Christmas - And so all sorts of people are going to celebrate Christmas but sadly by accident knot knowing why.

and in that celebration most if not all are going to have some sort of Gift Exchange.

You will have bought a gift for someone and they have bought a gift for you as well.

Or maybe, Christmas is that time where there are not too many gifts being passed around but you might be the one who gets a gift from you to you.

You know a gift you buy for just yourself.

Either way Gifts are a part of the Celebration.

Years Ago I discovered Online shopping -

And what online shopping did was make my time more efficient.

What was the best thing that I discovered is that in most of the retailers back then you could have them gift wrap them for you.

And when you hit the complete purchase button on their website with in a few days - A gift that you had picked out for someone, Arrived at your door step, Wrapped and Labeled, All you had to do at that point was put it under the tree or give it to the person directly.

Then came the company named after the big river in south america.

and they not only will deliver it to you they will do it the same day of you need.

In fact - grocery stores are into the online thing as well.

And as much as I like online shopping - there are still people who love to go to the mall or to the grocery store and do some In Person Shopping.

And whether we go to the store to get your gifts or we do the online thing and have them delivered to us.

When it is time for Gift Shopping -

There is something that most of us do when it comes to gifts

and there is also something that most of us don’t do wen it come time for Christmas gifts.

One thing that we do is we plan - We make a plan for the gift and we make a plan for its delivery and its discovery -

Here is what that planning looks like in general terms.

We make a list of who we are going to purchase gifts for -

We then either get a list form them as to what they would like or we think to our selves what would they like and is that something I would like to get them.

We then purchase it on line or in person - Wrapped or we must wrap it.

We then plan our how we are going to get the gift to them.

and we plan if we can how we will enjoy them opening their gift, the thank you that comes from them and the Joy we will get seeing them thankful for the gift.

and when the big day come the total of our plans come together and we gather with them or call them or face time them on or about Christmas day and we experience the gift we gave to them and possibly the gift they gave to us.

So what happens in our planning goes from making a list of who we want to buy for to the Experience of the gift Exchange -

weather that is at a family get to gether - Christmas party - Phone call or Face time.

That is the totality of our gift planning for Christmas.

And ya know planning takes a while - That is usually not something that we can do and put into action in a few minutes.

Some of us plan for weeks and months in advance for the Christmas Gift things we do.

WE do it becasue the Gifts we exchange for Christmas are supposed to represent the Gift of Jesus that God gave the world.

But Planning and executing that Plan is big and sometimes exhausting.

And sometime, Just Sometimes, we get to the end - When the trees come down and the tensile goes away and all the gifts are opened and all the cookies are eaten.

and we collapse in exhaustion glad it over.

Here is what is interesting -

The thing that we all don't do is we don’t plan for after -

WE don't plan for what is next regarding the Gifts -

We don't plan for weeks and months down the road around these gifts.

WE don't plan for any gift followup?

You might be thinking “Pastor? Gift Follow-up?

No Not totally - I mean how weird would it be if grandma called in March and said - Johnny, How do you still like the Christmas Gift I got for you last Christmas?

Or if we would put on our calendar March the 23rd - Call my Friend John and Follow up on the Christmas Gift I sent Him.

First of all that would be totally strange and weird - But give that a few years and Little johnny is going to begin to live in anticipation of Grandmas’ follow up call in march.

And that would all be very weird -

I don’t know if you have ever thought about this -

When the trees come down and the tensile goes away and all the gifts are opened and all the cookies are eaten.

What happens to us is we soon forget the gifts that are exchanged - WE soon forget the list of who gave us what -

WE so forget what we got from who

Because right after we celebrate one of the two most important event in all of human history -

Marked by months and weeks of planning - Marked by Gifts given in celebration of this event - Gifts given as a token of the Gift of Jesus

Our New Years Planning begins and When that happens we turn inward.

TO

What do we want to accomplish?

What goals do we have?

What do we want to see happen in this next year?

How we want the next year to be different or better than the last year.

And we begin, every so slightly, to put our focus of the gift of Christmas behind us.

TENSION

Here is the thing though.

God, planned for several thousand of years to bring the Gift of Jesus - The Gift of Christmas to us.

Humanity Needed the Gift - God had promised the Gift -

for Hundreds of years and the people waited

and for hundreds of years before - The Prophets foretold of the Coming of the Gift of Jesus down to the smallest detail.

When He arrived - He arrived through the the lowliest of means -

When He arrived - News of His arrival was shared with plain people, so plain in fact that those shepherds could not be witnesses in the world system

When He arrived - people - people from far away came to see him and suddenly found them selves falling down at his Majesty - Worshiping becasue of who He was and opening their treasures and giving Gifts only fit for a king. Because He was a gift to all people.

God has a Gift Follow-up - Thousands of years in the making

Prophets speaking of the follow up.

BACKGROUND

Daniel - 600 years before Jesus birth - The Prophet Daniel gave a glimpse, a prophecy about the follow up - The What is next on the Gift of Jesus plan.

A gift Follow up if you will.

This is what He said.

Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV)

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus - Towards the End of him walking among us as Immanuel God with us. Spoke of this what is next - This follow up of the Gift.

In Luke 21:27-28

Luke 21:27–28 ESV

27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

And What Jesus - And What Daniel hundreds of years before are speaking of is the third most important event in all of human history -

This third event is the whats next - The Gift Followup if you were.

Executed and applied to all creation by the giver of the Gift of Christmas.

And Just like the number one and number two most important events in all of Human History -

This third Event is thousands of years in the making -

This third even is a promised and foretold event - promised and foretold Just like the first event, the Birth of the Savior - The Baby in the manger.

This third event is promised and foretold - Promised and foretold just like the second event, The Resurrection of the Savior - This same baby in the manger.

YET This third of the 3 most important events is all of Human history is unlike the first two - This event is yet to happen and some times it seems so far away!

So far away and yet can happen at any moment - In the blink of an eye - like a thief in the night.

And we wait! -

and what can so easily happens to us as we wait is we begin, every so slightly, to put our focus of the gift of Christmas behind us.

UNPACKING

This is what the the Holy Spirit, through the pen of the Apostle Peter addresses to us in his second letter, written to the people of God spread out all over then world back then - and to the people of God spread out all over the world today.

Peter Begins this part of His letter with a reminder - That time is not something different to God than it is for you and for me.

That not only is it different but it is a reminder that to us God has been planning this third event for a very long time.

He does this is verse 8 when He says:

2 Peter 3:8 ESV

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Over look - Means forget - Need to me Reminded - Loose Sight of or Loose perspective

Of this FACT - A fact - A truth Claim - And Objective reality that is real no matter what we believe.

Let us not overlook or forget or loose our perspective of the fact that time in God’s kingdom is different that time in our world.

That time does not have the same impact with God that time does for us.

And becasue of that God is not Slow.

God is not slow to fulfill His promise -

He was not slow to give the first Gift - The Gift of Christmas and He is not slow to execute the follow up the Whats next on His calendar plan.

But rather God is patience.

This is what The Holy Spirit is telling us in verse 9

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

and Here is what is interesting - The Holy Spirit tells us why this is Not God being slow - and what God is doing instead of being slow.

God is being Patient -

Why is God being Patient loved ones?

Because God is merciful and graceful and filled with loving kindness and what He is doing is executing His desirous will That none should parish, But all come to repentance.

VERSE 10

Peter then brings into the discourse the subject of “the day of the Lord”

You see loved ones the day of the Lord is the second coming of Jesus.

The Third most important event on all of humans history -

The Whats next on God’s redemptive plan that began thousands of years ago in the garden.

Its the Gift of Christmas follow up plan that began long ago.

The Day of the Lord when Jesus comes back - When the gift of Christmas comes again.

And the Holy Spirit of God through Peter, gives us a glimpse on how different that day will be

2 Peter 3:10 ESV

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Peter, by the Spirit, then begins asking questions and making statements of conclusions as he begins the next part of the letter with the words

“Since all these things are to be dissolved”

What things -

All things

Everyone say “All things”

and what peter is trying to communicate is that all things in this world that we see and experience will one day be dissolved -

In other words they are all temporary.

And when their temporariness is exposed by the work and coming of the Lord on the Day of the Lord - The works of the earth will be exposed.

And so His question is

“Since this is true and since this is coming and since then we have really no indication that it is happening as it will come like a thief in the night -

What sort of People should we be?

How should we interact with this ancient follow up plan of God -

How should we navigate the fact that this is next on God redemptive plan that started in the Garden?

How should we view the Gift of the Child in the Manger and what impact should that have on all of our tomorrows.

Peter ANSWERS this question with his statement embedded with in the question of verse 11

He answers in 12-18

Watch what He says -

Be a people who are holy - Meaning separate in character, nature, thought, and principle and philosophy and behavior from the world.

godliness - meaning striving to allow the Spirit of God to conform us to the image of Jesus, in life and thought and behavior and following the commands of Jesus.

Verse 12 make and Interesting part of the statement -

Waiting and Hastening -

Waiting is in interesting word in the language of the New Testament - I had to look that one up and it is really complicated - It means - To wait.

Waiting -

Hastening was another word - Here is interesting - It means “Making things happen faster” “to cause something to happen sooner”

Wait Pastor - I though we were supposed to wait with joyful hope for the coming of the Lord I mean I cant wait for him to get here!

Your telling me that we are supposed to make the coming of the Lord Quicker? How can we do that?

Jesus told us how -

Matthew 24:14 ESV

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Loved ones we are not only to wait n joyful expectation for the what next for the Gift follow up - We are to look so forward to it we are to hastening its coming.

Peter concludes this by sating the reason we are to live in this way - becasue these current things will be dissolved and burned up and we - Those who are have been saved - Those who are not yet saved who will be saved

Live in a state of desire and anticipation of a New Heaven and a New Earth where Righteousness dwells.

Peter concludes by saying in vs 14

2 Peter 3:14 ESV

14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Be diligent to be found in Him - Spotless and at peace - At peace with God.

THE GOSPEL CONNECTION

Loved ones this season of Christmas - This is the fullness of the Gospel - This is the fullness of what Happened in the the Garden that was spoken of by the prophets - that arrived in the manger - Delivered by the empty tomb and consummated by God's what next -

by the Gift Follow-up on gods eternal plan of redemption -

The Consummation of the final chapter of salvation for God.

The day when The Third most important event in all of Human history happens.

Between today and that beautiful day there are a couple of things we must know -

That day is a day where God will pour out His wrath on a sinful and unrepentant world. And although that doesn't sound like good news - the Part that we live in today is the Patient grace and mercy of God -

The Time where with one hand God is holing back His wrath and with the Other hand is calling people to come to the gift of Christmas - Come to the savior in the manger - Surrender all of life to him - Be adopted by the spirit regenerated into a new creature by the power of the Holy Spirit and be saved from this day of wrath this day of the coming of the Lord.

And as His children - Loved ones we are not only to live in joyful anticipation of His coming we are to live with intentional Hastening -

Doing what God has called us to do and be as His church to hasten - To quicken his whats next - His follow-up plan from Christmas -

How ?

By doing and being what those who have abided in him have done since the first time were were called Christians -

Representing Christ and Making Him known to all the world- Anyone any where any time.

Loved ones as we consider the 5 candle of Advent - The Candle tat represents the purity of Christ that will one day the redeemed will reign and rule with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth -

Let us take the light of this candle and pass it from person to person -

Let this passing of the Light f this candle represent us sharing the light of Jesus, as His church, to this lost and dying world -

But not not only for the season of Christmas, but also as we hear the plan and will of God for our lives and we look with joyful anticipation to His whats next - His followup plan -

so That when the day comes we will hear with and experience with Joyful hearts and a life filled with giving Him glory - The fact that

Revelation 21:1–7 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

You see this night is Holy - This night is separate - This night is that Night that we celebrate the fist and most significant event in all of Human History -

It is also holy becasue it is the Night that God in heaven put the pieces in place for Him to bring about the What is next, his follow-up to the goift of Christmas

in His eternal plan of redemption where He calls a people to Himself and gives them as a Bridal gift to His Son - His eternal son who is not just the Child in the manger - The risen savior and and Lord - but also the one coming back to make the new heavens and new earth that we wait for and live for to hasten His arrival.

LETS SING!