The Hope of Advent

Psalm 122 / Romans 13:11-14

We are bad at waiting

How long did they wait?

~ 5,000 years

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”” prophecy

Luke 1:68–79 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.””

How long must we wait?

Matthew 24:36–39 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Romans 13:11 “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

We are bad at waiting because we want what we want when we want it; namely NOW!

Our culture and society has de-valued patience and delayed gratification, and pushes us toward short attention spans, hyper stimulation, and immediate gratitude so much that one of the most uncomfortable things in life is stillness. silence.

This is an impediment to the steadiness and balance that comes with trusting and relying in God’s time. It is an impediment to keeping focus on what God is doing and will do; distracting us by the shiny, hectic, loud, and melodramatic life here and now.

This is why I think an Advent season is so helpful for us as believers; to call us back to a truer Christian mindset: As they waited for the first advent of Christ, so we too wait now for His return!

This is How We Wait

Awake from Sleep -

Cast off the works of darkness -

Put on the armor of light

Walk properly - choose wisely what will and will not be part of yours and your family’s lives

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ -

This is a call for intentionality and perseverance of the church!

Living this way is evangelistic in at least 2 ways:

Others will see our manner of living (let your light so shine…)

It will confirm or disprove the reality of our regeneration

This is Why We Wait

Romans 13:11 “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

All things new is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more pain, suffering, and disease is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more parting with loved ones is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more injustices is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more self-doubt, anxiety, and depression is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more guilt and shame is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

No more exhaustion from keeping up a pleasing front for others is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

In the Old Testament, God’s People were to anticipate, long for, and wait for the coming of the Christ. So too in our age, we are to live in a way not so guided by the godless culture of this life, but rather to anticipate, long for, and wait for the return of Christ Jesus to complete forever the work of our salvation. Looking to Jesus, THIS is the hope of Advent!