He Promised

Call to Worship

Matthew 1:18–23 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.””

Elder: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you!

Reading of Scripture

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 7:10–16 “Then Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from Yahweh your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not test Yahweh!” Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. “He will eat curds and honey in order that He will know to refuse evil and choose good. “For before the boy will know to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.”

New Testament Reading

Romans 1:1–7 “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He Promised

Introduction

This passage represents one of those long sentences that Paul is known for. It is also one of the things that makes Paul so interesting to read. Notice all of the things he mentions in passing:

Author: Paul — slave of Christ — apostle — set apart.

Gospel: The gospel — a promise — through the prophets — by the Scriptures.

Christ: The Son — born of David's seed — but the Son of God — according to the Spirit — by the resurrection — making Him our Lord.

Redemption: Through this Lord — we receive grace and authority — to be obedient by faith — to the Gentiles — for Christ's name.

Greeting: And this means you, Romans, as well — beloved and saints — before he gives his usual greeting.

What an incredible opening to the book of Romans!

Any of those topics could be full-length, hour-long sermons. It could be titled "Slave of Christ Jesus" and be about Paul. It could be titled "The Gospel of God" and be about the story of redemption. It could be titled "The Son of God in Power" and be about the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Or it could be called "Obedience of Faith" and be about sanctification and faithful service. Or it could be called "Beloved of God in Rome" and be about the grace and peace that God our Father, through Jesus Christ, bestows upon His people, as His witnesses in a hostile world.

For today, however, the Sunday before Christmas, let us consider what "…He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures…"

Let us consider that, if you take the numbers that are given to us in the Old Testament in a straightforward way, then the promise that God gave to the Serpent in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, did not come to pass until the earth had revolved around the sun roughly 4,000 times. This has taken millennia to come to pass.

But… it has come to pass.

And this is one of those mind-boggling Christian paradoxes for us. We are so pragmatic. We hear a great story by Tolkien about Hobbits and rings and trolls and dark lords, and we get to the end and realize that there were eagles. Wouldn't it have been better for the hobbits to just ride the eagles into Mordor?

Yeah. But that would not have been a good story!

We could say the same thing about our own story. Wouldn't it have been easier for Christ to have been the first-born son of the woman, raised by Adam to be a better version of himself, who ultimately is sacrificed to save humanity from the very beginning? Or, even better yet, wouldn't it have been better if God in His sovereignty just prevented the serpent from entering the garden to tempt Eve? Or prevented Satan from falling in the first place?

Wouldn't that have been better?

The answer must be no.

Unless you are willing to say that God made a mistake in His plan, then we are living in the best possible story for God's glory and our good.

We do not understand why 4,000 years went by before God sent His Son into the world. But we do know that when the fullness of time had come, then God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Gal 4:4–5).

God promised and it came to pass. But not in a manner that we would expect. We are pragmatic. We have difficulty with stories. We want to know the point, the mechanics. But God speaks to us in story format. Not mechanically.

As one theologian notes (Leithart on X), we fixate on the mechanics of things and miss that the world is telling a story. We look at descriptions of nature as if they are the same as explanations (Wilson, "Lewis Lectures."). We say, “what is gravity,” and our answer is the force that is caused by the movement of bodies in space. That is a great description, but it is not an explanation: “what is gravity?” It is the force caused materially by the movement of bodies in space as the means by which Christ holds all things together by the Word of His power (cf. Col 1:17; Heb 1:3). That is the story that gravity tells us.

That is the question we should be asking. What is the story? What is God telling us?

During Advent we are particularly remembering a story. And the story can begin to be told in terms of a promise. But not just any old story or any old promise. It is a story told by God about His fulfillment of His promise.

Advent does not answer all our "whys" about mechanics (why did it take 4,000 years? Why does sin exist? Why does Satan exist?; it reveals the "Who." The One who is telling a story.

We understand the necessary mechanics of all of this already: we sinned, God is Holy, we need a substitute, God sent His Son to be the substitute, so that we can have peace with God. That is an accurate account of what salvation is. The mechanics of it.

But the pieces of this story that don't make sense to us are because we are looking at it wrongly. As we’ve said, we don't understand why God waited 4,000 years to fulfill His promise. We do not understand why He is in heaven while we are on earth even now, why not come back and fix evil and sin immediately? Why take us through a process of progressive sanctification? We do not understand why the God of the universe would become man in the first place.

And every one of those elements are essential parts of the story of how God fulfilled His promise. Essential parts which we do not comprehend. And therefore, I argue that understanding "why" is not the point. It is more important to understand "who."

The mechanics of the story or the point of the story becomes less important when we are talking about the storyteller.

If your dad is telling you a story, and he adds details for color, and some background for depth, and some unimportant characters for variety, why he added those things is not essentially important to the story. The effect they have on the listeners is important, and I would argue that, if he is a good storyteller, everyone has an impression that those details are there for important reasons that don't make sense yet.

And depending on the story, the reasons can be very plain or very subtle. Or, they may not be seen at all until the end of the story.

In the times of subtlety, the storyteller might use a thread or a still, small voice. In the times of triumph, the storyteller might use a trumpet, or an angelic host.

But the listeners who are familiar with this storyteller, particularly if they know he is a good one, will be watching expectantly to see what is going to happen. They will have been enjoying the story as it unfolds, and they will also be trying to understand the story that has already been told, so that they will have a better idea of what is going to happen.

And this is how God gives life to us as His creatures. We are part of a grand story. That story began roughly 6,000 years ago when God said, "Let there be light." The story began again when a New Light came to the world and the darkness comprehended it not.

And now, we walk in the light even as He is in the light, and we have fellowship one with another. And we will continue to do this until Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

And those three aspects of a story are the points for us to consider today:

The story that has been told (the gospel promised beforehand),

The story as it unfolds (living in light of the story we are in), and

The story as it will proceed (living in the hope of a good storyteller).

And, I'd like to point out that this is a very application-centered text. I will be exhorting us all to live in remembrance of the story that has already been told, to live in faithfulness, rest, and enjoyment of the story as it unfolds, and to live in the hope of how that story will proceed until the end. All different aspects of the appreciation of a story. We remember the story so that we will know our place. We continue the story by living out justice, mercy, and humility in our ordinary callings. We look forward in faith, trusting that our faithful God will resolve all things in glory.

The Story That Has Been Told

Notice that Paul tells the story in his greeting:

There was a promise that God gave through the revelation of prophets and the Scriptures.

That promise was concerning God's Son, who came by means of the lineage of King David according to the flesh.

But this Son of David was revealed to be the Son of God in power by the resurrection from the dead, and confirmed by the Spirit of holiness.

This holy Son of David, the resurrected one, is now Lord of heaven and earth.

That is the story that has been told. And even this brief summary does not do justice to the weight of this revelation in the first century. This is the fulfilled promise in a nutshell—but imagine hearing it before the fulfillment.

Imagine if you had been living in the year 2 BC, as a faithful Jew. You would have had the entirety of the Jewish history as the story that had been told. You would be remembering Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, the tower of Babel, the patriarchs, Joseph saving Israel in Egypt, Moses the deliverer, Joshua the conqueror, Saul the wicked king, David the great king, Solomon the wise king, Rehoboam the foolish king, the great prophets who warned of judgment for sin and hope for the future, the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon, and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah… and the promise of One to come who would raise up the fallen tent of David was the story of that entire age.

And, for you in 2 BC, it would feel like you had waded through a novel. A long, convoluted, glorious, heartbreaking—every adjective you can think of—kind of novel. And you were still waiting for the last chapter to be written.

What's taking so long? Why have we heard nothing from Yahweh for these 400 years? Promise after promise seems to have come and gone. The prophets are silent. The temple's glory is waning. The banners of a foreign power dominate the land. How could this story possibly be resolved?

I'm sure you have experienced something like this feeling. It is that feeling you get in a novel after a masterful storyteller has laid the plot so well that you are wondering how in the world it is all going to resolve. I think of Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit. He lays the plot out so well that, before there is any resolution, you have this sense of evil triumphant, corruption, and a waning hope. You wonder how in the world he can possibly pull all the threads together. But thankfully, Dickens has a strong sense of poetic justice, and so does our God.

It was at this moment of particular darkness in the story that Light came into the world, and the darkness comprehended it not. Everything up to this point—the covenants, the kingdom, the prophets, the exiles—had been perfectly set up for this sentence in verse three, "…concerning His Son…". Everything had been driving to the first verse of the New Testament: "The book of the genesis of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Paul is here reminding these Roman believers of this story. He is reminding them that everything God has promised has come to pass. The Messiah had come. The story is continuing.

And one of the reasons that the Jews living in that period were so tenacious about the feasts and the sacrifices and the liturgical Jewish calendar was because this was how they remembered the story that they were a major part in. This is how they remained hopeful. This is how they raised their children to understand their place in the world: We are part of this story.

In the first century, the prologue reached its climax with the birth of the Messiah. Now, the great novel of the risen Lord's reign can actually begin. And we—living 2,000 years later—are living inside that novel.

The Story as It Unfolds

Now, we find ourselves 2,000 years into the novel. We are no longer waiting for the Messiah; we are living in the age of the Messiah's reign.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

The new creation is here. As Nicholas pointed out last Sunday, the Spirit hovering over Mary can be seen as an allusion to the Spirit hovering over the face of the uncreated cosmos. And therefore, the New Creation in Christ was about to begin with the birth of Jesus. That first 4,000 years was the process by which our great God redeemed humanity through Christ.

And now, the story of a redeemed and redeeming humanity is unfolding.

For us living at the end of the year of our Lord, 2025, we are that many years into the novel. I'm framing this as if the story of redemption was the prologue. And I think this is right. It is how humanity started, failed, and then was restarted with Christ. And now, we can live in light of His reign, in the new creation.

The church is not a lifeboat as we await the destruction of the surrounding kingdom of darkness.

Rather, the church is the conduit of new life that comes into a world that is in the process of being redeemed. We do this through hospitality, through works of justice, through prayer, through the proclamation of Christ.

The church is supposed to be the center of everything; where the issues of life are resolved at the table of Christ. And, some of the ways that the church endeavors to remind us of this continuing story are by meeting together each week, by ordering our year around Christ's life and ministry, by ordering our worship around salvation (call, cleansing, consecration, communion, and commission); all of these reminders keep us in the context of the story. It is also why we recommend family worship and private devotion regularly. These things keep us within the context of the story.

There are times when we may not be as regular about family worship, or private devotion, or church attendance, and this is similar to what happens when you are in the middle of a novel, and you put it down for awhile. When you do take it up again, there is a period of time where you must remember what had already happened before you can meaningfully continue. This is why coming back to worship after a time away should begin with a remembrance of the gospel (which can be accomplished by a reading of the Nicene Creed) to reset ourselves in the story.

And this is what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:9 "For in whom these things are not present, that one is blind, being nearsighted, having forgotten the purification from his former sins." If we are not maintaining the spiritual disciplines, we will forget the story.

Those things that we were probably taught as kids: say your prayers, read your bible, go to church. These things are immensely important. And if you had parents that told you to do that, it doesn't matter how misguided on certain theological topics they may have been, they did you a wonderful service. They taught you how to remember the story so that you will know how to continue in light of it.

When we forget the story, and yet still claim the name of Christ, then through our negligence, the church becomes a lifeless institution that does not show humanity its place and worth in the grand story.

So, remember the story of Jesus Christ. Remember the promise of His coming and how much weight and tension was present during that time.

And then, live today in light of that. Live as a character in the story. Christ reigns as Lord over heaven and earth. You are a steward of Jesus Christ. You have been entrusted with people and things. How are you using these things to continue the story? Or have you forgotten the story?

You might be asking, "how do I know what my role in the story is?" Well, the Scriptures answer that, Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does Yahweh require of you But to do justice, to love lovingkindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" This is how God, through his people, moves the plot forward: ordinary, basic, humble, Christian piety.

Justice, covenant love, and humility—all coram deo, before the face of God. This is how we all continue the story.

But wait, there's more!

Those are the virtues that infuse our daily responsibilities. There are practical things to which you and I are called as well: If you are man, you are commanded to work with your hands and provide for you household. If you are a woman, you are commanded to respect your husband and love him and your children. If you are children, you are commanded to honor your father and your mother. This is how we all continue the story.

But wait, there's more!

We see the virtues that infuse our daily lives, and we see the responsibilities of our daily lives. But, what about cosmic things? We want to see the world changed. How is it that by doing my work to provide for my household, I will have an impact on society?

Well, look to the wisdom of Solomon, Proverbs 22:29 "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men." In other words, faithfulness in the small things is how we gain influence in the large things.

And then take note of Daniel and his three friends. Because of their ordinary obedience to the ordinances of their God, they were shown favor and had great influence over the kingdom of Babylon. They had to endure some hardships for sure. But, their ordinary faithfulness is what led to their great influence.

So, the virtue that infuses our lives is justice, love, and humility. These should characterize how we operate in our daily responsibilities. And if we do this diligently, we can rest assured that our actions will not be in vain as the kingdom progresses.

The Story as It Will Proceed

We know the context of our story: the story of the birth of Jesus. We understand now that we should be living today in light of that story, seeing ourselves in context. But now, let us briefly consider how this story is going to unfold.

And this aspect of appreciating a good story is really fun! If you have ever watched a series or a show, it is fun to speculate about how things are going to proceed. I tend to be the kind of person who will pause the show, simply to discuss what the future implications of the scene we just watched are. It's fun to be engaged in a good story. This is how I'm arguing that we should be engaged with our own story. Men like Jonathan Edwards understood this. He was always paying attention to what was happening in the world so that he could understand what it was that the Lord was doing with the plot of the story.

Any political or societal event of importance can be placed into context to ask: What is the Lord doing? How is He bringing about His kingdom? This doesn't mean we predict the future; it means we trust that God is at work even when we don't see it plainly. What an exciting perspective!

When we see political happenings, we should be asking, "what is the Lord doing?" "How is He going to bring this all together?" Those questions have godly assumptions: they trust that the Lord is doing something and that He will bring these things together. We just don't know what it is going to look like.

And when we remember that our God is good. No one appreciates poetic justice like Yahweh. All things will work together for good. Then it is easier for us to ask the right kinds of questions: What is God doing and how will these things, that are not plain to me right now, work out?

Advent should be the time for us to reflect on the literary use of suffering, darkness, and pain. It is into this context that Jesus Christ came. Not in power or might. Not in pomp and circumstances, but in a manger, quietly. In obscurity. And then immediately into exile under threat of violence from a jealous king. This is the story that Christ entered in answer to the promise that God made 4,000 years earlier.

And so, when you find yourself in an immediate context of suffering, darkness, or pain, remember that the Lord is doing something. We don't see it yet, and the tension can be unbearable (at least it seems), but then we remember that God took 4,000 years to bring the promise of Christ to fruition. He promised and it came to pass. Therefore, have faith that God is weaving your suffering into an incredible story that will be glorious. And the part you are playing is absolutely essential to the movement of the story. We don't know how it will all hang together in the end, but we know that our God is the best storyteller who could be. And therefore, we are waiting expectantly for a glorious resolution. But also, we are living now in the light of that resolution, knowing that Christ reigns and all things are being made new.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Paul gave the Roman believers a reminder of the story of Jesus Christ. And this was a momentous fulfilled promise. It was the conclusion of what I am calling the prologue of the story. Then the novel really begins in the New Creation under Jesus Christ.

So now, we find ourselves living 2,000 years into the novel. And how are we doing with remembering the context? How are we doing with our virtues: justice, love, and humility? How are we doing with our ordinary responsibilities privately, in the home, and in society? Are we being diligent so that our work will stand before kings?

How are we doing with looking forward to see what our good God will do? Are we despairing of our immediate suffering or pain? Or are we viewing it as an opportunity for God to work it out in a stupendous manner for good?

As we reflect on the promise of a Savior to come during this week of Christmas, let us meditate on the great story and our place in it. Let us remember what God has done, live faithfully in what He is doing, and wait with hope for what He will do. All for the glory of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Communion

When we come to the Lord's Table, we are remembering our beginning. Not our beginning in Adam—which brought us into sin and death—but our beginning in the second Adam, Jesus Christ. We are centering ourselves on the peace we have with God in Christ. This sacrifice of Christ is the center of our very lives. Without it, we would all be living vain lives that would be cast into the outer darkness in judgment of sin (remember, these things are parts of God's story).

Instead, we can participate in Christ's sacrifice; we can find refuge in the ark of Christ, our true shelter from judgment. We can be saved. And once we are saved, we are now enabled to live lives as creatures of God in the world that God has made for us. We can now keep and tend the sanctuary. We can be fruitful and multiply. We can take dominion over the things of the earth, because God has made all things new in Christ Jesus.

When we come to the Lord's Table, we are remembering the great debt of sin that God has forgiven us. And because of this forgiveness, we are called to forgive those who trespass against us. And in this manner, the wars and fighting that take place in the world and in our homes every day may be resolved. What the world cannot accomplish through politics or treaties, the church can accomplish through the humble practice of forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:31–32 "Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you."

It is through this table that God has chosen to bring peace to the world. But if there is no peace among God's own people—if we harbor bitterness toward one another—then how can we credibly invite the world to this table of reconciliation?

And so, I have an encouragement and an exhortation as we come:

Your sins are forgiven through Christ! This table is for sinners—corrupted creatures like us—to be made new.

However, the exhortation: If you are taking the name of Christ, then this table is no mere symbol of bread and wine. You are saying that because your sins have been forgiven, therefore, you will forgive others. You are saying that you will endeavor to live justly, faithfully, and humbly before the face of God. And it is in this manner—through your ordinary faithfulness—that God has chosen to spread salvation to the entire world. As we endeavor to practice ordinary piety before the face of God.

So, be encouraged that your sins are forgiven. Let that motivate you to forgive others and live in a manner that is characterized by justice, faithfulness, and humility.

If you are baptized and in good standing with the body of Christ, harboring no unrepented sin against God or your neighbor, then we invite you to eat and drink with us in remembrance of Christ.

If you are not baptized, or if you are harboring unrepented sin in your heart toward God or your neighbor, then we ask you to refrain from the Supper for now. But we invite you to repent, receive Christ, and seek membership in His church.

The Bread

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 LSB

...the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Read during distribution:

Psalm 80:1–7 “O Shepherd of Israel, give ear, You who guide Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your might And come to save us! O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, that we would be saved. O Yahweh God of hosts, How long will You smolder against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, And You have made them to drink tears in large measure. You set us as an object of strife to our neighbors, And our enemies mock us among themselves. O God of hosts, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.”

Psalm 80:17–19 “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we shall not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. O Yahweh God of hosts, restore us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, that we might be saved.”

The Cup

Give thanks

1 Corinthians 11:25 LSB

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.

Read during distribution:

Matthew 1:18–25 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph got up from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 LSB

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 LSB

“...Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:14–15 LSB

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

The Commission

Matthew 28:18–20 LSB

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Numbers 6:24–26 LSB

Yahweh bless you, and keep you; Yahweh make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; Yahweh lift up His face on you, And give you peace.’