The Advents of Jesus: Luke 2:11-12

This morning is the culmination of four Sundays of Advent celebration. Hope and Prophecy, the way to God, Joy, and Peace all find their fulfilment in the coming of Messiah Jesus.

This morning we celebrate His Advent, His coming, in the Gospel according to Luke. He came, over 2,000 years ago Messiah Jesus came. As we have observed each Sunday, however, His first coming points to another coming, too.

What I would like to do with our time this morning is to look at the Two Comings (Advent) of Christ and compare them. The ultimate goal for the coming of Messiah was to restore what sin had destroyed and mutilated. He began this work at His first coming and He will finish it in His second coming. But let us rejoice and worship God as we look at HIs first coming, and pray and earnestly work as we await His second coming.

I. The First Coming of Messiah- Luke 2:11-12

Luke 2:11–12 NIV

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

A. The Messiah’s Humble Beginning

The first coming of Messiah had been prophesied all the way back to the beginning in Genesis 3:15, where God tells the serpent,

Genesis 3:15 NIV

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. More details are revealed as the storyline of Scripture progresses. To highlight a few, see the Messiah would:

Come through the line of Shem (Gen. 9:26)

Come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:19; 28:13)

Come from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)

Come through the line of David (2 Sam. 7:12-16)

Messiah would come through a virgin (Isa. 7:14)

Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

All of these (and many others) prophecies were given, clarifying the coming of Messiah. Our passage in Luke presents the fulfillments of all of these prophecies.

Luke 2:11-12

Luke 2:11–12 NIV

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The place of His birth, the people from whom He would emerge, and even from her virginity this young girl Mary would welcome the Messiah (cf. Luke 1:34).

However, there is something that was not directly prophesied, but was mentioned in prophecy nonetheless. That was the state into which the Messiah would be born.

The Messiah, God the Son, would be born in a lowly state. The One who would be called King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who spoke all things into existence, the one who holds every living creature (including every human being), the one whom angels worship night and day, came to be born in a feeding trough amongst animals.

His first coming was one of humility. Isaiah 53:2 confirms this state into which the Messiah would come. His first Advent was filled with humility.

His birth brought now wide-spread worship or recognition, and in fact, brought with it the slaughter of innocent baby boys from 2 and under (cf. Matt. 2:16-18).

B. The Messiah’s Humble Life

The Messiah would be hungry. He would be tired. He was be poor. He would be deserted. He would be mistreated. He would be lied to and ignored.

He was poor, not having a place to lay His head (Luke 9:58). All of his life Messiah would have born reproach for being a child born out of wedlock (cf. John 8:41). Although Messiah would perform miracle after miracle, people doubted Him, or worse, accused Him of demon possession (see Matt. 12:22-37). His first advent, from His birth to His life, was in obscurity and humility.

One thing I want to mention before moving on is the fact that almost all of Jesus’ earthly life was in such obscurity that we have no mention of it in Scripture. After His birth, He was circumcised (see Luke 2:21) and was presented in the Temple after the time of purification ended (Luke 2:22-24). He appears at one of the feasts with His mother and Joseph at the age of 12 (see Luke 2:41-52). After this, no mention is made about Jesus until he is “about thirty years old” (see Luke 3:23).

Messiah’s first advent is one of humility and lowliness. In fact, Jesus was so characterized by humility that He welcomed the crowds of wearied people with these wonderful words in Matthew 11:28-30.

Matthew 11:28–30 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“I am gentle and humble in heart.” His first Advent was one of humble birth and life.

C. The Messiah’s Humiliating Death

Time does not permit us to examine in detail the Scripture describing Messiah’s humiliating torture and death. It spans from Luke 22:47-23:56. However, to highlight the disgrace Jesus endured, I want to provide a bullet point list:

Jesus was arrested like a criminal (Luke 22:47-53)

Jesus was denied by His apostles (Luke 22:54-62)

Jesus was beaten and mocked by temple guards (Luke 22:63-65)

Jesus suffered an unjust and lengthy trial (Luke 22:66-23:24)

Jesus was crucified (Luke 23:26-43)

Jesus died (Luke 23:44-49)

Jesus was buried (Luke 23:50-56)

The Messiah, the Son of God, the One whom angels worship since creation without ceasing (see Isa. 6:3, cf. John 12:39-41). His birth, life, death, and burial was all filled with humility. His first Advent could be defined by the word humble.

Before we move to the Second Coming of Messiah, however, was must realize that the Messiah rose from the dead.

D. The Messiah’s Victorious Resurrection

Luke 24:1-8 provides the beginning of the work of the resurrected Messiah. We observed the bruising of the heel of the Seed of the Woman, and now we see the crushing of the serpent’s head.

Commenting on this aspect of the Messiah, Jonathan Edwards would write,

“It was in Christ’s last sufferings, above all, that He was delivered up to the power of His enemies, and yet at the same moment He obtained victory over His enemies.”— J. Edwards

In His death, Messiah would have His heel bruised while simultaneously crushing the head of the serpent. This is the Messiah’s first coming. But shortly after He left, angels reminded the disciples Messiah would return (Acts 1:11). It is to this Second Coming to which we will now turn our attention.

II. The Second Coming of Messiah- Luke 21:25-28

Luke 21:25–28 NIV

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

This second coming of Messiah will be vastly different. His first coming was for salvation and it was in humility. His second coming is for restoration, which includes judgment, in great power and glory.

A. The Messiah’s Victories Over His Enemies

The powers of darkness that subjected the Son of God to torture and death will be destroyed by the Son of God’s breath. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8.

2 Thessalonians 2:6–8 NIV

And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

His first coming was in humility, His second coming will be in splendor. He will come, not as a lowly servant, but as a Conquering King. All the enemies of God will receive judgment at the hands of this King. Revelation 20:7-15 records this judgment in horrific detail. The enemies of God will burn in the torments of hell/lake of Fire for ever and ever. Those who thought they defeated the Lord of life in His crucifixion unwittingly sealed their fate. The serpent’s head was and will be crushed.

B. The Messiah’s Accomplishment of Salvation

Several verses point to this fact. Philippians 1:6 and 1 John 3:2 point to this realization. With the Messiah’s first Advent, God made Him who knew no sin to be made sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:17-21).

In the second Advent, Jesus finishes His work and completely transforms us. This is what Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28-29. We will be like Jesus. Our battle of sin will be over. We will no longer have an inner war (see Gal. 5:16-21; Rom. 7:7-20). We will put on our white robes, as Revelation references several times.

C. The Messiah’s Restoration of Creation

This is a point that is not often considered when discussing the Second Advent of Christ. But He will fix everything, even the creation that was marred by the curse (see Gen. 3:17-19).

Romans 8:18-25 offer a theological discussion of this.

Romans 8:18–25 NIV

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

And Revelation 21-22 provide a visual discussion of this. The song Joy to the World! The Lord is Come, written by Isaac Watts, contains the wonders of this second coming. What I find fascinating is that this song is based on Psalm 98.

Psalm 98 NIV

A psalm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Our Responses to the Advents of Messiah

We rejoice this morning at the thought of the comings of Messiah. But we must consider our own responses to them, as individuals and as a church.

As individuals, have we considered the implications of the first Advent? Have we remembered that this time of year is more than just the celebration of a baby being born, the exchanging of gifts, or the Christmas lights that don homes?

Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. We were lost and dead in our sins. The first Advent brought salvation to all who would believe. Have you believed?

As a church, have we been about our Father’s business of spreading the Gospel with those in our area? Have we shared the good news, like Andrew did to Peter, “We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41).

What about the second coming? Are we ready for His return? As we anticipating His coming, or are we hoping He waits? This reveals much about our hearts. The time is short. The Messiah will come again. Only this time He will not come in such humility. He will return in great power and splendor, issuing the final judgment against the enemies of God.

This is why we must preach the gospel. That is why we must live the gospel. That is why we need the gospel.