The Great and Awesome Day - Advent Reflection 2
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The Great and Awesome Day
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
1 The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.”
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Let’s pray…
Missionary - Jesse Shanks - Thanks for the good report
Prayer for strength and protect his health
Bless the work of his hands
Local Church - Northwest Gospel - Andrew Murch
LWC - Even now, our best efforts would be meaningless if you did not show up.
Spirit to strengthen me
Spirit to illuminate the Word
Increase our joy in Christ, and be glorified
Intro: Advent
Well this morning, we are in the second week of Advent.
Define advent
Tait introduced us to this subject last week, but for those who missed it, or for those who need a reminder, advent simply means the coming, or the arrival. This is the time of year where we remember the birth of Jesus. But it should also be a time when we look forward to Jesus second advent.
2 Advents
We know something today that the OT prophets did not know about the Lord’s coming. We know that the Lord’s advent has two parts.
1st Advent - the suffering servant
Jesus first advent has already passed. In his first advent Jesus came as the suffering servant.
For most of us, when we think about advent, we have in mind Jesus’ birth. We think about how Jesus came meek and mild to bring peace on earth and goodwill towards man. This view has strongly shaped our view of the Lord’s arrival. Some might go so far as to only view of God as a helpless baby, and a gentle carpenter and teacher. And while that view of advent isn’t wrong, it is far from being a comprehensive picture of the Lord’s arrival.
You see, a day is coming when Jesus will return again in a far different way than he did in his first coming. And some of us might not expect him to come in the way that he will.
Messianic expectations
In fact, when the first people began to realize who Jesus was, they didn’t expect him to come in the way that he did. Even those who believed that Jesus was the long expected Messiah that the prophets foretold… they didn’t suppose that he had come to bring peace on earth by dying in the place of sinners. They expected the Messiah to bring peace to the world by destroying the wicked.
Peter’s recognition and expectation of the Christ
Take for example the first confession that from Jesus’ disciple concerning his identity. When Jesus asked his disciples who they said he was, Peter said,
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter was certainly right in his recognition of Jesus’ identity. But what Peter didn’t understand about Jesus’ advent was what he came to do. Peter believed that Jesus was the warrior king who had come to destroy the wicked once and for all. But, when Jesus told Peter and the other disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter rebuked Jesus because he didn’t understand that the Christ was also the suffering servant.
Peter did not understand what Jesus first advent was about.
Modern ideas about advent
But for us, we have a similar problem when it comes to Jesus’ second advent. When we think about the Lord’s coming, we might think more of Jesus as the suffering servant, than the conquering king.
But don’t be deceived. When Jesus returns, he will not come in humility and weakness. When the Lord returns, he will come in splendor and with strength to punish the wicked.
Stated in the Apostle’s Creed
We confess this truth every week in the apostles creed when we say:”
He ascended into Heaven
And is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From there He shall come to judge
The living and the dead
Introduce Malachi’s Prophesy
Our text this morning from the Prophet Malachi describes this coming day. Malachi chapter 4 is all about what is referred to as the great an awesome day of the Lord.
Listen to how it describes the day in v 5
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
What does this mean, that this day will be great and awesome?
How was your day?
Every day when I come home from work, my wife and I will ask how each others’ days were. If I were to say that my day was awesome, well that would she would understand that I had a really good day. Is that what this means in Malachi 4:5? No, not exactly.
Overusing the word awesome
This isn’t a bad translation here in the ESV. But we have he problem is we overuse the words great and awesome. Pumpkin pie is said to be awesome. But if pumpkin pie is awesome, what words do we left to describe the day when the Lord will return? Understand what I mean by this; If everything is awesome, effectively, nothing is awesome. The word awesome is not used to describe a good day at work… the words great and awesome describe the day when the Lord will come to right every wrong.
Develop our understanding of this Hebrew word
Let me develop the meaning of the word awesome a bit more. Depending on the translation you use, the word awesome may or may not even appear in this verse.
In the NIV and the KJV, these day is described as the great and dreadful day
The NASB calls translates it as the great and terrible day
What I want us to see is that the word awesome can have a very different meaning in the Scriptures than how we use it. Consider the way this same word is used in a few other places in the OT. When Jacob had his dream of the angels ascending and descending from the ladder into heaven, Jacob woke up. And the Scriptures say,
Genesis 28:17 (ESV)
17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!
The word afraid and awesome are the same
The word afraid and awesome are both the same words in Hebrew. And it’s the very same word used by Malachi to describe the day when the Lord comes. The of the Lord’s return will be great and terrifying
Consider how the Lord is described in Deuteronomy 7. When God’s people were afraid to enter the Promised Land because of their strong enemies, they were given this encouragement.
21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
God is more terrifying than Israel’s enemies
Again, the word awesome is the same word that that Malachi is using… Let’s understand what is going on here in Deuteronomy7. The people were afraid to go into the promised land because of the awesome/terrifying strength of their enemies. But God responds to their fear saying that he is a great and awesome… that is to say, he is a great and terrifying God. In direct response to the fear that Israel had of the strong inhabitants of the land, they were reminded of their God who is great and terrifying.
Sometimes the ESV even translates this same phrase like this:
21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
With the biblical definition of the word awesome in mind, lets consider what it means for the Lord’s coming to be great and awesome. The day when he comes won’t just be really good day. For many, the Lord’s coming will be absolutely terrifying.
1. When the Lord comes, it will be a terrifying day for the wicked.
1. When the Lord comes, it will be a terrifying day for the wicked.
Hardly our modern idea of advent
This is hardly the picture of advent that we might typically have in our mind. But don’t swap your prefrence for Christmas cheer and a peaceful nativity scene for what the Lord has revealed to us through his Word.
When Jesus comes again those who do not fear the Lord will be very afraid. They wicked will know true terror of a kind that no one has ever know before. Listen to how Malachi describes that great and awesome day for the wicked.
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
Before we consider what the great and awesome day will be like according to v1, we need to consider who it is that this verse addresses. Malachi says this scene of judgment and terror is reserved for the arrogant and the evil doers.
Those who are arrogant are those who think too highly of themselves. And consequently, such people think far too little about God. And so they go on doing what is evil and wicked in the sight of God because they have no fear of him. These peoples’ evil works are only further perpetuated because they believe that they believe that they getting away with their evil.
And it might seem like they are getting away with their deeds. But the great and awesome day that is described is given in direct response to what has been said in the previous chapter. Listen to the doubts of God’s people as they question the benefit of fearing God.
14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ”
Notice the same words used to describe these people… just like in chapter 4, they are called arrogant evildoers. These people are not in dread of God’s judgment, nor do they fear his name. Instead they are seem to be blessed and prosperous. But this seeming prosperity will not last on that great and awesome day.
Understand, if in your arrogance, you believe that you are getting away with your lawlessness, know that a day is coming when you will give an account for every sin that you have commited.
Jesus himself said that on that great and awesome day, there will be many who will come saying,
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
In other words, those who’s works are evil will be rejected by Jesus. Again listen to Jesus’ warning that he gave his disciples.
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
But you might say, Josh, what then is grace for if not to pardon us from sin!
I don’t need to answer that question, because Paul has done it for me.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Understand, that when the Lord comes again, he will come not to save the arrogant evildoers, but instead he will come to judge them. And what will his judgment be like? Malachi tells us.
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
God’s judgment will come like a fire. We understand this language of fire in many ways. Heat is used to describe both human anger, and divine anger.
Consider the langue applied to man:
12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.
Do you know what it’s like to be hot with anger? If so, then you might get a sense as to how God feels about our sin.
27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
God is not apathetic towards our sin, nor the one who commits it. But God is enraged by sin, and his anger burns against the arrogant evildoers.
Sometimes we hear things like: God hates the sin, but loves the sinner… But Psalm 5 says,
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
This Psalm and Malachi’s prophesy are both abundantly clear on this… God does not just hate sin. He hates all evildoers. And when he returns, he will not just destroy sin, he will destroy the sinner.
Malachi develops the image of God’s anger against the wicked further:
Malachi 4:1 (ESV)
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.
God’s anger is likened to that of a burning oven. If you will, picture the fury of King Nebuchadnezzar when his servants disobeyed his command. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to the golden image according to the king’s decree, Nebuchadnezzar was angry and had them thrown into a burning oven.
To be burned alive by an angry king would be terrifying. But how much more terrifying will it be for those who fall under the wrath of the King of kings? The three friends had no need to fear Nebuchadnezzar, for they rightly feared their great and awesome God who would deliver them from their fiery grave. But understand, on that great and awesome day, there will be no one one to deliver the evildoers from the fiery wrath of God.
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
This burning wrath of God against the wicked will entirely annihilate those who do what is evil. After the Lord comes, Malachi describes the wicked as having no root, and no branch.
Consider what this means… the wrath of God will consume the tree down to the root.
Weeds need to be destroyed down to the root
This last spring, I made it my goal to annihilate every weed from my lawn. You see, I have a clover problem. So I sprayed so many chemicals on those weeds that I was sure that they wouldn’t come back. If you look at my lawn today, you will see that my lawn still has a clover problem. Even though the weeds looked dead for a few weeks, I failed kill the weeds at the root, and so they grew back in no time at all.
Understand what this means in light of Malachi’s prophesy. When the Lord returns, he will bring an absolute end to the wicked. He will destroy the wicked down to the root. When God judges the wicked on that great and awesome day, his judgment will be final. There will be no second chances, no come backs and no redoes. For there will not be a root left when his fury consumes them.
But it’s not just the root that will be consumed on that great and awesome day. For he will leave them neither root nor branch.
Even if I were to destroy all those weeds in my yard down to the root, but I left the branches throughout my lawn, I would find that I would still have a weed problem. Because in those branches, there are seeds. And though the the weed might be dead, the fruit of the weed still survive.
But when the Lord comes, he will completely destroy them, such that there will be no trace or remnant of them.
16 His roots dry up beneath,
and his branches wither above.
17 His memory perishes from the earth,
and he has no name in the street.
Some of us are far too concerned about our reputation in this life. If you are among the wicked. Men has this desire to be remembered and honored for their work. But the Scriptures are clear. The, wicked will not stand on that great and awesome day. They will be destroyed and forgotten.
Now this is bad news. And it would only be bad news if Malachi stopped here. But the gospel is good new. The coming of the Lord is good news of great joy. Because…
2. When the Lord comes, it will be an awesome day for the righteous.
2. When the Lord comes, it will be an awesome day for the righteous.
And by awesome, I do not mean terrifying. By awesome, I mean that we will be amazed as we awe at the presence of God in our midst. On that great and awesome day, the righteous will have ample reason to rejoice in the Lord’s return.
Listen to what that day will be like for the righteous.
2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
Same day, but different experience for the righteous
Notice, that on this same day, this great and awesome day, there is a radically different experience for those who fear the name of the Lord.
Similar imagery - fire
Their experience has similar imagery, that of fire, namely the sun of righteousness, the the effect of the rising of this fire is drastically different for the righteous compared to the wicked.
The image of fire serve different purposes. A fire that rightly belongs in the fireplace on a cold and dark winter day is a welcoming sight. But when the food on your stovetop catches fire, it is quite alarming.
So too, the rising sun will be a welcomed sight to weary saints, while burning of God’s anger will will cause the wicked to tremble.
So let’s consider the distinction of the righteous from the wicked. As opposed to the arrogance of the evildoers, the righteous are described as those who fear the name of God.
Those who fear God, and are mindful of him, are quite different from those who are arrogant and do what is evil. The wicked do what is evil, because they have no fear or thought of God whatsoever. But the righteous are so because they fear the just wrath of God against sin.
The word “fear’ in v2 in nearly identical to the word awesome in v5. But compared to that of the wicked, those who fear the Lord do not will not be afraid on that great and awesome day.
For the righteous, that day will come like the rising of the sun. And the rising sun is hardly an image that evokes fear or dread. Rather, the rising sun is an object of beauty and delight. The rising sun is an image of eager anticipation.
Malachi uses this common image of a sunrise that we all know to describe the coming of the Lord that no man had ever seen. Certainly we can appreciate this imagery here in the wet months in the PNW. As the winter months linger on, we long to feel the warm rays of sun again.
So too, Malachi said that the rising sun comes with healing in it’s wings. We understand this to some degree. Those who suffer from seasonal depression know what it means for the sun to come with healing in its wings. The rays of the warm yellow sun have a way of melting the cold winter blues.
And it’s not just seasonal depression that goes away with the rising sun. Even our flew season that takes place in fall and winter months goes away when spring and summer sun comes out. It’s as if the sun causes the flue to retreat.
Let us not just worship the glory of the sun now, but instead let us learn from what the heavens are declaring. Because this image is describing the coming of the Lord.
When the Lord comes, he will come with healing in his wings.
As I consider the condition of some of you weary saints; some that are unable to walk, unable to see, unable to go a day without chronic pain, unable to shake the emotional wounds I want you to hear the good news that God has promised us in his Word. There is coming a day when the Lord will heal every ailment. When the Lord comes like the rising sun of righteousness, the saints will not be bound by wheelchairs or walkers. There is a day coming when those who’s sight has failed them will be restored again. When the Lord comes, he will come like the sun of righteousness with healing in its wings.
And listen to the effect that his healing arrival will have on the spirit of the saints.
2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
Calves from the stall? How about a golden retriever
Now, I don’t know what it’s like for a calf to be let out of its stall. But I have a dog that is always excited to be let out. When the door opens swings open, and he is freed from his captivity, he will run free and wild with joy!
Freedom after the last day of school
Or perhaps we can consider the feeling finishing the last day of school. After the final test is complete, and after that bell rings, all the responsibilities tied you down are cut, and you are free for the rest of the summer!
These are only images, and even they pale in comparison to what it will be like on that great and awesome day when the Lord comes like the rising sun of righteousness.
Furthermore, the Lord said,
3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
The great reversal
What he describes in this verse is the great reversal. The wicked have trodden over the righteous for countless years. But there is a great and awesome day coming where that that will be reversed. On that day, the wicked will only be the dust under the hooves of the leaping calves. For they will be utterly consumed by fire, and the righteous will be healed, liberated, and the sum of this will be their everlasting joy.
Two questions remain.
First, When will the great and awesome day come to pass?
And second, on that day, will we be among the the liberated leaping calves that have been healed from the rising sun, or will we be the ashes left from God’s burning anger.
Let’s consider these questions by looking at the last three verses.
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
The prophecy gives us two instruction that can be summed up by looking back and looking forward.
And they give us a hit at when the great and awesome day will be, as well as what our outcome will be like on that great and awesome day.
Look back… that is to say, remember. Remember the Law of my servant Moses.
You see, Malachi’s condemnation in his prophecy was given to those who had forgotten the Law and had sinned against the Lord.
So he says, remember the Law… don’t be like the arrogant evildoers, but instead be one who fears the Lord.
Look back, and remember the law…
And look forward, or has he says, behold, a day before that great and awesome day, when the Lord will send the Prophet Elijah.
So we are told to look backward and to look forward. Back at the law, and forward waiting for the prophet.
Now, this instruction given to Malachi’s original hearers. But is this instruction for us today? Well, not exactly.
It was certainly given for our benefit and instruction.
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
So it was written for us so that we would be encouraged and so that we would endure the trials in the world. Summed up, Malachi should give us hope! But this instruction cannot be followed too strictly
For one, we aren’t waiting for the prophet to come before the great and awesome day. We stand in a different time of history than Malachi’s original audience.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
We should understand, that we are not to go on looking for the prophet Elijah, for he has already come. Which means, the great and awesome day is already upon us. The great and awesome day dawned when Jesus Christ was born. Jesus was, and is the sun of righteousness. He himself is the one who came with healing in his wings.
It’s no wonder why John introduced Jesus like this;
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
So, we are not looking forward to the Elijah’s coming… he has already come in John the Baptist. And John give us instruction. He said to get our eyes off of him, but instead to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Don’t go on looking for Elijah. Instead, look to the one to whom John the Baptist pointed to. Namely, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world.
But this might seem to lead us to a problem with Malachi’s prophesy. You see, the great and awesome day of the Lord has already come. For the prophet has come, and so did the Lord. And this is a problem, because there is still sickness among the righteous, and the wickedness of the arrogant has only multiplied.
How then, can we make sense of Malachi’s prophesy? Well, this is owing to the fact that we know something that God did not reveal to the prophets. Through Jesus, we have learned that he will come again to finish what he has began. In his first advent, he came for the forgiveness of our sins, but a day is coming again where he will bring judgment against the wicked once and for all.
And so what are we to do?
We don’t have to look for the prophet any more. So do we then need to remember the law?
Well only in part. You see, the law is good, but the law never saved anyone.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
You see, if you wish to keep the law, you will only find yourself to be a wicked sinner. So, what should we do with the law then? Does this this doesn’t mean we must throw the law away? NO! Paul certainly didn’t!
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Don’t throw away the law… we must remember the law! Paul certainly did!
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
As we look at the law, we will find ourself to only fall short of it’s requirements.
What then are we to do?
We are to do the very thing that the Law made Paul do… look to Christ.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
As you look at the law, you will only find that you are wicked and deserving of death. But McCheyne says it beautifully.
For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.
The prophet pointed to Jesus Christ, and our inability to keep the law does the same. So this advent, look to Christ’s first coming. Remember the death that he died in your place.
For those who have gone on in arrogance doing what is evil, stop going on in your ways and look to Jesus and put your faith in him.
For each of us, we ought to do the very thing that John the Baptist instructed. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
Let us wait patiently, for the our saviour will come again.
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
The great and awesome day when Jesus returns will be here soon. He promised us that he will. Amen. Come Lord Jesus!