Second Sunday In Advent
Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy Son hast revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech Thee, keep us by Thy Holy Spirit in Thy word; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Thy grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Thy Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
KJV Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Whatsoever Things That Were Written
Background for the Sermon on the Epistle, Romans 15:4-13
The Scriptures teach us two realities. One is that the world will come to an end - and we should be watchful. The other is that no one knows when that will be, not even the Son, only the Father.
That makes sense, though people defy it.
- If we knew the world was good for another 50 years, we would see society decline rapidly, like school being 100% recess and cafeteria.
- If we knew the world would end in a few months, indolence and terror would take over.
Eternal Rome did not last forever, though most thought it would. Who would have imagined - that the pagans of England, Spain, France, and Germany would become Christian due to the missionaries from those early Christian congregations? Only Latin and a few old buildings are left - plus the aqueducts and roads.
KJV Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Patience is almost the same as strength, except it represents strength over a long period of time. We were at the Cleveland Clinic together, about 50 years ago, and my wife Christina said, "This is taking so long." Bethany had a mysterious problem. I said, "The couple we met last time were on their 20th year with their daughter."
What was written much earlier - the Old Testament - was written for our patience and comfort. We write about that all the time in my Old Testament class, because various people have chosen that graduate course to learn more about the books of the Old Testament, and study them all.
Teaching hundreds of people over a dozen years will call up many examples of hardship - extreme poverty in the past, injuries, extreme handicaps (often in the Emergency Room in eight weeks), unemployment shocks, relationship woes, and bad experiences with false teachers.
People learn from these experiences, though we do not wish them upon anyone. They find a Scripture and focus on it while trying to make sense in their lives. Keys were left in a jeep at a youth gathering - some kid started it - the vehicle hit one of the adults sitting around the fire, causing bone breaks and burns - away from medical help. How does one get over the rage?
The Old Testament is full of warnings and comfort. They mean more if we commit them to memory or know where to find them. The Psalms are perfect, because they express joy and thankfulness, sorrow for sin, complaints about evil in this world, and Promises of the Savior. These passages give us hope, because the worst can become better in ways we can never predict.
5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Patience means patient endurance here - patience over a long period of time. Consolation or comfort is the Greek word for Comforter, which Jesus used for the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel. We can see that the Holy Spirit as Comforter is a great title and function, because the Spirit is always with the Word in conveying God's message and God's Son to us. Christ is present in both natures when He comes to us through the Gospel in the Scriptures. And He comes to us through prayer, when we invoke Him.
What causes unity and blessings is being likeminded with Christ and with one another. The primary response is toward Jesus Christ, Who is the norm, the standard, and the example.
Psalm 69, which is Messianic, expresses the reproaches against God that would fall upon His Son.
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are all too familiar with the silver-tongued professionals and church leaders who have two or more stories for everything. They are for and against everything. They can ignore what is good and true because they have a higher calling, for Holy Mother Synod or another fiction of their minds. When people unite with the true Scriptures and the true witnesses to those Scriptures - the Confessions - they have unity.
7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
This verb is important - the parallel is in welcoming lines and events, which we call receptions. Those who come are welcomed for being there and invited beforehand. Christ Jesus welcomed us into His Kingdom through the Gospel, not many Kingdoms, but one, with one God, the Triune God, and one Faith, which is the singular truth of the Scriptures.
Jesus Christ did not welcome us because we were perfect but because of His gracious nature. That is why the hated and dispossessed gathered around Him in His ministry. He alone could give them peace through forgiveness of sin, and that relieved them of the burden of salvation through works of the Law. Therefore we welcome one another, not because people are up to our lofty standards but because they are God's children through faith in Him.
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
This is one of those transitional passages where the ministry of Christ is distinguished by His work among the Jews, the circumcised, and how this carried over to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. His fame was so great that Gentiles came to Him and believed in Him. No one was turned away for being a sinner, and all with faith in Him received His gracious words. The greater His fame and miracles, the more His religious opponents hated and feared Him. He took all the reproaches upon Himself, though He was free of sin, proving it with His Resurrection and Ascension.
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
This is the great breaking out of the Gospel into all the Gentile nations, which the Apostles accomplished through travel, teaching, and giving up their lives. How did all this happen? It was bound to break forth because people labored under the weight of sin and the false religions offered to cure and heal them. People thought they needed insurance so they entered into various pagan rituals to belong to the cult.
The Gentiles took up the Gospel even though the Jewish Messiah rose up. They could show in the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled all the Promises, which began at the Garden of Eden, even earlier in Genesis 1. Those who trusted saw the truth and began sharing it on their own with new pastors and missionaries. "In Him shall the Gentiles trust."
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
This is another Votum (prayer). Faith must be a good thing in the New Testament, because Paul's prayer is that the God of hope would fill them with all joy and peace through their believing in Christ Jesus. The fruit will be abounding in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
