Thursday, December 11, 2014

December 10, 2014 - Second Wednesday Advent Service
Sermon by Pastor emeritus Paul Eckert
Text - Jeremiah 23:1-6

    This Wednesday’s sermon theme is THE ADVENT OF OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS BRANCH.  I would like to lead up to that by
talking about the advent or coming of another branch.  This one goes
back to Bemidji, Minnesota.  Quite a few years ago a seed  was in the
ground there.  After a while, from that seed that had become a root,
something started poking out of the ground.  It was a little branch.
That little branch kept on growing and growing and growing until it
had become an 80 foot tall tree.
    Then came the year 2014.  That tree was cut down and loaded on a
trailer and started on a 2000 mile journey which included two stops in
Wisconsin - November 10 in Madison and  November 11 in
Milwaukee.  It finally reached its destination in Washington D.C. on
November 20 to be the 2014 United States Capitol Christmas Tree.
    Then what?  I am sure this branch that had become a tree is being
enjoyed now, and that’s great.  But then what?  It will be disposed of.
It will have no benefit for you or me.
    Now let’s move on with our sermon theme which talks about a
special branch, a branch that grew up to give us eternal benefit and joy.
THE ADVENT OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BRANCH 
I    HE WAS NEEDED  (1-2)
    1. The problem and need started at a tree.
        a) In God’s creation there was a special tree in the Garden of
            Eden.  With regard to that tree God, as recorded in the book of
            Genesis, had told Adam and Eve, “You must not eat from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will
surely die.”  You know what happened.  Sin and death came into
            the world.  We all are sinners.  We all are dying.
        b) But God’s love right away promised a solution.  We could say
            that He immediately planted His seed of love with His promise
            that someone would be born of a woman and for us would
            overcome the devil and our eternally fatal problem of sin.
    2. The consequences of sin continued.  (1)
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the
sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 
        a) More and more there were false religious leaders misleading
            people away from the one and only true God and His will. 
            More and more sin took over.  And doesn’t that increasing evil
            make you think of what is happening in our world today?
        b) This brought God’s judgments, like the flood, but not yet the
            final judgment.  False prophets and sinners continued.    
    3. The need for God’s plan of salvation continued.  (1)
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the
sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 
        a) Jeremiah, whom God inspired to write the words of our text,
            was a good shepherd or prophet.  He preached and taught
            God’s will correctly.  For that he was terribly persecuted.
        b) But false preachers and teachers kept misleading, until finally
            the nation of Israel was taken into the Babylonian captivity.
    4. And judgment kept on coming.  (1-2)
“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the
sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD.  Therefore this is what
the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my
people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them
away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow
punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the
LORD. 
        a) Evil and those who went along with it called for punishment.
        b) The rejection of God and His will called for judgment.   
        c) Was the answer another universal flood?  Would the seed, the
            branch of God’s love, the promise of a Savior He had made to
            Adam and Eve, never grow into a tree, but instead be pulled up
            by its roots and like the Capitol Christmas Tree be destroyed?
II  HE WAS PROMISED  (3-5)
    1. God kept history going.  (3)
“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the
countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to
their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” 
        a) God’s promise was carried through the generations of His
            chosen people, going from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Isaac
            to Jacob to King David and on down the line.
        b) And its fulfillment would happen in a promised land where
            there would be a Bethlehem and a descendant of David, a
            young woman named Mary, who would bear a Son who would
            be recognized as the promised Son or seed of David.
    2. This message kept on being proclaimed.  (4)       
“I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they
will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,”
declares the LORD.
        a) Jeremiah did that proclaiming in spite of adversity.
        b) God’s Jeremiahs today, faithful pastors and teachers, do that.
    3. But God had promised a specific person.  (5)
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to
David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do
what is just and right in the land.” 
        a) This person would be “a righteous Branch”, someone in
            whom no sin could be found, who lived a righteous, a holy life.
        b) He would be a King with a kingdom who could promise you
            and me and a thief next to Him on a cross that he would that
            day be with Him, with Jesus, in His kingdom, in paradise.
    4. That promise fulfilled we celebrate.  (5)
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to
David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do
what is just and right in the land.” 
        a) The days came.  Jesus was born, Jesus lived a righteous life,
            Jesus died without any guilt of His own.  Jesus is the righteous
            branch foretold, a totally innocent sacrifice.
        b) We celebrate not just a great person in history.
        c) We celebrate God’s Son, the righteous Branch, our Savior.
III HE IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS  (5-6)
    1. Yes, He Himself is a righteous Branch.  (5)
“---  a righteous Branch, a King  ---”
        a) Born of Mary, He was the sinless, the righteous Son of God.
        b) And He now is our victorious King on His heavenly throne.
    2. But notice the big word “our”!  (6)
“In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.  This
is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our
Righteousness.”
        a) “Our Righteousness” - how beautiful that word “Our”!  We
            have no righteousness of our own.  But we have been given
            Jesus’ righteousness.  He is “Our Righteousness”.
        b) Listen to the description of this in the letter to the Romans
            (3:21-24): But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are  justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  That
             means, as Scripture also says, “Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”   Why not?
              Because Christ Jesus is “Our Righteousness”.
    3. This reminds me of a hymn stanza.  (CW 401:5)
                Your righteousness, O Christ,
                Alone can cover me;
                No other righteousness
                Can set a sinner free.  
    4. Rejoice in this precious truth!  (5-6)
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to
David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do
what is just and right in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.  This is the name by which he will be
called: The Lord Our Righteousness.”
        a) People may enjoy the Bemidji branch that grew to become the
            United States Capitol Christmas tree.
        b) You may be happy sitting with your family around the branch
            that became your own Christmas tree.
        c) But we, God’s family of believers, can rejoice now and
            eternally because of Jesus, God’s Son, a righteous Branch,
            who came to be The Lord Our Righteousness.        


         






PRAYER OF THE DAY
    Heavenly Father, we thank You for the assurance You have just
given us that our sins are forgiven because of Your Son’s atoning work
for us.  We praise You for that message, and for Your Spirit’s working
through Your Word to give us faith in Your promises and to strengthen
our faith.  We ask You to continue doing that in this church service as
we are gathered with our family of fellow believers here to bring You
our worship and praise.  We ask this in the name of Jesus, whose
advent we are again celebrating.  Amen.


PRAYERS AND LORD’S PRAYER
    Gracious Lord God Almighty, thank You for the precious truth that
tells us why and how we sinners can look forward to heaven as our
perfect home.  While we are on this earth as an imperfect home, while
we ourselves honestly need to acknowledge how imperfect we are,
each and every one of us, what joy has to fill our hearts when we hear
that Jesus’ righteousness has been credited to us so that our perfect
home in heaven can be a reality for us.  Move us more and more to
rejoice that Jesus was planted on this earth as a righteous branch,
sinless to grow up and suffer and die in our place to pay the wages of
our sin in our place, then to arise victorious from the dead.  And move
us to rejoice in Your revelation to us that we as Your people can call
Him “The LORD Our Righteousness.”  And then tonight, as we speak
our private prayers before going to sleep, help us individually also to
say “My.”  “Thank You, Jesus, for being My righteousness, My
Savior.”  Yes, “Jesus, Your blood and righteousness my beauty are, my
glorious dress.”  Thank You from the bottom of our hearts.
    Now we gather up any other items, any other requests we wish to
bring before You, by joining in the prayer Jesus, Our Righteousness,
gave us.

    The Lord’s Prayer




No comments:

Post a Comment