Advent is an old word that means "arrival," which is exactly what the Son of God did when He came to us as a baby. There are two other advents of Jesus Christ in Scripture, do you know what they are?
The Three Advents of Jesus
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thirteen percent higher. Turkey and all the trimmings come with a much higher price tag this year than last. It’s the biggest one-year jump since 1990. We keep hearing this kind of economic news and it has an effect on our souls.
(swell)
The price of cranberries is up, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes – all a little more expensive this Thanksgiving compared to last year but the biggest increase is in the price of the main event. The turkey you eat tomorrow is cost 22% more than last year.
Our granddaughter Gracie recently told us the wild turkeys we heard gobbling in the woods last year have domesticated themselves. They’ve taken up residence in their yard in Oregon. The males are challenging each other with their tail feathers spread just outside their family room window. It’s great entertainment but I’d be surprised if my son-in-law isn’t feeling a strong temptation to put one of them on the table.
With the economic situation we’ve all been conditioned to think in terms of dollars and cents. Some of us have to count pennies to put food on the table. Things are tight and we feel it – and it has an effect on our souls. It makes “giving thanks” the furthest thing from our minds. According to the apostle Paul it’s the furthest thing from the minds of the fallen human race in general. And this failure to give thanks to God, according to Paul, is at the very root of all our problems:
Romans 1: 19-23 “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
Friends, we don’t want to fit that description. If you’re an unbeliever listening, does this describe you? You don’t believe because your heart is darkened? And because you don’t believe you’re ungrateful? Could this be the reason your heart is empty even when you get what you think you want – the reason you’re so unsatisfied. According to God’s Word the human problem boils down to one fundamental issue. The living God created you and he created you for the joy of worship. He gave you existence and filled the world with his love and more than that, far more, he gave his own Son to save you from the consequences of your thankless condition – to provide forgiveness for your sins. And you’re meant to be filled with joy and overflowing with thanksgiving – to HIM!
Not – to whom it may concern, but to the personal living God who’s calling you into a relationship with himself through his Son – through Jesus the Lord.
If you’re a believer listening, I ask you what I ask myself – is my heart full of thanksgiving to God or am ungrateful? If the world has stolen our joy away and thankfulness away, then let’s let the Lord reorient our hearts. Let’s refocus -- not on Thanksgiving but on Christmas. Christmas will help us remember what it is we have. And then we’ll be able to truly give thanks – Christmas will fill our hearts with the gift of God’s Son.
Let’s go to Nashville and from his home, songwriter Keith Getty. Keith welcome back to the program. You have a brand new album called Joy, an Irish Christmas. You even used the producer that put together the famous Riverdance program. If you do an album for Christmas with the word Joy in it you almost have to use Joy to the World, don’t you?
(Getty interview with Keith on Joy to the World followed by the song)
Joy to the World (again today) – Gettys – Irish Christmas
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.”
Isaac Watts wasn’t thinking of Christmas, he was thinking of the return of Jesus when he wrote the lyrics to Joy to the World.
#3 A lot of presents are given at Christmas, but wouldn't it be great if you could give Jesus? This year, you can! Join Haven Ministries and Keith & Kristyn Getty with the Give Jesus campaign. For your gift of $25 to Haven this Christmas ($35 in Canada) we will send you Joy - An Irish Christmas and will also give the same CD to a family in need along with a clear presentation about how they can meet Jesus as savior this Christmas. You get and give a Christ-glorifying Christmas CD all with one donation! We’re working with different churches to deliver these CDs along with food and toys to a family in need. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to Give Jesus? Go online at haventoday.org. That’s haventoday.org. Or call us day or night, 24/7 at 1-800-654-2836. That’s 1-800-65-HAVEN.
HAVEN Today and The Three Advents of Jesus, the day before an American Thanksgiving.
Traditionally in the days leading up to Christmas the church anticipates the first coming of Jesus – that’s why it’s called Advent. Advent means arrival – the arrival of a notable event or person.
In the days leading up to Christmas it’s wonderful to experience the waiting – the waiting for the advent of the One who was promised. Israel was waiting for the King, the world’s Messiah – for centuries, waiting, believing, expecting, groaning. And at last – the great and glorious day dawned. The angel appeared to Mary and announced the miraculous conception of the Messiah, the Son of God. Joy to the World! Let earth receive her King!
But we need to remember that right now 2,000 plus years later we’re in another time of waiting, believing, expecting groaning for the arrival of Jesus. We’re waiting for him to return. He promised he’d come again and one great and glorious day – he will!
So we have this awesome reason to give thanks tomorrow – the advent -- the arrival of Jesus the King of Kings.
Two advents – his birth and his second coming.
But really there’re three advents. Three arrivals of Jesus.
The first advent is what we celebrate at Christmas.
He came, he was born, he took on our flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, our Savior, our joy, our reason for being. That’s the first advent – the first arrival. And we mustn’t forget that he came to die. He came to lay down his life so we could be saved. The angel told Mary his name will be Jesus because he’ll save his people from their sins. “Jesus” means “God saves.”
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old.”
Luke 1:69-70, the words of the Zecharias the father of John the Baptist celebrating the visitation of God. He visited us and accomplished our salvation. That’s the first advent.
The third advent is the return of Jesus. The scripture’s clear and consistent on this point – Jesus is coming again.
So what’s the second advent?
It’s when he comes to us individually and calls us to himself. Every believer experiences this advent – we experience it in a deeply personal way. He makes himself known to us. He dwells with us.
If you aren’t a believer take it from me and centuries of Christians before me -- you can know him. He will come to you if you ask him. The apostle Peter wrote to believers who hadn’t had the privilege he’d had of seeing and touching Jesus in the flesh but he recognized that their experience of Jesus was no less real than his. He wrote to them in
I Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
We’re right now filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy because we’re right now receiving the goal of our faith. What’s the goal? Jesus! We’re meant to be eagerly straining towards the third advent – that’s our goal – the consummation of our relationship with Jesus: the fullness of knowing him; seeing his face; hearing his voice; being with him all the time; being transformed so we’re like him. When he comes again we’ll be like him and that transformation will allow us to know him completely.
Peter calls the third advent of Jesus “the revelation”. Jesus is hidden to the unbelieving world. One by one he comes to unbelievers and makes himself known – he reveals himself and they become believers. When he returns he’ll be revealed to all the world but most profoundly he’ll be revealed to his own people. We’ll see him in all his fullness. We’ll see him as he is. In 1 Peter 1:13 he tells us to fix our hope on that day:
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
That’s the third advent but what makes us want it is that right now we’re having a foretaste of it. We’re experiencing the second advent of Jesus right now. We’re already receiving a taste of the joy we’ll have when we see Jesus face to face. And that taste whets our appetite.
I don’t know when you eat your turkey and dressing but our tradition is late afternoon – around 3:00. We have breakfast and skip lunch so we’re good and hungry when we sit down to the table. But the smell of the turkey roasting, all those wonderful aromas, they’re like a foretaste of the meal that’s coming. I think the second advent of Jesus in our hearts is like that. Only better. We’re not just smelling, we’re tasting. And that taste makes us want it all. It orients our hearts to the day that Jesus will come again and we’ll have it all. It fills our hearts with joy even when we suffer – joy and thanksgiving that God would give us such an indescribable gift. Joy and thanksgiving for what it’s going to mean to finally receive our full inheritance. Because we can already taste it.
Three advents of Jesus – Jesus came into the world at Christmas. Jesus comes into our hearts when we become believers. And Jesus will come again. Three advents which together sum up our joy. Joy to the world, Joy to me. Joy to you.
When Paul wrote to Titus he clearly had these three advents in mind – three arrivals of Jesus. Three appearances of Jesus:
Here’s the first advent:
Titus 2.11-12
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
(and then he goes to the third advent in verse 13)
“while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
He follows this good news with general instructions for how people who belong to Jesus are meant to live:
Titus 3.1-2 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”
But then in verse 3 he gets to that second personal appearing of Jesus that every believer knows:
Titus 3.3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
Isn’t that beautiful? I think on that note we ought to hear Eliza’s reel from the Getty’s new Christmas album as we rejoice and give thanks for the advent of Jesus – at Christmas, in our hearts, and when he comes again. Father we don’t want to be among the ungrateful. We give you all our thanks for your indescribable gift – the gift of your Son.
SONG – Come Thou Long Expected Jesus – Jamie Jamgochian – Bethlehem Skyline
#2 Give Jesus ... this Christmas. It's easy to give a gift that you can buy at a store and wrap up in a box, but how can you give the one Hope and Savior of the world? How do you give Jesus? This Christmas Haven Ministries wants to help you do just that. As part of our "Give Jesus" effort this Christmas, Haven is partnering with recording artists Keith & Kristyn Getty. When you make a gift of $25 to Haven Ministries, you will receive the CD Joy - An Irish Christmas and Haven will send the same CD to a family in need. Each CD will be delivered with clear presentation of the gospel along with toys and food from one of our partner churches across America. Make your gift at haventoday.org or by calling us day or night at 1.800.654.2836 (65-HAVEN).
