Series: 24
Week: 1
Passage: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Title: Week 1 – The Candle of Anticipation
Focus: Christmas
INTRODUCTION: If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
The Christmas season is here. A busy season filled with hectic chaos and stressful strain as most of us get caught up in the hustle and bustle of getting things done while moving from various locations. While some are flying here and there, others sit lonely, longing for the season to cease. Whichever the case, we can place our hope in the fact that this is a great season because this is a time of year that calls the Christian to slow down and look to Christ. We must seek to take the focus away from the “doing” and feeling lonely while leaning into the “understanding” of God sending us His incredible gift, Jesus Christ.
The enemy’s greatest focus in this season is to distract us from focusing on what’s really important. We must fight to ready our hearts, focusing on understanding the righteous savior, this advent season and look forward to worshipping the righteous King who has come and will come again!
ADVENT CANDLES EXPLAINED: There are often many symbols used to represent Advent from various churches of many denominations. An evergreen wreath is a solid staple followed by four to five candles. The wreath is a symbol of Christ’s perfection (complete). The evergreen meaning eternal life and the light from the candles often times represent the light of Jesus Christ. Each of the candles has a different meaning.
• The first candle represents the anticipation of Christ coming (anticipation of Christ coming for those in OT and coming again for those living in NT).
o Note: This candle is sometimes tied in with the second candle.
• The second candle is a candle of hope (preparation).
• The third candle is a candle meaning joy.
• The forth candle is a candle representing purity (or love).
• The last candle (usually white to distinguish between the other candles) is the candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day representing Christ on as the fulfillment of what is promised in the first four candles.
Depending on which circle one grew up these candles have been known to move from week to week depending on the denomination. The color of the candles often varies but most common are purple, pink and white.
TITLE: Week 1 – The Candle of Anticipation
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Jeremiah 23:5
#1: Understanding the Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5)
• Explanation: God made a promise in the Old Testament to “raise up for David” another King who would be a “righteous branch”.
o What’s a “Branch?” The Messianic use of the word “branch” (ṣemaḥ) is a term used when one would be grafted (joined) to the family of David who would come to rule Israel honorably. The title ‘branch’ was a well-known term idea used of a priest/king.
o What will this “Branch” be Like? The “branch” would be…
• “Beautiful and glorious” (Isaiah 4:2)
• “Bearing fruit (Isaiah 11:1)
• “The people will serve him” (Jeremiah 30:9).
• Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy!
• Illustration: Grafting is done for several purposes, but most commonly in the olive oil industry it is to get the hardy roots of one variety with the fecundity of another variety. The whole point of grafting is that each part of the grafted tree keeps its original character. The variety used for the rootstock may be resistant to fungus or other pests but has a small or low yield olive. The graft may have weak roots but large fruit with high oil content. The resulting tree has the best of both varieties.
• Application: What Jesus does in entering into His creations world is let’s the individual keep it’s original character but gives it the ability to resist that which makes it sick so that it can be healthy. However, the individual has to accept this before weak roots can become strong and given knew life. The coming birth of Jesus gives creation a King who will “reign wisely” and “do what is just and right”.
o NOTE: Paul tells us that because of Jesus the priest and king coming as a branch gives the ability to save not only Israel but also all people who call upon the name of the Lord (Jew and Gentile).
• “And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree.” Romans 11:17
• “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
“In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6
#2: Understanding the Righteous Advents (Jeremiah 23:6)
• Explanation: The term “advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus”, meaning "coming". This is a season that is set aside from the rest of the year where many Christians eagerly await and prepare for the celebration of the fact that Jesus came (Christmas). Therefore we set aside this time of the year to prepare our heart and worship God that He sent His Son Jesus to us! There are two advents or seasons where Christ comes.
o First Advent: The period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting
o Second Advent: The coming of Christ is where God finally fulfills a prophecy in revelation. At that time the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and the Northern Kingdom (Israel) will again be delivered (Romans 11:26) from oppression and reunited as a single nation and will live in safety (Ezekiel 37:15–28).
• Illustration: "It is joy to all nations that Christ is born, the Prince of Peace, the King who rules in righteousness...Beloved, the greatest joy is to those who know Christ as a Saviour...The further you submit yourself to Christ the Lord, the more completely you know Him, the fuller will your happiness become. Surface joy is to those who live where the Saviour is preached; but the great deeps, the great fathomless deeps of solemn joy which glisten and sparkle with delight, are for such as know the Saviour, obey the Anointed One, and have communion with the Lord Himself...you will never know the fullness of the joy which Jesus brings to the soul, unless under the power of the Holy Spirit you take the Lord your Master to be your All in all, and make Him the fountain of your intensest delight." Charles Spurgeon
• Application: When Christ came, He came righteously and is thus called “the Lord is our righteous”. When Christ comes again, He will again be called “the Lord is our Righteous”. Jesus lived up to His name as Israel’s righteous God and He will come again. Therefore the application is simple…
o We anticipate with great joy the celebration that Jesus has come!
o We anticipate with great joy that Jesus will come again!
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23:7-8
#3: Anticipating the Righteous King (Jeremiah 23:7–8)
• Explanation: Jeremiah’s claim here is that the first and second coming of Jesus, the restoration of Judah and Israel (Jeremiah 23:6) and the salvation offered through Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 10:8) will be so dynamic that the people will no longer look back to the time when God brought them up out of Egypt (the Exodus). The first Exodus will be so minor in comparison with this new Exodus because God will bring “the descendants of Israel out of all the countries” where they have been and will restore them to “their own land”. (Jeremiah 16:14–15).
o “Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1
o Christmas is our opportunity to celebrate that our King has come and our King will come again to take us home where we belong.
• Illustration: “They say that heavens pretty, and living here is too.
But if they said that I would have to choose between the two. I'd go home, going home, where I belong. And sometimes when I'm dreaming, it comes as no surprise. That if you look and see the homesick feeling in my eyes. I'm going home, going home, where I belong. While I'm here I'll serve him gladly, and sing him all my songs. I'm here, but not for long. And when I'm feeling lonely, and when I'm feeling blue. It's such a joy to know that I am only passing through. I'm headed home, going home, where I belong. And one day I'll be sleeping, when death knocks on my door. And I'll awake and find that I'm not homesick anymore. I'll be home, going home, where I belong.” B.J. Thomas
• Application: The days are coming where the Lord Jesus Christ ill come again. The days are coming! Two questions…
o Are we ready to prepare our hearts to remember the King who has already come to give His creation life and life to the fullest?
o Are we living in anticipation of a King who came that will come again?
CONCLUSION: As we close this first week and look forward to the weeks to come, may we focus our hearts and plead for Jesus’ kingdom to come and His will be done. For the King has come and let it be known that the King will come again!
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” Revelation 1:7
