Forecast King! Advent
Last weekend, the long weekend on the Friday along with what must have been most of the population of the South Island, Rochelle and her parents and I went to the A[griculture] & P[astoral] Show. We did all the standard show stuff, the watching balloons drifting heavenward from the carnival area, in the knowledge that at their journeys beginning was a small child whose flushed face was covered in disappointment and tears. We stood in line for what seemed like ages for the feast of the day ‘hotdogs and chips’, the profits from which went to the Landon Creek bird sanctuary in Oamaru. We stood gazing in wonder at new born lambs, and gorpped in amazement at a massive Charolaise Bull who was pip’t at the post by a Friesian dairy cow for supreme animal in show. We checked out some really cool stuff, here is a photo of my favourite sheep breed the dear old Merino, this Ram was a really well behaved bloke. There was also this vintage steam truck. We ate candy floss and got questioned by a young lady who was doing a survey about Jesus, I checked out Persian carpets, we brought a fancy knife sharpener for $25.00 and got a $17.00 grater free, now that’s a bargain. We discovered that you can sell one potato for $4.20 if you cut it in a spiral and deep fry it on a stick, now that’s cleaver marketing. All up it was a really good event, very enjoyable.
The highlight of the day for most though would have been a bloke and his wife who were visiting from the UK, no ordinary bloke mind you – His Royal Highness Prince Charles the Prince of Wales and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall were there. There with the Prime Minister and his smile. Around them was a massive crowd of people, women in high heels all dressed up to the nines, it was highly entertaining watching; watching these ladies dodging what the animals in the grand parade had left behind as they made their way across the grounds, with the heels sinking into the soil and processed animal food.
But back to the Prince, this was the first time I had encountered his highness in the flesh, I was probably about a stone’s throw away, though I wouldn’t give it a go; there was security all over the show. Well I didn’t get close but I know a few people who did. Catherine took this photo, now that’s close. She posted it on facebook and might be a bit surprised to see it here today. Louis my son was close enough to hear a vendor call out, “Do you want a free ice-cream mate?” to which the prince replied “No thank you, I think I’ll be alright.” His Royal Highness certainly has class. It was nice to see the royals at their tasks after their long anticipated arrival. They certainly made an impact on the people around them.
Now you may be wondering where this is going. Well this is the first week of advent which is the way Christians talk about the five weeks of wind up to Christmas. Christmas the arrival ‘a king’ in fact the King of Kings, sorry Prince Charles, you’re not King yet.
The thing about this King of King’s bloke, with Jesus birth in Bethlehem is that this was a long awaited event; it wasn’t something that just happened one silent night, when all was calm and all was bright and nothing as stirring not even a mouse. This was a long waited event and had been looked forward to and prophesied for a very - very long time. The birth of a righteous king, a promised king who would rule with the authority of God. An example of this kings coming is from the book of Jeremiah, we read: Jeremiah 33:14-16
“ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
“ ‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’
This part of scripture is a pointer, a forecast to this great event. An event like Prince Charles visit that was planned. But not planned by human design but the design of God.
Now a lot in this passage rests on the words “righteous Branch”. You might notice in your Bible that the word ‘Branch’ starts with a capital letter, this indicated it is a name, not a stick that grows out of the trunk of a tree. Jeremiah goes onto say that “he will do what is right and just in the land.” We all know where this is heading and that Jesus was that righteous branch from David’s line, he is a descendant of David, he is of the tribe of Judah, he’s some times referred to as the Lion of Judah; which is one of the twelve tribes of Israel and was for a time a nation in its own right way back when.
Israel however is currently struggling as we see on the news, everyone is hoping the cease fire will hold in Israel. At the time of Jesus and subsequently there have been times when the city of Jerusalem, this nation of Israel could have been given over to Jesus the Christ, Messiah, God’s own Holy Son, but….as we see today things are not well in the middle east.
This is what occurs when man tries to play the part of God, when man ignore’s God and tries too be supreme in the affairs of man. Strife occurs when man does not allow God to be supreme and lead. Again and again down through the ages we see mankind bound in its / our ignorance of the ways of God. Foolish we stand, in the knowledge of our nakedness and folly, just as Adam and Eve were in the garden. Hiding from God, pretending he’s not there hoping that he won’t see that we’ve done something he won’t like.
But HOPE! What has happened through the ages, since the time of Christ is that many have come to believe and live in right relationships with God while, to quote Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues a lot out of context “As all around the milling crowd confuse themselves with raging sounds and their loves forgetfulness abounds.” (Reflective Smile).
Many still do not believe in the one thing that holds fast in storms, that stands after all else has fallen, is ‘the promised king’. Why because in their own strength, by their own power – they remain as is their choice - in control of what cannot be kept secure by their own power and strength - their lives.
But for us, this following reading from Romans 13:11-14 holds true:
[And do this,] understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
The coming of the Righteous King was forecast – some still wait for Him, while we live in the knowledge of His being with us. While they continue to wait for this king, this long awaited king currently changes willing lives and communities (SBI).
Now there’s all ways a burden of proof to be had when someone say something like ‘this long awaited king currently changes willing lives and communities”
Someone going to say yeah right where’s the proof that’s in the pudding? I’m hoping there’s a bit of proof in the room. Can I have a show of hands from people whose lives Jesus has changed?
Good now you are going to be my sermon illustration, could those of you who have put your hand up please keep that hand up is you’d be willing to come up here and say in a couple of sentences how that occurred, this being part of your testimony? I’ll pick a couple of you.
So this long awaited king currently changes willing lives and communities, (SBI)
Here’s an example of community change from early last century in the Welsh revival ,“ Whole communities were turned upside down, and were radically changed from depravity to glorious goodness. The crime rate dropped, often to nothing. The police force reported that they had little more to do than supervise the coming and going of the people to the chapel prayer meetings, while magistrates turned up at courts to discover no cases to try. The alcohol trade was decimated, as people were caught up more by what happened in the local chapels than the local public houses and bars. Families experienced amazing renewal, where the money earning husband and father, the bread winner, had wasted away the income and sowed discord, but now under the moving power of the Holy Spirit, following the conversion to be a follower of Jesus Christ, he not only provided correctly for family needs, but was now with the family, rather than wasting his time, and wages, in the public houses of the village or town. Souls were saved, individual lives were changed and Society itself was changed. Countless numbers were converted to Christ.” (Sited 24/11/2012http://www.truthinhistory.org/the-welsh-revival-of-1904-1905.html)
The long awaited king currently changes willing lives and communities.
In the Solomon Islands in 1970 Beginning at Honiara, the capital, Muri [Thompson a Kiwi Missionary] spent two months visiting churches and centres on the islands. Initially the national leaders and missionaries experienced deep conviction and repentance, publicly acknowledging their wrong attitudes. It was very humbling. A new unity and harmony transformed their relationships, and little things which destroyed that unity were openly confessed with forgiveness sought and given.
Then in the last two weeks of these meetings the Spirit of God moved even more powerfully in the meetings with more deep repentance and weeping, sometimes even before the visiting team arrived. At one meeting the Spirit of God came upon everyone after the message in a time of silent prayer when the sound of a gale came above the gathering of 2000 people. (Sited 24/11/2012 http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/yourti18132.html).
The long awaited king currently changes willing lives and communities, Jesus has done this down through the centuries, these are but a small snippet of the work of God in lives in communities. While many wait for a miracle or struggle after life change in their own strength, the King awaits the invitation to bring change to lives, lives that are willing to be handed over to his changing power, to his redeeming power to be free from the burdens that they have picked up on their journey through life. Lives and communities are changed lives and communities that are willing to be saved and to live safe in the knowledge of the King living with them. With them as they live with His Holy Spirit living with them.
The forecast of his coming the passage read from Jeremiah is roughly 2600 years old, the truth is that Jesus has been changing lives and communities for the last 2000 of those years, where does that leave you, how will you respond?
Invitation.
