The 1^st Sunday of Advent

SERMON

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

In Christ Jesus, whose second advent we eagerly await as we prepare to celebrate once again the blessings of His first advent, dear fellow redeemed:

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…!" There is one word, which reveals the feeling expressed in that song—anticipation. It is December and the Christmas holidays are approaching. For most people the month of December brings a sense of eager anticipation. Christmas is a festive occasion, involving the joyous celebration of Jesus’ first advent and all the blessings He brings, together with family gatherings and the love expressed in part by the exchange of gifts. However, if we at this time only look back to ancient Bethlehem, or only rejoice in the present giving of gifts, we will miss the true lesson of the Advent Season. The Bible points our eyes ahead and encourages us eagerly to await the “revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,“ that is, His second advent. At the end of time Jesus will usher in the eternal joys of heaven, with which the joys of our present Christmas holidays cannot compare. Let us, then, consider this thought—WE EAGERLY AWAIT THE REVELATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! We do so by rejoicing in our gracious God, by thanking our generous God, and by depending upon our faithful God!

I.

There are times when we do not feel like rejoicing, and that may be the case for some of you right now as we are entering this Advent/Christmas Season. Perhaps you are mourning the loss of a loved one, and the thought of celebrating the holidays for the first time without that loved one is causing you emotional pain. Perhaps Satan and sin are disrupting your life and the lives of your family, and this is causing you great distress. If this is the case, you have all the more reason eagerly to await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ! When He comes, the Bible says, He will take us to heaven where there will be “no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and …no more pain” (Revelation 21:4), for this world together with all sin will have passed away!

St. Paul was facing a very difficult situation in Corinth as he sat down to write this first epistle. To put it mildly, the Corinthian congregation was a mess! It was divided into opposing factions. There were people openly living in sexual sins, and the congregation was doing nothing about it. Unruly people were disrupting worship services, and people got drunk during the celebration of Communion. People were even denying the most basic and important teaching of the faith—that Jesus had been raised from the dead! As St. Paul prepared to address all of these issues, he pointed the minds and hearts of the Corinthians ahead, even as he does us, to “the revelation (the second advent) of our Lord Jesus Christ!” He told the Corinthians, even as he tells us, that we can look forward to that event, in spite of our troubles, with joy in view of God’s grace!

Listen to St. Paul’s words, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” In spite of everything that may or may not be going on in our lives, which bring us pain, we are still the objects of God’s grace. God tells us through Jeremiah, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (29:11). St. Paul wrote the Roman Christians, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). God’s grace is His undeserved love bestowed upon us purely out of mercy. That grace, which led God to send His Son, Jesus Christ, the first time to give up His life for us, brings us a blessed result—His “peace!” No matter what is going on in our lives right now, we are at peace with God in Christ. The message of the angelic hosts was intended for us! God promises to stand beside us as WE EAGERLY AWAIT THE REVELATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST at the end of time! Yes, let us do so rejoicing in our gracious God!

II.

Let us do so, as well, thanking our generous God! The attitudes expressed by St. Paul as he opens this first epistle to the Corinthian congregation are truly amazing. With all of the problems going on in that congregation, you would expect St. Paul to be angry and disgusted. You might expect him to bawl those Christians out and tell them to get their act together, but he does not do that. Rather, after pointing to the grace and peace, which were theirs through Christ Jesus, he begins his epistle with a prayer of thanksgiving. Listen once again, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul was fully aware of all of the problems facing these Corinthian Christians, for he had been carefully informed of them. They were numerous, and they were serious. However, St. Paul was absolutely convinced that God had already provided the Corinthians everything they needed to address those problems and with the help of the Holy Spirit to correct them. God had given them “all” the “knowledge” necessary to address every issue before them. He had provided them with leaders who could articulate those issues and explain to others what needed to be done. They had all the “gifts” they needed in the form of the people and talents necessary to move forward and fulfill their ministry in Corinth. God had indeed been generous to them, in spite of the fact that they had not always been faithful to Him!

My dear friends, let us not be near-sighted as we approach the difficulties facing us as individuals or as a Christian congregation. God has provided the information we need to solve the personal and family problems we face, if only we will listen and apply that information. We can, with prayers on our lips and hearts open to God’s instructions, address even the thorniest of issues trusting that God will hear our prayers and provide us the necessary guidance, so that those issues may be resolved to His glory and for our mutual blessing. Let us only remember the general principles that we are to love, forgive, and serve one another, and we will find that God will prove to be faithful.

As we consider the issues facing our congregation at this time, one that is looming rather large is our current budgetary shortfall. While it is indeed a challenge, let no one think that God has not generously given us the combined resources necessary to meet our needs, for He surely has. It is only necessary that we recognize our many gifts and then properly thank our generous God by striving to be good and faithful stewards. Yes, in the midst of the challenging realities of our individual and congregational lives WE EAGERLY AWAIT THE REVELATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! We do so thanking our generous God!

III.

We do so, finally, depending upon our faithful God! I have already mentioned that God will prove Himself faithful to us in our daily lives. Listen to St. Paul as he addresses this very topic in the final verses our text, “(We) eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Notice that in order to impress upon the Corinthian Christians the faithfulness of God, St. Paul alludes to what God is doing to secure for us His greatest blessing—our eternal welfare. St. Paul says that God will “confirm you to the end.” What does that mean? St. Paul said much the same thing, but expands on it as he addresses the Christians in Philippi, “He (God) who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). God works faith in our hearts through His means of grace, the gospel in word and sacrament. He then pledges to work within us through that word to sustain and confirm that faith so that we might indeed enjoy what He has promised—the gift of eternal life.

Consider little Tennor Matzke, whose baptism was affirmed this morning. When Tennor was baptized several weeks ago at Immanuel-St. Joseph’s Hospital, we have every reason to believe that God created saving faith within his little heart. God promises us that “baptism…now saves us” (1 Peter 3:21). That can only mean that the Spirit of God uses that water combined with His precious and powerful word to bestow faith, for we are saved alone by faith in Christ Jesus. Does not St. Paul say, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”? (Galatians 3:26) Yes, he does! Has not God promised, “In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you”? (Exodus 20:24b) Yes, He has! St. Paul’s words in our text then mean, that God is committed to preserving the faith in little Tennor’s heart, so that he might stand “blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” having all of his sins washed away through His Savior’s blood. God can and will do this as Paul and Christine bring Tennor up “in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). As they share their love for Jesus with him in their home, and as they bring him up within the fellowship of this Christian congregation, God will strengthen and confirm his faith. He will grow in his understand of and love for his Savior. God will stand by him in this life and, as Tennor strives to remain faithful to his God, God promises to bring him safely to his heavenly home.

This is the promise that God gives each of us! Oh, yes, there may well be times when Satan’s successful temptations lead us to doubt our God’s faithfulness, but remember the Scriptures teach, “He (God) is faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God will keep every one of His promises to us. Consequently, as WE EAGERLY AWAIT THE REVELATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, let us do so depending upon our faithful God! He will never disappoint us! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting