BackToTheFuture Jere 23 5 8 Advent 1
Series: Advent - Old Testament Sermons
December 01, 2024
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Ad Te Levanti, The First Sunday In Advent 1-December-2024 Sermon Text: Jeremiah 23:5-8 Sermon Theme: Back To The Future! 1. He Comes When All Hope Is Lost! (vs. 5) 2. He Comes Restoring What We Forsook! (vs.6) 3. He Comes To Bring Us Home! (vs.7-8) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Episode Notes
Ad Te Levanti, The First Sunday In Advent 1-December-2024
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 23:5-8
I.N.R.I. In 1985 the science fiction movie, “Back to The Future” was released. It followed Marty McFly accidentally time traveling with “Doc” Brown. Traveling back thirty years in time he met his mother and father as teenagers. In the course of the movie he set things straight altering his family’s future. Everything is mended as he returns to the present – you could say he made all things “new again.”
Happy New Year! The Church Year starts new today! We move ahead by going back. God the Holy Spirit teaches us, Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our Savior is the same for our first father Adam, as He is for us, as He is for our children and grandchildren. He is the unchangeable Lord. Our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Who is Love. Studying our God’s Words and works in the past, assure us of His presence among us today in His Church, and comfort us knowing His continual work in this world to preserve His people – the Church in ages yet to come.
The Gospel appointed for this first Sunday in Advent teaches us to view the present through the optics of the past. Did you catch it? The Holy Spirit wrote through Matthew’s pen, Mat 21:4-5 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: (5) "TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND SITTING ON A DONKEY, A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.' " Jesus’ actions the beginning of Holy Week can only be clearly seen through looking backward to the prophet Zechariah.
This year we will go forward by looking backwards – Lord, willing, I plan to preach through the Old Testament texts assigned for each Sunday of the Church Year. The Church uses a lectionary, a set of readings for each Sunday of the Church year. This practice mirrors the practice of the Church of the Old Testament in the daily readings set for Temple and synagogue prayers and worship. In the front of our hymnal you will find the lectionaries of the Church. The Gospel and Epistle lessons of the One Year Lectionary date back to the 8th century in the western Church. The Old Testament readings were added later. The Three Year Lectionary was a revision flowing from Rome’s Council called “Vatican II” in the 60’s and adopted by many protestant churches in the 70’s.
We begin today sitting at the feet of the prophet Jeremiah and the Word of the Lord the Holy Spirit spoke through him of Jesus. Rejoice this new church year as we: Back To The Future! Learn pf Jesus - 1. He Comes When All Hope Is Lost! (vs. 5) 2. He Comes Restoring What We Forsook! (vs.6) 3. He Comes To Bring Us Home! (vs.7-8)
I. History records that Jesus was in the Temple at Jerusalem during the springtime feast of Purim, celebrating the Lord’s deliverance of His people through Queen Esther. At the pool of Bethesda Jesus came to a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. This man had lost all hope of healing. He had no one to help him to the waters when they stirred. All pushed him aside. Jesus came to the hopeless. He spoke His Word, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Immediately the paralytic was healed. Rolling up his bed mat, he joyfully journeys homeward. Then Pharisees stop him – it is the Sabbath day – according to their additional 613 commandments he couldn’t carry his mat.
Later Jesus rebukes these men saying, Joh 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (40) But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” The Old Testament is all about Jesus! From the Triune God speaking His Word and calling all creation into existence. To our first father Adam’s rebellion listening to the fallen angel’s lying words promising greater life and only leading us into slavery of sin, death, hell, and Satan’s lies. To our Lord, the Good Shepherd, calling to His lost sheep - “Where are you?” “What have you done?”Breathing new spiritual life into hearts deadened by trespass and sin, through the Gospel promise of His only begotten Son born of a virgin woman to crush Satan’s head and gain us the victory by suffering, dying, and rising for all sinners.
The prophet Jeremiah was born in the southern kingdom of Judah around 608BC in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin to a priestly family. A century before the Lord God had raised up the Assyrian nation destroying the northern kingdom of Israel. Its ten tribes had sold themselves into idolatry refusing to repent and return to the true and only living God through He sent prophet after prophet preaching. When he was still a youth in his twenties studying to become a priest, the Lord God calls him to be his prophet. Jeremiah didn’t jump at the chance, instead he offered the Lord excuses why he wasn’t the man for the job. He was too young. A rabbi had to be at least thirty to teach, plus he didn’t speak well. The Lord didn’t listen, instead He touched Jeremiah’s lips putting His Word upon his lips. Later the prophet would complain that if he kept quiet his heart burned within him, if he preached the people laughed, mocked, and hated him. He is known as the weeping prophet, as we lamented Judah’s self-destruction as it refused to repent and return to God. The Lord set Jeremiah’s face like iron against the people of Judah, still the prophet’s heart reflected God’s broken heart for His stubborn children – His Bride who had prostituted herself in idolatry. Jeremiah would preach God’s Word for 40 years in Jerusalem, until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586B.C.. Then he lamented and wished to stay in the ruins, but the rebellious Judeans left behind, killed the Babylonian appointed governor and fled to Egypt. They forced the prophet to come with them, but in six years they were tired of his preaching – so they threw stones at him until he died.
To the hopeless Jesus draws near through His Word preached. As He did to our first parents running with Satan, blinded in sin, and on the path to hell. In the darkest days of Judah’s history the Lord God promises the Light of the World – Jesus! Listen!(vs.5) God saving us sinful rebellious men isn’t anything we deserve. He will come when all seems lost! Look! Behold! Salvation is never your doing, it is always God’s gift and work for you. When the Davidic lines of kings have been reduced to a lifeless stump – then the Lord will raise up The Branch! He is righteous! No one can convict David’s Son of any sin. The Branch is also David’s Lord – the eternally only begotten Son of God incarnate by the Holy Spirit into the womb of David’s blood line.
The spiritual lie Satan whispers and our flesh clings to is that we save ourselves by doing good. If we just do the best we can, we earn heaven – good people end up in hell. Look back! Adam and his wife were only saved because the Lord came seeking them through His Word preached. The Righteous Branch comes not to seek His own will, but the Father’s will to save us through His sacrifice.
Jesus is the king dealing wisely with us sinners. He executes justice and righteousness in this fallen world. Justice as He becomes the One sinner swallowing the world’s sins into His only innocent flesh, then once for all paying the price we deserved in His suffering and death. Righteousness by giving us what we haven’t earn, never could, His own perfect righteousness – His perfect fulfilling of God’s Will from the moment of His conception in the Virgin’s womb to His surrendering His Spirit into death on the cross – this He clothes upon sinners in baptism. No longer do you live, but Christ lives in you and He robes you in His royal robes of righteousness. He sees and saves the hopeless and the lost. Today He calls you by name! Hear Him! He is here among us in His Word to save you!
II. In Adam’s rebellion we all became a city forsaken like Jerusalem. Choosing your own spiritual path has always led to death and hell. Behold our King! He doesn’t puff Himself up in pomp and pride as our fallen flesh adores. He comes in humility. Although He is God by Whom all worlds were made and upheld – He humbles Himself emptying all His treasures to save you. He borrows a donkey to ride towards His crucifixion into Jerusalem for His campaign is to save sinners. He mends what we have broken. Restores what we forsook in Adam and continue to forsake in our sin. Listen! (vs6)
The King comes to save Judah, to rescue Israel from death. How? By His wondrous Name of Love! “The Lord Is Our Righteousness!” The angel told the Virgin Mary’s husband Joseph - Mat 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." We forsook fellowship with our Creator – choosing sin and death’s chains over the freedom of God’s children.
King Jesus restores what we forsook. He is our Righteousness! He isn’t a second Moses teaching us how to act. He fulfills all of God’s commandments to clothe us as God’s children. God the Father reclaims you through His Son renewing you by His Spirit! When your conscience accuses you, Satan attacks, and your sin would lead you to death – turn away and fix your eyes upon the Crucified – point to Jesus confessing – He is the Lord Our Righteousness – My Righteousness – the death and hell I deserved He swallowed – now He gives me all that is His – I am a beloved son of my Heavenly Father through His Holy Spirit. He has sealed His name forever upon me a the font of life.
III. Advent fixes our eyes on our homecoming. Many families gathered over thanksgiving and look forward to gathering again in 24 days at Christmas. We long to be home again with family. Here our gatherings are short and numbered. Jeremiah fills us with hope in King Jesus! Every Sunday here in this sanctuary we are brought home again!
Listen! (vs7-8) The Lord lives! Jeremiah echo’s the triumph of Easter in King Jesus! He comes to gather God’s children from all the lands our sins have driven us into isolation. Paul echos this reality, for the time draws near for Christ’s final advent. Daily we come home – clothed in Christ’s reconciling love – putting on the Lord Jesus and making no provision for our sinful desires.
Every Sunday we join joyfully singing, “Hosanna!” Lord, save us! He Did – on Calvary! He Does – He humbly comes in bread and wine feasting you on His flesh and blood to fortify you as God’s child Home again! He Will – for He is coming again soon – to wipe away all tears and bring us to our Father’s House forever! “Back to the Future”’s fixes didn’t really take – Marty McFly traveled back and forth at least three times – to try to set things right. King Jesus did it once for all – once forever! Rejoice in Him to read the Scriptures back to Genesis through Him – that your eyes may be opened as you walk in His Light. Amen.
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Sermon Theme: Back To The Future! 1. He Comes When All Hope Is Lost! (vs. 5) 2. He Comes Restoring What We Forsook! (vs.6) 3. He Comes To Bring Us Home! (vs.7-8) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Happy New Year! The Church Year starts new today! We move ahead by going back. God the Holy Spirit teaches us, Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our Savior is the same for our first father Adam, as He is for us, as He is for our children and grandchildren. He is the unchangeable Lord. Our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Who is Love. Studying our God’s Words and works in the past, assure us of His presence among us today in His Church, and comfort us knowing His continual work in this world to preserve His people – the Church in ages yet to come.
The Gospel appointed for this first Sunday in Advent teaches us to view the present through the optics of the past. Did you catch it? The Holy Spirit wrote through Matthew’s pen, Mat 21:4-5 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: (5) "TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND SITTING ON A DONKEY, A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.' " Jesus’ actions the beginning of Holy Week can only be clearly seen through looking backward to the prophet Zechariah.
This year we will go forward by looking backwards – Lord, willing, I plan to preach through the Old Testament texts assigned for each Sunday of the Church Year. The Church uses a lectionary, a set of readings for each Sunday of the Church year. This practice mirrors the practice of the Church of the Old Testament in the daily readings set for Temple and synagogue prayers and worship. In the front of our hymnal you will find the lectionaries of the Church. The Gospel and Epistle lessons of the One Year Lectionary date back to the 8th century in the western Church. The Old Testament readings were added later. The Three Year Lectionary was a revision flowing from Rome’s Council called “Vatican II” in the 60’s and adopted by many protestant churches in the 70’s.
We begin today sitting at the feet of the prophet Jeremiah and the Word of the Lord the Holy Spirit spoke through him of Jesus. Rejoice this new church year as we: Back To The Future! Learn pf Jesus - 1. He Comes When All Hope Is Lost! (vs. 5) 2. He Comes Restoring What We Forsook! (vs.6) 3. He Comes To Bring Us Home! (vs.7-8)
I. History records that Jesus was in the Temple at Jerusalem during the springtime feast of Purim, celebrating the Lord’s deliverance of His people through Queen Esther. At the pool of Bethesda Jesus came to a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. This man had lost all hope of healing. He had no one to help him to the waters when they stirred. All pushed him aside. Jesus came to the hopeless. He spoke His Word, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” Immediately the paralytic was healed. Rolling up his bed mat, he joyfully journeys homeward. Then Pharisees stop him – it is the Sabbath day – according to their additional 613 commandments he couldn’t carry his mat.
Later Jesus rebukes these men saying, Joh 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (40) But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” The Old Testament is all about Jesus! From the Triune God speaking His Word and calling all creation into existence. To our first father Adam’s rebellion listening to the fallen angel’s lying words promising greater life and only leading us into slavery of sin, death, hell, and Satan’s lies. To our Lord, the Good Shepherd, calling to His lost sheep - “Where are you?” “What have you done?”Breathing new spiritual life into hearts deadened by trespass and sin, through the Gospel promise of His only begotten Son born of a virgin woman to crush Satan’s head and gain us the victory by suffering, dying, and rising for all sinners.
The prophet Jeremiah was born in the southern kingdom of Judah around 608BC in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin to a priestly family. A century before the Lord God had raised up the Assyrian nation destroying the northern kingdom of Israel. Its ten tribes had sold themselves into idolatry refusing to repent and return to the true and only living God through He sent prophet after prophet preaching. When he was still a youth in his twenties studying to become a priest, the Lord God calls him to be his prophet. Jeremiah didn’t jump at the chance, instead he offered the Lord excuses why he wasn’t the man for the job. He was too young. A rabbi had to be at least thirty to teach, plus he didn’t speak well. The Lord didn’t listen, instead He touched Jeremiah’s lips putting His Word upon his lips. Later the prophet would complain that if he kept quiet his heart burned within him, if he preached the people laughed, mocked, and hated him. He is known as the weeping prophet, as we lamented Judah’s self-destruction as it refused to repent and return to God. The Lord set Jeremiah’s face like iron against the people of Judah, still the prophet’s heart reflected God’s broken heart for His stubborn children – His Bride who had prostituted herself in idolatry. Jeremiah would preach God’s Word for 40 years in Jerusalem, until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586B.C.. Then he lamented and wished to stay in the ruins, but the rebellious Judeans left behind, killed the Babylonian appointed governor and fled to Egypt. They forced the prophet to come with them, but in six years they were tired of his preaching – so they threw stones at him until he died.
To the hopeless Jesus draws near through His Word preached. As He did to our first parents running with Satan, blinded in sin, and on the path to hell. In the darkest days of Judah’s history the Lord God promises the Light of the World – Jesus! Listen!(vs.5) God saving us sinful rebellious men isn’t anything we deserve. He will come when all seems lost! Look! Behold! Salvation is never your doing, it is always God’s gift and work for you. When the Davidic lines of kings have been reduced to a lifeless stump – then the Lord will raise up The Branch! He is righteous! No one can convict David’s Son of any sin. The Branch is also David’s Lord – the eternally only begotten Son of God incarnate by the Holy Spirit into the womb of David’s blood line.
The spiritual lie Satan whispers and our flesh clings to is that we save ourselves by doing good. If we just do the best we can, we earn heaven – good people end up in hell. Look back! Adam and his wife were only saved because the Lord came seeking them through His Word preached. The Righteous Branch comes not to seek His own will, but the Father’s will to save us through His sacrifice.
Jesus is the king dealing wisely with us sinners. He executes justice and righteousness in this fallen world. Justice as He becomes the One sinner swallowing the world’s sins into His only innocent flesh, then once for all paying the price we deserved in His suffering and death. Righteousness by giving us what we haven’t earn, never could, His own perfect righteousness – His perfect fulfilling of God’s Will from the moment of His conception in the Virgin’s womb to His surrendering His Spirit into death on the cross – this He clothes upon sinners in baptism. No longer do you live, but Christ lives in you and He robes you in His royal robes of righteousness. He sees and saves the hopeless and the lost. Today He calls you by name! Hear Him! He is here among us in His Word to save you!
II. In Adam’s rebellion we all became a city forsaken like Jerusalem. Choosing your own spiritual path has always led to death and hell. Behold our King! He doesn’t puff Himself up in pomp and pride as our fallen flesh adores. He comes in humility. Although He is God by Whom all worlds were made and upheld – He humbles Himself emptying all His treasures to save you. He borrows a donkey to ride towards His crucifixion into Jerusalem for His campaign is to save sinners. He mends what we have broken. Restores what we forsook in Adam and continue to forsake in our sin. Listen! (vs6)
The King comes to save Judah, to rescue Israel from death. How? By His wondrous Name of Love! “The Lord Is Our Righteousness!” The angel told the Virgin Mary’s husband Joseph - Mat 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." We forsook fellowship with our Creator – choosing sin and death’s chains over the freedom of God’s children.
King Jesus restores what we forsook. He is our Righteousness! He isn’t a second Moses teaching us how to act. He fulfills all of God’s commandments to clothe us as God’s children. God the Father reclaims you through His Son renewing you by His Spirit! When your conscience accuses you, Satan attacks, and your sin would lead you to death – turn away and fix your eyes upon the Crucified – point to Jesus confessing – He is the Lord Our Righteousness – My Righteousness – the death and hell I deserved He swallowed – now He gives me all that is His – I am a beloved son of my Heavenly Father through His Holy Spirit. He has sealed His name forever upon me a the font of life.
III. Advent fixes our eyes on our homecoming. Many families gathered over thanksgiving and look forward to gathering again in 24 days at Christmas. We long to be home again with family. Here our gatherings are short and numbered. Jeremiah fills us with hope in King Jesus! Every Sunday here in this sanctuary we are brought home again!
Listen! (vs7-8) The Lord lives! Jeremiah echo’s the triumph of Easter in King Jesus! He comes to gather God’s children from all the lands our sins have driven us into isolation. Paul echos this reality, for the time draws near for Christ’s final advent. Daily we come home – clothed in Christ’s reconciling love – putting on the Lord Jesus and making no provision for our sinful desires.
Every Sunday we join joyfully singing, “Hosanna!” Lord, save us! He Did – on Calvary! He Does – He humbly comes in bread and wine feasting you on His flesh and blood to fortify you as God’s child Home again! He Will – for He is coming again soon – to wipe away all tears and bring us to our Father’s House forever! “Back to the Future”’s fixes didn’t really take – Marty McFly traveled back and forth at least three times – to try to set things right. King Jesus did it once for all – once forever! Rejoice in Him to read the Scriptures back to Genesis through Him – that your eyes may be opened as you walk in His Light. Amen.
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