Behold The Son of Man! Luke 21:25-36

Populus Zion - The Second Sunday In Advent             4-December-2022
Sermon Text: Luke 21:25-36
Sermon Theme: “Behold The Son of Man!” by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Behold, your Salvation comes!” “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son” is our prayer to God the Father this morning, “that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds.” Wake up! Pray! Be filled with all joy and peace in believing daughter of Zion! Through Christ’s Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit abound in hope!
    Hope for Christ Jesus our King draws near! Judgment Day is now nearer to us than when we first believed. Soon we shall see Him return in power and great glory to deliver all who trust in Him for salvation! Soon creation will leap for joy being forever freed from mankind’s sin to eternally enjoy the glorious liberty of the children of God.
    John the Baptist, the new Elijah came just as the prophet Malachi had preached nearly five centuries earlier. Clothed like Elijah, he preached in the wilderness of the day of the Lord coming like a burning oven to burn up all the arrogant and evil doers like stubble. He preached a baptism of repentance. When the crowds speculated that perhaps John was the Christ - Luke 3:16-17 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (17) His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire." With a prophets perspective he sees the Son of Man’s first and second coming for the salvation of mankind rolled into one. The Son of Man comes to baptize sinners with water and His Word. His Word filled with the Holy Spirit in water working forgiveness of sins, rescuing them from death and the devil, and giving eternal salvation by grace through trusting in His wounds alone to heal.
      It was in baptismal waters that John beheld his salvation and ours. History records, John 1:29-34 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (30) This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' (31) I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." (32) And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. (33) I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' (34) And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."” John’s words still echo in the liturgy of the daughter of Zion, for she sings, “Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world.” “O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.” and “grant us Thy peace.”
    Last Wednesday, November 29th, the daughter of Zion - the Christian Church, remembered St. Andrew. He was one of Jesus’ first disciples, who had first been a disciple of John the Baptizer. John pointed them away from himself to Jesus saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” They left John to follow Jesus. Today John still preaches from the pulpit pointing all away from his preaching office to fix their eyes and ears on Jesus alone. His voice echos here this morning - “Behold The Son of Man!”
      Advent isn’t about having a “holly jolly Christmas!” It is a season to be empty of self. Repenting of our attempts to “advent” to Jesus through our feelings, experiences, or doing. It is a season to be stirred up. Stirred up not like the world cowering in fear. Stirred up - awakened, standing straight with heads raised for our redemption draws near!
        Advent began last Sunday with Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Our Salvation came humbly and meekly on the back of a donkey to be the One and only Sacrifice for sinners. Today brings us to Holy Tuesday. Jesus finished His preaching and teaching in the Temple. As the sun sets the disciples marvel at the beauty of the Temple that King Herod had rebuilt. Jesus tells them that soon not one stone would be left upon another on the Temple mount. They come asking Him to tell them when these things will take place and what will be the sign of His coming. Our Lord tells them the signs that preceded the Temple’s destruction, its leveling in 70 A.D. by the Romans under General Titus. Christians, the daughter of Zion, heeding Jesus’ Words had left Jerusalem before siege began and many fled east to Pella. The Church was preserved by listening to King Jesus’ Word.
      Now our Lord tells us, the daughter of Zion, of life in the last days of world history. (Vs.25-26) The world lives in fear in these last days. Fear of global warming, cooling, climate change. Fear of over population. Fear of pandemics, tri-demics of COVID, flu, and rsv. Fear of monetary collapse. Fear of asteroids. Fear of the sea rising, lakes and rivers drying up. Fear of the life gas of carbon dioxide. Fear sells. Fear is peddled constantly 24X7 on news outlets. If you run low on fear, just log on or tune in and be filled with fear! Fear cripples many, others hearts fail them for fear of what the future holds - in fear they take their own lives, or the lives of the unborn, or the lives of the elderly. Fear drives them to death and self-destruction.
      Dear Christian - stop living in fear! Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd! Behold the Son of Man! (Vs. 27-28) The world living in fear. Foolish self security that there is no God and they can save themselves as creation falls down around them - will suddenly see Jesus - the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Judgment Day will break in a millisecond - as fast as lightning flashes from the east to the west. Learn to fix your eyes upon the Son of Man by listening to His Word alone! False preachers peddle fear. Refusing to listen to Jesus’ clear words of His Second Coming - they weave a fantastic tale of a pre-rapture, tribulation, and a 1,000 year reign of Christ. What has the Daughter of Zion always believed, taught, and confessed: 1 Also they teach that at the Consummation of the World Christ will appear for judgment, and 2 will raise up all the dead; He will give to the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joys, 3 but ungodly men and the devils He will condemn to be tormented without end. 4 They condemn the Anabaptists, who think that there will be an end to the punishments of condemned men and devils. 5 They condemn also others who are now spreading certain Jewish opinions, that before the resurrection of the dead the godly shall take possession of the kingdom of the world, the ungodly being everywhere suppressed.” (A.C. Art. XXVII). Those who peddle the rapture and millennium - deny Jesus’ clear Word - instead they peddle fear not joy and peace in believing in Christ’s Word. Their books and movies only drive people away from trusting in Jesus completed work on Calvary and His triumphant resurrection - to look back to themselves for assurance. They invent a new “purgatory” where sinners can earn their way into heaven by suffering during the tribulation. This false teaching robs the Son of Man of His glorious work. It denies that in Holy Baptism the sinner is separated from this world and joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection. In baptism the infant is raptured already from death to life - declared a citizen of heaven, the beloved child of the Father by grace and gifted faith by the Holy Spirit. This Faith is sustained within Christ’s Church by hearing and receiving the forgiveness of sins daily and richly.
    Daughter of Zion! Behold your Salvation comes! He is Jesus! He is here! Look up! Lift up your heads. The Son of Man comes to rescue mankind from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil with His holy precious blood and His own innocent suffering and death. Salvation is only found in Him! (Vs.29-32) Living in the Last Days - the world cowers in fear - we lift up our heads - The Son of Man comes to bring us life - the redemption of our bodies. We won’t be disembodied spirit beings, He has redeemed us flesh and soul - in these bodies raised incorruptible, immortal, and glorious we will forever live on this world eternally freed from man’s sin, Satan’s corruption, and death - new heavens and a new earth in which only righteousness lives! When the trees bud out and summer draws near - new life fills creation. This is the Advent that fills us with hope and peace. Hope for on the dry dead tree of the cross - the Son of Man was crucified for our sins - giving His innocent life into my sin and death - He was raised. His cross now buds forth with His living flesh and blood - it is the Tree of Life that fills me and all sinners with hope, peace, and joy in believing - that He gave His body and shed His blood for the forgiveness of my sins! He places upon my lips His living flesh and blood and bread and wine filling me with His life and salvation.
    How can this be? (Vs.33) Behold the Son of Man - He is present in His eternal Word! “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins!” “I baptize you!” “I forgive you all your sins!” “I am with you always!” Cling to His Word when all in your life crumbles around you. He will never break His promise - He is faithful - He is just - He forgives - He loves you!
    Listen to His Word! (Vs.34-36) Watch yourself! Daily return to His Word! Live your baptism - die to sin! Rise to new life in Him. Confess the Faith the Holy Spirit has gifted you - speak the Apostles’ Creed out loud. Pray with the Son of Man - His Prayer - the Our Father out loud. Then go joyfully to serve your neighbor in love as you live these Ten Commandments in your daily calling. Watch! Stay awake! Be in His Word! Study the Scriptures! Memorize His promises! Live by the power of the Holy Spirit in His Word. He turns the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers - lovingly building each other up in Christ’s Word.  
      Escape isn’t found in our prepping, but in beholding the Son of Man present in His Word, within His Church, adventing among us as the Holy Spirit comforts us daily and richly washing away all our sins with Christ’s blood. Filling us with peace as our Heavenly Father richly and daily provides you with all your need to support this body and life - protecting you from evil by good government and the ministry of His holy angels.
      Daughter of Zion! To Faith! Behold your Salvation comes! Behold the Son of Man! Crucified for you! Risen for you! Ascended for you! Present here for you! Ruling for you! Coming again - for you! Revelation 22:20-21 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.