"Enduring Advent Joy!" Philippians 4:4-7

Rorate Coeli - The Fourth Sunday in Advent               24-December-2023
Sermon Text: Philippians 4:4-7  by Rev. Nathan j. Rusert
Sermon Theme: Enduring Advent Joy! I. Knowing Jesus As Your Lord! (Vs.4) II. Trusting Him as Our Emmanuel! (Vs.5). III. Fearing Him as Our Loving Father! (Vs.6) IV. Protected by Our Comforter! (Vs.7)

I.N.R.I. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for showers. The forecaster is Isaiah, the prophet. Seven centuries before tomorrow broke - he called for rain on Christmas day! Did you miss his forecast in our introit this morning? The Holy Spirit breathed through Isaiah, “Isa 45:8 “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it.” To sinners struggling in the thorny dreary parched death filled desert lands - rain comes to bring new life. Just as the winter snow and rain fill deserts with new life - Jesus’ incarnation, birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection make our creation new.
    Righteousness that saves isn’t man made. It rains down on us from above, from the Father of Lights in Whom is no variation or change, through His only-begotten Son, by the Lord and Giver of Life! God’s righteousness rains down upon this world in the flesh and blood of the Babe born of the Virgin Mary. She is the God-Bearer. The Fruit of her womb is the Lord God her Savior - your Savior - the Savior of every sinner!
    The Rain of Righteousness gushes forth from the Virgin Mary’s crucified Son’s spear pierced side. The earth opens its mouth to receive His sin destroying life renewing blood. His lifeless corpse is laid to rest in the earth - three days later salvation and righteousness burst forth - He lives! He speaks His Word of victory - “Peace, I forgive you all your sins!”
    Fear not! I baptize you! I am with you always! Joh 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Joh 16:33 ... In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." He rains down His righteousness on you - receive it by faith!
    Learn from St. Paul: Enduring Advent Joy! I. Knowing Jesus As Your Lord! (Vs.4) II. Trusting Him as Our Emmanuel! (Vs.5). III. Fearing Him as Our Loving Father! (Vs.6) IV. Protected by Our Comforter! (Vs.7)
I.   Would you celebrate Christmas if you were in prison possibly facing an unjust execution? How about if you knew that death was about to swallow up your life - your journey was at its end? Or if the one you loved and planned to marry lost all faith in your fidelity? An unplanned pregnancy - he knew the baby wasn’t his - you flee to an elderly cousin’s house in the hill country to hide your shame and protect your family’s name. Would you? Could you - have a “merry” Christmas?
    Many this Christmas hurt separated from their family - their loved ones. Death, divorce, disputes, fractured trust, mental illness tear us apart. Isolated by grief we silently mourn. Happiness has evaporated. Hospitalized our aged ailing bodies alert us that we are only a breath away from death’s maws. Incarcerated in the cell of our own pet sin - we add to our chain link by link selfishly seeking personal happiness - not caring what it costs others.
    Satan promises happiness if we ignore our Creator’s commands. He puffs up our pride to imagine we know more than God’s Word reveals. He strokes our egos promising power and autonomy if we follow our desires, feelings, reason, and senses pursuing perverted pleasures. The world cheers us on to do it ‘our way.” Our fallen flesh loves the spiritual lies Satan peddles promising new pathways to godhood apart from Jesus.
    The happiness of the devil, the sinful world, and our fallen flesh are lies, illusions, deceptions, dreams. Holiday joy lasts only until the credit card payments come due in January. Illusionary happiness warring off like strong drink leaving only a terrible headache and upset stomach. Like a drug addict, the high never lasts, but instead of honestly seeing the poison is killing us - we run after more and more to reach another “high.”
      Enduring advent joy flows from our Creator into us. Paul is in prison facing possible execution for being a Christian. He preaches, (Phil.4:4) Paul echos the preaching of the fetus John. When he hears the voice of the Virgin Mary - he leaps for joy in for the Lord Jesus - a fetus in her womb had come! Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, blesses the Virgin Mother for the Fruit of her womb is the Creator - the Word made flesh - the only begotten Son of God from eternity - become One with us!
Paul’s joys in Jesus. Not even the threat of death can rob him of Advent joy! The Virgin Mary sings a song of joy - “Luk 1:46-47 "My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
      Learn from St. Paul, from the Virgin Mary - not to rejoice in them, but in the Lord - Jesus enters human history not to be “a” Lord - He comes to be “your Lord” - “my Lord” for poor miserable damned sinners like me and you. “My Lord” is at the heart of Advent joy! What does it mean? He doesn’t come as a new Moses with a myriad of commandments. He comes to buy you back from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. He comes to purchase and win you - not with worldly fading treasures of gold and silver - but with the eternal treasure of His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. Rejoice in Jesus “my Lord” always. He is true security. Gold/silver cannot keep you alive. Jesus gifts you with His life - eternal life. Rejoice in Him always! Again rejoice! Rom 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
II. Joseph was heartbroken. His teenage bride was pregnant and it wasn’t his child. He wanted to cover her sin breaking off their engagement privately. The Lord’s holy angel appears to Joseph as he dreams. Fear not! Mary is a Virgin. The Child in her womb has been created by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word of promise preached. Name this child Jesus - He comes to save sinners. This is done to fulfil the promise preached through the prophet Isaiah. Mat 1:23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which is translated, "God with us."
    Enduring Advent joy flows from trusting Jesus as our Emmanuel - God with us! He advented in human history born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem in the days of Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman empire, King Herod ruled Judea, and Quirinius governed Syria. Came into our time and space not only for a brief 33 years, but to be the God/Man with us always to the end of time. Paul preaches. (Phil. 4:5) “Come Lord Jesus, be our Guest” many of us pray at every meal. These aren’t empty wishes - He comes - the Lord is at hand!
    An old plaque in many Christian homes read; ‘Christ is the Head of this House. The Unseen Guest at every meal. The Silent Listener in every conversation.” He is with you always. This is the promise He sealed upon you when He baptized you through the hands of your pastor into the blessed Name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. How can we not let our gentleness, reasonableness, considerateness be known to all around us if our Lord is at hand? He is with us not to damn, not as the Divine police officer to issue a citation - He is with us to save.
    Sinful pride puffs us up to be harsh, unreasonable, inconsiderate of others. Jesus forgives. Frees you to begin anew. Humbly caring for fellow sinners redeemed by Christ’s blood and precious to God the Father. He is “Our Emmanuel” within His Church - His Body - and you are members of one another. Enduring Advent joy trusting our Emmanuel assures you that you will never be alone - He is with you - He comforts you through your brothers and sisters in His one family - the Holy Christian Church - the community of sinner/saints - forgiven richly and daily. Rejoice trusting Emmanuel’s promise - ‘never will I leave you, never will I forsake you!”(Heb. 13:5)
III. What do you fear? Financial collapse? Death? Loss of family? Loss of memory? Your life spinning out of your control? Your plans shattered? Your hopes lost? Do you fear those who threaten to kill you for being a Christian? Jesus preaches, Luk 12:4-5 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. (5) But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” Fear God the Father! Fear Him not as an unjust tyrant. Fear Him as your loving Father in Christ Jesus! He gave His only begotten Son to rescue you from Satan, sin, and death bringing you back to Himself. Behold His love for you. He calls you His beloved children in Jesus.
    Enduring Advent joy - prays! (Phil. 4:6) Anxiety is the daily bread Satan, sin, darkness, and death feed us. Don’t eat the gravel they want to feed claiming it bread. Throw all your anxiety onto the shoulders of your loving Heavenly Father in prayer - He cares for you. All anxieties small to XXXL - cry out to Him in prayer. Supplicate Him - ask, seek, knock for what you need from the Holy Spirit given in His Word to daily bread to freedom of forgiveness, strength in temptation’s battles, to final deliverance in the hour of your death and the day of judgment - Christ’s final advent - to bring you into eternal joy of seeing Him face to face.
    Pray thanking God the Father for everything. Job did. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away - bless His holy name. A loving Father leads and disciplines us as His beloved children. We can thank Him for our crosses, losses, and blessings He showers upon us in His wisdom. His good and gracious will preserves us under the cross in His Word and Faith until we die.   Fear your Father’s love for you! Pray. Ask. Give thanks. Seek. He hears. He answers. He loves you!
IV. Death would soon take Moses from the children of Israel. As a loving spiritual father, he fixes their eyes on Jesus - The Final Eternal Prophet - He is the Word of God - in our skin to save sinners. At Sinai the people feared hearing God’s voice thundering the Ten Commandments. They asked for a Mediator. Jesus is the One and Only Mediator between God and Man. Hear Him! He breathes forth the Lord and Giver of Life - the Holy Spirit - in Easter words of absolution /forgiveness! (Phil. 4:7) Peace of God! “Peace!” the first word of our Risen Jesus to His fearful apostles. “Peace! Receive the Holy Spirit!” “I send you to forgive sins!” to comfort my people - I have paid double for all their sins! Now the Holy Spirit, the Comforter - comes to apply My cross won - empty tomb certified forgiveness within My Church - daily and richly.
    God the Holy Spirit through the Gospel spoken in your ears daily - sets a military guard on your hearts and minds. Hear Him! Read the Holy Bible out loud daily at home. Pray Jesus’ Words to Our Father. Hear the Holy Spirit forgive, comfort, and declare peace to you ever Sunday in the Father’s House through the flesh and blood of His only begotten Son.
    He is coming again soon - apart from sin - to save you! Rejoice! Amen.