“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” YES, TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF A BRAND NEW YEAR…FOR THE CHURCH. THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SEASON.
ALONG WITH THE DAWNING OF A NEW SEASON AND NEW YEAR COMES THE ANTICIPATION OF STARTING FRESH, STARTING OVER, MAKING CHANGES AND EXPECTATING BETTER DAYS AHEAD.
THE MARKING OF A NEW YEAR WITHIN THE CHURCH BEGINS WITH THE CELEBRATION OF ADVENT WHICH STARTS TODAY. ADVENT IS THE FOUR WEEKS AND SUNDAYS THAT LEAD UP TO CHRISTMAS DAY, DECEMBER 25TH.
THE WORD "ADVENT" IS LATIN MEANING "COMING” OR “TO COME TO.”THE SEASON OF ADVENT IS NOT ONLY A REMINDER FOR US TO START PREPARING TO CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT JESUS HAS ALREADY COME ONCE BY BIRTH AS A BABY, BUT TO BE IN PREPARATION FOR HIS SECOND COMING. THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST IS WHEN HE RETURNS IN FINAL VICTORY AS THE PRINCE OF PEACE.
SO, ADVENT MUST BE A TIME OF CONTINUAL PREPARATION. IT IS MORE THAN JUST HEAD-KNOWLEDGE TO “KNOW” THAT CHRIST WILL RETURN “ONE DAY” OUT IN THE UNKNOWN FUTURE.
IT IS LIVING WITH THE SAME CONCEPT OF BEING IN THE MILITARY: ALWAYS BE “ON GUARD.” WE MUST “STAND THE WATCH,” “BE ON ALERT” AND LIVE OUR LIVES IN CONSTANT EXPECTATION THAT JESUS WILL COME AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
ACTUALLY…WE WHO HAVE OR ARE SERVING IN THE MARINES, NAVY AND ARMY SHOULD ALL BE PRETTY GOOD AT MEMORIZING AND RECITING WHAT IS CONTAINED IN OUR “GENERAL ORDERS” 2 AND 11.
AS A FORMER MARINE, I CAN ATTEST TO GENERAL ORDER 2 THAT STATES “TO WALK MY POST IN A MILITARY MANNER, KEEPING ALWAYS ON THE ALERT AND OBSERVING EVERYTHING THAT TAKES PLACE WITHIN SIGHT OR HEARING.” THE FIRST PART OF GENERAL ORDER 11, WARNS ME “TO BE ESPECIALLY WATCHFUL AT NIGHT.”
THE ARMY IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT AS THE FIRST PART OF GENERAL ORDER 1 SAYS “I WILL GUARD EVERYTHING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF MY POST.”THE SAME IS TRUE FOR OUR AIRMEN. ALTHOUGH THE AIR FORCE DOES NOT HAVE “GENERAL ORDERS,” OUR AIRMEN DO RECITE IN THE “AIRMAN’S CREED” THAT “I AM AN AMERICAN AIRMAN, GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM AND JUSTIC. SO, NO MATTER WHEN, WHERE OR TIME OF DAY, WE ARE TO ALWAYS BE ON GUARD!
THIS IS WHY ADVENT IS HERE TO REMIND US TO BE “ON GUARD” BY NOT ONLY KEEPING OUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL READY AT ALL TIMES, BUT TO ALWAYS LIVE SPIRITUALLY ON THE ALERT.
ONE PARTICULAR PART OF OUR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE TODAY IN VERSES 32-27 GIVES US A GLIMPSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING WATCH AND STANDING GUARD FOR THE COMING OF JESUS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THE MOST OBVIOUS IN VERSE 32 THAT PROCLAIMES THAT “NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR” WHEN JESUS WILL COME BACK…NOT EVEN JESUS…NOR THE ANGELS. YES, EVEN JESUS “STANDS GUARD” FOR GOD’S “SIGNAL” TO MAKE HIS RETURN.
THE EMPHASIS HERE IS NOT SAYING THAT JESUS IS CLUELESS OR LACKS KNOWLEDGE. THE POINT IS THAT JESUS TEACHES US TO BE CONCERNED MORE ABOUT PREPARATION THAN CALCULATION. IN OTHER WORDS, DON’T WASTE TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OR GUESS “WHEN,” BUT USE YOUR TIME WISELY TO “BE READY.”
THIS IS THE OVERALL THEME OF THE PARABLE OF THE MAN GOING ON A JOURNEY IN VERSES 34-36. THE SERVANTS HAD NO IDEA WHEN THEIR MASTER WOULD RETURN. THEY WERE TOLD NOT ONLY TO “KEEP WATCH” BUT TO “GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS” OF THEIR ASSIGNED DUTIES.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN WORK TO DO. WE HAVE OUR OWN “CALLING” IN MINISTRY, OUR OWN GIFTS, TALENTS AND ABILITIES. WE SHOULD BE USING THEM TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES “WHILE THE MASTER IS AWAY.”
THE REASON FOR KEEPING ALERT AND WORKING HARD AT WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO IS TO PREVENT ANY EMBARRASMENT OF THE MASTER COMING BACK UNEXPECTED AND GETTING CAUGHT “SLEEPING ON DUTY,” MESSING AROUND, AND NOT DOING WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
THE LAST THING WE NEED TO BE “CAUGHT DOING” IS NOTHING AT ALL. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO BE SLOPPY, LAZY, INDIFFERENT, AND UNCONCERNED ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR GOD AND FOR OTHERS. LET’S NOT ALLOW GOD TO FIND US “DOZING OFF.”
SO, HOW CAN WE MAINTAIN A WATCHFUL ATTITUDE AND “STAND GUARD” WHILE WE AWAIT THE RETURN OF CHRIST? I THINK AT LEAST TWO THINGS CAN HELP US STAND GUARD. THEY ARE: KNOW YOUR FAITH AND, KNOW THE FAITH OF OTHERS. I BELIEVE THESE TWO THINGS CAN HELP US GET STARTED.
FIRST, KNOW YOUR FAITH! THE FACT IS CLEAR…YOU CAN’T TEACH WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW AND CAN’T EXPLAIN WHAT YOU DON’T FIRST UNDERSTAND.
AS CHRISTIANS WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO LEARN DEEPER TRUTHS OF THE BIBLE AND BE READY TO SHARE THAT KNOWLEDGE. AS 1 PETER 3:15 INSTRUCTS, “…ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU TO GIVE THE REASON FOR THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE….”
THE FIRST WAY TO STAND YOUR GUARD TO SEEK TO KNOW MORE AND MORE OF GOD’S WORD BY LEARNING ITS TRUTH, TREASURING IT IN YOUR HEART AND SHARING IT WITH OTHERS.
SECONDLY, KNOW THE FAITH OF OTHERS! ONE OF THE BEST MILITARY STRATEGIES IS TO KNOW YOUR ENEMY! WE, AS BELIEVERS MUST HAVE A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT OTHER FAITHS BELIEVE. WE DON’T NEED TO BE EXPERTS, BUT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER FAITHS.
LEARNING CHECK: DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE OF WICCA AND SATANISM? DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MCHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES? HAVE YOU READ THE KORAN, THE BOOK OF MORMON, OR EVEN THE BIBLE? DO YOU KNOW THE HISTORY, THEOLOGICAL TRAINING, CREDENTIALS AND BACKGROUNDS OF JOEL OSTEEN, BISHOP T.D.JAKES, JOYCE MEYER, BILLY GRAHAM OR ANY OTHER PROMINENT “BIBLE TEACHERS” ON TV AND RADIO TODAY?
THEY ALL APPROACH THE WORD OF GOD FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES AND FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES! IT WOULD SAVE MUCH HEARTACHE FOR ALL TO BECOME AWARE OF WHAT OTHERS BELIEVE ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO “CLAIM JESUS.”
WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT OTHER FAITHS TEACH, SO THAT WE WILL NOT BE LEAD ASTRAY. IT IS DANGEROUS TO “FLIRT” WITH A “BUFFET” STYLE OF FAITH BY “PICKING AND CHOOSING” FROM A VAST ARRAY OF RELIGIONS. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE WITHIN CHRISTIANITY ITSELF, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON TV!
JUST LIKE PAUL INSTRUCTED TIMOTHY IN 1TIMOTHY 1:3-4, TO “STAY THERE IN EPHESUS SO THAT YOU MAY COMMAND CERTAIN PEOPLE NOT TO TEACH FALSE DOCTRINES ANY LONGER OR TO DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO MYTHS AND ENDLESS GENEALOGIES. SUCH THINGS PROMOTE CONTROVERSIAL SPECULATIONS RATHER THAN ADVANCING GOD’S WORK—WHICH IS BY FAITH.”ALSO, EPHESIANS 3:14, THEN WE WILL NO LONGER BE IMMATURE LIKE CHILDREN. WE WON’T BE TOSSED AND BLOWN ABOUT BY EVERY WIND OF NEW TEACHING. WE WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO TRICK US WITH LIES SO CLEVER THEY SOUND LIKE THE TRUTH.”
WHETHER IT IS FROM A “CHRISTIAN” ORGANIZATION OR A TOTALLY DIFFERENT REGLIGIOUS GROUP, WE NEED TO ARM OURSELVES WITH THE TRUTH AND BE ABLE TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCES SO THAT WE DON’T END UP WITH A ‘MIXED UP’ POTPOURRI OF BELIEFS THAT ARE CONTRARTY TO GOD’S WORD.
SO, WORK TOWARDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR FAITH AND SEEK A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER FAITHS, SO THAT YOU CAN BECOME STRONGER, MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE CHRISTIAN WHO IS LESS LIKELY TO GO ASTRAY AND BE “CAUGHT OFF GUARD” WHEN CHRIST RETURNS.
AS WE’VE HEARD MANY TIMES IN OUR MILITARY TRAINING: “STAY ALERT! STAY ALIVE!” AS YOU JOURNEY IN YOUR FAITH, CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS ADVENT SEASON A REMINDER ONCE MORE THAT JESUS IS COMING AGAIN! SO, STAND GUARD AND WATCH!
