Advent 2011 1 of 5
November 27, 2011 Chester FBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction
A The advent wreath is a teaching tool that has been traditionally apart of Catholic as well as Christian tradition for hundreds of years.
1 Advent means “coming or arriving or appearing.”
a Our Lord’s advent/coming to earth was a history-changing, life-changing event.
aa Had baby Jesus not been born in a manger in Bethlehem we would not have had the man Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
bb He’s not done yet!
b Advent has historically tied the Jesus first coming (manger at Bethlehem) to the Jesus’ second coming.
aa The snatching away His bride 1 Thess. 4. 13-18 in the Rapture and the coming of Christ to earth to rule and reign in Rev. 1.7, 19:11-16.
bb The first advent of Jesus Christ set up the hope of believers in the promised second advent.
2 We find ourselves in the “between times.” He has come and is coming again, but what do we do until He gets here? BETWEEN TIMES!
a We long for the time when “ the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7 (NASB)
b We believers and the creation itself is waiting for Jesus to come again!
aa Rom. 8.18-25
bb In between we will follow Mark 12.29-31.
cc We long for the day when the long-expected Jesus comes for His bride, brings peace and justice and righteousness to the world.
3 The Advent wreath teaches us to bring the two advents (the one that has already happened 2,000 years ago) to the one that is coming quickly, Jesus’ second advent.
a The basic advent wreath consists of a circle, usually surrounded by green evergreen with four candles (3 purple/1 red or pink) and white candle in the center.
aa The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity/endless mercy which has not beginning & no end.
bb The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God (newness, renewal, revival, eternal life)
b The candles remind us that Christ, the light of the world, has come into our sin darkened world to bring newness, life, and hope.
aa The four outer candles represent the period of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
bb Three purple/or blue candles (symbolize royalty), used during the Easter (or lenten) season to symbolize the suffering of the holy week. (Matt.27.27-31.)
cc The red (or pink) candle is traditionally seen as the candle of rejoicing, Rose of Sharon, encouraged to wear red to church, we are going to use it as a candle to remember the blood atonement paid by Jesus at Calvary.
c Each Sunday we’ll light a new candle plus the candles we’ve lit in prior weeks.
aa Symbolizes our waiting experience as we anticipate the coming of the Lord.
bb As more and more light is given off the more the darkness flees.
cc Each new candle reminds us that something is happening and that more is yet to come.
dd The center candle is the “Christ Candle” which we will light at our Christmas Eve service at 6:00 PM. God keeps His promises! Faithful & true. All of his promises are “yes” and “Amen.”
B We will spend our Advent season looking at how God’s promises are progressive.
1 Today, Bethlehem and how God had promised His people in the Old Testament that He would not leave them w/o a shepherd to guide them.
a Draw attention to the expectation of a coming Messiah, Anointed One.
aa Suffer abuse from kings, governments, half-hearted religiosity but God would raise up a righteous King, Good Shepherd.
bb This golden thread is woven through out the pages of the OT & NT.
b The King is Coming and we shall see the King when He comes!
2 The other candles will represent Jesus’ healing ministry in Galilee (Purple), His shedding of blood on Calvary’s Cross (Red), The Second Coming (Purple), and the white candle is the “Christ Candle.”
a The “Christ Candle” is located at the center of the wreath because His coming is at the center, heart of the season, reason for the season.
b Before we start talking about Ground Zero of Advent let’s pray.
I Finally, the Messiah has come (Mal. 4.1-2).
A Between the promise of Malachi 4 and Matthew 1, were 400 years where the prophets were silent, almost as if God went silent.
1 Matthew bridges the gap between the O.T. promise of Messiah to His arrival.
a Matthew wasn’t the first gospel written: Mark.
aa Not the most cerebral: John
bb Not the most compassionate: Dr. Luke
b Matthew, a tax collector from the city of Capernaum that Jesus called to be His disciple, builds the quickest bridge between the Old Covenant and New Covenant.
aa Matt. 1.1, “Jesus Christ” Jesus Messiah (The one with healing in His wings! Sun of Righteousness)
bb Matthew’s Gospel will quote one ancient Jewish prophecy after another explaining how Jesus fulfills each promise-57 in all. He goes to great lengths because Jesus wasn’t at all what people expected in a Messiah.
2 The Jews were looking for a warrior, got a pacifist; looking for the new kingdom of Israel but got the Spiritual Kingdom of God.
B Matthew’s gospel is called the Jewish Gospel because it compares Jesus to Ancient Israel & genealogy.
1 Jews & Exodus in contrast to Jesus life.
a Matt. 2.13-15, Returned from Egypt (Herod killed baby boys of Bethlehem)
b Matt. 4.1, Suffered in the desert badlands (Wilderness temptation)
c Matt. 3.13, Passed through the waters of the Jordan (Baptism)
d Matt. 5.1, Law was given from Mt. Sinai (Sermon on the Mount)
2 Matthew’s gospel starts w/ 14 generations worth of genealogy (Ambien to us but to Jews it’s fascinating)
a The Messiah had to be a son of Abraham & related to David.
b What is odd in the genealogy is the listing of women in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1.3, 5-6).
aa Tamar (twins w/ her father-in-law); Rahab (was a hooker); Ruth (an Arab who was David’s Great Grandma); Bethsheba (A woman David had an adulterous affair with)
bb We wouldn’t let these ladies teach Sunday School but God placed them in blood line of the Messiah.
cc God can work through who ever He wants too!
C Matt. 2.1-2, we can picture a small group of Iraqis riding their camels to Jersalem to pay tribute to “the newborn king of the Jews.”
1 They go to King Herod’s palace first because he was the Roman appointed king of the Jews. (They were looking for his son.)
a Herod was nuts (Narcissistic, Megalomaniac, possibly schitophrinic, kidney disease, STD, complained to feeling like his brain was itching, paranoid . . . killed two of his own sons and wife because he feared they were plotting against him.)
aa Magi arrived looking for the newborn king so Herod used them to GPS the location so he could smart bomb the child.
bb 2.4, Herod gathers the chief priests/scribes to see where the Messiah was to be born.
b Matt. 2.6 is a quote of Micah 5.2 (BETHLEHEM)
aa Bethlehem (AKA as Ephrath or Ephratha; Gen. 35.19) means “House of Bread” & will come to be known as the “House of David.”
bb Arabic is “Beit Lahm” “House of Meat”
2 Bethlehem has an incrediable history in God’s redemptive story.
D Bethlehem is the site that nearly 4,000 years ago Jacob buried his young wife, Rachel (momma of Joseph & Benjamin) Gen. 35.19-20.
1 Bethlehem is just about 5/6 miles south of Jerusalem.
a Also the town of Ruth & Boaz in the OT book of Ruth.
aa Ruth was an Arab/Gentile who married Boaz (Kinsmen Redeemer; Ruth 1.15-19)
bb She was gathering wheat in his field ans she found favor in his (Boaz’s) eyes. (Ruth 2.8).
cc He married her (Ruth 4.10) and she bore a son (4.13,17)
b BYW: I believe Ruth is a shadow/type of the church (Gentile bride of the Redeemer)
aa Boaz would get back Naomi’s land through the marriage of Ruth.
bb This was prophetically fulfilled in 1948 when the Jews return to their land through the help of the gentile bride, The Christian Church!
c Jessie would have a boy born in Bethlehem named David and David would have been tending sheep in the field (known as Ruth’s Field) when the prophet Samuel came looking for the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16.1,4,11.)
aa After David’s anointing Bethlehem slides aside until Micah 5.2-3.
bb " But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." 3 Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. Micah 5:2-3 (NASB)
2 The whole purpose of the first advent was not for the purpose of setting a Messianic Kingdom.
a He came to be rejected and that’s what the Jews did.
aa 40 years after His death the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and sold the Jews on the worlds slave markets.
bb Micah 5.3, tells us a remant shall return!
cc Out of the ashes of WWII holocaust, wherein 6 million Jews were slaughtered, the nation of Israel was birthed.
dd Wouldn’t have happened w/o the Gentile Bride! BYW: Ruth means “beautiful companion.”
b Ruth 1.16, (God has put love in our hearts for Israel that is nurtured by the Holy Spirit.)
3 Isn’t it fitting that in the same town that Ruth (Gentile bride) was wedded to Boaz, David was born/breed, would be the town that Jesus Messiah was born?
a Luke 2.8-11
aa Shepherd’s field, Ruth’s Field, David had tended sheep . . . the Great Shepherd comes to our world!
bb Who but God?
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Mike Fogerson
