Trusting God's Promises
Sermon
Living Between the Advents
Preaching Advent in Year B
Object:
Unfortunately, in our culture we have been conditioned to expect people to break their promises. Politicians promise us all sorts of things when they are running for office, and even as we base our vote on what they say, we fully expect them to break their promises. Advertisers promise amazing results if we will just use this product or the best deal ever if we will just shop at that store, and even as we spend our money we fully expect the promise not to hold true. People promise us all sorts of things, but we are never completely surprised when they let us down. I'm afraid we have become a very cynical culture. It is hard really to disappoint us, because a big part of us expects to be disappointed.
Let us not transfer that cynicism to our thinking about God. We can expect God to fulfill his promises. The birth of Jesus Christ is a confirmation of the commitment of God to his promises. It is also an indicator of the ways in which God fulfills his promises.
One thousand years before Jesus was born, David became king of Israel. He came to that position through much turmoil and controversy, but the Old Testament affirms that he came to that position ultimately through the guiding hand of God. God loved David, and God had great plans for David and for his descendants. It occurred to David one day that it seemed wrong that he had a fine house to live in while God's presence as symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant had only a tent in which to dwell. So, David proposed the construction of a temple to the Prophet Nathan. Nathan initially approved the plan, but then was told by God to have David scrap the proposed construction. Then, God told Nathan to say two very important things to David:
Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
-- 2 Samuel 7:11b
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
-- 2 Samuel 7:16
The idea was that David and his descendants would rule in Israel forever.
And rule they did, for a very long time. Through a division of the kingdom, through military coups, through moral failures, through wars, through the political and military maneuverings of the surrounding empires, the kingdom of David endured. For over 400 years a descendant of David ruled in Jerusalem. But on that dark day, in 587 B.C.E., when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, they also exiled King Zedekiah to Babylon. Thus ended the line of Davidic kings in Israel. Never again did a descendant of David rule in Jerusalem. Hopes persisted for a while that one would, of course. But it never happened.
At some point, Hebrew theologians began to understand the larger importance of the promise that had been made to David. One day, they began to understand, God would send the greatest descendant of David who had ever lived. He would be the ideal ruler. He would establish not only the kingdom of David but also the kingdom of God, and it would be established forever. So they waited. And waited. Some thought that God would never keep his promise. Others waited and looked; those who never stopped believing.
Cut to Nazareth, an inconspicuous village in Israel. It had been almost 600 years since the last descendant of David ruled in Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman, probably just a teenager, named Mary. He told her that she had found favor with God and that she would conceive and bear a son whom she was to name Jesus. In telling Mary about these wonderful things, Gabriel used terms that the Jews were accustomed to hearing in describing royal figures. Among the truths that were made clear by Gabriel were that the baby would be the Son of God and that he would inherit the throne of David. His reign would last forever. In other words, in the birth of Jesus the promises made to David had been kept.
We may be sure that God will keep his promises. But we need to learn from the birth of Jesus some lessons about the ways in which he keeps those promises.
God Keeps His Promises In His Time
The logical and literal interpretation of God's promise to David would be that the line of kings descended from David would never end, that there would always be a Davidic king sitting on the Jerusalem throne. That did not happen. But in God's plan and in God's time something much greater than that happened. The Jews looked for almost 600 years for the great Messiah who would be descended from David. He finally came, but much waiting had to be done. God's time is not the same as our time. We must learn to wait on God, and in that time of waiting learn patience, endurance, and faith.
God Keeps His Promises In His Way
Seldom does God work in ways that we would expect. Seldom does God choose the people we would choose for him. God sent the angel to Mary, a virgin who was only betrothed, not yet fully married. She was poor and humble. Surely we would expect the Messiah to be born to someone whose piety was known far and wide or to someone who could give the king all the comforts and advantages one would anticipate royalty having. But that's not the way God works. That's not the way he worked when he chose Jesus' ancestor David. David was the runt of the litter, so insignificant that Jesse did not even bother to bring him in to meet Samuel until he was told to do so. But God chose David. God chose Mary out of his grace, but also because she had a humble, accepting, open heart. Perhaps we can only perceive the fulfillment of God's promises when we live in expectation that God will act, not because he owes it to us and we live lives of quiet, unassuming dependence on God.
Note one other thing about the way in which God keeps his promises. He keeps his promises in a way that provokes response and commitment. Mary asked questions. How could she not ask questions? But in the end Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). When God comes to us he comes ready to keep his promises and to work in our lives, but he does look for receptivity. He does look for response. He does look for commitment. He does look for willingness. Because you see, often the keeping of his promise to us is only the beginning of what God wants to do with us and through us. This was not the end for Mary in her walk with God. This was only the beginning. Better put, this was only the next step, but what a significant step it was! We want God to come to us, don't we? We want God to keep his promises to us, don't we? We want God to reveal himself, don't we? I don't know. Do we? Real, legitimate expectation of God's action carries with it a real, legitimate commitment to do whatever God calls us to do. God always keeps his promises to us. Do we always keep ours to him?
With these principles in our minds I would remind you that God still keeps his promises. Just as surely as he kept his promise to give David a kingdom that would last forever by sending Jesus to reign as the resurrected Lord, he will also keep his other promises. We may wait with that assurance. Here are a few of the promises we have from God that he will surely keep. I include here promises made by Jesus, the Son of God, who was fully human and fully divine.
He Will Never Leave Us Or Forsake Us
"Remember, I am with you always," Jesus said. He promised that when he ascended to the Father the Holy Spirit would come. And come the Holy Spirit did. Thus we are comforted, which is one role of the Holy Spirit. We do not suffer alone. We do not experience trials alone. We have the Comforter. Also, we are empowered. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts and empowerment to do the work of the Lord in our world. We are incapable, but God is fully capable. He is with us, giving us help and strength.
We Really Can Live As Citizens Of The Kingdom
Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." He said, "You are the salt of the earth." He said, "You will be my witnesses." We look at ourselves and say, "Who, me?" and the Lord says, "Yes, you!" We don't feel very much like salt and light and witnesses sometimes, and frankly, we don't look very much like that sometimes. The truth is, though, that when God's grace breaks into our lives it continues to work in those lives. The truth is that when we commit ourselves to following Jesus, we do become citizens of his kingdom and he gives us the strength and ability to be becoming ever more faithful and effective citizens of the kingdom.
Jesus Really Is Coming Back
God promised that he would. Here we learn valuable lessons from the First Coming of Christ. Remember that he came in God's own time. Remember that he came in God's own way. Remember that it was the meek and lowly and humble and expectant who were ready for him to come. Remember that 2,000 years in God's scheme of things is not a very long time at all. Remember to be ready.
Conclusion
God does act. God does keep his promises. God does so in his own way and in his own time, but he is faithful and sure. Still, when God acts he expects response. He expects commitment. Mary said, "Let it be with me according to your word." Are you saying that to God right now? "I just can't," you may be thinking. "I'm not able to make that kind of commitment." No, you aren't. You are no more able than I am to live up to the kind of submission and commitment God requires of us. But I remind you of what Gabriel said to Mary just before she made her expression of faith: "Nothing will be impossible with God."
Let us not transfer that cynicism to our thinking about God. We can expect God to fulfill his promises. The birth of Jesus Christ is a confirmation of the commitment of God to his promises. It is also an indicator of the ways in which God fulfills his promises.
One thousand years before Jesus was born, David became king of Israel. He came to that position through much turmoil and controversy, but the Old Testament affirms that he came to that position ultimately through the guiding hand of God. God loved David, and God had great plans for David and for his descendants. It occurred to David one day that it seemed wrong that he had a fine house to live in while God's presence as symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant had only a tent in which to dwell. So, David proposed the construction of a temple to the Prophet Nathan. Nathan initially approved the plan, but then was told by God to have David scrap the proposed construction. Then, God told Nathan to say two very important things to David:
Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
-- 2 Samuel 7:11b
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
-- 2 Samuel 7:16
The idea was that David and his descendants would rule in Israel forever.
And rule they did, for a very long time. Through a division of the kingdom, through military coups, through moral failures, through wars, through the political and military maneuverings of the surrounding empires, the kingdom of David endured. For over 400 years a descendant of David ruled in Jerusalem. But on that dark day, in 587 B.C.E., when Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, they also exiled King Zedekiah to Babylon. Thus ended the line of Davidic kings in Israel. Never again did a descendant of David rule in Jerusalem. Hopes persisted for a while that one would, of course. But it never happened.
At some point, Hebrew theologians began to understand the larger importance of the promise that had been made to David. One day, they began to understand, God would send the greatest descendant of David who had ever lived. He would be the ideal ruler. He would establish not only the kingdom of David but also the kingdom of God, and it would be established forever. So they waited. And waited. Some thought that God would never keep his promise. Others waited and looked; those who never stopped believing.
Cut to Nazareth, an inconspicuous village in Israel. It had been almost 600 years since the last descendant of David ruled in Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman, probably just a teenager, named Mary. He told her that she had found favor with God and that she would conceive and bear a son whom she was to name Jesus. In telling Mary about these wonderful things, Gabriel used terms that the Jews were accustomed to hearing in describing royal figures. Among the truths that were made clear by Gabriel were that the baby would be the Son of God and that he would inherit the throne of David. His reign would last forever. In other words, in the birth of Jesus the promises made to David had been kept.
We may be sure that God will keep his promises. But we need to learn from the birth of Jesus some lessons about the ways in which he keeps those promises.
God Keeps His Promises In His Time
The logical and literal interpretation of God's promise to David would be that the line of kings descended from David would never end, that there would always be a Davidic king sitting on the Jerusalem throne. That did not happen. But in God's plan and in God's time something much greater than that happened. The Jews looked for almost 600 years for the great Messiah who would be descended from David. He finally came, but much waiting had to be done. God's time is not the same as our time. We must learn to wait on God, and in that time of waiting learn patience, endurance, and faith.
God Keeps His Promises In His Way
Seldom does God work in ways that we would expect. Seldom does God choose the people we would choose for him. God sent the angel to Mary, a virgin who was only betrothed, not yet fully married. She was poor and humble. Surely we would expect the Messiah to be born to someone whose piety was known far and wide or to someone who could give the king all the comforts and advantages one would anticipate royalty having. But that's not the way God works. That's not the way he worked when he chose Jesus' ancestor David. David was the runt of the litter, so insignificant that Jesse did not even bother to bring him in to meet Samuel until he was told to do so. But God chose David. God chose Mary out of his grace, but also because she had a humble, accepting, open heart. Perhaps we can only perceive the fulfillment of God's promises when we live in expectation that God will act, not because he owes it to us and we live lives of quiet, unassuming dependence on God.
Note one other thing about the way in which God keeps his promises. He keeps his promises in a way that provokes response and commitment. Mary asked questions. How could she not ask questions? But in the end Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). When God comes to us he comes ready to keep his promises and to work in our lives, but he does look for receptivity. He does look for response. He does look for commitment. He does look for willingness. Because you see, often the keeping of his promise to us is only the beginning of what God wants to do with us and through us. This was not the end for Mary in her walk with God. This was only the beginning. Better put, this was only the next step, but what a significant step it was! We want God to come to us, don't we? We want God to keep his promises to us, don't we? We want God to reveal himself, don't we? I don't know. Do we? Real, legitimate expectation of God's action carries with it a real, legitimate commitment to do whatever God calls us to do. God always keeps his promises to us. Do we always keep ours to him?
With these principles in our minds I would remind you that God still keeps his promises. Just as surely as he kept his promise to give David a kingdom that would last forever by sending Jesus to reign as the resurrected Lord, he will also keep his other promises. We may wait with that assurance. Here are a few of the promises we have from God that he will surely keep. I include here promises made by Jesus, the Son of God, who was fully human and fully divine.
He Will Never Leave Us Or Forsake Us
"Remember, I am with you always," Jesus said. He promised that when he ascended to the Father the Holy Spirit would come. And come the Holy Spirit did. Thus we are comforted, which is one role of the Holy Spirit. We do not suffer alone. We do not experience trials alone. We have the Comforter. Also, we are empowered. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts and empowerment to do the work of the Lord in our world. We are incapable, but God is fully capable. He is with us, giving us help and strength.
We Really Can Live As Citizens Of The Kingdom
Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." He said, "You are the salt of the earth." He said, "You will be my witnesses." We look at ourselves and say, "Who, me?" and the Lord says, "Yes, you!" We don't feel very much like salt and light and witnesses sometimes, and frankly, we don't look very much like that sometimes. The truth is, though, that when God's grace breaks into our lives it continues to work in those lives. The truth is that when we commit ourselves to following Jesus, we do become citizens of his kingdom and he gives us the strength and ability to be becoming ever more faithful and effective citizens of the kingdom.
Jesus Really Is Coming Back
God promised that he would. Here we learn valuable lessons from the First Coming of Christ. Remember that he came in God's own time. Remember that he came in God's own way. Remember that it was the meek and lowly and humble and expectant who were ready for him to come. Remember that 2,000 years in God's scheme of things is not a very long time at all. Remember to be ready.
Conclusion
God does act. God does keep his promises. God does so in his own way and in his own time, but he is faithful and sure. Still, when God acts he expects response. He expects commitment. Mary said, "Let it be with me according to your word." Are you saying that to God right now? "I just can't," you may be thinking. "I'm not able to make that kind of commitment." No, you aren't. You are no more able than I am to live up to the kind of submission and commitment God requires of us. But I remind you of what Gabriel said to Mary just before she made her expression of faith: "Nothing will be impossible with God."
