Day eight
of our Advent preparation is upon us. We will be ready in just over two weeks?
If so, there is work to do. The carol says, “Let every heart prepare him room.”
As we prepare our hearts, what needs to be done? Our readings today give us
some insight.
If the
Lord were coming to visit your home, what would you clean or prepare first?
Many folks would cook their favorite recipes, change the sheets, dust and
vacuum, clean the mirrors and windows, take out the trash, and the list goes
on. What do you notice about this list? These are externals. If the Lord were
to visit your house, I don’t think he would be overly concerned with your
stuff. He would be much more interested in your heart and soul! Jesus would
want you, first and foremost, to have a pure heart. How embarrassing if you
were not aware of Jesus’ expectations. What a gift it would be if someone would
tell you what you really need to do to get ready. That is exactly what Malachi
prophecies in our first reading.
Malachi 3:1-4
“Behold,
I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom
you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in
whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can
endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like
a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like
gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4
Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the
days of old and as in former years.
Malachi offers
us an amazing insight into what was to take place before the Messiah would
appear. A forerunner would be sent by the Lord to prepare the way for His
appearing. This “messenger” would proclaim the word of the covenant when he
arrived. His proclamation to Judah and Jerusalem was to be one of purification,
and this appeal was to be for everyone. Who will stand when he appears? Let’s
face it. There is no one who stands on their own righteousness (See Romans
3:10). Our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)! A clarion call will
precede the Messiah – summoning the people of God to a state of purity before
He comes. As impure metal like gold and silver is refined, so God’s people
would require cleansing from their iniquity.
Only when the people offer their gifts in righteousness will these gifts
be acceptable to God. The externals are meaningless to God, unless your
internal disposition is right.
Psalm 126:1-6
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like
those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with
songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great
things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled
with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who
sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with
songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 126 speaks of the return
of God’s people from the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC.
Restoration of God’s people meant more than reclaiming their land. It also
meant a return of God’s Presence and a reinstitution of the covenant that
defined their relationship with God. When God restores the fortunes of His
people, He will bless His people like a river overflowing its banks. Joy will
replace sadness, the people will sing songs to the Lord and proclaim His deeds
to the nations. And, finally, the people of God will begin to produce a harvest
again! Simply put, God’s people were supposed to be the big brother to the
brotherhood of nations. All nations were to come to Jerusalem to worship God.
This was the harvest to be reaped by God’s chosen ones. This outreach or
evangelism effort did not really occur. Instead, the people of God became
exclusionary and held contempt for other nations. The Gentiles were referred to
as “Dogs”.
Oh, but a
day would come when God would reestablish His people in a much more complete
way than occurred in the mid-500s BC. According to John 1, Jesus was coming to
“tabernacle” with God’s people (John 1:14). His Presence would be known by the
people, because He would dwell with them. Indeed, the covenant would not only
be renewed, it would be transformed into the New Covenant. Like the Negev
springing forth, God’s blessings would flow from the wounded side of Jesus, and
from the heavenly throne of God to those who love the Lord (Rev. 21:1-2). This
idea also involves the “living water,” which is symbolic for the gift of the
Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). Those who followed Jesus knew true joy and abundant
life. But there is more. Jesus disciples took very seriously the task of
spreading the Gospel around the world – to Jews and Gentiles. The Psalmist’s
words would come to pass in the restoration of Jerusalem in the 6th
century. But there would be a complete fulfillment when the Messiah appeared
and the New Covenant Church emerged!
Philippians 1:1-6, 8-11
Paul
and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus
at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I
remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 8 God can testify how
I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and
depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is
best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled
with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory
and praise of God.
The Philippians passage teaches us that the
Lord is still at work. He who began the work is not giving up on it. To the
contrary, He will be faithful to complete it, until the “Day of Jesus Christ.” So, as we
wait for the glorious appearing of Jesus in His second coming, we should love
each other well, grow in knowledge and discernment, so that we realize what is
really important. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we do this, “So that you may be pure and blameless for
the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through
Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” This is the standard preached by the messenger prophesied way
back in Malachi. Be pure and righteous for the “Day of Christ” is approaching!
This is also the message for us today! We should “come clean” before the Lord
often. Repentance and confession are gifts of grace to us from our Holy God.
They are the tools or avenues God has given to us for the purification of our
hearts. They help us stay prepared. As the old spiritual says, “Keep your lamps trimmed and burning, the
time is drawing nigh!”
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee,
his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of
Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He
went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of
the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare
the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every
valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads
shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people
will see God’s salvation.’”
Luke 3:1-6 reveals the
fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy. The forerunner sent to prepare the way was
none other than John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. It was held by the
Hebrews that before the Messiah came, Elijah would return. Malachi 4:5 states, “See, I will
send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord
comes.” Though John denied being Elijah (John 1:21), Jesus
recognized John as the fulfillment of this expectation concerning Elijah. In
Matthew 17:10-13, The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that
Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied,
“To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah
has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him
everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at
their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about
John the Baptist. It is also interesting that the very place
where John appears and was baptizing (John 1:28) is traditionally held to be
the exact spot from which Elijah was taken up in the chariot (2 Kings 2:6,
11-12). So, John, being likened to Elijah by Jesus, gives evidence that Jesus
is none other than the Messiah! All of the prophecies are fulfilled in Christ.
What was
the message that John was preaching? John was preaching a message of
preparation and purity. He was calling the people to repent and be baptized for
the Messiah would soon arrive. Both concepts, repentance and baptism, are
replete with connections to purity. Malachi’s prophecies and Isaiah’s
prophecies (Isaiah 40:4-5) rang true in this man John. He was making a way
through the wilderness for our God. The rough places would be smooth. The
crooked would be made straight. The valleys would be raised, and the mountains
brought low!
Most of us are pretty obsessed with the externals. How do I
look? How does my house look? But, the Lord is most interested in your
“internals”. That is, your heart, mind and soul. This Advent, can you hear the
voice of one crying in the wilderness? Do you need to repent – to turn from
sin, sorrow and sadness, and be brought back with joy and singing into a renewed
covenant with the Lord? I know I do. “Lord, purify our hearts, so that our
gifts might be acceptable unto you. Amen.”
Blessings for a wonderful eighth day of Advent!
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