A, The First Sunday of Advent - Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24 32-44 "Living like We're Dying: The Armour of Hope"

Romans 13:12 (ESV) “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.”

Advent is symbolised with candles, with light.  The Advent candles represent the light of hope, the light of peace, the light of joy, and the light of love.  Without hope there is no peace, without peace there is no joy, and without joy there is no agape love or selfless love for others as God has loved us.

Today the focus is on the light of hope ­— the armour of light which gives us hope.  We have lit one candle for hope.  Let’s now hear just what real hope is!

Our hope is that Jesus is coming.  But what is this hope?  It’s not a worldly hope, a “maybe” hope, a hope full of hesitation and doubt.  No! Our hope is a certainty that Jesus is returning to judge the living and the dead!  So, how do we know this?

Jesus tells us he, the Son of Man, is coming and he calls us to be ready.  He says, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  (Matthew 24:44 ESV)

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, just before the reading for today, Jesus says, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32–35 ESV)

Some of you like eating figs, some not so much!  But regardless of liking or not liking the fruit, the fig is a marvellous indicator for the gardener waiting to sow summer crops, waiting for the last frost before planting the summer veggies.  At one manse, we had a fig.  The chooks got the figs I can honestly declare.  But once it started to shoot, veggies were planted and they wouldn’t get frosted, even though on the other side of the head-high fence frosts still fell.  I couldn’t tell you the day or the week this would occur but when the fig shot out shoots, it was time to plant.

Similarly, Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 ESV) Jesus does not even know exactly when, but he knows the Father knows when it’s coming, and so he knows it is coming.  He also says,  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34 ESV)

From this we know that Jesus is not necessarily speaking about the annihilation of the heavens and the earth.  Jesus tells “this generation” to be ready for he, the Son of Man, is near and is coming!  Then we hear about Noah’s generation where despite the signs all but eight people were drowned when God opened the flood gates and it rained for forty days and forty nights.

Like the fig tree giving signs that summer was coming, there was an ark shaped sign that a flood was coming, yet the people of Noah’s day didn’t read the signs and suffered for it.

Even now after the fact many are tempted to doubt the flood actually occurred.  They don’t believe that Noah heard God and faithfully built the ark, and that Noah’s generation was annihilated despite Jesus faithfully reporting the event.  We should trust Jesus because he was there, at the flood, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, administering the deluge and then drying it up as humanity was reset with eight people coming out of the ark.

 So, the promise is, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”  (Matthew 24:35 ESV) Jesus is the word made flesh.  His word will not pass away, and neither will Jesus having eternally conquered death!

Jesus’ word will not pass away but our world will.  In light of the reality of Noah and the flood Jesus then speaks about the future of his return where two men and two women are working, one of each is taken and the other is left.  It’s ambiguous whether the one taken is taken to heaven or hell, or if the one who remains, does so dwelling in the new heaven and earth, or whether the one who remains misses out!  In the flood humanity was there before the rain, and then afterwards it wasn’t.  We tend to think that those who are taken are taken to heaven, but Jesus does not say either way. 

Therefore, we do well as “this generation” to understand Jesus’ coming happens in our death and will happen, similar to the recreation of creation, as it did in Noah’s time.

Paul tells us to “wake up”, “you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:11,14 ESV)

You are called to dress yourself in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.  In other words, you’re called to live like you’re dying , like Jesus lived like he was dying!  He was dying to forgive, that is, he was dying to give life through the power of forgiveness at the cross. When we refuse to repent and forgive, we remain with “this generation” that gratifies its flesh with its living to die attitude.  That’s death by one’s desires!

Paul calls us to put on “the armour of light”!  This is the Advent hope in Jesus Christ, to die to the passions of the flesh now, rather than when Christ returns when it will be too late.  But how do we put on this armour of light?  Or how do we cast off our works of darkness, which are revelry, intoxication, that’s not just limited to alcohol and drugs, but casting anything off that makes one toxic in the sight of God? And how does one cast off the desires of improper sexuality and sensual pleasures, quarrelling and zealousness for our jealous selves which shows our true colours, that we’re dressed in darkness?   How does one put on Christ, our “armour of light”?

We live like we’re dying!  In other words, we live like Jesus Christ who lived knowing he was going to die and having risen from death now lives and rules eternally.  But the question goes begging, “How do we live like we’re dying?”  How did Jesus live while he knowingly walked the way of the cross and death?

He lived knowing our sin was going to bring about his death on the cross.  We live in the sight of our sin, as a reminder of the death we still face.  Despite our sin being covered it uncovers the reality of death. However, the eternal death we should receive, has been covered by Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit clothes us in him.

Jesus Christ did not live hopelessly, resigning himself to recklessness, irresponsibility, and carelessness — rather, he lived faithfully.  Jesus bore the flame of the Holy Spirit who led him to live faithfully despite death.  You too are called to this life.  Rather than thinking, “I’m dying anyway, so I may as well burn out living recklessly in my desires and pleasures”, in your holy baptism you’ve been dressed in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. 

Jesus put off his divinity and put on the cloak of yours and my humanity and fulfilled the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Now having victory over the cloak of humanity’s darkness and death, Jesus lives, so we can continually allow the Holy Spirit to dress us with life eternal in Jesus Christ, because he has carried our eternal death on himself, and gives perfected life for all who believe they need it!

In the knowledge that our sin brings not just earthly death but eternal death, we’re not to be defeated by this, but rather allow the Holy Spirit to use it for God’s glory.  Our sin is  covered, our humanity is covered, God now allows it to be the catalyst, or a burning wick of repentance, within.  There’s no longer the need to justify yourself!  But rather, you can allow the Holy Spirit to turn you, and to justify you in Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father.

Let the Holy Spirit continually ignite your candle of hope in Jesus Christ and his eternal word!  As hope burns in you, the Holy Spirit will also enlighten you with the eternal candles of God’s peace, joy and love.  Amen. 

A, The First Sunday of Advent - Matthew 24:42-44, Romans 13:11-14 "Stolen From..."

Written on a one metre ruler in my High School’s woodworking shop was, “Stolen from the Manual Arts Dept.”   

I have forgotten many things learnt from school, but I’ve never forgotten this quirky identification on the teacher’s blackboard ruler.  It probably says quite a bit about the sense of humour of my manual arts teachers.  Humour blended with sarcastic cynicism, that appeals to the Australian psyche, which no doubt has come about through experience of misfortune.

Imagine finding this ruler in the English or science classroom!   It would have been enough to have the teacher’s name on the ruler, but seeing, “Stolen from the Manual Arts Dept.”, one is entertained by the comedy of the teacher going to rule a line on the blackboard, or whiteboard, only to discover being ruler-less.

In Matthew chapter twenty-four, Jesus seems to say something equally as quirky as that which was written on the teacher’s metre ruler.  Jesus says, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  (Matthew 24:42–44 ESV)

So, are we to be ready, staying awake, so that we will be stolen?  Or are we to be ready, staying awake, so we are not stolen?  Is Jesus coming to thieve us from the master of this world, Satan?  Or is the call to stay awake, a call to stop the forces of evil stealing our salvation, through being lured back into a sleep of unbelief and death?

Jesus uses what seems to be a mixed metaphor or contrary image in his warning, making us ponder, “who is the master of the house, who is the thief, and for what must one be ready?” 

Like the manual arts ruler identified in the science classroom, are we staying awake to be picked up and found?  Or, are we staying awake so we’re not picked up and stolen to a place where we just should not be? 

If I am the master or the servant, do I need to be stolen or do I need to protect myself not to be stolen?  If Jesus is the thief, from what am I being stolen?  What am I staying awake and waiting for?

If the thief is sin, death, or the devil, how does staying awake protect my identity, so it’s not stolen?

One must let the context of Jesus’ words determine what he is teaching us here.  Jesus continues, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”  (Matthew 24:45–46 ESV)

But the servant who has not stayed awake, eats and drinks in drunkenness and violence, and is sleeping in a wicked life that leads to death.  This is the person who has not remained awake and has been stolen by death.

In Luke’s parallel account, Jesus says, “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  (Luke 21:36 ESV)

Here Jesus calls us to stay awake so we can escape and not be stolen by the cares of life.  As chaos increases, we’re not stolen back to a hopeless sleep of eternal death.

So, the anomaly to “stay awake”, is one that can be viewed both ways.  We stay awake ready to be rescued and stolen by Jesus when he returns, and we also stay awake, so we are not stolen by worry and doubt, which allows sin, death, and the devil to break into those whom Christ has made holy!

But how does one stay awake?  How is one stolen by God?  Or, how does one remain awake so they are not stolen by death?

In Revelation twenty, John reports the hidden reality of how we are stolen from the jaws of the evil one, kept awake,  sustained and saved from eternal death.  This is the picture he sees and reports to the church…

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.  And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years…  Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed.  They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!  Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:1, 2, 4a, 4c, 6 ESV)

For the sake of brevity, I haven’t given you the full text.  However, I encourage you to read the whole of Revelation chapter twenty through to the end.  When you do you will see and hear the victory that belongs to Jesus Christ and all who remain awake in him.  Or, who allow themselves to be stolen by him from our sinful selves and the deceptive world in which we suffer and by which we are tempted.

But a few things are worth noting from what I have read to you from Revelation twenty. 

The devil is bound for a thousand years.  He has limited power in this era that began at Jesus’ incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension and will end upon his return.  The thousand years is the perfect time only known to God the Father.  In the fulness of this time when his purpose is complete, God the Father will send Jesus Christ, and Jesus will come again to this world.

In this era of the church, perfected by Jesus Christ, we reign with him having already died in our first death, and that death was at our holy baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection over sin and death.

In fact, those who stay awake in Jesus Christ, are continually being woken through the waking work of the Holy Spirit as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes us holy in the Gospel of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and forgiveness. 

Jesus will come, returning like a thief in the night.  But let us remain awake to the reality of our reign with Christ.  Though, for now, it is hidden from all those who have not been baptised into Christ or who have fallen back into a sleep ending in death!  We live in a generation that is stolen!  In a culture that is not awake to Jesus Christ.

But when we allow the Holy Spirit access to keep us awake, we are blessed!  The devil has been bound.  We live in the daily resurrection of our baptism into Jesus Christ.  We live with the freedom to be witnesses and martyrs of the faith.  We do so, because the second death and the devil, have no power over us.

We might think of our hope in Jesus Christ, as Hell Out and Permanently Eliminated for those awake in Jesus Christ.  Or, Jesus has stolen those he loves from eternal death, Jesus is stealing those he loves from eternal death, and Jesus will steal those he loves from eternal death.

If we are stolen from Satan, and he is bound in what he can do, we still need God’s waking protection in the Holy Spirit.  This is because there’s still limited power and principals of evil being exercised in the world.  By our sinful human spirit, and our corporate human spirit, feeding and fuelling the desires of a corrupt world.

Finally, Paul encourages us in Romans chapter thirteen, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  (Romans 13:8 ESV)

Then he continues, “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand.  So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:11–14 ESV)

Here he calls us from the desires of selfish love to being loved by God!  When we remain in God’s love, like the manual arts ruler, we bear the quirky sign of God, “Stolen by God, stolen from sin, death and Satan.”

Let us continually remain awake in the Holy Spirit!

Rather than being identified as “Stolen from God, stolen by sin death and the devil”.  We endure being “Stolen from sin death and the devil because we’re stolen by Jesus Christ.”  Amen.