Bible Passage: Malachi 3:1 (NKJV)
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: December 15, 2021

Bulletin Advent Service Dec. 15, 2021

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

We’ll begin tonight by reminding ourselves where our theme comes from this year.  We are meditating on verses in the Old Testament that contain the Hebrew word, “hin-nay.”  Hin-nay is word that would be roughly translated in English as “look” or in old English, “behold!”  We might say today, “Check this out!”

Our verse tonight takes us to the very last book of the Old Testament, to a prophecy of Jesus contained there.  Tonight we are called upon to look, behold, check out The Suddenness of Jesus’ Advent.

 Just before our text, the people have been griping that they want to see God.  They want God to make an appearance and set all these rotten people straight!  “Where is the God of justice?”  This is what they were shouting at the heavens.

And so the Lord tells them that the one they are seeking will come.  But he adds, the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple…Behold, he is coming!  Suddenly he comes.  The idea of suddenly also contains this idea of “unexpectedly.”  There will be a “Surprise!” factor the coming of the Messenger of the Covenant.

Have you ever paused to think about the many unexpected, surprising things about the coming of Jesus into this world?  Who would ever have predicted that a young girl in Nazareth of Galilee, a virgin, not even married yet, would carry the Word of God incarnate?  Why would God even allow the appearance that things weren’t on the “up-and-up” with the birth of his Son?

Or think about the shepherds in Bethlehem.  Do you think those shepherds ever expected the sky above them to be bright with the glory of the Lord and to be filled with the holy angels?  Do you think in their wildest imagination they ever dreamed of Christ, the Lord, being introduced to the world as a baby wrapped in strips of cloth?  How suddenly their world changed that night!   How unexpected it all was!

Or think of Nathanael’s reaction to Jesus when Philip found him and told him we have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph (John 1:45).  Nathanael scoffed, “Nazareth!  Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46)  He was not expecting a Messiah from hillbilly country.  The people at Malachi’s time wanted God to come.  Ready or not, he came in the person of Jesus!

We could spend much more time tonight talking about the unexpected circumstances surrounding Jesus’ coming.  But I think all of that misses the larger point.  It wasn’t just the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ coming that were sudden and unexpected.  It was his coming itself that is the biggest surprise of all!  The Son of God came.  He came here!  Into this world.  To be a “messenger of the covenant.”  He came here to put into effect a covenant, a contract.  It is the contract called “forgiveness.”  It is a contract written and signed with his holy, precious blood.  It is a contract stamped and notarized by his resurrection from the dead.  Through faith you are joined in this contract.  It is a contract that holds up in God’s courtroom.  It is the only contract that holds up in God’s courtroom!  The devil cannot change or alter or appeal or overturn or nullify it.  Jesus has written in blood, “You are forgiven.”  Therefore, you are forgiven!  This is the most unexpected surprise ever!

It is this contract in Jesus’ blood that makes us ready for another event that will come suddenly.  The second advent of Jesus.  It is interesting, the very same words that Malachi says of the first coming of Jesus, Behold, he is coming! are words John uses in the very last book of the Bible about Jesus’ second coming.  John writes, Behold, he is coming with the clouds! (Revelation 1:7)  Paul emphasizes the suddenness of Jesus’ second coming by telling us, While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman. (1 Thessalonians 5:1)  That sounds scary!

That sudden, unexpected return of Jesus would be a frightening thing…if we didn’t have an air-tight contract with God.  And we do.  We hold in our hands the contract that guarantees eternal life in heaven – forgiveness of all sin.  It is the most blessed, unexpected, undeserved thing ever to come your way!  And how do we know this contract is good?  Behold, Jesus!

Amen.

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