Week of 1 Advent

1 Advent - Sunday

first posted 11/29/03

Amos 1:1-5, 13-2:8 Indictment of Israel and her neighbors

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 The Day of the Lord

Luke 21:5-19 Signs of the end of the age

The prophecy of Amos, a shepherd at Tekoa, in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam king of the northern kingdom of Israel (around 783-750 B.C.): For three transgressions…and for four (i.e. “more than enough”) the Lord will execute judgment upon Israel and Judah and their neighbors. The gentile (non-jews; heathen) neighbors will be punished for wickedness that should have realized was wrong, even without the benefit of the Law of Moses, and the Israelites will be held accountable according to the Law. The Lord will punish those who have rejected his Law (2:4c).

Paul, responding to an inquiry for a timeline for the coming of the Day of Judgment, repeats Jesus’ warning that that Day will come suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night or as labor pains to a pregnant woman. Believers have the light of the Gospel and need not be caught unprepared, if they keep alert and watchful, and don’t succumb to the temptations to worldliness around them. We are to make the eternal Christian virtues of faith, hope and love our armor and to trust in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, who desires our salvation and is able to sustain us. Therefore we should encourage and build up one another.

Jesus warned his hearers that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. (The Temple of Herod, the third one built on the site in Jerusalem, which Jesus was referring to, was destroyed in 70 A.D., during the pillage of Jerusalem by Titus, the son of the Roman emperor Vaspasian, and has never been rebuilt.) They asked for a sign of the end of the age, and he warned them not to be led astray by false “christs” claiming to be Jesus and claiming to know the time of the end (v. 8). Jesus told his followers not to be terrified by wars and natural disasters; all those things would take place first but that the end would not follow immediately.

Before the end there would be great persecution of believers, which would be an opportunity to testify for the Gospel. Believers should not try to prepare their answers beforehand but trust and allow the Holy Spirit to provide answers at the moment they are required. Believers will be betrayed by family and friends, and some will be put to death. Believers will be hated for Jesus’ name’s sake, but the Lord promises to keep them from perishing and that by their endurance they will gain eternal life.

The Lord is going to judge the whole earth. Ignorance of his word will be no excuse. The Day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night (Luke 12:39-40). Believers should be ready at any moment for the Lord’s return, and should be occupied with faithfully following the Lord’s word, and trusting in his promises. I can testify to my personal experience, on numerous occasions, of the Holy Spirit providing testimony through me in fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Luke 21:14-15. I think my homeland, America, in particular, needs to hear the word of the Lord’s judgment against those who exploit people for money (Amos 2:6-8).

The Day of Judgment is coming to all people who have ever lived on earth (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29) All have sinned (Romans 3:23). The wages (penalty) of sin is death [eternal destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9)]. God loves us and doesn’t want us to perish (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8). Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12). Salvation is a free gift; we don’t deserve it, can’t earn or buy it, and can’t take it by force or deception (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must accept and receive it (John 1:12, Revelation 3:20). “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life (we’re all eternal; see also John 5:28-29), and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life” (he who has not the Son of God will receive eternal destruction - eternal death) (1 John 5:11-12).

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

1 Advent - Monday

first posted 11/30/03

Amos 2:6-16 Judgment on Israel

2 Peter 1:1-11 Exhortation to Holiness

Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem

The word of the Lord through Amos the prophet: “For three transgressions…and for four (i.e. “more than enough”), I will not revoke the punishment” (Amos 2:6a). In spite of having had the revelation of God’s word, and having experienced the great acts of the Lord on her behalf, her delivery from bondage in Egypt, the Lord’s providence during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, her possession of the Promised Land, and her delivery from her enemies around her, Israel had not kept God’s word. She had trampled on the rights of the poor, and indulged in sexual impurity and idolatry. The Lord warned that there would be punishment for sins from which there would be no escape.

The teachings of Simon Peter, one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, are set forth in this letter to believers. It is God’s will to give us salvation, provided that we hold firmly to his great and precious promises, by which we can escape the corruption which is in the world through our selfish human nature, and be transformed to conform to the divine nature through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Authentic faith should lead to these virtues. Therefore beginning with faith, we should make every effort to add to it virtue (goodness), knowledge, self-control, steadfastness and godliness, affection and love. If these virtues abound, one can avoid being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those in whom these virtues are lacking have not appreciated the significance of their salvation. Therefore we are urged to grow and persevere in these virtues so that we will not fail to attain the fulfillment of the promise of our entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord.

When Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, (on his way to his crucifixion), he sent two disciples to the nearby village to get an ass, on which he would ride into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy. They found the ass as Jesus had told them (whether by foreknowledge or by prearrangement). Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. “…the crowd that went before him and that followed shouted ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest’” (Matthew 21:9)! “…when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying ‘Who is this?’ and the crowds said ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee’” (Matthew 21:10-11).

The Lord warns that there is a Day of Judgment coming. Those who have rejected God’s word and God’s Son will be punished with eternal death and destruction in Hell. Israel had knowledge of God’s nature and his word, but did not obey, which resulted in judgment. In many ways my homeland, America, is the new Promised Land, the New Jerusalem. Although this passage is not limited to only America in its application, America has experienced many great acts of the Lord on her behalf, and urgently needs to hear God’s warning today, specifically regarding those who exploit people for money, and also regarding sexual immorality (see Amos 2:6-8).

People who have saving faith in Jesus are revealed by their growth in the Christian virtues of wholesomeness (virtue), knowledge (of God, through a close personal relationship with Jesus, and of God’s will through regular study of his word), self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love (genuine love as contrasted with lust). Lack of those virtues cause one’s faith to be ineffective and unfruitful, and jeopardizes one’s salvation. It’s not enough just to go to church on Sundays; it is not enough just to know that Jesus is Lord; we must obey him, or our knowledge will be in vain (Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:21).

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a drama in the form of a parable, to be understood and accepted or rejected, humbly offering himself as the Messiah. Those who accompanied him acknowledged him as the heir to the throne of David, the coming Messianic King. Jesus is God’s son and coming King. Jerusalem was stirred up by Jesus entry, but although they thought they knew who Jesus was (a prophet from Nazareth; Matthew 21:11) they didn’t accept him as their Messianic King, so their knowledge proved to be unfruitful. Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12). Jesus doesn’t force his kingship on us; we’re free to choose God’s way or our own way, but there will be an accounting on the Day of Judgment.

Jesus is going to come again, this time he will come as the victorious, ruling King of the Universe, to judge all the earth. Those who have trusted in him as Lord and savior and have kept his commands will receive eternal life in heaven with him. Those who have rejected Jesus and have rebelled against his word will be condemned to eternal death and destruction in Hell with Satan and his demons. Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and savior? Do you know where you’re going to spend eternity?

1 Advent - Tuesday

first posted 12/01/03

Amos 3:1-11 The role of prophecy
2 Peter 1:12-21 Confirmation of prophecy
Matthew 21:12-22 Cleansing the Temple; Fig tree cursed

God’s elect will be judged according to a higher standard. The Lord knows everything that happens, and nothing occurs apart from his will. The Lord allows calamity to happen as corrective discipline. God does nothing without revealing it to his servants the prophets. When God speaks, his prophet must prophesy. Those who practice oppression, violence, and robbery will be punished. Those who think they are invulnerable will be devastated.

Apostolic tradition is based on eyewitness testimony; it is not a collection of myths created by the imagination of men. This eyewitness testimony confirms the prophecy of scripture. The coming of the Messiah was prophesied by scripture and was confirmed by the apostles, including Simon Peter, who personally witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration and heard the voice from heaven saying “This is my beloved Son…” (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). Therefore we have the advantage of scriptural prophesy confirmed and verified by eyewitness testimony. Prophecy of scripture is not a matter of one’s own interpretation, because it was not the creation of men by their own imagination, but by men inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem and drove out the merchants and money-changers, saying, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you make it a den of robbers” (Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11). The blind and lame came to him in the Temple and he healed them. “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant…” ( Matthew 21:15). Jesus left Jerusalem and stayed overnight in Bethany. In the morning, returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry. “And seeing a fig tree, he went to it and found nothing but leaves only, and he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once” (v.19). His disciples were amazed, but Jesus told them that with faith that does not doubt, they can do even greater things than that, and will receive whatever they ask in prayer.

The Lord wants us to know his ways, so that we can follow them and have the kind of life he intended for us. He disciplines us like a good father disciplines his children, punishing them when they do wrong, so that nothing worse will befall them. He warns us through the Scripture and through his prophets. We ignore his word at our peril.

We not only have God’s word in the Old Testament Scripture; we have the eyewitness testimony of the New Testament confirming the fulfillment of the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament. There is also the testimony of all those who have believed and have come to personally experience a relationship with the risen Jesus, beginning with Saul/Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). Those who are willing to believe the testimony of the Bible and of those who have experienced a personal relationship with Jesus will come to experience with certainty the reality of Jesus for themselves.

Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. He fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 69:9a when he cleansed the temple (John 2:13-17). He healed the blind and lame that day in the temple. Jesus demonstrated supernatural power in the withering of the fig tree, which is drama in the form of a parable showing the consequence of defying God’s will. Jesus revealed who he was to everyone; those who were open to the truth received him as the promised savior. The children acknowledged him as the Messiah (The Son of David), but the religious authorities refused (see Matthew 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians1:18-25). Do you know Jesus? Have you received him as your Lord and Savior?

1 Advent – Wednesday

first posted 12/02/03

Amos 3:12-4:5 God’s judgment prophesied
2 Peter 3:1-10 The Day of the Lord
Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus’ authority

The day of divine judgment will be thorough; relatively few will escape catastrophe. Those who have trusted in material wealth will find no security in it. Wealthy and greedy women are as guilty as their husbands. Public display of religious ritual is vain because it does not make one righteous in the Lord’s eyes.

This letter containing the teaching of Simon Peter emphasizes the certainty of Christ’s second coming. Delay is no proof that the prophecy will not be fulfilled. It shows that the Lord “is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any to perish, but that all should reach repentance” ( 2 Peter 3:9). Scoffers argue that the world will go along as it always has, but Peter points out that the earth was already destroyed once, by water, in the days of Noah. Scoffers are one of the signs of the last days ( 2 Peter 3:3). God’s word is a creative force, unlike our “chatter.” God created the world by his word (Genesis 1:6-10). He points out that God has an eternal perspective of time, quoting from Psalm 90:4. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40).

The preceding day Jesus had thrown the venders and money-changers out of the temple, and had healed the deaf and lame, and been hailed by children as the "Son of David" in the temple. When he returned, the religious leaders challenged his authority to do these things. In reply Jesus asked them a question about the authority of John’s baptism. They discussed it among themselves, and decided not to answer, since either answer would expose their hypocrisy, so Jesus also refused to answer them. Then he told the parable of two sons; each was asked to go to work in his father’s vineyard. One said no, but later went; the other said yes, but didn’t go. Jesus asked which had done the will of the father. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders, and declared that those who they regarded as the worst of sinners would enter the kingdom of God before them, because those sinners had given heed to John the Baptist and believed, and even when the religious leaders saw it they did not repent and believe.

The word of the Lord through Amos warns that neither wealth nor “religion” offers security from God’s Judgment. The kind of worship the Lord desires is worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). True worship involves obedience to God’s word (John 14:21).

The Letter of the teaching of Simon Peter reaffirms the certainty of the Day of Judgment, and the need to be prepared. We need to remember the words of the prophets and the commands of the Lord.

The religious authorities had seen the works that Jesus had done in the temple which demonstrated who he was, and they had full knowledge of the biblical prophecies, but yet they demanded that Jesus prove his authority. They didn’t give Jesus an honest answer to his question, but one which was self-serving. They had the word of God, but it did them no good because they did not apply it to their individual lives. They did not acknowledge Jesus’ authority.

Jesus is going to return to judge all the earth (Matthew 25:31-46). All authority has been given unto him by Almighty God (Matthew 28:18) We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). The penalty for sin is death (eternal destruction in Hell) (Romans 6:23). God doesn’t want us to perish but to have eternal life with him (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Salvation is a free gift; we don’t deserve it, can’t earn it or take it by force or deception (Ephesians 2:8-9) Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; 1 John 5:11-12). We must receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20).

1 Advent – Thursday

first posted 12/03/03

Amos 4:6-13 Prepare to meet your God
2 Peter 3:11-18 The coming of the Day of God
Matthew 21:33-46 The parable of the vineyard

The Lord allows calamity as corrective discipline. If we disregard his discipline and refuse to repent we will ultimately face his condemnation. We are therefore urged to prepare now to give account to God on the Day of Judgment.

Simon Peter taught that believers should live lives of godliness and holiness, as they await and work for the coming of the Day of the Lord. This present world will be destroyed by fire, and will be replaced by a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells. Therefore we should try to remain unstained by sin as we await the coming of the Lord, trusting in his forbearance (mercy) for our salvation. We are warned to be careful not to be led astray by ignorant, unstable and lawless people, but to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus told the parable of the vineyard: A householder planted a vineyard and built all the necessary facilities, and then rented it to tenants and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenant to collect his fruit, but the tenants beat and stoned his servants and killed one. The owner sent more servants and the tenants did the same. Then the owner sent his son, and the tenants, realizing that this was the heir, killed him, hoping that the inheritance would come to them. What then will the owner do when he comes? He will destroy the wicked tenants and give the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the fruit. Jesus told the Jewish religious leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken away from Israel and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. The Pharisees perceived that Jesus had told the parable about them, but they were afraid to arrest Jesus because the multitude believed he was a prophet.

The Lord has provided abundant warnings through nature and history which are intended to bring us to repentance. If we disregard those warnings, we will ultimately face condemnation on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46). Believers should be careful to live holy and godly lives so that they will be unstained by sin on the Day of Judgment. Jesus parable illustrates the judgment which awaits those who reject the Lord’s authority and his commands. Those who ignore the Lord’s repeated attempts for reconciliation will be cut off from his bountiful blessing and will face his condemnation.

God is the owner of the vineyard. He’s sent his servants the prophets, which the world has rejected and stoned. He sent his only begotten son, Jesus, whom the world killed so that they might have what was his. The Lord is going to come again to judge the world. Those who accept Jesus as their Lord will share the inheritance of eternal life with Jesus. Those who reject Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction in Hell. Are we prepared to meet our God? Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (John 14:6; Acts 10-12). We are all eternal (John 5:28-29). There’s no such thing as reincarnation: “…it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27).

1 Advent – Friday

first posted 12/04/03

Amos 5:1-17 Certainty and finality of Judgment
Jude 1-16 False Teachers
Matthew 22:1-14 The Marriage Feast

The Lord will punish transgressors. The wicked hate those who reprove them; they abhor the truth; they trample upon the poor, afflict the righteous, pervert justice and refuse the needs of the poor. Therefore the condemnation of the Lord is upon them. “Seek the Lord and live; seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts will be with you…Hate evil and love good, and establish justice…It may be that the Lord, the God of Hosts will be gracious…” (Amos 5:6a, 14-15)

Jude (who may have been the brother of James and the Lord Jesus) urges his hearers to hold fast to the Gospel, and not be led astray by false teachers who had arisen and were perverting the teaching of God’s grace into licentiousness and denying Christ. The author reminds them of examples of God’s condemnation of the wicked: He destroyed, in the wilderness, those of the Israelites who did not believe, and he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of their immorality and sexual perversion. These heretics are following the way of Cain, Balaam’s error, and Korah’s rebellion, biblical examples of a wicked and sinful attitude toward God. The author quotes from the book of Enoch 1.9 (a non-canonical book, included in Roman Catholic bibles) regarding the Day of Judgment against the ungodly. He warns that in the last time there will be scoffers, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. He exhorts believers to persevere in faith and prayer, reach out to the erring and wait for Jesus’ return.

Jesus describes the kingdom of God as a marriage feast. The King gave a marriage feast for his son, and invited his guests, but they would not come. He sent his servants again to summon his guests but they made light of it and went on about their business. Some even mistreated his servants and killed some of them, so the King became angry and sent his troops and destroyed the murderers and burned their city. Then the King sent out his servants and told them to go into the thoroughfares and invite all those they found, good and bad, so that the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the King entered, he discovered a man without a wedding garment, and he asked him how he had gotten in. The man was speechless, and the King had him cast “into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth” ( Matthew 22:13).

We will all face God’s Judgment (John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:31-46). We are all under condemnation, because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Amos calls us to turn to the Lord so that we may live, rather than receiving eternal death, which is the penalty for sin (Romans 6:23). We must turn to the Lord and begin to obey his word.

Jude emphasizes that we must hold on to faith in Jesus and not be led astray by a perversion of the concept of God’s grace into licentiousness, immorality and sexual perversion. This perversion of grace is all too prevalent in our churches today. It is “cheap grace;*” grace without obedience; without self-restraint; without discipleship. The author cites numerous scriptural examples demonstrating God’s judgment on sin.

The parable of the marriage feast describes the grace of God to forgive our sins, which is freely available to all through Jesus Christ. God will forgive our sins, provided that we accept Jesus as our Lord and begin to obey and follow him. Not everyone who calls Jesus Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of God the Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21; John 14:21).

*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6

1 Advent – Saturday

posted 12/05/03

Amos 5:18-27 Dread the Day of the Lord
Jude 17-25 Wait for the coming of the Lord
Matthew 22:15-22 Taxes to Caesar

Amos warns Israel that the Day of the Lord will be dreadful, because although they practice the forms of religion, they do not produce the fruit of it in obedience to the word of God. They expect to be vindicated by God on the Day of the Lord, but they do not practice justice and righteousness. In the wilderness, Israel was led daily in a direct relationship with God, which made the system of sacrifices unnecessary. In spite of that direct experience, they have always been quick to turn aside to idolatry.

Believers are instructed to beware of scoffers who will arise in the last days, following their own ungodly passions, creating dissention, advocating worldly attitudes, and devoid of the Holy Spirit. Instead, believers are reminded to remain steadfast and grow in their faith, to pray in the Holy Spirit, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, and reach out to the erring.

The Pharisees plotted to entrap Jesus in his words in conflict with worldly views. They asked him a question for which there seemed to be no answer which would not offend one sectarian interest or another. They tried to trick him into saying something against the civil government which could be used to destroy him, or alternatively would alienate him from the nationalistic Jews. Jesus was aware of their malice and answered perfectly, so that no one could argue with the answer.

The Jews had become self-righteous in the practice of their religion. They had come to rely on their religious rituals as the assurance that they were righteous, and had overlooked the need to obey God’s word and bear the fruit of that obedience in righteousness and justice. That same attitude is present in the Church today. People still think that they’re righteous because they teach Sunday school or sing in the choir, and think they can live as they please the rest of the week, disregarding, for example, God’s call for justice for the poor. Christians are supposed to be *in* the world, working for God’s righteousness and justice, but not *of* the world (John 17:14-19); not conforming to the godless worldly attitudes (Romans 12:2).

Jesus, in his answer to the Pharisees, illustrates this concept of Christians being *in* the world but not *of* the world. Christians are to influence the world for the Lord, but not to be conformed to the standards of the world. They are to work for the Lord’s justice and righteousness in the world, without being corrupted by the world.

There are false teachers within the Church today advocating worldly philosophies and practices, and creating divisions within the Church. There are a lot of people in churches today who think that they’re going to be vindicated on the Day of Judgment because they are church members. Believers would be wise to remember the teachings of the apostles, as Jude’s letter urges, and to be built up in their faith through daily fellowship, with the Lord, in God’s Word; to pray in the Holy Spirit; to keep themselves in the love of God through obedience to his word (John 14:21); to reach out to the needy and erring; and to trust in the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that not everyone who calls him “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who have done the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23; John 14:21; Matthew 25:31-46). “For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And ‘If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear’” (1 Peter 4:7-18)?