Hi, and welcome back to the Hymn We Proclaim podcast with Pastor John Fonville. Today, a message that looks at the prophecy of Jeremiah and the promise of the righteous branch, Jesus Christ, who secures salvation and hope for God's people. Pastor Fonville invites us to reflect on Christ's life, death, and resurrection and future return as the unshakable foundation of our faith. As the season of Advent begins, we're called to rest in the assurance that Christ is our eternal King, our righteousness, and our peace. Here's the message now, called Christ Our Righteous Branch, the foundation of salvation and hope for the church.
Jeremiah chapter 23. This passage that we heard is appropriate because this is the Sunday before Advent. And it's appropriate because this passage turns our focus to the coming of Christ. To the coming of Christ, both in his first coming and his second coming. And it draws us into the Advent season with purpose and anticipation.
But to grasp the magnitude of what Jeremiah prophesies here, we have to have a lot of context because I don't think that most of you, perhaps you did if you were following the Book of Common Prayer, but I don't think most of you spent your devotions last week in Jeremiah, right? But this prophecy is powerful when you start to get the context. Because during Jeremiah's ministry, Judah, the southern kingdom was entrenched. with corruption, with idolatry. The people had, they had broken and abandoned the Mosaic covenant.
He says in chapter 7, in chapter 19, in chapter 32, that the people began practicing child sacrifice. That's how far they had fallen. And what had happened was despair gripped the people. Hope. was scarce.
They face the threat of it. Exile. Jeremiah says in chapter 7, he says in chapter 26 that God is going to destroy Solomon's temple. And so there was a time of crisis. Hopelessness.
But also, there was a time of crisis more there leaders. The political turmoil of the kingdom was great. The kings, the shepherds. Who had been entrusted with guiding God's people in faithfulness? They had failed miserably.
Every son of David who had come to the throne to this point failed. Look at chapter 23, verses 1 through 4. Just very quickly, Maya begins this chapter, and he addresses the failures of the shepherds. Of the kings who scattered and destroyed the flock of God instead of protecting and guiding them. And so he says, in chapter 23, look what he says.
He says, woe to the shepherds. That's the kings, the kings of Israel. Woe to you. You're not righteous. You have fair hold.
to lead my people. And so you have this great turmoil. But amidst all of this failure, Look what God promises. He offers hope. Look at verse 5.
He says, but behold, the days are coming. Look at that behold the days Are coming. Look at verse 7. Behold, the days are coming. He offers hope.
He promises, what is this hope? He promises to raise up a righteous branch. This perfect shepherd king who embodies perfect justice, wisdom, and righteousness. And he says that this righteous branch will come from David's. Oh ein.
And he's coming to restore his people and establish his everlasting kingdom. And so here you have this contrast of hopelessness, destruction. Exile, Solomon's temple destroyed, no king, enslavement to foreign powers. And God speaks into the midst of this darkness and he says, there's hope. Behold, the days are coming.
And so, oh, Jeremiah's prophecy reminds us that God's promises are not hindered by two things, human failure and your failure. Amen. Absolutely. And second, and here's another amen: political turmoil. Everybody in this room goes, that's the elephant in the room.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. But that's what his prophecy tells us. Jeremiah Through The Holy Spirit, as he prophesies, points his people beyond this immediate judgment. To a future filled with hope. That's what the Advent season is about.
Listen. But the hope that he points them to did not come until about 620 years later. Um How many of you who are going through difficult situations go like this? Lord, do it now. Please.
Please bring it, bring the relief.
Now Right. We'll come back to that. But This good news that Jeremiah proclaims is not confined to Israel's hope, but it extends to us today. And so, as we reflect upon what Jeremiah says here, we discover three profound truths about Jesus, the righteous branch, because that's who he's talking about. He shows us three key aspects of Jesus' identity and his mission that gives to us assurance, not just in Judah in that context.
But to us today in our context. And here's the first. He tells us in this passage, chapter 23, verses 5-8, that Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, he's the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. This passage unequivocally refers to Christ, points us to Christ. Ultimate fulfillment.
of God's covenant with David. This is what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, verse 20. He says, For every one of God's promises are yes. In him.
So you think about the Abrahamic covenant. God promised the offspring of Abraham. In Christ, God's promise is look. Yes. God promised David the coming righteous king, the righteous branch.
In God, in Christ, that promise of God is yes. And God's covenant with David surpasses human failings, including David's own sins. And so it highlights God's faithfulness to keep his promises. And through Christ. All that God has promised for us.
is yes. Say it with me here. Yes. Yes. Yeah, we are so negative, aren't we?
It's so easy just to default to no, no, I can't, no. In Christ. Every one of God's promises to you and to me is yes. That's Jeremiah's hope. That's what he is telling us here: that the Davidic covenant.
Reveals to us Christ, who is the eternal king, the righteous branch, who reigns to bring salvation and hope to his people in the midst of hopelessness and darkness. Listen to God's unwavering faithfulness as a psalmist thinks about the Davidic covenant. Psalm 89, verses 33 to 37. I will not break off my loving kindness from him, that's David. I will not break it off.
I'll not deal falsely in my faithfulness. My covenant I will not violate. I will not alter the utterance of my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever, and his throne is the sun before me.
It shall be established forever like the moon. And the witness in the sky is faithful. That's God speaking to his people. And so the prophet consistently linked the hope of deliverance to the coming Messiah, the Son of David. As Jeremiah speaks here about the Son of David who is to come, God's promise was critical.
Why? Because in chapter 21, Jeremiah declares that the kingdom of Judah will perish. Can you imagine hearing that? Your kingdom is going to perish. In chapter 22, Jeremiah declares verses 1 through 12 that David's house, his line, his lineage will be left desolate.
That's quite hopeless. And then comes in the midst of this hopelessness. Chapter 23, verse 5, where God promises. I am going to raise up a righteous branch from David's lineage. In contrast, don't All these failed shepherds and kings.
Verses one through four. In contrast, this woe to you shepherds in verses one through four. Verse 5, look at this contrast. I'm going to raise up this righteous branch from David's lineage. Who will reign wisely, who will execute justice, who will bring salvation to God's people.
What is this metaphor of the righteous branch? It's the symbol of hope. It's a symbol of restoration amidst failure and judgment. Just the same in the prophet Isaiah chapter 11 verse 1. Isaiah says that he describes this branch that grows up from the stump of Jesse.
What is that? It's this branch that grows up from a stump that seems to sprout from apparent death. The Stampo Jesse, and what is the Stampo Jesse? It represents the humbled and seemingly defeated state of David's royal line. God made a promise, but God just said that's not going to come.
Davis' royal line is going to get it wiped out. We're going into exile.
Solomon's temple, the glory of this glorious temple is going to be destroyed. Jesse, David's father, symbolizes the dynasty that was cut down due to Israel's disobedience to the Mosaic covenant. And subsequent judgment that God said would occur if they broke the covenant. And yet, like Maya, Isaiah declares hope. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse from his roots.
A branch will bear fruit. I From seeming death comes Because of gods. Promise. What is Jehemiah teaching us? What is Isaiah teaching us?
That apart from Christ, God's promises lose their certainty and power in our lives. Jesus' fulfillment of this metaphor reveals God's unshakable commitment to fulfill his promises and his power to bring life where there was once death. You who were dead in your trespasses and sins, he has for Christ's sake made us alive. He has brought us from death to life. He's done the impossible by his Promise, and he's faithful to keep it.
This imagery portrays Jesus As the shoot, as the branch, fulfilling God's covenant with David. And of course, Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew affirms that Jesus is this long-awaited son of David. promised six centuries earlier. And the monarchy, though the monarchy seemed destroyed, God demonstrated his faithfulness six centuries later by bringing salvation through Christ born.
of the Virgin Mary. That's first of all what this prophecy shows us. Here's the second. This brings us to the second aspect of Christ's identity and mission from Jeremiah. Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of our salvation.
Jesus. Is our salvation. He is our righteousness. Listen carefully. While this covenant appears tied to David's political kingdom.
Its true significance lies in its eternal and spiritual dimensions. Listen to what he says. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch. And he will reign as king. and act wisely.
and do justice and righteousness. In the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely. And this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. The son of David who is going to come to the throne to save his people.
His name will be called the Lord our righteousness. righteousness.
Some object to this. to applying this prophecy to Jesus because they say during this time it was not saved. Israel didn't dwell secure. Instead, God's people were live into oppression.
Now, this objection might hold weight if we interpret the Old Testament prophecies rigidly, literally, to Israel, the political Israel. But stressing that all prophecy is fulfilled in this literal sense is not according to the evidence of the New Testament. which interprets prophecy. In the light of Christ. New Testament, we understand that the Christian church born from Jerusalem, the book of Acts.
is the true Zion. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22, Revelation chapter 14 verse 1 tells us this. Galatians chapter 3, verses 7 and 9, Galatians chapter 3, verse 29 says that Gentile believers, that's you and me, Americans. Listen, we are the offspring of Abraham. We are the children of Abraham.
Galatians chapter 6 verse 16 Paul refers to the New Testament New Covenant church As the Israel of God, we are God's people. We have been grafted in. and into to be a part of the people of God. That is what God has promised since the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis chapter 12. All nations will be blessed in Christ, the offspring of Abraham.
And so, what Maya shows us here. And so, oh, the people of Judah, they're not worthy of the salvation that this righteous branch is to bring. But God reaffirms his faithfulness to his covenant with David, and it's as if God is saying, Even if you are completely unworthy, and you are. Yeah. I will honor my promise to David and fulfill my promise to him for your sake.
That's grace. That's loving kindness. That's steadfast love. That's mercy. That is inexplicably good news.
We sing about it. We have a good in what. Gracious king. He's faithful to his promises. And so Jeremiah sets forth this contrast between Christ.
And Israel's righteous kings. When he says, I'll raise up for David a righteous branch. Unlike these unrighteous shepherd kings, This Shepherd, this son of David. who is to come who is a righteous branch he'll act wisely Not foolishly. He'll do justice, not injustice.
And he'll bring salvation. What does he mean by that? He's saying that this son of David, this branch who is coming. Will possess all the qualifications and fulfill all the duties of a good and gracious king. And so listen carefully.
Germany says our salvation depends upon this, the Lord, our righteousness.
Now listen, this was six centuries before Jesus came. 600 years, almost close to a thousand, right? Closer to a thousand. A long time. But this name is quite astounding.
Six hundred years prior. It's applied to Christ, who is our, who is revealed to us in his nature as our redeemer, our mediator, our savior. His name is astounding. Why? Because his name, Jeremiah, tells us that this son of David, this righteous branch, whom God is going to raise up to fulfill his promise to David.
This righteous branch, the son of David, is both God. And man. One person. Jesus is simultaneously the son of David as a man and he is Lord Yahweh as God. This word, this name, Lord, is the proper name of the God of Israel.
What the kings of Israel could not do, God himself promises to take upon himself man and be the king himself. Why is he called the son of David? Because it was essential for the Messiah Christ to be born from David's lineage to fulfill the covenant. of David, the Davidic covenant. He had to be a man.
He had to be a king. Why is this righteous branch, the son of David, called Yahweh? God In human flesh. Because He is the eternal, only begotten Son of God, sharing the same essence, glory, and divinity as the Father and the Holy Spirit. He's God.
He's eternal God. And so Jeremiah says. The son of David. And the Lord are one and the same person, Redeemer, King, righteous, branch, shepherd. This is amazing.
Question 15 in the Heidelberg Catechism: What kind of mediator and redeemer must we seek? Listen carefully, one who is a true and sinless man. That's what Jeremiah says here about David. He will reign as king and act wisely. Do justice.
and righteousness. He will be upright, perfect, a perfect man. We have to have one who is a true and sinless man, yet more powerful than all creatures. We also have to have one mediator who is at the same time true God. Why must, question 16.
Why must he be a true and sinless man? Why must he be the son of David? Why must he be the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant? Why must he be a true king who is a man? Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned shouldn't make satisfaction for sin.
But no man, being himself a sinner, could satisfy for others. accept this righteous branch. Question 17. Why then must he at the same time be true God? That by the power of his divine nature.
He might bear in his human nature the burden of God's wrath and so obtain for us and restore to us righteousness and life. He must be the son of David. He must be Yahweh in one person to be our Redeemer and our salvation. And so, Jeremiah, 600 years prior to the birth of Christ, he says he calls Jesus the Lord our righteousness to show that his righteousness is not just his own. But it's shared with us.
Listen, say it with me. The Lord. Our righteousness, ours. Not just his, he shares his righteousness with us. The one who act wisely, I'm the one who has acted foolishly my whole life and done foolish things and sinned greatly.
He hasn't. He shares that wisdom with me. Where I lack wisdom, he is my wisdom. where I have not acted righteously, right? For I have not done justly.
He's my justice. Where I have done unrighteousness, he is my righteousness. He is my salvation. Jesus is a righteousness before God. He shares with us God's perfect righteousness as judge that condemns us.
Through faith in Christ, Christ came to make his righteousness available to save us. Do you see what great condescension Jeremiah shows us here about Christ? The eternal God takes upon Himself human flesh. And as Paul says, he made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we, through faith, might become the righteousness of God in him. Listen, he made him who knew no sin to be sin, to be my foolishness.
To be my injustice towards others. to be my lack of righteousness toward others. To be my gossip, to be my slander, to be my bitterness, to be my hatred, to be my whatever it is, fill in the blank. He made Jesus to be that for me so that through faith in him, he could be my righteousness. He is the Lord our righteousness.
He's my salvation. That's what Jeremiah says here. Through this righteous branch, we're made right with God. We can't earn it. Israel and Judah, who was committing child sacrifice to Moloch.
They have righteousness, they couldn't earn it. That's beyond foolishness. That is wicked evil. That's me. Only in Christ can I receive his righteousness, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30.
Jesus has become to me righteousness. He is my Righteousness. And so the Lord, our righteousness, reveals to us the goodness that we have from God, and so points us towards Christ's first advent. Here's the third aspect: Christ is the cornerstone, the foundation of the church's hope. God's promise to raise up a righteous branch is given at a time of despair in David's family, the royal family in the kingdom of Judah.
As I said in chapter 22, verses 24 through 30, Jeremiah foretells that King Jacaniah would be taken into exile. and that none of his descendants would sit on the throne of David in Judah. All hope lost. It seemed. And after Jechetania is exiled.
Right? Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon. The royal line of David is humiliated. And it seems as though the throne of David had been destroyed in the future of Abraham's descendants. It's bleak.
And the people of Judah began to endure long trials, and they might have struggled to maintain their faith without the Lord's firm promise. And so, despite Jeconiah's exile, God's promise of this righteous branch who would reign as king was given to rekindle hope in the midst of trials. In the midst of despair. God speaks his promise through Jeremiah as though pointing directly to the event. Behold, the days are coming.
They're coming. But this, as I said, this event was still far in the future. 600 years coming. But while his promise does not have immediate fulfillment, his words are designed to strengthen their hope so that they don't lose heart while they wait. The days Are coming, he says, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch.
And thankfully, in our day, he has come. This is what Zechariah says in Luke chapter 1, verses 67 through 69. He breaks forth in praise to God for fulfilling his promises to Israel, particularly God's ancient promises both to Abraham and to David. He says, Zachariah with the Holy Spirit says, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited his people and accomplished redemption for his. His people.
He has raised up for us a horn of salvation in the house of David, his servant. Just as he spoke by the mouth of the holy prophets from all saying, salvation from our enemies. That's it right there. The promise of Jeremiah, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Why did he do this?
To show mercy toward our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. Which covenant, listen, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father. The Abrahamic covenant. The son of David is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. The son of David is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
All of God's promises are yes in Christ. This great passage is a book of common prayer, each day morning prayer. And it comes right after the Old Testament reading. Why? Why do we pray this every single day?
It's one of my favorite prayers. It's placed there by Thomas Kramner to help us give a song of thanksgiving. And praise to God for fulfilling his promises to us in Christ. He's faithful to his covenant. Christ was the spotlight foundation of Old Testament believers, like Zechariah.
Who sustained their hope through times of trials and waiting. And the same is for us today. Many of us are going through hard times. Trials. difficulties, struggles.
And we just wait and we wait and wait. And what do we need during the midst of those difficulties that break our heart? What is it that keeps us fueled and going? Hope. And hope is found through Christ.
who is bringing us To a consummation of a glorious future. And that's what the season of Advent is about. Personal turmoil, political turmoil in our culture, just like in Judah's culture. Nothing has changed. There's no hope in a political ruler.
None. But there's hope in Jesus, who is the righteous branch, who is the king of kings, and who is the Lord of lords. He is coming again to consummate what he began. That's what Advent is about. If you're going through hardships now, listen, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in the hope.
Of the glory of God. Listen, and not only this. But we exult in our tribulations. That's weird. Mm-hmm.
I don't enjoy my tribulations sometimes. And I'm like the people of Judah, Lord, how about now? Yeah. Listen, knowing why do we do this? Because we know that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint. You're not going to be disappointed when Christ returns. Because you have the hope of the glory of God. Your future is secure, your future is glorious. There is a commercial on television that I just heard this weekend.
And it just rattled me to know when this preacher saying, oh, there's a glorious day coming where there's a new creation coming. And I started to go, wow, this. And he even says, and it's not heaven. Heaven's not your future hope. And I went, man.
This guy's gonna get it. And then he says, one day Jesus is going to rain. I'm like, yes, yes, keep going. It's a wonderful commercial. But one day when it rains Death will be rare.
Going, I was taking a shower at the time, so I had to be careful not to slip and fall. I was like, what?
Okay. Hmm. Yeah. Listen, when Jesus reigns, death won't be rare, death will be destroyed. Hope doesn't disappoint.
Why? Why doesn't hope disappoint? Listen, when I'm going through hard times, when you're going through hard times, when you're about to lose hope. And just say, why keep on? Listen.
Hope doesn't disappoint because, here it is, the gospel, the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The Holy Spirit, what is the love of God? Christ. And he takes Christ and all those saving benefits, and he pours that out into my heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. And God's love for me and Christ sustains me for a glorious future in the midst of my trials now.
I would have given up being a pastor years ago. Years ago when I lost my voice. And I was told by people, give it up. Those exact words: give it up. You're never going to speak ever again.
Quit. And deep in my heart, I was awakening to the love of God in Christ in the gospel. I'm going to take one thing that kept me from quitting. Was the love of God in Christ for me? Amen.
And I knew in my heart of hearts I had been called to do this. It's a calling. It's not my choice. I would much rather be a hedge fund manager. Seriously.
But that's not my calling. This is a calling. And he calls by his love. And what he calls by his love, he equips to do to persevere. His love will cause you to not Quit.
And to have hope. The Holy Spirit is present and he is active in our lives. And this is exactly what we need during trials to instill the people of Judah with hope. Jeremiah links their salvation to the complete restoration of God's people, the new heavens, the new earth, the new creation to come. We're a part of that.
And by faith, we currently cling to the hope that one day his work will be fully realized, bringing eternal peace, dwelling securely. in the new heavens and the new earth. And as we reflect on this passage from Jeremiah, we see that Christ is our righteous branch. He fulfills God's promises. They're all yes in him.
He secures our salvation. He's our wisdom. He's our justice. He's our righteousness. He's our salvation.
He's the cornerstone of our hope. His life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, his intercession, and his second coming again. Look to the season of Advent as we prepare for Advent. Gives us confidence in a future restoration of his kingdom is coming. And so, as we prepare for Advent for next week, let us spend this week.
In the next four weeks, resting in the assurance that Christ is our eternal King. That he's our Savior. That he's our hope. That he is our righteousness, that he, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the love of God poured forth into our hearts. which this hope does not Disappoint.
Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for Christ. We look in our lives. We're just like these wicked kings of Israel, unfaithful, foolish, and floundering. And we thank you.
that what we could not do, you came in our place and took upon yourself flesh and became the son of David. God incarnate in human flesh and became the Lord our righteousness, God and man in one person bringing our salvation. We are graceful. Comfort our hearts today at your table and serve us by the power of your Holy Spirit. I pray every person who comes to receive today at your table.
experiences the comfort and the hope. A love of God. by the power of the Spirit. Amen. Yeah.
John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today. And before we wrap up, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available. only to find yourself feeling defeated again.
This book may be just what you're looking for. with his shepherding heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity. and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. The links are in our podcast descriptions or just search for Hope and Holiness by John Fawnville on Amazon to get a copy for you and it's a wonderful book to go through with a small group.
Him we proclaim is a ministry of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find us at paramountchurch.com. We'll talk again soon.
