Hi, this is the Hymn We Proclaim podcast with Pastor John Fonville. Preaching from Isaiah and other appointed Advent readings, Pastor John challenges us to live in light of Christ's return. This message calls us away from spiritual complacency and into a renewed walk of faith, hope, and obedience. As we await the coming King, we're reminded that judgment is real, but for those who are in Christ, there's no fear, only the promise of redemption and joy. Here's a message called, The King is Coming, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord.
Well, those were powerful scriptures. They just weren't correct scriptures from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662.
So I have not prepared a sermon for those particular texts, but let me just quickly tell you about what that text said. It was about Christ coming again to be the judge. But Don't let that make you afraid. Because Christ is judged is good news for us who are trusting him now. Why?
Because if he's our judge to come, when have we been judged? At the cross. And he's taken that judgment from us.
So when he comes again, what did Luke say? Lift up your what? Lift up your heads, right? Get excited. Look forward to this because he says why.
Your redemption. Draws near, nigh, near. That's good news. That's the first sermon.
Okay? Here's the second. This comes from the 1662. What's interesting is these appointed Uh readings. They go back centuries in the church.
And just think about that for a second. We're sitting here in 2024 almost. 2025, can you believe it? I I just can't even. I'll try not to think about it because time just gets faster and faster the older I get.
But but but think about this 2024 500. Yeah, that's a good idea. 700. 800 years, long, long centuries passed. The church.
The church, right? Each Advent. took these passages and preach them to the church. Isn't that amazing? And so we come here to the the the book of I said yeah.
You can turn there if you'd like to, the first chapter. The first chapter, because we have Isaiah, Matthew, and the book of Mark. Uh Romans. And these are pointed Readings are are to encourage us to do this. Mark And the light Of the Lord.
Walk in his light. Why? Why? Because these passages tell us two things. Christ is coming.
He is coming to save his people. And he is coming to bring judgment to those who walk. in darkness. The first chapter Isaiah the prophet rebukes the people of God why because he opens this up in the first chapter and he says walking in darkness He has that the people of Judah have rebelled against God. Chapter.
The first chapter of verse 2 says, They have rebelled against me, alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity. Offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly. They have abandoned the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. And they have turned away from him.
As Isaiah speaks to this city of Jerusalem, He speaks to the city of the great king, the city of David. Why is this important? Because Jerusalem is the place where the temple resides. The temple of God, this is where God dwells amongst his people. But because God's people walk in darkness, the city and his temple have become corrupted.
The prophet comes to them and he says, you don't have love for God. You don't have love for your neighbor. And so he says in verse 21 he says, How the faithful city has become a harlot, she who was full of justice, righteousness once lodged in her, but now murderers. He says, Your silver has become drosh, your drain diluted with water. Rulers, rebels, and companion of thieves.
Therefore, the Lord God of hosts. The mighty one of Israel declares, ah, I will be relieved of my adversaries. And avenge myself of my foes.
Well, turn my hand against you and smell What at your draws? And he says, and remove your alloy. And so that's judgment. Israel's king has come into Jerusalem and he's acting as judge. And he calls his own people his foes.
What does he do? He comes into the city. to cleanse the people of their sins. He comes to cleanse Jerusalem. He comes to cleanse the temple.
And it says after he cleanses God's people, well, the cleansed people of God. are refined by his justice. And then he says he intervene to save his people and to judge his enemies. He'll bring justice on those who deserve it. Righteousness, save those who repent.
The prophet says Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant. ones. with righteousness. But transgressors and sinners will be crushed. And those who forsake the Lord will come to And the end.
And the king is coming. And he's coming to bring judgment. And salvation. And the prophet says, walk in his light. Because the king is coming.
When the son of David, Israel's king, comes, he will cleanse his people. And restore his people back to fellowship. With God. And this brings us to our gospel text, Matthew 21. You can turn there if you like.
The first 13 verses in Matthew chapter 21. This passage recounts Jesus, the son of David, Israel's king, coming to Jerusalem to cleanse his temple.
Now, you might be thinking, wait a minute. That's the gospel chosen for Palm Sunday. But this is the first day of Advent. Right. But it was chosen for this dramatic parable for Advent.
Because Matthew shows us Jesus, the son of David, Israel's king, comes to the city of Jerusalem. He comes to the temple just like the prophet Isaiah. And when he comes to the temple, what does he find? He finds that his people are what? Walking.
in darkness. The city and the temple are both in need of cleansing. A thin. And as Jesus comes into the city, Matthew tells us that the crowds are waving these palm branches and that they're shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. But his triumphal entry was far from what the shouting crowds expected.
The prophet Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 it says that Jesus enters into Jerusalem writing on what? A humble donkey. Not a conquering horse. He is fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. The multitudes of Jews have witnessed Jesus perform these mighty deeds throughout his lifetime.
They hail him as this great political conquering king. Here comes our king. Here comes again the glory of the Solomonic temple, the height of Israel's glory. And Jesus is coming, they think, to throw off this Roman yoke. and set up the glory of the kingdom of God again.
But they missed. The manner of his entry into Jerusalem. as he fulfills Zechariah's prophecy. And what happens in Matthew shows us that just soon after this triumphal shouting. But turns into this disillusioned mourning.
Why? Because they had false expectations of a conquering political messiah.
So, Jesus hasn't overthrown the Roman authorities within weak this so-called king of Israel. is crucified. And so the great problem of the Jews of Jesus' day was their failure to reconcile Psalm 118. Which has this. The Blessed One coming in the name of the Lord.
With this humble, pierced Messiah of Zechariah chapter 9 and chapter 12. They they couldn't reconcile together. Psalm 118. With Zechariah chapter 9, chapter 12, Isaiah 52, and Isaiah 53. Because if they had done that, they would have recognized the true purpose of Jesus's king mission.
Which is what Matthew tells us, the first chapter, verse 21, the angel says, bear a son. And you shall call his name Jesus for because he will save. his people from their sins. But once again, Isaiah's day, the king of Israel comes to Jerusalem. He comes to the temple.
And he brings to the temple what? Divine judgment. He pulls out his whip. And he against the overturn tables and he cleanses out his temple. He drives out those who are buying and selling in the temple.
He overturns in the money changers' tables. And he says in verse 13, he says, It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den. of thieves. Just like the book of Isaiah. Isaiah said back in the first chapter, verse 23, he indicts Israel and he says, your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves.
Jesus. Just like Isaiah indicts these leaders for turning the temple into a den of thieves. They had become corrupt. Acting unjustly, just like the people of God that Isaiah prophesied to. They were stealing from the people.
Robbing them financially. And so, what is he rebuking them for? They didn't have love for God. They didn't have love for each other. What is the true purpose of the temple?
It it's prayer, worship of God, pure worship of God. What is that? Love for God. Love for your neighbor. Yeah.
Anything short of that is what? Favorite. Rubbing God. And so Jesus cleanses the temple. His cleansing of the temple, his purification, A refocus of what God's people were supposed to love.
This one brings us to the book of mm Romans chapter 13, verses 8 through 14, where Paul speaks again of the coming of the Son of God to his temple, which is now what? The church. And he hasn't view of the coming of Christ. He exhorts me Believers, he says, in view of Christ's coming, Adopt this new way of life, which is what? Love.
Listen to what he says. He says, Oh, don't want anything except to love. Each Other Why? Because he says love fulfills God's law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet.
And any other commandment is summarized up in this Word. Your neighbor. As yourself. And then he says, as love does no wrong to neighbor, therefore love fulfills God's Mm-hmm. Go back to Isaiah.
What does Isaiah say God's people were doing? They were breaking God's law, they were stealing. He says that we're a den of thieves. Right, not loving their neighbor. In Jesus' day, these religious rulers in the temple He comes to them.
He says, What are you doing? And he says, What? They're breaking God's law. Jesus says, He's come. To his temple, and he's founded a den of thieves.
They're hurting their neighbor. They're not loving God, they're not loving their neighbor. The Apostle Paul comes to our church. In Rome. And he says in them, he says, He says, in view of Christ's returning, he says, how you didn't live.
He says, owe no one anything but what? Love his neighbor. How often, and we, just like God's people in Isaiah's day. God's people in Jesus' day. Fell to what?
Our neighbor, love God. Break the great commandment as we heard today read to us. And Sir Paul says, He says, besides this, you know the time. that that hour has come to wake up from sleep. Why?
Because salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the daytime, not in. Orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual morality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
It says, but put on Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. This passage here has a great history in the church because you have heard about it, but you may not think about it immediately. You've heard the story before, I'm sure. the greatest theologians in the church. from the fourth century.
He was taking a walk one day and he heard school kids playing. And he heard these Words, which means take up it and read, take up and read. And he picked up the Bible when he heard those little children playing. He picked up the Bible and he opened up the Bible and he went to this passage where it says, let us walk properly. As in the daytime.
And he was converted on the spot from being a pagan to one of the greatest theologians. ever and guess what that was? Saint Augustine. He was converted by this exact passage. And he took up this passage and he read it.
And he was gloriously converted. And according to the Apostle Paul, this present evil age. Is it Ending soon. And he says, the advent of Christ's second coming is at hand. Just Think about that for a minute as we have this first Sunday of Advent.
How often Do you wake up? And the first thing you think of is, Wow. Christ may come today. And how often do you think that perhaps that just sounds like a fairy tale? But that's the hope of the gospel.
You see? Because we're not Platonists. What do Platonists teach? What did Plato teach? Plato taught that.
Anything physical. Anything like the human body. It's the prison of the soul. And to have salvation is to escape this body, this soul, so that you can have salvation and become free. But that's the exact opposite of the gospel.
Why? Because of the incarnation. God took on this flesh. He wouldn't take on something that is intrinsically bad and evil. Why?
Because Jesus redeemed this flesh through his crucifixion, through his burial, through his resurrection. He has physically raised from the dead. And so he declares that this body, this good creation, is good. And that this present, so Paul says, this present evil age is It's coming to an end very soon. He says, listen, he says, the night is far gone and the day is at hand.
You see, there's nothing left. On the end times calendar, it's a very simple calendar. There's nothing left but for Jesus to return. That's it. He has accomplished everything.
Redemption is done. The new creation has dawned. It has come through his life, death, burial, resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It's here.
Now is just the consummation of that. And this is what the Apostle Paul says. He says, recognizing that Christ may return at any time to finalize the victory of his first coming, he says, live now. Live now as if that day has come. See, this is so important.
He says to God's people, he says, let us not. behave improperly. It's like this. In orgies and drunkenness. In sex morality and sensuality.
Not in quarreling, not in jealous envy. Those first hands are quite evident in our culture and it isn't. evident, unfortunately, throughout the church. But what about these other sins, quarreling and jealousy, envy? I can tell you that the sin of envy coveting somebody else's success.
And because you can't have it, you hurt them for it. That destroys people in relationships. Perhaps you have Encountered that yourself. I have. I have had people try to do great Pretty bad things to me because they came up to me after they had done them and I said, I would ask them, why did you do this?
And the person actually confessed to me. And the person said, because I was jealous. I was jealous of everything that you had and all your success, and so I wanted you to look bad. Paul says Let us walk prayer. properly.
As in the daytime. Carrying envy, jealousy, hatred for neighbor, lack of love for God, lack of love for our neighbor. That's Not walking. In the daytime. That's not mocking it in the light of God's word.
Why? Why must we do this? Because Paul says the day is at hand, Christ is returning. And so just as in Isaiah's day, just as in Christ's first advent, Paul says, God is coming to save his people. He's coming to judge his enemies.
Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness. And he says, put on the armor of light. Or, as Isaiah exhorted his people, he says, Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Now, as we reflect on these three passages. As we think about how this present evil age is coming to an end quite soon, that the time of Christ's second advent is at any time. Here are some questions we have to ask ourselves in this passage. First, what if I've not been walking properly? What if I've been indulging the desires of the flesh?
What if I had been entertaining sin that I should not be entertaining? What if I've been making provision for these sinful desires of my flesh to gratify them?
Well These three readings give us two things. First, an exhortation, and second, And Invitation. Here's and uh Exhortation. The Apostle Paul says, The hour has come from you to wake up. up from sleep.
Why? Why must you wake up and get out of this slumber of sin? Here's why. Because salvation is nearer today than when you first believed. I don't know when you trusted Christ.
Perhaps you can't think of that Time where you had this crisis experience. That's okay. You don't have to have that because that's not your assurance. You're trusting Christ now, that's what matters. But but the day when you trusted Christ.
Listen. If it was six months ago, if it was six years ago, if it was 35 years ago. Paul's salvation isn't nearer. Christ's return isn't nearer than when you first believed. He says, the night is far gone.
The day is at hand. Christ's return is at hand.
So what is what is Advent? What is Paul saying Advent is? Here's the exhortation. Advent is this: a wake-up call. Wake.
Up. This past week I had a chance to wake up from my slumber because I had to go be with my extended family. And I love my extended family. It's great. We love each other.
We have a great time together. But it is family. And you have challenges, right? You know what I'm talking about. And um And so every time I was tempted to go, okay, here we go, whatever, I would say to myself, because I knew I had to preach this passage, I would say to myself, I would go time out, and I would go to John, I would say, John, wake up.
Wake up. Christ is at hand. What if Christ came back right now? Wake up. Wake up.
Live in the light of his return. I was so excited to watch my son play. I watched it on television. I didn't get to stay for the game, and that just killed me, but I had to come home because we have church. But but I was just so excited, and sometimes when he's not quite getting to get in there enough, you get that temptation to go, come on, coach.
You know, come on, man. He's a freshman. I get it. He's 19. I get it.
He's the youngest kid on the team. I get it. You know, all that kind of thing. But come on, let him play. Let him play.
And then he goes and but but As I was watching the game and tempted to kind of go there a little bit, I said, no, wake up. Don't develop those kinds of attitudes. Wake up. Wake up. Turn your faith towards Christ who is coming for your redemption.
Paul says we need to wake up from our sleep. Why? He says, because the night is far gone, the day is at hand. This contrast, day and night, was popular back in the first century because it was how you distinguish between good and evil. Why?
Well, it's just like today. But nighttime is when people what? Indulge in their passions. You have adult late night on cable television, which we took out of our house. Because we're not going to have that.
Right? But you have all this stuff that happens at nighttime. When do scoundrels come and do their work? When do thieves show up to your house? Why do we have security systems on our homes?
Why do we have cameras outside on our properties? Because I'm working at my house one day studying. And if you know how I study, I get so engrossed in it that Kathy will say something to me and I'll go, oh, okay. And don't hear a word she says. And then she'll come home five hours later and she says, Now, now, John.
Yeah. Yeah. And I'm looking at her going, yes.
Now, John, I ask you, did you do that? And I'm at. Uh I didn't really hear you. And you just kind of start to melt when she's got you. Yeah.
But so when I'm studying, I'm just so engrossed in focus. I get so hyper-focused. That I don't see anything else.
Well, I'm sitting there studying one day. But accidentally, the thief came in the day. He actually came in the daylight, broad daylight, right up to the window door where I'm sitting. And he's trying to break into our house right in front of me. And I'm sitting here studying and I go, And I just explode out of my chair, you know.
I'm like, my heart is racing. I'm picking up my phone, going 911. POOP! Yeah. They actually arrested him within ten minutes.
So I was like, praise God. But But it was very, very scary. He was trying to break into our house and steal. right in front of me. Typically, though, Paul says, scoundrels do their work at nighttime.
But Paul tells us that the day of the Lord is near. which motivate us to put in way Our sins of darkness. and wake up. and pursue holiness. And oh, the Advent season is a solemn season.
It's the time when the church is called to thoughtful repentance. The money changers, what did they do? Corrupt the use of the temple by their fleshly desires. And Paul says to these believers to us today: he says, Don't corrupt your temple by these fleshly desires. wake up and cast them off.
Second. Not just this exhortation, but we have this Invitation. Listen to back at the first chapter of Isaiah, verse 18. The Isaiah The prophet Isaiah issues this gracious invitation to these rebellious sinners. He says, come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet.
They shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson. They will be like Whoa. Advent is not just this solemn season of repentance, but a hopeful season. Why?
Because Christ is gracious to sinners. That's why Even in judgment, There is grace. For now. Christ The Judge is also Christ the Redeemer. Each week in Holy Communion, we start with Thomas Kremner's comfortable words.
And it begins with Christ's invitation. And Matthew. Chapter No event. Jesus says, come to me. All you who are weary and heavy-laden, And he says, and here's this promise, and I will give you rest.
rest. Do you know what the truth is about sin? There's a weariness. to sin. There's a heaviness.
to sin that just weighs you down. You take the bite of the apple, and at first it looks bright. and crisp and sweet. And as soon as you swallow it, It just burns up your stomach and you feel heavy and gross. There's this weariness to sin.
If you're weary today because of sin, you don't have to be. You don't have to carry that. Christ says to you, if you're burdened weighed down, He says, come to me. You know what that feels like in that moment, to be weighed down with the guilt of your sin, the heaviness of it. In that exact moment, which is completely antithetical to everything that we think is true.
That's when Christ says to come. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that gracious? You're like, I feel horrible. I feel heavy.
I just feel weighed down. I feel like I have this great big rucksack on my back. And it feels like I've been rucking with a hundred-pound weight sack for just miles. In that exact condition, at that exact time, listen to Christ's words, listen to me. He says, come to me.
Come to me. Each week in Holy Communion, we have the prayer of confession, and we say this, we earnestly repent and are deeply sorry for these our transgressions. The burden of them is more than we can bear. We can't bear it, but Christ can. And we can come to Him, and He holds out rest for those who are weighed down by the burden of sin, who experience this emotional weariness.
Because of their sin. And so the season of Advent. Is a season of hope and grace. Why? Because if you've not been walking properly, if you've been indulging in the dark, If you've been making provision for the flesh, to gratify his desires.
There's good news for you. Right? Christ extends this invitation to the prophet. Though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow. Though they're red like crimson, they'll be like wool.
And so God announces through Isaiah, even if the sins are deepest red, the deepest red you can get, will become the purest white. The very opposite of what they are now, the exact opposite. What's found in these great words is justification. Justification in this gift that is received through faith, that out of sheer grace, God imputes to us the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ as if we never had nor committed any sin. Can you believe that?
Do you believe that today, that you're standing before God when he looks at you in the perfect righteousness, satisfaction, and holiness of Christ? He says, you haven't had any sin. You've never committed any sin. And he says, and I look at you as if you have yourself accomplished all the obedience that Christ has accomplished. You're a perfect Law keeper.
You have loved God perfectly. You have loved your neighbor perfectly, and you're going, well, wait a minute. Wait a minute, I have not done those things. In Christ, justification, His declaration, and you have. That scarlet red.
Through the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ takes that scarlet red, makes it pure white, makes it look just like Christ. As if you have, though you have not. And so adds, and it reminds us that God doesn't leave us weary in our sin, but gives us great hope. Christ has come to us. The grace of God has come to be with us.
And He invites all of us here today. to receive Listen, not just to receive, but to... Enjoy. The complete forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future. And so the Apostle Paul says, recognizing that Christ may return at any time.
To finalize the victory of his first coming, he says, let us wake up from sleeping in our sins. Let us just cast them off. We don't have to indulge in that anymore. We have something far better. We have The hope of Christ who has come and justified us.
And we have the hope of Christ who is to come, who will glorify us. And when we set our hope on that fact, Of his first coming to justify, of his second coming to glorify. It cleanses us, the temple of God now. And so, like we pray this morning, we pray, Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness. and to put on this Armor.
Let us wake up. But second, let us heed this gracious invitation where Christ says, come. Two Me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful hope, this wonderful truth of Advent.
That yes, it is sober and that we are to Cast up. Cast off these marks of darkness. But we have a great hope to turn to. We don't have to indulge these sinful desires. We can give that up.
Because we have a greater truth in front of us. Christ who has come to justify us, and Christ who is coming to glorify us. Christ, who has come to take our scarlet, red, sin-soaked robes. Don't wash them in his perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness.
So that we can have pure white sinless spotless standing before you. received into your favor and goodness. and have the hope. of glorification when you come again.
So give us that comfort when we come to your table now. and our hearts. of our justification. and our future glorification, we pray. In Jesus' name.
Amen. 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 Fonville 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.
