The Purpose of Christmas

A Time for Preparation

Luke 3:1-6

Opening Words: It has been written, “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.” Those words still hold true.

The season of Advent signals a new Christian year. Today we observe the first Sunday of Advent. The word “advent” means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to Him.

This is the first sermon in a five part sermon series I have called The Purpose of Christmas. There is more to the Christmas than cards and gifts. There is a spiritual side that many have dismissed. During each one of these messages we will look at the spiritual side of the Christmas. You can buy all your gifts and mail all your cards and still not be ready for the advent of Jesus. Let me call today’s message A Time for Preparation. Our scripture lesson today comes from the first six verses of the third chapter of Luke. May God give you ears to hear.

Luke 3:1-6 1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

After 14 years of studying the Bible, William Miller was convinced that Jesus would return on April 3, 1843. His followers believed him. Some of his disciples went to mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones. Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's kingdom amid the common herd. However, April 3 came and went but Jesus never returned. William Miller was disillusioned but he did not give up. He went back to the Bible and recalculated his figures. He admitted the April 3 date was wrong and announced that the real date for Christ’s return would be March 22, 1844. The problem was March 22, 1844 came and went without the appearance of Jesus. Once again William Miller was disillusioned. There was more Bible study and calculations. He announced a third date, October 22, 1844. That date came and went without Jesus.

I don’t want to sound critical of William Miller. I am convinced he was sincere.

The problem is the second coming of Christ is a complex topic. Did you know there are 1,845 references to Christ's second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence? Did you know there are 260 chapters in the New Testament, where are 318 references to the second advent of Christ? Did you know twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event? Did you know one out of every out 30 verses in the New Testament deals with Christ‘s return? For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first advent, there are 8 which look forward to His second!

It is impossible to read the Bible and ignore the Second Coming of Jesus. Advent is a season when we remember Jesus’ birth, his first advent.=2 0However, Advent is also a time to remember that Jesus will return again in some future unknown time. That date is the greatest mystery in the world. Matthew 24:36 says only God knows when Jesus will return. I do not known when Jesus will return but I do know he will return. According to Gallop Research 62% of all Americans expect Jesus to return. Do you believe Jesus will return?

So this is my question for you today. Are you prepared for the Second Coming of Jesus? That topic is at the very heart of this morning’s scripture lesson. We find ourselves in the first six verses of the third chapter of Luke. The main character is John the Baptist. According to the text the word of God came to him, while he was living in the desert. He began preaching a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It is Luke who aligns John with the prophet Isaiah. He actually quotes Isaiah 40:35. It says:

3 A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.

5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Those words sound strange to us but to John ’s generation the message was clear. In those days when conquering armies attacked, the land was prepared for their attack. The number of soldiers was massive. The shear number made it necessary to straighten the roads and level the ground. The work of the engineers was as important as the work of the solders. Without the engineers there would be no battle.

That is what John says we must do before Jesus arrives. However, our preparation has nothing to with geography. Our preparation has more to do with our spiritual condition. This is a hard question to ask in a cynical world, are you prepared for his second advent? In other words, are you prepared for his Second Coming? Luke 12:40 says, “You must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you least expect him.”

Today, I want to help you prepare for his Second Coming. The Good News is the preparation of His Second Coming will not cost you a dime. There are no gifts to buy or cards to send. Remembering the first advent of Christ will not help our economy but preparing for the second advent of Christ will help our society. So if you are ready to change the terrain of your life say, “Amen!” Someday Jesus will return!

Prioritizing our Lives

The first thing you need to do to prepare for Jesus’ return is to prioritize your life. If I could get one thing for Christmas, it would be the ability to prioritize my life properly. Occasionally people ask me what is the most challenging thing about being in the ministry. Many assume the most difficult thing is writing sermons weekly. (They are wrong. I love writing and delivering sermons.) Many assume the most challenging thing about being in the ministry is being with people who are facing complex problems or who are facing death. The most difficult thing about my job is not fielding complaints or raising money to meet the budget. The most difficult thing about my job is knowing how to prioritize my time. Time management is extremely important. I will not lie to you. There are down times in the ministry but there are times when I need to be in several places all to once. Balancing your professional life and your person life is extremely difficult. My prayer for you today is for you to know how to prioritize your time. I hope God is a priority in your life.

In a Berlin art gallery is a painting by German painter Adolf Menzel (1815-1905). It is only partially finished. It was intended to show Fredrick the Great speaking with some of his generals. Menzel painted generals and background, left the king until last. He put the outline of Fredrick in charcoal, but died prior to finishing. That is the story of countless lives. How many people do you know focus in on the minor issues and characters of their lives and forget to include major ones in the picture? Does God play a major role in your life or have the minor characters in your life taken over? We need to prioritize our lives and make God number one. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Someday Jesus will return!

Purifying our Witness

The second thing you need to do to prepare for Jesus’ is to purify our witness. From the time we were young we were taught that the faith must be genuine. What you say on Sunday morning is only part of the equation. It is what you do on Tuesday morning and the rest of the week that really matters. Does the way you live your life really demonstrate God’s transforming power? I say this because it is more true today than ever. We live in Biblically illiterate times. Our national theology is horrible. Your witness is extremely important. You maybe the only Bible that someone in your life will ever read. Just think about it. You represent Jesus, himself, in your little corner of the world. Is your witness for Christ pure or do you have a few imperfections?

According to the book Life of Francis d'Assisi, Francis once invited a young monk to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be given the invitation, the monk readily accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At day's end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, "I thought we were going into town to preach." Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Someday Jesus will return!

Perceiving our Savior

The third way you need to prepare for Jesus’ return is to perceive our Savior moving in our world. One of the highlights of this year for me was Mill Creek Workcamp. It was exciting to see over four hundred young people from seven different states come to Youngstown to work on forty-nine homes. They reminded us of something we had nearly forgotten, God is moving in our area. Every night at worship they would report on seeing God in numerous ways.

One night a work crew reported seeing God in the neighbor of their resident. God was well disguised. On Monday the crew arrived and the neighbor opened his door and welcomed the workers with some ugly language. However, on Thursday the same neighbor opened the same door and told the workers that he had tools. They could use them, if they wished. It had to be God. God is alive and well in our world. When was the last time you saw God in your neighborhood? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Someday Jesus will return!

During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. On May 19, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait.

Here is the good news! Someday Jesus will return! The problem is we don’t know when. So we need to act like everyday is the last day. We need to prioritize our lives. We need to purify our witness. We need to perceive our Savior. He is alive and well, don’t miss him! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”