As we approach Christmas Day coming up this Sunday, we would do well to remember that it really wasn’t a “Silent Night,” as much as we enjoy that carol and others like it. Jesus’ birth was an invasion and the battle is ongoing.

I just noticed in my reading of the letters to the Seven Churches of Revelation (Revelation chapters 2 and 3) that there’s a comment element in each short letter: “the one who conquers,” ESV, or “to him who overcomes,” NKJV.

The one who conquers…

• Will eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God, 2.7
• Will not be hurt by the second death, 2.11
• Will receive some of the hidden manna, 2.17
• Will receive authority over the nations, 2.26
• Will be clothed in white garments and not have his name blotted out of the book of life 3.5
• Will be a pillar in the temple of my God, 3.12
• Will sit with me on my throne, 3.21

Conquering and overcoming imply there’s a battle.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the beginning of it.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3.8, ESV)

Everyone likes Christmas, the First Advent, and there’s something appealing about the baby in the manger. Indeed, there’s a message there about humility and poverty. Jesus came among, and related to, ordinary people.

But the Bible is clear that Jesus is no longer a baby in a manger; he’s no longer “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” John is clear about what Jesus looks like today:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1.10 – 17, ESV)

John, who knew him well, fainted dead away when he saw Jesus. Wouldn’t you?

• His voice was like a trumpet (that’s loud!)
• He was clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.  
• The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. 
• His eyes were like a flame of fire,
• His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace. 
• His voice was like the roar of many waters.
• In his right hand he held seven stars, 
• From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.
• His face was like the sun shining in full strength.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22.20, ESV)

It’s the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the message of love could not be more important.

I just saw something in Revelation 2, letters to the seven churches, that I hadn’t seen before. It’s the first letter, to the church at Ephesus. Their credentials seem impeccable:

I know your works,

• your toil and
• your patient endurance, and
• how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but
• have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
• I know you are
  • enduring patiently and
  • bearing up for my name’s sake, and
  • you have not grown weary. (Revelation 2.2, 3, ESV, bulleted for clarity)

Great list! They worked hard, had patient endurance, and held straight theology, discerning the false from the true.

BUT,

I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. (Revelation 2.4, ESV)

Love. For whom? For God? Maybe. For each other? Possibly. How about for their neighbors? It’s that last option that I’ve never heard mentioned. Jesus was clear:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22.37 – 39, ESV, emphasis mine)

I don’t think we do such a good job at loving our neighbors. I know there’s a lot of bad stuff in our culture right now, and some conservative Christians have done an excellent job communicating our disapproval of a lot of values and behaviors. But we have not done as good a job at loving the people with those values and behaviors. I don’t think we’ve accurately reflected God’s character:

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5.8, ESV)

…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2.4, ESV)

It’s Advent, and why did Jesus come?

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1.15, ESV)

It’s Advent, and how was Jesus perceived?

…you say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Luke 7.34, ESV)

Continuing our look at some of the last instructions in the Bible, some of which have to do with the Second Advent, I promised a look at Jude’s letter. It’s just one chapter and much of it has to do with false teachers and just plain lawlessness in the culture (see 2 Peter 2 and Jude, verses 1 – 16). There’s also that judgment-filled Second Advent, which we saw in 2 Thessalonians.

But he closes that section with this:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1.20 – 23, ESV)

My responsibility? 

• Build myself up in the faith
• Pray in the Holy Spirit
• Keep myself in the Love of God
• Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
• Have mercy on those who doubt
• Save others by snatching them out of the fire
• Show others mercy being careful…

There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in our society right now. Some of it appears to be right out of Romans 1, which closes this way:

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans 1.28 – 31, ESV)

But Jude makes our response to these conditions clear: while we wait for Christ’s mercy, we are to show mercy – mentioned twice!

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3.17, 18, ESV)

I’m integrating Advent comments in with observations I’m making as I finish this year’s New Testament reading. After 2 Thessalonians, the schedule called for 2 Peter and Jude, wrapping up with Revelation.

1 and 2 Thessalonians have a lot to say about the Second Advent – a coming in judgment, which I wrote about beginning here. 2 Peter 3 continues that theme. I know many readers are in breathless anticipation of my take on end-time events, either because you want to know OR you want to see if my view agrees with yours!

Let’s not. Let’s use the Second Advent passages as they were intended: to encourage (1 Thessalonians 4.13 – 5.11) and to motivate to holy living:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (2 Peter 3.10 – 14, ESV, emphasis mine)

The day of the Lord will come…therefore…

• Live in holiness and godliness
• Waiting for “and hastening” the coming (how?)
• Be diligent to be found by him
  • without spot or blemish
  • And at peace

The letter from Jude picks up on this theme as well…more tomorrow!

A little over a year ago, I wrote about the importance of subtraction and mentioned a church that proudly proclaimed, “We are trying to reach minorities! It’s one of our 14 priorities!” How can you keep adding to your priorities until you get up to 14?

As we proceed through Advent and think about the life of Jesus, we must remember that Jesus didn’t come to be “added in” to an already crowded life. He came to replace our priorities not add to them:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14.26, 27, ESV)

I wouldn’t have thought of this except an organization I respect has just told its staff, “We have highlighted about a dozen aspects of [our mission and values] for special attention…” I just don’t know how one can give special attention to a dozen things.

One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way. (Philippians 3.13 – 15, ESV)

We wrote yesterday about the importance of work AND word, and here’s an extraordinary prayer in 2 Thessalonians that I hadn’t seen before:

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, (2 Thessalonians 3.1, ESV)

Wow: “that the word of the Lord speed ahead and be honored.” What a thing to pray for! I checked some other translations: 

• KJV: “free course and be glorified”

• LSB: “spread rapidly and be glorified”

• NIV: “spread rapidly and be honored”

• MSG: “take off and race through the country to a groundswell  of response”

It complements what Paul wrote to the Colossians:

…the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth… (Colossians 1.5, 6, ESV, emphasis mine)

The sower sows the Word…But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4.14, 20, ESV)

It’s about the Word. Good things happen when it speeds ahead and is honored. Bad things happen when it doesn’t. We may look at that in the next day or two. In the meantime, am I honoring the Word and doing my part to spread it?

As we think about Jesus’ first coming – Advent – we remind ourselves that Jesus didn’t come just to set a good example of how to live although he certainly did. He didn’t even come just to die on the cross for our sins although he did that as well. My friend, the late Skip Gray, used to say something like, “For Jesus to die on the cross for our sins without someone to tell people about it would be a cosmic tragedy.”

Hence, Jesus invested his time in men, a primary focus of his John 17 prayer. We see the same emphasis in the Apostle Paul’s ministry. Some have said that Paul traveled around “planting churches.” That’s not quite right. He made disciples, which he organized into churches, and his goal was not that they attend church services (something that’s almost never mentioned in the New Testament) but that they live out Jesus’ life in the world. Here’s an example:

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2.13 – 17, ESV)

Let’s spread it out so we can see what kind of people were in Thessalonica, and what Paul wanted to see in them and what he wanted them to know:

• Chosen…to be saved through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth
• Called through the gospel to obtain the glory

Therefore,

• Stand firm
• Hold to the traditions taught by spoken or written word

May the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father who

• Loved us
• Gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace

May he

• Comfort your hearts
• Establish them in every good
  • Word
  • Work

I like the ending: it’s always work AND word.

Preach the Gospel and when necessary use words – attributed to St Francis of Assissi

Words will be necessary. – Leroy Eims, The Navigators

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5.16, ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2.14 – 16, ESV)

We interrupt our Advent meditations for a special announcement:

Death doesn’t take a vacation during Advent.

We’re in that season of looking forward to the First Advent. We actually live in the season of looking forward to the Second Advent, which carries this promise:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21.1 – 5, ESV, emphasis mine)

The implication is clear: until the former things have passed away, and Jesus makes all things new, there is death, mourning, crying, and pain.

I write this because of soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl who died suddenly in Qatar during the last part of the Argentina / Netherlands game during the World Cup of soccer. It’s especially poignant because, since Grant was a sportswriter, we have some of his last words. I report here from an excellent article at ESPN.

Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup. He wrote Monday on his website that he had visited a medical clinic in Qatar.

“My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.“

Bob’s note: The World Cup started with one game on November 20, three games on November 21, and after that, there were four games per day through December 2. Then two games per day December 3 – 6. There were no games on December 7 and 8. He said he rested on the 8th, but he was back to work on the 9th. He died late in the second game. Grant’s words continue:

“I didn’t have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.

“I basically canceled everything on this Thursday that I had, and napped and I’m doing slightly better that you can probably tell in my voice that I’m not at it at 100 percent here. Hopefully I will not cough during this podcast. I’m coughing a lot. Everyone’s coughing here in like this is by no means limited to me like so many journalists have got a crazy cough. It sounds like a death rattle sometimes.

“The only thing that’s surprising to me actually is there isn’t that much COVID here. I thought there might be a real issue with that. We’re not really seeing COVID cases. We’re just seeing a lot of general sickness, coughing, colds, and I can’t wait to be on the other side of what I have. But I am going to be ready to go. I’m attending on Friday.”

“I’m ready to go. I’m attending on Friday,” and while “attending,” – read, “working” – he died. There are worse ways to go, to be sure, but it gives one pause. One day he’s at his place in the press box and the next day, they’ve set up a memorial to him in that place. Maybe if Grant had exercised moderation in his last days, he’d still be with us. We don’t know.

It’s not just the famous. June was talking with her friend Sarah at a social function Wednesday, making plans to get together in January to talk about June’s helping her sub as an organist for a local church. Thursday, Sarah had a stroke. Friday, she was gone.

And it’s not just the elderly and overworked. Just this morning we got word that the 16-year-old grandson of long-time friends of ours was killed in an automobile accident. A lady in her 70s, a 48-year-old sportswriter, and a 16-year-old high school student. Death is no respecter of age or persons.

No one can control the wind or lock it in a box. No one has any say-so regarding the day of death. (Ecclesiastes 8.8, MSG)

But we celebrate Advent, when Jesus came as a human being subject to death in order to destroy death:

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, (Hebrews 2.14, NKJV)

It’s the Third Sunday of Advent: Joy, or as the picture has it, Rejoice!

Again, it’s a word that’s been there from the beginning:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1.39 – 44, ESV)

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people…” (Luke 2.10, ESV)

All the people? All the people: Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, men, women, slave, free. That’s worth getting excited about…I’m included! And you are, too!!

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3.26 – 28, NIV)