Word of Salvation – Vol.44 No.47 – December 1999

 

Advent – The Lord Is Near

 

An ADVENT Sermon by Rev. Prof. H. De Waard on Philippians 4:5b

 

Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent.  Do you know what ‘advent’ means?  Advent means ‘coming’, or ‘arrival’.  It refers to the coming of someone of importance.  In this case, the coming of Jesus.  Popularly however, it simply refers to the lead up to Christmas.  We count the Sundays of Advent, we light the different coloured advent candles leading to the white Christmas candle.  In this way we build up to Christmas with all the joy and excitement associated with that.  I am sure that our girls and boys are looking forward to Christmas, and parents, too, enjoy to see the shiny eyes of their children as they eagerly long for the day.

Yet, in a sense, we are not really expecting Someone.  We are at best remembering the coming of someone 2000 years ago in a stable in Bethlehem.  There is a real sense, however, in which we should expect the advent of someone very important.  Paul alerts us to that.  And I want to focus on these four simple words in Philippians 4: The Lord is Near!  You have read these words often and mostly overlooked them: The Lord is near!

These words are an encouragement to:
1.  joy;
2.  gentleness; and
3.  peace.

These words are the central thought not only for our passage but for the whole letter to the Philippians.  You might say that these words simply mean that the Lord is close to us at all times, particularly in times of need.  That is true, of course.  Take for example Psalm 34:18 – the Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

But I believe that Paul is saying more here.  Look at the end of chapter 3 where Paul speaks about the enemies of the cross.  He refers to people who live it up and cannot see beyond this life.  Their mind is absorbed by earthly things.  BUT, in contrast, we eagerly await a Saviour from heaven.  Paul often refers to the coming or appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is advent.  A time of waiting!  What are we waiting for?  We are waiting for Jesus!  To do what?  To purify our spirits?  To deliver us from this evil body, so that we become like angels?  No, we are awaiting the advent of Christ who will change our bodies and to make them like his incorruptible body.

That is amazing, isn’t it?  We usually think that religion is all about spiritual things.  We hear so much about dedicating our spirits to God.  But what does Scripture say?  “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God” [Rom.12:1].  ADVENT means waiting for the coming of Christ to transform our bodies; making them beautiful and lasting, just like the body of the Lord Jesus himself.

In the light of that it seems pretty senseless to do everything to appear artificially young or to adopt the values of our youth culture.  You may as well grow old gracefully and graciously.  One day your body will be renewed!

Congregation, the celebration of Christmas – the coming of Jesus some 2000 years ago – may never be separated from his coming again.  He came to suffer, to die to rise again, but the work of salvation is still awaiting its full completion when He comes again in his Second Advent.

It is that hope of his coming that encourages us to rejoice in the Lord [vs.4], and to let our gentleness show [vs,5], and to live free from anxiety [vs.6].

If you take these four words: “The Lord is near” away, you are left with some admonitions that are impossible to carry out.  Without the hope of Christ’s coming, can you rejoice?  Can you be gentle?  Can you experience peace?

When people have hope, meaning and purpose it is amazing what can be accomplished.  An Austrian psychologist said that those people in German concentration camps who had something to live for were usually the very people who survived.  Those who had no hope, simply withered and died.

Where there is no hope there is no future, no joy.  When hope is abandoned, that is hell.  We persevere in the task of parenting because we have hope that our children will grow up into useful citizens.  Teachers keep at their task because they hope that one day this pupil will be an educated, mature individual.

Why do we read the Gospel and attend the worship of the church?  It gives us hope.  The church is like an oasis in the desert.  This is where people are born again into a living hope through the proclamation of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

The Lord is near, says Scripture.  The fact that the Lord is near gives us the energy to rejoice, because we have hope.

What do you think of the future?  Those who are no longer at peace with the world because they cannot cope with the dramatic changes will say: I’m glad I am going and not coming’.  Young people faced with anxieties about the future, lacking a sense of purpose, riddled with confusion, may feel hopeless about the future.

Do you only think of the bad things that could happen?  Or do you look forward to WHO is coming?  That is the difference between fear and joy.  The 19th Century German writer, Jean Paul, once wrote a terrifying vision.  In that vision (I am quoting) Christ announces that he has been mistaken in his belief in God, that there is no God the Father, that we are all orphans.  When the dead cry: Is there no God?  Christ answers: There is none.  When dead children ask: Jesus, have we no Father?  Christ answers with streaming tears: We are all orphans, you and I.  We have no father for there is no father.  We are all alone in the vast tomb of this universe.  O Father, where is your infinite bosom on which to rest?

What is the point?  A future without God is a hopeless future.  The celebration of advent and Christmas without Christ leads to utter despair.

But, hear the Good News!  The Lord is near!  Rejoice!  The Christian faith is a response to a mystery: the mystery of Christ Incarnate, coming to renew us.  The Gospel is a story of resurrection, of a new start, of dead ends overcome.  That’s why we can rejoice.  Remember, Paul wrote this from prison.  Yet he speaks of joy and peace.  What are some reasons for rejoicing?

Paul rejoiced because he was saved and lived to glorify Christ (3:7).  Christ was able to supply all his needs (4:19).  Others were coming to the faith (1:18).  In prayer God could be approached (4:6).  All things were working for good (1:12).  On and on it goes.  There are so many reasons for rejoicing.  Yet it is not easy to rejoice, so Paul repeats: Again I say, rejoice!  A Christian can be joyful within, even when outside all is dark and dreary.  We rejoice in our union with Christ, whose Spirit gives us joy.

The second admonition is: Let your gentleness be evident to all.  If we are assured that the Lord is coming and we live in an attitude of rejoicing and thanksgiving, all of that will be shown in an attitude of Christian gentleness and in a Christ-like character.

The word gentleness means: not insisting on your rights.  Others translate it: big-heartedness.  It means to give way graciously rather than insisting on your own rights.  Yet our whole society encourages us to defend our rights.  Many churches and Christian institutions are now plagued by legal battles, litigation and court cases because there is no big-heartedness, no gentleness.  As a result there is a tendency to take distance from each other.

Brothers and sisters, sometimes it is quite un-Christian for you to insist on your rights.  Sometimes it is better to suffer wrong.  If you have experienced the gentleness of God, can’t you show that same quality in your relationship with others?  [Read Philippians 2:5 ff.: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…!”]

This has very practical application.  Look at 4:2, where Paul tells of the conflict situation in the church.  He tells the ladies: Lay aside your differences.  Don’t fight over the issue.  Don’t allow differences of opinion to destroy your fellowship.  Rise above your differences and see everything in the light of the fact that the Lord is near!  He will transform not just your lowly bodies but also your short-sightedness and your inflated egos.

Can you imagine how our churches would fare if we had a good dose of that kind of gentleness?

The third admonition is: Do not be anxious about anything.  Easily said.  To get rid of anxiety is like getting rid of mosquitoes.  You kill one and one hundred others take their place.  Paul is not simply saying: Stop worrying!  For that is like saying, ‘Cheer up!’ to a depressed person; or ‘Go to sleep!’ to an insomniac; or telling a drowning person to just stay afloat!  That’s precisely what they can’t do.

We can only stop worrying when we experience a fundamental change in perspective and look at life from the perspective of Christ’s Advent.  The Lord is near!

Paul does not say: Stop worrying.  He says: You worry yourself sick because your heart and mind won’t give you a break.  The peace of God is not guarding your heart and mind.  Your mind keeps asking all sorts of scary questions.  What if…?  What if I am pregnant?  What if I have cancer?  What if she insists on marrying that worthless fellow?  What if I lose my job?  What if…?

Paul does not say that there is nothing to be afraid of.  There are plenty of things to be afraid of.  But like a mother comforts her fretting child, so Paul reminds us that the world and our lives are in the hands of a loving God who is coming to make everything right.

The German pastor, Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazi government, had that perspective.  Some months before his death he wrote from prison: One thing is certain: we must always live close to the presence of God… no earthly power can touch us without his will and danger can only drive us closer to him…. we may pray for everything.  Our joy is hidden in suffering.  All through we are sustained by a wondrous fellowship.

Pray, says Paul.  But pray in such a way that you mix a good dose of thanksgiving through your entire prayer.  Gratitude gives you the right perspective on life.  For the person who is truly grateful knows that life and health and peace and salvation are a gracious gift.  By all means pray about the things that worry and concern you.  But do not neglect to give thanks.

In that way nervous tension disappears and the peace of God will stand guard over your heart and mind to keep all anxiety at bay.

It is Advent.  What are you waiting for?  Who are you waiting for?  We are assured that the Lord is near.  Therefore: rejoice, be gentle and don’t be anxious.

Amen.