Advent 1—Ad Te Levavi 2018 (Mt 21:1–9)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church—Bremen, KS || <a href="https://app.box.com/s/e72jpgw7j2gasiqhowu5os7c999jstyp“>AUDIO
Immanuel Lutheran Church—Bremen, KS || <a href="https://app.box.com/s/3r0cqitbn5pf4rinytywpvzgjs278pmn“>AUDIO

INI + AMEN.

Advent. “He comes.” That’s what “Advent” means. Jesus comes. He came, He comes, He’ll come again. He comes to save. That’s what it means for Him to be King—He’s Redeemer, Savior.

Advent. He comes. Of course He does. He said He would. He does what He says. He says what He does. What the Lord does is always according to His Word…of Promise.

What the Lord says will happen—happens! If He says He’ll come, then He’ll come. Come exactly how He says He will. So this means that it’s not just the Lord who advents, but His Word advents, too. It comes to pass. It happens. And this is always for your good, your eternal good, your forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Advent. The Lord advents. His Word advents. Salvation advents. All for you. Yes,

THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS (IT HAPPENS) FOR YOUR SALVATION.

((I. Jesus’ first advent proves it.))

So, how do you know, how can you trust that THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS (IT HAPPENS) FOR YOUR SALVATION? Well, His first advent sort of proves it. He was born as promised. We sang about that this morning. “Not by human flesh and blood, By the Spirit of our God, Was the Word of God made flesh—Woman’s offspring pure and fresh.” As Yahweh promised Adam and Eve, “I will put enmity between [the serpent] and the woman, between [his] offspring and her offspring; He shall crush [the serpent’s] head, and [the serpent] shall strike His heal.”

But His Word also came true on Palm Sunday. The Lord Jesus’ Word through the prophet happened, and His Word to the two disciples happened. The result of this: “Hosanna.” Salvation. “Hosanna in the highest.” Salvation from our lowest, salvation all the way to Highest One’s throne—the Father’s throne, Jesus’ throne, too—“I will raise up for David a righteous branch…YAHWEH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

And so the Word was done, accomplished, finished on Good Friday, as Promised. The serpent’s head was crushed. Sin done for. Righteousness secured. Hosanna, Salvation lifted up, crucified, dead. YAHWEH, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS for you. “Crucified for your sins, raised for your justification.” THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS (IT HAPPENS) FOR YOUR SALVATION.

((II. Jesus’ continual advent does it, too.))

But the Lord’s not quite done. He keeps on coming until He “comes again in glory to judge both the living and the dead.” He does not come to be Lord of Jerusalem. He doesn’t ride a donkey to be King of some plot of land in the middle east. The Lord doesn’t quiet care about those sorts of things, those sorts of places.

He came to die there, to have His coronation, to have a throne of wood. So, if not Jerusalem, then where? He would ride into and rule and reign in your heart. There He would reign like He wants to: reign as Redeemer, be King of Kindness, Gentleness, and all the other Fruit of the Spirit. There He would be Lord of Love: for “love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

So, He does it. He advents His Word, and it comes to pass. He is YAHWEH, YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. He cleans out your heart. Gives you a new heart. He would advent all the more: body and blood for you. To hosanna what is least (your heart), to exalt it to the highest. Only His Word does it. For only His Word, and He with it advents for your salvation. He is King, you’re not.

We want some other sort of King. A King who rules by power, obligation, duty, and not by love. That’s a King who doesn’t reign in forgiveness, love, and kindness delivered through His Word and Gifts. Now, we might grant that He’s a “gentle and humble” Ruler, a King who’s kind, a Lord who loves, but not a Lord who rules, redeems heart, soul, mind, and strength through His Word and Gifts. But His Word, His Salvation, Himself—none of that comes without the Gifts.

We wonder about the Lord’s coming to me. We often pine for such a gift, but He already does! In His Gifts. No Gifts. No Advent. He comes to hosanna. To bring His Word to pass. To Redeem, Save, Rule in forgiveness, life, and salvation. Those things? Blood-bought. So, even there, only there—THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS (IT HAPPENS) FOR YOUR SALVATION. Body and blood for you.

((Conclusion.))

THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS. Of course it does. He came, He comes, He’ll come again. Of course He does. What He says goes. He does what He says, says what He does.

So also His Word. It happened, happens, will happen All for your good, your eternal good, your forgiveness, life, and salvation.

No other reign than that. No other King than the one who Advents, who advents through His Word, who advents with His Gifts. No other King whose Word advents, it happens always.

It’ll happen in your heart, too. His Word will do what it says there. There He will work within you to live and to love. Love toward God. Fervent love toward one another.

Of course He will do that, and of course that’s just what will happen. It can’t be any other way: THE LORD’S WORD ADVENTS, after all, (IT HAPPENS) FOR YOUR SALVATION.

“I baptize you.” You are Baptized. “I forgive you.” You are forgiven, absolved. “My body and blood for you.” You are blood-bought, redeemed, forgiven. So we sing: “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”

INI + AMEN.