Video of the Divine Service is here. The sermon begins around the 30:20 mark.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent prepares us for the end of the world. That’s what John is doing: preparing people for the end of the world, that is, the appearance of Jesus. When God steps onto the earth, that’s the end. That’s why the demons think Jesus is going to cast them into the abyss, because He’s there so it’s obviously the end of the world.

Peter describes the end of the world like a destroyed house that needs to be stripped down to the studs in order to rebuild it. In this case, fire is the instrument of purifying, breaking down, tearing down to the basic elements of all that exists, so the earth and the works done on it are exposed. That day is coming, but the end of this world as we know it is already happening. John preaches a baptism of repentance, unto the forgiveness of sins. He has people confessing their sins, and then he’s going to point them toward the greater One who is coming after him. He’s in the wilderness, which is already a sign that something’s not right. God didn’t make a wilderness, a wasteland. He made a creation with a Garden. But this world, after the Garden and after the Flood, is a world in which unrighteousness dwells. It’s a dry, old, dying world, that is ready to be burned.

And we’ve had a chance to get things right, haven’t we? More than a few chances. But still, “righteous” is not the word I’d use for this world. And there have been all sorts of people with all sorts of plans for making the world a good place, all sorts of utopias and ideals. Can’t we all just get along? And, all we need is love. And, can’t we just be nicer to each other? Apparently not. Not in Israel in the Old Testament, not at the time of John the Baptist, and not now. It’s obvious that something more is necessary.

And God knows. He’s not unaware of the way things are. So at just the right time, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, to be born of a woman, to be born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law. And then the end of the world as we know it happened. This is the judgment, John says, that the light came into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light. The light already appeared. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. And if the judgment has already come, then the end of the world has come.

That is what is happening at the cross. Jesus takes all the ways we work destruction and chaos on Himself. He takes the sinful thoughts, words, and actions, by which you harm others and destroy relationships. He takes their thoughts and words and actions, too. He takes all our good intentions, by which we make things worse. He takes all the death, which is the result of sin, and all the sickness, disease, and suffering, which are the symptoms of death, and He loads it on His back. And He takes it to the cross in order to bring it all to its end. In His own body, He brings an end to this world. That’s why there’s darkness and earthquake and fear. Because that’s what happens at the end of the world.

And then, on the third day, in His own body, He starts a new creation, in which righteousness dwells. Of course, righteousness always dwelled in Him. He is the righteousness of God. But now, after the resurrection, righteousness dwells in Him for you. And He takes your old flesh, your old sin, your life in this world as it is, and He puts that to death as well. When you were baptize, He brought your old world to its end. [Today, He brought Miles’ old world to an end, even though it was barely begun. Best to start ending things early!] And then He raises you up with Him, and gives a new creation, resurrection life to you. He gives you His Holy Spirit, so that His righteousness will dwell in you. He starts up new lives of holiness and godliness, while this old world comes to its end.

And this new world that Jesus started, it has no end. Once you’re dead, that’s the end of that, and if you rise from the dead, then there is no more dying to be done. Death is no longer Lord over Him. And so, once you’ve died with Him and been raised to new life, death is no longer Lord over you. And once the old world has been put to death in Jesus, and raised as a new creation in Him, then that new creation remains forever.

It is true, there is still a Day to come, in which everything will be laid bare, and exposed for what it is. Your works, my works, and the works of every single person will be exposed for what they are by the fire of that judgment. Laid open, all the way down to the studs. And it will be seen how each person built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3. It might be gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw. The Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire. And only the works done in Christ will endure. Only in Christ is anything we do not in vain, not empty, not worthless. But you are in Christ. He has given Himself for you, to make you holy; He has cleansed you by the washing of water with the word [as He has done for Miles today]. All so that He may present you and all His baptized, believing ones to Himself in splendor, without spot, or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27), waiting for the revealing of that Day in peace.

There’s a song that’s roughly 35 years old, by the band R.E.M. Maybe you’ve heard it. The chorus goes like this: “It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it—and I feel fine.” If the end of the world has already come in Jesus, and the end of your world has already come—the end of the world as we know it—then what is left to live the lives of holiness and godliness that He has given us. Nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.

God’s not worried. He’s not anxious. He’s not surprised by this world or the things that sinners do in it. At the right time, the final day of this creation will come. God is not slow to keep His promise, though it may seem slow to us. We are waiting for that promise, a renewed heavens and a renewed earth, in which righteousness dwells. Only righteousness, only life. He waits to bring that Day because He doesn’t anyone to die apart from the death of Christ. He wants all people to reach repentance, which is why we still have Advent, and not only Christmas. But He will not wait forever. The day will come like a thief. But not to surprise you. Because for you, the end has already come, and so has the new beginning in Christ. And again He gives you that new creation, resurrection life in His Body and Blood, so that you will receive Him in joy on that day, just as you receive Him on this day.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV). Amen.

– Pr. Timothy Winterstein, 12/8/23