* As I say every year--these are books I finished reading (or had read to me in Audible) this year, not the ones I started or the ones I didn't get done. That list would be a LOT longer (and kind of depressing)! I read a bunch of them for escapist fun, a few for/with my family, and a lot of them just to learn and grow. They aren't listed (perfectly) in the order I read them. Some of them I am reading for a second or third time (or more!).
And as I also say each and every year--I'm not endorsing these books just because they are listed here.! Some of them are really good and some are really bad. Most are somewhere in between. Read with discernment.
Yesterday, I shared the shortlist of Christian non-fiction books that made the biggest impression upon me in 2021, but they were not the only good books I read nor the only kind of book I profited from this year. As the saying goes, “All Christian non-fiction doctrinal reading makes Matt a dull boy.” (Or something like that.) Today, I want to share some of the other books that, for me, made 2021 such a rich year of reading.
Fiction
My sanity has been retained throughout the pandemic by returning to my favorites in fiction. This year, I finished another sail through Patrick O’Brian’s British navel novels set in the Napoleonic Wars (fourth time?) and another trek through Edith Pargeter’s (i.e. Ellis Peters) detective stories featuring the family of George Felse (third time?). Heather and I also began another (lost-count) loop through the Lord Peter Wimsey canon from Dorothy Sayers. I got to read the latest wry installment from Daniel Taylor’s unlikely detectives Jon and Judy(!) Mote, Woe to the Scribes and the Pharisees. I also discovered E. C. Bentley and his genre-introducing gentleman detective Philip Trent whose delightful twisty first story was entitled, Trent’s Last Case, of course. I also got to read Trent Intervenes and Trent’s Own Case to round out the series.
You might discern from the previous paragraph that I like to escape most of all into the comforting and conclusive world of detective fiction, and you’d be right. But I also enjoy other kinds of storytelling when the storyteller is excellent at his craft. This year I was enchanted with the interwoven tales of Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue, engrossed in the intertwined lives of Anxious People and Britte-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, and enthralled by the interlaced narratives of Amor Towles’ latest yarn, The Lincoln Highway.
Biography and Memoir
Perhaps the most significant work I read (or had read to me via audiobook actually) this year was the Pulitzer Prize winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David Blight, read by Prentice Onayemi. What a work of scholarship! What an amazing life! I will be contemplating the facets of that biographical diamond for many years to come.
I also read two very different memoirs: A Promised Land by former President Barack Obama which chronicles his experiences from the period just before his election up to the death of Osama bin Laden and Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey which tells the complicated story of the fundamentalist legalism and ugly bigotry of his Southern religious upbringing and Yancey’s unlikely discovery of the amazingness of grace. It’s interesting to me, looking back, to realize how much the ongoing fight against racism figured into these three life stories.
Heather Joy has fibromyalgia, and this year I became intent on understanding better both (1) what that is and (2) how to walk with my wife through it. I found the Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia by Andy Abril and Barbara Bruce to be helpful for the first and The Fibro Manual by Ginevra Liptan to be best for the second.
The silliest thing I read in 2021 was probably The Quintessential Grooming Guide for the Modern Gentleman by Capt. Peabody Fawcett RN (who I believe to also be entirely fictitious), but it was fun to read in conjunction with sporting the longest (and greyest) beard I have ever grown.
I have the sweet privilege of serving as the book review coordinator for the EFCA Blog which puts me in touch with even more great books and insightful church leaders to review them. This year we published thoughtful reviews of Help! I’m Married to My Pastor by Jani Ortlund, Handle With Care by Lore Ferguson Wilbert, Embodied by Preston Sprinkle, and Reading the Times by Jeffrey Bilbro.
And that’s just scratching the surface. This year I discovered the work of Hannah Anderson (I read All That’s Good and anticipate reading many more), Thaddeus Williams (I read Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth and look forward to hearing him in person at our EFCA Theology Conference in February), and John Onwuchekwa (I read Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church with our church’s elders). I also swallowed Jesus the Great Philosopher by my former classmate Jonathan Pennington almost whole. It was a great year for reading.
Books By Friends
This year I got to read three books written by real-life friends:
In October, Alejandro Mandes published Embracing the New Samaria. I’m glad that Alex finally distilled his thinking into a readable little manifesto for Christians to open our eyes to the multi-ethnic future of both the United States but especially to the church of the eschaton.
Our friend Katie Faris has written He Will Be Enough: How God Takes You by the Hand Through Your Hardest Days (foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada) which is slated to be released in the Spring. This November, I got to read a pre-publication version and offer my official endorsement. Katie’s newest looks to be a beautiful book overflowing with the precious truth of God’s sufficiency. I’ll be handing out copious copies when I get them in my hands.
And lastly, the EFCA Spiritual Heritage Committee of which I am a member, has just finished a full revision of Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America. When the conference revised Article 9 of our doctrinal statement in 2019, we set out to not only update the chapter on the Return of Christ (surveying the now broader set of acceptable views on the millennium and emphasizing the glorious character of our Lord’s second coming) but also to improve the whole thing. So this Fall, I got to re-read the work of my fellow committee members and provide (hopefully good) suggestions for bettering the second edition. It’s off to the printer right now, and I look forward to EC2 helping to strengthen another generation of church leaders in the EFCA.
I know that I am blessed to get to do so much reading, and I look forward to what rich things I may be allowed to explore in 2022. Tolle lege!
This was a good year for reading, but it didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I continued to struggle with concentration just as I did during the first year of the pandemic. I ended up reading about a dozen books fewer than I did in 2020, and while I posted snippets from great books along the way, I didn’t write any full length book reviews.
But I did read. And I read some really good books. (I also read at some other similarly excellent books, but I haven’t completed them yet.)
These are the ones* that impressed and taught me the most in 2021:
Todd Miles writes great books for Christians. His book melding super-hero lore with excellent Christology made my list in 2018. This year he deftly tackled a highly-relevant topic (pun intended) with a concise, winsome, even-handed, well-informed, nuanced, readable, thoughtful book.
Miles avoids easy answers and hasty conclusions but also pulls no punches either. I wish more Christian books were like this.
This year’s list includes two books on the Trinity. I’ve been repairing holes in my understanding of this crucial biblical doctrine for several years now, and reading Barrett’s book finally convinced me that the teaching called “Eternal Functional Subordination” that I had received from some of my (still beloved!) theological mentors was incorrect and ultimately incompatible with Nicene orthodoxy. As the title suggests, Barrett labors to demonstrate the interrelations between the doctrine of divine simplicity and the basic contours of pro-Nicene trinitarianism. I highly recommend it for those who are trying to sort these things out for themselves.
If that last paragraph sounded like goopy word-soup to you, I understand and sympathize. The concepts are a lot to wrap your mind around, and I’m still not good at explaining it all concisely. Thankfully, Scott Swain is. I recommend that more Christians begin with this introduction to the doctrine which proceeds from the same basic position as Barrett’s but in a constructive mode starting with the biblical data and building upwards. Both kinds of books (positive and disputative) are needed, and I’m glad to have read good examples of both kinds this year.
I think I quoted from this book on social media more than any other that I read in 2021. Jeffrey Bilbro is bent on helping Christians think about how to absorb the news. It’s not a diatribe or even a lament, and the author is no Luddite, either. But he does want to help us be distinctly Christian in our reading of the news. I found it much more encouraging than I had expected–especially because I already was committed in principle to professor Bilbro's basic approach and was already trying to engage in some of the practices he recommends. Reading the Times was both sharpening and affirming.
Rebecca McLaughlin is writing the books the church needs right now. Starting with her award-winning Confronting Christianity (for which I have published a free downloadable small group discussion guide), McLaughlin has been churning out cheerful little volumes that cut through false dichotomies, shine a searchlight on bad arguments, and make a refreshing case for the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christianity. I read three great short books from her this year, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity (Get one for the young person in your life!), Is Christmas Unbelievable? (We handed them out like cookies this year at church.), and The Secular Creed which engages 5 contemporary claims with great insight. I love the way she illuminates her sound arguments with scintillating illustrations from pop culture, literature, science, family stories, and Scripture. It’s amazing how much she packs into these little books and how she superbly presents the unexpected and ironical twists of both how Jesus challenges all of our thinking and is also better than anyone could ever imagine.
Here’s her conclusion:
"God's rule over our lives is heresy to modern, self-determining ears. But we must speak the truth with tenderness and not let our sin take the wheel. On all these fronts, we must fight hard with the weapon God has given us: self-sacrificing, unrelenting love. Rather than shouting progressives who seek love and justice down, let's call them in with a Jesus song: his song of good news for the historically oppressed, his song of love across racial and ethnic difference, his song that summons men and women, married and single, young and old, weak and strong, joyful and hurting, rich and destitute, into eternal love with him. Let's fight with love and sing the song with which will one day overcome. Can you hear it?" (Pg. 107).
“Advent” means “Coming.” Christmas is coming–tomorrow! Jesus has come and is coming again.
For this year’s Advent Season, we as a church have been reflecting on one of the most famous and ancient advent hymns, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
We just sang it.
Anybody want to take a stab at how old this song is? Hint: The lyrics were originally written in Latin.
This hymn is over 1200 years old in its origins. That’s according to my extensive historical research of a Google Search and a Wikipedia article. But that’s right. Some of the lyrics of this song were in circulation among followers of Jesus Christ before the year 800AD. The church is old, y’all. We are a part of something very old.
Listen to the first words in Latin and see if they sound familiar.
“Veni, veni Emmanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
Qui gemit in exilio,
Privatus Dei Filio,
Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel
nascetur pro te, Israel."
“Veni, veni Emmanuel.”
You can hear the “adVENT” there can’t you?
The “come.” “Veni!” This song asks Immanuel to come, to arrive, to show up, to visit, to save.
Originally it was plainchanted antiphonally, but then eventually it was paired with a polyphonic tune that has come to bear the same name, “Veni Veni Emmanuel.”
That’s the tune that we know it by.
And it is so plaintive, isn’t it? It’s such a prayer: “Please! Come! Please! We need you!”
It’s written for Christians, but it’s written from an Old Testament perspective from before the Christ came that first Christmas.
The carol draws deeply from Old Testament imagery.
Our hymnal doesn’t have some of the original stanzas.
Here’s one we don’t normally sing:
“O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.”
The singers want the God who gave the Law to come again in majesty.
Here’s another one that we don’t normally sing, but perhaps you’ve heard it:
“O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.”
Each stanza names the Messiah with a new name. “Adonai” “Key of David.”
And each stanza asks that the Messiah solve His people’s greatest problems in the strength of each name. “Close the path to misery!”
And then the refrain echoes back an assurance that their prayers will be answered.
Emmanuel will come and will rescue his people, called “Israel” in the Old Testament, and we know that those promises extend to us in the New Covenant.
And so each refrain calls upon us to rejoice.
“Rejoice! Rejoice!”
[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE.]
On the first Sunday of Advent, Miles and Jennifer lit our first candle and read the first verse which sets the whole song in motion.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.”
That name “Emmanuel” is so important.
It literally means, “God with us.”
The prophet Isaiah promised that God would be with His people so that they should not be afraid no matter what was threatening them. Isaiah prophesied, "The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
This mysterious promise established a pattern of God's rescuing presence for His people.
Amazingly, the Son of God Himself would appear and ransom His people from their sins.
The exile here was physical for the Old Testament people of God, but it is metaphorical and spiritual for you and me.
We are not alone.
God Himself has come. Like we saw on Sunday morning in Isaiah 40.
And God Himself is coming again.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O people of God.
[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE.]
On the second Sunday of Advent, Don and Linda lit the second candle and read out the second verse:
“O come, thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight."
Does the world seem dark to you today?
So many things are bleak in our world these days. Just look at the headlines. And the gloomiest darkness is death. This song is clear-eyed about how depressing life can be.
But it also sings that the Messiah is the “Dayspring.”
And he calls Jesus the “Rising Sun” who will “come to us from heaven.”
Jesus is like the Sunrise! Have you ever watched the sunrise and felt your heart rise with it?
Rejoice! Rejoice!
The sun has come, and the sun will come again. And the darkness will have to run away!
[LIGHT THIRD CANDLE.]
On the Third Sunday of Advent, Brady, Beth, Khandis, and Kelcey lit the third candle and recited the third verse:
“O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go."
Again there is such honesty here about how hard things are.
Our world is chaotic and awash in folly. We desperately need wisdom, an understanding of God's ways, and discernment of what is truly good and right.
Amazingly, the Messiah does not simply bring wisdom–He is wisdom Himself.
The Bible says that in Jesus are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:2-23)!
He brings stability to our lives and reveals to us the path of knowledge in which to walk.
Of course, we need to listen to Him and read His words to find out what that path is.
I hope you have a plan to read your Bible in 2022.
Because this is full of wisdom from on high.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
[LIGHT FOURTH CANDLE.]
Just this last Sunday, Keith and Pennie lit the fourth candle and read the fourth verse of the hymn:
“O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
Fill all the world with heaven's peace."
Does anybody know where that name for the Messiah is found in the Old Testament?
It’s the prophecy of Haggai. One of the little minor prophets in the back of your Old Testament.
They were minor in size but major in message. The LORD said through Haggai, "...'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty.” (vv.6-7, NIV84).
Did you know that all of the nations want Jesus?
They don’t realize it either!!!
But that’s what’s going on down deep in their hearts.
All of the peoples of the Earth desperately desire peace and salvation. And we know where that is truly found! One day soon, the Savior will arrive and fulfill all of our deepest longings. Imagine a joyful unified world when all warfare has ended because of the glorious reign of the coming “Prince of Peace.” Where we don’t have to pray for our men and women in uniform missing their families as they serve us overseas!
That’s what was happening that first Christmas, the Desire of Nations was being born.
And He’s coming back again to gloriously finish what He unstoppably started.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
We have every reason to rejoice.
And the great one is our salvation from our sins and our eventual resurrection from the dead.
[LIGHT CHRIST CANDLE.]
Here’s one you don’t hear every day.
“O come, Thou Rod [or some versions] Branch of Jesse, free
Let me tell you why I picked Isaiah 40:9-11 for this Sunday.
I wasn’t sure where to go this week. It’s Christmas, and we’re all together again. Last year this time, we took a month off of meeting in person in this building and all worshiped at home instead.
But we’re together again, and it’s Christmastime, so of course we need to focus on Christmas, but what exactly to say?
And then I thought about this song, “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.”
And then last, week Copper requested that we sing it, and said it was his favorite. And Josh here had his hand up at the same time, and my family told me Josh said, “That was what I was going to say. That’s my favorite.” (Though they also told me that he said that several times last week. Apparently Josh has a lot of favorites. He likes them all.)
And then I thought about how the kids were going to sing it again for us this morning as part of their presentation, and then my mind went to this passage of Scripture which might be the actual one that inspired the Black Christians in the antebellum South to sing these words in their spirituals.
And then I realized that I would get to preach again from Isaiah 40!
I love Isaiah 40! The very first Sunday I stood in this pulpit as your pastor in 1998, I preached from Isaiah 40. And the next Sunday, I did, too. I have returned to it again and again and again.
Sometimes I call it, “The Gospel of Isaiah” because of how it shines with good news.
You could hear it in verse 9, couldn’t you, “Good tidings!” “Good tidings!”
“Good news!”
This prophecy just radiates with good news.
It’s much needed news. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah were full of bad news.
With just a few (glorious) exceptions, you could summarize chapters 1 through 39 in one word as “condemnation.” Israel was going to be condemned and sent into exile. And that national condemnation also pointed to all of our looming spiritual condemnation because of our sin.
But starting in chapter 40 with these words (v.1), “‘Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God.” the rest of the book of Isaiah is full of consolation. Consolation.
Isaiah is told to prophecy that their exile will end, and they will be saved.
Because God is going to come.
Isaiah chapter 40 is a prophecy of divine advent.
Isaiah chapter 40 is a prophecy of the advent of God.
Could you hear it in verse 10, “See, the Sovereign LORD comes...”
He’s on His way.
In verses 3 through 5, there is a voice saying that everybody ought to get ready.
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (v.3).
He’s coming.
“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill shall be made lo; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (v.4)
The road crews are coming through the fix the potholes for the divine motorcade.
And this voice was fulfilled in John the Baptist saying that the leveling of the ground is our paving the way through our repentance for the coming of God Himself.
Verse 5 says, “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind will see it!”
That’s a line in Handel’s Messiah, isn’t it? “And the glory, the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
God is coming.
And it’s certain that He’s coming. Verses 6 through 8 say unlike everything else in life including other people, you can count on this.
“The grass withers (and our lives are like grass, aren’t they?) and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever” (v.8).
I have just three short points this morning, and that’s the first one.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#1. GOD IS COMING!
Listen to verse 9 again.
“You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’”
It’s not completely clear who, in the first place, is supposed to climb that mountain. Perhaps it was Isaiah himself. I think it’s more likely that Isaiah is instructing another herald to take the message to Zion, to Jerusalem, to the people of God.
But if the first messenger is not really clear, the message itself is crystal clear.
“Here is your God!”
“Behold your God!”
He is coming. He is on the way. Here He is!
Are you ready for this?
Do you see how this is a passage for Christmas?
Because what was happening at that first Christmas in Bethlehem?
God was coming.
This is a prophecy of the incarnation when God came to His people.
“Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn.”
God Himself came!
Immanuel. “God with us.”
That’s something worth filling your heart with, isn’t it?
As foreigners and exiles in this world, we are tempted to be afraid to shout, to lift up our voices with the good tidings of the gospel.
But Isaiah says (v.9), “Do not be afraid.”
“...do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’”
And then he gives us a glimpse into the glory of the coming of God. Look at verse 10.
“See [behold!], the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See [behold], his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.”
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#2. GOD IS COMING AS A CONQUERING KING!
Do you see all the words that indicate strength and victory?
“See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him [or He rules with a mighty arm]. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.”
He has won the battle and He has all of the spoils of war.
So in many ways this is more of a prophecy of the second coming, the second advent. When Jesus was born, almost all of that power and strength were hidden.
He didn’t ride in, though there was an army of angels to announce His coming.
It was more like a quiet invasion to bring the kingdom to Earth.
And then He fought a great battle, and when it looked He had definitely lost, He had actually won.
Jesus died on the Cross, and then He came back from the dead.
His victorious resurrection!
So that when He comes again, He brings all of the reward and recompense with Him.
You know what that is?
That’s the inheritance we’ve been talking about in 1 Peter every Sunday.
That’s all of the blessings that God has in store for His people WON by Jesus’ triumph on the Cross and the Empty Tomb and coming on the way for us when Jesus Christ is revealed.
“Here is your God!”
Coming as a conquering king.
Now, you know that’s only good news if you are not His enemy, right?
Because, clearly, His enemies have no chance. When He comes to conquer, He will win.
So if you are still His enemy, I suggest that you rethink that stance and repent. Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus and what He did on the Cross for you, and you will pass over from condemnation to consolation. From certain death to eternal life.
And for all of us who do belong to Him, this is the best news in the world, because it means that every promise He’s ever made will come true.
“O the King Is Coming!
The King Is Coming,
I Just Hear the Trumpets Sounding,
And Now His Face I See
O the King Is Coming
The King Is Coming
Praise God, He’s Coming for Me.” (G&B Gaither)
“And the glory, the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
What a day that will be.
But it gets even better.
In verse 11, Isaiah tells us not just that God is coming in power, but that God is coming in love. Look at verse 11. This powerful God, this conquering King..
“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#3. GOD IS COMING AS A GENTLE SHEPHERD!
I love that God’s arms are in verse 10 and in verse 11.
In verse 10, those arms are ruling with power and might. But in verse 11, those same powerful arms are used to cradle little lambs. All of that great power of verse 10 is used for the purpose of gentle love in verse 11.
“He tends his flock like a shepherd [Psalm 23!]: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
What a beautiful picture of tenderness and powerful meekness!
Shepherds were burly folks with big muscles. They had to be. They had to be rugged to do their work. They were rough because of wolves and bears.
But they weren’t rough with the sheep. They weren’t rough with the little lambs or the expectant ewes.
They were so gentle, so loving.
And so is God!
God didn’t just announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds who “feared and trembled.”
He came as a shepherd!
Who are the lambs in verse 11? It’s God’s people, isn’t it? It’s Zion, it’s Jerusalem, it’s the towns of Judah in Isaiah 40.
And they prefigure you and me. It’s us! We are the lambs. And He’s gentle with us.
How many of you have read Gentle and Lowly yet? If you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and read it this Christmas season. This is a reminder of the heart of Jesus Christ.
He is a Good Shepherd. He is so gentle.
Put yourself in this verse! “He tends [put your name there] like a shepherd: He gathers [put your name there] in his arms and carries [put your name in there] close to his heart...”
Do you know that that’s where you are today? He carries you close to His heart. You are beloved.
“Here is your God!”
Fill up your heart with this vision of the Advent of God.
And it will carry you through your hardest day.
A Conquering King and a Gentle Shepherd.
Which one of those is Jesus?
He is both of those. He is all of this.
He has come and is coming again.
Go tell it on the mountain.
Tell somebody.
The shepherds did.
Remember how after the “angel chorus...hailed our Savior’s birth...”
Luke tells us, “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:16-18).
LEFC Family Advent Readings: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Haggai 2:6-7 :: December 19, 2021
Week #4: O Come, Desire of Nations
“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.
Our Advent Readings this season focus our minds on the titles ascribed to the Messiah in the beloved Christian hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE AGAIN.]
Our first candle reflected on the title “Emmanuel” itself. “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” The Messiah would be called “Emmanuel” because God has never abandoned His people. Instead, Jesus came to ransom us from our sins.
[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE AGAIN.]
The second candle focused on the title “Dayspring.” Though our world has been darkened by sin and death, the Messiah will rise like the morning sun to dispel the shadowy gloom and spread the joy of His daylight in our souls.
[LIGHT THE THIRD CANDLE AGAIN.]
Our third candle named the Messiah as the “Wisdom From On High.” All of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are ours in Jesus Christ. He brings order to our chaotic lives and reveals to us the path away from folly and into knowledge.
[LIGHT THE FOURTH CANDLE.]
The fourth verse of the hymn calls the Coming One the “Desire of Nations:”
“O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease,
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.”
The origin of the title “Desire of Nations” is found in the prophecy of Haggai.
[READ HAGGAI 2:6-7.]
Although they may not realize that Jesus is the Deliverer for which they yearn, all of the peoples of the Earth desperately desire peace and salvation. One day soon, the Savior will arrive and fulfill all of our deepest longings.
May this fourth candle give us a vision of a joyful unified world when all warfare has ended because of the glorious reign of the coming “Prince of Peace.”
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
Before we look at our passage for today let’s recite our memory verses together. These words in 1 Peter 3 flow out of those words in 1 Peter 2. Verses 11 and 12:
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Even though they had been accusing of us being trouble, we wouldn’t be trouble; we would be fighting against our internal temptations and doing externally good deeds, undeniably good deeds that draw others to Jesus Christ.
Good deeds such as loving our church families with harmony, sympathy, compassion, and humility (chapter 3, verse 8).
And good deeds such as loving even our enemies, returning evil and insult with blessing so that we might “inherit a blessing” (chapter 3 verses 9 through 12).
Which brings us to chapter 3 verses 13 through 16.
Peter starts this section with a question that I wish had a different answer.
Peter starts this section with a question that I wish had a slightly different answer.
He’s just come off of quoting Psalm 34 to his readers so their ears are ringing with the joy of knowing that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (v.12).
And then he asks a rhetorical question. One where the answer is sort of obvious. Look at verse 13.
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”
Well, I wish the answer was, “Nobody! Nobody is going to harm you, Matt.”
I feel like that’s where the question might obviously take us.
“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”
Nobody! Who would do something like that?!
Some people even translate the question, “Who is there to harm you...?” Because the Lord’s face is against those who do evil, so who can really hurt you?
Nobody!
But we know that Christians do get hurt by others.
And we do know that some people really enjoy hurting Christians.
We know that Christians can be persecuted for doing good, and in fact, we are told that it isn’t really that strange (1 Peter 4:12).
In fact, we should expect it. We should expect a certain level of unjust suffering.
Not all of time. Sometimes, the world works the way it should, and if you are eager to do good, then good comes to you. As a general rule. I think that’s Peter’s point in verse 13.
Or perhaps he is saying something stronger–that no matter how much you are hurt by others, you can’t be ultimately harmed, because of the eyes, ears, and face of the Lord.
Either way, he’s not saying what I wish he would say–that if I just follow Jesus, I will live a pain free life. And evil will not come after me.
I wish that was what he was saying. I’ll bet you do, too.
But the Apostle Peter is crystal clear on the reality and frequency of persecution, and we know that because of what he says next.
And this sentence, I would not wish to be changed in the slightest. Verse 14.
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
Those words are so important, I’ve made them the title of today’s message:
“Even If You Should Suffer For What Is Right”
Literally, even if you should suffer for righteousness.
That’s the not the way the world should work. The righteous should not suffer. Those who are eager to do good, should not receive bad.
But our world is broken, so it routinely happens.
And don’t believe anybody who tells you differently.
Things were just beginning to heat up for them, and Peter was teaching them how to live as foreigners and exiles, as citizens of the Kingdom to come in the middle of the dangerous kingdoms that still are.
You’re going to suffer for what is right.
We are going to suffer for righteousness.
Jesus was not immune from unjust suffering, and neither will we be.
Which makes what Peter says next so incredibly sweet.
Did you hear it?
Did you hear where Peter takes this sentence?
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
YOU ARE BLESSED!
What a thing to say!
What a counterintuitive thing to say.
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
It’s really just a continuation of what he’s been saying. We who belong to Jesus are going to “inherit a blessing,” an unbelievable blessing. The inheritance we have on the way (remember chapter 1) “can never perish, spoil or fade.” It’s kept in heaven for us, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this inheritance we greatly rejoice! We are so blessed!
And, somehow, strangely, we are more blessed when we respond to evil and insult with more blessing. Verse 9, “To this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing!”
And nothing can stop this blessing. It is unstoppable.
Certainly unjust suffering cannot stop it.
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven...”
You are blessed. “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”
I don’t know about you, but I find that both sobering and exhilirating.
I wish he was going to tell me that it won’t hurt.
I wish he was going to say that there will be no pain.
But the pain is real. The persecution is real. The ridicule is real. The insults are real. The chains are real. The bullets are real. The prisons are real. They don’t call it “suffering” for nothing.
But he doesn’t call it “blessing” for nothing either.
The blessing is real, as well.
And it is greater than all of the suffering combined.
So then, out of that blessing, out of the orienting reality of unbelievable blessing Peter gives us a series of commands for how we should live even if we should suffer for doing what is right.
And I want to summarize them with 3 points of application. Here’s number one.
#1. DON’T BE SCARED.
That’s easier said than done, I know.
He just told them that it’s probably going to hurt.
But he’s also told them that they are blessed, no matter what.
So don’t be scared. V.14. Peter quotes from Isaiah chapter 8.
“...you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’”
Fill up your mind with the blessing, and don’t be scared of whatever they throw your way.
This last Wednesday at Prayer Meeting, one of you brought up a young lady you know named Chloe who doesn’t live in our community. I think she’s about 16 years old and what we were told was that she is getting called out and given a hard time for being a follower of Jesus in her school.
So we prayed for Chloe. We prayed that she would not be scared of those who were making fun of her. And we prayed that Chloe would know that she is blessed.
And we prayed that Chloe would know that God is with her.
This quote in verse 14, I said, is from the prophecy of Isaiah. It’s actually chapter 8 and it’s part of the prophecy that we think about each year at this time year, the prophecy we call the prophecy of Immanuel. What our Advent Readings are about.
Five verses before this one, Isaiah cried out, “O Immanuel!” God is with us.
If God is with us, why would we be scared?
Even if we should suffer for what is right.
I get scared when I think something good is probably going to be taken from me.
And lots of good things can be taken from us. Our money, our jobs, our health, our freedom, our friends, our family, our very lives.
We might get those taken from us for doing what is right!
But don’t be scared.
Immanuel! “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
Here’s what to do instead. Number two:
#2. PUT JESUS FIRST. Look at verse 15.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
Those are very important words. We should do this every single day. Every single hour.
In our hearts, in that inner reality at the core of our beings, we are to “set apart” or to “sanctify” to “make holy” Christ as Lord. The Messiah as our King.
This is so profound. It’s hard to describe. It’s hard to explain.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
Don’t let anything else be the Lord for you. Don’t worship anything else.
Put Jesus absolutely first.
Make His place in your heart holy. Separate in a category all His own.
And make sure that that category has the title “Lord” all over it.
I think that Peter is still meditating on Isaiah chapter 8 here. He loves his Old Testament. The very next verse in Isaiah 8 after the one about fear says, “The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread...”
And Peter says, “That LORD is Jesus Christ!”
Make sure you put Him absolutely first in your hearts.
What’s the most important thing in your heart?
Remember, Jesus Himself is the blessing that we are going to inherit.
If we have Him, we have everything, so He should be everything to us.
This may and will require repentance.
What have you let creep in and take His place in your heart?
It’s easy to do, especially when you’re hurting.
Especially when you’re hurting because you were doing the right thing.
It’s easy to let your heart wander.
But don’t let it.
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
Even if you should suffer for what is right.
Especially if you are suffering for what is right. Put Jesus far into first place.
And, number three and last:
#3. EXPLAIN YOUR HOPE.
Don’t be scared, put Jesus first, and explain your hope. Look at verse 15 again.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
Peter expect his readers to get questions.
If we live the way that Peter tells us to, he expect us to get asked questions about our hope.
That makes sense, doesn’t it?
For example, “Why are you smiling?”
These Christians, some of them at least, were suffering for righteousness.
They were living as foreigners and exiles.
And it was, at times, very painful!
And here they were smiling.
“Why are you so happy?”
“Why are you different?”
“How can you act this way when your life is so hard right now?”
I think the best ones would be the bewildered persecutors, right?
“I’m hurting you. Why are you smiling? What do you know that I don’t know?”
“I’m glad you asked. Let me tell you how I am blessed. Let me tell you about my hope that is most assuredly on the way.”
Peter says that we need to be ready to explain our hope.
“Always be prepared.” Peter was the first Boy Scout!
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
Now that word “answer” is “apologia” in Greek and we get our “apologetics” from it–the art and effort of giving a defense of the Christian faith which is a wonderful thing to do and to grow in your ability to do. Let’s do it!
But Peter is not saying that we have to have a bunch of arguments up our sleeves for every single objection to Christianity that an unbeliever might raise.
He’s saying that if we are setting apart Christ as Lord in our hearts and living in hope in our living hope then unbelievers are going to ask us where that comes from.
And we need to be ready to name Jesus as our blessing and our hope.
I think it’s a great little book to give to somebody who has those questions, especially at this time of year. So if you have someone like that in your life, take one of these and give it to them in the next couple of weeks.
But even more importantly, be ready to explain your own hope.
Notice that he doesn’t say, “Be ready to explain what you believe.” He says be ready to explain why you have this hope. Why you are a hopeful person.
Are you a hopeful person?
When was the last time somebody asked you why you have so much hope?
I’m afraid that many Christians are not known for being hopeful.
Especially when we are suffering unjustly.
On the one hand, we are tempted to be frightened and run away.
On the other hand, we are tempted to be angry and to strike back.
I think that’s why Peter says the next thing in verse 15.
“But do this [explaining] with gentleness and respect...”
Not with arrogance or attack.
Not with grumbling or demanding of our rights.
But with gentleness and respect.
Those things are in short supply in our world right now, aren’t they?
Did anybody log onto social media this week and say, “Why, look at all of this gentleness and respect!”
Did anybody log onto social media this week and add to the gentleness and respect on there?
Are we known for this?
You know it takes great strength to communicate with gentleness and respect. Those are not weak words. Those are strong words. It’s not easy to do, especially when you are suffering for what is right!
But remember, even then, you are blessed.
You are blessed.
So explain your hope with gentleness and respect (v.16), “keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
Sounds a lot like our memory verse, doesn’t it?
“...though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (2:12).
Their slander is, one day, proved wrong by your good behavior.
Keep a clear conscience. Walk the walk. Make sure that your suffering IS unjust and not deserved. Don’t be doing the bad stuff that they are accusing you of.
Peter is going to go on to say, “It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Don’t be doing the evil. “Abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”
Because you are blessed!
I wish I could tell you that from here on out it is plain sailing.
Health, wealth, prosperity, popularity, liberty, and justice and happiness all the live long day.
But that’s not what our Lord or His apostle have told us to expect.
They have told us that there is trouble on the horizon.
Not every day. Sometimes things go as they should, and if you and I are eager to do good, we’ll experience some good back.
But there will be other days, and to not be surprised by them, when evil comes our way when we’ve been doing exactly what we ought to be doing.
But even when we should suffer for what is right, we are blessed.
So don’t be scared. You are blessed! Jesus is Immanuel!
And be ready to explain your hope with gentleness and respect and a clear conscience. You are blessed and you are going to be blessed. Tell somebody about your hope.
LEFC Family Advent Readings: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Colossians 2:2-3 :: December 12, 2021
Week #3: O Come, Thou Wisdom
“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.
Our Advent readings this season reflect on the titles given to the Messiah in the ancient Advent carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE AGAIN.]
Our first candle was about the title “Emmanuel” itself. “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” The Messiah would be called “Emmanuel” because God will never abandon His people. Instead, Jesus came to redeem us from our sins.
[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE AGAIN.]
The second candle reflected on the title “Dayspring.” Though our world has been darkened by sin and death, the Messiah will rise like the morning sun to dispel the shadowy gloom and spread the joy of His daylight in our souls.
[LIGHT THE THIRD CANDLE.]
The third verse of the carol names the Coming One as the “Wisdom from on High:”
“O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go.”
Our world is chaotic and awash in folly. God’s people desperately need wisdom, an understanding of God’s ways, and discernment of what is truly good and right. Amazingly, the Messiah does not simply bring wisdom–He is wisdom Himself.
The Apostle Paul, in explaining his reason for writing his letter to the Colossians, said:
[READ COLOSSIANS 2:2-3.]
May this candle shine to remind us that all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are ours in Jesus Christ. He brings stability to our lives and reveals to us the path of knowledge in which to walk.
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
LEFC Family Advent Readings: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Luke 1:76-79 :: December 5, 2021
Week #2: O Come, Thou Dayspring
“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.
Our Advent readings this season center upon the lyrics of the classic Advent song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE AGAIN.]
Our first candle reflected on the title “Emmanuel” itself. “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” The Messiah would be called “Emmanuel” because God has never abandoned His people. Instead, Jesus came to ransom us from our sins.
[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE.]
The second verse names the Coming One as the “Dayspring:”
“O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.”
The idea of the Messiah as “Dayspring” is found in Zechariah’s Song from the Gospel of Luke. The father of John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied of John’s future ministry as the forerunner of the Christ.
[READ LUKE 1:76-79.]
The Messiah will be the “Dayspring,” the Sunrise come to us from heaven.
May this second candle shine like the rising sun in our hearts, reminding us that though our world has been darkened by sin and death, our Lord Jesus has come to dispel the shadowy gloom and spread the joy of His daylight in our souls.
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
