Populus Zion

Advent is a time of expectation. We eagerly await the Second Coming of Christ, that great and terrible day when our Lord returns to judge the earth. On that day, the court of heaven is called to order. “All rise for the honorable Judge.” And yet this judge is no mere man. The Lord God, the Mighty One, the righteous and impartial judge who reads the secrets of men’s hearts as an open book, has come to execute justice upon the nations.

Psalm 50 paints a picture of this heavenly courtroom. God the judge is a terrifying figure as He enters: Before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. The court of heaven is now in session. The Lord speaks. God calls to the heavens above and they give answer. They will serve as his witness. The heavens declare his righteousness. They testify that God’s judgments are right and true. God calls to the earth, “Gather to me my faithful ones” and we respond with joy. This is the day we’ve been waiting for. The day when wrongs will be righted. The day of retribution and judgment. The day that the prophet Malachi long foretold: For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts (Mal 4:1). Judgment is unfortunate, we tell ourselves, but the wicked had it coming. They deserved it. “Yes, The Day of Judgment for the wicked is coming,” says the Lord, but it is not this day. The wicked are not the ones on trial today. “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I am your God and I will testify against you.”

This is the moment when you look around and realize that your family is not gathered around you to celebrate your birthday. They are here to stage an intervention. It’s the moment when you see the mug shot of a wanted criminal in the newspaper and recognize your own face. It’s the moment when King David pronounces a harsh sentence on a greedy rich man, and then hears the prophet Nathan say “You are the man!” (2 Sam 12:7). God has called his court into session, not to accuse the wicked, but to testify against you.

God says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you.” The problem is not a lack of sacrifice. In fact, God says, “Your burnt offerings are continually before me.” The church is full of people who are doing many wonderful things for God. And on the last day many will say “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy, and cast out demons, and do many wonderful works in your name?” And Jesus will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me” (Mt 7:22-23). It’s possible to go through all the right motions on the outside and yet be far from God in heart. Yes, you’ve done all the good Christian things. You attend church. You read your Bible. You come to catechesis. But why? Why do you do these things? God says to his people, “You do these things, to make your voice heard on high” (Is 58:4).

Often, we think that if we live a certain way, God will have to listen to our prayers. If we do things for God, we can twist his arm, and he will have to reward us. This is how the pagans thought about their gods. “Our crops aren’t growing. The gods must be angry. They must be hungry. We need to sacrifice a goat or throw a virgin into a volcano. Then the gods will be pleased. Then our crops will grow and our women will have babies.” And this pagan way of thinking makes its way into the church. “Why did I get a bad grade? Why did my car break down? Why did I get sick? God must be angry with me because I didn’t go to church last week. Perhaps I should throw an extra $20 in the offering plate tonight. If I lead a good life and keep the Ten Commandments, God will have to bless me. God, have you noticed that I haven’t stolen anything this week? Are you happy yet?”

But this is not the purpose of the Ten Commandments. They are not a game of Simon Says, where God gives arbitrary commands to see who will obey. God didn’t give us the Law to make himself feel important, or because he enjoys having minions to boss around. The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day (Dt 6:24).

God giving us the Ten Commandments is like a father telling his son, “Don’t touch that hot stove.” “Ok. Dad. It’ll be a big sacrifice, but I’ll do it. I’m giving up burnt fingers, for you. Now you owe me a bigger allowance.” This kind of sacrifice is detestable to God. “Hey, look! I didn’t rob any banks this week. I need some brownie points. Look! I didn’t destroy my marriage and family by committing adultery! Yay for me! God really owes me now. I didn’t ruin my health with drugs! God had better bless me now.”

This is ridiculous, of course, and yet this is exactly how your Old Adam thinks. And so, God says, “Don’t do me any favors. If touching the stove is so much fun, go for it. I don’t need your sacrifices. I won’t accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” God doesn’t need your sacrifice. Why not? Because everything already belongs to him. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The world and its fullness are his. But more importantly, God doesn’t need your sacrifice because he, himself, has provided his own sacrifice for our sin. The spotless Lamb of God has already been slain. With his perfect life and obedient death on the cross, Jesus accomplished what you were unable to do. The blood of a thousand bulls wasn’t enough to wash away your guilt. A lifetime of good works could never have atoned for your sins. But the blood of Jesus, poured out for you, is sufficient not only for you, but for the sins of the whole world. He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Is 53:5-6).

What then, does God want from you? What sacrifice is pleasing to Him? The Psalmist writes, “Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving.” The gift that God wants from you is for you to receive his gifts. Confess that you have nothing to offer God of yourself. Instead, look to the cross of Christ as the only worthy sacrifice. Acknowledge that he is the fountain of all good. God doesn’t want a slave/master relationship with you. He doesn’t want employees who punch the clock and expect to be compensated at the end of the week. God wants you to look to him as dear children look to their dear father, to call upon him in the day of trouble, and to expect only good things from his hand. God wants you to relate to him as the Giver of all good gifts. He’s serious about this. So serious, in fact, that he convenes his court to pronounce judgment on your self-righteous efforts. He condemns your vain sacrifices. He denounces your fruitless attempts to earn his favor. He judges you a sinner worthy of death and carries out the sentence – upon his own Son. What shall I render to the Lord, for all his benefits to me? I will take the cup of salvation, and will call on the name of the Lord (Ps 116:12-13). This is the only sacrifice than you can offer to God: to take him at his Word, to believe that your sins are forgiven, to trust in his promise of eternal life, and to await his final coming with hope and joy. In the name of our Savior and righteous judge, who came to earth to be our sacrifice, who comes to us tonight in his Word, in his Body and Blood, and who is coming again in glory. Amen.

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