12/10/06 - Advent 2 - Malachi 3:1

JOHN THE BAPTIST DAY
- The messenger of the King
- The messenger of the covenant

Look who’s here, my friends. Look who’s finally here. Someone we recognize. Someone who’s been here before! Someone we’ve been waiting for! It’s the messenger! He has finally arrived! And so it’s time to be excited, it’s time to celebrate because today is John the Baptist Day. That’s right, John the Baptist Day. The Second Week of Advent is when we traditionally celebrate the coming of the King’s messenger. Why? Not because John was such a great guy or a terrific preacher or a more upright individual than we are, but we celebrate John the Baptist Day because he was the messenger of the King and the messenger of the covenant. And so on John the Baptist Day it’s not so much the messenger we are celebrating as the message.
Back in biblical times messages made messengers very important people. Because, of course, you didn’t have things like phones, or email, or motorized vehicles. Messages had to be delivered by hand. And so the messenger was a person who people looked for and waited for and even hoped for. They would stand on top of the walls of the city just to get the first glimpse of a messenger on the horizon. Because if a messenger appeared, that meant there would be news about a war or about a distant nation or about the arrival of a King. And especially if the city was waiting for a King to visit, the sight of his messenger was an important event. The moment the messenger came into view the people knew the King would not be far behind.
This is John the Baptist Day. The day of the King’s messenger. And so you know that the King himself is close behind. You know that Christmas is just around the corner. And I realize that nowadays there a certain things that you might consider as the start of the Christmas season. Maybe it’s the Christmas parade. Or the first time you see Christmas lights on your neighbor’s house. Or the day you set up your Christmas tree. In our minds certain events that happen every year remind us of how close Christmas is. Now put yourself in a spiritual mindset. Forget about parades and lights and trees. Those things don’t tell you who is really coming. John the Baptist does. On John the Baptist Day. So every year, when the season of Advent rolls around again, look for, wait for, hope for the King’s messenger to arrive - because on that day, on this day, you know the King himself is near.
But the job of the messenger back in biblical times didn’t stop there. He didn’t just show up ahead of the King, he had a lot of work to do before the King ever got there. He had to get things ready, he had to make sure there were no unexpected surprises, he had to prepare the people to make sure they had everything in line. John the Baptist had to do the same kind of work. “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me,” the Lord says in our text. It was John’s job to prepare the people for the arrival of the King. It is his job to prepare you for the arrival of the King.
But don’t think that you are going to like it. You are not going to like this kind of preparation. Because in order for you to be ready for the King, John the Baptist points out your sins. John’s preparation was a preparation of repentance. He wants you to fall to your knees, confess your faults, and beg for the Lord’s mercy. All too often we forget that during this time of year, don’t we? Because when we think of Christmas we think of soft familiar music, time spent with family, the warm glow of candles, the sweet smell of Christmas cookies, the cute little baby Jesus in the manger, Mary and Joseph huddled together, the shepherds gathered around with their fluffy little sheep, and wise men coming with their fascinating gifts - and oh, what a great time of year and oh, what a wonderful atmosphere Christmastime creates!
But what about your sins? What about your sins? Because that’s the reason John the Baptist came. Repentance was the message of this messenger. It wasn’t nice feelings and quiet music and a moment to think about life. John came to point out sins. Because when Jesus was about to come into this world 2000 years agao the people were not ready! They did not care about their sins, they had forgotten their sins! John the Baptist’s job was to bring them back to reality. How were they ever going to be ready for the Savior King when they didn’t admit they had sins to be saved from? “You brood of vipers,” John said to them and to us. “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” This is John the Baptist Day. This is a day of repentance. It’s not time for excuses. It’s not time to try to justify your sinful actions. It’s time to confess your sins and rely on your King for mercy.
I say that because I tend to make excuses. I tend to try to justify my sinful actions. If I say something out of line I’ll tell myself - “well, they had it coming to them anyway.” If I lose my patience I’ll try to tell myself - “well, I had a right to be angry with that person.” If I am lazy I’ll try to tell myself - “well, I was tired that day and plus, I had plenty of time to get things done later.” If I think poorly about someone I’ll try to tell myself - “well, it’s true, isn’t it? I’m just being honest.” Do you see the excuses? Do you see how we have to convince ourselves we’re OK? Do you see how we try to avoid confronting ourselves about our sins? We don’t want to deal with it! We don’t want to admit it! We don’t even want to think about it, do we? But that is exactly why John the Baptist came. To say, “Think about it! Admit it! Deal with it! Confess your sins, acknowledge you are helpless, and rely on the King. And do it now, because the King is right behind me!” This is the message of John the Baptist - the messenger of the King.
It is a little strange celebrating John the Baptist Day by repenting. That’s not a normal celebratory act, is it? But that is what it takes. That is what John encourages us to do. Because he is not only the messenger of the King. “‘The messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” John the Baptist is also called the messenger of the covenant. But what does that mean? Well, a covenant is a binding contract, a promise. Very similar to a will written out by someone about to die. And there are two main covenants mentioned in the Bible: the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was initiated to the Israelites through Moses. And this covenant was a two-way street. The Lord would bless them as a nation if they followed his commands and kept his regulations. The Israelites had to keep their end of the bargain if they wanted to benefit from the Lord’s love. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not keep their end of the bargain. They sinned, they rejected the Lord, and they did not keep his commandments. They broke the covenant they had made with the Lord. So John cannot be the messenger for this covenant. First of all, it already had been established by the time he was born, and second of all, God’s people had nullified it by their sins.
So John the Baptist must be the messenger of a new covenant. “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” This new covenant is only a one-way street. We are not required to do anything. We do not have to keep our end of the bargain to benefit from the Lord’s love. The Lord simply gives his love to us free of charge. He forgives our sins and remembers our wickedness no more. This is the new covenant. A covenant of love and forgiveness. This is the covenant of which John the Baptist is the messenger. This is the covenant he prepares us for.
That’s why John the Baptist came and that’s why the King came: to establish this new covenant. He was born in that stable, he was tempted by Satan, he was persecuted by his own countrymen. His perfect life solidified that new covenant. His sacrificial death guaranteed that new covenant. His resurrection sealed that new covenant. It was all the work of the King and it was announced by his faithful messenger. And so that covenant which started in a barn in the town of Bethlehem will last forever for us in the temple palace of Paradise.
Today is John the Baptist Day. But John never wanted the spotlight on himself. When he saw Jesus walking he shouted out to the crowds, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The messenger pointed to the King. And so do we. We look to the one whom John prepares the way for. And we do that today and through the rest of this Advent season by taking John’s words to heart, repenting of our sins, and rejoicing in the riches of the new covenant in Christ’s blood. My friends, apart from Christmas day and the Easter season, there is rarely a better time of year than this. Because today the messenger is here. And the King is right behind him.
Amen.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” - Rev. 11:15