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When God Promises Things Happen Luke 3.1-6 December 4, 1988 The Second Sunday in Advent Introduction: Do not make promises you cannot keep. It is a rule of life that was taught to most of us as part of the moral pedagogy our mothers and fathers taught us. What is a promise? Who makes promises? A promise is a declaration something will or will not be done. I. Yet, today, the world is strewn with broken promises. A. There is the excitement and joy of promises fulfilled. 1. Do you remember the first time you made a promise? Possibly it was on a trip to the north woods of Wisconsin. There, it was promised, you would see deer in the woods, bears coming out in late afternoon to feed at the garbage pit, eagles' nests on the edge of a ledge overlooking the tops of giant pine trees. That promise made the long ride, boring as it was, worthwhile because of the promise. 2. Then there are those promises fulfilled that are not always joyful. If you do not come in right now you will miss your supper. B. Promises are in the very nature of any community life whether it be business, in the family, or just between friends. Promises are driving forces in human life. The promise of another birthday, the promise of having a baby, the promise of finding one's love in another, the promise of having a life fulfilled by using the gifts one is given, promises, promises, they move the world like nothing else. C. Stacks of broken promises sit on a judge's bench. Broken promises are written in sadness on faces whose hollow eyes and sad mouths tell of deep disappointment. D. There is no phrase more tearing to the conscience of parents than the child's lament, "But you promised." II. Advent is a time of waiting for the promise of Christmas. A. Long before our messages came to us by telephone, radio, television, film, mail, newspaper, billboard or bumper sticker, messages were disseminated by word of mouth and through events. 1. The Scriptures remind us that God spoke through prophets, priests, kings, judges, scribes, apostles and through the events of creation, catastrophe, war, exile, birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, and death. 2. What kind of message do we receive? One that says that the whole creation, everything in it, and everyone in it, is the concern of god. God has not simply wound the clock and hung it on the wall to let time take its course, but on the contrary God involves everyone and everything in God's concern. "He's got the whole world in his hands is more than a Gospel song; it contains one of the great themes of faith. B. The message we receive before Christmas is the promise of one who is to come to be among us; one who is to be born that will make all the difference in the world. This one is 1
Object Description
Title of Sermon | When God Promises Things Happen |
Author | Landwehr, Arthur |
Subject | Advent, Promises |
Date of sermon | 12/4/1988 |
Type | Text |
Format | |
Number of Pages | 3 |
Language | English |
Biblical Book | Luke |
Verses | 3:1-6 |
Rights | For permission to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use this image, please contact The Styberg Library by phone (847)866-3909 or email styberg.library@garrett.edu |
Collection | The Arthur Landwehr Sermon Collection (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) |
Identifier | 340 When God Promises Things Happen.pdf |
Description
Title of Sermon | Page 1 |
Biblical Book | Biblical Book |
Collection | The Arthur Landwehr Sermon Collection (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) |
Transcript | When God Promises Things Happen Luke 3.1-6 December 4, 1988 The Second Sunday in Advent Introduction: Do not make promises you cannot keep. It is a rule of life that was taught to most of us as part of the moral pedagogy our mothers and fathers taught us. What is a promise? Who makes promises? A promise is a declaration something will or will not be done. I. Yet, today, the world is strewn with broken promises. A. There is the excitement and joy of promises fulfilled. 1. Do you remember the first time you made a promise? Possibly it was on a trip to the north woods of Wisconsin. There, it was promised, you would see deer in the woods, bears coming out in late afternoon to feed at the garbage pit, eagles' nests on the edge of a ledge overlooking the tops of giant pine trees. That promise made the long ride, boring as it was, worthwhile because of the promise. 2. Then there are those promises fulfilled that are not always joyful. If you do not come in right now you will miss your supper. B. Promises are in the very nature of any community life whether it be business, in the family, or just between friends. Promises are driving forces in human life. The promise of another birthday, the promise of having a baby, the promise of finding one's love in another, the promise of having a life fulfilled by using the gifts one is given, promises, promises, they move the world like nothing else. C. Stacks of broken promises sit on a judge's bench. Broken promises are written in sadness on faces whose hollow eyes and sad mouths tell of deep disappointment. D. There is no phrase more tearing to the conscience of parents than the child's lament, "But you promised." II. Advent is a time of waiting for the promise of Christmas. A. Long before our messages came to us by telephone, radio, television, film, mail, newspaper, billboard or bumper sticker, messages were disseminated by word of mouth and through events. 1. The Scriptures remind us that God spoke through prophets, priests, kings, judges, scribes, apostles and through the events of creation, catastrophe, war, exile, birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, and death. 2. What kind of message do we receive? One that says that the whole creation, everything in it, and everyone in it, is the concern of god. God has not simply wound the clock and hung it on the wall to let time take its course, but on the contrary God involves everyone and everything in God's concern. "He's got the whole world in his hands is more than a Gospel song; it contains one of the great themes of faith. B. The message we receive before Christmas is the promise of one who is to come to be among us; one who is to be born that will make all the difference in the world. This one is 1 |