Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
We do welcome you. If you're new with us and you're joining us virtually,
we invite you to connect with us through our digital visitor card,
which you'll find if you go to our homepage at cmpca.net.
There will be a pop-up with immediately a link to go and fill out one of those cards,
and that will help us to connect with you and connect you with our community.
For those of us who are old-timers, of course, I invite you to make comments as they're relevant to what we're discussing this morning
and to greet one another if you missed us at the very beginning,
so that we have a sense of our fellowship with one another even as we're separated,
and also that we have a record that you are here with us.
We're continuing our study in the book of Zechariah, and we're going to be in Zechariah chapter 11 this morning
as we continue through the season of Advent.
You'll remember that Advent comes from a Latin word that means to come or to arrive,
and during the season of Advent, we take a special focus on Jesus coming or arriving to Earth.
And there's two things that we do.
We celebrate what God's done in the past,
and so that's why we sing Christmas songs like Joy to the World,
and we also long and look forward to what He'll do in the future,
and so that's why we sing songs like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
And that is a summary of what we do in all of the Christian life,
because in all of the Christian life, we celebrate what God's done in the past,
we look forward to what He's going to do in the future,
and we live faithfully now in the present in light of both of those things.
And so it's with that that we are turning again to the book of Zechariah.
We're going to be in chapter 11.
You can track with me in your worship guide.
Those of you who are here are also in your Bible or on your phone.
And you'll remember that Ezekiel was a prophet to the nation of Israel during the 6th century.
And he prophesied to them after they had returned from exile in Babylon.
Persia had defeated Babylon.
And just like a collection of sermons would cover a variety of topics,
so this collection of prophecies covers a variety of topics as well.
The chapters that we are in, chapters 9 through 13,
talk about the coming or future kingdom of God.
And you'll remember also that we're asking this question that came to us in chapter 9.
How can we rejoice when it comes to Advent?
How can Advent be for us not like a commercial that's played over and over,
that becomes old and stale,
but how can it be like a cup of water that we desperately need,
something that refreshes us over and over?
We saw in chapter 9 that Jesus is our coming King,
and as our coming King he causes us to rejoice because he's a king on a donkey,
which means that he is a humble king and he's a peaceful king.
Last week we saw that Jesus was not just our humble king but also our shepherd.
And in being our shepherd we realize that we live in a world filled with bad shepherds
and we live in a world that hates good shepherds.
But Jesus is actually the great shepherd and he's a better leader than we deserve.
And he was a shepherd who was rejected by his sheep and he dies for those very same sheep.
This morning as we come to chapter 11,
we are going to focus on the cleansing that Jesus brings.
If you've been in the church for a while, you have heard the phrase,
Jesus washing us clean.
And we're going to take a look at that this morning because that concept is going to come up
in chapter 13, or excuse me, in chapter 13, verse 1.
We're going to see that there will be a fountain open for the house of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Now I'm going to warn you as we get started that there is a lot here in this passage.
We're not going to focus on all of it equally.
So there's a lot of things going on with the relationship between Israel and Judah,
specifically in verses 1 through 9.
We're not going to focus on that.
We're going to talk a little bit about verses 1 through 9.
We're especially going to focus on verses 10 through 14 of chapter 12 and then verse 1 of chapter 13.
And we're going to simply see this morning some simple but profound truths.
We're going to look at the gospel, simple, full, and free.
And so it's with that that we turn to Zechariah chapter 12, verse 1.
And remember as we read this that this is God's word.
And God tells us that his word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold.
And it is sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.
And so that's why we read it now, starting at verse 1.
The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
Thus declares the Lord who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth
and formed the spirit of man within him.
Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.
The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah.
On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples.
All who lift it will surely hurt themselves.
And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness.
But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open
when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves,
The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.
Verse 6.
On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood,
like a flaming torch among sheaths.
And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples,
while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place in Jerusalem.
And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first,
that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah.
On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David,
and the house of David shall be like God,
like the angel of the Lord going before them.
And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Verse 10.
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy,
so that when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced,
they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,
and weep bitterly over him as one weeps over a firstborn.
On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-Rimen
in the plain of Megiddo.
The land shall mourn each family by itself,
the family of the house of David by itself,
and their wives by themselves,
the family of the house of Nathan by itself,
and their wives by themselves,
the family of the house of Levi by itself,
and their wives by themselves,
the family of the Shimaites by itself,
and their wives by themselves,
and all the families that are left, each by itself and their wives by themselves.
On that day there shall be a fountain open for the house of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you again that your word is powerful
and it does not return to you empty,
even if it's coming across the internet rather than in person.
We ask that you would send your Holy Spirit now to us,
no matter where we are hearing and listening to your word,
that you would use it to soften our hearts,
to show us our need for your cleansing,
and you would also assure us that you are the one who cleanses us.
And we ask that you would use that to give us great joy,
no matter what else is happening in our world,
and in our lives.
And we ask these things grateful that we do not have to earn them,
but we ask them instead in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
We just finished an election season,
and no matter which candidate you were cheering for,
candidates, I guess, multiple,
we all know this, that if you're going to have power,
it takes a battle.
It takes a battle to stay in power if you're the incumbent.
It takes a battle to gain power if you're not the incumbent.
And so we saw previously in chapter 9
that Jesus was going to be a king who brings peace.
And if he's going to bring peace,
he's going to be in power.
You can't have power without a battle.
Same thing is true of this kingdom,
and we see it again in this passage.
Verses 1 through 9 are telling us
that the battle that has to happen for Jesus to rule.
Now, we often think of Jesus as this gentle and kind man,
and he is.
He's also a fierce and ferocious warrior.
He is coming to make all things right.
That means he has to destroy his enemies.
We talked about this two summers ago
when we were in the book of Psalms.
We looked at Psalm 5,
which is what we called an imprecatory psalm,
or a psalm that prays for justice.
And I told you then that every time
we say the Lord's Prayer together,
we are praying for God to destroy his enemies
because how else could his kingdom come on earth
as it is in heaven?
And so it's that battle that we see
at the very beginning of this passage.
I'm just going to go over it for you very quickly.
First, verse 2, there's going to be a siege against Jerusalem.
Verse 3, this siege is going to involve all the nations.
So we see at the end of the verse,
all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
That is Jerusalem.
Okay, verses 3 and 5, battle against Jerusalem,
all the nations.
God is going to crush all the nations.
And in crushing all the nations,
the end of verse 5,
we see he's giving his people strength.
The clans of Judah shall say to themselves,
the inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength
through the Lord of hosts, their God.
And then in verse 9,
we're given a summary statement of this entire section.
So 9 sums up verses 1 through 9
when it tells us,
and on that day I will seek to destroy
all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And the point is this.
Ultimately, the Lord will establish his kingdom.
Christ secures victory for his people
and therefore for the church.
That's what we take from this battle against Jerusalem.
It's an image to show us,
it's an illustration to show us
ultimately what's going to happen
in the battle between God
and his enemies in the world.
Moving from that battle then,
we see this idea of cleansing
and we also find out something very surprising.
Remember last week we had a little bit of a twist.
We of course agreed
that the world is filled with bad shepherds.
The counterintuitive twist
was that people also hate good shepherds.
We see here that the Lord defeats his enemies.
Counterintuitive twist.
Verse 10,
The Lord who defeats his enemies also dies.
He dies in this battle
and that's what we see here in verse 10.
When they look on me,
on him who they have pierced.
So these are the people who have won the battle.
This is Jerusalem being victorious
and suddenly they're looking on me.
That's God speaking
as one they have pierced.
Somehow as they win the battle,
they've actually injured their own leader.
And we learn,
remember these passages
that we're going through in Zechariah
are the ones that are quoted in the New Testament.
We learn in John chapter 19, verse 37,
that this one who has been pierced
is referring to Jesus
because John tells us
that this is a fulfillment.
When Jesus dies,
it's a fulfillment of this verse.
And this word pierced,
when it's often used in the Old Testament,
refers to someone who is dying
because of the wound that they receive.
And we know, of course,
that Jesus was pierced in his side
as he died on the cross.
And so we now understand this passage
in a way that the original hearers would not.
They have killed God.
The victory of God's people
comes through the death of God.
And we see even more echoes of that
in verses 10 and 11
because how are they going to mourn?
They shall mourn for him
as one mourns for an only child
and weep bitterly over him
as one weeps over a firstborn.
And of course, we know that Jesus is referred to
as God's only beloved son,
his only begotten son.
And so we know now
that this battle is telling us
about the battle that Jesus wins
through his death.
The one who is pierced
is Jesus.
The one who dies from this battle
is God.
He cleanses us.
In Jesus' death,
winning this battle,
we'll see that he changes us
and he also cleanses us.
First, we see that he changes us.
Verse 10,
I will pour out on the house of David
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace
and pleas for mercy.
Pleas for mercy,
meaning these people
are going to repent.
They're going to cry out
for God to forgive them,
but notice the order.
They cry out for God
to forgive them
after he pours out his spirit,
not before.
In other words,
outside of God
pouring out his spirit,
they are unable
to cry out for mercy.
They are unable to repent.
It is God's spirit
that comes first
and softens
and changes their heart.
It is God's spirit
that makes it possible
for them to actually
see their sin
and confess that they're wrong.
In fact,
this is foretold
throughout the Old Testament.
Prophets like Ezekiel
and Joel and Isaiah
talked about a day
when God's spirit
would be poured out
and it would change his people.
They would have new hearts,
hearts of flesh
rather than hearts of stone.
Of course,
it's no accident here
that the pouring out
is the image of water
being poured out.
It's a cleansing image.
Now,
I won't go off
on a bunny trail,
but that's part of the reason
that we pour out water
on someone
when we baptize them.
We believe that's a continuation
of this imagery,
that it's water
that cleanses
coming from above.
And it brings repentance,
repentance that can only come
from God's spirit.
And so we see here,
first,
remember we saw
a couple weeks ago,
only God can bring peace
to the nations, right?
We actually are not capable
of fixing this world.
The accompanying truth
is this,
only God can bring change
to us.
Yes,
only God can bring peace
to the nations.
Only God can bring change
to us.
It is only
when we are touched
and affected
by God's spirit
that we are able
to change.
And that's what we see
in this passage.
We see people
who are moved deeply
by true repentance
of their sin.
You probably noticed
near the end
we had this phrase
repeated over
and over again.
We heard itself
and themselves
in verses 12-14.
Each family,
verse 12,
by itself.
The family of David,
by itself.
Their wives,
by themselves.
The family of Nathan,
by itself.
Wives,
by themselves.
Levi,
by itself.
Wives,
by themselves.
Shimei,
it's by itself.
Wives,
by themselves.
You get the point.
The question is this,
why is that repeated
over and over?
Remember,
I've told you before,
repetition matters a lot,
especially when we are
reading the Old Testament.
They are telling us here,
when they're repenting
by themselves,
that this is not for show.
It is easy,
tempting at times,
to repent in public
because you know
that's what you're
supposed to do.
It's tempting at times
maybe to apologize
for something
that you're not sorry for
because you know
you need to do that
to fix the situation
and to make people
feel good about it.
Maybe you're holding
your hand,
you know your fingers
crossed behind you.
I'm sorry,
but you know
you're really not.
These people
are actually sorry
because they are not
gaining anything
publicly from it.
They are doing it
by themselves
in private.
It is real repentance
that's not gaining them
anything in the eyes
of other people.
They're not using it
as a manipulative strategy.
They're not doing it
because that's what
their teacher told them
they had to say
to a classmate.
They're not doing that
because they know
what they have to do
to keep their job
or keep moving forward.
These people actually
have a real
and true
and deep sorrow
over their sin.
And so,
they're able to repent
not just in public
but in private.
Now,
you might also ask
why the husbands
and the wives
are separated.
Why are the wives
repenting by themselves?
Probably,
most likely,
for the same reason.
They are not just
sending the heads
of households,
these men,
to repent
on behalf
of the family.
But again,
it's emphasizing
for us
how much
each individual
is repenting.
Each individual
is moved
by their sin.
Each individual
sees the part
they play
in the death
of this king.
And so,
when God's spirit
is poured out
in this way,
it leads to true
and real,
personal,
individual repentance.
These people
understand
how much
they have offended God
and they are able
to grieve over it.
You'll remember
if you were here
with us
when we went through
the book of Nehemiah,
when I preached
on Nehemiah chapter 1,
I shared with you
the story
about the English writer
G.K. Chesterton.
You'll remember
he read
a question
in the newspaper
asking for a response
and the question
was this.
Write in
to the editors
and answer the question,
what is wrong
with the world?
And you'll remember
Chesterton wrote
in a famous
one-sentence answer.
He said,
Dear sirs,
I am.
I am what
is wrong
with the world.
I'm not going
to point my finger
at everyone else.
I'm not going
to point it
at institutions
and say,
if we could fix those,
everything would be right.
I'm not going
to point it
at politicians
and say,
if we could fix them,
suddenly everything
would be right.
I'm not going
to point it
at government
or rulers
or pastors
or elders.
I'm going
to say
at the end
of the day,
what is wrong
with the world
includes me.
I cannot
just point my finger
at other people.
That is what's
happening with
these people.
They are experiencing
repentance.
They have just won,
by the way.
Remember,
verses 1-9
is a victory.
These people
are on the right
side of history.
They have every
reason to be proud,
every reason
to believe
that they have
done nothing wrong.
And yet,
their response
after their victory
is to repent.
They're on
the right
side of history
and it doesn't
cause them
to gloat.
Instead,
being on the
right side
of history
here causes
them to have
a sense
personally
of their sin.
It causes
them to be
moved in
repentance
towards God.
And so for us,
as we talk
about rejoicing,
many people
want joy.
Few people
are willing
to do
what it
takes.
You want
to sing
joy to the
world?
Joy
comes
from
repentance.
Joy
comes
from
repentance.
There
are all
sorts of
things we
can try
to do,
all sorts
of money
we can
spend,
and things
we can
buy to
try to
make ourselves
feel whole.
None of
them will
work.
Repentance
will.
It's when
we know
that we are
free of
guilt and
shame,
a guilt
and shame
that relationships
and experiences
and products
cannot free
us from,
that we're
able to
experience
real and
true joy.
And it's
not repentance
as we've
talked about
as a
performance.
It's not
saying,
okay,
I need to
say this
to get
this person
off my
back.
No,
when God's
spirit
is at
work in
our lives,
we actually
want what
is right
and good.
There is a
humility that
comes with
it,
rather than a
smug self-righteousness.
Remember,
these people
have won.
Their king
is victorious
and they're
repenting.
They want
what's good
and right
and wanting
what's good
and right
causes them
to see
what's not
good and
right in
themselves.
Their desire
for righteousness
leads them
to repentance.
Of course,
Jesus tells
us the
very same
thing about
cleansing.
In John
chapter 7,
he's at
the Feast
of Booths
and he
decides he's
going to
stand up
and give
a speech
and he
says this.
This is
verse 37.
If anyone
thirsts,
let him
come to
me and
drink.
Whoever
believes in
me,
as the
scripture
has said,
out of
his heart
will flow
rivers of
living water.
water,
we see
this idea
of life
and water,
of pouring
something out,
goes not
just from the
Old Testament
but to the
New Testament.
Actually,
if you fast
forward to
Zechariah
chapter 14
or verse 8,
you'll hear
about streams
of water
flowing out
from Jerusalem.
Jesus fulfills
this for us.
He is the
one who is
pierced.
He is the
one who
brings life
to people.
He is the
one who
allows living
waters to
flow from
within them
if they
believe
in him.
I was at
the post
office on
Friday
mailing
something and
the man
ahead of
me in
line,
I'm not
sure why,
turned around
to me and
he said,
the world
is no
good anymore.
I'm sure
he was
referring to
all the
things going
on in
our nation
with politics
and coronavirus
and the
government
and whatever
else.
I didn't
really have
a lot to
say.
But this
is telling
us we
are no
good.
Yes,
the world
is broken.
We are
broken as
well.
Jesus and
only Jesus
offers streams
of living
water.
He says,
whoever believes
in me as
the scripture
has said,
streams of
living water
will flow
from within
him.
It's the
one who
is pierced
that offers
us that
and the
joy that
comes with
it.
And so
remember,
first,
God changes
us.
But repentance
is a scary
and dangerous
thing.
It's an
understandable
that most
people avoid
it, right?
It is risky.
It might even
be in some
situations foolish
to admit you've
done something
wrong, that you
are wrong,
at least from a
worldly
perspective.
Repentance
makes no
sense unless
there's also
forgiveness.
Repentance
makes no
sense unless
there's also
forgiveness.
There are
few things
more dangerous
than admitting
that you're
wrong.
And so
that's why
it's important
that God
not only
change us,
but he
also cleanses
us.
He doesn't
just change
us, he
also cleanses
us.
I've noted
before in
chapter 10
this water
imagery from
verse 10.
We see it
more fully in
chapter 13
verse 1.
On that
day,
that's the
day that God
is victorious
and these
people repent,
there shall
be a fountain
opened for
the house of
David.
And the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem to
cleanse them
from sin and
uncleanness.
And so there's
not just a
pouring out of
God's spirit,
there's not just
the change,
there's also the
cleansing,
there is this
fountain.
And the idea
of this fountain
is that this
is a place
where people
would go and
wash and
they would be
set free from
the guilt and
shame and
power of sin.
That it would
be safe to
confess because
it wouldn't
lead to
condemnation,
it would lead
to forgiveness.
forgiveness.
That's the joy
that is coming
for these
people.
It does not
lead in their
repentance to
condemnation but
forgiveness because
this one who is
pierced will
wash them and
cleanse them of
our sins.
Now this image in
chapter 1 or
verse 1 of
chapter 13 is a
simple one.
Simply it's one of
cleansing in a
fountain.
And so I'm not
going to go on
explaining fountains
to you.
You all know
what it's like
to take a
shower and a
bath to wash
away the dirt
that's on you.
It's a simple
image here for
us.
The point is
this, because of
Jesus' death,
because he is the
one who is
pierced, it is
safe to repent
and confess our
sins.
Because Jesus is
the one who is
pierced, it is
safe to confess
our sins.
Our righteousness,
our standing
before God and
other people does
not hinge on our
performance.
Our standing
before God and
other people doesn't
hinge on our
performance.
And so admitting
that we are wrong
is no longer
dangerous.
For us, it means
this, as God
changes us and
he cleanses us, we
are finally able to
admit to ourselves
and others and to
God the places
where we need help,
we need to grow.
We are able for
the first time to
speak with a
trusted friend about
our struggle with
pornography.
Maybe you're able
for the first time to
finally tell someone
about your abortion.
You are able to
recognize what is
good and right about
people from the
political party that
you hate.
You are able to
know that those who
disagree with you,
while they may be
flawed and corrupt,
there's also things
about them that are
admirable.
people.
While your party,
you think, has
things that are
admirable, but there
are also things about
it and you that are
flawed and corrupt.
It is safe to
finally admit that.
Your righteousness
does not stand on
there being nothing
wrong with your
political party.
It is being able to
confess to your kids
that you're not a
perfect parent.
Not as a general
statement, but able to
name specifically the
ways you failed and
ask for their
forgiveness.
You no longer have
to hold up the
image of never
making a mistake.
You have a fountain
opened for you to
cleanse you from sin
and in cleanness.
And so we don't have
to just choose anger
over what's wrong in
the world, although
there are plenty of
things that are wrong
and a lot to be angry
over.
We can also choose
grief and sadness
and recognize the
ways that we
contribute to it as
well.
Remember G.K.
Chesterton's answer,
Dear Sir, I am.
And so we see here,
as I mentioned
earlier, the gospel.
Simple, full, and free.
We can rejoice because
God changes us and
he cleanses us.
In his third book,
I believe it is in
the Narnia series,
The Voyage of the
Dawn Treader, C.S.
Lewis tells the story
of King Caspian, who
goes on this journey
at the beginning of
his reign to find the
seven lost lords of
Narnia.
And as he goes on
this journey to find
the seven lost lords,
we meet a character
named Eustace.
And Eustace is kind
of a jerk.
He's very selfish.
At one point, there's
a problem because
they have to ration
out the water and
Eustace is taking
water that's not his.
He's taking rations
that aren't his.
He tries to get out
of work whenever he
can.
He is a problem to
the whole group.
In fact, he has this
very tense relationship
you'll remember with
Repacheep, the mouse.
And there comes a
point at which they
land on this island
and Eustace decides to
get out of work.
He's going to go on a
walk, conveniently,
right as all the work
is being done.
Walks away.
He gets lost,
unfortunately, and he
finds himself in a
dragon's cave.
Now, he falls asleep
in this cave.
When he wakes up, he
has turned into a
dragon.
Lewis gives us this
image of him turning
into a dragon as part
of what it looks like
to have sin as part of
our world.
We lose some of our
humanity.
Eustace is unable to
communicate now with
his friends.
They're not even sure.
They don't even know it's
him for a while until
they finally guess it.
But he's trapped in
this dragon body.
However, Edmund, one
night, sees this person
approaching him and
he realizes that it's
Eustace.
Eustace has lost his
dragon form and has
returned to a boy.
Of course, he wants to
know how this has
happened.
And so Eustace tells
him the story of how
he stopped being a
dragon and he was able
to become a boy once
again.
First of all, a lion
comes to him.
And if you're familiar
with the story, you
know that this is
Aslan, the great
lion who's meant to
represent God.
Aslan comes to this
dragon and as Eustace
tells it, the lion told
me, I must undress
first.
So Eustace tries to
undress himself.
He realizes he's
talking about shedding
his skin and so he's
scratching all over
himself to take the
dragon scales off and
he's able to take one
set of skin off.
He thinks he's good,
but there's another set
of dragon skin.
He tries to take that
one off.
He's successful.
I believe he takes off
three different sets of
dragon skin until the
lion finally tells him
the truth.
The lion says this,
you will have to let
me undress you.
We see this truth here.
We must be cleansed.
We cannot cleanse
ourselves.
We must be cleansed.
We cannot cleanse
ourselves.
And so the lion begins
to take the dragon skin
off him.
The first tear he made
was so deep that I
thought it had gone
right into my heart.
And when he began
pulling the skin off,
it hurt worse than
anything I've ever
felt.
The only thing that
made me able to bear
it was just the
pleasure of feeling
the stuff peel off.
Then he tells us
after that it's been
peeled, there I was
smooth and soft as a
peeled switch and
smaller than I had been.
Then he caught hold of
me.
I didn't like that very
much for I was tender
underneath now that I
had no skin on.
And listen to this,
threw me into the
water.
Cleansing.
It smarted like
anything but only for
a moment.
I turned into a boy
again.
After a bit, the lion
took me out and
dressed me.
After this experience,
Eustace begins to
change and the chapter
ends like this.
It would be nice and
fairly true to say that
from that time forth,
Eustace was a
different boy.
To be strictly
accurate, he began to
be a different boy.
He had relapses.
There were still many
days when he could be
very tiresome.
But most of those I
shall not notice.
The cure had begun.
Eustace needed to be
cleansed.
He could not cleanse
himself.
And so the lion came
and did it for him.
Eustace needed to be
changed.
He could not change
himself.
And so the lion did it
for him.
He did not become
perfect, but as Lewis
tells us, the cure
had begun.
Brothers and sisters,
how can we rejoice
at Advent?
We rejoice because God
cleanses us and he
changes us so that we
can have true and full
joy.
Please pray with me.
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you for the
good news that you
have given us in your
word.
We thank you for the
gospel, simple, full,
and free.
We ask that you would
use this story and
these words that you've
given us in your word
to encourage us that we
would rejoice in you
because you have made it
safe to repent.
And you are the one who
has provided a fountain
for us to wash free from
our sins.
We ask these things
grateful that we don't
have to wash ourselves,
but instead we can ask
them in Jesus' name.
Amen.