December 3, 2024
The Righteous Branch - Part 2
Jeremiah 23:5
12/03/2024
5 ``Behold, the days are coming,'' declares the
LORD, ``when I will raise up for David a righteous
Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal
wisely, and shall execute justice and
righteousness in the land.'' (ESV)
The threefold message of Advent says that Jesus came, Jesus
is here, Jesus is coming again. Last Sunday we heard of Jesus
riding into Jerusalem as the humble king, seated on the back of a
donkey. He came, not to conquer the land, not to overthrown the
Roman occupation, but to defeat sin and death.
Jesus told Pontius Pilate, ``My kingdom is not of this
world.''[1] Yet Jeremiah the prophet wrote: ```Behold, the days
are coming,' declares the LORD, `when I will raise up for David a
righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.''' Jesus,
descended from King David, is more than a monarch over a small
patch of land. His reign is over all of creation, over the
church on earth, and over all of heaven.
Jesus, as the righteous king, makes His people righteous by
paying the price of their sin. He is the King who died for His
people, who rose from the dead to show that death is defeated,
and who will come to take His people to live forever in His
kingdom.
The Righteous King was hidden from our view as He humbly
rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. He set aside His
kingly power to redeem us from sin and death. He entrusted His
message of hope, of forgiveness, of life to His apostles and the
Church.
In Him we are declared righteous, forgiven, and holy. May
our Lord grant us faith to hold firmly to His Word, to trust in
His righteousness, so to live with Him eternally. Amen.
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1. John 18:36 (ESV)