Make every effort to look forward to the day of the Lord while he is patient!

We often think of a man dressed in a red coat and black belt eating cookies during Christmas. But this character does not point to the true Christmas gift. Instead, this time of year, we ought to look forward to hearing from a man described as one who “wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” He points us to the true Christmas gift.

I would like to see more dads put on a camel hair jacket during Christmas. This time of year, lots of dads put on the red coat and eat cookies, but that does not prepare their families for Christmas. In our Gospel reading from Mark 1, John the Baptist is the one described as wearing the camel hair clothing and leather belt. More importantly, he is described as the fulfillment of what Mark quoted from Isaiah 40 in our Gospel reading from Mark 1, 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John came to bring the good news about Jesus, born as the Savior of the world, which we celebrate at Christmas. So, I encourage each mom and grandma to get your husband into the Christmas spirit and into the role of John the Baptist by getting him a brown jacket, leather belt and set out some honey. Also, go to Amazon and look up “dried crick-ettes sampler pack with three flavors: sour cream and onion, bacon and cheese, salt and vinegar.” It sells for under $10.00. More importantly, make room in your schedule and encourage him to tell your family about Jesus.

When you try to look forward to Jesus at Christmas, more than your schedule stands in your way. In our New Testament reading from 2 Peter 3, Peter gave one of his reasons for writing this letter at the beginning of chapter 3,

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Peter wrote to remind believers of God’s Word, both the Old and New Testament, or as he put it the words of the prophets and apostles. Those he first wrote to like us need the reminder because of what he wrote next,

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

Like those who first heard Peter’s words, we are scoffed at or mocked for looking forward to Jesus’ return to judge the sinful world and take believers to heaven.

Believers have faced scoffing for looking forward to Jesus’ return for almost two thousand years. Each year we are tempted to doubt God’s promise to return. Against these doubts, Peter wrote,

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

At times patience may be confused with laziness because of inactivity but God is not lazy or inactive. Rather, he has a plan for more people to be saved, so he waits for his return. The sinful world and believers have been waiting a long time, but the moment the Lord returns will be quick as Peter wrote, 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. God created the heavens and the earth. He destroyed the sinful world once with water and will destroy it again with fire.

God waits patiently for his return, but we fail to look forward to his return. While we are not scoffing or mocking Jesus, we often put ourselves in the same danger as the scoffers. The scoffers Peter spoke of were in danger of God’s judgment because they doubted Jesus’ return. Half of you think your spouse has no idea what he is doing. Now, the other half of you wish your spouse would stop talking so she could listen to what you plan to do. We scoff at one another. You who are confident in what you want to do, your plans, your life, your goals, be reminded that God will destroy the heavens and the earth with fire, not in an entertaining action thriller way, but in a way that curls you up like a child, shaking and frightened. And you are to live holy and godly lives, but you make your plans in your mind, which is influenced by your heart, which is influenced far more by selfishness, sin and Satan than we like to confess rather than selflessness, Scripture and the Holy Spirit. And you who doubt your spouse, it is no mystery why there is confusion and a lack of follow through on plans since the honey-do-list often does not emphasize Jesus, but so many other things. Certainly, there are moments where you feel passionate about the Bible, God, Bible Study and worship for your family, but so often the immediate, worldly surface tasks replace building a foundation on the important and eternal truth. We scoff and pass judgment on one another, and we fail to look forward individually and together to Jesus’ return. We test God’s patience and dismiss how instantaneous his return will be like a thief in the night, when we avoid repentance and godly living.

With the scoffers and with you, God is patient. As a reminder to us when we have taken God and one another for granted to carrying out our own plans on our own timeline expecting all to be patient with us and offering little patience to them, Peter wrote,

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God wants everyone to come to repentance. The person, people, nation, lifestyle, movements, beliefs, etc. you have no patience for and even hate, God wants to come to repentance. Repentance is worth something because of Jesus’ work in his first advent or coming. In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 40, we hear,

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Sin fills your life with trouble, impatience, hatred, arguing, etc. when you give into sin. Sin also makes your life difficult when you follow God because you are scoffed at and mocked by unbelievers. Jesus gives you comfort by paying for your sins. He paid for your life with his life walking the hard path resisting temptation and giving himself over to suffering, death and hell on the cross. John the Baptist pointed people to Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And we hear in our Gospel reading from Mark 1 about the power of baptism, 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. God washed you clean in the waters of your baptism and now the fiery destruction of the world and its scoffers will not harm you. God brought you comfort in the first advent, and he reminds you to look forward to the second advent where there will be eternal comfort as Peter wrote, 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. In heaven we will look at God and live at peace in righteousness and goodness in his presence forever.

While we look forward to heaven, Peter reminds us to live as if we were already there. In 2 Peter 3, he wrote, 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Men, make every effort by reading your Bible and reading it with others especially your family and you will be like Peter who wrote, 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. Men, make every effort by repenting, trusting in Jesus’ forgiveness and living as a washed clean child of God by your baptism who prepares the way of the Lord and makes straight paths into people’s hearts for the Holy Spirit to do his work by calling others to repentance and to baptism so that others refer to you like John the Baptist was in our Gospel reading from Mark 1, 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Men, make every effort to care for children and mothers, those young in faith and those being led astray by scoffers like a shepherd cares for his flock and you will shepherd some of God’s flock like Isaiah who pointed to the Shepherd, Jesus, in our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 40, 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Speaking of mothers who have young, women, make every effort by supporting and following godly men. Women, when you are scoffed at or faced with someone who will not repent, go to godly men who will defend you and hold them accountable, and trust in God who holds all the unrepentant accountable. Children, make every effort to listen to the people in your life who tell you about Jesus. He is the true Christmas gift.

Camel hair and a leather belt are probably not what you plan to wear for your family Christmas picture. Wild honey and locusts are probably not the special meal you are planning for Christmas Eve. More important than clothing and food is the reminder of the true Christmas gift. Peter reminds us that Jesus has not returned because he is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Jesus was born to save you. He will return on the day of the Lord in judgment. Make every effort to look forward to the day of the Lord while he is patient. Amen.