Jonah Albrecht

December 3rd, 2023

1st Sunday in Advent

Jeremiah 23:1-8

God’s Love Covers Me in Christ

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. 3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the LORD. 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. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ 7 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

What I am about to read is a poem written by Rodney Torreson titled On A Moonstruck Gravel Road.

On A Moonstruck Gravel Road The sheep-killing dogs saunter home, wool scraps in their teeth. / From the den of the moon ancestral wolves howl their approval.

The farm boys, asleep in their beds, live the same wildness under their lids; every morning they come back through the whites of their eyes to do their chores, their hands pausing to pet the dog, to press its ears back, over the skull, to quiet that other world.

Rodney Torreson grew up in rural Iowa and his family had a farm-dog that was friendly and beloved by the family. While they were at work in the day, the dog seemed like a good-natured loyal pet. What they didn’t know, however, was that at night their dog would meet up with a pack of wild wolves and hunt for people’s sheep to eat. What the family saw on the outside was nothing like that of the true nature of that dog.

Whether it was the intent of Torreson or not, this poem certainly correlates to the duality of mankind. Where on the outside, man might appear good and righteous, but a look into the heart reveals a dark, sinful nature.  This Advent season, we are considering the overall theme: God’s Love at Christmas.  Our theme for this morning considers how God, in His great love, will heal that dark and sinful nature that infects us all: God’s Love Covers Me in Christ.

The dog in Torreson’s poem had two distinct and opposite natures. A loving, family-friendly dog and a wild carnivorous beast. The Curious Case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde illustrates this exact duality in humans. In the public eye, Dr. Jeckel is a stand-up gentlemen and respected by all, but at night he transforms into Mr. Hyde, a ruthless and evil man who finds a need to indulge in dark vices.

But this duality is not limited to animals or to writings of fiction, but can be found in the real world. Can you think of any examples in our world today of people who show a well-kept public face, but behind closed doors are completely different? In a way, many politicians fit that description don’t they? To their voter base, they make grand promises that are well-received, but in actuality they don’t do what they said they would do.  The prophet Jeremiah in our text for this morning identifies a clear example in the duality of false shepherds, or false teachers.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD.

These are they who come bearing the image of a shepherd of God, looking to care for the sheep of God’s flock. But, they do not protect and feed the way a shepherd ought, but they destroy and scatter the flock. In Jeremiah’s day, there were many false prophets who would claim to speak for the LORD. While Jeremiah was warning the people about the impending judgment because of their sin, these prophets were saying, “God is not angry with you, but He must be pleased with you because see, you have prospered so much!” Peace they proclaim, but their proclamation is empty words.

There is no shortage of these same false prophets, or false shepherds around us today. Joel Olsteen is one of the most famous preachers in America. Millions of people have tuned in to listen to him preach. And yet, this is his core message: “Our God is a good God Who has good plans for those who choose to follow Jesus and are faithful and obedient to God’s Word.” Is that the core message of Scripture? The Apostle Paul said, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).” Rather than proclaiming what God has done for sinners, the message is what are you doing for God to earn His favor?

Why is this a destructive teaching? Why does this scatter the sheep of the LORD’s pasture and destroy flocks? Because it fails to preach what is necessary: the duality that is within you and me. You might not guess it coming here on Sunday morning. Usually Sundays bring out the best behavior when interacting with other people. And yet, pull back the curtain and what would you find? Paul tells us, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing (Romans 7:18-19).”

This is the state of my true nature. In my sinful flesh there is nothing good. There is nothing that is pleasing to God, nothing I can do to earn His favor, but like Jeremiah says concerning that bad shepherds, I deserve to have the LORD attend me for my evil deeds. The same is true for you. Each one of us was born into sin. Brought forth in iniquity and in sin, did our mothers conceive. There is nothing you or I can do to hide the disgusting nature of our sinful heart. In the story of Dr Jeckel and Mr. Hyde; Dr. Jeckel uses a potion of sorts to transform himself into Mr. Hyde. However, eventually he can’t keep it contained, but he transforms into Mr. Hyde even in his sleep. He turns into a sick and twisted criminal.

That is how it is with our sinful flesh. We might, by God’s grace, avoid a temptation or an opportunity to release our sinful nature. Yet, like Dr. Jeckel, we cannot control our sinful flesh. It is going to rise up and desire to overcome you. How easy is it to leave the Bible on the shelf, collecting dust? How easy is it to speak ill of your neighbor, of your fellow believer? How easy is it to forget to put God over all things and let objects like money, fame, work; or even family get in the way of keeping the 1st commandment. Have no other gods, and we can’t even begin to keep that one.

A popular expression heard during this time of year is, “Have you been good this year? Are you on Santa’s good list or naughty list?” Where are you at on God’s list? Where have the words you’ve said and the things you’ve done, or the things you have not done landed you on His good or evil list? Not every year, not every month, but every day my sinful flesh rears its ugly head against God and places me on the deserved evil list.

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. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

Out of His great and selfless love, God has no desire for you to be lost over the judgment of your sins, but even in the days of Jeremiah, He foretells of One who will bring peace, safety, righteousness, and salvation. This is not physical world-wide peace or safety, but rather spiritual. The One promised will bring peace between God and us sinful man.

The One promised is described as a branch, and not just an ordinary branch, but a righteous one. Judah and Israel had many deliverers over the years.  Moses, Gideon, King David, Cyrus, etc. But none of these are the righteous branch being described here because they have the same problem you and I have, they are not righteous. This title is reserved only for the Son of God, Jesus Himself. Jesus is the righteous Branch.

He shall reign as King: Jesus would go on to overcome the powerful temptations of Satan. The great and wicked foe that has been raging against the people of God, and who is behind the false shepherds, deceiving God’s flock and leading them astray, is pinned beneath the foot of the victorious king. Jesus waged war against the wicked side of our sinful flesh. He took all the sins and guilt that you and I have ever accrued, or will ever accrue and He pinned them to the cross where our sins died never to rise again. Even the impossible power of death itself was unable to contain Jesus the King, but He overcame death by rising from the grave.

The security and salvation that He brings is not a physical one. Jesus did not come to this earth, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven in order to smite your enemies or to deliver Christians from the suffering they might endure. No, He came to bring spiritual security and salvation. Jesus Christ came to this earth to be your Substitute. Under our natural state, we have no security or salvation, but are like the sheep in our text: scattered and utterly destroyed. There is no salvation to be found within ourselves. That is the exact salvation and security your Savior came to bring. He is the LORD, the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and author of all good things; He is “The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

This is the quintessential display of God’s love. On Christmas, when you Savior was born, God’s love shown brightly because here was the righteous Branch who would take upon Himself every single sin and guilt you have. Every time your sinful flesh reared its ugly head and you fell into sin; every time an impure thought originated in your heart and mind; every time you failed to do what the Law of God demands, He bore upon His shoulders. On Calvary’s cross your sin and guilt were taken completely away and in its place is placed the perfect, unchanging righteousness of Jesus Himself. God’s love covers your sins; God’s love covers you with Christ.

Have you ever attempted to graft? It is when you take two plants and graft, or combine them together so that they join as one plant. This is the perfect illustration to describe what God does through the righteous Branch. Jesus is the righteous one. He is the one who is holy without any need for forgiveness or mercy. He is the strong and healthy branch. You and I are not even a weak, sickly branch, but a dead branch. And yet, God grafted you and me onto the righteous Branch of Jesus Christ Himself. Christ covers you through God’s love. He righteousness is your righteousness and His perfect record is your perfect record. You are delivered from the wandering wilderness of your sin. You are brought into the flock of God by the Good Shepherd. You can proclaim with the whole Invisible Church on earth: “’As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.” You are God’s offspring whom God has delivered from impending death and destruction to a life of joy, peace, and unending glory.

The displayed nature of the dog and the hidden nature of the dog in the poem by Torreson struck me by complete surprise. Never did I think that their loving dog would be one to run off and hunt sheep. But such was the case and such is the nature of mankind. While we can put on a good face for others to see, God pulls back the curtain on our hearts. He sees us for what we truly are: Sinners. But God’s love covers you with Christ. He sent the righteous Branch to become your very own Righteousness. This is what the Advent and Christmas season is all about. It is about the One who came to deliver righteousness to God’s people and who is coming again to bring you into the glorious pastures of heaven. Amen.