The Fourth Sunday in Advent – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. John 1:19-28 “The Confession of Who is to Come”
December 21, 2025 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, it is good and right that we should give thanks to You, that You have given us a glorious baptism like that of John the Baptist, and that therein You have promised us the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and everlasting life through Your Son, Jesus Christ: We beseech You, by Your grace and mercy preserve us in such faith, that we never doubt Your promise, but be comforted by our baptism in all temptations; and grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may renounce sin, and ever continue in the righteousness bestowed on us in baptism, until, by Your grace, we obtain our eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. . (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 148)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 1st chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who comes, and no one can claim His honor, yet it is honor found in the form of a servant, born for you, born to die, born to come again, dear fellow redeemed:
In the Old Testament, a man by the name of Moses, an Israelite who had to flee for his life, was called by God to be His spokesperson. Talk about a lot of pressure. Not only is he going to speak for God, but then he is going to lead God’s chosen people to a land they haven’t been to for around four hundred years. Receiving this call from God, this big ask, the super easy answer is to say, “I am not the guy.” Moses tried and made God angry, but God says Moses will be His guy and He says He will give Moses some help. God speaks to him about his brother Aaron, “You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him” (Exodus 4:15-16). The job of Moses and Aaron sounds like the job of two other individuals who would come to Israel’s aide. They would do the same thing, speak and confess the salvation to come. This confession continues even now, and it is the confession you hold on to. You have been called to boldly confess the coming of your salvation forever.
Knowing what this confession brings, we should want to share this good news with anyone who will hear it. There is one thing that makes it hard. We know our confession is that we confess the whole counsel of God. We want to hear equally God’s Holy Law and His glorious Gospel. They are both needed and cannot be separated. The heart must be convicted of its failures followed by the power of the Good News that changes hearts. It’s the greatest confession, and it is a confession that gets shut down because of the first part. As Moses and Aaron dealt with the hardships of this, another prophet would have the voice of God, preparing the way for His people and calling them to repentance. To reveal how important this prophet and his message was, God would call this prophet home in a special way. And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). Elijah had a great spirit, and Moses was a great leader. Their confession lived on until their final replacements arrived.
Out at the riverbank of the Jordan River, an investigation was needed about the man who was wearing camel fur. “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” The religious leaders must know who this man is, for they are supposed to be the religious authority, and this man is proclaiming Scripture. They know from Scripture someone important is to come. Is this the guy? They run through the questions of the known men, even the one who went to heaven alive, and John says he is none of them. John’s answer is humbling unlike the religious leaders because he knows his place. And even though it is a humble rejection, it is a serious rejection because John knows the One, they are waiting for holds an honor he has no right to claim.
So, hearing all these answers, the religious leaders are concerned about who is out in the wilderness doing the job they are supposed to be doing. In their search of Scripture, they have missed that John was foreshadowed. They heard from the Prophet Isaiah, A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3). John knows what his job is. He will prepare the way for the Messiah who has already arrived, just hasn’t made Himself known yet. And even though he has this important job, he is nothing like the One to come. The One to come is so important, that John knew he wasn’t even worthy to do a slave’s task of taking off His sandals. As he makes this great confession, the religious leaders are only worried about the ritual he is doing. As masters of rituals, they do not like that John is baptizing. Yet, this washing is a washing that is continued to be needed in this world. It’s not built in works; but built on the confession of the Word.
A confession that states we are unworthy of the blessings and love God has for us. The Messiah was about to enter, to come to His people, and repentance prepared the way. It prepared the way through the Old Testament. Generation after generation heard how they were to repent and then heard the mercies of God and how He was going to send a Savior. And there were many generations that were upset they had to repent. Moses and Aaron witnessed this. Elijah witnessed this. John the Baptist scolded the teachers of the law as they would not listen to his confession. And when we hear the law preached, it cuts to our hearts. People wonder why we would come and sit here every week and hear about all the ways in which we have failed God and what He demands? We know we have people in our lives that cry out, “this is the way in which God wants us to live.” It will cut our heart one time and then another time it will have us mad that God would expect us to listen to something like that. The guidance of confessors can fall on deaf ears. It falls as there is an unbridgeable abyss between the divinity and humanity, between God and man.
So, the only way to bridge this gap together and bring humanity back into the arms of the merciful and loving God is for God to do it Himself. He begins with a promise. A promise that is told throughout generations. A promise that guides and a promise that is reinforced by those He has called throughout the centuries. Men who were not perfect. Men who understood it was outside of themselves. Carrying this great message and preparing hearts and minds, the One who they prepared the way would say to all this had to be done. The way needed to be prepared by the confession of God. Jesus would say, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). The Pharisees missed how great John was. He confessed he was not the Christ, but the Christ would be there soon. He would be there to wash and cleanse them and lead them to heavenly safety. For a new Exodus is about to happen. The people will be delivered out of the captivity of sin by Christ Jesus, as He becomes the suffering servant. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). John believed he was unworthy, and he was right as Jesus goes and puts on the world’s unworthiness.
With all of our unworthiness, the Son of Man bridges the gap. He looks like us, only to suffer in our place. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). This is the season where we see how this is done. Where we see how God does the work we cannot. How God brings to light the greatest confession for all to hear. The confession of the Son of God Jesus Christ puts on human flesh. Bridges the gap as God and man to be like us, without sin and carrying out sin. He follows the Fathers will, a will at times we will not. His heart is cut, not because of His failings, but because He feels for ours. So, standing as a beacon, the way prepared, the way for all to see is a cross of wood. Every generation to come knows what the cross stands for. It reveals how the light of the teaching of Scripture and its confession goes forth. Because of His coming into the world and dying for our sins, it is with confidence when we confess, “I believe that Jesus Christ is true God from eternity. I believe also that He is true Man.” “I believe He is my Lord.” The prophets believe in His first coming, and us rejoicing in it and confessing about His coming again.
This confession will continue to be learned by generations to come. Just because the Father has kept His promise of sending His Son into the world to die for the sins of all people, doesn’t mean that we will all get to sit idly by. It is thought by some that this is the case. We shouldn’t be in any danger. We know unfortunately that our idleness can cause us to have different thoughts about this confession of God’s Word and what the prophets were preparing. Our hearts are in constant need to hear repeatedly how they have failed, but God in His mercy has sent the Christ to suffer and die for all those sins of idleness and contempt. So, with joy, we have the privilege of witnessing it every week. John sets the example of humility and reverence for us, and it is mirrored in the men called to lead our congregations. They preach the confession of the Word. They perform the duties of the church. They wash converts with the waters of baptism for the forgiveness of sins, cleansing them with the work of the cross. And paired with baptism that saves, then Jesus comes to the altar. The incarnation on your tongue in a sacred and sacramental way. With all this happening in this stance of an hour, this is a great confession that is meant for the world. A confession of the Word made flesh who dies for the sins of the world. A confession of sin, and a confession of repentance and renewal. A confession of joy, as it is a confession of life. Life found in the One who has come and life that is found in the One who will come again. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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