After our wonderful meals of Thanksgiving and blessed times with family and friends, November is the month that hopefully leaves us with hearts of gratitude, to an almighty God from whom all blessings flow. Apostle Paul says it well to the church at Corinth…
"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
ADVENT
So Thanksgiving, is a great prelude to the next calendar event which is Advent.
For those who have not heard, Advent by definition is that arrival of a notable person – Christ-with the time frame beginning four Sundays prior to Christmas. So starting this year, Sunday Nov. 29th will be the first day of Advent continuing for many days until Sunday December 20th. During this time, Christians around the world observe this sacred occasion as a season of remembrance, reflection, expectation, prayer and fasting, acknowledging the coming and second coming of Christ.
ADVENT ONE
The first coming of Christ we see many documented scriptures declaring the truth of His coming in the Old Testament. We see the manifold prelude of prophecies broadcasted throughout a timeframe from Genesis to Malachi, giving clear direction on how to look for and see Christ the coming Messiah. Some experts have suggested that there are over 350 Biblical fulfilled prophecies of the coming Messiah. The fact of prophecy is one of the strongest evidences that clearly confirm that the Bible is inspired by God. There are a multitude of specific predictions that are evident of the fulfillments of Advent One or points to the future fulfillment of Advent Two. Scriptural accounts of prophecy are so precisely accurate that if you compared it from a mathematical probability, one would easily see that, the probability of 9 prophecies coming true of Christ is 1/10 to 76th power. 1/10 to 76th power is like picking the same grain of sand four times in succession. Each and every prophecy in the Old Testament of Christ came true.
In the New Testament we see one of the first accounts of the coming of Christ
“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’ “ Mary and Elizabeth’s visit was filled with joy, excitement and blessings.
Elizabeth exclaims, “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary would come to visit with Christ in her womb.
Likewise the shepherds were overjoyed that the angels…a multitude of heavenly hosts came to them…praising, singing and saying “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men!”
This compelled the shepherds to go and see…
“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.
They CAME!
“And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Solidifying the Deity and what some may call the Incarnation of Christ, John tells us that “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Christ himself tells us His reason for coming…so save us sinners
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”
And “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”
During the Last Supper, with Christ and His disciples, his desire was to eat this Passover meal them before He went to suffer on the cross. He mentions drinking with them again when He sees them again “ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ ”
Jesus Christ promised them that He is coming again to receive them as His own
John publicizes loud and clear Advent Two “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This Advent season, my hope for you is to look and see that Christ has come to you in Advent One and come to you in Advent Two. So while Christ has committed to come to you
I invite you to come to Christ
The response to COME is to GO
Go and know the risen Savior, currently sitting on the right hand side of God.
Go and know the Redeemer of the world
Go and know the God and Creator of the world that will call you His friend and heir to his kingdom
Come and Go!
RESOURCES
Luke - Chapter One
Luke - Chapter Two
Luke 5:32
John - Chapter One
Matthew 5:17
Revelation 1:7
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About the Author:
Simone Lake is a Christ follower, bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake (of Church on Randall Place), passionate pray-er and Bible teacher. A graduate of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Simone holds a Master’s degree in Theology and an Apologetics Certificate from BIOLA. For over seven years, she writes Firm Foundations, published in the Rim Review, every first Wed. of the month. Visit her: www.deeprootsinchrist.com, www.simonelake.com, FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Audios available at: http://deeprootsinchrist.
