As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“We look back and remember Jesus’ death and resurrection each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. But have we forgotten that we observe this ordinance ‘till He comes’?” - P&D
“Never view the world circumstances or any events with a temporal viewpoint. Recognize that God is constantly seeing the big picture while we normally see what is taking place day by day.” - P&D
This week, the Western world pauses to remember the birth of the One who divided time, and all of history, by His first coming—our Savior and the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ.
As we stop and worship this baby in Bethlehem’s manger once again, let us remember that He, eternal God, came to Earth to become a man, to die for our sins and to rise again. The events of Christmas were an essential step in that process but, of course, they do not tell the full story.
“Humanity continues to strive for utopia, but original sin makes it impossible to achieve. Just like no one can get eggs out of a cake that has been baked, no one can get the sin out of us and the world; no one, that is, except Jesus.” - Colin Smith
Read Part 1
It will be here before we know it! December 25th, that is….
But long before that big day, we’ll sense the sights, the sounds and smells.
Christmas, in fact, permeates our culture so thoroughly that it almost mingles together with all things related to fall—the cooler weather, a warm sweater, the desire to stay inside, football on television, a hot cup of cocoa, and the crackling of the fireplace.
In my training in the original Biblical languages, I was clearly instructed to remember that words have greater meaning than the sum of their constituent parts.
While that rule stands true, there is still one particular New Testament word that is built of fascinating components. It is a word that has a significant presence in our theological vocabulary, even though it is actually found only two times in the Scriptures. It is the word regeneration.
“…no one will be looking, expecting, or prepping when Jesus returns. No books, math equations, or solar moon eclipses will give us any hint when this will be.” - Treg Spicer
“ ‘Joy to the World’ was never intended to be a Christmas hymn…. Watts wanted the reader to follow the prophetic thread, so to speak, out from the New Testament toward the ultimate future, where the Lord Christ would come, once and for all, to redeem all things.” - Ligonier
“Around 1 in 8 Protestant pastors (12 percent) believe Christians can speed up the second coming of Jesus by supporting geopolitical changes mentioned in the Bible, with 5 percent strongly agreeing. Four in 5 pastors (80 percent) don’t believe their support will have an impact on the timetable of Christ’s return” - BPNews
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