As we have just celebrated the coming of the Christ, Jesus in this past advent season I wanted to share scripture that foretold of our saviors coming, just who He would be and what would come of his birth, how he is and was Immanuel (God with us). I also wanted to share a small selection of songs that honor this same coming. Jesus Christ is the reason for the season, and his condescension to earth, to become a man, while fully being God, was for his great glory and our immediate & ultimate benefit, freedom from sin, and eternal life. Let us honor Jesus and prepare our all for a new year to worship him and to grow in relation with him as well as the body of believers, as we serve and love one another. Let us run the race.
“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:8-10, The Fall)
“The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15, The Deceiving Serpent Will Be Crushed By The Son of Man to Come)
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.” (Isaiah 9:2, Light of The World to Come)
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, Messiah To Come)
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1-5, Who The Messiah Must Be)
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38, Messiah Now To Be Born)
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:4-7 Prophecy Fulfilling Birth of Messiah To Come)
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:8-21, Jesus the Christ is Born-Our Savior Has Come)
What blessed news this was for them, what great news is this for us! God becoming man gave me and you the only chance to have life everlasting, the sin that he would take on when he met the brutal cross was that of those who would believe on him. If you have believed on Him unto eternal life know that your spot is secure and that he sustains you to run this race of life with endurance, making the testing of your faith produce greater works in you, for his glory and for your good. If you have not put full faith in Jesus Christ I share with you this gospel invitation; God is true, Christ is God, we are sinners in and of ourselves, we are all born helplessly imprisoned to the bonds of slavery that sin brings, our good deeds are meaningless to save us from a true and holy judgment, there is a real satan who wants your bondage to sin to remain, Christ knowing us came so that we could not only be free, but also have everlasting and fruitful life in him.
This promise of life in Christ is not the promise of rainbows and butterflies, but it is a promise of eternal security, of also putting you in the only state of living on this earth that has any meaningful and long-lasting effect, that is life abiding in him, for this is ultimately what he made us for anyway. Friend, don’t just believe me, try him on this!
Songs recommnedations:
O Holy Night
Ave Maria
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Standing on The Promises
Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me
God bless you all, and God willing, I will report back in the New Year. Enjoy the last few days of this year my friends, and look forward to all of the newness that this year coming can bring, no matter the case, bring Christ Jesus with you and be encouraged to run the race set out before you. Until next time……
-Christian
run the race - rtr 
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