“Good News of Great Joy”
Advent is a word that
means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent, we prepare for the “advent”of Christ at
Christmas. We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of Gods Messiah to save, to forgive,
and to restore.One of the amazing things about Christmas, and Jesus’ birth, is most people believe it was an afterthought. That the Old Testament went badly for God, and that is why He had to send His Son.
However, that is not the story is not a novelty. We are a testimony of Gods covenant faithfulness. God promised in the Scriptures beforehand that God was going to send a Messiah. Genesis 49:10, Moses says, that Shiloh is going to come and to Him is going to be the obedience of the nations. God promised a Messiah was coming, a king, and He was bringing a Kingdom.
The Psalms also give us all this testimony of the King coming, Psalms two, the Father says to the Son, “ask of me, and I’ll give you the nations for your inheritance.”Do we think Jesus forgot to ask? In Matthew, right before ascending to the Father, He says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey.”
So does Jesus understand the nations? Yes. And listen, there is also a warning to the kings in Psalm two, it says, “oh Kings be wise, obey the Son or you’ll perish when His wrath is kindled.”
The Messiah isn’t a novelty in history, Jesus didn’t come and everyone said “great, plan B.” That is not the gospel in the Scriptures. This is what is so compelling to me about Christ and the gospel. That this is not a novelty, every detail necessary to know Jesus as Savior and as Lord is written for us in the Old Testament, long before Jesus comes. The who, the what, the where, the why, the when, the how, everything, is found in the Old Testament.
Text like Isaiah 9:6, 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.
According to chapter nine, a child is coming, a son is coming, El Gabor. The Father of eternity, and I have to ask, who is the only eternal one? God is the only eternal one, and the eternal one is coming as a son according to Isaiah chapter nine.
Isaiah 53, But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief, that He would be counted among the rebels, and He would justify the many because He would bear their inequities.
Psalm two, the entire passion of the Messiah. His hands and feet pierced in the text, His heart like wax melted within him, that they would wag their heads at him.
Micah 5:2, that God was coming to Bethlehem.
The actual timing in Daniel chapter 9 says that the Messiah is going to come and be cut off, that is to die a violent death, and the second temple is going to be destroyed.
We have bookends prophecy, The when of the Messiah, He is coming to be cut off and then the second temple is going to be destroyed.
And so, I have to ask, when was the second temple destroyed, 1st century, right! Yes, 70 AD.
So, if Jesus isn’t the Messiah, who is?
This Christmas, I would like us to remember Israel’s hope for the coming of Gods Messiah to save, to forgive, and to restore.
Like Israel, please make Him your hope today.
Merry Christmas,
Kenny
