Sermon Notes: 12/17/2023, Dale Meade

The Marvelous Advent: the “parousia” in Greek — the coming or the new beginning

Intro:    A. When we find a frequent repetition of something the marvelous can become!

            B. So it it with Christmas; it can lose it’s incredible and miraculous nature because we celebrate every year this much love holiday.

            C. The coming of the Magi or wise men shocked Harold and the entire nation (Mathew 2:1-18) but why?

I. We can treat it mundanely but God spent thousands of years preparing for this one event! 

            A. Everything in the Old Testament and much of ancient history was revelation and preparation 

            B. The protocol-evangelium passages

                        1.Adam and Eve; you shall crush his head! Genesis 3:15

                        2. About 2,000BC Abraham; blessing to all the peoples of the earth. Genesis 12:1-3

                        3. About 1,300 BC The Passover; the sacrificial lamb. Exodus 12:1-29

II. They claimed they could “earn their salvation” but the Law of Moses proved they could not! 

            A. The Failure to Fulfill the requirements causes the Hebrew nation to lose the promise

            B. About 597BC The Babylonian Captivity  Jeremiah 52:16

            C. About 538BC Cyrus frees the Hebrews.  Ezra 1:1-2

            D. About 432 Malachi prophesies The book of Malachi

IV. Then God falls silent for 400 years, creating a massive expectation! 

            A. The Jews long for God to speak to them

            B. Yet he remains silent!

V. Then the greatest singular event in human history: the advent-the birth of Christ!

            A. We have 55 very specific prophesies about Jesus coming

                        1. Location of birth, death of the innocents, the flight to Egypt, death and resurrection

            B.  Then 355 more general prophets: his nature, work, and ministry

                        1. No one could humanly fulfill more than a very few of even the general prophesies let alone the very specific ones

            C. In the 1960s liberal theologians admitted the prophesies were to specific and claimed they had to be written after Christ

                        1. Until the Dead Sea scrolls were found! 

Conclusion! 

            A. Christmas season every celebrates, even Hindus and nominal Christians

            B. Everybody loved Christmas and gift giving but Christmas is much more!

            C. It is his birth, his life, his death, and his resurrection as one grand narrative of salvation!

            D. This Christmas, instead of going out to see the lights, let us all commit to being the light!