Christmas 2018 Born in Bethlehem (Part 2-A Journey)
Hello this is Eric again. A friend asked me, “How can I know that the Bible is true?” So, I am taking some time to answer my friends question and to do this I am looking at one of the evidences the Bible gives to answer this question, Prophecy.
(Read the previous blogs here)
As we are looking at some of the fascinating parts of the story of Jesus’ birth—the Christmas Story—and as we are searching for the fingerprints of God’s Prophetic word; the story of the Magi stands out as a complex and intriguing example of God’s handiwork. My hope is that this excursion will give us a picture of the thoughtful care and loving precision that God has invested in His Redemption plan—and that, will grow our faith.
Walking with God certainly is a journey isn’t it. There are verses in the Bible that we breeze by, just by the nature of the medium—a book—But, it would do us well to stop and consider the powerful significance and implications that they have for us today.
“Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. Two full years later,…”—Genesis 40:23-41:1a
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”—Genesis 18:1,2
(Abraham waited 25 years for God to fulfill His promise)
Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth—Genesis 15:13
The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. On this night the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.—Exodus 12:40-42
I could continue—Noah took on a 100 year project, the prophets longed to see the answer (Matthew 13:17)--But; did you notice the time?
There is a time element in God’s word that we like to quickly read over, but we shouldn’t. Life doesn’t necessarily afford us the reality of moving on our time-table. It is necessary and encouraging for us to understand that in our walk with God--sometimes God's work takes longer than we want. But, if this happens we can know that God is still good and His promises are still true and trustworthy.
Walking with God is a journey. Sometimes the journey takes time—even, a long time—and that is OK. God is still God. He is still good. He is still sovereign (in charge). If the journey takes longer than we think it should, God understands our discomfort. How do I know this? God includes a long journey of faith in the Christmas story.
The Magi, who were reading the Bible and studying creation—saw the star and took a huge leap of faith and chose to leave on a journey to meet the God of Daniel. They didn’t know where they were going, but they trusted that God would lead them as they followed the star. They believed that the Prophecy—the Word of God—would not fail them.
Even…if…it…took…a…long…time…
Because, it did.
2 Years.
Stop. Read that again.
2 Years.
Before you go and finish this, stop.
What has happened in your life in the past 2 years? What has changed? How long is 2 years in your life? Where are you in your journey of faith with God?
2 Years of their lives. This is how long the Magi took to recognize the star, understand God’s word, make the decision to go on a journey to meet the King, and then take that journey. Would you be willing to take such a huge leap of faith?* I want to encourage those we are in the middle of their journey of faith.
We can trust God and His word and the best way I know to be an encouragement is to share the word of God with you and pray God's word with you, with God, Together!
Romans 5:1-11
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
May God bless us as we take next steps, with Jesus, Together!
Merry Christmas!
*We learn the time table of 2 years from Matthew 2:16 when Herod reveals that he learned from the Magi that they first saw the star 2 years ago. Oh, and by the way, the Magi found the Baby and met the King--God didn't fail them! Friend, God won't fail you either, He promises! Remember, 1 Corinthians 1:8,9 says,
"He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Do you want to walk on this journey with us?
Subscribe here
(Read the previous blogs here)
As we are looking at some of the fascinating parts of the story of Jesus’ birth—the Christmas Story—and as we are searching for the fingerprints of God’s Prophetic word; the story of the Magi stands out as a complex and intriguing example of God’s handiwork. My hope is that this excursion will give us a picture of the thoughtful care and loving precision that God has invested in His Redemption plan—and that, will grow our faith.
Walking with God certainly is a journey isn’t it. There are verses in the Bible that we breeze by, just by the nature of the medium—a book—But, it would do us well to stop and consider the powerful significance and implications that they have for us today.
“Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. Two full years later,…”—Genesis 40:23-41:1a
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”—Genesis 18:1,2
(Abraham waited 25 years for God to fulfill His promise)
Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth—Genesis 15:13
The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. On this night the Lord kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.—Exodus 12:40-42
I could continue—Noah took on a 100 year project, the prophets longed to see the answer (Matthew 13:17)--But; did you notice the time?
There is a time element in God’s word that we like to quickly read over, but we shouldn’t. Life doesn’t necessarily afford us the reality of moving on our time-table. It is necessary and encouraging for us to understand that in our walk with God--sometimes God's work takes longer than we want. But, if this happens we can know that God is still good and His promises are still true and trustworthy.
Walking with God is a journey. Sometimes the journey takes time—even, a long time—and that is OK. God is still God. He is still good. He is still sovereign (in charge). If the journey takes longer than we think it should, God understands our discomfort. How do I know this? God includes a long journey of faith in the Christmas story.
The Magi, who were reading the Bible and studying creation—saw the star and took a huge leap of faith and chose to leave on a journey to meet the God of Daniel. They didn’t know where they were going, but they trusted that God would lead them as they followed the star. They believed that the Prophecy—the Word of God—would not fail them.
Even…if…it…took…a…long…time…
Because, it did.
2 Years.
Stop. Read that again.
2 Years.
Before you go and finish this, stop.
What has happened in your life in the past 2 years? What has changed? How long is 2 years in your life? Where are you in your journey of faith with God?
2 Years of their lives. This is how long the Magi took to recognize the star, understand God’s word, make the decision to go on a journey to meet the King, and then take that journey. Would you be willing to take such a huge leap of faith?* I want to encourage those we are in the middle of their journey of faith.
We can trust God and His word and the best way I know to be an encouragement is to share the word of God with you and pray God's word with you, with God, Together!
Romans 5:1-11
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
May God bless us as we take next steps, with Jesus, Together!
Merry Christmas!
*We learn the time table of 2 years from Matthew 2:16 when Herod reveals that he learned from the Magi that they first saw the star 2 years ago. Oh, and by the way, the Magi found the Baby and met the King--God didn't fail them! Friend, God won't fail you either, He promises! Remember, 1 Corinthians 1:8,9 says,
"He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
Do you want to walk on this journey with us?
Subscribe here
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