Living In Expectation

Matthew 2:1-6

I love talking about the Gospels and the story of Jesus found in them. Of the four Gospels, three of them are known as the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) because they tell the story of Jesus in a similar fashion and with similar details. The word “synoptic” is a compound word that means “seen” (optic) “together” (the prefix: syn). As you take these three Gospel accounts that see Christ’s life from a similar perspective and collate their details together, what develops is a complete portrait of the life of Christ described by these inspired writers.

John’s Gospel is unique in that he selected certain accounts from Jesus’ life that specifically accomplished his stated purpose in writing his Gospel (cf. John 20:30-31). While all four Gospels demonstrate the deity of Jesus, John’s Gospel does so by emphasizing seven specific miracles (“signs”) Jesus performed, as well as seven “I Am” statements made by Christ. According to one scholar, about 93 percent of the material in John’s Gospel does not appear in the Synoptic Gospels. (Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 269). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

Each Gospel writer guided by the Holy Spirit had a specific audience in mind as he penned his Gospel. John’s Gospel was written to a general audience, emphasizing the deity of Jesus Christ while not minimizing His humanity. Mark (a cousin of Barnabas [Colossians 4:10], probable eyewitness of Jesus’ life, and close friend of Peter) and Luke (writing to show the reliability of the events surrounding Christ and the beginning of the early church) wrote primarily to Gentile audiences. Matthew, one of the original Apostles (with John), wrote his Gospel primarily to a Jewish audience.

Dr. Thomas L. Constable says about the Gospel of Matthew, “Compared with the other Gospels Matthew's is distinctively Jewish. He used parallelism as did many [of] the Old Testament writers, and his thought patterns and general style are typically Hebrew. Matthew's vocabulary (e.g., kingdom of heaven, holy city, righteousness, etc.) and subject matter (the Law, defilement, the Sabbath, Messiah, etc.) are also distinctively Jewish. Matthew referred to the Old Testament 129 times, more than any other evangelist. Usually he did so to prove a point to his readers. The genealogy in chapter 1 traces Jesus' ancestry back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish race. Matthew gave prominent attention to Peter, the apostle to the Jews. The writer also referred to many Jewish customs without explaining them evidently because he believed most of his original readers would not need an explanation.”

The multiple references to the Old Testament used by Matthew also demonstrates to us that the coming of Jesus the first time in Bethlehem was no fluke or accident. Instead, it was the fulfillment of dozens of prophecies given centuries before He came. Just look at some of the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the first coming of Christ.

1. He was born of a woman (Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4).
2. He was a descendant of Abraham (Gen 12:3 ,7; Mat 1:1; Gal 3:16).
3. He was of the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10; Rev 5:5 ).
4. He was of the house of the family of David (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Luke 1:31-33).
5. He was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt 1:22-23).
6. He was called Immanuel (Isa. 7:14; Matt 1:23).
7. He was born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:5-6; Luke 2:4-6).
8. He was worshiped by wise men & given gifts (Ps. 72:10-11; Isa. 60:3; Matt. 2:11).
9. His birthplace was where infants were slaughtered (Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:16-18).
10. He was in Egypt for a season (Hos.11:1 ; Matt.2:15).
11. He was zealous for the Father (Ps 69:9; John 2:17).
12. He was filled with God’s Spirit (Isa. 11:2; Luke 4:18-19).
13. He was a mighty healer (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 8:16-17).
14. He spoke in parables (Isa. 6:9-10; Matt. 13:10-15).
15. He was rejected by the Jewish people (Ps. 69:8; Isa. 53:3; John 1:11; 7:5).
16. He made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey (Zech.9:9; Matt. 21:4-5).
17. He was praised by little children (Ps. 8:2; Matt. 21:16).
18. He was the rejected cornerstone (Ps. 118:22-23; Matt. 21:42).
19. He was betrayed by his friend for thirty pieces of silver (Ps. 41:9; Zech. 11:12-13; Matt. 26:14-16, 21-25).
20. He was a man of sorrows (Isa. 53:3; Matt. 26:37-38).
21. He was forsaken by His disciples (Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31, 56).
22. He was beaten and spat upon (Isa. 50:6; Matt. 26:67; 27:26).
23. His betrayal money was used to purchase a potter’s field (Zech. 11:12-13; Matt. 27:9-10).
24. He was executed by means of piercing His hands and feet (Ps. 22:16; Zech. 12:10; John 19:34, 37).
25. He was crucified between two thieves (Isa. 53:12; Matt. 27:38).
26. He was given vinegar to drink (Ps. 69:21; Matt. 27:34).
27. His garments were divided and soldiers gambled for them (Ps. 22:18; Luke 23:34).
28. He was surrounded and ridiculed by enemies (Ps. 22:7-8; Matt. 27:39-44).
29. He was thirsty on the cross (Ps. 22:15; John 19:28).
30. He uttered a forsaken cry on the cross (Ps 22:1; Matt. 27:46).
31. He was hated without a cause (Ps. 35:19; 69:4; John 15:25).
32. People shook their heads while He was on the cross (Ps. 109:25; Matt. 27:39).
33. He was silent before His accusers (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 27:12).
34. His bones were not broken (Exod. 12:46; Ps. 34:20; John 19:33-36).
35. He was stared at in death (Zech. 12:10; Matt. 27:36; John 19:37).
36. He commended his spirit to the father (Ps. 31:5; Luke 23:46).
37. He was buried with the rich (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60).
38. He rose from the dead (Ps. 16:10; Matt. 28:2-7).
39. He ascended up to glory (Ps. 68:18; Eph. 4:8).
40. He is seated at the right hand of the Father (Ps. 110:1; Heb. 10:12-13).

And, those aren’t all the prophecies about His first coming! Nevertheless, they demonstrate the fact that Jesus was/is the Person for whom Israel had long been awaiting.

This season of the year is called the Advent season for a reason. The word Advent means, “coming, arrival or [the] presence of someone of extreme importance.” It is an Anglicized form of the Latin word, Adventus. The Greek word that is commonly translated as “coming” is parousia (παρουσία), which Greek Scholar, Dr. Kenneth Wuest, says was “used in the east as a technical expression for the royal visit of a king or emperor.” He says, “The word means literally ‘the being beside,’ thus, ‘the personal presence.’”

What we celebrate at Christmas is that Jesus has come to dwell among us, make His presence known to us, and demonstrate His great love for us. That is precisely why this season is one of hope...Jesus came that we might know God (cf. John 1:14).

But, it is also the season that reminds us that this same Jesus that came the first time in Bethlehem is coming again the second time for/with His children...ultimately to rule from David’s throne. When that occurs there will be peace on earth just as He promised! We call Christ’s second coming the Second Advent! His birth in Bethlehem was His first Advent!

I’ve often said to people standing at the graveside of their loved ones, “As surely as Christ came the first time, He is coming the second time.” I do this to remind them of the hope we have in Jesus Christ and that because He lives we will live also. Today, we live between His two advents, but His first advent should remind us with certainty that His second Advent will occur!.

Did you know that there are approximately five times as many prophecies concerning Christ’s Second Coming as there are His First Coming? One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ’s Second Coming in the Old Testament. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming of Christ...an average of 1 out of every 30 verses. And, twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to Christ’s Second coming.

If the prophecies about His first coming were fulfilled, then it is five times more certain that those related to His second coming will also be fulfilled!

Whenever we consider the Second Advent of Christ, we have to distinguish between His coming FOR His children and His coming WITH His children to rule over the affairs of mankind. The scripture teaches that prior to the Second Advent, Jesus will catch His children out of this world before a terrible time of tribulation befalls all mankind who have rejected Him. This specific event (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 3:10) is imminent and without any signs to predict its timing. However, Christ’s Second Advent (“coming”) has specific signs associated with it (cf. Acts 1:11 ; Matthew 23-25; Revelation 4:1-19:16), allowing those living during the Tribulation on earth to know some aspects of the chronology leading up to His final glorious appearing (Advent).

Again, the point is this...just as Jesus came the first time, He will come again! Consider the contrasts between the two comings of Jesus Christ.

• The first time He came He was virtually unnoticed...the second time He comes “every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7).
• The first time He came to a lowly stable and into relative poverty...the second time He comes He will be King of kings and Lord or lords.
• The first time He came the door was shut to the inn...the second time He comes He will step through the open door of Heaven (Revelation 19:11).
• The first time He came He was despised and rejected by men...the Second time He comes He will rule the nations of the earth.
• The first time He came He was mocked, beaten and crucified...the second time He comes every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).
• The first time He came it was as the Lamb of God...the second time He comes it will be as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
• The first time He came it was to suffer for the sins of the whole world...the second time He comes it will be to judge all of those that rejected His grace.
• The first time He came to wear the crown of thorns...the second time He comes He will wear the crown of victory.
• The first time He came to be our Savior...the second time He comes it will be as the Sovereign!
• The first time He came to reconcile man to God...the second time He comes He will make war against those that rebelled against Him.

Consequently, since Christ ascended back to Heaven, we are doing exactly the same thing  those in the first century were doing before His first Advent….we are waiting and living in expectation!

The Advent wreath is something that many of you are familiar with from your years of growing up in the church. The four candles located around the circular wreath are symbolic of things such as hope, love, joy, and peace with the center candle representing the birth of Christ...the Light of the world (cf. John 8:12). There is a long tradition of churches lighting the Advent wreath, but the custom is actually traced back to the homes of eastern Europe where it was used to aid in remembering the birth of Christ and the purpose of His coming. Tonight we are going to introduce you to that ancient tradition as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming (birth/Advent) of Christ the first time in Bethlehem.

The first candle of the wreath (usually lit the first Sunday of December) symbolizes expectancy (hope) as the people awaited their long promised Messiah. That same expectancy should now characterize every Christian as we await the second Advent of Christ.

Let three things develop in your life as you think about the first coming of Christ.

1. Longing for His coming.

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

2. Looking for His coming.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14)

3. Living in light of His coming.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)

If you don’t know Christ then consider these terrifying

verses about Christ’s Second Advent:

“In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NLT)

God Does The Impossible

Luke 1:26-38

A question people sometimes ask when trying to discredit the omnipotence of God is, “Can God create a rock so large He cannot lift it?” There are other similar questions, such as: “Can God create a round square?”; “Can God create a two or four-sided triangle?”; “Can God create a ninety-year-old teenager?”

All of these and other similar questions are nonsensical absurdities. They are actually self-contradictory and incoherent questions. The best answer to inquiries of this nature is not that God cannot do these things, but that...logical absurdities do not lend themselves to being accomplished, and so, are not subject to power, not even to infinite power. (Warren, Thomas B., Have Atheists Proved There Is No God (Jonesboro, AR: National Christian Press, 1972), pp. 27ff.).

In other words, God can do whatever is possible to be done, as well as whatever is in harmony with His nature.

Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Whatever implies being and nonbeing simultaneously is incompatible with the absolute possibility which falls under divine omnipotence. Such a contradiction [like the ones I just mentioned] is not subject to it, not from any impotence in God, but because it simply does not have the nature of being feasible or possible. Whatever, then, does not involve a contradiction is in the realm of the possible with respect to which God is omnipotent. Whatever involves a contradiction is not within the scope of omnipotence because it cannot qualify for possibility. Better, however, to say that it cannot be done, rather than God cannot do it.” (T. Aquinas Summa Theologica, p. 163-164 , Volume I, ques. 15 ans. 3)

Simply put, there are some things God cannot do, either because they are “logical absurdities” or they are contrary to His nature!

Recently, I sat down and began making a list of the things the scripture says God cannot do. After recording six or seven statements, I decided to Google this thought to see what others things might be added to my list. To my surprise I found lists numbering from four to more than 101 things that God cannot do. I suppose the total number actually depends on whether you are looking for direct or indirect statements about things the scripture says God cannot do. With that in mind, let me give you twelve things scripture specifically says God cannot do.

1. God cannot change. (Malachi 3:6; cf. Hebrews 13:8)
2. God cannot lie. (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2; Numbers 23:19)
3. God cannot be tempted with evil. (James 1:13)
4. God cannot change His Word. (Psalm 119:89)
5. God cannot lose one of His children. (John 6:39)
6. God cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)
7. God cannot leave you. (Hebrews 13:5; Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:6)
8. God cannot break a promise. (Psalm 89:34)
9. God cannot get tired. (Isaiah 40:28)
10. God cannot be unholy. (Isaiah 6:3)
11. God cannot show partiality. (Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17)
12. God cannot enjoy our sin. (Isaiah 59:2)

All of these things would fall within the realm of causing God to violate His divine nature, if He were to do them. Let’s remember, God only does what is in harmony with His nature! He cannot violate who He is, nor will He do things that are nonsensical absurdities!

Having said that, there is a comforting phrase found in the Christmas story that all believers need to take to heart. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she would be the vessel through whom the Christ-child would be delivered, she wondered how since she had never “known” a man. In addition to the explanation of how the Holy Spirit would create this miracle within her womb, God told Mary about Elizabeth who was past the years of giving birth to a child. Already Elizabeth was six months pregnant with her son, something the angel said was only possible because God can do the impossible (cf. Luke 1:37).

Christmas is the season of hope when we are all reminded that God can do anything He chooses to do. He is omnipotent and His will cannot be circumvented. Whatever does not violate His divine nature, He is powerful to accomplish...even conceiving a baby in a virgin’s womb. That was the assurance given to Mary about what was going to happen to her and the promise to which she submitted herself.

A “virgin” birth is unique, but totally within the power of the One that is not limited by the “laws of nature.” After all, it is God that put the laws into place and He can suspend them, set them aside, or override them whenever it is appropriate to accomplish His purposes. And, that is exactly what He did in bringing Christ into this world to be our Savior! He performed a miracle!

This whole idea of God being able to do the impossible is not something new or only revealed in the Christmas story. There are many miraculous events that happened around the birth of Christ and throughout His ministry, death and resurrection. But, God has often done what can only be termed as humanly impossible...or miraculous.

• When Abraham and Sarah were well past the years of giving birth to a child, God reminded them that with Him nothing was impossible...and Isaac was eventually born. (Genesis 18:11-15)

• After Job was reminded that God did not owe him an explanation of how He goes about doing His work because it is so far beyond mankind's ability to understand it, Job declared that God can do anything. (Job 42:2)

• When Jeremiah saw Jerusalem under siege, He cried out to the Lord and God responded with a reminder that He would again gather His people to that very place to fulfill His everlasting covenant with them...because He can do the impossible. (Jeremiah 32:17, 27)

• When Jesus said it was hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, the disciples were baffled by His statement, but Jesus told them that with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

• When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the Christ-child, she couldn’t understand how it could be true, but she was reminded that “with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

One of the things that we learn from the Christmas story is that no matter what we are facing...our God is still greater and more powerful. If He chooses...He can do the impossible in changing our circumstances or He can do the impossible by sustaining us in our circumstances. Either way, there is always reason for hope when you know the God of Heaven through His Son, Jesus Christ!

“In Greek, the phrase πᾶν ῥῆμα (pan rhēma, “nothing”) has an emphatic position, giving it emphasis as the lesson in the entire discussion. The remark is a call for faith.” (NET Bible Notes on 1:37)

Upon hearing that God can do what is humanly impossible, Mary surrenders herself in faith to God’s promise (cf. 1:38). That is what He is calling all of us to do during this season of Advent...or any season of life, for that matter!

• Abraham trusted God and became the father of many nations.
• Job trusted God and twice as much was restored to him after his suffering.
• Joseph trusted God and was raised up to be the ruler of Egypt.
• Moses trusted God and saw the mighty Red Sea rolled back to make a way of passage.
• David trusted God and slew a nine-foot giant with a single, small stone.
• Elijah trusted God and heard the sound of a heavy rain before anyone else.
• Paul and Silas trusted God in the prison cell and were miraculously released.

We all have things in our lives that should cause us to turn to God in faith...some problem or situation that we just can’t seem to resolve.

Christmas reminds us of the hope we have in God and that He wants to be intimately involved in our lives, so much so that He did the impossible in bringing the Savior of mankind to us through the womb of the VIRGIN Mary!

Try to always remember...Trusting God brings about extraordinary happenings in otherwise ordinary people’s lives!

Sometimes God brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can fully rely on Him by seeing how limited we are and how unlimited He is…“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)