Devotional Christian » advent

The Long Wait for Jesus

Chris Roberts — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:15:47 +0000

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 3:15

The serpent’s deception led to Adam and Eve’s rejection of God’s righteousness. The serpent would continue to be an enemy of all God’s ways. His favored method of assaulting God is to assault God’s treasured possession, human beings. His opening salvo took place in a garden paradise and his deception lured Adam and Eve into sin.

From the very beginning of fallen human history we had the promise of a Savior. Even in the midst of judgment God delivered a promise that from the woman would come One who would crush the head of the serpent.

Jesus Christ did not come in a vacuum of history. His entry into humanity fulfilled thousands of years of promise and hope. In Eden, Adam and Eve were barred from the tree of life. In Jesus Christ we are given the bread and water of life. His coming brought hope and restoration and victory over sin and the grave.

Christmas is about a Savior who entered human history to crush our age-old adversary and to pay in his flesh the penalty for our sin. We cannot celebrate his birth without remembering why he was born. Without Easter, Christmas would have no meaning.

Rejoice in the knowledge that your enemy is vanquished. Satan’s power has been crushed and God has won a people for himself. The children of God are eternally secure even though the forces of darkness continue to rage against them. People of God, rejoice! The serpent has been crushed! Your sins are paid for! You have been redeemed! You are no longer of this world but belong to the kingdom of God your Father.

All this because two thousand years ago, God took on flesh.

My Soul Waits For The Lord

Chris Roberts — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:13:18 +0000

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalm 130:3-8

The Christmas season is upon us. Also known as the season of Advent, this is the time of year when the people of God look forward to the coming of Christ. There are two ways we wait and watch. In the first, more traditional way, we celebrate his first coming, the birth of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. In the second way we celebrate with hope and joy the promise that he will one day return. Whether we look back or whether we look forward, we look to Christ.

Humans are not good at waiting. An old picture shows a child on his knees saying his evening prayers, “God give me patience, and I want it now!” But the Advent season is all about waiting and trusting while Christmas day is about celebrating promises fulfilled. We know that we have not yet received all of God’s promises. One day he will eradicate all sickness and pain and suffering and injustice. Sin will be no more. Until that day we must wait and trust.

Nurture your soul in the promises of the Lord. Delight in God so that you can cry out with the Psalmist, “My soul waits for the Lord! More than the watchmen wait for morning, I wait for the coming of my Lord!” But while you wait, trust. Hope in the Lord. Do not despair and turn aside to the enticements of the world but keep your eyes fixed on the Lord. Know that with him is steadfast love and plentiful redemption. Know that he will bring redemption.

The Kingdom of God Is At Hand

Chris Roberts — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:31:24 +0000

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 3:2

So much is contained in these nine words. Prophecy: the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Call: repent! Promise: If you repent, you will be part of the kingdom. Warning: if you do not repent, you will not be part of the kingdom. This message is first proclaimed from the lips of John the Baptist, the voice preparing the way for Messiah. It is later proclaimed from our Lord himself as he begins his public ministry: the divine King has issued an invitation into his kingdom.

As we begin another Christmas season let us remember these words from Jesus. He did not step from Heaven to take on flesh just to remain in our minds as the baby in a cradle. He came to establish a kingdom.

Christian, rejoice! The kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Even now it is in your midst, even now it is within you. Christ has come and has established his rule in the hearts of his people. You have received the promised kingdom. We await the day of the second advent, the return of our Lord to establish his kingdom over all the earth. While we wait we rejoice, shouting with thanks to God for his work among mankind.

While we rejoice, we share. We echo the message of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, crying out for sinners to repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It is even now in their midst and while it holds great promise for those within, it holds great terrors for those without.

John the Baptist prepared the way for the first coming of Christ. We are told in Matthew 3:5 that all Jerusalem and Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him. Today we do not find John the Baptist proclaiming this message of repentance. Today we find the children of God, called in Acts 1:8 to be the witnesses of God in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth. To prepare for the first coming of Christ the people were drawn in to hear the gospel. To prepare for the second, we are sent out.

On to Jerusalem! On to Judea and Samaria! On to the ends of the earth! Crying repent! Come to Christ! Delight now in the marvelous character of God! His kingdom is at hand! It is a wasted Christmas if these thoughts do not take root within you.