The King is Coming
Christmas at Gateway
The Birth of the King - Christmas Eve
December 24, 2023 • Randy Hageman • Luke 1:28–33, Luke 2:8–12, Romans 3:23
Christmas is about more than the birth of baby Jesus in Bethlehem; it’s part of a bigger story of a cosmic war being fought between good and evil. Jesus was born to be King, but so much about his coming were unlike any other king, without all the royal pomp and circumstance. For his mission wasn’t focused so much on the problems around us as the problems within us.
The Coming of the King... Again!
December 17, 2023 • Randy Hageman • Revelation 21:1–7, 1 Peter 1:18–20, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, Philippians 2:9–11, Hebrews 9:27–28
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, but when he came almost no one recognized the significance of his coming. He was a helpless baby and seemed no threat to anyone. But the Bible tells us he will come again, this time as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” and he will rule forever and ever! What can we know about this Second Coming, this Second Advent? And what difference does it make for our living today?
Life Under the King's Rule
December 10, 2023 • Randy Hageman • Matthew 28:19–20, Matthew 4:19, Luke 19:10, Matthew 22:37–39, Isaiah 9:6–7
A King was coming, Isaiah told God’s people, and this King, born from the line of King David, would begin to establish his Kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven, and he would defeat our enemy, the devil, and open the door to salvation to all those who put their faith in him. And while Satan’s defeat would not yet be complete, this king, King Jesus, came to teach us and guide us to begin living as his loyal subjects. He teaches us what it means to live under his rule.
The Enemy of the King
December 3, 2023 • Randy Hageman • Genesis 3, John 8:44, Galatians 4:4–7, Ephesians 2:1–3, Revelation 12
All of us battle sin, but the problem is even greater than that. God has an enemy, Satan, who’s working not only against God but against us to help sin and evil triumph. This may seem like a strange topic as we head into the Christmas season, but if we don’t understand this enemy and his purposes, we won’t fully understand what Christmas is really about. War has broken out in Heaven and spilled down onto earth, and we’re caught in the middle of it. But Christmas is how God begins to strike back and retake all that is rightfully His, as we’ll see this morning!
The Need for the King
November 26, 2023 • Roland Salinas • Genesis 3, Genesis 2:15–17, Genesis 2:23–25, 1 Corinthians 15:21–26
Most people can remember a Christmas moment of remembering the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. What if we were asked, “why do you celebrate Christmas?” Would you mention Jesus? In week one of our new series The King is Coming we will look at The Need for the King. Why did Jesus need to come to be with his people?