"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them..." [Luke 2:15-20]
Just as suddenly as the angels came - with glory shining all around; with fear; with good tidings; with great joy - they were gone.
Just as suddenly as Christmas came - with its music; its movies; its buying; its wrapping; its giving; its anticipation; its surprises; its joy - it is over.
What do we do on the other side of the manger - on the other side of Christmas - when the fanfare and excitement passes?
We return to the routine of our lives [Luke 2:20], but not as we were!
No! We have seen! We have heard! And we are changed!
Changed - not by the angels who went away as suddenly as they appeared - not by the fanfare - but by the message which remains: that which the Lord has made known unto us: a Savior, Christ the Lord.
Ascended Up Far Above All Heavens
December 22, 2019 • Pastor Paul Edwards
We are familiar with only half of the Christmas story: the part where Jesus descends as a baby; the part about the angels and the shepherds and the manger.
In one verse, the Apostle Paul gives us the rest of the story: "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens."
What does it mean that the baby in the manger is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens?
Veiled in Flesh: God Sent His Only Begotten Son
December 15, 2019 • Pastor Paul Edwards
The eternally generated ("only begotten") Son is sent by the Father to be the Savior of the World in a body of human flesh. Was there anything different about His flesh than ours? Why was it necessary for Him to take on flesh? What is the benefit to us of His taking on human flesh?
The Glory of the Only Begotten of the Father - Part Two
December 8, 2019 • Pastor Paul Edwards
When God says to His Son in Psalm 2, "this day have I begotten thee," is He referring to a fixed point in eternity when the Son came into existence?
What can we learn about the eternal generation of the Son from how the Apostles quoted Psalm 2:7 in the New Testament?
"Made in the Likeness of Men"
December 15, 2019 • Pastor Paul Edwards
The Glory of the Only Begotten of the Father
December 8, 2019 • Pastor Paul Edwards
The phrase "only begotten" is used 5 times in the New Testament - all in the writing of the Apostle John and all in reference to Jesus - but not in relation to His birth in Bethlehem, but in relation to His "eternal generation" by the Father.
What does it mean that Jesus is "the only begotten" Son of God?
