{"id":12263,"date":"2023-12-19T10:41:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T16:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theclarion.org\/?p=12263"},"modified":"2023-12-19T10:41:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T16:41:21","slug":"thoughts-from-the-bible-146","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/?p=12263","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts from The Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Promise<\/strong>
\nby Cody Anderson Corinth Missionary Baptist Church<\/em><\/p>\n

We pause in our series of First John to focus on the Advent of Christ. Advent is a season of anticipation and preparation. It heralds a timeless promise that was centuries in the making and is eternally significant. It looks at the supernatural fulfillment of both ancient prophecies and a promise. This promise still resonates in the hearts of believers today, just as it did with the people of Israel thousands of years ago.
\nThe Holy Scriptures recorded God\u2019s promise of a coming Messiah. The promise was a cause for great hope in God\u2019s people. This Redeemer would be a beacon of light amid darkness, a whispered assurance that God\u2019s steadfast love and faithfulness would manifest in physical form. Isaiah\u2019s words echoed through the corridors of time, giving assurance of divine intervention: \u201cTherefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,\u201d (Isaiah 7:14, ESV).<\/p>\n

The supernatural putting on the natural to redeem the condemned and to bring hope to the hopeless is just part of the coming of Christ. We would do well to meditate on these simple truths for days on end. In Luke 1, Mary, who was pregnant with the promised Messiah, visits her older relative, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant. At the sound of Mary\u2019s greeting, the baby in Elizabeth\u2019s womb leaps. The presence of Jesus made John the Baptist joyous. John already knew hope was found in the Savior baby even before their births. God condescending to the lowly form of man to redeem and bring man into fellowship with God should bring us to awe.<\/p>\n

The people of Israel longed for deliverance and held tightly to the prophecies for hope. Advent for them was centuries of waiting for the fulfillment of that promise. The promise of the Messiah was more than salvation from earthly struggles; it would be the dawn of a new era, a spiritual redemption. Now, fast forward to Bethlehem, where a star emerges in the sky, and the promise becomes an earthly reality. The covenant comes to life in the birth of Jesus Christ, Immanuel. In a manger, surrounded by lowly shepherds and animals, the promise takes its first breath and dwells with humanity. The baby has a fleshly body, but He embodies hope, grace, and salvation for all mankind.<\/p>\n

Advent invites us to revisit this promise, not merely as a historical event, but as a living reality that affects us even today. It causes us to slow down in this crazy-busy season and contemplate the depth of God\u2019s faithfulness. Take life\u2019s uncertainties and remember unshakeable promises that hold even today. Remember the redemptive love that He showers over us. God\u2019s unmovable faithfulness is the essence of what Christmas is built on. Advent invites you to search out the promises of God Almighty and know they are as good as done. It is still a time to anticipate the coming of the Messiah as the Israelites longed for centuries.<\/p>\n

Advent doesn\u2019t end on Christmas morning. It ends when the revelation of God\u2019s ultimate promise, the promise fulfilled in Christ, our Immanuel, has made our dead souls alive. When the hopeless have joy, the condemned are redeemed, the lost are found, the blind see, and Immanuel indeed dwells in us, then we will truly know the promise of Christ coming as a baby to set the captive free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Promise by Cody Anderson Corinth Missionary Baptist Church We pause in our series of First John to focus on the Advent of Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tho"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12264,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12263\/revisions\/12264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}