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Advent
Contributed by Glenn Durham on Mar 6, 2008 (message contributor)
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1. Promises, Promises (Part 1)
Contributed on Mar 6, 2008
God promises and provides a Messiah to rule and direct his people.
Scripture Introduction In a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, Calvin asks his dad why the moon is so big tonight. He takes out a quarter and says, “Its smaller than a quarter.” Judging the size of far away objects can be difficult. For example, the sun is really big, about 900,000 miles in ...read more
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2. The Promise Of Peace
Contributed on Mar 6, 2008
God provides a Messiah excelling in our every lack.
Scripture Introduction Trouble stalks Judah, the last remaining nation-state of God’s people. The king, Ahaz, allied with notoriously evil Assyria, a people who fiendishly delight in death and destruction. They have already deported Israel (the other tribes of God’s people). 2Kings 17 describes ...read more
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3. O Come O Come Emanuel
Contributed on Dec 7, 2010
God’s own Redeemer comes to ransom his people.
Scripture Introduction The church has marked the Sundays preceding Jesus’ birthday since at least the 5th century. We usually call this the Advent season, because advent means “arrival, especially of something important.” During advent, we prepare for the birth of the Christ, but also for his ...read more
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4. Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates!
Contributed on Dec 14, 2010
God arrives as the humble King to set up his rule in the lives of his people.
Scripture Introduction As you drive past churches during the next weeks, you will likely see at least one sign proclaiming, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.” It is a cute wordplay on Matthew 2.1-2: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the ...read more
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5. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Contributed on Dec 19, 2010
God humbles himself to save a people who have fallen very low indeed.
Scripture Introduction Probably few of us are really familiar with the twelve books in the section of the Old Testament called the “Minor Prophets.” They are not unimportant, but small books compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel – the Major Prophets. Pastor James Boice, who preached ...read more
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6. Hark The Herald-Angels Sing
Contributed on Dec 30, 2010
God promises and provides great encouragements to keep hope in times of trouble.
Scripture Introduction Charles Wesley’s hymn, Hark! The Herald-Angels Sing is a favorite Christmas song, though it required some tinkering to get there. Over Wesley’s objections, his friend, George Whitefield, changed some of the words, most noticeably the first line, which Wesley wrote as, ...read more