Advent Week Four Our Lesson Doing The Impossible Twice, It’s Childs Play For The LORD Christ The KING Presbyterian Ministries Rev Paul Wallace
Paul Wallace
Ordained Pastor, Both Conventional & Social Media Ministries, Fire Department Chaplain, Maintenance Worker 1, Certified Safety Professional, Proven Governmental Leader, True Team Builder, You will love all of this resume
Advent Week Four
Our Lesson Doing The Impossible Twice, It’s Childs Play For The LORD?
Foundation
We have come to the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and to us in the 21st Century it means next week is Christmas, but to those in the First Century, out of Centuries of Silence two mind blowing announcements are happening real time and both are in human terms “Impossible” and yet the whole point.
As we read the Biblical Narrative it should cause us to pause, and wonder as the Apostles rightly pondered, “Who then can be Saved???” they asked Jesus.
HE replied, and through the enlightening of the HOLY SPIRIT we will see, that it is Impossible for any of us, of our own free will to be saved.
But as the HOLY SPIRIT also awakens us to, the Impossible is indeed Child’s play for our LORD.
This is the TRUE Biblical Narrative as the By the Will of the FATHER, The HOLY SPIRIT awakens our Souls from the Dead, and causes us by HIS Mercy to accept the Lover of Our Worthless Souls Jesus the Christ HIMSELF, and HIS Full Atonement for us.
This Lesson will walk us to Bethlehem as we worship Jesus Christ HIMSELF Born in a Manure Filled darken cave.
Jesus Christ is the purest example of LOVE PERIOD!
Let’s Run To Worship
Call To Worship
Psalm 95:1 ? O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Processional
O Come, O Come Emanuel
Our Friends In Christ at St. Bartholomew’s, New York City, New York
May the Peace of Christ Be With You
ALL: And Also With You!!
Please take a minute to pass the peace of Christ
Hymn
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Wade Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Northville, Michigan
First Reading
Malachi 4:1 ? "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
?2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
?3 "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the LORD of hosts.
?4 ? "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
?5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
?6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
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This Is The WORD Of The LORD
ALL: Thanks Be To GOD!!!
Hymn
The First Noel
King’s College, Cambridge, England
The LORD’S Prayer & Nicene Creed Read By All
Matthew 6:9 ? And Jesus said "In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
?10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
?11 Give us this day our daily bread.
?12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
?13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Christian What Do You Believe?
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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The Doxology
Praise GOD From Whom All Blessings Flow: Tune All Creatures of Our God and King
Faith Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Washington
Second Reading
Isaiah 7:13 Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
?14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
This Is The WORD Of The LORD
ALL: Thanks Be To GOD!!
Hymn
What Child Is This?
Soundiva Classical Choir?
Lesson
Doing The Impossible Twice, It’s Childs Play For The LORD ?
Luke 1:11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
?12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
?13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
?14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
?15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.
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?16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
?17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
:18 Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."
?19 The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
?20 "And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."
Luke 1:26 ? Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
?27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
?28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
?29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
?30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
?31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
?32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
?33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
?34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
?35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
A Quick Sidebar,
How might you personally react to an Angel of GOD appearing to you this very evening?
I would hope I am not alone in saying I would be in total shock!
I fear I would be speechless, and having to sit to listen to the proclamation, as well as wondering if this is indeed real.
We pick up our true Biblical Accounts as both Zachariah and Mary confront such a happening.
As reported by Malachi One would come as Elijah, and when we match that prophecy to John the Baptist we notice that John did not only come in the Spirit of Elijah but also dressed like him!
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2nd Kings 1:7 Then he said to them, "What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?"
?8 So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
Mark 1:6 John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
Who was it that did NOT see John as a Special Prophet?
Yes you are right the Religious Leaders!
The LORD opened the eyes of many who came out to see John as they repented & were Baptized!
We will see these same groups attracted to and angered by John’s Earthly Cousin Our LORD Jesus Christ, as the Religious leaders HATE him and “the (we) Sinners” (we are ALL Sinners) were attracted.
We also notice that both of the Births will be remarkable and as we have noticed, another Camel through the literal Eye of the Needle moment. To man these births will be Impossible, as Elizabeth is far beyond child bearing, as noted by Dr. Luke, and Mary has NEVER been with a man and IS a Virgin.
This consistent message should remind us also that even our Salvation is a Miracle of the LORD’S doing, as the LORD alone directs all matters.
As we prepare for Christmas let’s look at a couple other matters;
First Elizabeth as instructed names her Baby boy John, when John is NOT a family name, and as today naming after relatives and friends was the tradition. Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
We also need to note that Elizabeth is naming John on the written instructions of the mute Zachariah as Gabriel only gives the message to him.
Could John be a return of the actual Elijah?
No as the Mount of the Transfiguration clearly dispels any such thoughts as Peter Identifies both Moses & Elijah, and it is safe to assume the Peter knows who John the Baptist is as his kid brother Andrew was a follower of him.
Next we notice that Mary is related to Elizabeth and this will make John and Jesus Cousins
That John in the womb has been predestined to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And that he is the Promised for runner to the Messiah.
As we have walked through this series of Promises, Promises, Promises that the LORD has kept all of HIS promises, and has actually made sure the deck was stacked against HIM as HE alone could fulfill them all.
May the LORD Bless you as we prepare to again celebrate the Birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!
While Shepherds Watch Their flocks By Night
King’s College, Cambridge, England
As We Run To The Feast Of The LORD
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Thomson United Methodist Church, Thomson, Georgia
Approach the Feast of The LORD
1st Corinthians 11:23 ? For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
?24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
?25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
?26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
?27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
?28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
?29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
Angels We Have Heard On High
Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.
The LORD’S Benediction
Hebrew 13:20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
?21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Let Us Go Forth As Those Who Love And Proclaim Our Risen LORD And Savior Jesus Christ
Response By All: Thanks Be To GOD, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, AMEN
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Recessional
"Lord Christ, when first thou cam'st to earth"
St. Bartholomew’s, New York City, New York