Christophonies before Christmas

EMG radio for today's culture and timeless truths come together it's reasoned relevant content apologetics worldview and answers to the questions that you need to know from Alex McFarlane ministries. This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane when the angel of the Lord appeared in the Old Testament was that a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Christ and if so what does that mean, especially what does it mean in light of Christmas. Welcome to TNG radio Alex McFarland here and we're so glad to be sharing a little time with you were to look at some Bible verses enough you know I do want to say to everybody were getting closer and closer to Christmas we wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a just a wonderful, happy, happy, joyful time of Jesus filled Christmas and all of these things that you know I I like it I like it. As we get closer and closer to Christmas and the main thing.

Not only that the season and seeing family and loved ones in the songs and the sites and yeah the food. The food of Christmas, the sweet treats we all get but the main thing I love about Christmas obviously is the story of the coming of our Savior, and it really is the greatest story ever told and and I want to talk about Christ coming into the stage of human history and some of the things about God's powerful gentle, unstoppable grace God's grace. Now we hear a lot about grace and I would say Christmas is one immeasurably significant example of the grace of God and and I was sure verse with you now that is a verse, you may not ordinarily associate with Christmas, but second Corinthians 12 verse nine very famously. The apostle Paul says his God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. What does that mean God's strength made perfect in weakness.

Well, we know God's strength is perfect anyway. Everything about the Lord is perfect and righteous and holy anyway. But in our state of weakness at our point of greatest need. When God comes through God's strength is vividly unmistakably perfectly displayed in our weakness and Christmas shows us the unrestrained power of God's strength and grace, not now, think about this Christ ministry on earth. He was born in the baffling manger. He grew up in the home of Joseph and Mary Joseph was a carpenter and some historians say that you know it really means Carver woodcarver. So what all did Joseph Makin how all did Jesus learn the hard work of labor.

We don't completely know what all Joseph made. But Jesus grew up as the son of a carpenter and then at age 30, started his ministry and think that in three years Jesus had the most important most crucial and quite literally eternity hung in the balance this mission.

Think about all that God had to accomplish to enact the story of our redemption. Now it in this outline were going to talk about the Old Testament appearances of Christ a little bit but think about Revelation. Think about redemption. Think about relationship and think about restoration. Christmas is one example. Yes of the grace and the power of God, the wisdom of God the sovereignty of God that God's work in God's plan would not be a return but I would say Christmas is another example of God's revelation to the human race isn't a blessing to know isn't it a blessing to think about that God has revealed himself to the human race. God has shown us who he is, God has shown us that he is and think about it out in all the things that Jesus had to accomplish. For one thing, the sin of humanity had to be atoned for the unbelief, the sin that the plain ignorance of the Hebrew nation had to be overcome and and that does relate to some of these Christoph and is working to talk about but we got the sin that needed to be atoned for the ignorance and the unbelief of the Hebrew nation that was a mountainous challenge of the world governments run by fallen men must not be allowed to obstruct God's work of salvation. The church had to be initiated. The Holy Spirit sent in power masses of believers be enlisted in the great commission and you know there was a lot a lot a lot that God had to cover in this wonderful thing called his Revelation is redemption. Our relationship with him. His restoration of all things. Don't think about this. Talk about pressure that the physical death and the spiritual judgment of 40 billion souls must be eclipsed by eternal life in the insatiable jaws of the grave must be halted.

The wickedness of countless demons contained the wickedness of Satan. Countless demons contained God himself would be laid completely vulnerable into the hands of Satan who would have been ready at any moment to kill God if at all possible mean literally in the coming of Christ in the story of Christmas in the ministry of Jesus in Calvary in the resurrection, eternity would hang in the balance. I mean, you and I you and I would be hopelessly helplessly lost eternally were not for Christmas.

That's what you know. I'm very much moved by songs like a calm calm Emmanuelle and ran some captive Israel as a ransom that ransom is when somebody's held hostage somebody's in bondage enslaved a price to set somebody free and so we literally were hostage to sin. We were we were condemned by our own guilt, eternity did hang in the balance and salvation would mean that the fight of the ages between heaven and hell everything holy against the forces of this lease with the stakes and all of this had to get accomplished by a baby and we gotta take a break, we can come back and talk about this more on today's edition of TNG radio truth for new generation with Alex McFarland after this from. I am a watchman ministries.

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Visit Alex McFarland.com well-connected program so honored that you listening truth for a new generation, and you say this, I kind of get a little love reflective and sentimental as the year draws to a close and I want to say a big big thank you to everybody this year. Please pray for me as an evangelist. There are several dozen churches that have allowed me to come in and preach and teach and we did three victory for new generation conferences enough three different states, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, and we had people come from all my goodness. That unit probably totally 20 states to hear myself speakers like Josh McDowell, Erwin lutes or Mickey Addison Abe Hamilton Bill Federer and so many, many others and for all who prayed for truth for new generation for all who attended and got equipped to defend the faith and we had people saved and some baptized on the second day of the conference and I just want to say thank you and then then I think about our camp we had the truth for new generation apologetics camp college can be costly. The tuition isn't cheap either.

Not now.

Think about that. Why do I say that because so many young people even young people raised in Christian homes and they make a profession of faith, perhaps, but to go to college and they are inundated with just the militant secularism of the University campus and they turn away from Jesus. They compromise their their morals.

Some even turn against America. So we do our summer camp every year to equip rather than try to fix broken adults. We try to preemptively equip godly young people so you can learn more at my own website that which is Alex McFarlane.com. We've got a calendar we did a lot of topics. I mean if you're interested, by the way, I'll just say this will get back to Christmas, but some of the topics that I've been able to write on in my my 18 books to God be the glory my speaking would talk about this. Here's one of my seminars. I get requested to do the 10 most common objections to Christianity and how to effectively answer them what you will hear your freshman year preparing for the ways that college will challenge your faith. Another what we do is under attack. The assault against Scripture and the facts that verify the Bible's divine origin things like that. One of the topics we talk about that the biblical reality of hell and I do a seminar call divine retribution reconciling the love of God with the reality of hell. So regardless of its revival or you would like to do a biblical worldview. Apologetics seminar we want to help your church be equipped to stand strong for truth to stand strong for God and country.

So where here and I do want to say to the American family Association and American family radio and all the stations that carry the program were partners together in the harvester week and I just am so deeply grateful for all of you as we pray proclaim Jesus and and I believe that folks, I'm a tell you why we do what we do. We believe that God is is going to send great revival to this nation.

Now I know we live in a time it seems like unrelenting darkness and and to be sure there there is a lot to be concerned about, there's a lot that were praying about and hope it's the new year gets closer you, you're committed to be in the word. I hope you're on your knees in prayer. I hope you have taken up the privilege and really the duty of being an intercessor for America but together.

Let's see the Lord move in our culture and our nation and in the lives of our friends neighbors and loved ones.

Listen, I believe God. God has mercy and justice. He sent Jesus into this world. So many centuries ago. The spirit of God can invade our nation and how desperately we need that and so before the break we were talking about when God came on the stage of human history. Now in the Old Testament you'll see what her order call Chris Stephanie's a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Christ. Now we know in the Bethlehem Manger Mary laid the baby Jesus. The newborn born of a virgin, had no sin nature.

The sinless son of God, but really if you read the Old Testament times, like I mentioned Hagar or Jacob.

Jacob spoke in the Genesis 48 of God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk is the angel which did redeem me from all evil seat. The word angle, loss, or angel, means messenger and in the Old Testament when you see the phrase quote angel of the Lord that that's generally not just one of the created angels like Gabriel or Michael but angel of the Lord really means.

The messenger of God because the writers of Scripture and the ones that their writing about whether be Jacob or Lot or Abraham, they refer to the angel of the Lord as the messenger Jehovah or God.

And so if you look at the context very often you you see that the the angel of the Lord was really Jesus appearing to his creatures before before Bethlehem even felt let me read in Judges 6 were getting inmates with quote the angel of the Lord and in verse 12 of Judges 6 says the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and Gideon replied and says the Lord looked upon him, or the Lord looked upon me.

So, in its ELEANOR D. In other words, Yahweh, Almighty God, so it wasn't just an angel. But this angel of the Lord was very often God himself. In fact, Jesus met why the original quote the great Scottish preacher whose long been with the Lord. But Jay Sekulow Baxter. He said this, listen to this.

The Old Testament appearances of Christ quote were a means of preparing man's mind for the coming miracle of the incarnation by which the son of God should actually become one in the human race, and one with the human race. Another writer said this, that the Christoph needs these Old Testament appearances of Christ today suggest, is there a natural explanation that God was unveiling himself before the eyes of his creatures. Why would God not appear to have been training his people for this long and serious series of communications so that they would recognize him, worship him, and in the end undesired arguably have a relationship with him.

The Old Testament appearances of God happened quote in anticipation of upcoming incarnation of God affects we've got to take a break and when we come that will cover are some victories of the baby Jesus, the coming of Christ and things that Christmas shows us about the grace, power and sovereignty and yes love of God. Stay tuned back after this.

Alex is written many books to help you defend your faith. One of them answers questions from skeptics it's cleverly titled 10 answers for skeptics today. Skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward truth and in the book Alex McFarlane identifies the 10 most common types of skepticism that plagued doubters minds.

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This is Alex my file and encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series.

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Alex McFarlane is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to truth for a new generation radio back to check for new generation radio. You know I love the story of Christmas because it seems like a paradox that the world would be conquered by a baby.

No I want songwriters I love this song. Infant holy, infant lowly for his bed, a cattle stall, oxen, lowing, little knowing Christ.

The babe is Lord of all is good poetry, and besides good poetry taxa good theology.

Now you know this song they say dates back to the 1300s from in a pre-Reformation Poland that the little baby in the manger is Lord of all.

So what does all this tell us what does Christmas and the victory of the baby show us well several things and I want you to listen carefully because this just might be where your heart is right now and maybe the situation is much as we love Christmas.

It's a joyful time but it can be hard time because there's enough in the last 12 months. Now some of you may have had a bereavement and data loved ones that you celebrated Christmas with last year or not with you this year and there's health issues and job lot of struggles but get this out of Christmas several things about number one God's grace is sufficient for our circumstances at the time of of Jesus's birth. Israel was under the subjugation of an occupying nation. Rome and you know even 2000 years ago the Jews had a mixed reputation, not neighboring countries. I the Jewish people with a mixture of suspicion and sometimes scorn. I think in the you know when other nations would try to attack Israel and steal the Ark of the covenant. I mean, they knew that Israel had the oracles of God. And so Jesus came into a country that some knew they were God's chosen people and they had gotten very arrogant about that and they were carnal, but they thought merely because they were of the Jewish ethnicity, they would automatically go to heaven and there were others that had almost rejected their Jewishness and adopted Roman practices or Gentile practices. But in all of that at the time of spiritual, social, cultural disarray, God prevailed God's sovereign.

His grace is sufficient and God's grace is sufficient now for people for the church for you will miss this God's grace is bigger than our past mistakes. Praise the Lord for that Jesus came into a people who had spent the past 3000 years wandering in and out of obedience falling in and out of slavery vacillating on and off, sometimes obedient, sometimes disobedient, sometimes believing sometimes apostasy rising in Jesus can do in Israel that had so perverted the religion God had given them. Many couldn't even understand that Christ's birth was the fulfillment of long cherished prophecies and yet God's grace is bigger than our past mistakes. Are you with me. Folks are hard you glad that God still loves us in spite of our stumbles, and our failures are disobedient. Listen, you might've been in sin, maybe, maybe you're listening to this program hung over from last night.

Jesus loves you as our T-shirt. I love this is it. Not only is God, not mad at you, he's not even in a bad mood, but he does say turn to me and repent God's grace is bigger than your past mistakes. Thirdly, God's grace empowers the powerless, and God's grace in Jesus is coming, was was carried out with wisdom beyond human understanding. I think that this the souls of the human race history itself. Who carried God incarnate the Messiah into this world, a teenage girl is not something who would God use to protect the Savior from political powers that wanted to kill the babies religious and political operatives that wanted him dead. A young engaged couple privately hiding out under the shame of a curious un-unexpected pregnancy and and that God use them to protect the life of this baby who would heaven itself appear before the angels in heaven, the heavens would open up and they were announced to the shepherd, the lowest lowest group on the social totem pole. Do not there's a Mishna writing from several hundred years ago and this was a commentary on the Old Testament and a Mishna note said there is no more despicable occupation than that of a shepherd and yet the lowest group on the social totem pole were the first to hear that under you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord look of a group viewed with contempt nobody wanted to be with him the career nobody wanted to have and the greatest news in all of history.

The birth of Jesus was shared with shepherds.

I want to say this Christmas reminds me, hallelujah, that the grace of God is stronger than all the demonic powers Jesus the little baby was safely brought into the world. Salvation was carried out. The church was started. The churches preserved the Scriptures were given the Scriptures were preserved, copied, circulated, Satan himself has never been able to derail God's plan of salvation and Christmas is a great reminder of that.

And God's grace is available right here right now. Even if you spent years rejecting it. Now in the last week of December. December 20 of 1879 Thomas Edison privately had some friends in his Menlo Park labs and he showed something called the incandescent light. He turned on something that would revolutionize the world he had invented 1879 the lightbulb and didn't know how it would play out. So there was a private demonstration of it.

One year later December 20, one year to the day. 1880 December 20, New York's Broadway, a switch was flipped and it was lit up and it was forever called the great White Way because it night all these hundreds of lights made it as bright as daylight now from the invention of the lightbulb till cities being lit up by the way, and in a town called sender Pennsylvania, the first hotel was electrified and and I've actually been there and overnight. The world discovered light in darkness so fast that spread hate. Do you know what Jesus was born, and, like Isaiah says the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

He rose the spirit of God was given Pentecost In the church was birthed and that light of the world shines to a dark loss sinful world. Even to this day hate make Christmas something you celebrate and make the light of Jesus. Something that you show and speak of and shine to a world this Christmas reminds us that God is in control. God is wise God is powerful. God is merciful God is loving and Christmas one more great example of the story of God revealing himself to the human race.

And yes, offering himself. TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarlane ministry, PO Box 10231 is Burrell, NC 27404.

That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404 call us at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God in the number one or give online@alexmcfarlane.com while you're there, listen the program archives. Read Alex's blog invite Alex to speak at your event or contact Alex with a question or comment, Alex McFarlane.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time is we bring you more true for a new generation fund TMG radio