For those who are in Christ, participants in His new humanity, who have received new Spirit-regenerated hearts, who are therefore sealed by the Holy Spirit, we wait in anticipation for the fullness of the revelation of God’s appearance.
By the end of the Old Testament, the question still remains: How was God going to bring about His promises when they are dependent upon a “seed of the woman,” a human, to fulfill them? Humans only botch things up. In today’s sermon, we consider the virgin conception and birth of Jesus and why it matters in light of the covenant promises found throughout redemptive history.
There are many theories and speculations as to the real origin of Christmas. Most Bible-believing Christians point to the Gospel accounts in the New Testament, especially Matthew and Luke’s nativity narratives, as the origin of Christmas. But John’s “genealogy” points to a much more ancient origin. One that goes all the way back to the very beginning.
In the final story of “Act 2” in Mark’s Gospel, we encounter Bartimaeus, who, although physically blind, has greater insight into who Jesus is than the disciples who have spent the last 3 years with Jesus. A poor, blind beggar proves to be more of the ideal disciple than those closest to Jesus! Through the example of Bartimaeus, we can better learn what it means to follow Jesus.