OPEN BIBLE New Brunswick
Bible institute GOD’S PURPOSE
OUR PASSION
FOCUS
BY AL CABRAL
What on Earth has God been Doing? This is a Christmas message and since I have been immersed in Matthew, teaching New Testament Synthesis, the question we have been trying to answer is, “What was going on before this genealogy in Matthew 1:1, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham?” I am cheating a little on this because of the time factor so this article will be an overview of how we answered the question of how this all got started. First, God wrote a Book in which He tells the story of how, why, where and when He began this work of His, which explodes in Matthew 1:1. The Bible is God’s explanation of what He did, what He has been working on, who He is sending, and how He is orchestrating, planning and revealing the purposes, intentions and sovereignty of His will.
BULLETIN
VOL. 55 NO. 12 DECEMBER 2014
villages in Israel. God loves geography; it is always where He does His work Israel, Nazareth, Zion, Galilee and, of course, Bethlehem. Whether it was in Old Testament times, in New Testament times or today, God used and continues to use the places He chooses to do His work, through the people He chooses. Eventually, there would be Gethsemane and Golgotha, places of incredible impact on our world. God has so ordered history as to fulfil everything needed for this to happen. No amount of opposition could curtail His intentions - His Son would be born in history, in geography, at the exact time of His choosing! The New Testament is explicit. He would be born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin, for the purpose of redeeming the nation and the world. The entire Bible envelops this history of how, why, when and where God came to us.
In viewing His geneology in Matthew 1, we see that God actually chose one man, and an old one at that, Abraham. It seemed impossible, slow and arduous. Out of this man comes a son, then a family, a nation and a prophecy which indicated His plan to use the event of Matthew 1 to reveal Himself through His Son.
Now, at Christmas, we celebrate the coming of that God-Man. No wonder the angels rejoiced and the shepherds were startled, praising and glorifying God. It had come to pass - He had come! Things would be different now. The Saviour, Son of David, Son of Abraham, was finally revealed. This person, Emmanuel, changes how we see history, places, people, sin and the transformation of the human heart.
How did this come about? Geographically He used places, towns and
This is not only true of “way back when,” but it is true today. Jesus reveals
to us His Father. He is the One who secures our future, regardless of the difficulties, impossibilities, tragedies and mysteries of what lies ahead for us and our world. When we sing, “Joy to the world the Lord is come,” that simple fact changes everything. Merry Christmas - He has come and He is coming!! Shalom!
ON THE ROAD STAFF ITINERARIES JOHN HOAG December 1
Milltown Baptist Church Milltown, NB Extension Classes
DAVID DOHERTY December 4 Open Bible Campus Church Victoria Corner, NB Prayer Meeting December 7 Open Bible Campus Church Victoria Corner, NB Worship Service
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