For audio click on DOWNLOAD. For summary click on the title.

ADVENT -  A CELEBRATION OF THE INCARNATION

SERMON SUMMARY - CHRIS KHOURY - 17 DEC 2017

JESUS HAS COME - THE VIRGIN BIRTH

(JTKach - Weekly Update) “The virgin birth of Jesus is an important part of the doctrine of the Incarnation. It declares that the Son of God took on a full and complete human existence while remaining what he was—the eternal Son of God. The fact that Jesus’ mother Mary was a virgin was a sign that it was not by human initiative or involvement that she became pregnant.”

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:2-3, ESV)

LUKE 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Is Announced (READ)

(JTKach - Weekly Update) “the eternal Son of God, while remaining fully God, became fully one of us so that in and through him, we might have fellowship and communion with the Father, in the Son, by the Holy Spirit.”

AN EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE John 3:16

JESUS IS COMING - IN AND THROUGH US

We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. Children of God, members of the Body of Christ. We belong to the household of God.

JOY IN SALVATION

The angels rejoice when one sinner repents. Rev 22:12

JESUS WILL COME Rev 1:3 I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: “Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.”

PEACE ON EARTH

ADVENT -  CELEBRATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE RULE OF GOD

K OF G HAS COME

God has always been a King, and there has always been a kingdom, and there always will be a kingdom. But this one kingdom appears in different ways at different times. It looks one way with Adam and Eve, another way with Abraham. It is transformed again with the nation of Israel, and transformed again with Jesus and the church. We are now in the kingdom, but there are weeds growing in among the grain. At the end of the age, the Messiah will return in power and glory, the weeds will be removed, and the kingdom of God will again be transformed in appearance.

The final appearance of the kingdom, in which everyone is perfect and spiritual, will be dramatically different from what we now experience.

(Michael Morrison - The present and Future Kingdom of God)

THE K OF G IS COMING (HERE - ACTIVE - ALIVE)

The time is fulfilled, the K of G is at hand.

Mark 1:14-16

John sent his disciples to Jesus. Are you the one who is to come, or must we look for another?

Matthew 11:4-6

Luke 17:20-21

The Coming of the Kingdom

20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. 21 No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within (among) you.”

Jesus was here referring to himself. The King is among us, his power is in us.

PREACH THE GOOD NEWS

What terminology do we use to describe the preaching of the Gospel?

SALVATION (past - present - future).

We have been saved - Eph 2:8-9 (GNT)

We are being saved -  2 Cor 2:15

We shall be saved - Rom 5:9

THE POWER OF GOD IS INVADING THE DOMAIN OF EVIL

Salvation is a present reality and a future blessing. It is a gift of God - we are saved by God’s mercy not by anything we can do. When we know and believe this we live in peace and joy and love - live our lives for Jesus.

WHAT ABOUT SIN?

Sin messes up our relationships with God and with other people. Plays havoc with our happiness. Sin has a power over us, it causes pain in our lives - it is a power we need to be freed from. Our salvation is not complete. Its like saying, we are on the right flight, we know the destination but we have not yet reached our final destination.

THE K OF GOD WILL COME

Rev 1:3

I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: “Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.