Monday 2 December 2013

Coming Up: Sonday, 8 December 2013

Looking Forward to a Blessing

4,000 years ago Abraham began looking forward to a blessing that God would bring to all the nations of the Earth through Him. This Sonday we will see how this promise has been fulfilled in the past through Abraham's descendants and Jesus ancestors, in the present through the blessing that comes to us through Christ and in the future when He will return to judge the Earth and to reign as King forever. We should proclaim this blessing to all nations.

Read: Genesis 12:1-9, Matthew 1:1-17 If Abraham (then Abram) had been sitting down he would have fallen off his chair. Abraham's life is nothing particularly special, he has no incredible faith that we are told of, he is not a man of power and authority and he is totally without children. There is nothing that would make us choose Abraham to be involved in the master plan of redemption for the world.

All of the sudden God speaks. He commands Abraham to leave his country, his family and his culture and makes the most incredible promise, the promise that He would:

• Make him into a great nation
• Bless him
• Make his name great
• Bless those who bless him
• Curse those who curse him
• Bless all the peoples on Earth through him

Take a moment to think about the magnitude of these promises. Abraham must have been blown away! How could he, a childless man, become a great nation!? How could God make his name great!? How could God bring a blessing to all the peoples of Earth through Him!?

Abraham had faith that God could and would deliver on these seemingly impossible promises and because of this faith he left his land, his people and his culture to follow God's command. Abraham had to wait 25 years before he saw the first part of this promise answered in his own son Isaac. Even then the full realisation of these incredible promises would not happen within his lifetime. Without knowing it Abraham was looking forward to Christmas, to the time when God's promise would be powerfully fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through whom all the nations of the Earth would be blessed. (Galatians 3:6-9)

Nearly 2,000 years later Matthew makes this link abundantly clear when he begins his gospel by deliberately linking Jesus to Abraham through Jesus' genealogy. Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of God's promises to Abraham.

As we look forward to Christmas over the coming weeks let us always remember that Christmas is more than just a passing, isolated event, Christmas begins the culmination of God's redemptive plan for the whole world. Through Jesus' birth at Christmastime all the nations of the Earth are blessed. Are you sharing that blessing?

Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Praise God that through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you can be blessed by being cleansed of your sins and being able to come into relationship with God. Praise God that He has worked in your life and in your heart to bring you to saving faith in Him. Pray that He would give you courage and wisdom to share that blessing with others.
• Pray for the families in your congregation whose children are now on school holidays. Pray that this time would be a time of encouragement and rest for the children. Pray that they would grow in their love for and knowledge of God. Pray that the parents would be filled with patience during this busy time and that those families would grow in love for one another during the holidays.

My Additional Prayer Points

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