We’re in the section of the 30-day Advent flow of the prophecies of Jesus’ coming, his arrival, and his early life. Yesterday’s scripture picture was “The Babe has arrived” and the scripture was from Luke 2.
How can we go any further without pondering that He, the King of Glory, the Infinite, left glory to be wrapped in human flesh and dwell among sinners? To seek and save the lost, humbling himself not only as a God-Man, but departing His heavenly home of glory where He constantly received His due worship… To be rejected, despised among men, and killed. All for us, rotten sinners.
At least the worst one I ever heard… The Gospel presentation I transcribed is from a thirty-plus year Bible teacher, a famous celebrity that makes her living authoring Bible studies and speaking at events where she teaches the Bible. OK, OK, it’s Beth Moore.
Asked on a recent podcast to give the gospel, Beth Moore said she would be glad to:
Beth Moore and her husband Keith have become members of a local Anglican Church.
Background
False teachers exist. They damage the faithful and they blemish the spotless name of Jesus. They are a scourge.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1).
Beth Moore: False Teacher
One of these false teachers is Beth Moore. The Lord for His own reasons, has allowed her to operate publicly as a teacher for a very long time, since at least 1985. Her charm, her good looks, her expressive dynamism, and her talent for telling a story propelled her over the years to the top of the heap in ‘Bible Study’ authors and itinerant teachers.
She has stayed there all this time. Before Moore parted with Lifeway, her publisher, earlier this year, I was told by a Lifeway worker in 2018 that “No one’s products provide as much revenue as Beth Moore’s”. She is popular, and the money proves it.
Thirty days of exalting Jesus though selected verses with pictures representing the prophecy, life, death, resurrection, and Second Coming of our Savior.
Charles Spurgeon on the prophecy of the virgin birth: “And, first, we see here, in speaking of this birth of Christ, a miraculous conception. The text says expressly, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” This expression is unparalleled even in Sacred Writ! Of no other woman could it be said beside the Virgin Mary, and of no other man could it be written that his mother was a virgin.“
“There is the finite and the Infinite, there is the mortal and the Immortal, corruption and Incorruption, the manhood and the Godhead, time married to eternity! There is God linked with a creature, the Infinity of the august Maker come to tabernacle on this speck of earth—the vast unbounded One whom earth could not hold and the heavens cannot contain—lying in His mother’s arms! He who fastened the pillars of the universe and riveted the nails of creation, hanging on a mortal breast, depending on a creature for nourishment! Oh, marvelous birth! Oh, miraculous conception! We stand and gaze and admire. Verily, angels may wish to look into a subject too dark for us to speak of! There we leave it, a virgin has conceived and borne a Son“. A sermon, The Birth of Christ
Charles Spurgeon on Christmas: “Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.” Sermon “The First Christmas Carol“, A sermon by Charles Spurgeon, Dec 20, 1857
We always think of the Savior, all the year, every day. (Philippians 4:8). But the Christmas season is a special time when we think more pointedly about His incarnation, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return. Who is this Jesus? He was born, lived, died, rose again, and promised to return, to bring eternal life to those who believe and eternal death to those who reject. He tore the veil of human history, parted it into BC and AD, and changed everything.
I use my photographs of God’s beautiful creation and overlay a verse on them to publish every day, and for Advent, the theme is Thirty Days of Jesus. Thirty verses, thirty photos of God’s creation that reflect His life and ministry.
I chose three mini-themes for this month’s scripture Advent photos that I believe will flow.
PROPHECY, ARRIVAL, and EARLY LIFE, 15 verses.
In this section I chose verses that reflect the prophecies that predict His coming. Prophecy warns of coming judgment but it also comforts in that it foretells the holy and wonderful resolution of all things for the believer. That resolution will be in Christ and through Christ.
Then the beautiful verses that announce His arrival on the blessed morn.
The third sub-section are verses that mention Jesus as a child and boy, before He began His ministry.
PREEMINENCE OF THE SON, HIS WORKS & MINISTRY, 15 verses
The Son 5 verses over 5 days
Beginning with verses that declare the Son, are verses that focus Him as the Second Person of the Trinity. His sonship is integral to His ministry as the earthly subordinate Person to God the Father. These verses reflect that reality.
Works & Ministry, 10 verses
This section, published over ten days, will present verses that detail His attributes while He was on earth; Jesus as servant, teacher, shepherd, healer, and so on.
RESURRECTION, ASCENSION, & RETURN
This last section Christ is unique in that He is the firstfruit of resurrection. He is unique in that He descended from heaven and ascended to heaven. Of the John 3:13 verse, says that only He is qualified to speak of heaven, being the only One who has been intimately involved with all its doings, and only he has seen the Father and come down from there and returned.
Jesus was raised to life and brought back to heaven, and several verses in this section will illustrate what He is doing while we wait the long centuries for the fulfillment of the end of all things, His glorious return. The last verses will present Jesus in His glory, as He is in heaven now.
The flow mirrors the Revelation 1:8 verse, where it is declared,
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Let’s enjoy the season. I pray that it does not become a hectic, shopping slog, frantic with focus on gifts and cleaning houses and to-do lists, though given family obligations and work colleague expectations, some of that is always inevitable. But don’t let it encroach more than it has to. Jesus is the reason for this season. If you’re a believer, this season is a gateway to a new year filled with many reasons each day to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. (Psalm 86:9)
Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. (Isaiah 60:21).
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
or you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20).
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11).
Yesterday I wrote about how my Bible study ended with me coming to a settled conviction that though some of the smaller details seemed to vary, the incidents recorded in Mark 14 & Matthew 26, and the incident recorded in John, are speaking of the same incident.
I explained how I’d come to that conclusion after for a time initially believing the opposite.
After I finished sorting out the incident itself, there is the theological point to consider. I got to thinking about Mary and her vial of nard, worth 300 denarii. Her letting down her hair to dry Jesus’ feet. There is much to consider here.
I have so much to be thankful for. The list is so long even the internet can’t contain it.
I love my apartment. It is important to me to like where I live, and my inside surroundings are beautiful, comfortable, and easy to take care of.
I love Pandora Thumbprint radio. Pandora is a streaming music station. Thumbprint radio is a collection of all the songs I’ve given a ‘thumbs up’ to across all my various music channels. So the song automatically played might be at one moment a Chopin concerto, then Mozart, then Patsy Cline southern gospel, then a Paul Simon, then a Gospel quartet, and so on. Since they are all songs I’ve given a thumbs up to, it means I like them all. So the mix of genres doesn’t bother me, I like the surprise.
In my nice kitchen, in the wee hours, I put on the music and read my Bible or write or eat oatmeal, and feel comfortable and relaxed. It’s important to like where you live, and I’m glad that the Lord gave me a place where I can do that. He didn’t have to.
I’m grateful for my church and the people who comprise my church. They are wise, diligent, eager, service oriented, Jesus-loving devoted people. They truly are a family.
I’m grateful for my work family. I am privileged to call the people I work with family, too. They are not just people I pass in the hall. When I was down with the flu, they prayed for me, emailed to check on me, some brought food, others brought medicines and necessities. They covered my duties without a murmur, and they were genuinely glad when I got well. I praise God for giving me satisfying employment, and I praise Him more for the good people at my job.
Rainbow over school pre-dawn
I’m grateful for digital cameras. No more waiting 2 weeks for the Kodak kiosk to develop them!
I’m grateful for the internet, one of the best inventions ever. And with that, streaming music, TV, and movies. Also for this introvert, for social media and email.
I’m grateful for birds, seasons, my years of pet ownership, the beautiful things I’ve seen in the world- the Andes with llamas running across the tops; rolling blue waves of the bright Caribbean sea; the northern lights, full moon over the desert cactus; northern pine forests; fall foliage; and so much more of God’s creation that I was privileged to view in my travels.
Bert and Luke, BEST CATS EVER. I miss them.
I am most grateful that even though a sinner, God loved me first, plucked me from my miry pit of sin, washed me with His blood, and stood me upright in HIS righteousness. He saved me from the wrath I was justly due. Even as the former things fade away, I will always have the eternal gratitude in my heart to Jesus for His salvation. It is the BEST gift and the first and the last thing to be grateful for.
