Chris May - December 2, 2018
Advent | Part 1
Scripture References: Matthew 1:18-25
From Series: "Already, But Not Yet | Advent 2018"
During Advent, we look back to the Christmas story, and Christ coming to this world in the likeness of man to be “God with us.” That’s the already… but we also look at the “not yet,” where we anticipate the imminent return of Jesus. Thus, as believers, we find ourselves in this "already, but not yet" season. The Already: We who are in Christ, get to enjoy the “already” benefits of the Atonement: Namely, the remission of sins, right standing with God, peace with God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, amongst many other things. We have a foretaste of the Kingdom of God and its many benefits. However, there is also a “Not Yet:” We will not know the totality of these realities until the Christ comes again. We still live in a fallen world, full of pain and suffering. As believers, we have eternal life, yet, unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, we will experience death. We are not bound by sin any longer, yet we experience a battle with sin. We are part of the Kingdom of God now, but we only have a foretaste of this Kingdom. There is coming a day, however, where we will know the fullness of God’s Kingdom. We will know complete victory over sin… we will have no more sickness, no more pain, no more loss. Jesus is coming again. And we greatly anticipate His return!