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Elder Bryce Lowrance

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The King Is Coming!

30 January 2014

Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. - Luke 1:30-33

Looking once again at this amazing angel visitation, we find the angel Gabriel treating Mary in a loving and friendly manner. He calls her by name to calm her fears and pronounces the greatest blessing to her that anyone can hear, she has found favor with God! Nothing in man can please God, so this favor came straight from God's love for her and His desire to bless her!

In fulfillment of the prophecies of the Isaiah, the Messiah will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). That virgin is Mary. Luke is diligent to record that the angel shouts "behold" before he tells Mary that she will give birth to a son. This adds further evidence that this birth will be like no other. Mary had never been intimate with a man and would remain so until after Jesus is born. Jesus will be born of a pure virgin.

More marvelous details about this baby are proclaimed by Gabriel as well:

His name will be Jesus. This means "Jehovah is Savior," not "Jehovah will send a savior." His name means that He is Jehovah God, and He has come to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
He shall be great! - Isaiah says that his name will be Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)! These titles show that Jesus didn't come to try and save anyone. He came to save and finished the work!
He shall be called the Son of the Highest. Jesus has always existed as the eternally begotten Son of God (see my blog regarding John 1:1-18). He does not become the Son of God when He is born of Mary, because He has always been the only begotten of the Father. Gabriel is simply telling us that the name of the Eternal Word will be applied to the flesh of this baby because the two shall be one. Jesus is fully God and fully man!
Jesus will inherit the throne of David and His reign will be forever. Notice this doesn't say that Jesus is coming back to reign later. When He raised from the dead, Jesus ascended to the true spiritual throne of David and began reigning immediately (Hebrews 1:3-8). He has always reigned, but He is now declared to be King before men (Romans 1:4)

The final bullet point above may seem strange to some who have been taught something different about the return of Jesus Christ. However, the message of the angel Gabriel has always been that Jesus's kingdom would commence when He comes the first time.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. - Daniel 2:44

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. - Daniel 7:14

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Tags: gabriel, gospel_of_luke, harmony_of_the_gospels, jesus, mary

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.