Bethel Church of Houston

The waiting is over... the baby's been born. And nothing has been the same since. It still makes a difference, every day, in each of our lives.

Creation according to God's purposes...The Fall and all its heartache and pain...Redemption and its hope and promise. How will it end? What can we expect? And what part do we play? One thing's for certain: the next time Jesus comes will be different than the first!

We've considered Creation -- the hows and whys of God's design of Paradise. And we've looked at the Fall -- how it all came crashing down. What's the solution? How and why did God bring about the possibility of redemption? Why does it matter? It's our only hope!

This Advent we're considering the grand storyline of Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Today we seek to understand in a fuller way why things are the way they are. And why Christmas had to happen for them to ever change!

Advent is the traditional season of

How incredible to think of God's sovereign control, using the animal kingdom for His unique plan and purpose in delivering Israel. What does this mean for us, in this season when we express gratitude for all God's gracious provisions...Thanksgiving?

If the Bible is, indeed, God's Word, then nothing within His Word can be considered superfluous or extraneous. There are implications in today's text about our God and His ways with His world.

In Exodus 34 Moses asks to see God’s glory, and God reveals himself as a God who is merciful and just. Dr. Hamilton contends that from this passage comes a biblical theology that unites the meta-narrative of Scripture under one central theme: God’s glory in salvation through judgment.

Dr. Hamilton begins in the Old Testament by showing that Israel was saved through God’s judgment on the Egyptians and the Caananites. God was glorified through both his judgment and mercy, accorded in salvation to Israel. The New Testament unfolds the ultimate display of God’s glory in justice and mercy, as it was God’s righteous judgment shown on the cross that brought us salvation. God’s glory in salvation through judgment will be shown at the end of time, when Christ returns to judge his enemies and save all who have called on his name.

Dr. Hamilton moves through the Bible book by book, showing that there is one theological center to the whole Bible. The volume’s systematic method and scope make it a unique resource for pastors, professors, and students.

Dr. Jim Hamilton, associate professor of Biblical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and author of "God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology" speaks about the slain Lamb of God, and the necessity of His judgment

And so it begins. These dramatic encounters wiwth Yahweh's infinite power represent a crucial turning point in Redemption history...and they carry lessons for each of us still today.