What is the relationship between justice and mercy-- How do we understand God's heart of mercy, and how does that character inform our actions, our obedience, our walk, our talk of faith-- Where does the justice of God come into play-- How are we to think about His eternal justice and the terrible reality, that hell is for all who pursue evil-- And most importantly, how are we to reconcile these seemingly conflicting attributes without diminishing either-- For both are scripturally true, and both are present in this passage.

Everything that Christ came to be or do in His pre-incarnate appearances was indicative of what He was coming to be or do in His incarnation. Because His mission, His intention, His role in all things, His place in the council of eternity is itself unchanging and eternal. Therefore, by this consideration of Jesus in His pre-incarnate visitations, we can learn much about who He is and what He came to do. By increasing our understanding, we increase our ability to consciously glorify Him with our words, actions and lives. This Christophany introduces the Warrior-King.

When Jacob encountered a pre-incarnate Christ in the small hours of the morning and wrestled Him to a standstill, it does not take much understanding to see that Jesus allowed him to do so... the question is this- why-- Why would God seem to lose in order to gain a victory that is greater than the loss--

The coming of Christ is the central theme of the entire Old Testament. The promised deliverer, Messiah, God made flesh was and is the story of the whole revelation of God. The people of Israel were set apart by God to produce that Messiah and were intended to be the revelation of God's glory among the nations. It is thus that the Christmas season is a continuation of the whole Old Testament, the retelling of our expectation of and the fulfillment of the promised Christ is the faithful reminder that God always keeps His promises in the fullness of time. To make sure that we had all that we needed to understand just what was promised, Christ made many appearances throughout the Old Testament to show us just exactly who was coming and just exactly what He was to do when He came. These appearances are pre-incarnate instances of the intervention of Christ, and we will be spending this advent season considering some of them, to understand more of the Christ who came to set us free- to worship Him for all that He has done and to stir up our hearts with love for Him.

God calls us to mature in the faith. He has ordained and prepared this life to grow us up, but He has also called us to be active participants in this work of maturation. This week we examine the role of spiritual discipline in shaping our worldview, our character and our very lives. It is hard work, but God has prepared and will equip us for the work He calls us to fulfill. It all begins with the Word of God which shapes us and gives us the active mind of God in Christ to shape our understanding.

God uses our pain and suffering to train and equip us. To shape us into the likeness of Christ. Our difficulties and sorrows are all tools in His hands and NOT the random work of an enemy working without God's permission and restraint. Sanctification is a work of Grace, beginning with our own self-awareness and examination under the power of the Holy Spirit, through the chastening of the Lord and our own afflictions, we are never out of His sovereign and loving Hand. It is always better to lean in to our suffering than to fight against God in the midst of it...

Solid food is for the mature, and we are all expected to grow up- God tells us that we can train our senses to discern good and evil, that we can participate in our growth. He has given us tools to equip us for and IN our growth. These tools are available and they are ours, and when we faithfully apply them, we will grow.

The intake and digestion of real food is a key sign of physical health, it is also a key sign of spiritual health. But the lack of spiritual ability to make use of real food often hides in the noise of our false spirituality. Our senses must be trained to recognize good and evil. This sermon begins a short sidebar on our spiritual senses, what they are, how to grow them, how we use them and how to protect them.

Baptism is a sacred covenant between the church, the candidate and the God who called them all together. It requires a born again child of God to willingly enter into that covenant. Many profess Christ who are not truly converted and many more are baptized who are not living. But for a believer to enter into this covenant is a promise to grow and a confession of life. The basics of the gospel and life in Christ demand repentance, and Christ both promises and demands fruit to be produced in that life.

God gives us the first source of our life, and provides the all the power we require in His Word through His Spirit. God commands us to make use of that same Word and its power, to strengthen our souls, enlarge our minds in the mind of Christ, and sanctify our lives all by the power of that same Spirit. To abuse His goodness by negligence is to run the risk of God withholding of that providence we enjoy, in order to discipline us to seek Him.--In short, to abuse abundance is to seek famine.