UCG Raleigh

The circumstances of Jesus' birth tell us about how God sees life. Humanly devised systems of status, power, and wealth mean nothing to God. So we should ask, why do they mean so much to us?

God has a plan for you... salvation from death... resurrection... placement within His family... participation in the universal rule of God. And, it is not based on your material achievements, status, or wealth.

A better picture of God's life priorities is found in Jesus' birth in the flesh. Nobody in this world, but set apart, to serve God's purpose, to give Himself as a sacrifice to God, and to rise up to everlasting life.

With that in mind, let's review the birth of Jesus and consider the different reactions it produced in those who were on the scene.

Link to article referred to in the video

Was There Really "No Room in the Inn"?

https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/was-there-really-no-room-in-the-inn

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God's great plan of salvation is worked out through the humble: Israel a nation formed out of lowly slaves... David the shepherd exalted to rule... and God's selection of a humble teenage girl from a remote farming village to give birth to Jesus... God with us.

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In May 2023, archaeologist Scott Stipling published his discovery of an altar on Mount Ebal which proves to be the very one mentioned in Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua 8.

Within the covenant there were blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. This is the curse of the law Paul referenced in Galatians 3:10.

What does the ceremony of blessing and cursing teach us today?

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The bible is filled with: prophecy, history, miracles, theology, discussions of God's nature. futurism etc. All these various types of instruction are built upon (or revolve around) an ethical core. That core is based on concepts like equal justice, honesty, loyalty, non-violence, avoiding destructive thought patterns.

Simple (not simplistic) concepts that don't require a Phd to learn... or teach... and all the prophecy, history, miracles etc. serve the purpose of pointing us back to this ethical core.

Today, I would like to use the virtue list of 2 Peter to see how the bible’s many roads lead back to the ethical core of moral behavior.

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The possession of the “promised land” as an enduring inheritance passed from generation to generation is an object lesson about the permanence (and the conditions) of our eternal inheritance ahead. When God's people will be given life itself as a permanent possession.

Today, we will look at the "promised land" within the covenant, and the spiritual reality it points to.

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Today, we’ll look at one of God’s laws about debt and forgiveness and consider its practical value and the spiritual lesson it contains.

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Forgiveness is part of putting on the mind of God. Generosity is closely related to forgiveness. It is easy to look at someone in need/trial/trouble and say... they deserve what get... its their own fault... if they'd only made the right choices [like me] they wouldn't be in the state they are in... they chose the easy was and now they are paying for it. And in some cases that's true.

To extend generosity to people like this is to forgive their mistakes and help them.

If not for God’s forgiveness... and generosity... you would not be here. You would have any hope or expectation of everlasting life. You would be like a caged criminal sentenced to death, awaiting our final execution. But, He forgave… and He gave His only begotten Son to set you free from your debt to sin.

From one screw up to another... I'm glad God is forgiving.

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To really understand Christianity you have to accept it as a complete lifestyle... a way of life.

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This way of life is built upon the foundation of the 10 commandments... to that we add the judgments and statutes God has given to show how to apply the commandments. These laws are sensible and practical with guidance for managing finances, for building and strengthening marriages and families, for healthful clean living, for social equity and cohesion. As much as they are applied they show good results.

Jude's letter warns the Church about some people who were part of the Church but were teaching and promoting false ideas that had the potential to lead a lot of people astray.

These false teachers questioned the reality of permanent destruction for those who disobeyed God. They also twisted the grace, mercy and patience of God such that it became a green light for all sorts of immorality. I covered how to identify and combat false ideas like these in a previous message I gave on “the faith once delivered”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNFmbACaMb4

Today we will look at Jude’s warnings from another angle: identifying the characteristics of those who lead others into sin and error.

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The spirit of man is found in every human being.

This spirit is not the Holy Spirit because scripture is very clear that not everyone has the Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit of God is a special gift given to some people to set them apart and designates them for a special purpose.

Let's learn more about what the human spirit actually does.

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