#Advent #endtimes
Immanuel, God with us. How could this be? Would God be with us, would the veil into Holiness be withdrawn? Would the overflowing absolute love of God find a way for reconciliation?
Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Can you imagine the love of a man, finding out his fiance was pregnant? Unimaginal disbelief, anger, betrayal. Joseph lovingly did not want to pile shame upon her. He followed the Absolute Love, he wanted to do the right thing, he wanted Mary to be able to be with the one she loved. He wanted to follow the leading of The LORD. The loving leadership of a just man, who would give up himself for his wife, in the power given through Absolute Love.
Mat 1:19-25 "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus."
And what of the young woman? Mary, probably only 13 or 14 years old, not yet given to her betrothed. Mary, was troubled. Is that an understatement? How could this happen? What will people think, what will Joseph do? As for Mary, she will love and serve The LORD. The Absolute Love has provided a child to her elderly Aunt Elizabeth and to her a virgin, having never known any man in intimate contact. The Absolute Love has given life, He is The LORD of life. Nothing will be impossible for The Absolute Love. She would lovingly submit to her husband out of loving submission to The Absolute Love.
Luk 1:26-35 "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."
This is the pattern of love between a man and a woman. This is the pattern for marriage. Loving as giving up self, loving as serving and submitting. Loving as a reflection of The Absolute Love.
Eph 5:21-33 "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."This mys tery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Immanuel, God with us. How could this be? Would God be with us, would the veil into Holiness be withdrawn? Would the overflowing absolute love of God find a way for reconciliation?
Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Can you imagine the love of a man, finding out his fiance was pregnant? Unimaginal disbelief, anger, betrayal. Joseph lovingly did not want to pile shame upon her. He followed the Absolute Love, he wanted to do the right thing, he wanted Mary to be able to be with the one she loved. He wanted to follow the leading of The LORD. The loving leadership of a just man, who would give up himself for his wife, in the power given through Absolute Love.
Mat 1:19-25 "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus."
And what of the young woman? Mary, probably only 13 or 14 years old, not yet given to her betrothed. Mary, was troubled. Is that an understatement? How could this happen? What will people think, what will Joseph do? As for Mary, she will love and serve The LORD. The Absolute Love has provided a child to her elderly Aunt Elizabeth and to her a virgin, having never known any man in intimate contact. The Absolute Love has given life, He is The LORD of life. Nothing will be impossible for The Absolute Love. She would lovingly submit to her husband out of loving submission to The Absolute Love.
Luk 1:26-35 "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."
This is the pattern of love between a man and a woman. This is the pattern for marriage. Loving as giving up self, loving as serving and submitting. Loving as a reflection of The Absolute Love.
Eph 5:21-33 "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."This mys tery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
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