Advent Through Exodus: The Miracle of ChristmasSample
Christmas Day — Redemption Through Jesus Christ
Last week we learned how God provides for His people. He richly blesses us so that, in turn, we may bless others. We are also called as a people to grow and deepen as we reach others for the Lord.
In the Book of Exodus, we have seen God's deliverance of the Israelites, which is a paradigm for God's redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ. No other Old Testament book displays the struggle of mankind better than Exodus, where we see faithfulness and disobedience, Godly worship and idol worship, slavery and freedom, and hope and despair. The Hebrew story is our story, a constant struggle between sin and righteousness.
But we also witness countless signs that point to our Savior—one who has come to rescue us, shower us with His grace, and offer us freedom. We see how Jesus, the Lamb of God, is paralleled through the sacrificial Passover lamb in Egypt, coming to take away all our sins.
The Israelites ate unleavened bread at the Passover and were sustained by manna in the wilderness, but we know that Jesus is the true Bread of Life. God provided the Israelites with water in the desert, but we are assured that Jesus is our Living Water. Moses served as the people's mediator, but we know that Jesus though His Holy Spirit is our heavenly mediator and advocate.
The Israelites followed a pillar of fire by day as God guided them on their journey. Jesus reveals to us in Luke 12:49 that He has come "to set the world aflame." May our zeal for the Lord burn brightly as we adore, honor, praise, and place our faith in Christ.
Just as God rescued the Israelites from the grip of the Egyptians and delivered the Hebrew people from physical death, so too has Jesus come to deliver us from our spiritual death. And even now, He is preparing our eternal home in Heaven.
As the center white Christmas candle is lit, we light our individual candles from the Christ candle. May the Light of the World guide our hearts and minds this day and always.
If you enjoyed this plan, please check out the book, Hidden Miracles of the Bible: Secret Wisdom Within the Word available now, and discover how God continues to weave miracles into our lives today.
About this Plan
Advent is a season of reflection, preparation, and anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Book of Exodus, on the other hand, chronicles the Israelites' arduous journey out of slavery in Egypt and their quest for the Promised Land. While these two may seem unrelated at first glance, through this plan we discover how Exodus foreshadows Jesus' miraculous birth over a millennium later, and what we can learn from the Hebrews' period of trust in waiting, even today.
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