Precious OFRH family member,
As Christmas approaches, I hope that you will join me in spending time in the Lord’s presence in wonder and praise. Jesus loved you and me so much that He took action in coming to earth over 2000 years ago to bring about our eternal salvation in accordance with the will of His Father. What a reason to celebrate!!
During December, Dr. Fuller will be sharing the Word of God with us from the Books of Acts, 2 Kings, 2 Timothy, and the Gospel of Luke. I’d like us to think about the passage in 2 Kings 18:3-7 which is scheduled to air on December 11. King Hezekiah of Judah had a heart for God and was passionate about restoring God’s rightful place in the land and people of Judah. As king, he was led to destroy the brass serpent Moses had actually made by God’s direction back in Numbers 21. At that time, the Israelites had rebelled against the Lord to the point that He sent deadly snakes among them. Confessing their rebellion, they asked Moses to plead with God for mercy. This is when the Lord directed Moses to make and set up the brass snake on a pole, that whoever looked up at it by faith would be healed of the deadly effects of snakebite. By the time of 2 Kings, the Judeans had made an idol of this brass snake and were offering incense to it. So, since it was not being used as an object of faith, Hezekiah destroyed it.
That snake was also meant to foreshadow how Christ would be lifted up on the cross. If you’ll read John 3:14-15 you’ll notice that this is the context in which John 3:16 appears. We are to look to Him alone to escape the bite of the serpent who first deceived mankind in the Garden of Eden. There in the garden it was prophesied by God that the seed of the woman (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Satan). So this Christmas let us celebrate the treasure our Lord Jesus came to earth to offer us: His priceless gift of salvation. It’s something we can unwrap and enjoy daily.
And because music is an important part of most celebrations, let me encourage you to purchase one (or all 3) of our Christmas CDs. They are $12 each plus shipping ($4.50 for one; $7.00 for two or three). “An Old Fashioned Christmas” Volumes 1 and 2 – each has 16 songs, some by the quartet and some by the choir. Also “The Joy of Christmas” which has 11 piano solos by Rudy Atwood. (Californians: please add 10% tax to your order.)
In closing, let me share a couple short but encouraging notes we’ve received. From Virginia,“Dr. Fuller’s series on Genesis has been such a blessing! Praise God that some are still preaching salvation through the Blood of the Savior!” And from central California: “Thank you so much for providing the weekly program of Charles and Grace Fuller. They are very refreshing, and the message is still uplifting for today.” We’d love to hear from you!
Celebrating our Savior,
Michael Khanchalian, D.D.S.