April 7, 2024 • 11 mins
In this engaging episode of "The Heartbeat of Faith Podcast," hosted by Dr. Andrew Farley, listeners are taken on a journey to explore the profound significance of Christmas. Dr. Farley, a warm and knowledgeable guide, delves into the multifaceted meanings of Christmas, challenging us to ponder its importance in the eyes of God. He reminds us that Christmas marks the day when God fulfilled His desire to re-establish unity with humanity, an enduring desire that traces back to the beginning of time.
Sign up for free devotionals on each episode at https://www.HeartbeatOfFaith.com
Throughout The Heartbeat of Faith series, captivating narratives like "Adam and Eve," "Abram & Sarai," "The Ten Commandments," and "Solomon Builds a Temple" are interwoven, illustrating the dynamic relationship between God and His people. Dr. Farley masterfully paints a vivid picture of God's presence, guiding and protecting His people while emphasizing His unwavering commitment to dwelling with humanity.
Download the Pray.com app today to experience the vivid revelation of God's divine presence through cinematic storytelling, guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
For more encouragement in God's grace visit AndrewFarley.org.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let us pray. Now all this happened that it might
be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold,
the Virgin shall be with child and shall give birth
to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel, which
is being interpreted God with us Matthew Chapter one, Verses
(00:25):
twenty two and twenty three. Dear Lord, Christmas is about
your nearness. You came down to bless us with unrelenting
love and immeasurable power. The birth of Jesus was a
beacon of light signaling your love for humanity. Thank you
for pouring out your love in my heart through the
(00:46):
Holy Spirit. Now I can know the true and lasting
meaning of Christmas. Remind me that I am one with
you as you continually move in and around me. May
I always remember the true essence of Christmas. Your divinity
compatible with my humanity. Christ is me. Wow. Thank you
(01:08):
God in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for praying with
me today. Now discover the profound intricacies of scripture through
prey dot COM's podcast The Heartbeat of Faith with doctor
Andrew Farley.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Hello and welcome to another Christmas episode of the Heartbeat
of Faith podcast. I'm doctor Andrew Farley, and it's my
joy to spend time with you today as we seek
to uncover the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas can mean
a lot of different things. For some, it's all about
(01:52):
family traditions. To others, it's about the bottom line and
meeting quotas. What does Christmas mean to God? What makes
the birth of Jesus worth celebrating? Christmas marks the day
God fulfilled his desire to recapture oneness with his image bearers,
and that's us. Since the beginning, God has desired to
(02:17):
dwell with humanity in partnership and unity.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
The world was new, and its refreshing mist was covering
the land. Streams and rivers flowed from the ground, giving
life to all plants and living creatures. Among the quiet
and new earth, God was at work personally and intricately.
God formed a man from the dust as a potter
(02:47):
does with clay. Then he breathed life into him. God
named him and knew him. His name was Adam.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
The connection between God and humanity was severed when Adam
and Eve fell and sin entered the world, but there
was a plan to restore connection with God. God began
this process by choosing a family to bless. The family
of Abraham.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Out of the line of Shem came Abram, a man
well advanced in years. When Abram was seventy five years old,
the Lord spoke to him, saying, go away from your
country and your people to an unknown land. I have
a place for you. I will bless those who bless you,
and curse those who dishonor you, and through you all
(03:45):
the nations shall be blessed.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
God continued to guide, protect, and multiply Abraham's descendants just
as he promised. He led them out of captivity, and
he took his plan further, making a new promise and
dwelling with them in the Tabernacle. The tabernacle was the
next step in God's grand plan to restore connection between
(04:13):
God and his people. He resided in a tent to
follow his nomadic people into the promised land.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
God's commands held weight, and the people feared and respected
him enough to listen, for there was still thunder echoing
from the mountain. It was always God's desire to dwell
with his children since the garden. He desired to walk
through life with those he loved, so he told Moses
to have them build a tabernacle so he might live
(04:46):
among them, the holy place for the spirit of the
Lord to dwell among his people. So the Israelites did
as the Lord said and built him a tabernacle, a
tent for him to travel alongside them in the wilderness.
Though God was not confined to a tent, this would
be a holy place for him to meet with them
(05:08):
and be in their midst.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
God dwelt with his people, giving commands and protecting them
in the wilderness. He established his covenant and promised an
everlasting kingdom through the line of King David. Since the
nation of Israel was no longer a nomadic tribe, but
rather an established empire, God transitioned from dwelling in the
(05:33):
tabernacle to dwelling in the temple built by Solomon.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Springtime waltzed into the land like a joyful song. Solomon
and his workforce had worked day and night. Unto the Lord.
The sun was gentle and the breeze was kind. Spring
flowers bloomed in an array of colors and smells. It
had been four hundred eighty years since the people of
his Israel were delivered out of slavery, and for the
(06:02):
first time, Israel began to feel permanent. The people watched
as the massive temple was built before them. This was
a symbol of their freedom. Solomon looked up at the temple,
the sun reflected off of its roof. Beautifully nearly finished,
Solomon could finally step back to appreciate the work. God
spoke in the coolness of midday, saying, remember what this
(06:25):
temple means. Obey me and I will fulfill my promise
to your father. I will live among you and will
never abandon you. Solomon closed his eyes and took a
deep breath. He was content.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
God dwelled with the nation of Israel, and the kingdom
was established and set up to thrive. However, Israel continually
slipped away. They disobeyed God, and they made themselves vulnerable
to other nations. They were attacked and dragged out as exiles.
For a time, the thought of a country established by
(07:03):
God seemed lost, until a glimmer of hope flickered in
the darkness. The prophet Isaiah had a message from God,
a reminder of the promise he gave Adam, Eve, Abraham,
and David long ago.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign behold,
the Virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel Isaiah seven fourteen.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Emmanuel means God with us. That has been the aim
of God's heart all along. Have you ever stopped to
ask yourself? What thrills God? What seems to be the
aim of his pleasure and fulfillment of his joy? If
you follow the thread of scripture, it becomes a parent
that God finds immense joy in being with us. He
(08:01):
wants to be Immanuel, God with us. Hundreds of years later,
the prophecy of hope, the anthem of deliverance, and declaration
of God's loving intention was fulfilled. The angel Gabriel visited
the small town of Nazareth. There he spoke to a
(08:21):
young virgin named Mary and declared a promise over her.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Mary drew the water from the well, humming a sweet
tune in the morning sun. She carried the water back
to the goats, wiped her hands, and entered into her home.
As she entered her home, she saw the angel Gabriel
sitting near her window. Mary gasped and fell back towards
the wall. Gabriel smiled, Greetings, oh, favored woman of God.
(08:51):
He said, warmly. Mary was speechless. The angel's presence disturbed her,
and she darted her eyes towards the door to run.
Do not be afraid, Gabriel exclaimed, you have found favor
with God. Mary's heart was beating fast. She was only
a girl and could not imagine what use God would
have of her. Gabriel bent down closely to her. You
(09:14):
will conceive a son. His name will be Jesus. He
will be the promised son of David, the Messiah, the
son of the Living God, the King, to bring peace
upon all the nations. Mary's eyes began to water as
the angel spoke. His kingdom will reign forever at his name.
Every knee shall bow, and every broken heart made whole.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
The birth of Jesus brought the fulfillment of God's promise
to dwell with humanity. Through faith in Jesus, we all
reclaim the unity that was lost in the garden of Eden.
In fact, we get something better than Adam and Eve
ever enjoyed. Think about it. They sinned once and lost life.
(10:01):
We sin every day and never lose life. We get
to walk in permanent union with Christ now and forever.
When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Immanuel. For us, Christmas
means compatibility, God's divinity being compatible with our humanity. We
(10:24):
see this compatibility not just with Jesus living thirty three
years as one of us. We also see the compatibility
with the presence of Christ in us today. Just beneath
our humanity, just beneath our skin and bones and everything
that we call us, Christ lives there within us forever.
(10:48):
In the deepest and most profound way possible. He has
become our immanual. Thank you for listening to the Heartbeat
of Faith Pop. If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave
us a review and let us know how this series
has impacted your life. Download the pray dot Com app,
(11:11):
and for more encouragement in God's grace, visit Andrew Farley
dot org. That's Andrew Farley dot org.
Let us pray. Now all this happened that it might
be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold,
the Virgin shall be with child and shall give birth
to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel, which
is being interpreted God with us Matthew Chapter one, Verses
(00:25):
twenty two and twenty three. Dear Lord, Christmas is about
your nearness. You came down to bless us with unrelenting
love and immeasurable power. The birth of Jesus was a
beacon of light signaling your love for humanity. Thank you
for pouring out your love in my heart through the
(00:46):
Holy Spirit. Now I can know the true and lasting
meaning of Christmas. Remind me that I am one with
you as you continually move in and around me. May
I always remember the true essence of Christmas. Your divinity
compatible with my humanity. Christ is me. Wow. Thank you
(01:08):
God in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for praying with
me today. Now discover the profound intricacies of scripture through
prey dot COM's podcast The Heartbeat of Faith with doctor
Andrew Farley.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Hello and welcome to another Christmas episode of the Heartbeat
of Faith podcast. I'm doctor Andrew Farley, and it's my
joy to spend time with you today as we seek
to uncover the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas can mean
a lot of different things. For some, it's all about
(01:52):
family traditions. To others, it's about the bottom line and
meeting quotas. What does Christmas mean to God? What makes
the birth of Jesus worth celebrating? Christmas marks the day
God fulfilled his desire to recapture oneness with his image bearers,
and that's us. Since the beginning, God has desired to
(02:17):
dwell with humanity in partnership and unity.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
The world was new, and its refreshing mist was covering
the land. Streams and rivers flowed from the ground, giving
life to all plants and living creatures. Among the quiet
and new earth, God was at work personally and intricately.
God formed a man from the dust as a potter
(02:47):
does with clay. Then he breathed life into him. God
named him and knew him. His name was Adam.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
The connection between God and humanity was severed when Adam
and Eve fell and sin entered the world, but there
was a plan to restore connection with God. God began
this process by choosing a family to bless. The family
of Abraham.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Out of the line of Shem came Abram, a man
well advanced in years. When Abram was seventy five years old,
the Lord spoke to him, saying, go away from your
country and your people to an unknown land. I have
a place for you. I will bless those who bless you,
and curse those who dishonor you, and through you all
(03:45):
the nations shall be blessed.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
God continued to guide, protect, and multiply Abraham's descendants just
as he promised. He led them out of captivity, and
he took his plan further, making a new promise and
dwelling with them in the Tabernacle. The tabernacle was the
next step in God's grand plan to restore connection between
(04:13):
God and his people. He resided in a tent to
follow his nomadic people into the promised land.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
God's commands held weight, and the people feared and respected
him enough to listen, for there was still thunder echoing
from the mountain. It was always God's desire to dwell
with his children since the garden. He desired to walk
through life with those he loved, so he told Moses
to have them build a tabernacle so he might live
(04:46):
among them, the holy place for the spirit of the
Lord to dwell among his people. So the Israelites did
as the Lord said and built him a tabernacle, a
tent for him to travel alongside them in the wilderness.
Though God was not confined to a tent, this would
be a holy place for him to meet with them
(05:08):
and be in their midst.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
God dwelt with his people, giving commands and protecting them
in the wilderness. He established his covenant and promised an
everlasting kingdom through the line of King David. Since the
nation of Israel was no longer a nomadic tribe, but
rather an established empire, God transitioned from dwelling in the
(05:33):
tabernacle to dwelling in the temple built by Solomon.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Springtime waltzed into the land like a joyful song. Solomon
and his workforce had worked day and night. Unto the Lord.
The sun was gentle and the breeze was kind. Spring
flowers bloomed in an array of colors and smells. It
had been four hundred eighty years since the people of
his Israel were delivered out of slavery, and for the
(06:02):
first time, Israel began to feel permanent. The people watched
as the massive temple was built before them. This was
a symbol of their freedom. Solomon looked up at the temple,
the sun reflected off of its roof. Beautifully nearly finished,
Solomon could finally step back to appreciate the work. God
spoke in the coolness of midday, saying, remember what this
(06:25):
temple means. Obey me and I will fulfill my promise
to your father. I will live among you and will
never abandon you. Solomon closed his eyes and took a
deep breath. He was content.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
God dwelled with the nation of Israel, and the kingdom
was established and set up to thrive. However, Israel continually
slipped away. They disobeyed God, and they made themselves vulnerable
to other nations. They were attacked and dragged out as exiles.
For a time, the thought of a country established by
(07:03):
God seemed lost, until a glimmer of hope flickered in
the darkness. The prophet Isaiah had a message from God,
a reminder of the promise he gave Adam, Eve, Abraham,
and David long ago.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign behold,
the Virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel Isaiah seven fourteen.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Emmanuel means God with us. That has been the aim
of God's heart all along. Have you ever stopped to
ask yourself? What thrills God? What seems to be the
aim of his pleasure and fulfillment of his joy? If
you follow the thread of scripture, it becomes a parent
that God finds immense joy in being with us. He
(08:01):
wants to be Immanuel, God with us. Hundreds of years later,
the prophecy of hope, the anthem of deliverance, and declaration
of God's loving intention was fulfilled. The angel Gabriel visited
the small town of Nazareth. There he spoke to a
(08:21):
young virgin named Mary and declared a promise over her.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Mary drew the water from the well, humming a sweet
tune in the morning sun. She carried the water back
to the goats, wiped her hands, and entered into her home.
As she entered her home, she saw the angel Gabriel
sitting near her window. Mary gasped and fell back towards
the wall. Gabriel smiled, Greetings, oh, favored woman of God.
(08:51):
He said, warmly. Mary was speechless. The angel's presence disturbed her,
and she darted her eyes towards the door to run.
Do not be afraid, Gabriel exclaimed, you have found favor
with God. Mary's heart was beating fast. She was only
a girl and could not imagine what use God would
have of her. Gabriel bent down closely to her. You
(09:14):
will conceive a son. His name will be Jesus. He
will be the promised son of David, the Messiah, the
son of the Living God, the King, to bring peace
upon all the nations. Mary's eyes began to water as
the angel spoke. His kingdom will reign forever at his name.
Every knee shall bow, and every broken heart made whole.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
The birth of Jesus brought the fulfillment of God's promise
to dwell with humanity. Through faith in Jesus, we all
reclaim the unity that was lost in the garden of Eden.
In fact, we get something better than Adam and Eve
ever enjoyed. Think about it. They sinned once and lost life.
(10:01):
We sin every day and never lose life. We get
to walk in permanent union with Christ now and forever.
When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Immanuel. For us, Christmas
means compatibility, God's divinity being compatible with our humanity. We
(10:24):
see this compatibility not just with Jesus living thirty three
years as one of us. We also see the compatibility
with the presence of Christ in us today. Just beneath
our humanity, just beneath our skin and bones and everything
that we call us, Christ lives there within us forever.
(10:48):
In the deepest and most profound way possible. He has
become our immanual. Thank you for listening to the Heartbeat
of Faith Pop. If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave
us a review and let us know how this series
has impacted your life. Download the pray dot Com app,
(11:11):
and for more encouragement in God's grace, visit Andrew Farley
dot org. That's Andrew Farley dot org.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.