Visitation to Deal with Sin (Advent 3, 2024)

Urgent times call for urgent measures. The Last Days are like that. To the Jews (even of Jesus’ day), they were looking for a great political leader who would vindicate their people toward the conclusion of earthly time. But earthly time wasn’t ending quite as quickly as they thought because God had something better planned.

No political leader can bring forever change.
I don’t care what political leader we’re talking about;
they all fall into the same category: sinners.

When it comes to sinners (which all of us are), any final Judgment decided before forgiveness was purchased would be ruinous and definitely not something any of us should want. As Scripture reminds us, “Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:9-10).

So Last Days call for urgent measures.

Hebrews 1: 2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe.3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Visitation Principle 3: Jesus Came to Provide Purification for Sin.
Bam. It is done. It is finished. Sin was dealt with once and for all times.

Questions for further thought:

How easy is it for us to minimize our own sin or deny its power in our own lives?

A famous quote by Ravi Zacharias is “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Can you think of any sin you have experienced where that is true, it seemed okay at the time but ended up being detrimental?

How did Jesus’ Visitation Principle 3 about dealing with sin offer an eternal correction to the power sin has over our lives? Do you know the freedom that forgiveness brings?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You didn’t leave us in our sin to figure it out. That You didn’t minimize or whitewash our sin, but You dealt with it. Permanently. Thank You for Your sacrifice on the Cross. Thank You for purchasing my freedom. I love You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

“From the Jews for the World” was the theme of last Advent’s devotional series. It is archived beginning December 3, 2023, and explored how Jesus’ Jewish heritage was necessary for the salvation of Gentiles, too.
“Awaken Remnant” was the devotional topic for 2022. It began November 27, 2022, and highlighted the remnant found throughout Scripture as evident in Jesus’ lineage.
The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.