The Angel of Repentance

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The Angel of Repentance
The Christmas Angels

• Luke 11317

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Malachi 45,6

• Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet
  before the coming of the great and terrible day
  of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the
  fathers to their children and the hearts of the
  children to their fathers, so that I will not
  come and smite the land with a curse.

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Key Idea

• Theres a spiritual dimension in preparing to
  celebrate the birth of Christ

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A Unique Birth

• Answered prayer
• Prayer for the deliverance of Israel
• Surprise birth
• John means God is become gracious
• Anticipated joy
• Joy of blessed parents
• Joy of a people waiting for the Messiah

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A Unique Ministry

• Great in the work of God
• First clue that John the Baptist will do
  something significant
• Unique in his lifestyle
• Lifestyle of self-denial to accompany his
  message of repentance and turning away in sorrow
  from sin and disobedience

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A Unique Ministry

• Empowered by the Holy Spirit
• Not the filling of the Spirit as we walk with Him
  and are empowered to live the Christian life
• And do not get drunk with wine, for that is
  dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.
  Ephesians 518
• But the filling of the Spirit when God chooses
  to empower someone to fulfill a specific task
  for Him

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A Unique Message

• A ministry of turning back
• You need to turn back when youve been going the
  wrong direction in the first place
• A ministry in the spirit and power of the
  prophet Elijah
• The prophecy from Malachi is even quoted here by
  the angel

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Promise from Malachi

• Malachi 31 Behold, I am going to send My
  messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.
  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come
  to His temple and the messenger of the covenant,
  in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says
  the Lord of Hosts.

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Promise from Malachi

• Malachi 45 Behold, I am going to send you Elijah
  the prophet before the coming of the great and
  terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the
  hearts of the fathers to their children and the
  hearts of the children to their fathers, so that
  I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

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A Unique Message

• A ministry of spiritual preparation
• He would prepare, put into readiness, a people
  who were equipped, prepared, built up for the
  coming of the Messiah

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Questions

• Christmas is a great time to pause and evaluate
  the direction of our lives
• Have you turned to Jesus?
• If He came today, would you be ready?