God Entered His Story

Devotional

Day 1: The Ocean’s Salt Water Swirling in History’s River

The incarnation is not another bend in redemptive history’s river but the arrival of the ocean’s tide surging upstream. Just as saltwater mingles with freshwater at a river’s mouth, Christ’s coming brought the kingdom’s fullness into time. His birth, life, and death are not mere events but the eschatological climax—the “end of the ages” pressing into our present. To taste this saltwater is to sense eternity’s nearness, to feel the undertow of God’s kingdom pulling us toward completion. Christmas is the delta where history’s river meets the boundless ocean of God’s reign. [18:10]

“Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
(Hebrews 9:26–28, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you sense the “saltwater” of God’s kingdom mingling with your daily life? How might this awareness reshape your longing for Christ’s return?

Day 2: Two Comings, One Unbroken Horizon

God split Messiah’s work into two comings: one in humility, one in glory. The first century Jews could not fathom a suffering Savior, yet the cross and resurrection unveiled God’s plan to redeem through apparent defeat. Like dawn breaking before sunrise, Christ’s incarnation began the final act—a kingdom inaugurated but not yet consummated. We live between the comings, where hope is both fulfilled and deferred, anchored in the certainty that the horizon ahead is not a mirage. [15:39]

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.”
(1 Peter 1:10–11, ESV)

Reflection: What areas of your life feel caught between the “already” of Christ’s victory and the “not yet” of his return? How does this tension fuel your faith?

Day 3: Lambs, Serpents, and the Obedience of Faith

The Old Testament’s lambs, manna, and bronze serpent were not self-sufficient rituals but signposts pointing to Christ. The law revealed the shape of faith, not a ladder to earn God’s favor. Each sacrifice whispered, “Depend wholly on mercy,” foreshadowing the Lamb who would bear sin once for all. To trivialize these shadows is to miss the Substance they traced—the obedience of Christ that fulfills every requirement. [04:48]

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
(John 3:14–15, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you reduced faith to rule-keeping rather than relying on Christ’s finished work? How does his fulfillment of the law free you?

Day 4: Twenty-Two Women Between You and the Manger

History’s delta is shorter than we think. Imagine 22 women standing back-to-back, each born a generation apart—the last in line would reach Bethlehem. The incarnation is not a distant myth but a near event, rupturing time with eternity’s urgency. Those who dismiss 2,000 years as too long forget God’s perspective: a thousand years are as a day. Christmas is yesterday’s news to the Eternal One, and his return is tomorrow’s sunrise. [23:10]

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
(2 Peter 3:8, ESV)

Reflection: How does the nearness of Christ’s first coming deepen your expectancy for his second? What complacency does this urgency confront in you?

Day 5: The Undertow of the Eschaton

The kingdom’s tide pulls believers into its current, an undertow drawing us toward the ocean’s depths. To taste Christ is to hunger for more—to ache for the day when faith becomes sight. The seagulls circling overhead are not deceivers; they herald the shore. Christmas is both arrival and invitation: the end has begun, and every longing for wholeness is a whisper of the age to come. [24:25]

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
(Revelation 22:20, ESV)

Reflection: What “seagulls” in your life—signs of Christ’s nearness—stir your hunger for his return? How might you lean into the undertow instead of resisting it?

Sermon Summary

The incarnation is not merely one more mighty act along the river of redemptive history. Christmas is God himself entering the world he made. Creation, the fall, the Exodus, Sinai, the wilderness, Canaan, the monarchy, and the prophets all display the power and mercy of God, but Christmas must not be placed on the same flat line with them. The incarnation is the climax, and in a very real sense, the end.

God aims to redeem the whole creation and make for himself a people who are not rebellious anymore, but full of joy and faith. God begins that grand plan in a way that leaves no room for boasting, with a wandering Aramean and a barren wife. Israel becomes a lesson book for the nations, teaching that salvation comes from the Lord, not from human self-reliance.

The Exodus points forward to Christmas. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord” becomes, with a few changes, “Fear not, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” The Savior born in David’s city is the deliverer, the Red Sea splitter, the one to be trusted. The law at Sinai does not teach people to earn God’s favor. The law shows what the obedience of faith looks like, calls for repentance, and provides sacrifices that point to the final sacrifice.

The wilderness points forward too. The manna foreshadows the bread from heaven. The serpent lifted on the pole prefigures Christ lifted on the cross. The testing in the wilderness anticipates the Messiah tested without sin. The rest in Canaan is real but imperfect, pressing the reader to look for a better country and a Sabbath rest in the kingdom of the Savior. The monarchy, even born through evil motives, becomes the line through which God promises the righteous branch, “the Lord is our righteousness.”

God then does what no one expected. God splits the coming of the Messiah into two comings. The first coming brings suffering, rejection, and death. The second coming brings the gathering of the redeemed, the kingdom, and the reign forever. The apostles finally see that the cross is not the defeat of God’s plan, but the very way God defeats his enemies and fulfills his promises.

The apostles call the first appearing “the end of the ages.” Christmas is not another bend in the river. Christmas is the salt water of the kingdom pressing back into history. The ocean has come near. The powers of the age to come can be tasted in Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. The end has come upon history, and the undertow of the eschaton pulls toward the deep: “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”

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Key Takeaways

1. Christmas is the end arrived The incarnation is not another religious milestone placed beside Exodus, Sinai, and Canaan. God himself steps into history, and that entrance changes the whole shape of time. The apostles call the first appearing “the end of the ages” because the age to come has already broken into the present. [16:38]
2. The law taught faith’s obedience The law did not offer a ladder by which sinners could climb into God’s favor. It showed how people who trust the God of the Exodus begin to live. Its sacrifices confessed sin and pointed beyond themselves to the Redeemer whose death would fulfill and end them. [04:31]
3. The Messiah came in two appearings The Old Testament expectation of one great day of the Lord was split by God into two comings. The first appearing brought suffering and the cross, while the second will bring consummation and the kingdom in fullness. The cross therefore was not a detour around victory, but the strange and saving path by which victory was won. [10:18]
4. The kingdom’s salt water can be tasted The river of history has already met the ocean of the kingdom. Christmas is the salt water pressing upstream, surprising travelers who thought the end was still far away. Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection give the taste and smell of the coming world before the voyage is finished. [19:31]
5. Scoffing forgets God’s clock The long delay between Christ’s first and second appearing does not make Christmas less final. God does not measure nearness by the impatient clocks of unbelief. “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years,” so the incarnation is not ancient dust but a near and living end pressing upon the present.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:31] - Incarnation as the Climax of History
[02:28] - God Begins with Barren Abraham
[03:06] - Red Sea Deliverance and Christmas Joy
[04:31] - The Law as Obedience of Faith
[05:47] - Manna, Serpent, and Wilderness Testing
[06:31] - Canaan’s Imperfect Rest
[07:17] - The Monarchy and David’s Righteous Branch
[08:40] - God Splits the Messiah’s Coming
[12:23] - The Apostles Interpret Christmas
[13:26] - The End of the Ages Has Come
[17:55] - Christmas Is Not Another Bend
[18:10] - The River and the Ocean
[21:21] - Answering the Scoffers
[23:27] - Living Between the Two Appearings

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV)
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

Hebrews 9:26-28 (ESV)
“But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

2 Peter 3:8 (ESV)
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Observation questions

According to 1 Corinthians 10:11, why were the events of the Old Testament recorded? How does this connect to the idea that “the end of the ages has come” through Christ’s incarnation?
The sermon compares the Exodus to Christmas, noting similarities in phrases like “Fear not” and “salvation of the Lord.” What specific Old Testament story does the sermon link to Christ’s crucifixion? [06:14]
Hebrews 9:26-28 describes Christ’s two appearances. What is the purpose of his first coming versus his second?
How does the sermon use the metaphor of a river meeting the ocean to explain the relationship between history and the kingdom of God? [18:10]

Interpretation questions

Why might the law given at Sinai not have been intended as a way to earn God’s favor, according to the sermon? How does this reshape our understanding of obedience? [04:31]
The sermon argues that the rest Israel found in Canaan was “imperfect.” What does this imply about humanity’s ultimate hope, and how does Christ fulfill it?
If the first coming of Christ marked “the end of the ages,” why does history still continue? How does this tension shape a Christian’s perspective on suffering and waiting?
How does 2 Peter 3:8 challenge the idea that the delay of Christ’s return undermines the urgency or finality of Christmas?

Application questions

The incarnation is described as “the end of history pressing into the present.” How might this truth change the way you approach daily struggles or fears? [16:38]
The sermon compares tasting the kingdom’s “salt water” in the present age. What practices or habits help you “taste” the reality of Christ’s kingdom here and now?
If God’s timing is not bound by human impatience (2 Peter 3:8), how can you cultivate trust when prayers or promises feel delayed?
The law was meant to teach dependence on God’s mercy, not self-reliance. In what areas of your life do you still try to “earn” God’s favor instead of resting in Christ’s sacrifice? [05:06]
The apostles saw the cross as the “strange and saving path” to victory. How does this perspective reshape how you view setbacks or suffering in your own life? [12:23]
The sermon urges believers to feel the “undertow of the eschaton pulling us into the deep.” What practical step could you take this week to lean into longing for Christ’s return? [24:44]

Sermon Clips

Christmas is not just another bend in that river. Christmas is the arrival of the salt water of the kingdom back up into the river for a ways. And that salt water is beckoning us, welcoming us, alluring us on out into the deep. Christmas is not just another great bend in the river. It is the end of the river. [00:19:31]

The trademark is that even though the apostles looked forward to the second appearance of the coming of the Messiah, they nevertheless called the first appearing of the Messiah the end of the ages. History ended at Christmas. That's the trademark of the apostles. They do not treat Christmas as just another bend in the river of redemptive history. [00:13:20]

God the creator owns and rules all things. And he aims to subdue the rebellion of creation and be glorified in an obedient and joyful people who forsake self-reliance and trust in him like little children. They can't earn his favor through works of the law. They can only trust in him for righteousness. And someday he was to bring them a righteous branch for David, whose name would be the Lord is our righteousness. [00:07:46]

And what happens then in the New Testament is that God splits this expectation into two days. The first coming for the Messiah to suffer and die. The second coming for him to gather his redeemed people from all over the world into his kingdom and reign forever and ever. The Jews had expected one great day of the Lord, and the Old Testament gave rise to that expectation. [00:10:18]

When they came to Mount Sinai and the law was given, the basic reason was to simply show how people who have faith in the God of the Exodus will act. That's all the law was is to demonstrate what the obedience of faith looked like. The law did not demand that people try to earn their way into God's favor through works. [00:04:32]

Then they wandered in the wilderness and God showed them that there he could spread a table for them when there was no food at all and that therefore they should trust him to meet all their needs. The manna he provided was like a foreshadowing of the bread that comes down from heaven from God, Jesus Christ, the bread of the world. And remember the time that they set up the serpent on that post when the people had rebelled so that if they looked at it they could be healed. And John says that's a prefiguring of the day that Christ would be hung on the cross so that we could look to him and be saved. [00:05:43]

The meaning of Christmas was a total blur for some 30 years until the apostles broke through to the insight that oh this is the the first half of the final act of redemption and the second half will only come later. And when they finally saw that God counted them prepared to interpret Christmas for us and that's what they did in the New Testament interpreting the incarnation in view of the second coming. [00:12:26]

It took them 3 years of instruction many resurrection appearances and the anointing of the Holy Spirit before the apostles finally could grasp that it was precisely through being rejected by the people and dying on the cross that God could defeat his enemies and establish his kingdom and fulfill the promises. [00:12:00]

But don't align Christmas on the same continuum with those great events. We trivialize the incarnation if we make it just another stage along the way to the end. It is the end of redemptive history. And I think the analogy of the river helps us see how. [00:17:42]

But those sensitive readers of the Old Testament like the writer to the Hebrews, they saw this is an imperfect rest. And since it's an imperfect rest, it must be pointing beyond, a kind of type of a rest that is yet to come when the one who offers rest for our souls comes. A better country, a city whose builder and maker is God. A Sabbath rest for the people of the savior in his kingdom. [00:06:41]

God aims to redeem the whole creation and make it a people who are not rebellious anymore, but who are full of joy and faith. And he begins this grand plan of redemption with this imperfect, solitary, wandering Aramean whose wife is barren. And then from that man and woman he makes a great nation, Israel, named after Abraham's grandson who is the father of the 12 tribal patriarchs. [00:02:21]

And then the monarchy was established. To be sure through awfully evil motives, but God in his sovereign grace turns it for good and promises that through this line the Messiah is going to come who will redeem all the evil that brought that very kingdom into existence. [00:07:11]

Picture redemptive history now flowing from creation right on through as a river. And picture the ocean into which it is flowing as the final kingdom of God, eternal, glorious beyond all description. At the mouth of this river, at the end of the river, the ocean presses back with its salt water a ways up into the river. [00:18:10]

And God begins to go to work now on this people and to make this people into a lesson book for all the nations of the world to read and to understand how salvation is coming. [00:02:56]

And that's no mere coincidence between the word of the people at the Red Sea and the word of the angels because everything that God was doing in Israel was pointing forward to the Messiah who was to come and to the righteousness of faith that can be had through him. Let me give you some examples of how they pointed forward. [00:04:06]

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