A Visit with the Joneses

Carol Jones Saint: Hello, hello there. Welcome to Home Sweet Home for this special time of family devotions as we remind you of the good news, Joy to the World, the Lord has come.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. It's the message proclaimed by the angelic chorus centuries ago. It's the message that carolers still proclaim as they walk down the streets before Christmas and after Christmas and during Christmas.

The good news of the gospel is never confined to one particular time of the year. It should be proclaimed always. Joy to the world, that's what the angels said. For there is born to you this day a savior, Christ the Lord. I think they're coming this way.

Guest (Male): Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies. With angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.

Carol Jones Saint: A little bit cold out, the wind is blowing, the flutes and the clarinets are playing, and the carolers are singing.

Guest (Male): Christ by highest heaven adored. Christ the everlasting Lord. Late in time behold him come, offspring of the favored one. Veiled in flesh the godhead see, hail th'incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.

You can join and sing. Sure, anyone can. The world can. Good news. Come everybody, sing and adore him, Christ the Lord. Don't mind the cold weather. No, no. Sing the good news.

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the king of angels. O come let us adore him. O come let us adore him. O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Carol Jones Saint: Well, they're a cheerful group as they go on their way, those carolers, reminding us of the good news of the gospel that joy is come to the world because the Lord has come.

The tenses of any verb are very important, and one of the first things you learn when you take English grammar is something about the tenses of a verb. But the tenses of the word 'come' are extremely important when they refer to his coming.

First, at the Christmas season, we remember with gladness that he came. It's past history. He came. And we read about it in Galatians chapter 4. The Christmas story in Galatians, one of my favorite passages that tell the story of Christmas.

Guest (Male): But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father.

Carol Jones Saint: Notice, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son. Not one hour too early, not one hour too late, but at exactly the precise time in the fullness of time, that's when he came.

How? To be born of a woman. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Why? To be the word which would speak to man of the father's love. Sometimes people could not understand the prophecies of old. Sometimes they could not comprehend the law with all of its requirements.

No one could fail to understand his love gift to the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, in the fullness of time.

Guest (Male): Wonderful birth to a manger he came, made in the likeness of man to proclaim. God's boundless love for a world sick with sin, pleading with sinners to let him come in. Wonderful name he bears, wonderful crown he wears. Wonderful blessings his triumphs afford. Wonderful Calvary, wonderful grace for me, wonderful love of my wonderful Lord.

Wonderful name he bears, wonderful crown he wears. Wonderful blessings his triumphs afford. Wonderful Calvary, wonderful grace for me, wonderful love of my wonderful Lord.

Carol Jones Saint: Yes, as we think of his coming, how good to know that he came. And all the world is changed because he came. His coming is an accepted fact of secular history. we date time from his coming.

Every appointment that is kept, every meeting that is held, every concert that is aired, every church service, every school day, all dates time from his coming. Now the important thing is not when we celebrate it, but the important thing is that he came.

He came, and all the world has been changed because he came. Life is different. Even among those who do not want to accept him as Savior and Lord, life is changed because he was born among cattle in poverty sore. He who was rich became poor for you and me.

Guest (Male): Born among cattle in poverty sore, living in meekness by Galilee shore. Dying in shame as the wicked ones swore, Jesus, wonderful Lord. Wonderful, wonderful Jesus. He is my friend, true to the end. He gave himself to redeem me. Jesus, wonderful Lord.

Wonderful, wonderful Jesus. He is my friend, true to the end. He gave himself to redeem me. Jesus, wonderful Lord.

Carol Jones Saint: As we think of the fact that he came, past tense, it is extremely important that we remember why he came. He did not come to be that celebrated babe in a manger.

He came to live and to die on a cross and to become the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. He came to be the savior. He came to rise again the third day as the savior. And because he lives right now, all that he did in coming and living and dying is put into effect.

Why did he come? The angelic chorus made it clear. He came a savior. For unto you is born this day a savior, Christ the Lord. When you remember that he came, remember why he came.

Guest (Male): Not to be a babe in a manger, not to be a king on a throne. Not to be an army commander, not for one of these was he born. But to be the savior triumphant, but to be the savior he came.

Not to be a babe in a manger, but to be the savior of men. Hallelujah, what a savior.

Carol Jones Saint: As we think of the tenses of his coming, it is important for us to remember not only did he come, past tense, but he comes, present tense, present history.

Jesus said, "I am come to seek and to save that which was lost," Luke 19:10. Again, he said, John 10:10, "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." These purposes of his coming are not limited to past history.

These are present history, always the immediate imperative of the gospel. He who came also comes. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ comes at this very present time, this very present hour through this very broadcast.

He is coming. His Holy Spirit is here. He is convicting. He is calling. He is changing lives, and he continues to minister daily. Jesus is here, present tense, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and makes Jesus known to us.

What a beautiful fact to remember. How important to realize that he who came also comes. All of life was changed because he came. But all of life is changed because he comes.

It is important then that you and I shall not just limit our talking about past history, but that we shall realize it can be present tense. He is coming right now. He is coming into my heart. He is coming into my life, and all of life has been changed because he has come.

He came to his own, but his own received him not, we read in John chapter 1. But to as many as receive him, to them he gives the power even now to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on his name.

Why not let Jesus come into your heart right now, present tense? Don't just know him as a figure of past history, but know him as a present savior this very moment. Open wide the heart's door and in faith let Jesus come in even now.

Guest (Male): If you are tired of the load of your sin, let Jesus come into your heart. If you desire a new life to begin, let Jesus come into your heart. Just now your doubtings give o'er, just now reject him no more. Just now throw open the door, let Jesus come into your heart. Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

Carol Jones Saint: He came, and he comes. The future tense is he will come again. He is coming in the future. That's not past history, that's not present history, that's future history. He will come again. Listen to the Christmas story as we find it in Titus chapter 2.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. There it is. He came and appeared to all men. As the grace of God made manifest through Jesus Christ appeared to all men, he came teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a special and peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Notice, the glorious hope of the church, the blessed hope as I have just read is this: looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our savior, Jesus Christ. It's the blessed hope.

The angel on the day he ascended into heaven said, "This same Jesus will come again as ye have seen him go." Jesus said to his disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you, but I will come again and receive you unto myself."

As our blessed hope, we live in this present evil world ever looking forward to that day that will be the future glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In that day, he will not come as a little babe in the manger.

In that day, he will come as the king he was meant to be. And we read about that day of his coming especially in Revelation. What a day it will be when he who has been always the king of the universe will come to claim his possession. He will come again.

He who came also comes, and he who comes will come again. It's strange, the people who gladly remember his first coming but show no interest in his present coming into their lives. They don't want him to change their lives.

It's strange, the people who gladly remember his first coming and prepare to celebrate it each year but fail to look for his future coming and fail to prepare for that day and fail to know that the blessed hope of the child of God is that Jesus is coming.

Guest (Male): Jesus is coming. Yes, he is coming. He's coming back to earth again. He said he was coming. He said he was coming. I'm watching for that day.

Carol Jones Saint: This is Mother Jones's first song, written several years before, in times like these. It expresses her blessed hope that she had as a child of God. And notice in those words of that chorus, she emphasized the fact: he said that he will come again.

That just sounds like Mother. That was her most important thought concerning his future coming. It doesn't matter that there are those who don't believe it and there are skeptics who doubt it, but he said, "I will come again."

Guest (Male): Oh, my brother, do you love the savior? He gave his all for you one day. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus died for you and me, and he's coming back to earth again. Jesus is coming. Yes, he is coming. He's coming back to earth again.

Carol Jones Saint: He who came also comes, and he who comes will come again. And with this message of the blessed hope of the child of God, we come to the close of this radio visit with all the Joneses at Home Sweet Home.

We'd love to hear from you, box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania 16512. Until next time, bye and remember, he came and he comes and he's coming again.

Guest (Male): I'm watching for that day.