Episode 19 - Evanni and Aubrey

Hello, Oak Ridge friends and family. This is

David here with Ivani Munoz and Aubrey Ward.

They're gonna be reading a couple of scriptures

for us today. But before we do that, I would

like for you guys to share something that points

you to Christ during this holiday season. Hello,

I'm Ivani Munoz and what my mind goes to during

this season has to be Perhaps the more somber

Christmas carols that come about of, well maybe

not somber, but they do put, I guess, lower tone,

right, in the heart. That is, right, songs like

Silent Night and Okami Manual, right. I'm a stickler

and a big fan of the sadder hymns, right, within

our catalog. And I don't know, it just highlights

something about... Christ's birth and, of course,

his passion and his death and resurrection that

just is not found elsewhere, right? That it gives

a seriousness to. And I just love it. I just

love it. It strikes the same chord every single

season. And Christmas is not the same without

these songs, right? These, I'll just say, melancholic

songs. Well, I couldn't have said it better myself,

Ivani, thank you. I'm Aubrey Ward, and I definitely

agree with Ivani. But I would say my favorite

song is the first Noel, but it is the music that

really brings the feeling of Christmas for me,

I would say. So I'll be reading 2 Samuel 7, 1

through 17. After King David moved into his house,

the Lord gave him some relief from all of his

enemies around him. King David said to Nathan

the prophet, look, I am living in a fancy house

made of cedar wood, but God's holy box is still

kept in a tent. Nathan said to King David, do

whatever you want to do. The Lord will be with

you. But that night, the Lord's word came to

Nathan. Go and tell my servant, David, this is

what the Lord says. You are not the one to build

a house for me to live in. I did not live in

a house at the time I took the Israelites out

of Egypt. No, I traveled around in a tent. I

used the tent for my home. I never told any of

the tribes of Israel to build me a fancy house

made from cedar wood. You must say this to my

servant David. This is what the Lord all -powerful

says. I choose you while you are out in the pasture

following the sheep. I took you from that job

and made you the leader of my people, the Israelites.

I have been with you every place you went. I

have defeated your enemies for you. I will make

you one of the most famous people on earth. And

I choose a place for my people, the Israelites.

I planted the Israelites. I gave them their own

place to live so that they will not have to move

from place to place anymore. In the past, I sent

judges to lead my people, but evil people gave

them many troubles. That will not happen now.

I'm giving you peace from all of your enemies.

I promise that I will make your family a family

of kings. When your life is finished, you will

die and be buried with your ancestors, but then

I will make one of your own children become the

king. He will build a house for my name and I

will make his kingdom strong forever. I will

be his father and he will be my son. When he

sins, I will use other people to punish him.

They will be my whips, but I will never stop

loving him. I will continue to be loyal to him.

I took away my love and kindness from Saul. I

pushed Saul away when I turned to you. Your family

of kings will continue. You can depend on that.

For you, your kingdom will continue forever.

Your throne will stand forever. Nathan told David

about that vision, told David everything God

had said. The law held us as prisoners. We had

no freedom until God showed us the way of faith

that was coming. I mean the law was the guardian

in charge of us until Christ came. After he came,

we could be made right with God through faith.

Now that the way of faith has come, we no longer

need the law to be our guardian. You were all

baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed

with Christ. This shows that you are all children

of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Now, in

Christ, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or

a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You

are all the same in Christ Jesus. You belong

to Christ, so you are Abraham's descendants.

You get all of God's blessings because of the

promise that God made to Abraham.