Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be [a]purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [b] copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Jesus came to earth some 2000 years ago.
God, taking on human form.
Born into this world to a peasant girl.
He lived among us for maybe 33 years.
And then was brutally crucified on a Roman cross.
Three days later he rose up from the grave, conquering death.
He sits now at the right hand of God.
And from that moment his followers look for him to return someday.
But why did he do this?
The author of Hebrews tells us here that his death was a sacrifice.
A sacrifice that would take away the sins of many.
Jesus is the perfect lamb who could, once and for all, wash us clean of our sins.
His sacrifice was one of atonement.
His sacrifice was to take away the sins of many people.
1 John 2:2 tells us he was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
But in a special way for believers, for those who accept him as savior and Lord.
And he is returning a second time.
This time it is not as a sacrifice.
It is not for the world.
He is returning, bringing salvation, for those looking forward to his return.
We rightly say that we have been saved.
But that salvation is not complete until he returns for us, taking us to be with him forever (John 14:1-3).
There are many things in life that we look forward to.
But which of them is better than Christ’s return for those who are his own?
But, are we 10/10 ‘EAGERLY’ waiting for CHRIST to RETURN?
Hebrews 9:27-28 Amplified Bible
27 And just as it is appointed and destined for all men to die once and after this [comes certain] judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] [a]the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.
The anonymous writer of Hebrews presents a contrast between the Old and New Covenant in the above passage.
Under the Old Covenant, the law condemned sinners to die and face the judgment.
However under the New Covenant Christ, as God’s ‘perfect sacrifice’, was offered once to bear all the sins of humankind.
He finished that work at the cross, but will come to take us to His home in heaven.
This will be the culmination of our salvation; we will receive glorified bodies and be forever beyond the reach of sin.
The expression, those who ‘eagerly’ wait for Him, is a description of all true believers who belong to Christ (1 Cor. 15:23) – who are “the dead in Christ” and “we who are alive and remain”(1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
Hebrews 9:24–28 mentions three appearances of Christ: a past appearancefor our salvation (v. 26),a present appearancefor our sanctification (v. 24), and a future appearancefor our glorification (v. 28).
This may be described further as follows:
Jesus has appeared (v. 26). This refers to the first time when He came to earth to save us from the penalty of sin (the past tense of salvation).
Jesus now appears (v. 24). This refers to His present ministry to save us from the power of sin (the present tense of salvation).
Jesus will appear (v. 28). This speaks of His imminent return when He will save us from the presence of sin (the future tense of salvation).
Jesus Christ appeared on earth once to accomplish His atoning work (v. 26).
Then He entered “into heaven,”opening the way for our access to God (v. 24).
One day He will reappear to consummate our salvation.
Are we eagerly waiting and looking forward for our Lord Jesus Christ to return?
Are we maintaining a steady relationship with God on a day-to-day basis?
Are we seeking God’s interest and His kingdom before anything in our lives?
If not, let us make a new commitment to God’s kingdom values, and give Him the top priority in our daily living!
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)
“In the name of God, the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen”
Praying …..
Psalm 27
By David.
1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Who is there to fear? Yahweh is my life’s fortress. Who is there to be afraid of?
2 Evildoers closed in on me to tear me to pieces. My opponents and enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Even though an army sets up camp against me, my heart will not be afraid. Even though a war breaks out against me, I will still have confidence in the Lord.
4 I have asked one thing from Yahweh. This I will seek: to remain in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life in order to gaze at Yahweh’s beauty and to search for an answer in his temple. 5 He hides me in his shelter when there is trouble. He keeps me hidden in his tent. He sets me high on a rock. 6 Now my head will be raised above my enemies who surround me. I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy in his tent. I will sing and make music to praise Yahweh. 7 Hear, O Yahweh, when I cry aloud. Have pity on me, and answer me. 8 When you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said to you, “O Yahweh, I will seek your face.”[a] 9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not angrily turn me away. You have been my help. Do not leave me! Do not abandon me, O Elohim, my savior! 10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, Yahweh will take care of me. 11 Teach me your way, O Yahweh. Lead me on a level path because I have enemies who spy on me. 12 Do not surrender me to the will of my opponents. False witnesses have risen against me. They breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I will see the goodness of Yahweh in this world of the living.
14 Wait with hope for Yahweh. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Yes, wait with hope for Yahweh.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
9 But there’ll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he’ll make that whole area glorious—the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee.
2-7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. For those who lived in a land of deep shadows— light! sunbursts of light! You repopulated the nation, you expanded its joy. Oh, they’re so glad in your presence! Festival joy! The joy of a great celebration, sharing rich gifts and warm greetings. The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants— all their whips and clubs and curses— Is gone, done away with, a deliverance as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian. The boots of all those invading troops, along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood, Will be piled in a heap and burned, a fire that will burn for days! For a child has been born—for us! the gift of a son—for us! He’ll take over the running of the world. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. He’ll rule from the historic David throne over that promised kingdom. He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing and keep it going With fair dealing and right living, beginning now and lasting always. The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies will do all this.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Isaiah 9:6 Amplified Bible
6 For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The season we spend the longest time anticipating is among us.
Advent is here and in four short days, it will be Christmas, and the reminder of our hope being secured sears in our hearts all over again. It’s a beautiful time, filled with celebration that bring comfort and familiarity to our hearts. A time to savor the stillness and deep awe of what God has done and will soon do again.
This Christmas season, however, for too many across the globe, will mark the first time celebrating without their most treasured family members, from war, from famine, from drugs, alcohol, suicide, and cancer, heart attacks, just age. Death is just part of the natural cycle of life ordered by God – no one is immune.
As a global community, as the Body of Christ, our hearts are deeply intertwined with love for each other. Can we imagine how tender our relationship was for them all year round but how this time of Christmas celebration causes anguish?
The scale of the loss of life is earth-shattering, to say the least. It feels like a part of our hearts died the day they went to their graves, prayerfully with Jesus.
Perhaps you, too, count yourselves among the multitude of the grieving, have experienced all the feelings that come with the loss of someone dear to you. It feels more overwhelming during a season when the rest of the world seems to be joyful. It’s new, it’s different, but because of Jesus, hope is no less secure.
As I settled in my cozy brown chair and began writing this devotion, the grief once again washes over me. However, for me and my surgically repaired heart can whisper, for the first time in almost a year and a half, that the grief was met almost instantly with the much needed reminder of the joy I can have within my depressed circumstances because of Jesus. He is the gift of light in the darkness.
He is, as Isaiah 9:6-7 says, our mighty God, our eternal everlasting Father, the gift of peace in the raging tumult of the storms, wisest of the wise counselors.
He is our perfectly ordered Government fully capable, fully prepared, fully and 100% ready, 100% always vigilant and watchful, when disorder rules our souls. (Psalm 13, Psalm 18, Psalm 23, Psalm 46, Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Psalm 139)
We see this by the way God at a time and season of His choosing, sent His Messengers to a girl named Mary and then Immanuel came as a precious baby.
Immanuel, God with us and within us. His promised arrival, though it seemed unexpectedly lowly, pierced the darkness forever. Hope was born that night.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7
When Jesus came as a newborn baby, He brought forth the light of the world and the gospel of peace to a world that was wearily waiting for their Savior.
The night Christ was born was deemed holy and perfect.
The night of His birth delivered the invitation humanity had been waiting for.
The gift of a Savior, the redeemer, the ultimate counselor, the perfect friend, the sustainer through all of life, and the giver of the eternal light that can not nor will never be dimmed or taken away by the darkness in humanities heart.
As you all make the effort to settle into this season, whether filled with joy or finding yourself in waves of grief and uncertainty, cling to the reminder that hope came as promised. Jesus is with you, His light will lead you, and He will meet your every need. Seek Him in the stillness and savor the work He is doing.
Let’s Pray:
Father, thank you for your promises, thank you for the gift of hope you gave us when the baby Immanuel was born. As I journey through my shadows, through those places of great and greatest uncertainty this season, riding the waves of grief and joy, meet me 1:1 in those places. Meet with me, walk with me, in Your promises, tenderly through your Word. In Jesus’ name, alleluia! alleluia! amen.
Psalm 13 New King James Version
Trust in the Salvation of the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
The Miracle: What If God Were to Disrupt Your Life?
Like that emergent need for Open Heart Surgery …
Like suddenly listening to the news, trying to absorb the impact of learning that my “Widow Making” Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery is 99% blocked.
Like learning from the Cardiac Surgeon my much troubled heart will be 100% stopped for some period of time during my Triple Bypass Open Heart Surgery.
Some things in life insert themselves like hard claps of thunder into our lives and can take us completely by surprise, stun us into complete insensibility.
Sometimes things happen that seem to turn our world utterly upside down.
I learned I needed emergent surgery on my heart July 14, 2023 – I had no choice but to be admitted to the Hospital for my Open Heart Surgery on July 17, 2023.
God brought me through my heart being stopped – God gave me my life back!
That is what essentially happened to a man named Joseph, a builder living in the town of Nazareth in Galilee about 2,000 years ago.
A blessed disruption: engaged to be married to a young woman named Mary, he was so looking forward to when they would become husband and wife, to have children, to make a home together, to be surrounded by their extended family.
But then Joseph learned that Mary, his future wife, was expecting a child.
Could there have been a more sudden and unexpected disruption to his life?
To Joseph’s mind, that meant that somewhere young Mary had been unfaithful.
Could Joseph’s life be turned more upside down – all those plans of a family?
Rush to a decision-protect the families – act, work to salvage their reputations.
Now what to do about this thunderclap news – to keep her from being publicly disgraced, he intended to “divorce her quietly” and then simply send her away.
Planning all the steps needed, but that same night, an angel came to Joseph in a dream, telling him that the child to be born was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Now, what kind of thunderclap news was this – another brand new disruption?
How much more hardcore disruption to his life could this Joseph deal with?
The angel told Joseph to believe the unbelievable and to take Mary as his wife.
God Himself stepped directly into his life and disrupted many of Joseph’s plans.
God Himself would make sure that Joseph’s life would never ever be the same.
Miracle of Miracles!
Wonder of Wonders!
Mystery of all Mysteries!
The Disruption of all Disruptions!
Matthew 1:20-21 Authorized (King James) Version
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Instead of allowing Joseph to brood for too long, to make this disruption into an obsession – so to make bad plans, God caused a deep sleep to come upon Joseph.
As God went to King Solomon in a dream, God sent his angel unto Joseph and in a divine, much needed moment of divine disruption-“It is all going to be okay!”
When Joseph woke up from his dream, he did what the angel commanded him.
Perhaps God has disrupted your life as He disrupted mine, as He did Joseph’s.
Perhaps he turned your life upside down.
Are you ready to accept the miracle, that miraculous disruption of God’s will for your life? Miraculous turnaround? ready to surrender to Him and to Serve Him?
Like Joseph, Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?
Matthew 1:20-23The Message
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?
The miracle of Santa Claus coming at exactly the right moment into someone’s life – bringing the miracle of exactly the right and perfect gift – always exactly the right time in exactly the right place-disrupting the negative expectations?
Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is always portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.
Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about disrupting the negative impact of all the sudden or not so sudden bad news we received – hardcore disrupting all of them inside one fell swoop with miracles whose origins can only be of God!
It’s a heavenly celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God comes to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins.
What could be more miraculously hardcore of hardcore disruptive than that?
So how do you approach Christmas?
Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life?
Do you believe what the angel told Mary, that all things are possible with God?
Luke 1:36-38 Authorized (King James) Version
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope, anticipation but didn’t see your life disrupted – prayers answered?
If so, pick up your Bible, ask God to first disrupt your expectations then renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite all your disappointments.
Choose to disrupt your life – choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on those of the past discouraging experiences.
If former letdowns are what’s holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to hardcore disrupt your unbelief, believe with all your heart and all your soul and do not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.
James 1:5-8 The Message
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him.
Their disbelief affected what they were able to receive from Jesus.
As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
If you are lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith.
Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1-2The Message
Faith in What We Don’t See
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God.
As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”
As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”
Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that disruption is okay, that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and praying to Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Father in heaven, help us to accept your will for our lives, even when it turns our world upside down. Help us always to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
24-28 “‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Our passage from Ezekiel speaks comforting words.
Here the Sovereign Lord promises to use his people to declare his holiness among the nations.
But the question is: were the people of Israel up to this most difficult task?
Already in Egypt we have seen their repeated hesitation to follow God.
They grumbled and complained, twisting and turning against God’s will, refusing to trust him.
And then once they established their home in the promised land, their disobedience spiraled out of control – read the book of Judges.
We these words for ourselves and we wonder if it was even going to be possible for the people of Israel, on their own, reveal the holiness, righteousness of God.
And TBT, the sad fact was that it was completely impossible for them to do so.
But in this passage, as well as others sprinkled throughout Ezekiel and the other prophets, we will find God’s own promise to bolster the hearts, minds, and wills of his people by putting His Spirit in them.
He promises to cleanse them from their impurities and give them a new heart.
To take hearts of the hardest stone and create in them a heart of flesh for God.
God himself, through the Holy Spirit, makes his people a witness to the nations.
Just as the people of ancient Israel fell short in following God, so each one of us struggles to be holy – our hearts are no less than theirs – made of hardest rock.
When a Child Smiles Your Heart Grows Three Sizes
In Dr. Seuss’s classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart.
The source of his heart problem is his severely negative outlook on life, an absence of feeling joy clear, a lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas.
Only the very most negative feelings give him the greatest satisfactions in life.
Anything that might bring even 1% joy or happiness is to be immediately gone.
As the story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, as a little child smiles at him, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about, his heart grows three sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.
I’m not very sure what Dr. Seuss’ intentions were when he wrote the story back in 1957, it was a few years before I was born, but it certainly comes across as a Christian parable to me that parallels the change that takes place in a person’s life when he or she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Immanuel, God’s only Son, was born to save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Matthew 1:20-23 The Message
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
When the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart – a new person emerges.
As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”(2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Welcome Christmas – While we stand – Heart to heart – And hand in hand.”
It might just make all the difference in the world.
Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in; Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel! (from O Little Town of Bethlehem)
We celebrate the real meaning of Christmas because of the power Jesus brought to change our hearts-the power of a child to smile at us, to melt our cold hearts.
Going Deeper with God and your families, your friends, your neighbors too:
Give an example of a time when you changed your mind about something.
How did the words or actions of others influence your change of heart?
Towards the end of the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” what happened that caused the Grinch to change his mind about Christmas? What lessons might we learn from the story?
How has understanding the true meaning of Christmas made a difference in your life?
Even more Quality Family Time:
Gather your family together and watch the classic half-hour Christmas cartoon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Then, using the content above, pick up your bibles and lead your family in a devotional discussion about how Jesus has the power to change our hearts.
Pray the Spirit into your family time,
Emmanuel
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, His name is called Emmanuel God with us, revealed in us His name is called Emmanuel We love Him so, we love Him so, His name is called Emmanuel
Call on the Holy Spirit today and ask Him to fill you, your family, friends and neighbors’ hearts so that you can be holy and reflect his holiness in his world.
He will turn hearts of hardest stone into a heart of truest love and goodness.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord, I thank you for all you’ve done for me. I just pray that you would change me, oh God. Please guide my heart, from stone to flesh, and help me to grow into the person you want me to be. Rather than me following my own ways, please purify my heart and make me more like you. Please guide my path and help me take steps that will guide me toward your plan for my life and not my own whims. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.[a] It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.[b] 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’[c]”
4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
A Message is Sent – “There Will Come a Fresh Start!”
After Israel’s long 40 year sojourn in the desert, God opened a way before Joshua for the people through the Jordan River and into the promised land.
The waters upstream “piled up in a heap,” perhaps like the “wall of water” on the right and left as the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22).
Both stories say that the people passed through “on dry ground” (Joshua 3:17).
Although God had been faithful to Israel, keeping His promises to rescue them and bring them to the land He had promised them (Genesis 12:1-8; 15:13-16; 28:10-15; 46:3-4; Exodus 3:4-10), the people turned away and rebelled.
They did that again and again in a long history of unfaithfulness (Exodus 32; Numbers 14; Judges 2:10-23; 2 Kings 17:1-23; 25:1-21).
Eventually they were punished and sent into exile, but God, still ever faithful, brought them back again (Ezra – Nehemiah).
Nehemiah 8:1-11 New King James Version
Ezra Reads and Explains the Law
8 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate [a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.
Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the [b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”
The people who had been gathered in that place before Ezra and the Scribes had just just been read, had just received for the first time in who knows how long, a fresh reading and a fresh anointing from God’s messenger, of the Word of God.
Then they were sent on their ways back to their homes – to their families – to their friends – to their neighbors – to their neighborhoods – their communities. (Verse 10) “Be Still for the Day is Holy; Go and Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!”
Then, about 30 years after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1; Luke 2), God called a man named John to again send God’s message before the people: prepare ye the way for the Messiah, who had come to be the Savior of the world (John 1:29-31).
John 1:29-31 The Message
The God-Revealer
29-31 The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’ I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”
Now, here in the first 8 verses of Mark 1 we see John preaching in the wilderness, calling the people to gather, to repent and baptizing them in the Jordan River.
And here the people are called not to cross the Jordan but to be baptized in it.
God calls them back to receive a fresh anointing, to make a new start through repentance, seek forgiveness, prepare their hearts for the coming of the Savior.
God’s Messengers Are Still Sent With God’s Message
Christmas is always a time when everyone tries to give that special someone that perfect gift – that gift that genuinely says “I Love You and I always will!”
In these days when those perfect gifts are probably far too expensive to buy, but we still have the same heart to give that special someone a “100% perfect gift,”
I suggest that this year for Christmas, remembering that Christ comes first in the season of Christmas because that is the way it is spelled, the gift of a Bible.
Yeah! I know, another Bible … but this year make a plan to go beyond just the receiving of the physical book, but instead, enter into the messengers head.
The coming of the new year is always a great time to begin a new challenge.
On January 1st 2024, many of us make those self same automatic resolutions.
Some resolve to break bad habits, while others resolve to pick up good habits.
Others attempt to acquire a new hobby or even a new skill throughout the year.
Many Christians might even resolve to read the Bible daily or might challenge themselves (a bit self centered) with another reading plan throughout the year.
Here are 5 challenges for you to consider (selflessly this time) sharing in 2024.
1. Read through the Bible in a Year
The most basic challenge is to read through the Bible in an entire year.
There are 1,189 chapters in a typical English Bible.
Divide this by 365, that means you would need to read only a little over three chapters of the Bible each day to read through every word of the Bible in a year.
When you consider that some of these chapters are only a few verses long, that is not that daunting of a task.
But where do you start?
Is it always good to start in Genesis and read three chapters of every book?
That is one possibility, but my experience is that most people end up just like the Israelites – lost in the wilderness for 40 years inside the book of Leviticus.
Many give up these challenges when they have to trudge through the historical books of 1 and 2 Kings 1 and 2 Chronicles, then sort through the minor Prophets.
From all your Android and Apple smart phones, you can go to their respective “stores” and you can download many apps to assist with a Bible reading plan.
Many of these plans will have the reader in one chapter of the Old Testament, read a Psalm or Proverb per day, and a chapter or two in the New Testament.
2. Devote Your Year to Discerning God’s Wisdom
Reading through the Bible in a year can be incredibly daunting and rewarding.
You often “open your eyes” to see those things that you’ve never seen before.
But that can also be a bit like taking a road trip through a state where you only see the state through tinted windows while driving 70 mph to your destination.
You learn things and see beautiful sites, but you may not get the full impact.
Wouldn’t you know a state better if you decided to live there for an entire year?
What if you decided to spend an entire year in a book like Psalms or Proverbs?
Solomon’s wonderfully simple Proverbs is helpful because there are 31 chapters.
That corresponds to each day on the calendar – except in those months which only have 29 or thirty days and those years – like 2024 – which are “leap years.”
Pick up that nice monthly business planner with those individual days which are set apart by all those wonderfully convenient lines for the individual hours.
Look at your monthly calendar, spot the date, look for all of those wonderfully empty lines just waiting for a single entry and read that chapter of Proverbs.
Do that for every day of the year, with some Biblical text and the Psalms and you’ll be quite surprised at how much wisdom you glean from the Scriptures.
You can do the same thing with Psalms.
There are 150 psalms.
If you choose to dedicate the 31st of each month to working through the largest Psalm, Psalm 119, then that means you have 5 psalms you could read each day.
Simply take the day on the calendar and then add 30, 5 times.
For example, as today is the 5th, you could read Psalm 5, 25, 51, 10o, or 150.
3. Do Twelve 30-Day Challenges
This is the same concept as reading through Proverbs and Psalms.
Yet, here you would find twelve different 30-day Bible reading challenges.
Here you would challenge yourself to pick 12 books of the Bible and spend a month in each one, or seek, find, a topical 30-day challenge and conquer it.
You could take that challenge even further – add something like a chronological New Testament Bible Reading Plan to send this challenge to furthest horizons.
There is a great one at Bible Study Tools that you can use here.
This one will be much more difficult to organize but might be one of the more rewarding yearly challenges.
Consider working with your Pastor’s at picking a point of doctrine or Christian living and deep ocean-diving into everything the Bible says about that topic.
You could do several of these as mini-challenges throughout the year as well.
Can you imagine how high your understanding would increase if you picked something like justification and studied it in the Scriptures for an entire year?
Years ago, I independently tried something like this with the attributes of God.
I meditated upon a particular attribute of God every month of the year and used these attributes to preach and teach the gospel to myself and to a legacy church.
It was incredibly daunting but also incredibly “eyes>ears>hands” beneficial.
If you decide to do this challenge, consider picking up a Strong’s Concordance to find out quite everything the Bible text’s says on a particular word or topic.
5. Pick a Person and Start Your Own Bible Fellowship
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 New Living Translation
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Proverbs 27:17 Amplified Bible
17 As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].
2 Timothy 2:14-18 English Standard Version
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
In fellowship together we are “as Iron” motivated when reaching toward a goal.
Our adrenaline flows, our creative juices churn, and our mind works overtime at solving the problems that stand in the way of achieving God’s vision for our life.
In the United States, where I live, there is an defeating, unhealthy trend toward mediocrity.
Recent sales of tee shirts; the most widely distributed logo in the United States is now seemingly “Undereducated and Underachiever and !@%$ Proud of It.”
I remember the days when the most popular shirt read, “We’re Number One.”
Even in our church today we can become more satisfied with less than our best.
Paul admonishes Timothy, faith communities, and the church community to “come together, to fellowship, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman [a community] who does not need to be ashamed.”
Paul was not content with anything but the best. He valued repetition, valued community here now instructing Timothy to “keep reminding” his listeners.
Fellowship and Repetition through Bible study and prayer really works for me.
There are certain critically important messages I must hear over and over again. from someone other than “Me, Myself and I.”
My Mother’s favorite Proverb saying “the early bird gets the worm” nudges me out of bed each morning to feast on God’s manna.
I used to have a card in my wallet, “Prayer changes things,” moved me to pray before I attempted to fix a problem in my own malignant, selfish strength.
A sign on my wall once reminding me, “People are forever,” calls me to put people before projects no matter how inconvenient that may seem at times.
God has given us His permission to come together to create GOD opportunity.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, as I read these passages of scripture, show me Your truth and what you want me to learn. Pinpoint the things in my thinking and my life that aren’t right. Help me to remember that Your word is life and always true, whereas my ideas are often fleeting. Use the truth of Your Word to transform my limited thinking and behavior. Let Your truth inform my faith and let my faith guide my actions. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
2 [a] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon[b] his shoulder, and his name shall be called[c] Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
From Alpha to Omega, the Bible never ever disguises just how dark life can get.
The Scriptures are clear that when sins multiply, when evil is celebrated, when God is left out, darkness ensues, darkness spreads to every corner it can reach.
And yet, over and over in the Bible’s storyline, we are abundantly reminded that God is not afraid of, not shy about His thoughts of or defeated by such darkness.
In fact, He makes an everlasting habit of drawing near and turning it into light.
We see Him drawing near in the third chapter of Genesis.
Sin had entered the world; the only two people alive had rebelled against their Maker, and when God came near to them they ran, they were hiding in shame.
Thinking about it, it would have been completely understandable for God to have shown up in Eden, dropped a hammer of His hardcore judgment on Adam and Eve, picked up more dust, and started over with another man and woman.
But that’s not what He did.
That is not what we read and learn in the Word of God for His Children.
He arrived in the garden, came near and asked, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
And when He found them naked and ashamed, He stayed on the scene, and He put enmity, open hostility, between the serpent and all mankind in mercy, He provided animal skin covering for them, and expelled them from the Garden.
So, too, with His people Israel.
By the time Isaiah began his ministry, there was again an established history of the people forgetting God and ignoring His prophets – all would lead to exile.
As a result, they labored long and hard under the wicked kings they deserved and found themselves “greatly distressed and hungry,” leading them to “speak contemptuously against their king and their God” (Isaiah 8:21).
Again, it would have been reasonable for the Lord to have done away with His people at this point, start over – leaving them to experience the “distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish and defeat” (v 22), without a hope or a future.
After all, by their words and their actions, they were communicating that they didn’t want Him around in their garden of the knowledge of both good and evil.
Imagine God’s thought process here – Why would He, should He, stick around?
But the next chapter of Isaiah begins with a glorious, even miraculous reversal:
“There will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish” (Isaiah 9:1).
The Lord would not leave His people, and He would not allow them to remain in misery – No, for these people in darkness, “on them has a great light shone.”
The light of the grace of God was breaking into their self-inflicted gloom of sin.
Centuries after the words of Isaiah were written, spoken, preached and taught, that endless cycle of sin – the people of God again found themselves in anguish.
There were again foreign rulers over them, and now came something different from God – there had been no prophetic word heard for too many, many years.
Imagine the thought of the people – “Perhaps He’s really finally done it this time, the people may have thought – the Lord has finally had enough of us, turned His back.
In these contemporary of days, we know better.
We believe that into this darkness a child was born.
We believe a glorious once in a lifetime has light shone in the sky, leading to the discovery of a baby who would prove to all to be the light of the entire world.
The question for us this Advent season, in any season, is whether the light has dawned in our own hearts or whether we have let the darkness of sin creep in.
The good news of this season of Advent and Christmas is that the God of the Bible is the God of grace, the God of Light who comes into the darkness and emptiness of our hearts to bring His light, His love, His joy, and His peace.
It is a great certainty we are each walking in darkness today, whether that is the darkness of our own sin, our fear or the darkness caused by the sin of others.
God’s promise is this: God is neither afraid of nor defeated by, these things.
In Immanuel, God with us, God is within us – in Jesus, He has drawn near.
By His Spirit, He can bring light to the dark.
Look to Him and look for Him for He wants to be found – and walk in His light.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Psalm 8 Names of God Bible
Psalm 8
For the choir director; on the gittith;[a] a psalm by David.
1 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Your glory is sung above the heavens.[b] 2 From the mouths of little children and infants, you have built a fortress against your opponents to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place— 4 what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him? 5 You have made him a little lower than yourself. You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him rule what your hands created. You have put everything under his control: 7 all the sheep and cattle, the wild animals, 8 the birds, the fish, whatever swims in the currents of the seas.
9 O Yahweh, our Adonay, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Joy is found in celebrating the Lord, not in things. Joy is found in knowing that he always accompanies, sustains, protects, and upholds and celebrates us. How can we not rejoice? God loves you and me so much he emptied heaven of his greatest treasure so we could join him in glory. Joy is ours because of his grace.
Philippians 4:4-5 The Message
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen
Let us just go ahead and declare it right here and right now before another breath escapes our body and is wasted in our not giving glory unto our God.
It is Always Good to be Joyful!
It is always good and joyful thing to be celebrating something!
It is always a good and blessed thing to be celebrating someone special.
It is always and forever our very greatest privilege to be celebrating God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for all that which we have.
Psalm 103:1-5 The Message
103 1-2 O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
Christmastime is supposed to be a joyful celebration. It is a season for mirth and family gatherings and Christmas parties at our places of employment. It is a time for buying, giving and receiving gifts to show your love and respect.
It is a time we sing “Joy to the World” and other Christmas Carols. It is a time of expectation of a better future. However, in many ways, the secular celebration of Christmas can be very disappointing. we feel this when we realize some one, we loved will not be sharing meal at the table with us this year. We feel isolated by the Coronavirus. Fear and uncertainty of the times adds immensely into our discouragement. Is there anything which can be more painful than to feel that we have to “take it” “fake it” so we can somehow “make it” and go along with the crowd with the celebration of Christmas lest our vulnerabilities be exposed.
You should notice that I said the “secular” celebration of Christmas. There is, indeed, little to cheer about the current world situation and our economies.
Christmas buying is likely to be diminished. there are those who want to replace “Christmas” with a secular winter holiday. So, what is the Christian supposed to make of this season of Christmas? Will we hear another sermon criticizing those who have an entirely materialistic view of Christmas, who have replaced Jesus with Santa Claus? These types of inevitably sermons get preached every year, and yet, next year we will find them again and recycle them. So perhaps it is time to re-evaluate our strategy and thinking about celebrating Christmas.
The first thing the Christian has to do is to realize the season of Advent is not about Christmas at all. It is about the return of King Jesus in glory rather than the arrival of a baby Jesus in Bethlehem. We do remember that He was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem a little more than 2,000 years ago. There would be no Advent apart from the fact that He became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We do celebrate this on Christmas Day. But this is not Advent.
The season of Advent is the time we prepare for the final event in world history, the return of Savior Jesus Christ. this Jesus, who is the Word, become flesh came into this world. He performed signs and miracles. He taught us about Himself and the Kingdom of God. He died on the cross for our sin and was raised from the dead on the third day. He ascended back to the Father on the 40th day with the promise that He would return in the same way He left, with great glory.
All of these events are in history past. In history present, He is seated at the Father’s right hand to make intercession for us all. In History future, He is returning to receive us unto Himself. It is in this we hope. We shall know the fullness of everlasting peace in the Kingdom. We know that we will rejoice there forevermore. We shall love perfectly and feel love perfectly. These are the four themes of Advent we reflect upon. Today, we shall reflect on the theme of joy.
We read our devotional text from the Epistle to the Philippians written by the Apostle Paul. It would be helpful to relate the circumstances of the writing of the epistle. First of all, it was written at the very end of Paul’s life. Next to 2 Timothy, it may well be the next to last epistle he wrote before his execution.
He is in prison in Rome, guarded by the Praetorian Guard awaiting an appeal to Caesar Nero. whether or not he was released from imprisonment for a short time and rearrested we don’t know. But the context seems to indicate that the possibility of his execution was a very real possibility deep inside Paul’s soul.
The Apostle Paul had probably spent his earlier imprisonment under as decent conditions as could be hoped. He was allowed visitors. but he was still in prison. He had spent a night in prison in Philippi which was not at all very pleasant. The Philippian followers could remember very vividly the beating he received there.
By this time, Paul’s newest confinement was probably under much more dismal circumstances. There was little to be joyful about, as far reaching as this world would consider even minimally joyful. On top of this, there seems to have been some disagreement within the Philippian church. It was strife in the church which considered Paul more than the many wounds he suffered for the sake of the Gospel or even his impending death. So, Paul had every reason to be gloomy. But he was not, he was celebratory. This epistle has a very joyful mood to it.
The text we read from chapter four begins with the words: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. By Paul repeating the command to rejoice, he is here putting extra emphasis that we should be joyful. Paul tells us too always be very joyful. This means that our season of joy and celebration is not just confined to Christmastide, but the entire year. We are not just to be joyful when things are going well for us, but we are to likewise rejoice in the middle of our tribulations.
Paul was in prison, yet he rejoiced. We are to rejoice in the Lord. this is why we can rejoice even when we are suffering. Jesus, the captain of our salvation knew the greatest suffering anyone could endure on the cross. add to this the grave psychological pain of being betrayed not just by Judas, but by the entire nation of Israel.
Yet the Book of Hebrews tells us He still rejoiced, not for the suffering of the cross. He endured it. He despised the shame. But He saw that on the other side of the cross, there was joy (Hebrews 12:1-3) Peter admits to the suffering of his readers in 1 Peter. they were really suffering. He says it is necessary. But he also says that it is for a little while. (1 Peter 1:6)
This is nothing to be compared to the incorruptible and unfading glory (joy) which is reserved even now while we await the advent. We can now have joy unspeakable and full of glory. Paul here states the reason we have joy: “The Lord is at hand.” This can be understood two ways.
It can mean that we rejoice and celebrate because Jesus is with us in our suffering, or it could mean that we rejoice because the coming of the Lord is nearby. Both statements are true, and this gives us reason to feel comfort.
So instead of living a life full of fear and agitation, we can retain a calm spirit in our lives which shines like a beacon to a troubled world. We can think of John Wesley in his journey to or from (I can’t remember) Georgia that the ship he was on was caught in a terrible storm. John, who was already troubled about his soul was terrified as were many others, especially those who had never in their lives experienced life riding out the waves from a storm at sea. But on that ship were a group of Moravians who sang psalms and hymns of praise in the midst of the storm. this had a great and powerful influence on the life of John Wesley.
The Philippians could remember Paul and Silas who were beaten and fastened to the stocks in the inner prison at Philippi singing hymns at midnight. (Acts 16:25) Note that the prisoners heard them, and the jailor and his house were converted as a result. Peter and John who were beaten by the Sanhedrin went home rejoicing and celebrating that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:41). Yes, we ourselves should rejoice in the Lord always!
Paul goes on to say that we should not be anxious but commit everything to the Lord in thankful prayer. God will give us His peace in the midst of our storm. We talked about peace last Sunday. It is also to be understood in the light of Advent.
This peace comes from Jesus Christ and surpasses all understanding. The world would believe such a response to suffering to be insanity, a kind of “escapism.”
However, an escapist tries their very hardest to deny reality even exists. The Christian affirms the reality of suffering. We do not play mind games to divert our attention from this fact. But we at the same time affirm a greater reality which the world denies. The Lord is coming. He is with us in our suffering. After a little while, our sorrow will be turned to joy. (John 16:20) We confess that all this will work out for good for those who believe in Jesus, because we love and are loved by God and are called to fulfill His eternal purpose (Romans 8:28)
We all need an attitude adjustment at times. We need to stop whining we are victims. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (Romans 8:37) We also read in Romans8:38-9“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul now tells us how we adjust this attitude in Philippians. Instead of being constantly being angered and fearful about what is really going on in this world, we should think about what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report.
All of these need to be defined in Jesus Christ. And what is of better report than the Gospel (Good News). We should seek after virtue. But this is not the same necessarily in accordance with worldly ideas of virtue.
“Virtue” comes from the Latin “vir” which means “male”. To be virtuous in this world is to play the man. In the Greek world, the virtuous man stood above the fray. He was indifferent to suffering. To the world the term “meekness” is “weakness”. Yet Paul uses the word “gentleness” in verse 5 which is a close synonym to meekness to describe the Christian.
Jesus reminds us that “the meek shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5). Our virtue is not that we are above the fray, but rather that we can maintain and celebrate our integrity within the fray, at least for the little while we must be troubled down here. Our rising above the storm will occur when Jesus returns. We can celebrate and praise him now, even in our trials while we strive to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (The Westminster Confession of Faith)
To sum it up, Apostle Paul reminds them that they had already been taught these things. They now need to put them into practice. Paul had modelled the proper behavior. Now the Philippians were to follow his example. If we would practice these things .01%, we will have peace in our hearts, now and forever.
It is this truly momentous joy which we celebrate at Advent as we prepare for His return. We do well to remember the implications of His first Advent to earth. We do this at Christmas. We also do this at Easter as well. We live in the hope of celebrating His second coming and prepare our souls accordingly.
Celebrate Yahweh the Father, Celebrating You!
Celebrate Yahweh the Son, Celebrating You!
Celebrate Yahweh, the Holy Spirit, Celebrating You!
Invite some family friends and neighbors to share in this wondrous celebration!
In the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Precious Father, thank you for always being there and knowing what is on my heart and caring for me in ways that I cannot even imagine. I long to know you face to face and share in the unbridled joy of heaven with you. Until then, I truly rejoice and celebrate because I know with all assurances, my entire future is in your capable hands! Thank you in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
One day, God came into this world to become our Savior. So that He could be the blameless lamb who was slain for our sins. He who knew no sin, became sin, so we should be saved. One day God came into this world with the fullness of love.
Isaiah 9:6-7 AKJV
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
At Our Children’s Center at the church where I was a Lay Pastor, we were supervising the construction of a manger scene in a corner of the classroom. These 4- and 5-year-old students were excited as they set up the little stable and covered the floor with real hay, and then arranged all the figures of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men, and all the animals. And in the middle was a tiny little crib, in which the tiny figure of the infant Jesus rested.
But one little boy walked up beside me and said he just couldn’t understand something. I asked him what that was as he was absolutely confused. He kept returning to the manger and stood there with his small, puzzled face. The teacher noticed him and asked, “Is anything wrong? Do you have a question?”
The boy replied, “What I’d like to know is: why is everything so small? What do you mean the teacher asked him? he said, “How will God fit in a small manger?” A very large and insightful question from such a small and very inquisitive boy!
How would we respond to such a question ourselves?
One day, all of God entered our teeny tiny world as a newborn baby in a manger.
But why did the God of heaven come down as a human infant? Could He have not come down from heaven with all His glory? The Book of Hebrews 5:8 says, “that though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Jesus was made perfect and learned obedience through suffering.
This does not mean Jesus did not know obedience before His incarnation, or that his human flesh was not perfect. He is eternally perfect and always united, in will, with the Father. Rather, when Jesus left the throne of heaven and put on humanity, He experienced the frail and sinful nature of man.
He would have experienced all of the hunger, exhaustion, pain, sweat, and temptation any man did. He was tempted, but did not sin, for He was pure and filled with holiness. It was through this method, that Jesus became the lamb who was slain for our sins. A pure and sinless lamb who was slain for our sins.
Today, let us meditate on the day salvation was born on this earth. Jesus is the reason for the season. Let us meditate on 3 points: God came to the world as a tiny baby, God came to be our Savior, and God came with fullness of love.
God Came to be our Savior
Jesus came to the world as an infant, but He grew in wisdom and stature. He didn’t stay as a baby. He became a man; dedicated to sharing the good news of the Father for others. Just ask the angels what they think of Jesus, they will tell you: “A Savior has been born unto you, He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
• Ask John the Baptist and he will tell you, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29
Ask the apostle Paul, what do you think about Jesus? He will tell you, “That nothing compares to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8
• Ask the Roman Centurion what he thinks of Jesus, he will tell you. “Surely this is the Son of God.” Matthew 27:57
• Ask Peter, what do you think about Jesus, and he will tell you. “God has made this same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:39
We celebrate the fact that God came to us as a tiny baby, but we also celebrate that this tiny baby became our Savior, who saved us from the chains of sins and death. The night Jesus was born, angels came to shepherds near Bethlehem, and one said, “I bring you good news of great joy.” That was a very happy greeting.
Since Thanksgiving, our shopping malls have been telling us that “It is the most wonderful time of the year.” And it surely is – for at least some of them. For many others, however, it can have many mixed emotions. Christmas is not the same as it was when we were those children in Sunday School. As an adult, we see it is different, sometimes it can be economically difficult, buying so many gifts. This year especially, because many people have lost their jobs due to the virus and the Pandemic. This year a lot of families have lost their loved ones.
Perhaps, this year, we have not been able to go on the plans we had for Christmas, due to Covid-19 safety. There are many family members working in the healthcare force. There are many people this year who have been affected, directly and indirectly, by Covid-19 and cannot see their family during Christmas. And sadly, there are many who have lost their loved ones this year. But even through all the struggles, God finds a way to put joy and peace in our hearts.
In this Christmas season, hopefully we should remember the good gifts that the Creator has given us: the sun, the moon, and this good earth. All the blessings of the earth: the sky, the waters, plants and animals. And shall we all glorify Him for this incredible gift of life: of flesh and blood and of breath and memory. Every moment we have lived in our lives, through both joy and sorrow, God yet gives us meaning to our lives and proves that we are fully human and fully alive. And, above all, we must remember the gift of when the Word became flesh and was sent to save us, to heal us, to bring us joy, and to bring us back unto God.
God’s prophet Isaiah, speaking on behalf of God, had prophesied hundreds of years before, in Isaiah 9:7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
And guess what? One day, an infant named Jesus came, just as God promised.
Those are magnificent descriptions of the long-awaited Messiah. “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
He is first called “Wonderful Counselor.” James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
He is called “Mighty God.”Colossians 1:15-16, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
He is called “Everlasting Father.” Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
And He is called “Prince of Peace.” Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Our Savior, our Messiah, and our redeemer was born to us. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6)” Can there be a more perfect place to be on Christmas, than God’s house? Can there be a more perfect story than the story of the first Christmas?
God Came to the World as a Tiny Baby
The Creator of the universe loved us enough to come into our world. And He did it not in power, but in the most helpless disguise possible: that of an infant. The Bible says, in Acts 3:26 “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son (child) Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” KJV.
Now the way that God came into the flesh is a great marvel and mystery. The Apostle Paul himself called it that. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh.” (I Tim. 3:16a) It is a marvelous event, a magnificent event, a majestic event.
John Phillips, the great English Bible scholar and Teacher, 1906-1982, (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5604570.J_B_Phillips) once said, “The great mystery of the manger is that God should be able to translate deity into humanity without discarding the deity or distorting humanity.”
One day, God came into this world to become our Savior. So that He could be the blameless lamb who was slain for our sins. He who knew no sin, became sin, so that we ought to be saved. God came into this world with the fullness of love.
However, there were a lot of trials and tribulations that laid between that the birth of Christ and the joy and salvation it promised. For the new-born child, trials and sufferings began almost immediately.
When He was just a baby, a jealous king tried to kill him.
When He grew up, the people of Nazareth threw Him out of their city.
He became a wandering teacher – homeless, often hungry, and weary, tempted and tried. He was hated, accused, denied, and betrayed.
At last, there came one Friday when a wreath of thorns was pressed down hard on his head, and He was spat upon, scourged with whips, nailed to a cross, and by mid-afternoon He was dead. Before sundown, His body was placed in a tomb.
However, through all the sufferings, the story does not end there. On the first Sunday following his burial, very early in the morning, Jesus met His friends outside the tomb, and His first word was this: the Greek word “Chairete.” Which means “All Hail” “Joy be to you!” “Be of good cheer!” Matthew 28:9
This greeting was a happy one. Jesus fulfilled the message of joy which angels had declared more than thirty years before. And now, here today, nearly 2,000 years later, we still echo that theme again: “Be of good cheer: we bring you good news of great joy!” God came to be our Savior.
We spend so much time on things from popular culture and old folk stories, that we may accidentally overshadow the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a time for celebrating the day when heaven came down for us. The day God sent His only son as a lamb for our sins, so that we may also be called His children.
One moment He lived in glory, then in another moment, but gave it all up to become a tiny baby, who then became a grown man who suffered and died for the sins of the world. That humble baby in that tiny manger became our Savior.
He Came with the Fullness of Love
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9:6).” As a child of man, Jesus was born; but as the Son of God, Jesus was given. Notice the Son was not born, the Son was given.
Let us read the greatest verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John. 3:16) God’s very first Christmas gift to the world was a newborn baby boy of deity wrapped snuggly in a frail package of humanity.
This tiny baby gave Himself for us. He stepped down from the throne of glory to carry our burdens. And for only one reason: God loves us, ALL of us. So, today, continue to contemplate the Prophecy, and give God the glory due to His name.
Many of us may have experienced troubles and struggles this year. This year has been a hurdle for many of us. However, the seasons of Advent and Christmas are a faithful, faith-filled, a hopeful, hope-filled reminder of God’s love for you.
No matter what struggles you and I may face during these Pandemic times, God is there working in your midst. He came into this world, so that you may have salvation, that you may have eternal life, be a part of His family and kingdom.
Welcome the depths of this Prophecy of God. So that He, the baby can live within you. So that no matter what difficulties we face, we know we are not alone, and we are loved. We are loved by the creator of the heavens and earth.
One day, God came into this world to become our Savior. So that He could be the blameless lamb who was slain for our sins. He who knew no sin, became sin, so that we ought to be saved. God came into this world with the fullness of love.
God came into this world as a humble and helpless infant. He did not come into this world with all His glory but came through the humble form of humanity.
For the sake of an indescribable, immeasurable love, He took on the fragile and sinful nature of human flesh. God came into this world to become our Savior. So that He could be the blameless lamb who was slain for our sins. He who knew no sin, became sin, so that we may be saved. God came into this world with the fullness of love. For we did not deserve His mercy, but still, He gave it to us through His grace. And by His grace, our sins and darkness are washed away.
In the name of Yahweh, the Father, Yahweh the Son, Yahweh the Holy Spirit,
Let us enter His presence with this prayer, with fervent hope for our Salvation.
Psalm 24 The Message
24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Politics and government. We seem to see them as necessary evils, bringing ceaseless frustration in the present but still giving us hope for the future. Our contradictory attitudes about politics and government are most revealing. We recognize the failure of human solutions, but at the same time we surely know something must be done to fix what’s broken in our nations and the world. What man cannot do; what man could not do; God has done; He’s given the Messiah.
Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB
6 For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will [a]rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over [b]his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Isaiah 9:6 may be the most familiar Old Testament prophecy about the birth of Christ. Handel included those words in one of the great choruses of his Messiah oratorio. Chances are excellent that sometime during this season of Advent you will either sing it or hear it several times on your radio this Christmas season.
Unfortunately, we only seem to pull this passage out of the box only during the Advent and Christmas season. It’s like one of the ornaments we use to decorate our houses. But have we ever truly thought about the rich truth this single verse teaches concerning the King of kings? Though we still await the full realization of His kingdom, the promised Messiah is the single greatest political ruler ever.
Do we remember that Isaiah wrote this prophecy at least a hundred years before Israel was taken into Babylonian captivity—nearly 600 years before the birth of Immanuel, God with Us, God within us, our Savior! Looking back at a litany of failed monarchs, and sitting in the rubble of Israel’s monarchy, Isaiah looked across the centuries to a time when God would rule on earth through His Son.
“A child will be born to us” underscores the Messiah’s humanity. He had to come to earth as a human being, from the depths of eternity, in the form of a child, so He could endure the temptations men face, yet be without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
“A son will be given to us” implies the Savior’s deity. He existed before His birth as the second Person of the Trinity: “Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, of literally everything; taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7). He came unto us as the Son of God—God in human flesh—to conquer sin and death forever (John 3:16-17), to live again!
“The government will rest on His shoulders” affirms His absolute lordship. This verse looks to a time still (God knows) somewhere in the future when Christ will reign over a literal, earthly, geopolitical kingdom that encompasses all of the kingdoms and governments of the world (Daniel 2:44; Zechariah 14:9).
In that day, the government of the entire world will rest on His shoulders. But until that time, His kingdom is unseen, an invisible form (Luke 17:20-21). The Messiah’s rule is over those who trust Him and obey Him as Lord. It’s currently an invisible kingdom but will one day become visible and universal as His rule extends even over those who do not acknowledge His lordship in their hearts.
What kind of kingdom is it? What distinguishes the Messiah’s kingdom from the other kingdoms of this world? The names Israel used for Christ each hint at four very distinct characteristics which make the Messiah’s kingdom—in all its manifestations—so welcomingly different from any other earthly government.
Pray and consider this, at this time when the world is weary and despairing of political solutions, when the political future looks bleak, this is welcome news.
No Confusion—He Is a Wonderful Counselor
First, this kingdom is free from confusion, because Christ is characterized as a “Wonderful Counselor.” The King James Version separates “Wonderful” and “Counselor” with a comma, but the words seem to go better together and appear that way in most modern versions and other translations of the Bible.
Every now and then, a politician, political affiliation notwithstanding, comes on the scene who “possesses”, according to some, messiah-like qualities. Whether it’s a reference to speaking their ability, charisma, or wisdom, it is certainly an ego massaging compliment. However, when you compare the greatest social or political leader with Jesus Christ, you will discover there is no comparison at all.
During His incarnation, Christ demonstrated His wisdom as a counselor. While I was writing The Gospel According to Jesus, I studied every major encounter Jesus had with individuals who came to Him for counsel. He always knew what to say, when to reach out to a seeking heart, and when to rebuke an impetuous soul.
Even his enemies testified, “Never did a man speak the way this man speaks” (John 7:45-46 NASB).
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken in this way!”
As God incarnate, Christ is the source of all truth. Jesus said, “I am 1000% the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:1-6). No politician can match that! It is He to whom we must ultimately turn and trust His loving rule of our lives.
Many of our politicians turn everywhere else but God for counsel. They go to one another; they listen to special interests; they have their own psychologists, psychiatrists, analysts, philosophers, spiritual advisors, gurus, astrologers, and other allegedly “highly educated subject matter expert” human counselors. But the King of kings keeps His own counsel. After all, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?” (Isaiah 40:12-15 NASB).
12 Who has measured the [a]waters in the hollow of His hand, And measured the heavens with a [b]span, And [c]calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? 13 Who has [d]directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the [e]islands like fine dust.
The Messiah is the Wonderful Counselor because He is God, the source of truth. When He rules the earth, there will be no uncertainty in his administration. He is the ultimate and only true answer to all manifestations of political confusion.
No Chaos—He Is the Mighty God
Second, the Messiah’s kingdom is singularly free from chaos because He is the Mighty God. He is the One who in creation brought perfect order out of chaos.
Scripture says, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Chaos is antithetical to who He is. He is a God of order. Christ the King is orderly, and He brings order to the troubled lives of all who surrender to Him. In other words, He not only tells His subjects what to do as a Wonderful Counselor, but since He is the Mighty God, He can also energize them to do it.
Legislation can go only so far; it stops short of providing the power and the will to obey. Because of the sinful nature, people will always strain against law and order (Romans 7:7-13).
Add human fallibility to the inability to make people obey from the heart, and you can see the severe limitations of political and legislative solutions.
But when Jesus Christ comes to rule this earth, He’ll display His divine power by bringing order to the chaos. Those who do not submit to His leadership from the heart, He will subjugate with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27; 12:5 and 19:15). Those who humble themselves from the heart, bowing to Him as Lord and Savior, will find the power of the Mighty God unleashed in their lives to help them humble themselves in His presence and obey His commandments.
Because Christ is God, He can forgive sin, defeat Satan, liberate people from the power of evil, redeem them, answer their prayers, restore their broken souls, and reign as Lord— “Mighty God”—over their newly ordered lives.
That’s a politician this world has never seen and will never hope to witness to.
No Complexity—He Is the Father of Eternity
In comparison and contrast to human governments, the Messiah’s kingdom is uncomplicated because He is the “Eternal Father.” The phrase literally means, “Father of Eternity.”
That is a clear reference to the biblical truth that Christ is Creator of heaven and earth. In Hebrews 1:10-12 God the Father says to Christ the Son, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment, and like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.”
Nothing is too complex for the Creator and Sustainer of everything.
Infinity and all its intricacies and nuances are nothing to Him who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Human life is getting more and more complex. Technology has so improved communication and transportation that commerce, culture, and religion have become global in nature. And rather than organizing and making sense of it all, governments of the world seem to exist primarily to make things more virtual, more complicated than it needs to be. We build bureaucracies to deal with the complexities of life—and consequently life only just grows more perplexing.
Messiah’s government, however, is simple and uncomplicated. He is the sole ruler—no bloated bureaucracy—and He knows the end from the beginning because He is the Father of Eternity.
Isaiah, prophesying about the kingdom, wrote of the highway of holiness: “The unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isaiah 35:8 KJV). His way is so free from the complexities of life that even the greatest of all fools cannot lose their way.
That kind of simplicity characterizes Messiah’s entire government. As the Father of Eternity, He alone comprehends the complexities of time and eternity. He requires no bureaucracy; He shoulders His government by Himself.
No Conflicts—He Is the Prince of Peace
Finally, in the Messiah’s kingdom there are no conflicts because He is the Prince of Peace.
He offers peace from God (Romans 1:7) to all who are the recipients of His grace. He brings peace with God (Romans 5:1) to those who surrender to Him in faith. He brings the peace of God (Philippians 4:7) to all of those who walk with Him.
There never really has been peace on earth in the sense we think of it. Wars and rumors of wars have always characterized these entire two millennia since the announcement at His birth of peace on earth (Luke 2:14).
Did you ever take the time realize that angelic announcement of peace on earth was a two-pronged proclamation? First, it proclaimed that God’s perfect peace is available to men and women and children right now. Read the words of Luke 2:14 much more carefully, diligently, and prudently: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (my emphasis added.)
Who are those with whom He is pleased? They are those who have yielded their lives to the authority of His government: “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalm 147:7-11 AKJV).
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: 8 who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Why should we hope in His mercy? Because we are sinners who need His forgiveness (Romans 3:23). We must recognize that fact first of all if we are to place our lives under His government.
We must understand that He gave His own sinless, guiltless life on our behalf. He died for our sins to save us from God’s righteous wrath (Romans 5:6-9). And we must be willing to turn from our sins and embrace Him by faith, realizing that we can never earn His favor (Ephesians 2:8-10).
But secondly, the angel’s announcement of “peace on earth” declared the arrival of the only One who ultimately can bring everlasting peace on earth.
Jesus Christ will bring lasting peace in the final establishment of His earthly kingdom. As we already mentioned, He will ensure “peace on earth” over the rebellious at heart by wielding a “rod of iron.”
There will be no coup d’état, no insurrection, not even the slightest threat to disturb the peace He brings to the world.
Isaiah 9:7 continues, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace.”
In other words, His government and peace will keep expanding and improving.
The hymn “Like a River Glorious” accurately speaks of peace that is “perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day, perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.”
How can anything perfect improve?
That’s one of the mysteries of Messiah’s government. It gets better and better, and the perfect peace flows deeper and deeper.
I absolutely look forward to the day when He returns to execute the final political solution which will truly bring world peace.
His is the greatest government because it’s ruled by the greatest ruler—the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
He is the only absolute and everlasting hope of mankind.
I also hope the government of your life rests securely and squarely upon His shoulders, that He rules and reigns even now in your heart. Only then will you experience the ever-growing peace that comes only from the Prince of Peace.
In the name of Yahweh, the Father, Yahweh, the Son, Yahweh, the Holy Spirit, let us now come together in an attitude of humility, reverence and prayer.
Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus as the Light of the world to enlighten everyone coming into the world. Thank You in Him is the light of the glorious gospel of grace that can never be quenched by the darkness of this world.
I praise and thank You His Light has come into my life and enlivened my spirit and enlightened my soul. Open my eyes more and more to see Jesus and to grow more like Him. Give me greater understanding of all You have achieved in my life, for without You I would remain in darkness and dead in my sin. Thank You for Your great salvation, to You be glory forever. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace. A prince is someone in a position of authority and responsibility. He has certain rights that simply no one else has. He takes his responsibility as representative of the people he represents seriously. A prince endeavors to be a person of good character so that those he represents will trust and follow him. Jesus is the ultimate prince of life. There is no flaw in His character, ability to lead, motives for leading, or ability to do good for others.
Jesus gives to us a peace that the world can never give. In the world there is turmoil everywhere. No matter what others may promise us, there can be no peace in the world. The world is governed by evil and will be until Jesus comes.
Looking into the world for peace is utter foolishness and forever futile. The only peace that 100% steadies the soul and enables us to handle life victoriously is the peace that Jesus gives when our sins are forgiven. If there is no peace in the soul, there can be no peace in the world. The promise of our Lord is His peace, a peace that no one can understand except those whose sins have been forgiven.
Unto the end of the ages, His Peace is forever enveloping and surrounding us!
Isaiah 9:6-7 AKJV
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The Word of God for the Children of God. In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
In spite of all the advances of civilization, the world today is still consumed with a desire for peace and a fear of war. When people observe the conflicts and the rumors of wars, gloom and despair often engulf them like a thick darkness. Not the least of the trouble spots is the Middle East. Peace there has been the pursuit for eons. While there have been scores of efforts to bring about peace between those ancient nations, no one would be surprised if war broke out tomorrow.
Peace movements and peace negotiations proceed all over the world. Stronger countries believe peace must be negotiated from an elevated and lofty position of economic and military power; radical groups believe that terror will force the issue. But we are left with a more dangerous and more frightening world than ever before. And we are left wondering if anyone is really interested in peace and righteousness and justice for all, or just in securing their own interests?
The problem is still the indescribable and immeasurable presence of evil. It sets family members against family members, and it sets nations against nations. Ultimately, the world’s gloom and despair is linked to this spiritual darkness.
The Bible comforts and reminds those of us who have come to trust in Jesus Christ not to despair as if there was no hope. We have the revelation of our Lord that not only announces His sovereign reign but also charts the course of world events. One of the most significant revelations is found in Isaiah chapter Nine.
Against the background of the prophecy of war and destruction, darkness and gloom (chapter 8) Isaiah gave this prophecy about the Messiah—the glorious coming king.
“Messiah” is a Hebrew term that means “anointed one,” that is, the anointed king. In a sense, every king who was anointed in Jerusalem as a descendant of David would be called a “mashiah” (pronounced mah-she-ack), a messiah.
But the Bible tells how ultimately a son of David would come who would be known as “the Messiah.” We believe that Jesus Christ is that Messiah.
The New Testament word “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” This Messianic Prophecy, then, holds out hope for both peace and righteousness through the reign of Jesus the Messiah.
The text can be divided into two sections: the Dawn of the Messianic Age (verses 1-5) and the Righteous Reign of the Messiah (verses 6 and 7).
Isaiah 9:1-7 AKJV
9 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
While the entire passage is instructive for the message, the verses which focus on the nature of the Messiah are undeniably critical for our devotional today, for therein lies our genuine hope for everlasting peace. So most of our attention will be given solely to the meanings of the name of the Son, showing how these description fit perfectly the nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I. PEACE WILL COME WITH THE DAWN OF THE MESSIANIC AGE (9:1-5).
Isaiah declares that in contrast to his present age of war, gloom, and despair, there is coming an age when peace will reign universally. It will begin with the coming of the Messiah, the promised future king. So we call that period the Messianic Age. The prophet Isaiah here shows how it will unfold.
A. THE CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES WILL END THE DESPAIR (1,2).
The passage begins with the announcement of the change: there will be no more gloom for those in anguish; in the past the LORD humbled the northern lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee. Why? That is where the Messiah will first appear—Galilee of the Gentiles, a place looked down on for so long as less spiritual, less pure than Judea.
The explanation of this exaltation is found in verse 2. Those who walk in darkness have seen a great light, on those in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. The language is poetic: darkness signifies adversity, despair, gloom and evil, and the light signifies prosperity, peace, and joy.
The language is used elsewhere of the Messianic Age—Malachi says that the “sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings” (4:2).
So the people in the north who have suffered so much have the prospect of a wonderful new beginning.
We should note in passing Isaiah’s verbs are in the past tense—he writes as if it has already happened. That is prophetic language. The prophet was a “seer” or visionary. He received divine revelation and recorded what he saw. As far as he was concerned, if it had been shown to him from God, it was as good as done. It was certain, even though it had not yet worked out in history.
So “light” will shine on people who were walking in “darkness.” The initial fulfillment of this prophecy is beyond doubt. Matthew quotes this text in conjunction with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. He is the true light of the world that lights every person. (Matthew 4:12-16)
From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus brings to a darkened world grace and truth, and the sure promise of peace. When He began to minister in Galilee with His teachings, His Rabbinical leadership and His miracles, He demonstrated He was indeed this Messiah. His proclamation of the kingdom through salvation is what ends the despair, for believers in Him are not lost in gloom and despair, for they know that what He promised will come to pass at His second coming.
B. THE MESSIAH BRINGS JOY AND PROSPERITY (3).
The prophet turns to address the LORD directly. His words explain what it means that light will dispel the darkness—joy and prosperity will follow. The prophet gives no clue as to how soon this would happen.32 But we who have the full revelation of God know that Jesus made it clear that he was the Messiah, and that the age of peace and righteousness was yet future.
The joy described here is extravagant. It is the kind of joy that comes at the harvest, or at the dividing of the plunder. Harvest was a regular time of joy in Israel; after a long time of labor in the fields the people would gather to eat and drink and celebrate. The Bible often uses the analogy of the harvest to describe the coming of the LORD (see Matthew 3:12) for the harvest and winnowing imagery). It is a thanksgiving celebration for the completion of the harvest.
Dividing the plunder, the other image here, is a bit more poignant since wars will lead up to the end of the age. The image is about the victors after the battle is over, dividing up the booty. Such would be an almost delirious celebration of triumph that would usher in an age of peace.
C. JOY COMES THROUGH THE CESSATION OF WAR (4, 5).
The imagery of joy at the division of the plunder leads directly into the explanation: the prophet foresees the time when the LORD will break the oppression of the enemies. He draws the analogy with the time of Israel’s victory over Midian through Gideon by the power of the LORD.
So shall it again be.
But this victory will be greater.
Verse 5 says that the implements of war will be burnt up. This will be no lull in the action, no temporary peace treaty.
War will end.
Elsewhere Isaiah has says, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,” that is, military weapons will not be needed in a time of lasting peace.
Isaiah 2:1-4 AKJV
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
How can these things be, given the current world situation as we know it?
The answer to this question is found in the second half of the oracle which describes the nature of the Messiah who will bring in the reign of peace and righteousness.
If such an indescribable measure of peace is to come, someone must have the ability to produce it and maintain it and sustain it throughout all of the ages.
II. PEACE WILL FINALLY COME WITH THE RIGHTEOUS REIGN OF THE MESSIAH (9:6,7).
Isaiah now turns to introduce the One who will transform the gloom and despair of war into the joy and peace of a time of righteousness—the Messiah.
THE LORD WILL BRING ABOUT THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH (6A).
The first part of the prophecy is very familiar to Christians: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders.” God’s Prophet Isaiah is very precise here, as we now know. A child will be born into the family of David, and that there was a birth in Bethlehem is beyond question; but the Messiah will also be a Son that is given, and that Jesus did not come into existence in Bethlehem is clear from the Bible.
According to the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:14), the term “son” is a title for the king. The same is true in the vision of Daniel where the expression “Son of Man” is used (Daniel 7:9-14). Daniel’s vision shows this glorious king in the presence of the Almighty, the Ancient of Days, and that he would be given the kingdom of peace. Isaiah announces that the child to be born will be this Son given. This idea is then further clarified by the Apostle Paul: “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman … .” (Galatians 4:1-5 AKJV).
4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
The New Testament bears witness that Jesus is this Son who came into the world. In fact, Jesus Himself set about to prove His origin was in heaven, not in Bethlehem. When He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, he prayed and included these words in His prayer: “that they might know that You sent Me” (John 11:42). By this Jesus meant that He was from above, and they were from below.
Or, in debating with the religious leaders Jesus asked how David could call his descendant his “Lord,” clearly showing that the “Son of David,” the Messiah, was greater than David (Mark 12:35-36), regarding Psalm 110AKJV.
Psalm 110
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. 6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. 7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
And of course, to the woman at the well Jesus clearly revealed Himself: she said, “When the Messiah comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said, “I that speak to you am He” (John 4:25-26).
It is clear, then, that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ, the child born into the house of David, the Son given by God to be the long expected King.
The first advent of Jesus established His identity; it did not begin His reign, however, for He has yet to put down all enemies.
The prophecy that “the government will be upon His shoulder” will come to complete reality at His second coming—an aspect of the Messianic prophecies that the prophets did not see (see 1 Peter 1:10-11).
The reference to the shoulder is quite probably a reference to the wearing of an insignia of office on the shoulder (Isaiah 22:22).
There will be a time when this Son will rule as king.
We may say that Jesus now reigns above, and that is certainly true.
However, God’s Prophet Isaiah clearly envisions a time of universal peace and righteousness in this world. That has not happened yet. Hebrews 1 states that this exaltation will be complete when the Father again brings His firstborn into the world. So Isaiah does not know when all these things will take place; only that they will happen because the Word of the LORD has declared it, Because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it and God’s Word returns to God 1000% fulfilled!
Isaiah 55:10-11 AKJV
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace amidst the stormy times of life. There is no storm that He cannot calm. There is never an obstacle too big for Him to overcome.
He calmly stands up and faces the angry storms of life and says, “Peace be still.” No storm can continue to rage when He takes control of it. In Christ we discover that no matter what the stormy season of our lives may be like, we can overcome them through Him. His presence reassures us that our storms do not determine or define our lives.
We can face positively our storms knowing we do not face them alone. He is our Immanuel, He is our forever “God With Us and Within Us!” and does for us what we cannot do on our own. Things may continue to be stormy for several times and for several seasons, but we know, undeniably so, that the storms do pass and on the other side of every storm there is calm, sunshine, peace, JESUS!!
We praise Him in the midst of the storm because we know that the victory is ours in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:50-58, Romans 8:31-39). No storm can take us away from our Lord when we let Him hold our hand in the storm.
In the name of Yahweh the Father, Yahweh the Son, Yahweh the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray, (Psalm 24 The Message)
God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 