Month: December 2020

Advent Day 17 – The Newborn King

“He shall be called wonderful counselor, might God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

 

Jesus was born a King.  His first title, according to the Isaiah passage, was “wonderful counselor.”  On its face, this seems to assert that Jesus was going to be a wise and compassionate listener, advice giver, or life coach.  And indeed, He was those things.  But that is not what the prophecy is pointing toward.

Jesus was born to be a king; the continuity and fulfillment of the family line of David. In fact, the genealogy provided in Matthew 1:1-17, introduces Jesus as a member of the royal family line of David.  Through that genealogy Matthew’s gospel indicates that Jesus was legally entitled to receive the throne.  He was the fulfillment of the house, the lineage, and the promises made concerning David’s family.

It was for that reason that Mary and Joseph returned to their hometown of Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David himself.  What more appropriate place for the final Davidic king to be born?

Jesus was born to be a king.  The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the Book of Revelation tells us.  In the Old Testament, a king was referred to as a “counselor;” ideally one who gives wise direction and leadership.  A king should be, as Solomon certainly showed, a wise person.  A wise leader.

Jesus was born to be a king.  “And the government shall be upon His shoulders….” He is a “wonderful” king.  An awesome king.  An astonishing king.  An eternal king.

Jesus was born to be king.  One day Jesus will sit upon the throne of this world.  Until then, we await the king’s arrival.

Jesus was born to be king.  And at Christmas, we bow before this great king over all of creation.  He is worthy of our adoration and worship and devotion.

He is, after all, a king.

Advent Day 16 – God is With Us

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Jesus was never “called” Immanuel, in the sense that we would use that as a common name.  His name, at the command of God, was Jesus.  So, is there a conflict in Scripture regarding this?

While it seems to be the case, the way the Hebrew language used “name” was different than the way we use them.  We use names to identify us and to stand us apart from others.  Some parents seem determined to name their child in such a way that there is no chance they will be confused with another.

When I was in grade school I remember going to class and, in a room of thirty or more students, would quickly learn I was not the only “Timmy” in the room.  Therefore, I would be set apart by my last name.  I was “Timmy M.”  There were other “Timmys” in the room with me, and each of them would also be set apart by the first letter of their last names.

It was a momentary panic when I learned in a class that some girls were named “Timi,” which while spelled differently sounded much too close to my name!  I certainly did not want to be confused with a girl!  So somewhere in that time, I dropped the ending on my too-familiar name, and told a teacher my name was just “Tim.”

The name “Immanuel” was not for identification purposes, however.  It was to describe what this virgin born child would do.  He would be the reminder of God’s presence among His people!

The name “Jesus” was not uncommon.  It was a Greek pronunciation of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which meant “Yahweh saves.”  Many Israelite children were named that.  Joshua was a legendary warrior hero.  It was a reminder of God’s saving action as the people of Israel entered the promised land.

Over the next days, we will look deeply into the descriptive terms that distinguish Immanuel and how the name applies to Jesus.  Jesus came to bring the presence of God to earth.  No longer was God just for us.  Now…

…God is with us!

Advent Day 15 – Immanuel

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 ESV
Whenever I am thinking through the Advent season, my mind always turns to the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah. We actually all go there whether we are aware of it or not. It was Isaiah who first spoke the name “Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 are pivotal places where the virgin birth of Jesus is introduced. “The virgin shall conceive a bear a child,” we see in Isaiah 7:14. The conception of Jesus through a virgin mother is not a concept created by the church. It was actually introduced hundreds of years before Jesus was physically born!
The concept of the virgin birth has given a lot of people problems. They struggle to think about something so “unscientific” and outside of normal biology happenings. And yes, it is one of those claims that cannot be scientifically verified or reproduced. It must be accepted by faith.
But if this claim were not true, then Jesus truly could not have been fully sinless and holy. His birth to a human father would have offloaded a sinful bloodline into His body. This is why the claim is so often attacked. Without it, the cross would have been a martyrdom but not a sacrifice for sin. The resurrection would have been meaningful to Jesus, but we would still be under a sentence of death.
Yet with this reality in place, the totality of the story of redemption is possible. We cannot negotiate at this point and surrender the claim, no matter how hard it may be to accept the miraculous in place at Jesus’ birth.
And with this reality in place, Jesus could be our Savior. Our Savior’s mother, though not an object of worship, was a crucial piece in God’s intricate plan.
He is the Savior, and He is Immanuel… God with us.

Advent Day 14 – The Fullness of God

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:19-20
We sometimes sentimentalize the Christmas narrative of Christ’s birth to the point that we lose sight of the bigger picture. The story of Christmas is not just the emotional and even heart-rending account of the difficulty and struggle that Mary and Joseph experienced in giving birth to Jesus.
This is the story of the incarnation of God. As Colossians reminds us, “All the fullness of God indwelled Jesus bodily.” All. Of. God. That is astonishing on its face.
It raises many questions that do not have simple answers, as theologians through the centuries have strained to explain this truth. But it stands complete in Colossians 1:19. God was in Christ. When we look at the baby in the manger, we are seeing the God Who had never before been seen. Our invisible Creator revealed Himself there.
But this was not simply the Creator Who came to walk alongside us. This was the Divine One, the Holy One, Who would thirty-three years later allow Himself to be crucified on a cruel cross for our salvation and redemption: “through Him to reconcile to Himself all things….”
God was on a rescue mission. A mission to redeem. He did not send an emissary, or a soldier, or a representative to do this important work of “making peace by the blood of His cross.” He did not send an angel, or a prophet, or even Moses.
He came in person.
Merry Christmas!

DO YOU HAVE PEACE WITH GOD?
Our peace comes as we access, by faith, the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you do not know peace with God, you can have it now! It will be the greatest gift you will ever receive.
Prayer:  “Dear God in heaven, how I thank You that You came to earth… for me. You shed Your own blood to allow reconciliation to take place. Forgive me for living alienated from You. Forgive my many sins. Cleanse me, I pray, through the blood of Jesus shed for my justification and salvation. I turn from my own selfish ways and disobedience and come humbly to You asking for Your Presence to indwell me and make me new. Through Jesus Christ, the only begotten One, I pray.”
If you pray this prayer, please let us know. We’d like to help you grow in your newfound faith!

Advent Day 13 – The Preeminent One

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
Colossians 1:18
Jesus rules. We are constantly engaged in conversations about authority in our culture. From the White House, to local government, to our workplace and homes, and even in the church. Authority is constantly on our minds and in the news.
But with this one verse from God’s Word, the issue of “who’s in charge” is settled once and for all. Jesus is the One Who will reign eternally. This passage affirms Christ’s authority:
OVER THE CHURCH —“He is the head of the body, the church….” Churches are continually being disrupted and even ripped apart by issues of authority. An overly autocratic pastor or leadership board can cripple a church’s witness and ministry in their community. Those who lead in the church would do well to continually remind themselves that it is CHRIST’s church, and not theirs.
OVER ALL CREATION —“He is the beginning….” In Revelation, we hear the returning Messiah state, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end….” In other words, Jesus is claiming “I was here before it all began and will be here when it all ends.” He is Lord of creation, time, and space. Nothing escapes His headship.
OVER LIFE AND DEATH —“He is the firstborn from among the dead….” His ultimate claim is one that shows even Jesus’ authority over death. He is “the firstborn from among the dead….” In His resurrection, Jesus asserted the reach of His authority over the last enemy to be destroyed: Death, hell, and the grave.
Jesus rules. There is no one greater. There is no authority higher. Jesus reminded us of that when He ascended to the Father after His resurrection appearances, “ALL authority is given unto Me….”
Jesus rules.
Forever.

Advent Day 12 – The Force is With You

“And He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

Last year for Christmas, some friends got me a globe.  This globe was different than other globes I have owned (sorry…I like globes).  The globe was plastic but was mounted on a magnetic stand…balance the plastic globe perfectly between the opposite poles of the magnet and, like magic, it floated!

I guess I’m a little simple, but it fascinated me.  Mysteriously, silently, no plugs or batteries… there it hung in mid-air.  It had a little LED light so I could come and check on it in the dark of night, and there it still floated.

Well, the magic was a bit too much for my then-three-year-old granddarlin.  She had to touch it.  And with just her light touch, the globe came smashing to the floor!  Just a little off the pull of the magnetic field and bam!  It’s all over.

Astronomers and those who study the stars and planets in the solar system tell us that the earth exists on an axis of orbit that is so precise, that life can exist.  If we moved one degree closer to our sun, we would be incinerated by the heat and solar flares.  If we moved one degree further, we would freeze to death in endless cold.

But we stay… exactly where we need to be.  How is that?  Dumb luck?  Magic?  Our text tells us exactly how this is.  “He (Jesus) is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.”

The Bible affirms that, not only were all things created by Jesus Who is “before all things,” but it also says that “by Him all things hold together….”  Jesus did not just create the world and abandon us.  It is Jesus Who holds the planets and stars in place, so the entire solar system doesn’t just end in one cosmic train wreck.  Every planet, every star, every moon,  has a precise orbit they never leave.

So, what keeps some random asteroid or chunk of space rock from slamming into earth, knocking us into a nuclear winter or into a nuclear holocaust?  The Bible says it is Jesus Who holds all things together.

This affirmation tells us that Jesus is intimately involved in every atom of creation.  Nothing escapes His care… or His sight.  What is it that keeps you and me from falling apart into a million little pieces?  He is THE FORCE that holds all things together.

Jesus.  The babe born in Bethlehem was no less than God.  And the good news is that no matter how random events of your life may seem at times…

…He cares.  You’ll make it.  You’ll hold together.  He promised!

 

Advent Day 11 – The Creator of All Things

At Christmas, we affirm a fundamental aspect of the Christian worldview:  The fact that all things were created by God.  Specifically, we are asserting that everything we see and the things that we cannot see in the spiritual realm, were created by the One whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.

Once again, this juxtaposition of Jesus as fully God and fully human comes into play.  We are asserting, essentially, that the baby Who lay in a manger in a backroad’s town named Bethlehem was the same Person Who made the manger which served as His birthplace, and the cattle which were nearby, and the mother’s body to which He was born.

“By Him were all things created… things in heaven and things on earth….”  As Christians, our worldview finds its beginning right there.  That Jesus, virgin-born, came to the earth HE created through a woman HE made to redeem people HE created.  By faith, we affirm that God created the Heavens and the Earth, and everything that is in them.

If you, out of your sense of intellectual consistency or out of an indoctrination into a philosophy that says such a thing could not possibly have happened, reject this statement of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, then you do not operate with a Christian worldview no matter what you claim to believe.

I personally have no problem with science as a means of observing and measuring and understanding the precise function of our world and universe.  No problem whatsoever.  But when science becomes philosophy, and scientists begin to theorize about things they cannot see and measure and observe, I reject science out of hand.

The reason Jesus came was to redeem (purchase, pay a price) for that which originally belonged to Him.  He is creator, and therefore is the OWNER and the HEIR of all things, which for reasons known only in the mind of God, Jesus wishes to share with us as though we had owned it!

God is incredibly good, and at Christmas we begin to understand on a deeper level how good He really is to us!

He is the creator of all things and of all people.

Including you.

 

Advent 10 – The Firstborn of All Creation

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  Colossians 1:15

The second part of this verse has spawned numerous sectarian and heretical teachings throughout the years since the early church.  Wrongly interpreted, it has led some to assert that Jesus was “born,” instead of existing eternally as the Second Person of the Trinity.  Others have believed that Jesus had “siblings,” notably one named Lucifer.

These erroneous beliefs are, of course, very incorrect.  While a woodenly, literal reading of this verse might lead some to believe that it is affirming Jesus as a created being or that God had numerous other “sons,” equal with Jesus in power and authority.  Nothing is further from the truth.

The term “firstborn” (“prototokos”) is a designation of rulership and authority.  The “firstborn” was always the one with the most prominence in the royal lineage.  In Hebrew thought, the “firstborn” was the one who held the right of inheritance.  They would be the ranking one, and the legal heir to the family name and fortune.

An Old Testament text in Psalm 89:27 speaks of King David and says, “‘I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.’” This has nothing to do with birth order, otherwise how could God make someone a firstborn child (in David’s case, he was the youngest in his family).

Hebrews 1:2 says Jesus is “the heir of all things,” referring to this same statement.  So those who would deny the deity of Christ based on this phrase would be far off in their understanding.

Jesus is fully “the image of God,” but also the inheritor of all creation.  It all belongs to Him!  He is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” and He alone deserves our worship and our devotion.

Advent 09 – The Image of God Part 2

“He is the image of the invisible God…”  Colossians 1:1

It’s an amazing thing to watch your child or grandchild literally “morph” before your eyes into a person like you.  Your “spitting image,” as some might say.  Children mimic some of your facial expressions and your language (watch out!).  They look and sound like you over time.  But in other ways, determined by their DNA, they become just like you (and, for good or ill, act like you too).

One of the most staggering claims made concerning Jesus of Nazareth was this first statement in Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God.”  We remember from the creation account in Genesis that mankind was made “in the image of God.”  Every person bears something of the characteristics of our Creator.  His image is stamped in us.

But Jesus bore this image of God in an unusual way.  This was more than just reproducing a few facial characteristics and vocal inflections.  Jesus was the “eikon” of God, the “exact representation of His being.”  The word “eikon” was a reference to a stamp used in transferring the image of an emperor onto coins.  Their “eikon,” or likeness, was seen in the coin.

In a much greater sense, the “likeness” of God was stamped on Jesus.  Jesus said to Phillip, one of His disciples, “He that has seen Me has seen the Father.”  When we see Jesus, we see the invisible God.  The more we learn of Jesus, the more we “see” Jesus with eyes of faith, the more we are seeing God.  How He responds to us.  How He cares for us.  How He thinks.  How deep is His love for us.   We see this clearly displayed in our Savior.

It can rightly be said that you will never know God until you know Him in the face of Jesus.  Jesus came to reveal God’s character, God’s likeness, and God’s love to us.  Without Jesus, we are left to grope in the darkness.

But in His face is the Light of Life!

 

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