Today’s post is our top post from 2020! (Wow, we made it!) This was originally published in mid February and was written by Sara.
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:1-4 NIV)
I felt a hand on my arm.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
I gave a noncommittal shrug.
Honestly, I wasn’t okay, but the fact that someone saw beyond my calm facade meant the world to me.
A few days later, a friend asked, “How are you?” and I told her, “I’m okay.” But she wouldn’t let me off the hook. She saw — or rather heard — the hidden struggle in…
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Luke Chapter 2.
Every Christmas we as Christians focus on the Baby Jesus in the manger, the Shepherds who came to see the Child, the Wise Men traveling to Bethlehem, a virgin named Mary and Joseph her betrothed. We think about the original Grinch, King Herod, who not only hated Jesus (though He was but a toddler), but was evil enough to order the assassination of all the children in Bethlehem. Yet God was faithful, is faithful, and will always be faithful.
While we focus on the various elements of the Christmas story, others focus on anything but that. Many contemplate and follow through on suicide, as the holiday season brings increased sadness to those who have lost loved ones to sickness and death. It is as Jesus warns us from His Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:19-23 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
The treasures we have on this earth, whether it be loved ones or things, these things die, rust, corrode, and are stolen. This is not where your focus should be. If your focus is on what you do not have, or what you have lost, then that darkness will flood your soul. It will rob you of the joy of life.
Our spiritual eyes need to be in the right place. We need to be
Hebrews 12:2 … looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith …
During Christmas, Mary and Joseph, the Angels of God, the Shepherds, the Wise Men, they are all looking at Jesus. Even Herod, that old devil, is looking at Jesus. Today we’re going to look beyond the birth of Jesus to a man and a woman – whose story is just as important as the others we spoke of.
Luke 2:25 … And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon…
The Bible speaks on many different people on many different continents. There are thousands of people mentioned in Scripture, but only, I am told, 1770 men and 93 women who are actually named. Simeon is one of the men named. The name “Simeon” is mentioned 50 times in 45 verses of Scripture. The first time Simeon is mentioned is in the book of Genesis (29:33) as one of the children of Leah and Jacob. When Leah bore Simeon, she said:
Genesis 29:33 … the LORD hath heard that I was hated
“Simeon”(Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן Shimʻôwn, shim-one’) means “has heard”. The Old Testament Simeon did not always listen to God as he should. When Israel entered the Promised Land, God had the tribe of Simeon “stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people” (Deuteronomy 27:12) alongside the tribes of Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. When you do what God says when God says it, you will be blessed of God!
BEHOLD, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was SIMEON…
The Old Testament Simeon often failed to focus on the Lord. His is not an example we should follow. God says, BEHOLD this New Testament Simeon. This “Simeon” HEARS God. He has paid attention to what the Lord has told him. Beloved, as we enter the New Year, I beg you to hear me.
If you want to be blessed of God, BE WHERE God tells you to be!
So many people will visit the Church “here a little and there a little”. They will read God’s Word “here a little and there a little”. They will seek God’s face in prayer “here a little and there a little”. Our God is not a Christmas meal leftover. Our God calls us to Christ to follow Him day by day. Not just as an afterthought – but we are called to walk with God daily. This is why Christ became Incarnate Baby, God became Man, Eternity cloaked Himself in Mortality, the Infinite became Finite for us. The Apostle said:
1 Peter 3:18 … Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God …
We are to live daily in Christ, walking in the Light of God. Beloved, if we do not commit to follow Jesus one step at a time, one day at a time, we need not expect blessings. What does Jesus expect of us? Has He not said:
Matthew 22:37, 39 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. … 39 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
God commands of His people a whole, committed heart. We are to walk with Him Who saved us. Behold, Simeon! Here is our example.
Simeon was in the right PLACESPIRITUALLY. We read:
Luke 2:25 … Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Three words described the place where Simeon was spiritually. First, Simeon is “JUST”. This is the Greek δίκαιος díkaios, {pronounced dik’-ah-yos}, which means “to be upright, righteous, keeping the commandments of God”. Does this mean that Simeon was flawless? No! The Apostle tells us:
Romans 1:16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
The Old Testament saint was not saved by the works of the Law, but by faith in the Coming Christ. The New Testament saint is not saved by the works of the Law, but by faith in the Christ Who has come. Simeon was saved just as our Father Abraham was: Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6).
Galatians 3:11 … no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38 … the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Though Jesus had not yet gone to the Cross, God gave Simeon scripture to know that the Messiah would come. Simeon did not doubt God, but laid his life down at the feet of the Creator. Oh glorious day! The Scripture promises that:
John 1:12 … as many as received Jesus, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Simeon believed in God. Since he believed in God, Simeon was saved. Since Simeon was saved, we also see:
Simeon was in the right PLACEPHYSICALLY.
Luke 2:25 … Simeon; and the same man was just and devout
There are many who profess to be saved by faith, but in their works they deny Christ. The Apostle warned his Gentile disciple Titus about these people:
Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
If you are truly JUSTIFIED, then you will naturally be DEVOUT. This is the Greek εὐλαβής eulabḗs, {pronounced yoo-lab-ace’}, which means “to reverence or bring glory to God”. The Pharisees stoned Saint Stephen to death for speaking the truth. After he died, devout {eulabḗs, “God fearing”} men carried Stephen to his burial (Acts 8:2).
“Just” or “Justified” speaks to the inward faith in Christ that saves. “Devout” or “Devoted” speaks to the fruit from the good tree.
What did our Lord say? Matthew 7:17 … every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
If you are saved, you will DO the things that God tells you to do. Simeon is in Jerusalem in the Temple courtyard. Why? The Bible says:
Luke 2:26-27 And it was revealed unto {Simeon} by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple…
Simeon believed on the Lord, and was saved. Once saved, Simeon began to follow the Lord. Simeon did not try and live his life for himself, but for the Lord.
Romans 14:7-9 … none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
If you are saved by faith in Christ, you are citizens of HIS KINGDOM. We are to do as God the Son tells us to do. We are to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-26). We are called to devout lives, doing that which God has told us to do, and rejecting that which God has commanded us NOT to do.
Our faith is a “follow Jesus” proposition.
You are not saved by good works, but once saved you do good works. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Simeon lived out his faith following the direction of God. He was led of the Spirit into the Temple. That’s where you find blessing: being where God Your Savior leads you!
Simeon was in the right PLACETEMPORALLY. Many times we lose blessings because we want God to do His work in our time. We want God to hurry up and do something, and when He doesn’t, we want to step in and contribute our own two cent’s worth. The Bible tells us:
Luke 2:25 …. Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel
Simeon was told by God to wait. I do not know how old Simeon is. The commentaries suggest that he is an old man, because the Bible says:
Luke 2:26 … it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
The Prophet Job – long before Simeon – got through the trials of life by focusing on the Messiah. Job said:
Job 19:25-27 For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Simeon did not know WHEN the Messiah would come – he just knew the promise and leadership of God. So day after day, Simeon patiently went to the Temple. As time passed many become faithless, believing that God has forgotten. But never forgets. What God promises, God will do.
Philippians 1:6 … he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Galatians 6:9 … let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Simeon did not doubt God. Much like Noah who, for 120 years, built an Ark, Simeon was patient in his faith. He went daily to the Temple, waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ. God will do as He has promised – trust Him!
Illustrate Oh Beloved, wait on the Lord. Heed His Word, and trust Him, though the clouds of the day might hide the Sun. Trust Him. Wait upon the Lord. Be where God tells you to be. How many times have we robbed ourselves of blessing because we were not busily looking for Jesus where Jesus would be. I do not look for flour in a tea bag. I do not look for sugar in the refrigerator aisle of the store. Look for Jesus in the places where Jesus must be. Jesus MUST be in the Temple. That Baby born MUST fulfill all the Law of God. We are told that Joseph and Mary were just and devout:
Luke 2:21-24 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they {Mary & Joseph} brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law of God PERFECTLY. He had to do so, else He could not be “the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, 36). Had Mary and Joseph not taken Jesus to Jerusalem to be circumcised, then He coulds not be Israel’s Savior. Why? Because God told Abraham:
Genesis 17:14 … the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Simeon knew that the Christ would fulfill the Law. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4). That little Baby in Mary’s arms is God Incarnate. He must fulfill the Law.
Simeon Knew Jesus The Christ
When Mary and Joseph came to the Temple, we see through this text their economic condition. The Bible says that they came to
Luke 2:24 …. offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
The Law actually says that following birth, the parents were to offer “a lamb OR a kid of the goats, OR two turtle doves, OR two young pigeons” (see Leviticus 12:6-8) are to be offered to God. The wealthier homes offered the lamb – but the less wealthy the turtledoves or pigeons. Though there is no indication that Mary and Joseph are poor, they certainly aren’t rich. There were probably many different families coming to the Temple to have their children circumcised this day. And yet Simeon went straight to Jesus. He knew the Lord. Didn’t Jesus say:
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Plucking Jesus from Mary’s arms, Simeon praises God, saying:
Luke 2:28-30 then took {Simeon, Jesus} up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
One of the great benefits of living your life in God’s Kingdom is that death does not frighten you. Let the world live in fear of death! The Christian is promised of God:
John 11:25-26 … I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Holding the Lamb of God in his arms, Simeon now calls out to God, ready to come home. His words are echoed by the Apostle Paul who, headed toward Caesar, knew that his death was impending. Yet Paul says:
Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
If your treasure is on the earth, you will never want to go to Heaven. But if your treasure is Jesus Christ, death holds no fear for you. You are ready to go. Old time Pastor Alexander Maclaren said:
“Simeon not only recognizes, but welcomes the approach of death.‘Thou lettest Thy servant depart in peace.’ Yes, there speaks a calm voice tranquilly accepting the permission. He feels no agitation, no fluster of any kind, but quietly slips away from his post. And the reason for that peaceful welcome of the end is ‘for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.’ That sight is the reason, first of all, for his being sure that the curfew had rung for him, and that the day’s work was done. But it is also the reason for the peacefulness of his departure. He went ‘in peace,’ because of what?Because the weary, blurred, old eyes had seen all that any man needs to see to be satisfied and blessed. Life could yield nothing more, though its length were doubled to this old man, than the sight of God’s salvation.”
Simeon now quotes
Luke 2:31-32 … which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Simeon did not just see Jesus as the Savior of Israel only – but of ALL PEOPLE, both Jew and Gentile. He quotes the prophecy of the Messiah in
Isaiah 42:6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
This Jewish Baby named Jesus did not just come for Israel. He came for the Jew first, but also for the Gentiles (Romans 1:16; 2:9-10). After Jesus dies on the Cross of Calvary, He would tell His Jewish disciples:
Matthew 28:18-20 …. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you
The Gospel is to go into the whole world. As Paul and Barnabas go our with the Gospel, telling the Gentiles about Jesus, the stepbrother of Jesus, James, reminds the Church of Simeon’s words:
Acts 15:14-15 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets …
The Gospel of Christ must go forth if the world is to be changed. As we come into 2021 let us resolve to share Christ with those around us. Let us, like Simeon, be born again by faith in Him. Let us be just, devoted, and waiting upon our Lord. The time is short – let us redeem the time we have left for Jesus. Let us examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith or not. Then let us live by faith, one day at a time, one step at a time, by Simeon’s example.
May God touch your hearts and minds with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.
Matthew 21:23 And when {Jesus} was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
The Lost But Religious Will Attack Jesus To The End
The Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees were very vocal opponents of Jesus’ ministry. At every point they would question Jesus. When Jesus reached out to the deplorable crowd they questioned His disciples:
Matthew 9:11 Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and other sinners?(my paraphrase=mp)
Jesus’ response (Matthew 9:12) was simply, “They that are well do not need a physician, but those that are sick”(mp). Jesus is the great Physician, God come to humanity to heal us! But this didn’t stop their questioning. In
Mark 7:5 Why don’t your disciples follow the traditions of the elders – they are eating bread with unwashed hands?(mp)
Luke 5:21 Who is this Man {Jesus}? He blasphemes God. Only God can forgive sin!(mp)
Matthew 12:2 Jesus, Why are Your disciples not following the Law of the Sabbath?(mp)
Over and over again, these enemies of the Cross verbally attacked Jesus. Earlier in the day the Priests and Scribes questioned Jesus as He rose into Jerusalem for the Passover. As the children cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”, these self righteous judges looked at Jesus, saying “Don’t You hear what they are saying?” (Matthew 21:16). Their implication was that Jesus – if He were truly a Prophet of God – would stop their praises. Jesus told them:
Luke 19:40 I tell you, if these people stopped their praises, the stones would cry out!(mp)
The Messiah had come. He is coming to fulfill the prophecies. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Now the Lamb is teaching, not long before He goes to the Cross for your sins and mine. As Jesus is teaching in the Temple the Priests and Pharisees once more interupt the Master.
Matthew 21:23 … By WHAT authority doest thou these things? and WHO gave thee this authority?
This is the TEMPLE. Only the Priests were supposed to be teaching in the TEMPLE. Jesus, are You a Priest? Has some Priest we do not know of given You permission to teach in the place where only the Priests are to teach?
I want to point out that Jesus never told these people that these were bad questions. These are actually very good questions.
By what authority do You do these things? Who gave You this authority?
The questions are good, but Jesus has already answered these questions many times throughout His ministry. If you refer to Mark chapters 2 and 3 you will see that the Pharisees often questioned Jesus’ authority. They questioned Jesus’ authority:
When He healed the man sick of palsy (Mark 2:6-7) When Jesus never required His disciples to fast (Mark 2:18) When Jesus healed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:6) When Jesus did the miraculous (Mark 3:22)
Jesus’ authority had been well established at this point in His ministry. Even a well know leader by the name of Nicodemus came to Jesus and told Him:
John 3:1 … Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him
Jesus had authority. He proved it by His works. The Scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus perform, miracle after miracle. Our Lord Jesus “taught as One having authority” (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22). Jesus cast out demons, “for with authority commandeth He even thew unclean spirits, and they do obey Him” (Mark 1:27). The Bible even tells us that Jesus:
Luke 9:1 … called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
Jesus not only had authority – He had authority to give away! Jesus has all power,
Matthew 28:18 … ALL POWER {ἐξουσία exousía, pronounced ex-oo-see’-ah, POWER or AUTHORITY} is given unto ME in Heaven and in earth
The Carnal Just Want To Attack Jesus
Carnal or lost people – particularly religious lost people – just want to attack the truth. “By what authority do you do this?” is not a bad question. “Who gave you this authority?” is a question worth asking. Had the Pharisees and Priests been sincere in their question, no doubt Jesus would have readily answered it. Jesus has answered their questions repeatedly- yet they would not hear. The same is true of many Americans today. God has told us things, truths that are immutable, and yet we do not want to hear. Rather than argue with an unhearing enemy, Jesus turned the tables on them. He asked:
Matthew 21:24-25 … Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?
Jesus often tripped up the hard of hearing by answering their questions with questions. This is a great technique to get people thinking. Jesus simply asked,
“John’s Baptism – his ministry. Was it from God, or was it something people just dreamed up?”
If these self righteous judges truly wanted to know the source of Jesus’ authority, they would have readily answered that question. As the Apostle said, “we can do NOTHING against the truth, but FOR the truth” (2 Corinthians 13:8). Truth is truth.
Truth does not have to cloak itself in confusion and darkness. Truth stands up and says “Look at Me”. Lies eventually prove themselves to be lies. There’s an old saying, “Truth will out”. The facts will be made known in the end.
As soon as Jesus asks His question, the Priests and Pharisees begin to mentally stumble over themselves. Listen to their thought:
Matthew 21:25-26 … they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? 26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
These same Pharisees questioned John the Baptist when he began ministering on the Jordan River. The Bible says:
John 1:19-23 … this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou {Elijah}? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet {Isaiah}.
John responded to the question “By what authority are you doing this?” by quoting the Messianic Prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-5. John is the Herald of the Messiah. He would introduce the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and kickstart His public ministry. John was very clear that he himself was not the Christ, the Messiah, but the Messiah was coming. One day John looks up and sees Jesus coming to him to be baptized in water. John cries out:
John 1:29-34 Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that {Jesus} should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
The whole reason that John was baptizing people with water was so that he could introduce Jesus as the Messiah to Israel. “John, by what authority are you baptizing in the Jordan?” John was not bashful. “My authority comes of God. My authority is found in the Scripture. By commission is from the King of Kings. I am here to introduce Jesus!”
Now the Pharisees and priests question Jesus just as they questioned John. So Jesus questions them back. “Did John’s ministry come from Heaven – or was it just something John thought up to do?” The Pharisees are in a quandary. If they say, “John’s ministry was from Heaven”, then they know full well that Jesus would say, “Why didn’t you believe John? Didn’t John say I was the Messiah? If his ministry is from God, then My ministry is from God!” So they can’t say that! But if they say, “John’s ministry was just something he thought up”, then the people will tear them up.
The Pharisees and Priests will lose their Facebook Friends. The Pharisees and Priests will be banned from Twitter! They will lose their Instagram accounts! And, horror or horrors, they might get thrown out of the Temple!
I hope you can recognize sarcasm when you read it … but it is the truth. These men were not interested in the truth. John was sent from God to bear witness for the Light that is Jesus (John 1:7).
John 3:19-20 … Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
They didn’t want to hear the truth – they just wanted to shut Jesus up so they could continue doing the wrong things they were doing. So we read:
Matthew 21:27 … And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
Now we’re not done with this story, but I want to return to the good questions that these bad men asked.
That question is one I think we need to ask ourselves – especially in the social climate of America 2020.
By What Authority Are You Doing What You’re Doing? Who Gave You This Authority?
We who are saved by faith in Christ live in a dark world. We who are saved by faith in Christ are called of God to:
Ephesians 4:1 … walk worthy of the {calling} wherewith ye are called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Colossians 1:10 … walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God
We are not supposed to follow the crowd. We are supposed to follow Jesus. We are commanded of God to,
Isaiah 2:5 … walk in the Light of the Lord …
1 John 1:7 … walk in the Light, as {Jesus} is in the Light …
Do you not know, dear Christ follower, that
1 John 1:5 … God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all …
Called from the kingdom of darkness into Christ’s marvelous light(1 Peter 2:9), we are to live our lives to the best of our abilities being like Jesus. He is the Son of God Who saved us. We are to be sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus (John 1:12; Romans 8:14; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 2:2).
We as sons of God are not to be racist. Racism looks at the outward skin of a person, and degrades, mocks, or devalues that person because of their color. Racism exists and is not exclusive to any color of person. But racism is incompatible with Christianity.
The Bible tells us that our God, the God Who created Heaven and earth and all that is in it, is
Deuteronomy 10:17 a God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, WHICH REGARDETH NOT PERSONS …
When God established Israel as a nation, He commanded that nation’s judges
Deuteronomy 16:19 … thou shalt not {twist} judgment, thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a {bribe}
Those placed in positions of authority in the land are to remember that they represent God, and God is no respecter of persons. God does not regard the rich as better than the poor (Job 34:19) – for both rich and poor are THE WORKS OF HIS HANDS. The Bible tells us over and over again that with God our Father:
Romans 2:9-11 … tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: … there is no respect or persons with God.
“Our God accepts no one based on their outward person” (Galatians 2:6). God did not develop the concept of race or racism. The word “race” is only found in Scripture when it refers to competitive runners. It is the old sin nature in us that looks at another person outwardly, and makes inward judgments as to their worth. Every person is of infinite worth to God. This is why Jesus Christ was born into the world a Jew to save all who will believe on Him.
As far as God is concerned, there are only two people groups on the earth that matter. There are those who are of the family of God by faith in Christ Jesus – and those who are NOT of the family of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Our God looks at the heart. The Scripture declares:
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Your color does not matter to God – but your heart does. When we look into Heaven, what do we see? The Bible says:
Revelation 7:9-12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
If you despise your fellow man or woman because of color, Heaven will never be your home. If you teach racism in any form, and preach it to be true, you will never see the glory of Heaven. He or she that does wrong shall receive for the wrong that they have done (Colossians 3:25) – for God has no respect of persons. As Jesus’ stepbrother rightly said:
James 2:8-9 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?
We as sons of God receive our authority from God’s Scripture. Throughout Jesus’ ministry when He was challenged, our Lord referred to the Scripture.
When the devil tempted Jesus to do evil, His reply was “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 6, 10). When Jesus cast the money changers out of the Temple, His reasoning was “It is written” (Matthew 21:13). When betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver, Jesus said “It is written” (Matthew 26:24). When forsaken by every follower as He was turned over to Calvary, Jesus said “it is written” (Matthew 26:31). When Jesus called the Pharisees out as hypocrites, He said “It is written” (Mark 7:6). When Jesus endorsed the ministry of John the Baptist, He said “It is written” (Luke 7:27). When a lawyer came to Jesus and asked:
Luke 10:25-28 … Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
When Jesus spoke His parables, “It is written” was often in them (Luke 20:17). In the last recorded prayer that Jesus prayed for His Church, He prayed to the Father that the Church would know the Scripture, so that we can answer the questions, “By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”. Jesus prayed:
John 17:14-19 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
The Christian answer to “By what authority do you do these things?” is “By the authority of the Word of God”. The Christian answer to “Who gave you this authority?” is “The Triune God our Creator”. We live by the Word of God. Not by what the world says, but by what God has said – and has supplied us in His Scripture.
We Will Not Enter The Kingdom Of God Apart From Doing God’s Word
Jesus told this religious delegation:
Matthew 21:28-32 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
It does not matter how religious you feel that you are. Have you repented of being your own God, and have you believed in Jesus? Good works apart from following Jesus will not get you into God’s Kingdom. If you are a son of God by faith in Jesus Christ, you will work in His vineyard. If not, you will not. But Jesus was not finished. Jesus had another “it is written” for these religious people. Read it:
Matthew 21:33-44 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34 and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
The “Householder” in this parable is God the Father. He is the Owner of the Vineyard. The “Householder’s Son” is Jesus Christ our Lord. The “husbandmen” or “gardeners” were the Priests, the Pharisees, and the Scribes. The gardeners were suppose to follow the Authority of the Owner of the Vineyard. They were suppose to reach the world for Him. To expand His Kingdom. Instead, the gardeners set up their own little kingdoms, ignoring the Kingdom of God. This was the state of the Old Testament Church we call Israel.
But God was faithful. He sent His Son into Israel first, to the very Temple and the very Gardeners that should have welcomed Him. But the Priests, the Pharisees, and the Scribes, they had formed their own little kingdom. It was not the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of Religion. When the Son came, He threatened their power.
So they had Jesus killed.
Yet Jesus is the Prophesied Cornerstone of God’s Kingdom (Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16; Luke 20:17-18). Jesus has all authority, all power, all majesty. When we stand with Him we will be invincible. But if we stand against Him, He will do as He did with that Temple crowd. Jesus foretold, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43).
Beloved, we must get back to the Bible. We must live according to His authority, His power. We must stand with Peter, no matter how bizarre it becomes around us, and “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). This is the only way to victory. This is the only way to save our country. Let us stand in the Word of God, and with Jesus Christ our Lord.
May God the Holy Spirit and His Scripture guide our hearts for the glory of God, and the expansion of His Kingdom. Amen and Amen!
Please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13.
Every week as Riverview’s Pastor, I beg God our Father to give me a word from the Scripture for His people. And every week the Lord is faithful. Our God is faithful, by Whom we were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9). I am often faithless, sadly, but Our God abideth faithful – He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). He entered into a covenant of Grace with me at the point I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Our God is not a man that He should lie, neither the Son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19).
Power & Authority Belong To God
As I was seeking God as to what I needed to say tonight, I opened the Baptist and Reflector for December 16, 2020. This is our Tennessee Baptist newspaper. On the inside cover – page 2 – there is an article by editor Lonnie Wilkey entitled “TBMB leader challenges ERLC over language in amicus brief”. Now, I’m a country preacher. As I read this article I suspect I read it like many of my fellow Baptists did. I understand what a “amicus brief” is, though I do not understand why we as Baptists got involved with it in the first place. I’m not going to go into detail over this article. You can hunt it up on the internet – just punch the title I gave you into a search engine.
In a nutshell the article is about POWER and AUTHORITY.
The ERLC (Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission), a Southern Baptist entity, filed a court document on behalf of the NAMB (North American Mission Board), a Southern Baptist entity. The verbiage in that legal document “included language namely the use of ‘hierarchy’, that misstates and misrepresents the historic non-connectionism, autonomous polity of Baptists, and incorrectly describes the hierarchical relationship between SBC entities and churches” (quote from Randy C. Davis). Randy goes on to write:
“We codify this structure in Article IV of the SBC Constitution to prevent a denominational hierarchy: ‘While independent and sovereign in its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist body, whether church, auxiliary organization, associations or conventions’ (end quote)”.
If you are a Tennessee Baptist and read these articles, then you probably just glossed over it. It looks like a bunch of technical, doctoral language. Let me put it simply.
The local Church is led by Jesus Christ. The Christian is led by God’s Word and God’s Spirit. As Baptists, we do not chase after power. We follow the power of God. We promote the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What has destroyed more churches and more people has been a desire for power and authority.
This is what caused the fall of humanity from a perfect paradise into a perfect mess. That old devil Lucifer, an Archangel of God, decided he needed more power than what God gave him. In Isaiah we are told of his fall:
Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
The five I will statements that Lucifer made have been sadly reflected throughout human history. Lucifer incarnated in the Garden of Eden as a serpent (Revelation 12:9), where he encouraged Adam through Eve to rebel against God’s command. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).
The devil that enticed our forefather Adam is the same devil that entices us all today.
It is a sign of genuine Christianity to reject the devil’s power grab, and to do that which God directs: to love God, and love others. We are not to be fighting for supremacy over one another. Power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts.
The United States of America was founded by our forefathers – many of whom were Christ followers – to be a place of liberty, not of power grabs. The man often called “The Father of our country”, George Washington, was not enamored of power. Once American independence was secured, General George Washington resigned his military commission at the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, December 23rd, 1783.
Todayis the 237th anniversary of that resignation.
Resigning that commission, George returned to his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, content to be a private citizen. He later participated in the 1787 Constitutional Convention (held in Philadelphia), and was unanimously elected to be the first President of the United States. George reluctantly accepted the position, and refused any position of kingship over our country. In 1797 George resigned as President, allowing others to take that place. A devout Christian, George knew the danger of power. He loved God, and loved his fellow man.
God does not want His people vying for power over one another. He wants us lovingly serving both God and others. Before going to the Cross our Lord Jesus washed His disciples feet, a job that servants would normally perform for their masters. Jesus said:
Matthew 20:25-26 … Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
He went on to say, “I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give my life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). God’s people are not to be fighting for power and dominion over one another. We are to love God, and love others – as GOD defines love.
You Are Not Impressing God If You Are Not Loving
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Do not think that your education will impress God our Father. You can be well learned. You can speak several different languages. A few years ago, I pastored a Church that had been pastored by a highly educated man. Several members made a point of telling me that he spoke 5 different languages. That is impressive! I barely speak English. Beloved, God is not impressed at your vast education, if what you have is not being used to love God and love others. You may be very talented. Yet if your talents are used selfishly, without loving those around you, God says that your talent are just so much noise.
You may have fantastic spiritual gifts. Beloved, if you have a spiritual gift, it is because God gave that to you. If you have the ability to preach, to teach, to minister, it is not because you are particularly good in yourself. It is because God has given you that gift. The Scripture tells us:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit {with all}. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
If you can preach a great sermon, exposing many wonderful but hidden truths to your audience – but are not preaching from a love filled heart – You are NOTHING to God!
If you are a beautiful singer or song writer, a great musician, but that which is behind the music is self love and pride, it means nothing to the Creator. It is God’s command that we love.
Romans 13:10 … love is the fulfilling of the Law
The Apostle of Love, John, tells us that:
1 John 4:7, 12 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. … 12 If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
You can be a generous person. The Apostle says:
1 Corinthians 13:3 … though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
We will all stand before our Maker at a judgment day. The unbeliever will stand before a Great White Throne:
Revelation 20:12 … the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Those who stand before that terrible Great White Throne will go into the Lake of Fire, being tormented forever and ever (Revelation 20:15). Why will they go here? Because they did not love the Lord Jesus Christ, and would not receive Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus will say to them,
Matthew 7:23 … I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
If you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then your name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Bible says of Heaven:
Revelation 21:27 there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
What is the mark of the lost person? This person loves only themselves. The lost person only loves others when it suits them to love others. Oh, how horrible lovelessness is! The unbeliever – damned by their works – condemned by their lovelessness toward Christ – are cast into the Lake of Fire.
But Beloved, the Christian is judged as well. We are judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Bible is quite clear:
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
We who are Christians labor for Jesus. We strive to please Him Who gave His life for us. We do this by loving others, by loving God. We honor Him in our works by doing what we do from loving hearts. We do not belong to the darkness. We are, dear Christians:
1 Peter 2:9-10 a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10 which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
We must love. We must love as God defines love.
Love Defined
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
What does love look like? Love is patient – here called “longsuffering”. To be “longsuffering” is to tolerate hurts inflicted by others, without immediately gratifying yourself by “getting them back”. Longsuffering is a characteristic of God.
Exodus 34:6 the Lord passed by before {Moses}, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Numbers 14:18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
To be longsuffering does not mean to tolerate evil forever. God does not tolerate evil forever. But it does mean to “turn the other cheek”. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:38-41 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Christians are not to go around with a chip on their shoulder. We are to be as God is with us. He saved us, knowing full well that we would fail Him. And yet He saved us, and loves us still.
Love is kind. Kindness is to put yourself in another person’s shoes. If you mess up, you want the person you messed up with to be kind. The Apostle said,
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;
Love does not envy. The word translated “ENVY” is the Greek ζηλόω zēlóō, {pronounced dzay-lo’-o}, which means “to covet or desire something that someone else has”. When we begin to covet what another person has, it is not long before we hurt ourselves or that other person in order to satisfy our desires. King David coveted Uriah’s wife Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), and ended up having Uriah murdered. Though God forgave David, He told him:
2 Samuel 12:10-12 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
Covetousness – a violation of God’s Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17) – destroys the fabric of a family, a community, and a nation. God tells His children:
Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
The Old Testament priests were given no land when Canaan was divided up. God told Aaron and his family:
Numbers 18:20 … Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
We who are Christians are New Testament priests – God is our portion forever. “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever” (Psalm 73:26).
1 Corinthians 13:5-6 … {love} doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Love doesn’t act like it is lost. Love acts like God acts. You could take our above text and take out the word “Love” and put in it’s place “Jesus”. “Jesus” did not come to this earth seeking His own. Jesus came to minister, not to be ministered to. “Jesus” was never easily provoked. “Jesus” never thought evil of others – He made it a point to love the unlovely. “Jesus” never rejoiced at the sight of evil. As Jesus neared the time of His crucifixion, knowing He would be betrayed and shamed, the Bible says:
Luke 19:41-44 {Jesus} beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Love Remains Forever
1 Corinthians 13:8-10 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
There will come a time, dear Christian, when we will be in eternity with Jesus. All the “stuff” that we thought was important will be long gone, cast into the landfill where all temporal things go. J. J. Heller sings a beautiful song called “Only Love Remains”. Part of the lyrics are:
Scenes of you come rushing through You are breaking me down So break me into pieces That will grow in the ground I know that I deserve to die For the murder in my heart So be gentle with me Jesus As you tear me apart … Teach me to be humble Call me from the grave Show me how to walk with you upon the waves Breathe into my spirit Breathe into my veins Until only love remains
Vindictiveness will not win the world for Christ. Hatred will not bring in the Kingdom of God. We cannot fight fire with fire. We can only bring glory to God in this world by loving as Jesus loved. We do not rejoice in evil, nor do we justify it. We believe what God has said, and love Him first. We love others the way that God expects us to love. The Apostle ends with these words:
1 Corinthians 13:11-13 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Faith flies only when it’s wings are love. Put away anything that is not love. Love God with all that you have – and love others the way that God in Christ has loved you. May God the holy Spirit and His Word connect you to the Kingdom of God both now, and into eternity. Amen and Amen!
I have heard people describe 2020 as “a dumpster fire”. One sign I saw said that 2020 was “like looking both ways before crossing the street, and getting hit by an airplane”. What made the year seem so tough was politician overreach in response to the Coronavirus, a run away media that threw fuel on the fire, a few bad police mistreating and shooting people, and the rioting and name calling that followed. I do not want to downplay the Coronavirus by any means. As of December 15th, 2020, there have been 301,000 deaths attributed to the Coronavirus. The hospitals are filled with sick people, the nursing homes locked down, and many states are entering more quarantines and business shut downs. I read the other say that some 100,000 restaurants in the U.S. will remain permanently closed because of shutdowns. I could go on and on, but I’d like to share something with you from the CDC, something you’ll never hear. Maybe this will give us a little perspective.
In 2018 the number of deaths in the U.S. were 2,839,205. Their causes?
When you look at these numbers you can see that, though 2020 has been rough, every year is rough. It seems rougher this year because of media scaremongering. I certainly do not want to diminish the suffering that many have gone through because of this Coronavirus. But the CDC statistics on the 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus {flu}): “The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.” This is twice the number of deaths attributed to the Coronavirus.
Is God Gone Away?
When bad things happen, people always ask “Where is God?” God is here. God is always here. But from the beginning of human history, death and disease have been with us. This is a result of Adam’s sin, not God’s fallibility. When humanity does that which God says we ought not do, we receive viruses, thorns, thistles, mosquitoes, and all the other icky things. We need to realize:
• We are fallen creatures living in a fallen world. King Solomon described human history this way:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
• God is in control, even in the bad times. When Jesus entered this world, there was harshness all around Him and His earthly family. And yet, everything that happened, happened because God our Father orchestrated it to happen. God is in control. Let’s start reading:
Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And ALL went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Word Study Cæsar Augustus demanded that every person in the Roman Empire be counted. The King James says “all the world should be TAXED”. The word translated “TAXED” is the Greek ἀπογράφω apográphō, {pronounced ap-og-raf’-o}, which means “to enroll, enter into a register, to be recorded”. This same word is used in reference to the Book of Life:
Hebrews 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written {apográphō} in heaven …
The purpose of the Roman Census was to count people. To fulfill the Roman order, every person had to return to their ancestral homes. Mary is of the lineage of David, so she must go with her husband, also of that same lineage.
Luke 2:3-5 And all went to be {counted}, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 to be {counted} with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child …
Joseph and Mary’s lineage could be traced back to King David of Judah, and David’s “city {of birth}” is “Bethlehem”. In an article from the Religious News Service (December 23rd, 1995), Professor James F. Strange writes:
“They had to travel 90 miles to the city of Joseph’s ancestors: south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and on into Bethlehem. … It was a fairly grueling trip … In antiquity, the most we find people traveling is 20 miles a day. And this trip was very much uphill and downhill. It was not simple. … Joseph and Mary likely would have traveled only 10 miles a day because of Mary’s impending delivery. … the trip through the Judean desert would have taken place during the winter, when “it’s in the 30s during the day [and] rains like heck,” said Strange. “It’s nasty, miserable. And at night it would be freezing.””
During the trip, Joseph and Mary not only had to deal with her pregnancy, but also lions, bears, and wild boars. Bandits and Robbers were also common hazards. It was a very hard journey which would have taken up to a week and a half to complete.
God Is There, And In Control – ALWAYS
When we go through trials, we often ask “where is God while I am in this valley”. Where is God? He is where He always is. God is there. God is with us. And God is in control. Our God is greater than we can imagine. God says:
Isaiah 55:8-9 my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Beloved, it was not Caesar that ordered Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem – it was GOD.
When God prophesied of the Coming of the Messiah into the world, He said:
Micah 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
The One Who was to be born had been going forth from everlasting. Though Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ as God the Son existed with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit from eternity past. He is the
Revelation 1:8 … Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty
Eternal God would take upon Himself humanity in Bethlehem. Jesus is the prophesied Son of David that God promised in:
2 Samuel 7:12-14 … I {God} will set up thy seed {,dear David,} after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. …
No one in their right mind would take such a horrible trip with a pregnant woman unless absolutely necessary. But it was necessary. Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem, because God said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Later on when the Wise Men would come from Babylon to Jerusalem looking for Jesus,
Matthew 2:2 … saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Herod the puppet king of Israel would ask the chief priests and scribes as to where Christ (Messiah) would be born. They would tell him:
Matthew 2:5-6 … In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
The Bread Of God Must Be Born In “The House Of Bread”
The name “Bethlehem” means “The House of Bread”. During His ministry, those who follow Jesus will ask Him, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”. Jesus tells them:
John 6:29-35 This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Jesus is the Bread of Life!
When Joseph and Mary get to Bethlehem – again, a hard journey on people in the best of health – did they find a cushiony bed and breakfast to stay at? No.
Luke 2:6-7 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Word Study The Bible tells us that Jesus was laid in a manger “because there was no room for them in the INN”. The word translated “INN” is the Greek κατάλυμα katályma, {pronounced kat-al’-oo-mah}, which means “guest room”. Many homes of that day kept their animals stabled on the first floor of their houses. The “guests” stayed on the upper floors. Because of the census, all of the regular rooms that people would have rented or stayed at were filled. Mary and Joseph had to occupy the lower room, a night time shelter for the family animals. Was this cruelty? Where was God in all this? God is still in control.
God Intended His Lamb To Be In A Manger
Jesus as a baby was cradled in a manger, this too being a fulfillment of prophecy. Many, many years before this, God went to Abraham and told that old saint:
Genesis 22:2 Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
This son is Abraham’s only begotten son. He has just had this child in his old age. Abraham was a hundred years old (Genesis 21:5) when Isaac was born. We do not know how much time passed from Isaac’s birth till the command of God, but we do know that Isaac was old enough to accompany his father and to carry the wood of the sacrifice.
Abraham does as God requests. On the third day (Genesis 22:4) Abraham and Isaac climb to the top of Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:2), the same place where Solomon would one day build the Temple of God (2 Chronicles 3:1). Once they built the altar, Isaac asks his father:
Genesis 22:7-8 … my father … 8 Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Abraham’s answer? Genesis 22:8 … My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:
After Isaac willingly laid himself down on the altar, and Abraham went to sacrifice him, it was then that God stopped him. Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked (Genesis 22:13) … and there he found the lamb of God. Isaac did not die because “God provided Himself a lamb for a burnt offering”. Abraham named that place Jehovah-Jireh (Genesis 22:14), meaning “the Lord will provide”.
Why is Jesus Christ laid as a baby in a manger? God provided Himself a Lamb for the burnt offering”. Where else would you find a lamb, a sacrificial lamb, but in a manger? Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. John the Baptist would later declare on seeing Jesus:
John 1:29 … Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sin of the world. He is the replacement for the animal sacrifices that Israel made year after year. These sacrifices could not satisfy our Holy God – they were but shadows.
Hebrews 10:1-4 … the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
God will provide Himself a sacrifice for sin. That Child born on that holy night so long ago is the Lamb of God. He was see by the Prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
This precious Baby of Mary’s will grow up to be “the satisfactory payment for our sins, and not just for ours, but for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2, my paraphrase). Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God!
1 Peter 1:18-20 … ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
It is God in that small baby, sent to redeem us. It is God willing to die for us. It is God alone Who is worthy to atone for sin. It is God you receive as Lord and Savior, causing your name to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 13:8). All Heaven declares (Revelation 5:12) “Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain”. Jesus Christ is the sent Messiah (Luke 10:16; Mark 9:37; John 13:20). Jesus Christ is Shiloh prophesied, the One Sent of God:
Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Where better a Lamb to be than in a manger?
1 Corinthians 5:7 Christ our Passover … sacrificed for us
Jesus is the Lamb in the Throne of God in yonder Heaven (Revelation 22:3). Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8).
The Shepherds {Jews} See The Lamb Of God FIRST
Luke 2:8-14 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
These Shepherds are watching sheep – lambs – that one day will be used as sacrificial animals. Only the best of the lambs can be used to make payment for sins on the altar of God. These Shepherds can identify a lamb without blemish (Leviticus 1:3; Deuteronomy 15:21), prized as a sacrifice for sins. The Angel of God comes to these Shepherds first, for God promised the Messiah to the Jews FIRST. That which God has foreordained in Christ Jesus will replace the “dead works of the Law” (Hebrews 9:14) by “a NEW and LIVING WAY” (Hebrews 10:20). No longer will the people need to approach God through the Temple and the Blood Altar. This baby Lamb in that manger will establish the only Way unto God. The Angel tells the Shepherd:
Luke 2:10 Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people
In this past year we have seen more riots over perceived “racism”, statues torn down, “critical race theories” pushed forth. Do you want to see racism end? It will not end by legislation, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Racism is something that sinful humanity created. The Bible speaks nothing of “races”. The only times the word “race” is used in Scripture, it is in reference to competitive running. The Bible speaks of nations, of peoples. The Apostle Paul preached:
Acts 17:24-27 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
In humanity, God has made us all OF ONE BLOOD. We all bleed red. We are of ONE BLOOD, one race, the HUMAN race.
That Lamb of God in the Manger came to this earth through Mary to be the sole means of salvation for all people. There is no other way to peace with God. There is no other way to peace with other peoples. Jesus is…
Luke 2:10 a Savior, which is Christ the Lord
When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, His sacrifice on Calvary, His Blood, is the covering for your sins. It is through Jesus Christ that the insanity of sin is rejected. Beloved, all who are in Christ by faith are my brothers and my sisters. My family is not distinguished by outward color, but by inward faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Luke 2:14 … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men
Hearing this good news, the Shepherds did not wait. The Bible says:
Luke 2:15-17 … the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Do you want to see world peace? Then you must tell others about Jesus. Do you want to see racism die? Then you must tell others about Jesus. It is only this faith in Christ that changes the human heart.
Luke 2:18-20 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Do you know Him? Do you know the Jesus of Scripture? If you know Him, then you should be glorifying and praising God for this great gift of life. Jesus Christ came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The greatest gift that God could give you is His Son Jesus. The greatest gift you can receive this holiday season is Jesus. The greatest gift you can give to others is Jesus Christ. Oh Beloved, if you do not knows Him, repent and turn to Him today. I heard this the other day – I do not know where. But I agree with this.
“If Your Repentance Did Not Change Your Life, Then You Need To Repent Of Your Repentance”
Come to Jesus Christ today. Receive Him as Lord and Savior. Believe He is the Lamb of God Who died for you. Believe He is the Son of God Who gives you eternal life. He lives, so we live! May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit! Amen and Amen.
Tonight we’ll be in two chapters of the Scripture. In the Old Testament, we’ll be in Isaiah chapter 42. In the New Testament, we’ll be in Matthew chapter 2.
In Isaiah chapter 42, God spoke through the Prophet concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. We read:
Isaiah 42:1-4 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
We know that this is a prophecy of the Coming Jesus because, after Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, the Pharisees gathered and held a council as to how to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:14). The Bible then quotes our Isaiah text:
Matthew 12:15-21 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16 and charged them that they should not make him known: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by {Isaiah} the prophet, saying, 18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
When Jesus came, He came to bring the love of God and compassion to all He saw. This is why the text states “a bruised reed shall He not break, and a smoking flax shall He not quench”. In two places in our text we are told of the Messiah that:
vs 18 … he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles
vs 21 … in his name shall the Gentiles trust
Jesus The Messiah Would Also Come For The Gentiles
Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
In Christ, God would reach out to save not just Israel, but all who will believe in Him. This is not the first time that God let Israel know that He wanted to save the Gentiles as well. Through the Prophet, the Lord said:
Isaiah 45:22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else
During this Christmas Season you will see “Nativity Scenes” in Churches and on lawns throughout the nation. In most nativity scenes you will see the Baby Jesus in a manger, Mary and Joseph, some shepherds, and three wise men. This seems to be the standard formula. Though the shepherds came to see the Baby Jesus, the Scripture says:
Luke 2:12, 16 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. … 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
The Shepherds saw, not the Wise Men, but Joseph, Mary, and the Baby Jesus in a manger. On the other hand, when the Wise Men came to see Jesus, He was NOT in a manger, NOR was Joseph there. We read:
Matthew 2:11 And when {the Wise Men} were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him …
The Wise Men only saw Mary and Jesus, and both were in a house. What is most interesting to me is that
Luke, a Gentile Physician, wrote about the Jewish Shepherds going to see Jesus in a manger. Matthew, a Jew and a Levite, wrote about the Wise Men who were Gentiles who went to see the young child Jesus in a house.
Both Jews and Gentiles saw the Messiah shortly after He came into the world. Though they did not see Him at the same time, the Jews saw Him first, and the Gentiles last. This is because the Gospel of salvation was offered:
Romans 1:16 … to the Jew FIRST, and also to the Greek {Héllēn, Gentiles}
God made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to King David concerning the coming of the Messiah. Therefore it is no mystery why Jesus would be revealed to the Jew first. It was the Shepherds who would come to see Jesus in the manger. But the wise men would come some time later – and these were clearly Gentiles. They came because God promised Abraham:
Genesis 12:3 … in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Jesus came for us all! Let’s focus on these “Wise Men”
Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
We do not know how many “Wise Men” came to see Jesus. We will later read that they bring three gifts, but the number of men is not mentioned in Scripture. These men come into the Capital City of Israel, the place where the Temple of God and the Priests were. They were coming according to the promise of God in Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 42:16 … I will make darkness light before them
The Wise Men said,
we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him
These men are following a star, probably traveling at night. They called Jesus “The King of the Jews”. As they went through Jerusalem asking this question, word got back to King Herod the Great. Herod was an awful man. He was born in Idumea, south of Judah. Herod was King over Judea because the Roman Senate appointed him. He was therefore a puppet King, serving at the whim of Rome. When Herod heard the Wise Men were looking for “The King of the Jews”, this threatened him because he was suppose to be “King of the Jews”.
Matthew 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod was notorious for his cruelties. When Herod was troubled, all Jerusalem was troubled. An example of his cruelty was that, when he laid dying, he ordered the imprisonment of many Pharisees. He ordered that, once he died, these imprisoned Pharisees be crucified so that the day of his death would be marked by weeping!
Mark 2:4-6 And when {Herod} had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Herod asked the Chief Priests and Lawyers where the Messiah was prophesied to come from. They correctly referred to the prophecies of:
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Genesis 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Discovering this, Herod calls the Wise Men to his palace:
Matthew 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Dr. Bob Utley notes in his commentary that “Herod was interested in the age of the child. Since it took the Magi many months to travel from Persia, Jesus was at least one or two years of age at this time.” Herod was not genuinely interested in the Messiah, other than to remove a threat to his throne.
Matthew 2:8 {Herod} sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
I have often wondered why Herod didn’t send an armed escort with the Wise Men to Bethlehem. I believe it is because God knew Herod’s heart, and knew that his intent was to ultimately kill Jesus. The Bible says:
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
God is in control! He knew that Herod would have killed the young Jesus without a moment’s hesitation. God moved Herod’s heart to send the Wise Men on their way unhindered, thus allowing them to finish their mission. But God also insured that the Wise Men, as well as Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, would all escape Bethlehem before Herod realized it. The Father had a plan for Jesus, and that plan was not that a monster King kill His Son. No, His plan was to save the world through Jesus.
Galatians 4:4-5 … when the fullness 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 Wise Men Worship The Lord Jesus
Matthew 2:9-11 … When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him…
They WORSHIPED Jesus. This is the Greek προσκυνέω proskynéō, {pronounced pros-koo-neh’-o}, which means to prostrate oneself in homage, to reverence or adore. These men came to worship the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord. The only One Who is supposed to be worshiped is God Himself. Jesus told the devil in the wilderness:
Matthew 4:10 … thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve …
No one is to be worshiped, no one but God. Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is God. Though this is the first time Jesus is worshiped, this is NOT the only time He is worshiped – and RECEIVED that worship.
The leper worshiped Jesus (Matthew 8:2) A certain Ruler worshiped Jesus (Matthew 9:18) The disciples worshiped Jesus (Matthew 14:33) The Canaanite woman worshiped Jesus (Matthew 15:25) The mother of James and John worshiped Jesus (Matthew 20:20) The disciples worshiped the resurrected Jesus (Matthew 28:9,17)
Jesus Christ is worthy of all worship. He is to be adored, for He is the Door of salvation, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Father told the Angels:
Hebrews 1:6 … let all the angels of God worship him.
As a part of their worship, the Wise Men gave “treasures” to Jesus.
Matthew 2:11-12 … and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Again, tradition assumes that there are three Wise Men, because there are three gifts. Yet we do not know this. The gifts given to Jesus were very appropriate for the Messiah.
Gold has always been a precious metal. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-17). Once a year the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple where the Ark was kept, and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed animal onto the Mercy Seat on the lid of the Ark. This was to appease the wrath of God for the sins of His people (see Leviticus 16). From a practical standpoint, this gold would finance Joseph’s family as they fled to Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod.
Frankincense was obtained by making incisions in the bark of the trees of the genus Boswellia. The white resin or gum that was produced was mixed with (Exodus 30:34) “stacte, and onycha, and galbanum”. God told His people Israel to (Exodus 30:36-37) “beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord.” Burned as an incense by the priests, it symbolized the prayers of Israel rising up to God. Jesus Christ is not only our Messiah, He is our High Priest (see Hebrews 8:1; 9:11, 24), representing us unto God.
Myrrh was obtained like frankincense was, by slashing the bark of trees. Frankincense came from the genus Boswellia, whereas Myrrh came from the flowering trees of the genus Commiphora, of the incense-tree family (Burseraceae). When later in life Jesus was crucified, He would be offered myrrh to drink (Mark 15:23) to stupefy Him, making His crucifixion easier. Jesus would refuse to drink that myrrh, bearing the full weight of our sins on His body on that terrible tree! After Jesus died on the Cross, Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus would go to Pilate and get permission to take His body from that place. The Bible says in John 19:39-40 “{they} brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”
Jesus Is Saved, And A Terrible Prophecy Is Fulfilled
Matthew 2:13-15 when {the Wise Men} were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Matthew tells us that Jesus’ family temporary exile in Egypt was a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1. But next we see the evil of Herod fully exposed. Realizing that he had been betrayed, Herod ordered that Bethlehem be attacked:
Matthew 2:16-18 Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by {Jeremiah} the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
The Prophet Jeremiah foresaw this horrible massacre in:
Jeremiah 31:15 Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; {Rachel} weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
Why did God send His Son into the world? Because without Jesus, evil is unchecked. The life that rejects Christ as Lord and Savior can become as mean as Herod’s life was. Oh Beloved, this world needs Jesus. Oh Beloved, we all need Jesus. The Light of God led the Wise Men to Jesus. The Light of God beckons you to Jesus. If you do not know Him as Lord and Savior, I pray that this Christmas your focus is not on the presents under the tree … but the Presence of God Who died on the Tree. He gave Himself for you and for me. Trust Him. Believe He gave Himself for your sins. Obey the Gospel:
Romans 10:9-13 if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
May God touch your hearts with His Scripture, and His Holy Spirit. Amen and Amen!
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
God wants His people, saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to have the mind of Christ. We are to think like Jesus in a non-Jesus world. In another place the Apostle said:
1 Corinthians 2:16 … we have the mind of Christ
If all that Jesus Christ wanted to do is cover our sins, to save us from the wrath of God, He could have entered humanity as a full grown man. If salvation from sin was the only goal that God had for us, Jesus could have suddenly appeared at the Temple just prior to the crucifixion Passover. He could have surrendered to the Cross, being betrayed and executed on Calvary, all without being born in a manger. The Scripture says:
2 Corinthians 5:21 For {God} hath made {Jesus} to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Praise God for the Cross. Without the Cross of Calvary we could not be saved. But God wanted to do more than just save us. He wanted to show us the mind of Christ, to teach us how a godly person should live. It was not only to fulfill prophecy that Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem, and was raised in a nondescript town like Nazareth.
Jesus was born into humanity to show us what God expects of His Children.
Just as every loving parent has expectations and standards that they want their children to meet, God, our most Loving Father, has expectations and standards He wants us to meet. Jesus was born in a manger, a lowly place, but did not grow up with a chip on His shoulder. So many people are born poor – I remember poor as a child – and then, because of this environment, turn to crime. Some people use their childhood as a reason to act out. But Jesus was born in the lowest of places, and yet, continued to fulfill His purpose in God.
Jesus came to this earth, being born of a virgin, to show how much God loves us. But then Jesus grew up among humanity, showing us all what God expects us to be. Jesus came so that we might have life – abundant life. God wants us to more than just exist.
You must COME TO JESUS if you would have the ETERNAL life God wants to give you (John 5:40). You must MODEL JESUS if you would have the BLESSED life God wants to give you.
Did our Jesus not warn us:
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
There is a thief that wants to rob you of the life God wants you to have. This thief is the devil, the evil one, called in Scripture “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The greatest enemy to the Full Gospel of Christ, the one who seeks to rob us of the life that the True God wants to give us, is the devil and his dark systems of thought. When the Apostle called out the enemy of the Gospel, he spoke against the “god of this world”, saying:
2 Corinthians 4:3-5 …. if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
The devil is in an all out battle to seize the minds of as many people as possible. He wants to nullify the power of the Gospel. The Bible says that,
“As a person thinks in their heart, so that person is” (Proverbs 23:7)
Your Life In Christ Hangs On An IF
The unbeliever cannot know the blessed life that God has for those who believe in Jesus. The believer in Christ, however, has experienced His Grace. We have been in a low place, and God lifted us up. As God has done to YOU, YOU are to do to others. Read with me:
Philippians 2:1-2IF there be therefore any consolation in Christ, IF any comfort of love, IF any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
When telling us about the “mind of Christ”, the Apostle reminds the Christian what we experienced when we came to Jesus in faith. In the text the Apostle uses the word IF in three ways:
IF you, dear Christian, experienced CONSOLATION in Christ. The word “consolation” is the Greek παράκλησις paráklēsis, (pronounced par-ak’-lay-sis), which means “to come alongside and embrace so as to comfort”. When you came to Christ by faith, what did HE do for YOU? Did Jesus condemn you as a sinner, or did He come alongside you, and embrace you? I remember the day I was saved, how lost I was as I reached out to Jesus, how lonely life was. And as soon as I reached out, He reached out and grabbed my hand. He said, “David, I forgive you. David, I receive you. David, I adopt you into the Family of God”.
IF you, dear Christian, were COMFORTED by the love of God. Didn’t Jesus do the same for you, dear Christian?
IF you, dear Christian, were given the FELLOWSHIP of God. Didn’t Jesus not only love you in spite of yourself, but also send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God (John 14:16), to lift you up, and to abide with you forever? Didn’t Jesus bring to you “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)? The genuine Christian has felt the embrace of God at the point of salvation, and numerous times throughout our walk with Christ.
It is the mind of Christ to elevate, to bless. It is the devil’s way to denigrate, to curse. It is the mind of Christ to unite in love. It is the devil’s way to tear apart, to cause division. It is the mind of Christ to forgive, to embrace.
Beloved, as you have received, so are you to give. We who are Christians are to be like minded (like Jesus’ mind), having the same love (that Jesus has), being of one accord (as Jesus is with the Father), of one mind (as Jesus is with the Godhead).
You as Christians have experienced the UNMERITED love of God in Christ. As we have received, so are we to give. What are the Great Commandments, according to Jesus?
Matthew 22:37-40 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
When Jesus said “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”, He was emphasizing that THIS is what God our Creator intends us to be like. We are to love, fervently, passionately, as Christ loved and loves us. We are not to be like the world.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Word Study The word STRIFE, the Greek ἐριθεία eritheía, {pronounced er-ith-i’-ah} means to be partisan, electioneering, sneaking about politically, bringing divisiveness or factions. The word VAINGLORY, the Greek κενοδοξία kenodoxía, {pronounced ken-od-ox-ee’-ah}, means “to puff oneself up with empty pride”. A holy people following God cannot be arrogant, or self serving. The Christian, like Christ, needs to be constantly asking themselves:
How Can I Be a Practical Blessing To Others
Small minded “me first” people cannot do great things for God. Small minded “me first” people cannot be used of God. When God offered Israel the Promised Land, the people refused to go. They would rather protect themselves than live for God. The Lord’s response was, “Ok, then you’ll not go. You will wander 40 years until you die out, and your children shall go forth and be blessed”.
Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, BUT every man ALSO on the things of others.
God is not saying that we are not to take any time for ourselves. We should take time to feed and clothe ourselves. We should take time to rest ourselves. But do you see the words BUT and ALSO? Just as important as feeding ourselves is, it is important that we reach out, and do for others. If you have been blessed by Jesus Christ, by God the Holy Spirit, by the Heavenly Father, then you should strive to be a blessing to others.
Holiness Is The Pursuit Of Christ’s Mind
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
The phrase “Let this mind be in you” can also be translated “Have this attitude in yourselves”, or “Have the same mindset”. THE CHRISTIAN IS INDWELT WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. God is in you (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19). The Christian’s objective in this life is to be like Jesus, to pursue the mind of Christ. We do this by REMOVING anything from our lives that is not of His Will. We are told in …
Ephesians 4:22-24 put off concerning the former {way of life} the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The Christian is called to a new life in Christ. The old hateful ways are to be taken off, like old, dirty clothes. When we sin, we confess our sin to the Lord, and are restored to a right walk with Christ.
We who are Christians do not give ourselves over to fear or foolishness, we give ourselves over to faith.
Illustrate I was talking to a fellow the other day who was worried that he had the Coronavirus. I told him, “You can go to the Maury Health Department. They have a drive through testing area – you don’t even need to get out of your car!” His reply first was to look at me with wide eyes, saying, “Have YOU been tested?” I told him, yes I have. It’s a simple test. Go get it. He replied “I heard they push the q-tip up your nose so far they hit your brain! I’m not going!” I assured him that this was not the case, as I and my wife had been through the test. He wouldn’t listen. He would rather sit and worry, rather than take the available help. This is NOT THE MIND OF CHRIST.
Dr. Joe Pettigrew recently illustrated how we can drift from the mind of Christ. He wrote:
“The following article turned up in a newspaper: “A lady took my seat in church. She’s very nice… a good friend, in fact. I can sit anyplace; no big deal. My seat’s on the right as you enter the sanctuary. I can rest my arm on the end. It’s a good seat, but I wouldn’t raise a fuss about a seat… never hold a grudge. ACTUALLY, it was three months ago she took it and I really don’t know why. I’ve never done anything to her… never taken her seat. I SUPPOSE I’ll have to come an hour early to get my seat. She took it because it’s one of the best seats in the house. She’d no business taking it… and I’m not going to church two hours early to get what’s rightfully mine.”
As God’s children, dear Christians, we are not to let the devil hijack our thoughts. We are not to become his pawns. The Scripture reminds us:
2 Timothy 1:7 … God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. … God; 9 who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began
Illustrate It is easy to let our minds drift into bad territory. This can happen to the best of believers. The Priest Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth are very much part of the Christmas Story. You see, before Jesus Christ could come into humanity and be born of a virgin, God had to raise up a Herald who would go before Jesus. That Herald would be John the Baptist. John’s birth was just as carefully orchestrated by God as the birth of Jesus was. John would be born about 6 months ahead of the baby Jesus, and John would begin preaching about Jesus 6 months before our Lord was baptized in Jordan.
Zacharias and Elisabeth are John the Baptist’s parents.
Their story is very interesting. It is told in Luke 1:5-24. As Zacharias ministered in the Temple, serving at the altar of incense, the Bible says:
Luke 1:11-17 there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before {the Messiah} in the spirit and power of {Elijah}, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Zacharias had been praying his whole life for a child. Now God promises to give him a child – and not just a child, but a John the Baptist. God told John thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. John received a great gift from God. Did he rejoice?
No, he doubted. Zacharias doubted the power of God.
He asked the Angel, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” (Luke 1:18). Zacharias had lived in loss his whole life. Now hearing the promise of God, he could not receive it, but doubted. The Angel Gabriel replied:
Luke 1:19-20 I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
God made Zacharias a promise, a promise that he should have been overjoyed with. Instead his mind was trapped into doubt and despair. The Angel took away Zacharias’ voice until the day that John was born.
The devil uses fear and doubt to rob us of blessing. Reject him. Seek the Mind of Christ!
The Scripture tells us, as Christians, we are to be:
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
As goes our thoughts, so goes our life. Let us invite God into our minds. Let us turn off the television and the social networks, and open up our minds to the Word of God. Our God will transform us, if we but let Him (Romans 12:2).
Act Like Jesus To Think Like Jesus
Philippians 2:5-7 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
God showed us what a blessed life is in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus is “in the form of God”. Jesus Christ has been and will always be God. He is
“Our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)
We are told in Colossians 2:9, “In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in body form” (my paraphrase). Though Jesus Christ is Creator God (John 1:1-3, 14), He entered into this world “the form of a servant”. That little baby born in Bethlehem, was not born in a fine motel, but in a manger. His parents were not rich and powerful, but working class people. Jesus did not live in a big, notorious city like New York, New York. No, He grew up in a tiny place called Nazareth. He made Himself of no reputation. Jesus often said:
Matthew 20:26-28 whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
People, if you want to be happy you must do the things that Jesus has said to do. He told us:
John 13:15-17 For I have given you an example, that ye should DO as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye DO them.
Jesus Christ lived a life of service – not to Himself – but to us, to others. He did good where ever He went. He gave His life for us. The Apostle said:
Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus Christ came into this world – that baby in the manger – so that He could die for our sins. He gave Himself for us. Beloved, if He has given Himself for you, you are called of God to give yourself to others. The way to a happy life is a life of service. Not being served, but serving, doing, loving as Jesus loved. It is humility and loving service that impresses God. This is the lifestyle that is a polar opposite to that of the world.
Examine Yourselves: Are You Saved?
If you are saved, then you are saved to serve Jesus, to confess Him Lord. As the Apostle speaks of the life of Christ, and how we are to live like Jesus, he makes a very remarkable statement. He says:
Philippians 2:12-13 …. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure
The Apostle does not tell us to WORK FOR our own salvation. Salvation is something that no one can earn – it is a gift of God. There are so many wonderful verses that explain this:
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:5 … (by Grace ye are saved)
Romans 4:16 … {salvation} is of faith, that it might be by grace …
Romans 11:6 … {salvation} is by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
The Bible gives this promise, that
John 1:12-13 as many as received {Jesus}, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we become sons of God. Following that moment in time we are commanded to obey Him Who saved us, to imitate Him, to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). This is what makes a difference in the world, is the Christian WORKING OUT their faith, not WORKING FOR their faith. It you are God’s child by faith in His Son, you have received precious promises from God. Live OUT your faith so that others might see it. Live OUT your faith with fear and trembling. What you, dear Christians, do is what will change the world. If you are saved, be like Jesus. When you fail, confess your sin to God. Get up, and be like Jesus. DO the things He said do, and you will be happy and blessed.
May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit.
Luke 1:26-29 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
What does love look like? Everyone wants love. The bulk of most songs we hear deal with love, and relationships. Years ago when I was young, one of the groups I listened to called Foreigner did a song entitled “I Want To Know What Love Is”. In the chorus of that song the group said:
I want to know what love is, I want you to show me I want to feel what love is, I know you can show me
There is Someone Who can show us what love is. We all need love, and need to love. We see what love is in the true story of our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth. Let’s look at this recounting one more time.
Luke 1:26-29 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Love Fulfills It’s Promises
Every word is important in the Bible. We start out with “in the sixth month”. The “sixth month” is very important. In order for Christ to come, before He came His prophesied Herald would have to come. 700 years before this moment the Prophet said that the Herald would come:
Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
The King of Kings, God Almighty, will write Himself into humanity. But the King must have a Herald. The Prophet Malachi also saw the Herald:
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
Six months prior to this moment, the Angel Gabriel comes to Zacharias and Elisabeth, and tells them that they will have this Herald. The same Gabriel now comes to Mary 6 months later to bring her good news. God’s Plans cannot be thwarted.
Isaiah 14:27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who shall {stop} it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back.
“God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son” (John 3:16). This Son was “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) to come and dwell among us. The Apostle said:
Galatians 4:3-5 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.
Love Reaches Out To The Lowly
The time for the sending of God’s Son had come. It was six months after Elisabeth became pregnant with John the Baptist. Gabriel did not go to Jerusalem, the Holy City. He did not go to a well known place, or a powerful place. When God came into the world, He would come “unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth”. Nazareth is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. Bethlehem is mentioned as the birthplace of the Messiah. But not Nazareth. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” is a question often on the lips of people (John 1:46). Nazareth was perhaps the least of all the towns in Israel. And yet, God sent Gabriel to Nazareth. Not to New York City. Not to New Jersey. To Nazareth. A humble place. The angel comes to a young virgin named Mary, engaged to an unknown carpenter working in Nazareth.
Luke 1:27-29 … the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
I find this very interesting. The Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is highly favored. This is the Greek χαριτόω charitóō, {pronounced khar-ee-to’-o}, which means “to be given special honor”. The Lord God was going to bestow a special honor upon Mary. “Blessed art thou among women”. Mary would be given the greatest honor that a woman ever had. What I find most interesting is that Mary is not shocked at the Angel’s appearance. We are told, “Mary was troubled AT HIS SAYING”. She was not troubled at his appearance, but with what he said. Why was this? Because Mary was a believer, a person well acquainted with our Heavenly Father. What was it that her Father wanted her to do? The Angel continues:
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found FAVOR with God.
Word Study The word translated FAVOR is the Greek χάρις cháris, {pronounced khar’-ece}. Mary had found GRACE. Grace is unmerited favor from God. Mary was saved by Grace, and it is Grace that now chooses her to be the vessel by which the Savior will come.
What is Nazareth to the world? Nothing! Who is Mary to the world? Nobody! Love Reaches Out To All!
When Jesus came, when …
John 1:14 … the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Grace is Heaven’s coin. Grace is God’s way. Mary loved the Lord. She was saved by Grace, and love Him by Grace. Now God in His Grace decides Mary would be the vessel by which He would “become flesh”. When we love God, and follow Him by Grace, He will call on us to show our love. The Angel tells Mary:
Luke 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Mary is told “you shall conceive in your womb”. This is something Mary her self cannot do. No woman can “concieve in her womb”. She must have the donation of a man in order to conceive – that’s basic biology. But this child is different from any other child ever born. This child is JESUS. His name means “Yahweh our Savior”. Jesus’ birth is the fulfillment of the promise God made in the Garden of Eden. He told the serpent, that old devil:
Genesis 3:15 … I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The “seed of the woman”, the Messiah, would come from a virgin birth. Jesus would “become flesh and dwell among us” (John 1:14) through the supernatural birth of Jesus. As the Prophet said:
Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (meaning, God with us).
Jesus is “the Son of the Highest”. He is God the Son become flesh. The Angel says, “the Lord God shall give Him the Throne of His father David”. Jesus is from the lineage of King Davids. He is the fulfillment of the promise that God made to David,
1 Chronicles 17:11-14 it shall come to pass, when thy {O David} days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. 13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: 14 but I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.
The Child that Mary would bear would be the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant! Jesus is “the Son of the Highests .. and of His Kingdom there shall be no end”. What a wonderful blessed truth this is. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords would enter humanity. He would enter through a lowly virgin, and be raised in a lowly place.
Mary does not doubt God, but she is curious. Again, I find this amazing. When Gabriel came to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, the Bible says:
Luke 1:12-13 … when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias…
Mary, on the other hand, is excited but curious. She asks a good question.
Love Does The Impossible
Luke 1:34 … How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Mary knows her basic biology! She has never been intimate with any man, but is chaste, awaiting the consummation of her marriage. How can a virgin have a Child such as Jesus? The Angel tells her:
Luke 1:35-37 … The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 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.
Among humanity, it is not possible for a woman to have a child without the seed of man. But God the Holy Spirit would bring a miracle in Mary. She would experience the power of God, for with God, nothing is impossible.
I want you to think about this. You are a young girl, perhaps just a teenager, who will soon be pregnant. You are not growing up in a permissive and liberal society like America. You are growing up in ancient Israel, under the harsh laws of the Torah. A young woman, pregnant, and without a husband, would certainly be ostracized. Mary’s family would probably disown her. Joseph would probably divorce her. She might have been run out of town. Yet her words were simply:
Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary does not know how God will do what He will do. She doesn’t know what is to come. But she trusts God, and is willing to be the “handmaid of the Lord”.
Mary does not doubt the Lord, but knows that her elderly cousin Elisabeth – well advanced in years – is with child. Elisabeth is carrying the Herald, and Mary the Son of God. So she doesn’t hesitate – she goes to Elisabeth’s home to help her out. I remember when Sherry was 6 months pregnant, and how hard it was for her to do the simplest of things. I had to help her. Mary goes to help Elisabeth.
Luke 1:39-45 Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
There is no indication in the Scripture that anyone – even the Angel Gabriel – told Elisabeth that Mary would be bearing the Messiah. The Angel has just told Mary about it. So Mary goes to Elisabeth’s home, and as soon as Mary enters the home, Elisabeth knows that Mary is carrying the Messiah. To those who tell me the Fetus is no life until it is born, I love to point out this text. The Fetus in Mary would have been in the earliest stages of development, and yet it was the Lord Jesus. And the baby John, still in his mother’s womb, jumped for joy at the presence of Mary and Jesus. The baby John jumped for joy, according to Elisabeth. Life is precious in the womb. Life is precious, even if still in the embryo stage, as Jesus no doubt was.
Love Is Not Self Centered, But God Centered
Mary has been told by the Angel Gabriel that she has been given exceptional favor from God. Mary now hears her cousin Elisabeth acknowledge her special place in God’s Plan. But Mary does not go all egotistical on us. She does not become puffed up with pride.
Mary praises God! She says:
Luke 1:46-47 … my soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Mary does not boast on what she has. She boasts on God. There are some who believe that Mary had some special construction that made her sinless. Yet this is not true. The Bible says:
Romans 3:23 … all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The Bible says that, compared to God,
Isaiah 64:6 … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Mary knows that she is a sinner saved by Grace. She magnifies God. She says “my spirit hath rejoiced IN GOD MY SAVIOR”. If Mary were sinless, she would not require a savior. But she needs a Savior, as do we all. Since the Bible says:
Romans 5:12 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Oh Beloved, “By MAN came DEATH” (1 Corinthians 15:21). So God now bypasses Man, fallen Man, and creates in Mary a sinless Man named Jesus. This child Mary would bear …
Hebrews 4:15 … was in all points tempted like as we are, yet WITHOUT SIN
This Child that Mary would bear will grow up to be the Sin Bearer. Because God loves us, He sent Jesus. The Bible says:
Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
No, Mary was not sinless. She was a believer, one who looked unto God for salvation. Her Son will be the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Mary does not magnify herself, but magnifies God.
Luke 1:48-50 For {God} hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Mary speaks of her “low estate”, the Greek ταπείνωσις tapeínōsis, {pronounced tap-i’-no-sis}, which means “pitiful” or “vile”. The Apostle Paul used the same word when he spoke of the future resurrection of the saints, saying:
Philippians 3:21 {God} shall change our VILE {tapeínōsis} body, that it may be fashioned like unto His {Jesus’} glorious body …
Mary is not puffed up with what God has promised to her. She humbles herself before God, showing us that God chose the right vessel for the Christ’s birth. Our bodies are indeed VILE. But God in love will one day raise up His Children, and then we shall be VILE no more. Mary shows us the strength of humility. She is surrendered to the Lord, willing to do whatever God would require of her.
Oh Beloved, what a wonderful thing it is to surrender to the Love of God. The Apostle said that the secret of joy in this life is the surrendered life.
2 Corinthians 12:10 … when I am WEAK, then am I STRONG
God will do great things with us if we would but humble ourselves before Him.
God does not save a man standing up. God saves a man kneeling. God empowers a man willing.
God was able to do the impossible with Mary because she was willing and surrendered. God will do the impossible with anyone who is willing and surendered.
Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, “The Christian faith addresses itself to theneed for regeneration—for the forgiveness of sins; for a new life, a new heart; a new way, a new day.” What God is doing in Mary is a new thing. What God will do in you is a new thing, if you will but turn to Him. Mary continues her beautiful prayer:
Luke 1:51-53 {God} hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
To those who are self-sufficient, proud, mighty, or arrogantly rich in the things of this world, God has nothing for you. God scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts. God puts down the mighty from their seats. But if you are lowly, humble, willing, God will bless you. What does God say?
John 7:37 … If any {one} thirsts, let him come to Me and drink
Revelation 22:17 the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
To those who are thirsty, if you come to the Lord, He will quench your thirst. As Mary did, make yourself available to God even when what He asks doesn’t make sense. Like Peter’s boat filled with fish, sink in your own esteem as God blesses you. Be like the Baptist who said “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The river called Pride has drowned more Christians than any other body of water. Put your pride away and do as God bids you to do. The root of false theology is found in putting my desires above God’s Will.
Luke 1:54-55 {God} hath {given help to} His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; as He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
God never changes. His love is never ending. He loves you, and has shown His love in the supernatural birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you do not know Him as Savior, then I beg you, come to Him today. Do not delay. Surrender to His love. He is the very definition of love. May God touch your hearts with His Word and His Spirit. Amen and Amen.
Psalm 46:1-2 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear ….
As I read through the Psalms, and even through the prayers of the patriarchs throughout our Bible, I am struck by the fact that no one starts out their prayers with, “God, I want”. Those old saints who knew best, knew that as humans we do not need more stuff. We also do not need more comfort. But we do need more of God.
The Most Successful And Blessed People Are Those Who Want More Of God
Read through your Bibles. God met with Moses at the burning bush, commissioning him to go and tell Pharaoh “Let My People Go” (Exodus 3:1-10). God gave Moses the power to bring ten plagues upon Egypt. As Moses led Israel out of Egypt, God went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:22). God led Israel through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13) as if on dry land. The Lord fed Israel manna, bread from heaven (Exodus 16:15). God told Moses to come up on Mount Sinai to receive His Law, written with God’s own hand (Exodus 31:18). After all these magnificent things, with even
Exodus 33:11 …. the Lord speaking to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend …
still Moses asked God
Exodus 33:18 … I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
Moses did not want more stuff. He wanted more of God, to know more of God. And consider King David of Israel. God called David when he was but a shepherd (Psalm 78:70). God blessed David with victory after victory. God enabled David to kill Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4), and later in life promised David that the Messiah would come from his lineage (2 Samuel 7:13). Having had blessing after blessing, David prayed:
Psalm 25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. 5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
It is God that we need. Not just on Sunday, but every day. Not just when we are in a valley, but up on the mountaintop. We need God because we are so terribly weak. At least, I am. I need Him more every single day that He grants me life.
We Are All Weak, But God Is Strong
Many times when we read the Psalms, we neglect to read the “Headers”. This Psalm starts with this header:
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.
This song is “to the chief Musician for the sons of Korah”. The sons of Korah were singers among the Levites, what we might call worship leaders. Korah himself was Moses’ nephew. He led a rebellion against Moses, trying to take over leadership of Israel (Numbers 16:1ff). God initially wanted to destroy all of Israel for this rebellion, but Moses prayed, and asked for Grace for Israel. God told Israel to separate themselves from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Following this, God caused the earth to open up, and to swallow all those who stood in rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16:31-33). However, God did NOT kill the sons of Korah.
Numbers 26:11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.
God did not destroy the innocent with the guilty, but, as He has said,
Deuteronomy 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Though their father behaved shamefully, the sons of Korah continued to sing to the glory of God. The musical note “A Song upon Alamoth”, according to Easton’s Bible Dictionary:
“{this is} a musical term (1 Chronicles 15:20), denoting that the Psalm which bears this inscription (Psalm 46:1-11) was to be sung by soprano or female voices.”
I suspect the Psalm was sung this way because, in ancient Israel, most choirs were entirely of men. By making the Psalm to be sung only by women it emphasized that power in life does not come from human strength. It is God’s power that gives us the ability to prevail. The Lord spoke through the Prophet in another place, saying:
Jeremiah 17:5-7 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like the {bush} in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
The strongest person is not the person who can lift the most, or endure the most. The strongest person is the one who knows the Lord, and knows to run to the Lord when tried.
Psalm 46:1 God is our REFUGE and STRENGTH, a very present help in trouble.
God is our REFUGE, the Hebrew מַחֲסֶה machăçeh, (pronounced makh-as-eh’), our “Shelter, Refuge, Place of Security”. The same word is used in:
Psalm 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my REFUGE {machăçeh} is in God.
Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my TRUST {machăçeh} in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.
Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my REFUGE {machăçeh} and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Just as a refuge was a fortress, a tower, or a place of high walls, our God is a fortress, a tower, and a place of high walls. Resting in Him we have blessing and hope. God saved Israel because He loved her. He cast down entire nations in Israel’s defense. Will not God protect you, dear Christians, having shed the Blood of His own dear Son for your salvation?
We may be tried, but we are not to fret, fear, and foolishly worry over what is to come. We are a delivered and cherished people!
The Scripture says that God has
Colossians 1:13-14 … delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins
God did the greatest thing He could do for us at the point of our salvation. He gave His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Having saved us, we are to remember that we are precious to Him. Jesus Christ is God the Father’s BELOVED SON, in Whom He is well pleased (2 Peter 1:17). As Jesus gave Himself for you, you are also Beloved of God for His sake.
Our power is in God. Our strength is in Jesus. Sometimes we forget this.
In 1 Chronicles 21 we see what happens when we forget our strength is not in us, but in our God to Whom we run. The Bible tells us that:
1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
It was the devil that whispered, “Hath God really said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”. With that whisper came the fall of humanity into sin. Satan whispers in our ears, encouraging us to doubt God, or to inflate our own ego. David told his right hand man Joab:
Numbers 21:2 … Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
Joab knew what was in the heart of David. David began to think that all the battles he had won were because of his own prowess, or because his army was bigger than anyone else’s army. Joab warned David:
Numbers 21:3 The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
I wish I had had a Joab to stand up and warn me all the times that I thought it was about ME, instead of being about God IN me. A Joab is a good friend who warns us when pride comes. As the Bible says:
Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Because David forgot that the blessings he had were from God, the Lord punished Israel (1 Chronicles 21:14-15) by killing 70,000 men. Let us not follow in King David’s footsteps, at least, not in this pride. As God told Zerubbabel:
Zechariah 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
When trials come in life, always remember “God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble”. Do not try to fix it before you run to God. Trust Him Who saved you. When Job, that dear old Saint, lost all that he had, he would not curse God and die as his evil wife suggested (Job 2:9). He ran to his Refuge and Strength, saying:
Job 1:21 Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Our God Is Never Far Away
Psalm 46:1-2 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though King David messed up when he numbered Israel, his head was in the right place when he came upon Goliath. Israel was gathered together to do battle against Philistia at Shochoh, when the Philistines sent out their champion, Goliath. Goliath is described in 1 Samuel 17:4-7. The Bible tells us that the tip of his spear weighed 18 pounds. Goliath was about 9 feet tall – a giant of a man. He was powerful as well. His metal armor weighed 157 pounds.
As everyone else looked at Goliath and trembled, David looked at God Who was beside him and rested. When King Saul doubted David’s ability to defeat the giant, he said:
1 Samuel 17:37 … The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
The Lord our God was near David when he was guarding the sheep at night. The God Who gave David the ability to stop the lion and the bear would surely saved David from a bear of a man! David trusted in God – and Goliath lost his head that very day. Beloved, our God is near.
Stop listening to the whispers of Satan. Stop believing his lies. If your heart is shriveled with fear, God cannot use you to change the world. Look at the God Who saved you – and believe that He saves you still!
When the Prophet Elijah stood before 450 false prophets, and all of Israel, he did not allow the numbers against him to influence what he believed. Elijah knew that God is near, and that God is able. He told the false prophets:
1 Kings 18:24 … call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
God is near. God is near! He is not asleep at the wheel, but has promised “ I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5). Our Jesus has promised,
Matthew 28:20 …. lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
If God is with us – and He is – and God is greater than Anyone – and He is – then we need not fear.
Psalm 46:2-3 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. SELAH.
The Bible tells us not to fear. Some 365 times throughout Scripture we are told, “Fear Not”. When we fear, we are implying that God does not love us. But God does love us. The Apostle said:
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
When we fear, we forget the faithfulness of God. But our God is there. He is right in the middle of it all with us.
Do you see the word SELAH? The word means “REST”. When we are tried, we need to REALIZE our limitations, then RUN to the Lord Who loves us. Hiding in His love, we are to REST in His embrace. Trust God, trust the Lord Jesus in your trial. He will not forsake you.
Psalm 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
God is with His people. He has promised this in so many different ways. Jesus told us:
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Someone once asked me, “Why do you go to Church?” My response is, “Because Jesus loves the Church. But also, because I need the fellowship of the others.” I just received a call from an unchurched family seeking “Christmas for her kids”. They have hit hard times. I receive calls like this frequently throughout the year, every year since I have been in ministry. People who have no concern for the Lord, and have been through valleys of despair.
Beloved, I need my Church family. I need others around me to remind me to look to Jesus when I am tried. I need the WE of the Scripture, the Church that Jesus so loves. The Apostle said:
Romans 8:31-39 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is with us, if we are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26).
Psalm 46:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. SELAH.
In verse 3 we saw a SELAH, or “Rest”. Now in verse 7 we see a SELAH, or a “Rest”. The “Lord of Hosts” is with us – the God Who made all things, Who controls the angelic hosts, He is with us. REST. Rest in Him. God ends the Psalm with these wonderful words:
Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
We are not to fear. We are to glorify our God, to exalt Him, to lift Him up. Run to Him. Rest in Him. But do not fear. Our God is able! May He touch your hearts with His Spirit and His Word. Amen and Amen.
Every year around this time we focus on the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. His birth is unique among the births of all other children from the beginning of time. The birth of Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise God made to the devil in Genesis 3:15. The Lord promised the devil, that old serpent (Revelation 12:9; 20:2):
“I will make you, you old serpent, and the woman enemies. Your seed and the seed of the woman will be enemies. The seed of the woman will crush your head – and you shall bruise His heel.” (my paraphrase of Genesis 3:15)
This “Seed of the Woman” is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He Who was born of a virgin, fulfilling the prophecy of Scripture:
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
As the Christmas story goes, a Jewish Carpenter named Joseph discovered his wife to be Mary was pregnant – and they had not yet come together to consummate their marriage. Joseph decided to put his wife away – to give her a bill of divorce – but to do it privately. He did not want Mary harmed. As Joseph dreamed that night the Angel Gabriel came to him, saying:
Matthew 1:20-25 But while {Joseph} 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. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
The Apostle Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14 when he refers to the child that the virgin Mary is carrying. The Angel tells Joseph to name the coming Child “Jesus”. But then Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, telling us that the virgin born Child would be named Immanuel. So why didn’t Joseph name Jesus, “Immanuel”? Is this a discrepancy in the Scripture? No, not at all.
The short answer to the question is “Jesus” is our Lord’s human name, but “Immanuel” is one of our Lord’s Divine Names.
“Immanuel” Is Jesus’ Divine Name, But “Jesus” Is Immanuel’s Human Name
In the Old Testament God describes Himself with a variety of names, each one meant to explain to us who and how God is.
Humans have only one name, though we may have nicknames by which we are known. God introduces Himself with many different names.
When God called Moses to follow Him, and to go to Pharaoh to present God’s demand, “Let My people go”, Moses asked God:
Genesis 3:13-14 … when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
God is “I AM”, always present, never ending. He has always existed, and will always exist. He is the Great and Eternal “I AM”. But this is not the only name God uses of Himself. God calls Himself:
ELOHIM (the Godhead): In the beginning ELOHIM created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)
YAHWEH ELOHIM (the Lord God): … in the day that the LORD GOD made heaven and earth (Genesis 2:4)
EL SHADDAY (God Almighty): The Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am EL SHADDAY (Genesis 17:1-2)
EL BETEL (the God of Bethel): … God said to me in a dream, Jacob … I am EL BETEL
YAHWEH MEKADDESH (the Lord Who Sanctifies): The Lord spoke to Moses … I am YAHWEH QADASH (Exodus 31:12-13)
I could continue on, but you see the point. God uses many different names for Himself to describe His power and authority to us.
The Bible also uses many different names for our Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In addition to Immanuel (God with us), the Prophet said of Jesus:
As we studied this morning in Isaiah 9:6, “His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace. Isaiah gave not just Immanuel (God with us) as a Divine name for the Messiah, but four more names in this text. Each name describes the power and authority of our Lord Jesus.
When Gabriel went to the virgin Mary to tell her of her pregnancy and future child, he told her in Luke 1:31-32 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. The Messiah’s human name is JESUS, but His divine name here is SON OF THE HIGHEST.
The Prophet Jeremiah saw the Messiah as “a King Who reigns wisely”. He went on to say “and this is the name by which He will be called: The LORD is our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6)
When John the Revelator introduces “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth”, Jesus then describes Himself in Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. He uses two names to Divine names to describe Himself to us.
“Jesus” is the human name that our Lord was given, but He has taken to Himself many other Divine Names, each describing an aspect of His power and authority. But this brings me to a second question:
What Is The Significance Of The Name “Jesus”?
God is quite specific on naming the baby “Jesus”. He told Joseph:
Matthew 1:21 … thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
And God tells Mary:
Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Why is Jesus called “Jesus”? We are told by Gabriel as he speaks to Joseph:
“For He shall save His people from their sins”
The name “Jesus” is very interesting, because there is an Old Testament “Jesus” and a New Testament “Jesus”.
The name “Jesus” comes from the Greek Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs, (pronounced ee-ay-sooce’). This would be the Gentile form of His Name. The same name in Hebrew would be יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ, (pronounced yeh-ho-shoo’-ah or the shortened form Yeshua), that is, Joshua (. For all intents and purposes “Jesus” is interchangeable with “Joshua”. To the Hebrew, Jesus would be “Joshua”. To the Gentile, Joshua would be “Jesus”. The names are paralleled. Now you understand why I said there is an Old Testament Jesus, and a New Testament Jesus.
Whether Joshua (Yeshua) or Jesus (Iēsous), the name means “Yahweh Is Salvation”
In the Old Testament God’s people were called Israel. To Israel came the Law. When God sent Moses to Israel to secure their release, it was by faith Israel was saved. Israel had to do as God said, acting in faith, if they were to be blessed and released from bondage. The Blood of the Lamb was put on the entryway of their homes. By faith Israel killed the Lamb. By faith Israel marked their homes with Blood. It was the blood of the Lamb that saved Israel.
When Israel left Egypt, it was God’s intent to carry them through the Red Sea, through the Jordan, and into the land of Canaan. God had promised this land to Abraham and his descendants many years before:
Genesis 15:18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
The Land of Canaan did not belong to the pagan people known as the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, or the Jebusites. God owns the land – all the land, regardless as to what human documents may say. The Scripture declares,
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
God headed Israel toward the Promised Land – but Israel did not have faith in God. They allowed what was going on in the land around them to influence their faith. They did not look up to God. Even Moses failed God in faith. When the Israelis murmured against God at a place called Meribah, Moses asked God what to do. God told Moses:
Numbers 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Moses was but to speak to the Rock. The Bible tells us “This Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). The Rock represented our Jesus Christ, resurrected from the Grave. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well:
John 4:14 … whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Our Lord Jesus gives Living Water – the Holy Spirit of God – to all who are thirsty. Jesus said:
John 7:38-39 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Moses was to but speak to the Rock, to speak to Jesus, and living water would flow! Yet Moses struck the Rock, disobeying God. Because of this God told Moses, “You will not enter the Promised Land”.
To Enter The Promised Land, Believer, You Must Follow Yeshua
When Moses – who represented the Law of God – failed to enter the Promised Land, who was his replacement to lead God’s people? It was Yeshua – Joshua. God made promises to Yeshua. He said:
Joshua 1:2-5 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
God gave the Old Testament Joshua (Yeshua) a very simple rule for power and victory. Yeshua was told to go forth in faith, knowing by faith three things:
God will be with you, God will not fail you, God will not forsake you.
Israel was to follow the Old Testament Yeshua/ Joshua, as the Old Testament Yeshua/ Joshua followed God. God said, “Step out on faith – I am there for you. I will not fail you. I will not forsake you. Just follow Me”. Everywhere the Old Testament Yeshua/ Joshua went, there was victory. There was only one blemish on his record, and that was when sin came into the camp. In Joshua 7:1 God’s people took to themselves that which was forbidden – and the Israelis lost, terribly lost the battle of Ai. Once Joshua uncovered where the sin was, he eradicated the sin, and from that point on Israel was blessed. Every Jew knew the story of the Old Testament Joshua. The Old Testament Joshua/ Yeshua (Yahweh is our Savior) lived a wonderful life, and led Israel (God’s people) into victory after victory.
Joshua/ Yeshua was a national hero to Israel. Every school child learned of Joshua, and the greatness that Israel achieved under his leadership.
Sixty three years before Jesus became incarnate (in the flesh) through the virgin Mary, Jerusalem was put under siege by Roman General Pompey the Great. At the end of the siege Judea (Southern Israel) was incorporated into the Roman Empire. When Joseph discovered his wife Mary was with child, he and all of Israel had been in Roman bondage and occupation for 63+ years.
Imagine this: For your ENTIRE LIFE all you have known of Israel is that it is subjected to the Gentiles. You grew up hearing about Yeshua/ Joshua, and hearing about how Israel had once achieved greatness in Canaan because of faith in God. Joseph’s father Jacob told him all about Israel’s great past. Joseph’s grandfather Matthan told him all about Yeshua, and the wonderful days when Israel was great. Israel was great because Israel followed Yeshua/ Joshua as he followed God.
But now? Israel is under Roman Rule. It has been under Roman rule for 63 years. The Temple was not built by Israel, but was built by Herod, the puppet Governor of Jerusalem . It is a Gentile built and Gentile funded structure.
The days are darkest. Now Joseph discovers that his Mary is pregnant – and they have not even come together yet. Oh, how dark Joseph’s spirit had to be! Then Gabriel comes. In the blackest of night, the light of God shines brightly. Now listen to what the Angel says as if you were Joseph:
Matthew 1:20-25 … 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.
What the New Testament, written in the Gentile language called “Greek”, we hear that the Baby to be born of Mary is JESUS. But what Joseph hears is in the Hebrew. God tells him, “You shall call His name YESHUA (Joshua): for He shall save His people from their sins”.
Imagine what Joseph is thinking. “Joshua – my Son is going to be another Joshua!” This would hit him like a ton of bricks!
Once You Understand The Significance Of The Name Of “Jesus/ Joshua”, You Understand More Of The Significance Of The Scripture
The Angel told Joseph:
Matthew 1:21 … thou shalt call his name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
Those who followed Joshua in the Old Testament were blessed. Those who stood against Joshua in the Old Testament were cursed. Those who follow Jesus, the New Testament Joshua, are blessed. Those who do not follow Jesus, the New Testament Joshua, are cursed. Our nation will never be blessed while we follow the ways of the “Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites”. We must follow Jesus, the New Testament Joshua. We must rest in Him.
To Be Blessed, You Must Follow Yeshua. This Is Not Optional!
The Old Testament Joshua gave the people of God a limited blessing, a limited rest. Why? Because even though Joshua led Israel to successfully take the land of Canaan, Joshua could not change the hearts of the people. Joshua’s leadership – just like every politician that has ever existed – can only do so much with broken people. God must change the hearts. It was the hardened hearts of Israel that led them from victory to Roman captivity. It is the hardened heart of a people that keeps them from the blessings of God.
When Jesus began His ministry, and as God the Holy Spirit healed people through Jesus, excitement built up around Him. So many people saw Jesus – Yeshua – as another Joshua. They thought that Jesus came to lead them from Roman rule an into Israeli independence. In John 6, when Jesus fed above 5000 people with five barley loaves and 2 small fish (John 6:9), the Bible says:
John 6:14-15 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Yeshua – the New Testament Joshua – fed above 5000 people with very little provisions. He would make a great King. So the crowd thought they could force Him to be their King, and as a mighty King, Yeshua could free Israel from Roman bondage. They thought that Jesus could bring peace into Israel just as they were. Beloved, the problem of humanity is not the environment. It is the human heart. It is the heart enslaved to sin.
It is the heart enslaved to sin that led Israel away from God time and time again. Our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the King of Kings and Lord of Lords:
1 Timothy 6:13-16 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.
Our Jesus – Yeshua – is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There will come a day when He will rule on this earth. But Jesus did not come the first time to conquer our enemies. When Pilate asked Jesus, “Are You a King?”, Jesus said:
John 18:36-37 … My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Jesus Christ – Yeshua – was born into humanity to lead us from the devil’s lie, and into the truth and the Light of God our Savior. He came to save a people, that, whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus came preaching the Kingdom. The Old Testament Joshua led a broken people into a Promised Land. The New Testament people came to change hearts, to turn us from the darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Turn with me in your Bibles to Hebrews 4. The Book of Hebrews is very interesting, because it shows how the Old Testament shadows are fulfilled in the New Testament Jesus. In Hebrews 4 the Author warns against doing what the Old Testament Jew did under Joshua’s leadership. God tells us:
Hebrews 4:8-12 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The word “Jesus” in verse 8 is a reference to the Old Testament Yeshua/ Joshua. Joshua could lead Israel to a temporary rest, a taking of the land of Canaan for a time. But after a time, Israel (God’s people), lost this rest because of sin in their hearts. They departed from God in their faith, and lost the blessings of Canaan. Israel lost the Promised Land because of sin. Yet the Hebrews text tells us,
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God
Israel’s bondage under Rome was because of Israel’s sin. But this does not mean that God has abandoned His people. Absolutely not! There remains a rest for the people of God. That “rest” is in the New Testament Joshua – Jesus Christ our Lord. We “rest” in His Word. We trust in His provision. We know that He has conquered the world, and do not fear. How do we attain this rest? The Bible says:
Hebrews 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief
We LABOR to enter into THAT REST. We struggle against ourselves, forcing ourselves to dwell on what Jesus has said, to do as the Master has commanded. This is the REST we LABOR to go into – our REST in Jesus. It is often a struggle. Even among the saved, there is a struggle. The devil, through media, television, and Internet, tells us to forsake the way of the Master and to follow the popular path. Beloved I tell you,
Matthew 7:13 … wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
It was the “wide gate” of public opinion that caused Israel to lose the Promised Land. But, as Jesus said:
Matthew 7:14 … strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
How do we govern our lives? Where do we place our minds? We place them on the Word of God. We both HEAR and DO what our God has told us. We must get back to the Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 … the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword
God loves us, and wants only the best for us. If we will be victorious, let us give our hearts and minds to Jesus. Let us trust in what He said. Let us both HEAR and DO His good pleasure. This is the way to reclaim our land. This is the way we as God’s Church will lead America out of the horrid hole it has gotten itself into.
We need Jesus, and His Word, as Lord over our lives. Let us follow Him with all that we have. For Christ’s sake I pray. Amen and amen.
