We Have Seen His Star

The light showed the way to the Promised Land and the way to Emmanuel.

Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.

We saw in the previous post that God is always in control, it is difficult to understand this idea, but somehow this is true even when he is allowing us to have free will. We saw this truth in action in the life of Balaam, we learned that God let him have his way so that he could use this unwilling false prophet.

God shows us in his word that he is sovereign at all times and he will use anyone to work out his divine plans and his purpose despite our free will. We saw that Balaam had no desire to bless God's people and he certainly had no desire to announce the ultimate blessing.

Balaam's prophecies concluded with one of the earliest predictions of the Messiah:

• A Savior that would be the redeemer of God's people, the Star that would bring light to our darkness.
• A Ruler that would be the Lord of God's people, the Scepter would establish an eternal kingdom.

Each time that God came to Balaam there wasn't anything spectacular about it, God spoke to him like he had done so many times before in scripture, it was just a normal conversation. There are plenty of times when this was true like when God spoke to Adam and Eve, or to Abraham, or Hagar or Jacob. (Genesis 3:8-9, 6:13, 12:1, 16:7-12, 28:12) 

But that was not always the case, as we will see, sometimes God's presence was very visible.

The Light To The Chosen

1 John 1:5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

Sometimes when God interacted with people, his presence was an impressive display of light so spectacular that it is amazing that he interacted with some people without his glory being on display.

Abraham was the first to directly experience God's glorious light, not the first time when God called him from his homeland but later when God showed himself in a ceremony to confirm the covenant to bless Abraham's descendants. (Genesis 15)

Moses saw the light as it got his attention when God's glory caused a bush to light up as if it were on fire yet it was not consumed. The voice from withing the bush makes it clear that the source of the light was not natural. (Exodus 3:1-5)

God's people saw the light as it led them away from the darkness of Egypt to the land that was promised. But first the light led them to Mount Sinai where they saw the light as a sign of God's presence.

And now we will see the same Light that was revealed to God's chosen people throughout the Torah will also guide the nations to the new Promised Land. (Isaiah 9:2; 60:1–3).

The Light Of Christmas

Matthew 2:2,9-10 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

The same God that occupied the mountain in the wilderness came without the grand entrance that he deserved to occupy a lowly manger in Bethlehem. It seems that the Light was revealed only to a very select group of people that God chose. 

The men that saw the star were not part of God's original chosen people, none of the Jews, including the religious leaders in Jerusalem seem to know anything about the star even after the Magi asked about it. Even if they looked outside for it, they may have missed it because the star did not always appear or maybe the star wasn't for them.

The special star that led them to Bethlehem reminds me of the Old Testament pillar of fire that gave direction to a specific people to go to a specific place. Think about the unique characteristics of the pillar, it appeared and disappeared, it moved in various directions and it started and stopped at various times and locations. 

It is very unlikely that either of these lights were natural, it seems to me that God's glorious presence that led his people in the Old Testament is the same source of light that led the Magi. It makes more sense that God was personally guiding these men in a similar manner instead of trying to explain the source of light as a natural star or astronomical event. 

The understated entrance didn't confuse the Magi, they knew this was divine revelation that the King of the Jews was here, they had anticipated this event because they knew God's word, they knew that this wasn't an ordinary star and this was no ordinary baby. 

Once again, God chose to guide men on the right path as he did for his people in the wilderness, but this time he is lighting the way for the nations to come to him. (Psalms 119:105, Isaiah 60:3, Matthew 28:19)

The Light Of The World

John 3:19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil."

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

The light showed the way to the Promised Land and it showed the way to Emmanuel. The same God that said "Let there be light" was now with us in our world as the Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death for anyone who follows Him.

When Jesus announced at Sokkot that he is the Light of the World the people knew without a doubt that he was claiming to be the Messiah. Many rabbis and prophets understood that the blazing lights that filled the temple on the Feast of Tabernacles was pointing to the coming Messiah. (Zechariah 14:16–19)

Jesus ministry to everyone was an invitation to leave the darkness and come to the light to become children of the light that would then also become the light of the world that would show God's glory to others. (Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8)

The Light Of Eternity

Revelation 22:5 And there will be no night there-no need for lamps or sun-for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Our Savior proved that the light cannot be extinguished, even in death, he defeated death in his own life and he will defeat it again in each of our lives as well. He will take us to our Promised Land to dwell with him in light that is unending.

The end of the story is bright for those that have seen the Light, miss the light and you will spend eternity in darkness.

The True Prophet, Priest And King

The bright morning star will return with the royal scepter to rule the nations.

Numbers 24:15-19 This is the message Balaam delivered: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, 16 the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

18 Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph. 19 A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir."

We have seen in the past few post about Balaam and King Balak that a false prophet, a false priest and an evil king cannot stand against the will of God. They were sure that God's people didn't deserve the promises after the way they have been behaving in the wilderness so they tried but failed to change God's mind.

There are a lot of images of Jesus seen in the Old Testament, types of Christ, but this is the only opposite type of Christ that I am aware of. Balaam and King Balak have formed an unholy alliance against God's people that looks similar to the unholy trinity that the Bible shows us in Revelation.

The Unholy Trinity

As a prophet and priest, Balaam is:

• A false prophet that is an unwilling messenger for God, he wants to prophecy that God's people are cursed in order to please the king but God is in control so he is forced to bless
• An unholy priest that used excessive sacrifices multiple times in high places the way the pagans did to manipulate their "gods" to try and get different outcomes

As a king, Balak is:

• Trying to be in control against God's will in order to protect his own interest
• Furious that his money, military threat, and religious activity are powerless (Numbers 24:10-11)

It is easy to see how Satan is using these men to imitate what is holy, these men give us a clear preview of what is going to be seen in the end times. Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be defeated as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit win the ultimate battle with a permanent outcome. (Revelation 16:13)

The True Prophet, Priest And King Comes With Blessings

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."

Jesus came to earth on a mission to bless, he makes it obvious at the beginning of his ministry by applying the verses in Isaiah 61:1-2 to himself in Luke 4:18-19. It is interesting that Jesus stopped reading in Isaiah mid-sentence to omit the next phrase that talks about his second coming as the king that will judge the nations.

Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us, to be a blessing to us. Because of God's great love he came to redeem his people from slavery to the kingdom of darkness where we live still today. Scripture gave us a picture of this when God took his people out of Egypt and made them into a holy nation that would bless the world.

Jesus told us that he came to seek and save the lost to save us from the day of judgment that has been postponed until after the church age when grace and salvation will be replaced by judgment and wrath. (John 3:16-17, Luke 19:10)

Jesus is our:

• Prophet, Jesus spoke only what the Father gave Him, blessings instead of curses (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49–50)
• Priest, Jesus blessed us by offering himself as the true sacrifice that became cursed for our sins (Galatians 3:13-14)
• King, Jesus established a new, eternal kingdom that is not of this world and he transferred our citizenship there (John 18:36, Colossians 1:13-14, Revelation 11:15)

Thankfully the prophet and priest came first, we need the true high priest to forgive us of our sins and the true prophet to help us know God so we can prepare ourselves for the arrival of the king. The same Jesus who came as the gentle shepherd to care for his sheep in this life as he prepares us will take care of us eternally as he prepares a place for us to live with him. (Revelation 19:9 21:4–5; 22:3)

The Bright Morning Star

Revelation 22:14-16 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs-the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star."

The end of the story, way back in the end of our Bible in Revelation, assures us that the star that was to come from Jacob really did come! When Jesus was with us the first time he told us that he is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) and at the end of our Bible he makes it clear that he is the bright morning star.

The Bright Morning Star will return but this time he will arrive with the Royal Scepter to rule the nations. When the king returns to reign he will allow those who have washed their robes to enter the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. We will dwell with him in his kingdom where no sun or moon is needed as Jesus himself will be our everlasting light (Revelation 21:23; 22:5).

The same King who gently calls, "Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest" will one day say to the unrepentant, "Depart from me" (Matthew 11:28, 25:41).

This Christmas, as we celebrate the Star that rose over Bethlehem, the question remains: Will the King invite you in? 

Come to him today willing to accept him as your High Priest so that you can live with the King for eternity.

When Santa Learned The Gospel

Everyone is on the naughty list until they receive God's perfect gift.

Video: When Santa Learned The Gospel

Follow Santa's journey in this unique Christmas fable as he learns about Jesus' message of grace and discovers what it means for both the naughty and the nice.

This video sits alongside the book, written by Simon Camilleri and published by 10Publishing.

(No compensation for any links.)

From Naughty

Romans 3:10-12 As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous- not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."

Ephesians 2:12 NLT In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

All around the world the message has been told that trying to be good enough is good enough. That's the message that we are told in the story of Santa, it's the best that Santa could hope for, if people were good enough then he would get to keep his job.

According to God's standards, no matter how well you do at being nice and keeping the rules, you are still on the naughty list. God's requirement for us is to be righteous, a word that we over use in our culture, so we fail to realize that the standard of righteousness is defined by God's holiness.

Holiness sounds like a crazy goal for anyone to be required to obtain, even God's people in the church neglect this principle so that we can be more acceptable to the world and not be seen as strange. But when you dig into God's word you will find out that the Bible has over 900 references to the holiness of God and it also tells us that we are required to be holy.

To Nice

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

1 Peter 1:21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

We need a rescue from our sin nature but we had no way to get away from the consequences that we deserved. Our situation was just like God's chosen people in Egypt, enslaved to the kingdom of darkness, we didn't have any hope of getting out unless God sent a rescuer.

The good news of the gospel is the only way that we can get on God's list that he will check. When he opens the Book of Life my name will be on his list because of his forgiveness that I could have only received from him by accepting Jesus work on the cross.

RELATED ARTICLES

Why Do I Need A Savior? (thebonhoefferproject.com)

Jesus Didn't Call Us To Be Nice (relevantmagazine.com)

Why Do We Need A Savior? (gotquestions.org)

Perfect Gifts: Mercy

Our mistakes do not have to haunt us.

John 8:7-11 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

---

Do you think that your life has been full of mistakes and poor choices and you think that God couldn't want to have a relationship with you? It's pretty easy to see that we all deserve some pretty severe consequences for the things that we have done against God but God does not want our relationship with him to be full of fear and despair.

As good and perfect as God is, we can easily see that we fall way short of his standard but we don't have to live with this hopeless situation hanging over our heads, in an incredible display of mercy, God has given us the opportunity to receive eternal life if we believe on his son.

We are as bad off as the adulteress with a group of Pharisees hanging around with rocks in their hands. Even the most popular person needs to realize that it is short lived, we will never measure up to the world's standards for very long, even the best of us will have someone that is ready to throw rocks at us.

Beyond our inability to measure up to the world's standards is the God's standards. God is the only one that has the right to throw rocks at us and we deserve it just as much as she did but thankfully he has given us a way out of judgement. 

God's love is merciful

Titus 3:3-5 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But "When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, 5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

The only way out of our desperate situation is his perfect mercy that is beyond comprehension.  Sin takes us places that we really don't want to go and it cost us more than we think that it will but as Christ followers we have received the wonderful gift of mercy which completely eliminates the judgment that we deserve. 

Without Jesus we are foolish and disobedient rebels making choices that are rooted in our rebellious thoughts. But God, the judge of the universe, is so full of kindness and love to us that he gave us mercy!

John 3:16,36 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 36 And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment."

It's hard to imagine a God of perfect justice would also have perfect love for us to the point that he would give us the opportunity to receive his perfect mercy. The perfect wrath of God is upon us before we accept his son as our substitute, the death and punishment we deserve is no longer in our future!

"Mercy Came Running" by Phillips, Craig and Dean

I was bound by the chains, from the wages of my sin
Just when I felt like giving in, mercy came running
Like a prisoner set free, past all my failures to the point of my need
When the sin that I carried, was all I could see
And when I could not reach mercy, mercy came running to me. 

The woman that was surrounded by judges that found her deserving of death but mercy came running to her at her greatest need. What an incredible picture of my life, I was sought out by God to receive the gift of mercy without doing anything to deserve it. 

I need to remember to regift this extravagant gift to the people around me. God, help me follow your example and be just as passionate about giving mercy to help those that don't deserve it.

Perfect Gifts: Heaven

I have a priceless inheritance because of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:5, 11, 14 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.

11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan.

14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.

1 Peter 1:4 and we have a priceless inheritance, an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

---

God was very pleased to adopt me into his family and he would love for you to be a part of his family as well. Did you know that God loves adoptions? All of his family has been adopted even though none of us deserved the honor, it is just part of his perfect kindness and love for mankind.

I am not talking about an adoption that is tainted with favoritism, to God an adopted child has the same rights as a natural born child, we all have the same rights that his own Son has. Because of Jesus we have an inheritance that is beyond equal anywhere else. 

Jesus has been preparing my inheritance for a long time now and he is using building materials that make our construction supplies look like junk. What we have in store when we leave this earth is beyond our imagination.

This world and it's pleasures that we strive to obtain and love to hold onto are going away. As good as we may have it here, all of the goodness of this life is just a peek at the ultimate goodness that we will enjoy in our eternal home.

What's in your future?

Revelation 21:1-4,7 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children.

We usually keep God and man separate, we think of God living in heaven and our place to live is here on earth, but there is a day coming when we will be together again similar to the relationship that mankind had before sin.

We will all have eternal life BUT to spend eternity in heaven with God you must make the decision to accept Jesus and his perfect gift of salvation now!

Advent Word Study: Shalom / Peace

A video by BibleProject.com

Video: Advent Word Study: Shalom / Peace 

The Peace Of God With Us

God's people will have peace when sin is defeated.

Peace On Earth, Good Will To Men

Is there really any peace?

Peace With God

Find out from Billy Graham.

The Peace Of God With Us

God's people will have peace when sin is defeated.

Isaiah 9:1-5 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 

4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

God redeemed his people from Egypt and ended their slavery to that kingdom of darkness but it didn't last forever. Another dark kingdom would come along and oppress God's people again and again but most of the time it was their own fault. 

God was using the nations to reprimand his people, they are living in the same darkness as the rest of the world because they are living just like the rest of the world. Despite the warnings from God through Moses that they were given before they even got to the Promised Land they have failed to live by God's standards over and over again. (Deuteronomy 31:14-30, 32:1-47)

Since Israel refused to be a light to the nations God eventually chose to punish his people, the one nation became two and later they both were defeated. First the Northern Kingdom was taken away by the Assyrians 800 years before Jesus comes, and then the Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians 200 years later.

The people of Isaiah's day needed the message of hope that peace was coming to their nation. The message of peace was received by King Ahaz that he would have victory over his enemy but there is more to the prophecy than that, there was a distant prophecy and also another application of the prophecy that we are still waiting for thousands of years later.

God's message through Isaiah told about a new ruler, that would be victorious over their enemies, a ruler that will bring true peace that will end all wars. It sounds like God must be sending a mighty warrior to save the day but suddenly we get a prediction that a baby boy is on the way.

Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!

They wanted a great military victory that would get rid of their enemy forever but that's not the way God works. The people living in darkness that heard Isaiah speak these words probably didn't find much comfort in the announcement of a baby. They wanted to immediately see a great light of hope that would give them the peace that was promised in the previous verses.

One of the most difficult things to understand is why God loves to send a baby to do a man's job. Why can't a full grown man arrive on the scene and take care of things right away? We want someone with strength, know how and determination but God prefers to send a special baby to do the job.

Jesus first advent was prophesied for hundreds of years and then there was another 400 years of silence after Malachi. When baby Jesus finally arrives it is very similar to the situation when God's people were in bondage to Egypt. 

Back when they were in Egypt for 400 years without a word from God, there was a baby that would eventually be their savior, he would have to be protected from Pharaoh, and then the baby reached 80 years old before his ministry began. 

The light of the world came in peace to be with us.

Luke 1:78-79 Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."

If you look at world history in Europe and the Middle East for hundreds of years before Jesus arrival you will begin to understand how miserable the conditions are when Jesus is born. The Promised Land has been invaded by many different countries, various world powers will rise and fall, many of them will invade Israel, including Jerusalem, and the temple.

Finally God is with us, up close and personal, but without the fear that was always present back in the Old Testament. When God came to us as a baby there wasn't any restrictions on who could see or touch him. But, as accessible as he was and as exciting as the news was, his arrival was unnoticed by almost everyone.

Eventually the baby grew up and although he did nothing wrong, he became a disappointment for his people, they were just like King Ahaz, they wanted a military victory. They wanted a savior from today's problems but Jesus came to solve their eternal problem.

The final war that will bring us permanent peace is on the way.

Daniel 7:13-14 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal-it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

There will be a final war to set-up the eternal kingdom of our savior, God's people will rejoice at his arrival and his final victory over evil. (Isaiah 9:3-5) The everlasting kingdom of the Messiah will give permanent rest for his people but the sad truth is this peace is not for everyone. 

God's peace will be rejected by the enemy and the children of the enemy, they will not survive the harvest that Jesus told us about at the end of the age. You must accept God's offer of peace before it is too late, those that are not a part of the kingdom now cannot become citizens of his kingdom later. (Matthew 13:36-43)

Peace in this world can only happen if you have peace with God. 

My ultimate enemy has been defeated and I have accepted God terms to make peace with him. Even in the worse chaos I know that I am secure for eternity in God's eternal kingdom of peace. 

When this world has no peace to offer I need to remember that: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep, The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men."

RELATED ARTICLES

What Happened Between the Old and New Testament? (olivetree.com)

31 Reasons Why Christ Came (kevinhalloran.net)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (credomag.com)

Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope

A video by BibleProject.com

Video: Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope 

The Hope Of God With Us 

God's people don't need to look for hope in anything or anybody other than him.

The Hope Of Christmas

You're still the light when the world looks dark and you're still the hope of my heart.

The Best News Ever

Because of Jesus I have an incredible hope.

The Hope Of God With Us

God's people don't need to look for hope in anything or anybody other than him.

Isaiah 7:10-14 Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

God's people are in the Promised Land, but they are not living the lifestyle that they promised. God's chosen people have turned their backs on God's way to live which they enthusiastically promised just a few hundred years earlier. (Exodus 24:1-18)

If they made the right choices their obedience would continue the special favor that they had already received from God. They would continue to receive so many blessings including security and abundance so that all the nations around them would glorify God. (Deuteronomy 33:26-29)

Pleasing God is the most important thing in the world and the only way to please him is to become like him and that means being holy. Not only are they not holy but God's people are just as bad as the nations around them.

Isaiah 1:4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are- loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

Their lack of holiness will bring about their ruin, the nation has already split into two and God has promised that he will discipline his people. They will be "cut down" until there isn't any visible signs of life. But God would keep his promise to bring Messiah through the lineage of King David. God will cut his people down but out of the tree stump a holy branch will appear. (Isaiah 6:9-13, 11:1)

King Ahaz had a great opportunity to do the right thing when the alliance of Syria and Israel threatened to come after Judah to force them into their coalition. The alliance of Rezin, of Syria, and Pekah, of Israel, will fail to force Judah to join them and they will also fail against the Assyrians. (2 King 16:5-20, 17:5-18 and also in 2 Chronicles 28:5-27)

God gives his people hope in spite of their disobedience.

(Isaiah 7:1-9)

King Ahaz was afraid of the future like trees shaking in a storm (Isaiah 7:2) and fear of the wicked schemes of man. (Isaiah 7:4-6) His fears sent him to Assyria for help instead of trusting God. Ahaz still gets another chance, even though he went to Assyria to get help, God still tells Ahaz through Isaiah that the threats coming against Judah will never be successful despite the fact that he didn't trust God for his future.

The nations can plot to come against God's people but it is God who decides the victory. Isaiah tells us what God thinks of their plans very clearly in Isaiah 7:7-8, 16. Don't be like Ahaz, he relied on his own wisdom instead of listening to the message from Isaiah that the feared invasion isn't going to happen. He should have accepted God's word as his source of hope and joy but if you don't have faith in God then you will have nothing but fear of the future. (Isaiah 7:9) 

God gives his people a sure sign of the hope of Messiah.

(Isaiah 7:10-16)

But God didn't just tell Ahaz that the plot against Judah would not succeed he also gave him a rare opportunity to ask God for any sign whatsoever that would prove what God said was true. Ahaz said that he wouldn't test God but he wasn't being strong in his faith, he had already tested God's patience by putting his faith in the strength of Assyria. 

Jon Courson's Application Commentary - “The Lord will indeed give you a sign,” Isaiah said. The word “you” is plural. Therefore, it speaks not only to Ahaz, but to all humanity through all of history. You who feel threatened, intimidated, pressed upon, worried, anxious—the Lord will give you a sign: A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son whose name means “God with us.”

At least 700 years before Jesus birth God gave a sign for his people to know that he is with them back then and will be in the future when the Messiah finally arrives. 

The folly and sin of seeking hope in man's wisdom.

(Isaiah 7:17-25)

Israel and Syria are described as smoldering sticks that are not going to exist much longer. Both of these countries would lose their military strength and become useless for protection. In Ahaz' lifetime he would see the end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel but Judah would still survive.

Isaiah 2:22 Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?

Isaiah 8:13 Make the LORD of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.

Assyria would prove to be the enemy of Judah and would destroy her but the promised survival of Judah would eventually lead to Hezekiah, a future Godly king that would lead the nation back to God.

God with us restores our hope.

The loss of "God with us" back in the Garden of Eden was restored for brief moments in the history of God's people. 

God was with his people when he:

• Moved them to Egypt to save them from famine. 
• Took them out of Egypt and made a nation of them.
• Gave them unexplainable military might.

God has always been with a chosen people that have known his presence in their lives but now we can celebrate the most wonderful news of "God with us" in a more personal way.

Matthew 1:22-23  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

The son of God came as it was promised long ago to give us victory over our enemy! King Ahaz received the promise of victory over his enemy and now with the arrival of Jesus we can celebrate our own victory.

The New Testament writers quoted Isaiah more than any other prophet, Matthew makes the connection with the prophecies of Isaiah at least a dozen times to prove that Jesus is our God and also our savior.

God with us gives us eternal hope

The "God with us" doesn't have to end! God is with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we put our hope in Jesus, our Messiah, we will receive God with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

God's chosen people have never deserved the privilege that God has offered to us. We don't deserve it any more than the people we read about in the Old Testament. Our friendship with God has been restored by God's mercy and grace through our savior so that we can have victory over our enemy because God is with us. (Romans 5:1-11)

RELATED ARTICLES

Ten Key Verses On Hope (crossway.org)

Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope (bibleproject.com)

The Shepherd

Have you found a spotless lamb for sacrifice?

The Chosen Series: The Shepherd Pilot

Luke 2:8-21  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  9  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,  10  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  

11  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  12  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”  

13  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,  14  “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”  

15  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  16  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  

17  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  18  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,  19  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  20  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.  

21  Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

God With Us: Looking For A People

God has always wanted to tabernacle with his chosen people.

Exodus 25:8-9 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. 9 You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

Hebrews 8:1-2,5 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. 

5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

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In the beginning God created a place where he could be Emmanuel, God with us, but it didn't take long for Satan's rebellion to become our rebellion. We took Satan's advice and now we are guilty of the same sin, wanting to be God instead of serving God, but thankfully we don't have to get the same punishment that he will receive.

If you think about their circumstances in the garden it appears that Adam and Eve existed in a priestly manner. Priests are special representatives who can go into God's presence and since they were made in God's image they were ideal representatives of God. They had God given jobs to serve him by caring for his creation and filling the earth with other people that would also represent God and make him known.

God could walk his garden and fellowship with them, without sin there wasn't any fear and there wasn't any need for a special place to meet with God, the entire garden was a holy place where God could be Emmanuel.

(Video: Royal Priest of Eden on bibleproject.com)

If Adam and Eve are priest then the garden where they worked would be a foreshadow of the Tabernacle which foreshadows the Temple which ultimately foreshadows Heaven. In each of these locations God is making a way for him to be Emmanuel.

The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth.

-ESV Study Bible

To get us back to God with us, God chose a people, ordinary people with hurts, habits and hang ups. God called them out from the kingdom of darkness to be his people, he called them to give up their false gods to be a kingdom of priest that would represent the true God and make him know to the rest of the world.

The priest job is most vividly seen in the way that Moses related to God and his people. Moses was God's representative, he would speak to God in intercession for the people and he would speak to the people on God's behalf.

Even with all of the miraculous events that have taken place since they left Egypt and with God's presence so visible on the mountain in the wilderness, God's people still turned on him. Israel would disobey God so much that God would leave the sacred places where he chose to meet his people and be Emmanuel, God with us. 

Jeremiah 7:4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!”

Unfortunately the Tabernacle and the temple became a good luck charm. They thought that they would always have God's presence just because they had God's house. They became like the pagans by making an idol of the sacred places and believing that God would always be with them regardless of their behavior.

God left the temple but he never left his people, he has always been Emmanuel, God with us for those that truly seek him. We can see that God was with his people even when they didn't have a physical, sacred place for corporate worship and even when they were in exile because of their national sins. We can see that in the lives of people like Daniel, Ezekiel, Esther, and many other believing exiles.

The Son Of God Has Come To Dwell

Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

God's plan to dwell with man has gone to the next level with the arrival of Jesus. God came to us as a simple man, an average Jewish baby, grew up in an average Jewish home, he was God yet he was fully approachable and touchable, God became more with us than man had ever know before. (John 1:1-4, Romans 1:3-4, Colossians 1:15-17)

It sounds really exciting to see so many Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled but most people didn't even take notice. God became touchable and accessible even while the priest were still working in the temple following the Old Testament rules. They didn't know that they could have Emmanuel if they would have listened to the shepherds.

Those priest didn't know it yet but they will soon be out of work. After his baptism Jesus priestly ministry began and instead of working in a temple he went to the people. Jesus priesthood looked totally different as he did God's work seeking people that needed to be restored, healing their imperfections and forgiving their sins so that they could approach God. 

(Video: The Royal Priesthood on bibleproject.com)

The New Priest And The New Temple

1 John 4:14-15  Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  15  All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

Jesus came to be our High Priest, he is in Heaven interceding for us, we then have the right to be priest that do God's work and intercede for others down here. Jesus perfect sacrifice makes us acceptable to God so that we can become priest that show God to the rest of the world. (1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 8:1-2) 

And now, thanks to Jesus, we can have Emmanuel, God with us living within us, you can't get any closer than that. The barrier has been removed because our sin has been forgiven and we have God's spirit living in us. The Jews at the Western Wall don't realize that they are closest to God when they are standing at the wall next to a believer. (Romans 8:10-11, 1Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 2:20)

As God's chosen people and his royal priest we can only please God when we are living by the rules that his priest should obey. We should be famous for love without boundaries, for turning the other cheek and treating others much better than we think they deserve. When we do these things we fulfill our role as a royal priest and a peculiar people. (Leviticus 19:16-18, 33-34 / 1 John 3:11-18 / Romans 12:9-21)

Revelation 21:1-3  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.  2  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  3  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.

Throughout scripture you can see over and over again that one of the ultimate themes of the Bible is to have a people that chose him so that he can dwell with them so that their lives will point to him. I need to fulfill my role as a royal priest and live a peculiar life that shows the people around me that I have found the source of all goodness, love and mercy.

God Is Looking For A People
Old Testament (biblegateway.com) New Testament (biblegateway.com)

History will end just as it started, with God dwelling with his people but this time it will be for eternity. God has created a place where he will be Emmanuel, God with us, without the effects of sin on our relationship with him. We will enjoy the unlimited goodness of God for an unlimited amount of time!

Are you ready to leave the bondage of the kingdom of darkness to spend eternity in the promised land? Find out how you can have peace with God so that you can dwell with him forever.

RELATED ARTICLES

God With Us (discovertheword.org)

God Leaves the Temple (ligonier.org)

31 Reasons Why Jesus Came (kevinhalloran.net)

Noel

Born is the King of Israel

Video: Noel (He Is Born) feat. Stanaj - Tommee Profitt

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord

That hath made heav'n and earth of nought

And with His blood mankind has bought

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel

He is born, He is born

The Son of God has come to dwell

The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords

Emmanuel

He is Born, He is born

Hope for all, now go and tell

He has come to save the world

We sing Noel

The Hope Of Christmas

You're still the light when the world looks dark and you're still the hope of my heart.

Video: Matthew West - The Hope of Christmas

Take me back to eight years old
The little church on a dead end road
With a candle flicker in one hand
And dad's hand in the other
Take me back to silent night
My heart was full and the world was right
'Cause right now the world looks nothin' like
Those innocent Decembers
These days peace on Earth is hard to find
And I need you to remind me one more time

You're still the hope of Christmas
You're still the light when the world looks dark
You're still the hope of Christmas
And You're still the hope of my heart

Watch the snowflakes fallin' down
Like a blanket on this town
For a moment we can hardly see
The pain this year has brought us
May the sick find healing's touch
May hatred's fight be one with love
And may every heart make room for You
The one who came to save us

'Cause You're still the hope of Christmas
You're still the light when the world looks dark
You're still the hope of Christmas
And You're still the hope of my heart
You're the hope of Christmas

I bowed my head to pray tonight
Felt my little girl by my side
She slipped her tiny hand in mine
And we both talked to You
And it took me back to 8 years old
My daddy's hand and a story told
About Heaven's love and the manger lo
And a promise that's still true

You're still the hope of Christmas
You're still the light when the world looks dark
You're still the hope of Christmas
And You're still the hope of my heart

Romans 15:13  I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Special Babies

When God wants to do something big he usually sends something small.

Isaiah 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7  His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Galatians 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

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Most of us have heard that the best gifts come in small packages, we know that the smallest gifts are usually the most valuable, but this is especially true when the small package is a baby. We are usually drawn toward the baby with a desire to nurture it, protect it and celebrate it.

Unfortunately there have been too many babies that have been anything but good news and they have not been treasured as a gift from God. We will never know how much good may have been accomplished by a baby that was unwanted and therefore it was unprotected. 

The Bible has a lot of stories about babies that were sent to do something special. I cannot imagine how different the world would be if any of these babies had been destroyed.

Special babies that were sent by God:

• Moses - Born under an evil dictator that sought to kill every Jewish baby. His life had to be preserved so that 80 years later he would rescue God's people.
• Samuel - A barren mother promises to give her child to God, the baby grows up in the temple, and he becomes Israel's first prophet.
• John the Baptist - Elderly parents that are unable to have a child, his dad's unbelief caused him to be unable to speak, Jesus says he is the greatest man.
• Jesus - Virgin birth, born under an evil dictator that sought to kill him, called out of Egypt, came to be the perfect Passover lamb.

One of the most difficult things to understand is why God loves to send a baby to do a man's job. Why can't a full grown man arrive on the scene and take care of things right away? We want someone with strength, know how and determination but God prefers to send someone that doesn't even know that we need him yet.

God's special babies come in his timing to unlikely moms. The proof that God is in control can be seen many times by using ladies that couldn't get pregnant for a long time. Many of the important mom's in the Bible were barren until God was ready to send the special baby that his people needed.

Waiting for God's special babies to be born is difficult, but then when they finally arrive they are vulnerable and must be protected, then they have to grow up physically and then sometimes God still doesn't use them until they are old and they have had time to grow up spiritually.

Meanwhile generations of God's people live and die without seeing God's mercy and generations of worldly people live and die without seeing God's judgment. That's what happened in Moses' day, the Canaanites continued to live in sin without suffering the consequences that God promised would come someday and God's people suffered and many of them died in Egypt without the fulfillment of the promise to save them.

1 John 4:14-15  Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  15  All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

It doesn't seem fair to us, God doesn't satisfy our desire to fix things right away, all of Israel waited for hundreds of years for the greatest baby that was ever promised. Meanwhile it seemed that God wasn't paying attention or he didn't care. 

Our idea of being in control doesn't look like God's, he was aware of our plight and he was still on track with his original plan to send his son to be "God with us." In the midst of the chaos of political and economic woes he sent Jesus as a baby to eventually grow up to be the man that would save us.

The day is coming when "God with us" will happen again, God will send his son back to earth, but don't expect him to be the sweet baby that they saw the first time and don't expect him to be a humble servant either. 

We all need to learn about the greatest gift ever that comes through Jesus but the only way to experience a gift is to receive it. Have you received the only gift that can give you peace with God?

Perfect Gifts: Love

Love is the best gift of all!

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Colossians 1:19  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,

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Have you ever thought about how amazing God's love is?

God's love is great enough to love a rebellious sinner that fails to acknowledge him as God and give him the love and respect that he deserves. I don't love him as well as he deserves and he doesn't love me how well I deserve to be loved either. He loves me far better than I deserve.

God loves me so much that he has done everything that he can do to give me the option of spending eternity with him. He left the splendor of heaven and come to earth to suffer and die just because of his perfect love.

There was not any other motivation for God to send us his son on that first Christmas night other than his love for us! After thousands of years of rebellion he is still loving mankind and offering us a path forward to live with him for eternity.

We can learn a lot about how to love better by following his example. God was willing to become a vulnerable little child whose life was threatened, born into poverty and used for selfish gain by the crowds around him.

He showed us how to love despite the reaction of the people that we are giving love to. So what if the love doesn't come back to you, according to our example, we are still supposed to show love, Jesus endured a lot of abuse and he never stopped loving us.

1 Corinthians 13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

There are a lot of gifts being passed around this time of year, some of them small and inexpensive, some of them are creating a lot of debt, but their is a gift that will top them all. The only priceless gift that creates a huge debt that you should be giving is the gift of love that we have received from God.

Thank you Lord for really loving us and giving us the definition of love so that we can know how to truly love others completely.

Perfect Gifts: A Promise

The promise of Christmas is an example of God's faithfulness.

Romans 1:1-4  This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.

 3 The Good News is about His Son. In His earthly life He was born into King David's family line, 4 and He was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

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We have all made a promise that we knew when we made it that we wouldn't even try to keep it sometimes we have our fingers crossed when we say it as if that is a mute button that gets rid of the promise. Our promises and our decision to keep them tell a little bit about who we are. One of the ways that we can learn more about God is to study his promises made and his record for keeping his promises.

Paul said in the book of Romans that he was sent out with the good news that God had promised long ago. God fulfilled hundreds of promises when Jesus came into our world. If you take the time to study God's record for keeping promises you will find that you should be able to believe that he is actively involved with our world and that he cares for you.

Since God kept his promise to send his son the first time we should be expecting him to send him back to us. And if he is coming back then you should be concerned about your relationship with him when he returns.

John 14:3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Christmas at its best is a glimpse of something that is still on the way. The beautiful decorations, the angelic music and the tastiest food give us great pleasure but it is nothing compared to what is on the way for God's children.

Every child of god should be anxious for the promise that some day we will live forever with our Savior and we will know perfect love, peace and joy that will never end.

Perfect Gifts: Wisdom

The wisdom that God wants to give us is so much better than the world has to offer.

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

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It is easy to get caught up in the thinking of this world, to value what they say is important and pursue the things that they think are worthwhile. All of us have fallen into that trap because that is a natural part of our human wisdom but God's infinite wisdom tells us that there is a better way to live and better things to pursue.

The pursuit of temporary riches and the pursuit of knowledge can consume all of us but these treasures are not the most valuable. If you are honest with yourself you will conclude just like King Solomon did that none of these things satisfy for very long, it is is all a chasing after the wind.

We pile up all the toys that we can get our hands on (Proverbs 3:14-15), we spend our time seeking pleasure and higher education (Proverbs 3:5), but we forget that God has a gift that he is ready to give us that is far better and longer lasting.

Knowing Jesus, Priceless

Philippians 3:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded  everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

The person who is truly rich is not the one who has money, power or the most toys but the one who is wise discards all of that to gain Jesus. The person who is really wise is the one that seeks to know God and his son Jesus. 

What is God's wisdom? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us some of God's wisdom and showed us how different it is from man's wisdom. Jesus tells us that the people that live for him, seek to have the same attitudes as him and act like him are the richest people that you will ever meet. (Matthew 5:3-12)

Wise men still seek him and when they seek him they become wiser still. Digging into God’s word everyday is the only way to receive wisdom from God that will help you get to know him better and help you gain his wisdom and understanding for the difficulties that will come your way.

Thank you for giving us wisdom Lord, since your wisdom is so different from mine I need your help to discern your wisdom each day for the situations that come my way.

Perfect Gifts: Peace

We can all use some more peace on earth.

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Colossians 1:19-20 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

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The infant child arrived on a night that was just like any other as far as most people could tell. But in this small corner of the world there was a magnificent event taking place. The God of all creation became Immanuel, God with us, hardly anyone knew that the Prince of Peace came as a baby to change our relationship with God and with our fellow man.

Ever since the original sin in the Garden of Eden the world has been in chaos. Satan hated mankind because they were the most excellent part of his creation because we were made in his image. That's the reason Satan hates you so much, God is his enemy and since you are made in God's image, you force Satan to see his enemy everywhere.

So Satan went to work to break the relationship that God enjoyed with man. Maybe he thought that God would destroy us because of our sin but God had a better plan to make a way for us to have peace with him.

The original sin was the beginning of strained relationships, suddenly relationships were tainted by fear, man and woman tried to hide from God in the bushes and from each other by creating clothing to cover themselves.

Peace with God

Romans 5:1,10-11 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. 

Our situation was hopeless and there wasn't any way for us to fix our broken relationship with God. As soon as you were conceived you became an enemy of God, your sin nature put you at odds with him, but he loved you too much to leave you in that condition.

A just God must punish sin but thankfully our God is also a God of mercy and peace. The same all powerful God that is your judge is also the provider of your pardon. Jesus told us over and over again during his three years of ministry that he came so that he could die to pay the debt that we owed for our sins. That was his main agenda.

Peace with Man

Romans 12:16-18 Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  

We are to approach our relationships with our fellow man the same way that Jesus treated us, he didn't give us what we deserve, he didn't seek revenge for those that hurt him, he didn't even raise his voice in anger to defend himself. 

As a follower of Jesus we must put aside our natural reactions to being wronged and allow the characteristics of the Holy Spirit to be our guide. It is amazing that we think that the Holy Spirit can dwell in us and yet we can be so at odds with one another. (Galatians 5:22-23)

"True love never thinks evil of the beloved. It is never suspicious, but always supportive and inspiring. True love bears all things. Nothing weakens or undermines it." -Billy Graham 

We should be able to make peace and live harmoniously with those around us as a result of the peace that we have with God, he went to the extreme to fix relationships and he expects us to do the same. How far will you go to mend a broken relationship?

John 14:27  "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." 

The biblical concept of peace does not focus on the absence of trouble. It is ironic that Jesus taught his disciples about peace on the night before He was arrested and sentenced to die. Jesus didn't give us any reason to believe that this world was going to be easy but he did say that we can have peace in the middle of our trials.

Thank you Lord for bringing peace to our relationship, a peace that affects every part of my life. Help me to show peace to the world so that they will know the Prince of Peace.

God's Wise Men

Wise men know that anything that is not eternal will soon be out of date.

Matthew 2:1-3 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.

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Throughout history wise men have always been very difficult to find, it can be so challenging for us to be wise that God gave us an entire book of the Bible dedicated to teaching us about wisdom. Wise men are so rare that when the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon she had to take a road trip to check it out.

The most famous wise men are the ones that came to meet baby Jesus, they just suddenly show up in the Christmas story without an introduction but if you are a student of the Bible you will realize how they knew about Jesus. These guys didn't get a grand and glorious announcement from a bunch of angels, they didn't need all of that, they already knew what was going on when they saw the star.

The wise men probably learned about the Hebrew faith and the arrival of the Messiah while the Jews were living in captivity. The persecution in the New Testament isn't the first time that God was glorified as a result of his people being scattered around the world. 

Israel didn't realize that their exile was really a mission trip and what looked like a bad thing in their day we now know was being used by God to spread the good news of the gospel around the world.

Since God is the source of wisdom we need to study the truth about wisdom found in his word so that we will be truly wise.

Simple Truths About Wisdom

The Wisdom Of The World Is Dated

Wise men from every age have had their wisdom questioned by the next generation. So much of the wisdom from my grandparents generation is seen as foolishness by my generation and the next. Pick a topic and do some research and you will find that today's experts disagree with the past and a lot of things that were supposed to be true are laughed at today. Each generation thinks that their experts are the ones that are better than the previous ones.

If you monkey with the classic Christian faith and change it so it is up to date you will create for yourself a faith that soon will be laughable and obsolete.

-Timothy Keller

Christianity is the same way, today's experts have decided that the old ways are out of date and that we need to change our theology to fit with the times. Too many people act like we should know better than to believe those ancient words found in the Bible.

The Wisdom Of The World Is Shallow and Inadequate

The world has many theories about how to make myself a better version of me but none of their teaching takes care of my sin problem. The world's answers are shallow and inadequate when it comes to restoring my relationship with God. 

I know that no matter how good I am I will never measure up to the level of goodness that is required to stand before a holy God. Without an intervention I would never find peace with God on my own.

The Wisdom Of The World Is Narrow And Exclusive

The gospel is usually seen as narrow and exclusive from those on the outside but really it is the world's wisdom that is. The world tells you that you need to be pretty and have power and possessions in order to matter but the gospel is for everyone, the rich wise man and the poor unclean shepherds are on the same level in their need for a savior.

God's wisdom chooses to use the lowly and despised to accomplish his work, even the choice of Mary to be Jesus mother. A poor, uneducated, unmarried pregnant girl that would lose any status she could have had before she became pregnant.

The hope of Christmas is still available to those that put aside man's wisdom. We need to be prepared like those men that heard the teaching about the savior that would come hundreds of years later. When they saw the star they knew that the savior had arrived and they couldn't wait to worship him.

Based on a sermon by Timothy Keller "Jesus, Our God"

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