GOD’S WORD FOR DECEMBER 25 ~ ~ 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.”
HAVE A MERRY AND A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Amidst the celebration of this wonderful season, let’s take a moment to relate to those who possibly don’t know why Jesus, the Creator of the World, the Lord of lords, God of gods, and King of kings took off His heavenly robe of glory in eternity past and future, put on a robe of an earthly body, and stepped into the realm of time, in this dark and sin-filled world, only for one reason and one reason alone. …..to suffer and die for the revolt of mankind and the vile sins of each of us personally, whom He created and loves so dearly.
But, contrary to what many believe, our forgiveness isn’t “automatic”, nor is it weighed, as to our “good” and “bad” actions. Perfection is needed to live in Heaven, and no one has ever accomplished that and no one ever will. We have to accept His substitutionary punishment for our personal sins, and exchange His perfection for our vile sinfulness.
No amount of church membership, or attendance, sacraments, prayers, generosity, or attempts to live a good life will accomplish salvation. It only comes through this acceptance……….this acknowledgement that He is the Lord, and ruler of our lives, and the purifier of our hearts.
Have you taken that step? If not………..tomorrow, or even a moment from now………..may be too late.
You can do it, in your own words, anytime, anyplace. Just tell Him you want that, and that you know that you have sinned and want Him to be in your life as your Savior and complete Lord, then live with that in mind.
Today is the day of Salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2:
“For He says:
‘In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
************ *************
In our book, we are starting chapter 11, “The Major Prophets: Thunder in the Kingdom” We will see some of the prophesies of Christ’s birth and death on this earth, many hundreds of years before He came. ____________
Someone once said, “An historian is a reversed prophet.” It’s true. An historian looks back on major events in the past. Prophets warn against – and sometimes predict – major events in the future. Most Biblical prophecies were warnings that tragically went unheeded by Israel and Judah.
But an astonishing number of Old Testament predictions have already been fulfilled with stunning accuracy and precision. Many of those are found in the books of the “major prophets”: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
God has never broken His Word. Because so many of His promises have already been fulfilled, we have an objective reason to believe Him. Let’s look at the warnings and promises in the prophetic books of the Old Testament.
ISAIAH: PROPHET OF THE SERVANT AND THE KING
Isaiah is one of the most compelling books in the Bible. The first chapter records God’s promise to forgive and give us a new beginning:
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18).
This is where we first hear of a remnant of God’s people being spared amid the destruction of the Jewish nation. Isaiah also shows us that the Kingdom of God should not be confused with any earthly kingdom. It says several times that the Messiah would be born of King David’s lineage, and that He would establish an ETERNAL Kingdom. For example:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. (Isaiah 9:6-7).
God also promised, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on Him” (Isaiah 11:1-2). Jesse is David’s father. “the stump of Jesse” tells us that their lineage would be cut off. This took place when the Assyrians cut off the monarchy of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonians cut off the monarchy of Judah, yet some descendants of David remained, and from one of them – a virgin named Mary – a child was born: a shoot” from the “stump of Jesse.”
Isaiah also promises that the Suffering servant would come. He would be despised, rejected, and pierced for our sins:
“He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for OUR transgressions, He was crushed for OUR iniquities; the punishment that brought US peace was on Him, and by His wounds WE are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, and each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:1-6)…
This is Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the pierced and crucified Messiah upon the cross. This is God’s promise of His atoning grace, laying our sin upon the suffering Servant, so that we might be healed by His wounds.
Jesus the Messiah, the Prince of the line of David, will one day rule over a faithful remnant, the redeemed Israel. The history of the entire world is moving toward the establishment of the Kingdom of God. But the Messiah could not come to a proud nation at the height of its political glory. He could only come to a severed stump of a nation.
The Jewish people didn’t understand the true nature of the coming Kingdom or its King. They were thinking in political terms. As a result, every new king of Israel or Judah was, in their minds, potentially the Messiah. This illusion persisted even after the resurrection of Jesus, when His followers asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They didn’t understand (but would soon learn) that the hope of God’s people had shifted from the nation of Israel to the church of Jesus Christ.
All the prophets from Isaiah to Malachi recognized that a new spiritual Israel (not the political nation) would inherit the promised Kingdom of God. The New Testament church saw itself as this new spiritual “Israel.”
Isaiah tells us that God intends to rule over the entire earth, not merely a plot of real estate in Palestine. The true God of Israel does not belong to any one race, culture, or nation, He is the God of all who obey Him, anywhere on earth:
“Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear.” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
God controls history. At the end, he will establish His reign over all the earth. The words of God, spoken through Isaiah, anticipate the words of Jesus:
“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11).
Isaiah reminds us that a moral, just, and peaceful world order is impossible without submission to the righteous rule of God. Through Isaiah, God promises that this world order will arrive one day:
“They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9.)
The human race will never know peace apart from the Kingdom of God. Lasting peace cannot be achieved by politics or scientific progress or even organized religion. True peace will come only when all people submit to the rule of the true King. It will come as an answer to the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Our father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10).
************* **************
POEM BY HELEN STEINER RICE
“EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY TO THANK AND PRAISE THE LORD”
Special poems for special seasons are meaningful indeed, but daily inspiration is still man’s greatest need.
For day by day all through the year, not just on holidays, man should glorify the Lord in deeds and words of praise.
And when the heart is heavy and everything goes wrong, may these “Daily Words for Daily Needs” be like a cheery song,
Assuring you “HE LOVES YOU” and that “YOU NEVER WALK ALONE” for in god’s all-wise wisdom, your EVERY NEED IS KNOWN!
********* **********
Philippians 4:6-7
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 12:2
“Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (He sat down, because the job of salvation was done by Him – the High Priests were never allowed to sit down in the Temple. There even were no chairs. Their work was never done, because:
Hebrews 10:4
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” And because the priests themselves were sinful. So sins were never forgiven. That’s why Jesus could offer ONE sacrifice, and sit down at the right side of the Throne on High.
And THAT’S why He took on humanity as a child.