THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

I have heard the last book of the Bible referred to as “Revelations.”  They mean that it is a book filled with various revelations concerning the end times. Certainly, there are those, but that is not the name, nor the theme of the book. It is “Revelation,” singular and the focus is on a Person, Jesus Christ. Hear the author himself, as he begins the book:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,” (v. ‭1‬‬).

It is easy to become obsessed with the Antichrist, and miss the One in the Scriptural spotlight, Jesus Christ!  From start to finish, the Spirit of God moved John, the servant of God, to point to the Son of God.

The Apostle was overwhelmed by this manifestation of the Master, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’” (1‬:‭17‬-‭18‬‬).

From the lips of the Lord we hear of HIS ETERNITY, “I am the First and the Last.”  There has never been a time that He was not, nor will there ever be a time that He will not be. The Second Person of the Trinity is eternal and uncreated, without beginning or ending. He transcends time and is in control of it, rather than being subjected to it.  

Yet, that Eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So, He next speaks of HIS HUMANITY, “I am He who lives, and was dead.”  There was a moment is history when Christ took on humanity. The Infinite became an infant. The Son of God became the Son of Man that the sons of men might become the sons of God. The Sinless One hung on the cross and died as our Substitute, fully paying the price for our sins. 

But, that was not the end of Him or that would be the end of hope, as the Lord declares HIS VICTORY, “behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.” The grave could not hold Him. Death could not defeat Him. “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes!”  Because He lives, He can give those who trust in Him, life beyond death—victory over our “last enemy,” (1 Cor. 15:26).

The Risen Lord affirms HIS SOVEREIGNTY, “I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”  If you hold the keys, you have authority. He rules over the realm of the world of the dead, “Hades,” and even “Death,” itself, sitting above it. Christ is no more subject to death, but sovereign over it—and indeed over all. Our Lord is guiding all things to fulfilling His goal and for His glory. Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain and the Lion who will reign!

AT THE FEET OF JESUS

There are many lessons to learn from the visit of the Magi. It is a wise man indeed who falls at Jesus’ feet to worship Him. There are numerous occasions where this act of submission, devotion, and adoration is recorded in Scripture.

They bow at Christ’s INCARNATION.  “When they … saw the young Child … [they] fell down and worshiped Him.”  (Matt.2:11).  This stresses His humanity. We marvel that God would become man—the Infinite as an infant; the Creator becoming a creature!  To know He came in love to be one of us in order to save us fills us with awe.

They bow at Christ’s TRANSFIGURATION. “They fell on their faces” (Matt. 17:6).  This stresses His deity. Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of His glory. For one brief, shining moment, who Jesus was on the inside burst through to the outside. They were smitten by His splendor and fell at His feet.  Only a man could die for us, but only God could save us. How marvelous!

They bow at Christ’s RESURRECTION. “They came and  held Him by the feet” (Matt. 28:9).  This stresses His victory. He stands before them as Conqueror of death!  It is now nail-scarred feet before which they fall. Wonder and worship is their response, and ought to be ours as we bow before the One who holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave!

Later, John would record how he would bow at Christ’s GLORIFICATION.  “I fell at His feet as dead” (Rev. 1:17a).  This stresses His supremacy. Those who bow before Him now as the Lord and Savior, will bow before Him in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. When we gather for worship, spiritually we may bow before the glorified Christ in anticipation of literally bowing before Him someday!

The Gospel song, written by Squire Parsons, Jr., puts it:

If I leave this world of sorrow sometime before you do,
Just look for me in heaven and we'll talk the ages thru;
But if, at first, you fail to see me, let me tell you where I'll be,
I'll be thanking Christ, my Savior, for saving a wretch like me.

Don't look 'neath the gates of pearl, don't look on the streets of gold,
Don't look by the walls of jasper, nor among the many sights untold;
For I've been longing and I've been waiting for the precious, holy One to meet,

There I'll be thru the countless ages, look for me at Jesus' feet.

GOD IN FLESH

The mystery of godliness—God manifested in the flesh—made me think of these words by C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity”:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

JESUS IS THE TRUTH OF REVELATION

 “I am the…truth…”  (John 14:6).

That Baby born in Bethlehem’s manger was Truth Incarnate. He did not just come with the revelation of God’s truth in His teaching, but that teaching was true because He was the personification of God’s truth in His being.

The religions of the world claim to present truth concerning whatever deity they proclaim.  They claim to have heard from eternity and now declare the message on earth. Someone came to them—an angel, whatever—but, in Jesus we have one who came from eternity and declared Himself to be God on earth!

We are born brain damaged.  Sin has degraded our thinking.  Our eyes are blind to the truth.  The truth is diluted and distorted by the world.  Scripture warns of those ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

You cannot reach God on the ladder of logic or get to heaven on the rocket of reason.  It is logical and reasonable to believe the truth concerning God that is revealed in creation, conscience, and communication in Scripture. Yet, that is not enough. It takes the revelation of the Holy Spirit through the power of the Gospel. It isn’t that logic and reason don’t apply, but that God has ultimate truth that transcends all else. You must move beyond knowing about Jesus, to knowing Him personally!

Jesus did more than speak about God—He showed us God!  His whole life was a revelation of the Father.

“‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?’” (John 14:7-9).

If you ever want to know God, then come and meet Jesus!

THE GOD YOU SHOULD KNOW: God the Son

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And the Word became 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.” (John‬ ‭1:1, 14‬)

His life divides history—it is measured as B.C.—before Christ, and A.D.—Anno Domini, the Latin term for “the year of our Lord.”  No life has made such an impact on history.  No mere man—not even the greatest of men could have accomplished what He did.  Jesus was and is more than man—He is the Son of God.  

Shakespeare had Juliet say, “What’s in a name?  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet?”  What’s in a name? Everything—if that name is “Immanuel.” 

In Isaiah 7:14, the coming of Christ was foretold, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  That prophecy foretold was fulfilled according to Matt.1:23 in the Virgin Mary conceiving and bearing Jesus where the name Immanuel is translated, “God with us.” 

John announces in John 1:1,14 that Jesus came as the communication of God as the Living Word, and the manifestation of the glory of God to man. The Bible is sacred history. It is His Story—God’s story—and specifically a record of His revelation in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament said, “He is coming!”  The Gospels and Acts state, “He has come!”  The Epistles shout, “This is what it means: get ready for He is coming again!”

The Son of God became the Son of Man that the sons of men might become the sons of God.

SEEING THE SAVIOR

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”  (Zechariah 12:10)

When the shepherds looked into the manger on that first Christmas, they saw the salvation of God.  Salvation is in a Person and that One is Jesus Christ.  He had come for the express purpose of sacrificing His life to atone for sins.  The cradle and the cross are ever connected.  The means by which the Lamb of God would redeem us at Calvary was foreordained, but the sin of rejecting the Messiah was the free choice of sinful Israel.  

We witness both Divine sovereignty and human responsibility in Acts 2:22-23, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death….”  The Roman government ordered Christ’s execution and their legionnaires nailed Him to the tree, but it was the hatred of the Jews that demanded it.  That is why the prophet Zechariah speaks of Jesus as the One whom “the inhabitants of Jerusalem…pierced.”  Theologically, the reality is that since Christ suffered for the sins of us all, each of us may as well have been on Skull Hill with hammer and nails in our hands.

Throughout the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi, we have the sad saga of man rejecting his Maker.   Israel would be the chosen people—in a covenant relationship with God—yet, would repeatedly spurn Him.  Over and again, we find them experiencing the consequences of their unfaithfulness.  The prophets—and Zechariah was one of the last—would find their message rejected and the men themselves would often suffer at the hands of their countrymen.  So, God at last sent His Son.  That is the record of the New Testament.  What did the Jews do?  John puts it this way, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”  (1:11) From the time of His birth, where He found the inn closed to His arrival, until the condemnation by the Sanhedrin, Israel had no room for Jesus.  Following His resurrection, the Apostles went to the Jews first—and some heeded the call to repentance—but, most did not.  They still don’t, and the chastisement they have gone through has been severe.  The worst is yet to come.  Zechariah 12 predicts the unparalleled suffering of Israel that is yet to be.

Today we find Jerusalem encircled by enemies.  The noose is tightening.  Satan’s minions in the Gentile kingdoms are bent on the genocide of the Jews.  One day the Antichrist will come to the seat of world power and unleash horror on Israel.  Yet, when all hope seems gone, the Blessed Hope will appear in the clouds!  This same Jesus will come and Israel will mourn for the One they pierced.  They will recognize Him by the nail-prints in His hands.  So, all Israel will be saved (Rom.11:26).  His look will be a look of forgiveness for the repentant and a look of fury to the rebellious.  What determines His look hereafter is whether or not we look in faith to Him here.  Bow to Him today!

THE LAST WORD FOR THESE LAST DAYS

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son….  (Hebrews 1:1-2a)

Dr. Ben Carson was recently asked about who he would like most to sit down and have a drink with.  His answer: “Jesus.”  I don’t know that Dr. Carson will get my vote for President, but he definitely gets my vote for the best answer possible!  There is no one comparable—Jesus is the central figure of history and eternity.  The writer of Hebrews has Christ’s superiority as his theme.  Jesus is the Living Word—the last Word for these last days.

There is no one more important to know than God.  Yet, we could not know Him, had He not chosen to reveal Himself.  We are born with an awareness God is there.  Scripture never argues for His existence.  The assumption is that any reasonable person will acknowledge there is a God.  You have to work hard to deny His existence.  The reason some profess to be atheists is due to minds darkened by sin.  If there is no God, there is no guilt.  Yet, the numbers of irreligious, although a little larger and a lot louder than in the past, aren’t the real problem.  Rather, it is the religious that present the greater challenge.  I define religion as the effort to find God, know God and be accepted by Him.  It is what the Muslims do, the Buddhists and Hindus—but, it is impossible to know God that way.  Instead, God has sought us and spoken to us.  As recorded in the Old Testament, God has revealed Himself in different stages and diverse means (Heb.1:1).

Those days are past.  We are in the last days (Heb.1:2).  They began when Christ came—the transition was made from the Old Covenant to the New.  We might say today that we are in the last of the last days!  “The Word became flesh….”  (John 1:14)  The New Testament is a written exposition of Christ and what His coming means.  There is no further revelation to be given, none is needed—all will be consummated in the visible revelation of Christ in His second advent.  Everything is moving to that end.  The church is about Jesus!  Our message is about Him.  Mohammed, Joseph Smith, and the like are false prophets who bring a later revelation or so they claim.  That is impossible, for Jesus is the final Word.  

Jesus is the heir—King of kings and Lord of lords (Heb.1:3-4).  Through Him all things were made, by Him they hold together, and to Him all things belong.  His glory is that which belongs only to God, for He is God.  To see Jesus is to see the Father.  The power of His Word is Omnipotent.  He alone is the Savior and the perfect Sacrifice for sins.  He has ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father—in a position of authority.  The angels serve Him.  Jesus isn’t a servant, but the Son.  The angels dwell in glory, but He radiates the glory!  The Bible forbids the worship of angels, but the angels worship Christ.  Eternal life is found only in Him.  Once that journey of faith begins with a spiritual birth, you grow by knowing Him better, loving Him more, and walking with Him more closely.  God has spoken and we better listen!

THE KING IS COMING!

And they anointed David king over Israel.  (2 Samuel 5:3b) 

The life of David is prophetic of the life of the Son of David—Jesus Christ—in many ways.  David’s life can be divided into two parts: the first was one of humiliation and rejection of David the shepherd; the second part was one of exaltation and reign of David the sovereign.  So, Jesus came the first time as the Good Shepherd—in humiliation and rejection.  In his second advent, He will come as the Chief Shepherd—in exaltation and reign.  There are some parallels in the fifth chapter of 2 Samuel between David’s coronation and the Son of David’s eventual one.  Of course, we do not have to wait to enthrone Christ, but can do so now in our heart.  His kingdom can come to the individual and extend to every facet of life—and it should.  If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all! 

Let us note the coronation of a shepherd (v.1-5).  David was readied for his reign by humble service.  He shepherded his father’s flock in preparation for leading the people of Israel.  All those experiences of being despised by his brothers, hated by the leaders, and marked out for death were preparing him to wear the crown.  Jesus would wear a crown in His first coming, but it would be a crown of thorns.  The Good Shepherd would be misunderstood by his own brothers, rejected by both the secular and spiritual leaders, and sentenced to death.  Yet, as with David—in God’s time—He will be crowned with glory, as His forefather was crowned with gold.  Those who will be subjects of that coming kingdom must have a coronation of Christ in submission now.  This happens when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Just as the Jews became tired of their old master (Saul) and bowed to a new master (David), so we spurn our old master (sin) and surrender to the new Master (Jesus) in repentance.  As David forgave those who rejected him at the first, so Jesus forgives and welcomes former rebels. 

We next observe the conquest of a stronghold (v.6-10).  Jerusalem seemed an unconquerable fortress, but the city would be taken and be known hence as “the City of David.”  When Christ comes to a heart fortified by sin, where the Devil is firmly entrenched, we know He can overcome and capture our heart, as He drives out the enemy.  Ultimately, the city that withstood Christ’s offer of peace at His first coming, will become the place of His reign at His second coming.  Jerusalem that rejected Him first, will receive Him as Lord! 

Finally, we see the confirmation of a sovereign (v.11-12).  Other kings would recognize David’s sovereignty.  In this example, it is Hiram, the king of Tyre.  When Christ comes to reign in our hearts, His rule extends to every area. This anticipates the time when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Then, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord!  What a day that will be!  My heart cries, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 

When Christ returns, some will bow madly—enemies forced to bow; some will bow sadly—who meant to become His subjects but continued to serve sin.  Hell will be a place for each, where both teeth are gnashed in anger and wails are raised in anguish.  I will bow gladly in eternity, for I have submitted to Christ on earth.  Have you?

THE SON OF GOD

And the Word became 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.  (John 1:14)

Jesus is the Godman—not half God and half man, but fully God and fully man—just as much man as if He were not God and just as much God as if He were not man.  He is the Only Begotten Son, Jesus the One and Only.  Matthew begins with His genealogy and stresses His royalty as the Son of David; Mark begins with His ministry and underscores His activity as the Servant of Jehovah; Luke begins with His nativity and emphasizes His humanity as the Son of Man.  John takes us back into eternity and stresses His deity as the Son of God.  John has three expressions He uses repeatedly in His writings: life, light and love.  Each one of these are characteristic of the Son of God. 

So we see Christ’s DIVINE LIFE.  In John 1:14, the aged Apostle John declares, “We beheld His glory….”  Christ Himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  (11:25a)  In chapters 1-12 of John’s Gospel, we find this emphasis.  When the beginning began, Christ already was the Eternal Son—without beginning or ending.  John calls Him, “The Word.”  Words are how we communicate.  When God was ready to speak fully and finally to the world, He communicated through the living Word, Jesus—the Word made flesh.  Jesus not only made the claim, He manifested the credentials.  Seven “signs,” are featured in this book.  John didn’t claim to record all His miracles, but seven were selected and are called signs that demonstrate His Deity.

In John’s Gospel we also witness Christ’s DIVINE LIGHT.  John told us that “we beheld His glory….” Glory is the radiance of God—His Divine light outshining.  He said, “I am the light of the world.”  (9:5)  There are many mysteries of the Kingdom of God—hidden truths that Jesus came to reveal as the light of His teaching shone upon the disciples and He does in chapters 13-17.  When Jesus wanted to teach His disciples the essence of service, He didn’t just say it, He showed it, as He took a towel, girded Himself, and washed the disciple’s feet.  When they left the upper room He taught them about abiding in His life and love as a branch abides in the vine and bears fruit.  There are lessons about the Holy Spirit and a holy life.  He teaches them about the importance of prayer and unity as God’s children. 

John’s Gospel culminates in chapters 18-21 with Christ’s DIVINE LOVE.  John said that His glory was “that of the only begotten of the Father….”  To see Him was to see the Father.  God is love and therefore Christ is love incarnate.  He stated, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  (15:13)  It was love that brought Him from eternity to earth on a mission to save sinners.  We see Him nailed to a cross to pay the price for our sins.  But, Eternal Love cannot be sealed in a tomb!  Christ in His resurrection glory appears to Mary, to ten of His disciples, and then to Thomas who had his doubts.  Those doubts were overcome!  Later, Jesus eats with the eleven and restores Simon Peter who had denied Him.  As Jesus was sent to seek the lost lambs, so He sends His disciples today on a mission of love.

THE REQUEST OF REDEMPTION

 

And he said, "Who are you?" So she answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative."  (Ruth 3:9)

Every religious system tries to present a path to reach its deity—some means of self-effort that can make a person acceptable to whomever or whatever they believe that deity to be.  Christianity is the one radical exception—for it says God has taken the path to reach humanity.  He has provided in Christ the way to be accepted—not through what we do, but what He has done!  This is the great story of redemption, and it is illustrated in the third chapter of Ruth.  Ruth’s redemption was totally dependent on a man from Bethlehem—and that is true for us!

This chapter is the turning point in this drama.  Ruth had known about Boaz, and now she will come to know him personally.  While our redemption requires knowing Christ is the Savior that is not enough.  We must come to know Him as our Savior.  Ruth was aided by Naomi—the matchmaker (v.1-5).  She told Ruth how a girl with a pagan past could enter into a wondrous future with Boaz.  God still uses people like us who know the Man from Bethlehem—Jesus Christ—to introduce others to Him.

Naomi’s guidance for Ruth was grounded in the Word of God (Lev.25:47-55; 27:9-25).  The Law provided for a kinsman-redeemer, and that is the truth that will form the basis of this new relationship.  God uses His Word as the seed of salvation, sown in the fertile soil of a soul that the Spirit has cultivated to bring forth the fruit of eternal life.  That is the power of the Gospel (Rom.1:16; 10:13-17).

Her relationship with Boaz is a private act before it becomes a public announcement (v.6-10).  Ruth responded in faith to the Word.  The testimony of Naomi is accepted and she comes personally to seek Boaz.  She comes to a worthy man, though Ruth herself is so unworthy, for she is helpless to change her situation, but knows Boaz can if he will.  If we would be saved, it is when we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  His response is one of love.  It is amazing grace for a man like that to embrace a wretch like her—and that is the story of our Savior’s love for us! 

It is not sufficient for Boaz to love her—as wondrous as that is.  The demands of the law must also be satisfied (v.11-18).  Boaz will be her kinsman-redeemer, meeting the legal demands she could never fulfill.  That is what Jesus did for us on the cross!  He assures Ruth of the redemption she has sought.  We are reminded that Jesus promised, “The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out.”  (John 6:37) 

It would be 2000 years later that what was foreshadowed in Bethlehem would be fulfilled in the same city.  That dark night when a redeemer was revealed to a needy soul prefigured the arrival on another silent night in that little town One who would be our Kinsman-Redeemer!  Through Him and Him alone can the legal demands of righteousness and the loving desire of redemption become available in the Man who was born in Bethlehem—one of us and yet more than we are!  Fully God and fully man—Jesus is our Redeemer who reconciles unworthy sinners and Holy God.  All we need to do is ask Him and He will save us!

THE PROMISE OF HOPE

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”  (Luke 1:35)

We live in an age of doubt—sick with skepticism and plagued by pessimism.  Our generation echoes the cynical question Pilate posed to Jesus, “What is truth?”  Most seem to believe the only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth!  That is a bleak outlook on life and leads to hopelessness.  But, really, is there any hope?  Our text shouts, “Absolutely!” 

We see CERTAINTY IS GROUNDED IN GOD’S PURPOSE (Luke 1:26-29).  Despite the evolutionists claim, our world isn’t a result of a cosmic explosion and our existence isn’t the result of random processes and mutations.  There is a providential plan God is pursuing.

This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth,

And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 

For the LORD of hosts has purposed,

And who will annul it?

His hand is stretched out,

And who will turn it back?”  (Isa.14:26-27) 

God’s purpose will be fulfilled!

·        DESPITE SOCIAL DEPRAVITY GOD HAS A PLAN.  The area of Galilee and city of Nazareth were held in contempt by the Jews.  In the time of our text, the location was overrun by Gentile sinners.  Nazareth stood on a hillside overlooking a highway traversed by Roman soldiers and Greek merchants.  These men stopped at Nazareth looking for a good time.  It was a den of iniquity.  But, I want to remind you that “where sin abounds grace does much more abound.”  In these dark days in which we live, our light can shine brighter than ever!

·        DESPITE SPIRITUAL DEGENERACY GOD HAS A PEOPLE.  Gabriel wasn’t sent to the religious leaders with the announcement.  They wouldn’t have believed it.  Later, when Jesus presented Himself to them, they rejected Him.  But, God always has a people to accomplish His purposes—even if it is a poor young girl named Mary.

CERTAINTY IS GIVEN IN GOD’S PROMISES (Luke 1:30-33). We human beings have problems with promises—we break them!  But Scripture says that “God is not a man that He should lie.”  Consider these promises.

·        THE PROMISE OF CHRIST’S GRACE. Jesus means, “Jehovah is salvation.”  For centuries the promise of a Savior had been unfulfilled—that was about to change!  Jesus came to bridge the gulf between holy God and sinful man.

·        THE PROMISE OF CHRIST’S GREATNESS.  There have been many great men who have walked the stage of human history, but Jesus towers above them all, for He was more than the Son of Man; He was the Son of God!

·        THE PROMISE OF CHRIST’S GOVERNMENT.  This promise has yet to be fulfilled—but as the promises connected to Christ’s first coming were fulfilled, we may rest assured those of His second coming will be!

CERTAINTY IS GRANTED BY GOD’S POWER (Luke 1:34-38). The Bible testifies repeatedly that “with God nothing will be impossible.” 

·        THE SOURCE OF POWER is the Triune God. He is with us!

·        THE SCOPE OF POWER. Mary’s faith is strengthened by the report concerning Elizabeth.  What do you need?  Come boldly to the throne of grace!

·        THE SUBMISSION TO POWER.  Experiencing God’s power requires submission to His will.  That isn’t easy.  It cost Mary her reputation.  It almost cost her the man she loved.  It cost her the pain of watching her Son die, yet she submitted.  Have you?

GOD WITH US

 

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.  (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Man has abandoned God, but God has not abandoned man.  Sin had separated us from Him, but He has come to us in Jesus Christ.  Isaiah called the Son of God, “Immanuel,” (7:14), meaning “God with us.”  Now, the prophet tells us the implications of that invasion from heaven.

This points to CHRIST’S SUBMISSION, “For unto us a Child is born….”  This is the incarnation—Christ exchanging the majesty of heaven for a manger of hay.  God became man to live among us as God intended man to live, so that He could bring us to God.

His incarnation enabled CHRIST’S SACRIFICE, “Unto us a Son is given….”  This is the crucifixion—Christ receiving a crown of agony instead of a crown of glory.  God became man in order to be one with us and die in our place, so that we can be forgiven.

The acceptance of His sacrifice will bring CHRIST’S SOVEREIGNTY, “And the government will be upon His shoulder.”  This is His return—Christ risen in victory, ascended in glory, and coming again in supremacy as King of kings and Lord of lords. 

There is a description of the King:

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

This five-fold description of Christ answers to the fundamental human needs.  “Wonderful,” deals with the dullness of life—Jesus fills us with wonder, restoring pleasure to man. “Counselor,” directs the decisions of life—Jesus furnishes us with wisdom, returning purpose to man.  “Mighty God,” meets the demands of life—Jesus overcomes our weakness, releasing power for man.  “Everlasting Father,” oversees the dimensions of life—Jesus watching over us in, revealing providence to us.  “Prince of Peace,” overrules the disturbances of life—Jesus reconciling is to God in His work, bringing His peace to us.

 ‎There is a description of the Kingdom: 

            In its extent,

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end….           

As Isaac Watts expressed in the hymn,

                        Jesus shall reign where’er the sun

                        Does His successive journeys run.

            In its endurance,

                        Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end…. 

            Watts went on to write, 

                        His kingdom spread from shore to shore,

                        ‘Til moons shall wax and wane no more.

            In its establishment,

                        Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

In His first advent, Christ was judged and treated unjustly, but in His second advent, He will be the Judge and will bring justice to all. 

            In its execution, 

                        The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

Make no mistake, as the Almighty God brought complete fulfillment of the prophecy of Christ’s first coming, He will execute the promise of Christ’s second coming.  That is His eternal plan—no power of hell can stop it; no plot of humans can thwart it!  Those who submit to Him here, are those saved by Him hereafter.

CHRIST, THE WORD OF GOD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (John 1:1)

What would the world be without words?  You could not read this any more than I could write it.  Communication would only be grunts and gestures.  Imagine no cards or calls, letters or lyrics, e-mails or text messages, no on could write a book or read one.  Words are vital.  They reveal things.  Words express thoughts.  They communicate who we are.  John, thus, has chosen to present Jesus as the Word of God.  The Son reveals the Father.  He expresses God’s nature perfectly.  Christ communicates the mind of God clearly.

Jesus is the Word in THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION (John 1:1-2).  The first chapter of this Gospel takes us back to the first chapter of Genesis.  We find the Word to be preexistent, “In the beginning was the Word….”  When the beginning began, Christ already was.  Since He was already in the beginning when all creation things began that means He is eternal and uncreated.  There was a time on His mother’s side when He was born the Son of Man, but on His Father’s side He has always been the Son of God!  We find the Word to be personal, “the Word was with God….”  There is only one God, yet Jesus is a distinct person in the Trinity.  The term John uses means, “face to face” with God, conveying an intimacy we cannot fully grasp.  In the face of Jesus we see the face of God.  This means the Word is powerful, “and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.”  He is the great I AM, the Lord, the Almighty—all power resides in Him.  That power is available to us as we are in union with Christ!  (see Col.2:9-10)

Jesus is the Word in THE BIRTHING OF THE CREATION (v.3-4).  John uses simple terms to express sublime thoughts.  The Word has birthed the natural creation (v.3).  This material word was spoken into existence.  Scripture teaches that the Triune God—Father, Son and Spirit were all involved in that creative act.  The Word also births the new creation (v.4).  The natural creation fell under the curse—in the darkness of sin and death.  Jesus came to make a new creation and bring light and life.  In our natural birth we are sinners stumbling toward Hell. By a new birth we are made saints suited for Heaven!

Jesus is the Word in THE BATTLE FOR THE CREATION (v.5).  This verse suggests a conflict as darkness tries to extinguish the Light, and a conquest as the Light overcomes the darkness and dispels it instead.  The Light of the Word discloses Satan.  The Old Serpent would prefer to slither in the shadows and strike the unsuspecting.  John tells us the Serpent’s spawn do likewise.  Jesus, however, exposes evil and error.  The Light of the Word defeats Satan.  Christ became flesh and was subjected to all the temptations we encounter, but overcame them all. Since the Wicked One could not defile Him, he tried to destroy Him.  He moved in the hearts of his henchmen to nail Him to a cross and seal Him in a tomb.  Darkness fell on the earth as He hung on the cross.  Despair gripped the disciples as He lay in the grave.  But, on the third day, He arose—bursting through the darkness in unconquerable light!  We can enter the Light and experience liberation!

God has spoken through His Son.  Will you hear and heed Him?

THE ANGEL AND THE AGONY

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. (Luke 22:43-44a)

The Gospels reveal a close connection between the mission of Jesus and the ministry of angels.  Before His birth, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would miraculously conceive the Son of God.  Joseph—betrothed to her—only believed it when  the angel explained it.  At His birth, a host of angels flooded Bethlehem’s skies proclaiming the event to shepherds.  Later, wicked King Herod got wind of it and moved to kill the Child and an angel warned Joseph and Mary to escape to Egypt.  Likewise, when Herod died, and the threat removed, the angel told the holy family it was time to return.  Jesus went into the wilderness at the outset of His ministry to do battle with the Devil, and we read how angels attended Him after the conflict.  At His resurrection, an angel rolled away the stone, sat on it, and declared to the good news to the disciples.  One other occasion of angelic ministry to the Son of God is that found in Luke 22, as Jesus prays in agony in Gethsemane.

An angel came to offer Christ HELP.  Jesus fell on His face under the old olive trees, pressed to the point of being crushed by the load of humanity’s sins that He is taking upon Himself.  Human help fails, as the disciples snore rather than support Him.  One of them is coming with a bloodthirsty mob to betray Him.  Heavenly help arrives even as human help abandons Him.  Soon, Jesus will be forsaken by all—even by His Father—as He hangs on the cross, but that time has not yet come and until then He has this celestial being to aid Him.  On Golgotha, He will experience Hell for us and be without comfort; preceding that, in Gethsemane, He receives a last comfort from Heaven, brought by the angel.  Doubtless, as He prayed, Christ offered praise for angels that had attended to Him throughout His earthly sojourn.  His heart must have raced with joy in the midst of this cosmic sorrow, that when His mission was accomplished, He would be welcomed into glory by angels.  He looked beyond the cross to the crown—returning to reign in power and glory, leading angel armies as reward for His obedience unto death (Phil.2:5-11).

Yet, this was also a reminder of Christ’s HUMILIATION.  We marvel that the Creator was helped by a creature, until we recall that the Son of God has become the Son of Man.  He was fully God and merited the service of angels, but also totally man and needed the support of them.  When He was born, there was a host of angels, but now only one.  They lit up the skies at His arrival in Bethlehem, but this one is present while the darkness only deepens.  The skies were filled with angels singing in joy at His birth, and if there were a song in the olive grove it would have been a dirge for His death.  The angel was not there to take His suffering from Him, but to strengthen Him to suffer even more.  The agony in Gethsemane was so great that He might have died then had not the angel attended Him.  Never forget that this great suffering would be for you and me—paying our sin debt—so angels can care for us as saints, rather than condemn us as sinners!  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!