December 25, 2013

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

Joyous Christmas to you!

Here is another reason why the good news of Christmas brings reason for joy.

Christmas brings the joy of His presence, and the joy of His pardon, and the joy of His peace. Anyone of those is reason enough alone - but ALL of them are available to you through Christ!

Want more?

Find joy in His power!

It was the power of God that caused an elderly couple to conceive and give birth to John the Baptist, the greatest prophet ever! From their weakness came the strength of God! From their impotence sprang a miracle! His power brought Zachariah and Elizabeth great joy!

Why?

Because "nothing is impossible with God"! That is His power!

Through the power of God a virgin gave birth to the Son of God without ever knowing a man! It is impossible, but it happened! Because "nothing is impossible with God"! He has the power to accomplish everything He wishes to accomplish. And he can do it through weak human beings! Mary found exceeding joy through the power of God at work in her!

Christmas demonstrates the amazing power of God! Nothing is impossible because of His great power! And that power resides in you when you walk in Christ and His Spirit!

Perhaps you are facing some difficult challenges as you celebrate Christmas 2013. Find joy in the power of God! Take joy in the knowledge that "nothing is impossible for God"!

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2013

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

Christmas brings great joy. There is the joy of His Presence. Jesus came to be "Immanuel", "God with us". Because of Christmas you can live in the presence of God! Take joy in His presence!

Also, there is joy in His pardon. Jesus redeemed us by dying to pay the penalty for your sins. "The wages of sin is death", says the Scriptures. So, the sinless Lamb of God came to take away your sins and deliver you from the guilty and shame of sin! What joy there is in being pardoned!

This morning I want to remind you of another source of joy from the Christmas story. In addition to the joy of His presence and the joy from His pardon, there is the joy of His peace!

Peace has several aspects but essentially, peace comes from being reconciled with God. That reconciliation is possible once you have been pardoned from sin. When the barrier of sin is removed and you connect with the Father through the grace of Jesus, the net result is peace!

Jesus would be the Prince of Peace because He would come to reconcile His people to God.

He would be known as the Prince of Peace because he can give a rest from the burden of your sin and the nagging bondage of living in sin. God is given the central place in your life and when He filled the God-shaped void in yor life, you slowly grew in your knowledge and understanding of His peace. There is great joy in having that peace!

And, find joy in the fact Jesus not only provided for your peace - HE IS YOUR PEACE! That is a source of great joy!

December 23, 2014

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy. In this series of posts I am taking a closer look at this topic of joy. What is it and where does it come from?

Joy comes from God's presence. Christmas is when God came to us in the person of Christ.

Also, joy comes from God's pardon.

Jesus came to be our Savior. Savior from what? He saved us from the penalty of sin. As sinners we were spiritually dead and destined for eternal death. But Jesus, because He was without sin, took our sins upon Himself. He died for you and me.

Because He took our penalty, we can be pardoned.

It would be the equivalent of you receiving a death sentence because of a heinous crime you committed. You are arrested and tried and found guilty by a jury - because you ARE guilty. When you appear before the judge he sentences you to death and you are taken to death row. You remain there for several years until the time comes for your sentence to be carried out and you hear footsteps coming down the long hallway toward your isolated cell. Your heart quickens, a big lump develops in your throat and there is a sinking feeling in your stomach. "This is it!", you think to yourself. But, the guard opens the door and announces, "You are free to go!"

"What?", you reply.

"You are free to go. Report to the Warden and he will make sure you get your belongings."

"But........why........how?"

"The Warden's son volunteered to take your death sentence. He will die tonight in you place! Since he has taken your sentence you are free!"

As the news begins to sink into your consciousness, you feel a great sense of relief and then slowly a joy arises in you as you realize you are free! You will get to grow old! You will get to see your children grow up! You will live out your days in freedom because someone's son died in your place!

That is the pardon you receive in Jesus when you put your faith in Him. And that is why Jesus came at Christmas. He came to pay the penalty for your sins so you can be pardoned!

Joy results from God's presence and joy arises from His pardon. Christmas is where it all began!

December 21, 2013

“This is how the birth of Jesus came to about; His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ”The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him “Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25

When you read this at first glance it appears to be a story about the birth of Jesus, but take a closer look – a second look and you will see it focuses on the immaculate conception of Jesus.

V. 18 – “but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant”

Matthew wanted to make it clear to his Jewish audience that this child conceived in Mary could not have been Joseph’s.

In the Jewish custom of arranged marriage it is possible that Mary and Joseph did not know each other well. Perhaps they had never met face to face. That would make it impossible for this pregnancy to be traced to Joseph.

V. 18b – “by the Holy Spirit”

After establishing this could not be Joseph’s child it is made clear how the conception happened and who the child belonged to – God!

The Spirit of God had melded with human cells to create a God-man who would be called Jesus.

V. 20 – “do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

For the third time in three verses the angel emphasizes that Mary's pregnancy had nothing to do with Joseph or any man. The child growing in her womb was the offspring of God's Spirit.

V. 21 – “and you shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.”

Were this child the offspring of the man, Joseph, there would be no way he could have saved people from their sins for he would need a Savior himself.

So once again, the angel emphasizes the divine origin of this pregnancy.

V. 23 – “Behold a virgin shall be with child….”

Quoting from the Prophet Isaiah, the angel stresses for the fifth time that Mary will be a virgin when she conceives this child and still a virgin when she gives birth to the child.

V. 25 – “and did not know her until she had brought for her firstborn Son.”

Just in case you missed it the first five times, Mary is a virgin and has had no sexual relations with Joseph or any other man.

It seems to me that Matthew is trying to make a point here. What do you think?

Oh, Baby! You bet he is!  God’s plan of redemption and the hope of every man rested on this child being the child of God born of a woman. There are three great doctrines wrapped up in this wondrous event!

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which declares Mary conceived her Son  by the power of the Holy Spirit not the seed of man.

The doctrine of the Incarnation states that in the womb of the Hebrew virgin named Mary, God united His Spirit with human flesh and God became a man to dwell among us.

When we share these two truths we are talking about two foundational tenets of the doctrine of salvation! Without these two doctrinal truths Jesus couldn't have come to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins!

Now God desires to birth new life in your spirit by the power of His Spirit! His Word wants to be fleshed out in your life.

Will you respond to His calling on your life with the same faith and obedience demonstrated by Mary?

December 20, 2013

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:1-6

This is the Season of concentrating and celebrating the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, the Son of God. Rightly so!

I want to do that by fast forwarding from the time of His birth to a significant statement He made in the days leading up to His death.

Jesus identifies Himself as "THE TRUTH".

Interesting! Truth is not just a concept or a theory or an opinion - "TRUTH IS A PERSON!" Jesus is truth! He defines it, He demonstrates it, and He demands it of His followers.

Since truth is a Person, entering into truth requires a relationship with that Person! While truth may lead you to Jesus, only entering into a faith relationship with Jesus, can you know truth.

A bold statement like this had better be well documented! The claim of truth is only as valid as the evidence supporting the claim and the evidence behind Jesus' statement is 350+ fulfilled prophecies! Over 40 prophecies were fulfilled just in the events surrounding His birth! The other 300+ were validated by His life, His ministry, His death and His resurrection.

Think about it! If 350+ predictions are made by dozens of godly people under the inspiration of God's Spirit between 1,000 to 400 years ahead of time are all perfectly fulfilled in the life of one person, shouldn't you take that Person's claims seriously? And if that person predicts His death AND His resurrection and then pulls it off, doesn't that give Him serious credibility?

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He defines truth for me. Whatever lines up with His life and teachings is true and anything that contradicts them is untrue.

Those last two statements will offend many people because it will challenge their notions of truth. There is no better example of this than what has happened to Duck Dynasty founder, Phil Robertson.

By giving honest Biblical answers to questions posed to him by a journalist, he has come under heavy criticism and the loss of his TV job. Many claim to be offended by Phil's expression of what he believes to be true.

So, for those who are offended by Phil's sincerely held beliefs, what do they hold as truth and what support do they offer for their claims? What they believe is based on their opinions, perhaps recent opinion polls, their emotions, their values, and their worldview. In other words, their version of truth is based on human wisdom. 

So, now his expression of truth has been punished, Phil will have to decide if he will continue to hold to that truth or conform to the pressure of worldly wisdom.

What does this have to do with Christmas?

Everything!

The arrival of God's Son on planet earth, and all the credibility that lends to the Word of God, confronts you with the decision of choosing your personal standard for truth.

If you, like Phil, hold with Jesus for your definition of Truth you can be sure your "Phil Robertson moment of truth" is coming.

Are you ready?

December 19, 2013

"This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Matthew 1:18-25

The Prophet Isaiah foretold that "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us") Isaiah 7:14

Every birth is a big deal!

When Dr. Foresman delivered my daughter I noticed he was crying. When I saw him crying it worried me. Were his tears an indication something was wrong?

Everything looked fine to me, but this was the first birth I had witnessed so what did I know? One of the nurses must have seen the look of concern on my face so she pulled me to the side and told me, "Don't worry, he cries with every baby he delivers. He thinks birth is a miracle."

Of course, that made me feel a whole lot better.

Twenty-two months later when we went in for the birth of my younger son, I was watching to see if Dr. Foresman to see if he would cry this time.

He did!

While every birth is beautiful and amazing, Isaiah prophesied the birth of God's Son, the evidence that God is with us AND He would be the embodiment of God in the flesh.

The unmistakable sign of the birth of God's Son was clear - He would be born of a virgin!

Of the billions of births that have happened or will ever occur, only ONE will be delivered by a virgin. And notice, not just "a" virgin but "the" virgin!

How can you have confidence that Jesus is the Son of God? 

History records that He and He alone was born of a virgin, just as it was foretold centuries before. 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  Micah 5:2

And because that promise came true we can have confidence in these promises:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:6-11

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."  Romans 3:21-26

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:1-10

If this prophecy of an event so unlikely as a virgin birth is proven to be true, then all the other promises concerning the purpose, plan and power of this One Who was born must be true as well!

What a truly great birth!

December 18, 2013

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

The angel came bringing good news!

And not just good news - good news of great joy!

That announcement presupposes that there was some bad news going on. Uh, yeah! This proclaimation came to a people whose politics were bad news. They lived under Roman oppression. And their economy was bad news. They earned very little and much of what they did earn went to the Romans. There was an ultra-wealthy ruling class and a lot of really poor folks and no welfare program. Even worse, their religion was a disaster! It was oppressive, demanding, impersonal and corrupt. This was the world the average Jew lived in! And there was no hope on the horizon!

But then in a remote pasture to some lonely shepherds, hope came! Good news was announced!

As a pastor, I live in a world of bad news. Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear some bad news about someone. I have my own bad news to deal with, too. How do I cope with all the bad news? What am I to do in an ever worsening economy, an ever expanding increasingly oppressive government, and a religion that is daily attacked and minimized?

What are you to do?

Well, I am a minister of "the Gospel". What is the "Gospel"? The "Gospel" means "good news"! In a world of bad news I believe the good news! The very same good news that the angel brought to the shepherds! The good news that Christ has come! A Savior is born! The Savior died for my sins to conquer sin and rose again to conquer death! For me! For you! For everyone who believes and receives the good news!

Am I to deny the bad news? Am I to ignore it? No! I speak good news to it! I deal with bad news in the power of the good news. I live in the knowledge the the good news is more powerful and longer lasting than the bad news! The good news is more real than the bad news! The good news means more and brings more joy in light of the bad news! My hope is in the good news!

As we move into this week before Christmas and as you celebrate Christmas at your church and with your family and in your quiet time with the Lord, rejoice at the reality of the "Gospel" the good news of salvation! God has conquered sin and death and through the power of the good news living in and through you and me He is conquering evil. Rejoice that the bad news will end but the good news is eternal - and only gets better!

That is your good news report for today!