Tag Archives: Advent

Christmas-Luke 1- John The Baptist Foretold

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And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. Luke 1:11-15

As we begin the gospel of Luke, the first event we see is the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. This should tells us the importance of John’s appearance and his ministry. The first thing we notice here, is Zechariah was a high priest, therefore John was also from the line of high priest. Often when we think of John the Baptist, we think of a crazy guy wandering the wilderness. But this was not the case, as John the Baptist was not only from the line of high priests, but Jesus called John “The greatest of all prophets” (Matthew 11:11)

John the Baptist was also the fulfillment of prophecy as foretold by Malachi (3:1) and Isaiah (40:1) John was the one who was preparing Israel for the coming of The Messiah by a message of repentance, and he was the one who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, to signify that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God

An interesting note is John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and was great in the sight of The Lord. We can probably assume, John was also taught the scriptures by his father Zechariah since he was a high priest. John the Baptist whole mission in life was to reveal the Messiah to Israel

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. Luke 1:16-19

John the Baptist was also a fulfillment of the coming of Elijah. Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 17:12-13. Many Jews today are still waiting for Elijah to come, but Christ confirmed it is already fulfilled. As the angel Gabriel revealed this messenger was to prepare the way for The Lord, the same as Isaiah foretold about John the Baptist

Notice what the Angel Gabriel says in verse 19, “to bring you this good news (glad tidings) meaning the gospel. Jesus is the gospel message, the salvation for the world, this is the good news!

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. Luke 1:20-23

 However Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel, and because of his disobedience he would not be able to speak until John the Baptist was born. Zechariah was an old man at this time, and he didn’t see how it was possible for God to fulfill his promise, however as the angel say “With God all things are possible”

I find it interesting the similarity between Abraham and Zechariah, the fulfillment of the Messiah is coming into place. John the Baptist will be the messenger to prepare the way for Jesus, for everyone to come to repentance and receive Christ, Amen!

Luke 19- Zacchaeus finds Jesus

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And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. Luke 19:1-5

 What would you do to get close to Jesus? Here we meet a man named Zacchaeus, what we know about this man , was he was the chief tax collector , he was rich,and he was short. Now we must remember, tax collectors were considered the greatest of all sinners to the Jewish people. These were people, who were typically Jewish, and would work for the Roman government and enforced the oppressive tax laws on the Jewish people that kept them enslaved to the Roman empire. 

So the fact Jesus actually acknowledged Zacchaeus and wanted to dine at his house, angered the Jews in the crowd. But Jesus came to save the sinners and not the righteous, this is what the people didn’t understand. 

Notice the faith Zacchaeus demonstrated on trying to seek Jesus, he knew he was too short to see over the crowd, so he climbed a tree and Christ saw him. This is the faith we need to demonstrate, find a way to Jesus! Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree, Christ saw the faith and choose him

And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:6-10

Zacchaeus was remorseful and demonstrated fruits of repentance, he told Jesus he would give half of everything he owned to the poor and repay everyone fourfold that he ripped off. There should be fruit of our own repentance also, a dog shouldn’t keep returning to its own vomit (Proverbs 26:11)

The day of salvation came to the house of Zahaeus, why? Because he repented and put his faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is no other reason why Zacchaeus should be saved except Christ alone. I know many in that crowd would wish to see Zacchaeus thrown into Hell, but God is merciful 

Jesus said “He came to seek and save the lost” Christ came to set us free from our sin and death. Even if you’re a chief of sinners like Zacchaeus, seek Christ and He will save you Amen!

Christmas- Isaiah 9-Unto Us A Child is Born

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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

This prophecy written by Isaiah over 700 years before Jesus was born, gives us immense insight on who Jesus truly is. A child is born, meaning God is going to become human to deliver us. Can we even begin to fathom an Eternal God taking on human form to live among us? This seems impossible or maybe even incomprehensible. But this is what God did to have a relationship with You!

Is there any question or doubt that Jesus is God? Notice the title in the prophecy given to Christ, The Mighty God. Since we know there is only One God, then we know Jesus is The Mighty God. If Jesus isn’t the Mighty God then this prophecy isn’t about him, then who would this prophecy be about? Who else fulfilled over 300 Messianic prophecies of the scriptures?

You might say, how can Jesus be The Mighty God and die on the cross? The Mighty God is a Triune God consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You might say, I don’t understand therefore its not true! Do you understand how the universe came into existence, do you understand how every planet and star were formed and put in their place? You can’t even begin to fathom God, why do you believe you understand his nature?

The Christ has come! This is a reason to celebrate, this is a reason to repent and receive your Lord and God in Jesus name Amen!

Luke 18- The Blind Beggar

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And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Luke 18:35-39

Here we read the story of a blind beggar, now most people will think , this story isn’t relevant to me because you’re not physically blind or maybe not physically disabled at all. However it is relevant to everyone because we are all or were spiritually blind without Christ. To live without Jesus is to be dead in your sins (Ephesians 2) to be blinded by this world, however as Jesus said “Blessed are your eyes because they see” (Matthew 13:16) Jesus was talking from a spiritual perspective, the Son of God will open your eyes to truth and life

The blind beggar heard that the Messiah was passing by, and he cried out to him “Jesus, Have mercy on Me” have you cried out to The Lord? If not, what is stopping you? Notice the faith of the blind beggar, even when the crowd rebuked him and told him to shut up, he cried out to Jesus even louder!

Don’t let anyone prevent you from coming to Jesus, cry out to The Lord and you will be saved! Notice the title the beggar referenced Jesus as “The Son of David” , this is a Messianic reference, He believed Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the man demonstrated his faith in Jesus

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Luke 18:40-43

Jesus didn’t reject the blind beggar, he came right to him. Think about all the people in the crowd, and The Lord went to the one lost sheep. And Jesus said to the man “What do you want me to do for you”? What do you want Jesus to do for you today? Do you need peace? Do you need forgiveness? Do you know where you will spend eternity? Jesus is the answer, and he’s waiting for you to call out to him

Notice what Jesus says “Your faith has saved You” It wasn’t the works of the man that saved him, it was his faith in Christ! It is by faith you are saved not by our works (Ephesians 2) And what did the man do afterwards? He followed Christ and glorified God, and when all the people saw it, they glorified God also. The blind beggar was a walking testimony for Jesus, is your salvation story the same for others?

Jesus is in your midst, cry out to The Lord and you shall be saved, Amen!

Christmas- John 3-Only Begotten Son

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

On that glorious day God sent his love to us thru his only begotten Son Jesus. Our Messiah who has delivered us from our sins and has giving us eternal hope.

The original Greek text for Begotten was “Monogenes”. As most Greek words Monogenes has two primary definitions. It means “unique or one of a kind” and it means “only child”. The word Begotten clearly defines Jesus importance and uniqueness as The Son of God.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17

Angels filled the sky and rejoiced when Jesus was born, because he came to save the world not condemn it. By his atonement sacrifice he has taken our sins for us , so we can be part of Gods covenant.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

Jesus is The Truth, Life, and The Only Way to eternal life. If you reject him you are condemning your life. Why would you reject the one who has giving you everything? Jesus is the only gift you need this Christmas

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

Many will reject him because they love there sin more than him. The Word of God is a sword the cuts to the heart of evil. Rejoice for the light of the world has been delivered to us in a manger in Jesus Name Amen

 

Luke 18- Prophecy of Christ Death

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Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. Luke 18:31-33

The understanding of the purpose of Christ has always been a challenge, even to Jesus’ own disciples. Let me explain, even though the disciples believed that Jesus is the Messiah, they didn’t fully understand His plan and purpose at the time. Most believed the Christ would be a great military warrior who would destroy Rome and reestablish the nation of Israel.

However as Jesus revealed here to his disciples, the Messiah, the Son of Man, must actually die in the hands of the Gentiles and then the Messiah would rise again on the 3rd day. Now we understand what Jesus is saying here, because it happened two thousand years ago and we read about it in our Bibles over and over again. However this information at the time was a prophecy, and was totally mind blowing for the disciples

The disciples, like most Jews , were aware of most of the Messianic Prophecies, however they seemed to have forgotten Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22. They never envisioned their Christ to be the suffering servant or the man of sorrows. However all of this was necessary for our salvation. Jesus must pay for the sins of the world

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. Luke 18:34

As the scriptures tell us “The didn’t understand any of these things” The disciples had no clue what Jesus was foretelling them. It reminds me of when Jesus told his disciples earlier about his death, remember this is the 3rd time Jesus foretold about his death. Peter said “This shall never happen to You” (Matthew 16:22) What was Jesus response “Get behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23) Yes , Jesus called Peter Satan, not a proud moment in Peters theological career

However the point was, Jesus had to die for our sins. The Messiah became human to be nailed to the cross, and then be resurrected on Sunday morning defeating sin and death forever. This was God’s redemption plan, this was the plan for the Christ, even though the disciples and the prophets didn’t fully understand it

Here’s another thought, even Satan and the demons didn’t understand the Passion story. Sure Satan knew the Messiah would come to destroy him, but he never thought he would be defeated on the cross of death! But the enemy of death and sin have been defeated and abolished forever by our Risen Lord! Satan’s days are numbered, keep your heads up, redemption is drawing near, Amen!

Christmas- Genesis 12-Earth Will Be Blessed

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And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:3

At first glance this only appears to be a prophecy about Israel. However as you see at the end of the scripture, it says “All The Earth Will Be Blessed”. How and Why are the questions? Well it started with Abraham and ended with Jesus Christ!

Little did Abraham know or understand , that his promised seed of Isaac would eventually lead to the Messiah. As God told Abraham “You would have descendants as numerous as the stars and sand on the shore” (Genesis 26:4, Genesis 22:17)

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Galatians 3:8-9

The Apostle Paul clarifies this, that we are all justified by faith in God just as Abraham was. Its by faith in Christ you are saved, not by your works. Same with Abraham it was his faith in God that saved him and not his works.

Second we through Jesus Christ are spiritual descendants of Abraham. The entire world will be blessed through Jesus Christ! The Messianic Seed that was promised since the beginning in Genesis. The word Heathen here is used interchangeably with Gentile

Understand that the Bible is a continuous book in complete harmony with each other. God had a redemption plan for humanity and it was through Jesus Christ! Amen

Luke 18- The Rich Young Ruler

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And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Luke 18:18-21

The story of the Rich Young Ruler, often when we think of this story we think of the principle of money. However this story is much deeper than that, and Jesus reveals alot about who He is, and why we need Him. The conversation starts with “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life”? This is a question that should be pondered by everyone, however most have no regard for the afterlife until it’s too late. It’s time to get right with God

Notice what Jesus says here” Why do you call me Good, Nobody is Good except God” Did you catch what Jesus just revealed here? The only One who is “Good” is God alone. The word Good here means morally excellent, so the only one without sin is God alone. Well we know Jesus is sinless, therefore He is God in the flesh. If Jesus isn’t God, then he can’t be morally excellent. Those who reject the deity of Christ, are rejecting his atonement for their sin as only God is morally excellent

Next, notice how Jesus measures whether the man is “Good”, he refers to the Ten Commandments, Gods moral law. You see the Ten Commandments are a mirror for our soul, when we analyze them we realize our sinful nature and our need for a Savior. Everyone has sinned and fallen short according to God’s moral standards, the Ten Commandments, this is why you need Jesus!

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Luke 18:22-25

Notice when Jesus mentioned the Ten Commandments to the man, he said “I have kept all of them since my youth” Now we all know this is a lie, nobody has ever been able to keep all the commandments their entire life, so Jesus tested him one more time. Christ said “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor” this was like an arrow through the man’s heart, as he was very wealthy and owned many possessions.

What was the issue here? The rich young ruler had a heart issue, he loved his money more than he loved God. As Jesus said “They honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8) That’s why Jesus said “Its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person enter Heaven”

It’s not that money is a sin, its the love of money that’s a sin. Anything you put ahead of God is idolatry, you need to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Remember Jesus is the only way to become saved, nobody is “Good” except God alone Amen!

Luke 18- Jesus Loves The Little Children

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And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. Luke 18:15-17

We have all heard the Sunday School song “Jesus loves the little children”, and we probably thought well that’s a nice song but it’s actually Biblical. Jesus loved the children and even told his disciples “Unless you become like little children, you can’t enter the kingdom of God” Now of course this is figurative and spiritual, however this went totally against the practice of the religious system in that day and maybe even today

We have all heard “Children are to be seen and not heard” we probably have been to Church with our children and maybe somebody elses children, and they are making noise, and you’ll see the angry stares from the pews or maybe some hushing. This is a religious mentality not a Christ like mentality. We see the disciples in our reading today, many people brought their infants and children to be blessed by Jesus, and the disciples were rebuking them and turning them away. This is not what Jesus wanted, and he corrected his disciples

Jesus said “Let the children come to me and don’t forbid them” We should never be a stumbling block for anyone coming to Christ. This is why I believe the Lord’s Table is an open invitation to anyone of any age. Who am I to judge whether you’re truly a “Christian”? I don’t know , so I won’t be a stumbling block for your salvation, many people have become saved at an early age. Jesus encouraged the children to come to Him and don’t forbid them. 

Jesus said “Unless you become like one of these children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3) If only we had faith like a child! But as we get older, we believe we are wiser, we believe we are more important, we become more corrupted by the world. We can’t see Christ and find him through our years of indoctrination by the world. That’s why we need to be spiritually Born Again to see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3)

As the old Sunday School song goes, it doesn’t matter what nationality you are, it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it doesn’t matter what age you are, Jesus said “Come to me all who are weary and burden laden and I will give You rest!” (Matthew 11:28) Amen!

Christmas- Micah 5-Out of Bethlehem

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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

God works in mysterious ways. 700 years before Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem, a prophet named Micah foretold about the coming Messiah. When people heard this prophecy there were probably rejoicing and celebrating, for God has saved them from the oppression of the world.

However, the coming of our King, didn’t happen the way we would all imagine the King of Kings entering the world. He was born of a virgin, who was to be put to death because nobody believed her story. He was carried on a donkey over 70 miles in Mary’s womb making the treacherous journey to Bethlehem.

At the time Mary and Joseph probably thought traveling to Bethlehem was the worst scenario that could have happened, but what they didn’t know was they were fulfilling Gods plan for the world. For our Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, and he did in a lowly manger.

A couple of things about this prophecy are amazing when you understand, first the accuracy of the prophecy, as we know Israel was eventually divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, so there was actually two Bethlehem’s eventually. The fact that the prophet Micah , not only told the correct city of Jesus birth, but also the correct Bethlehem of Ephrath, its amazing

Secondly the city of Bethlehem’s main industry was the breeding of the Passover Lambs. As we know Jesus is The Lamb of God (John 1:29) our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) so it makes perfect sense , Jesus would be born in Bethlehem , the city of the Passover Lamb, born in a manger as the Lamb of God

Whatever you think Christmas is about, know this story it begins in the manger in Bethlehem where God sent his son to save the world. Remember this story and the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Name Amen