Tag Archives: Christmas

Isaiah 1- Lamb of God

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Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

The other day my 9 year old son asked me “Is Mary has a little lamb about Jesus”? While this is actually debated by people online, the contrast can’t be denied, in my opinion. The virgin Mary giving birth to the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose wool was white as snow, sinless to reconcile us back to our Father God. 

When we look at the nativity from a fresh perspective, one might wonder “Why was the son of God born in a stable”? How does any of this make sense? When we understand , Mary did have a Lamb, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins. The manger makes perfect sense for the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29)

Where I live, typically when we celebrate Christmas it’s winter and there is snow on the ground. As the old classic song goes “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”, snow is actually very fitting for Christmas time, why? Because Christ , the sinless lamb of God, came to save us from our sins. 

As the prophet Isaiah said “even though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow” God is going to cleanse us from our sins, how? Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and then rose on the 3rd day , defeating sin and death forever and justifying us before God our Father

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1 Peter 1:18-19

As the Apostle Peter tells us “we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, the lamb without blemish or spot” This is why Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation or God (John 14:6) because Christ is the only one who can pay the penalty for your sins. There is nobody else who could have went to the cross for your sins, there is nobody else who can have defeated sin and death on your behalf

The virgin Mary did have a little lamb, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was born for your salvation, come let us reason together, all glory to God, Amen!

Isaiah 11- Root of Jesse

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And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: Isaiah 11:1-3

We see a continual theme by the prophets, a branch of God is coming, we read this from Zachariah, Jeremiah, and here with Isaiah. A branch/shoot/rod shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse. What is this in reference to? Who is Jesse? He is the father of King David. The Messiah will fulfill the Kingship line anointed by God. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

The Messiah will not only be King, but the Spirit of God will rest upon him. God will become King in Christ Jesus. When Jesus taught or explained Torah, the religious leaders marveled. How can this man know Torah better than us? Because Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14) Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who came not only to save us from our sins, but establish his throne and Gods eternal kingdom

We see in Revelation, a reference to the “7 Spirits of God” (Revelation 1:4-5, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 5:6) The prophet Isaiah explains these gifts of the Holy Spirit,spirit of Yahweh, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God. The number 7 is symbolic of completion, this encompasses who the Holy Spirit is and his attributes. 

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

The Messiah shall stand as a banner or sign for the people. Did Jesus Christ come to just save Israel? No, the prophet Isaiah explains “the Gentiles shall seek him” as God so loved the world, they he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16) Christ is a gift to the world , not just Israel. The King of all Kings, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron

When the Christ child was born in the manger, the Gentile wise men seeked and found him, and they glorified and worshiped the newborn King. Because Jesus Christ , the root of Jesse, came to save the world from the sins, Amen

Isaiah 61- Set Free

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Isaiah 61:1-2

The word Messiah or Christ means anointed one, the text is very clear that Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 4:21) The text also goes into more detail, what is the role of the Messiah. To preach good tidings or the good news (the gospel) The Christ brought the gospel to the world, the same gospel Jesus fulfilled by his death and resurrection (1 Cor. 15) The birth of Jesus Christ is good news for the entire world and worthy of all worship and praise!

Jesus said “If the son has set you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) As the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah will “proclaim liberty to the captives” From a worldy perspective this initial doesnt make sense, as the religious leaders told Jesus “we have never been slaves to anyone” (John 8:33) However as Paul said , you are either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18) The world is held captive to sin, and Christ has come to set us free!

Those who don’t understand their sinful nature or the wrath to come, can’t grasp the unspeakable gift of Christ coming to Earth. To proclaim the acceptable year of The Lord, which is Jublilee, when slaves are set free, this is why the coming of Christ is the acceptable year of God. The Son has set us free!

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:18-21

Jesus himself confirmed he is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy. You don’t need to read any commentary or have any pastor convince you Jesus is the Christ, Jesus told us himself. Jesus Christ is the living Word made flesh (John 1:1-14) Who has come to set us free from the bondages and sentence of our sins

This Christmas, proclaim the favorable year of The Lord, proclaim liberty, because Jesus Christ has come and set us free from the slavery of our sin, Amen!

Isaiah 40- Prepare The Way

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The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:3-5

This week is Christmas week, often this is a busy time where we are all preparing for the events to come. We are preparing a meal for our families and friends to come over and celebrate, we are preparing gifts to exchange with one another, we are preparing Church services and events to fellowship and worship the newborn King. Let’s not forget to prepare our hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophet Isaiah foretold about a voice that will be yelling in the wilderness to “Prepare the way for The Lord ” of course we know that Isaiah was speaking of John the Baptist. The one Jesus called “the greatest of all prophets”(Matthew 11:11) The one who preached a strong message of repentance and baptized people to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ

It’s also very interesting that Jesus’ deity is revealed here also, as the original Hebrew reads “Prepare the way for Yahweh” , John the Baptist is preparing for the coming of God in the flesh Jesus Christ. 

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins Mark 1:2-4

And it was confirmed in the New Testament, that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Isaiah. Therefore the Bible makes it very clear that Jesus is Lord and God (John 20:28) To deny the deity of Christ would to deny the prophecy of Isaiah and the testimony of John the Baptist. How are we to prepare for the coming of The Lord? By repentance of our sins

This Christmas season, it’s a good reminder for the Church to prepare the way for The Lord Jesus Christ. Prepare your hearts , to love The Lord God with all your mind, heart, and soul. Prepare your mind to be focused on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prepare your family to know about The Lord and all that he has done for us, Amen!

Jeremiah 23- Righteous Branch

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Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jeremiah 23:5-6

Behold , The Days are Coming! For hundreds of years Israel waited for their coming Messiah, and that day came when Jesus Christ was born in a manger. Think about that, the event of the Nativity was the fulfillment of many prophecies throughout time. 

A righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper. When we think about a Branch, it grows or come forth from the trunk of the tree. This is in reference to the incarnation of Christ. Jesus Christ became a man through the nation of Israel, born of a Virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Being fully God and fully man, Christ has come to save the world from their sins, and establish his throne as King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords

The King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice on the Earth. The Messiah didn’t just come to save Israel, the prophecy foretells for the entire Earth. Jesus is the Light of the Gentiles (Luke 2:32)

In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. Isaiah 4:2

The prophet Isaiah as called the Messiah , the Branch of The Lord (Yahweh), again another reference to the Incarnation of Christ (Isaiah 7:14) and notice it says the “fruit of the Earth”, Christ is not just the fruit of Israel, Christ is bringing the fruit to the world. What is the fruit? The gospel to the entire world, Christ died, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again

Quoting Jeremiah again, The King Shall Reign (Jeremiah 23:5) Jesus Christ, the righteous branch, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords is reigning on his throne seated at the right hand of God the Father. Glory to the newborn King! Amen!

Psalm 2- Kiss The Son

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Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Psalm 2:1-6

Why is the birth of Jesus Christ such an important and glorious moment for all creation? Well aside from the fact that Christ atoned for our sin and justified us before God, Jesus Christ has also established his throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This was the promise of the Messiah, that God would become our King and reign. As the scripture says “I have set my King upon My holy hill of Zion”

This is why the wise men asked “Where is the King of the Jews , that we may worship him” (Matthew 2:2) This is why all the angels of Heaven worshiped and celebrated the birth of Christ saying “Glory to God in the highest , peace on earth and good will to men” (Luke 2:14) They understood that God was not just saving the world, but God was establishing his throne through Christ

When we look at the state of the world, its no different than it was in Psalm 2. The kings of the earth (governments) set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against The Lord and his anointed. The world today is still at war against God, they continually reject his Law, and they reject The only begotten Son , Jesus Christ. Is God worried? No, God is laughing from his throne, because all these wicked and evil forces are blinded puppets of Satan. They are all already defeated and they will all have their appointed time in the Lake of Fire

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalm 2:7-12

The prophecy of God becoming a man to save and rule the world with a rod of iron. Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee, the promise of the Son of God coming to Earth has finally been fulfilled in the lowly manger in Bethlehem. The King above all Kings , born of a virgin, born under The Law, to save us from our sins and establish Gods eternal Kingdom

Kiss the Son, some other translations also say “Give Sincere Homage” meaning submit and obey The Lord Jesus Christ, because Christ is worthy of all praise and honor. Blessed are they who put their trust in Him (Christ) Those who reject Christ are already defeated along with Satan and his evil empire, Amen!

Genesis 49- Lion of Judah

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Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:9-10

While Jacob was blessing his sons, he also foretold a Messianic prophecy, that the “Sceptre shall not depart from Judah” The word Sceptre means rod/staff/tribe of royalty and kingship. This means the Messiah (The Christ) will come from the tribe of Judah. It’s amazing to think, Jacob is foretelling about Jesus Christ thousands of years before the Incarnation of Christ occurred

As we look at the genealogies of Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, we see Jesus is from the line of Judah on both sides of his family. All the 300 prophecies foretelling of the coming of the Messiah were fulfilled at the manger. The birth of Jesus Christ, was a moment that Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob longed to see, the Christ has come to save us from our sins, and rule with a rod of iron

Jesus is the Lion of Judah, this is how he got this title from the Messianic prophecy foretold by Jacob. Notice the Lion of Judah is not prowling looking to devour people like Satan (1 Peter 5:8) The Lion of Judah is the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, He couched , as a Lion lays down with authority and power. Christ is seated on the throne (scepter) all power and authority on Heaven and Earth have been given to him (Matthew 28:18)

But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

Jesus Christ is confirmed as the Lion of Judah , also as the “root of David” meaning Christ has fulfilled the Kingship, Jesus is the Messiah, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. While the world today lives in chaos and anxiety, as the elder says “Do Not Weep”! Christ is born, Christ is Risen, and Christ will come again!

He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; Revelation 2:27

Glory to our newborn King, Jesus Christ who rules with a rod of iron, as The Lion of Judah, the nations shall rest upon his shoulders, Amen!

Genesis 3- The Seed

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And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15

As we enter into the Christmas season, its important to understand why the Incarnation of Christ is crucial to our salvation. God becoming human to die for the sins of the world, to rise again defeating sin, death, and Satan forever. Without the Incarnation of Christ, the atonement for our sins would not be possible. But Jesus Christ took it upon himself, to die for the sins of the world, to reconcile us back to our Heavenly Father

Now as sin entered into the world by Adam and Eve, God already had a redemption plan. Satan was already defeated before he even got started. We see this in the book of Genesis, the prophecy already of the Incarnation of Christ. The word enmity also means hostility. A war was declared between God and Satan, a war for everyone’s soul, as Satan looks to deceive and destroy every human that walks this Earth, while God through Christ is looking to restore and save every soul

Who is “Her Seed”? This is a reference to the Incarnation of Christ. The Apostle Paul says this “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16) The prophecy references One Seed, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only one who can defeat Satan and save your from your sins

Christ will bruise or crush your head and Satan will bruise or strike Christ heel. The head of Satan is his temporary Kingdom, as Paul says “The god (Satan) of this world”(2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan has a temporary Kingdom on this world, which he deceives and destroys many souls. However Christ will crush and destroy this Kingdom, which he has already accomplished on the cross

Satan will bruise the heel, Satan will persecute and sometimes even kill Born Again believers of Christ, however Satan will never be able to take their souls, as Jesus said “You will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:11) Jesus also said “Don’t fear the One who can kill the body, fear The One who can destroy both the body and soul in Hell” (Matthew 10:28)

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:20 (NKJV)

Paul is obviously referencing the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, Satan’s Kingdom and time is coming to an end, Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33) Let’s rejoice as the angels did when Jesus Christ came to Earth, because Christ is our victory! Amen!

Matthew 2- The Magi

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Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 2:1-6

Some of the most mysterious characters in the Bible are the Magi or Wise Men. Who are these guys? Where did they come from? The Magi were from Persia , which is modern day Iran. So the Magi traveled about 900 miles on camelback to find the Christ child. Now it’s obvious the Magi were familiar with many of the Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, including Micah 5:2 which says the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. They were also familiar with the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 about the star as a sign of the Messiah

During their journey to Bethlehem , the Magi traveled through Jerusalem and met with King Herod, who heard about the coming of The Messiah, a King above all Kings. Herod instantly became threatened by Christ, and pretended to want to worship Jesus , however truly he just wanted to kill him. Which we will see later caused the horrific event known as “Rachel’s weeping”

The Magi were very intelligent , hence the name “Wise Man” they were known as your experts of the time, such as we look upon doctors or scholars today. The Magi were also a fulfillment of prophecy themselves as foretold by Isaiah “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. “ (Isaiah 60:3) “

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way Matthew 2:7-12

So how did the Magi find  Jesus? They followed the star , which was prophesied in Numbers 24:17, to the town of Bethlehem prophesied by Micah 5:2. It’s often tradition in our Nativity scenes, to have 3 wise men. Well first thing is we don’t know exactly how many Magi made the trip, we assume 3 because of the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Secondly , by the time the Magi found Jesus, it says he was a “young child”, it was most likely the Magi visited Jesus at his house and not in the manger. It could have potentially been months, maybe years until the Magi reached Bethlehem and found Jesus.

The most significant point to get from this, is that the Magi were Gentiles coming to worship the Messiah, the New Covenant has now arrived through Jesus. Salvation is now possibly, not only to the Jews but also the Gentiles who put their faith in Christ! Amen!