Reflections

I will be taking a break from updating this blog until January 2010.  My family and I are going to Africa for missions and to see family.  Let us remember in this season to reflect on Jesus Christ and what He means in our lives.  Each of us is called to go out and do the things Jesus did.  The same Spirit that was in Him is in us.  So even as you gather during the holidays with family and friends continue to shine and be salt in the earth.  Let us all live from heaven to earth because we are Ambassadors of Christ.  God bless you all and have a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year celebration.

Pastor Anna

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Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  1 John 4: 7-11

The command that we have been given by Jesus is to love one another, to love our neighbor as ourselves.  We should never disguise hate with holiness.  Some will justify condemnation or hatred toward another person or group of people by claiming holiness.  But the scriptures teach us that those who belong to God love because love comes from God.  If we claim to be Christians and operate in hatred and not love then we really do not know God.

We have heard the saying “hate the sin, not the sinner.”  We must remember that when we deal with unbelievers or wicked men that we must show the reconciliation that God desires with all.  We are not to sit in judgment of others but we should direct them to Jesus Christ.  We do this through love and showing mercy.  Let us not forget that one time we were sinners and counted among the wicked and evil.  But praise God for His mercy and love that He showed us and saved us.  We are called to love everyone including our neighbors and enemies.

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Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
       “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,
         WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,
         RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;
         AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,
         BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”

 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”  Matthew 2:16-20

In Matthew we see another prophesy told about the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  Here Herod wants to kill Jesus and orders that all male children from two and under living in the vicinity of Bethlehem and in Bethlehem be killed.  What a horrific thing to have happen.  In that time there was a lot of mourning.  Can you imagine losing your baby boy or a city to lose all of its young male children?

Despite Herod’s wicked and evil scheme, God had a plan and Jesus was safe.  Praise God for Joseph and Mary’s obedience to God.  Not only did they help save Jesus’ life but they were also helping all of us saved by Jesus.

Whatever plan God has for our lives, the devil cannot stop it.  If we agree with God’s plan and purpose for our life no devil in hell will stop it.  We must be in agreement with God like Mary and Joseph was and obey His voice and He will see us through any obstacles the enemy puts in our way.

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They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
 ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
 FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” Matthew 2:5-8

When King Herod heard about the news about the Messiah being born he became troubled and so did Jerusalem.  Why would they be troubled?  King Herod had heard that the Messiah was to be King and His Kingdom would be everlasting.  That would trouble anyone in power.  It also troubled the scribes and chief priests.  King Herod sent the Magi to really spy on the baby Jesus.  He had no intention to worship Him.  Instead King Herod sought how he might kill Jesus. 

There were many prophesies about the coming of Jesus and not everyone would be happy about His birth and life on earth, especially the enemy.  The devil is a defeated foe.  Jesus Christ has defeated the works of Satan.  But Satan still tried to do whatever he could to stop God’s plan for salvation.  But it is great to know that no one can stop God.  His will is sovereign and will come to pass.  It was God’s will that Jesus come to earth and live among us and die for us.  The gates of hell did not prevail in the destruction of man and in trying to stop Jesus.  Jesus is the answer and the reason we celebrate this season.

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And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32

As a baby Jesus was brought to the temple to be presented to God.  Simeon was there to see Jesus and bless Him.  A prophetic word was said over Jesus’ life and it was said that Jesus would also be “a light of Revelation to the Gentiles.”  Jesus did not only come to save Israel but the entire world.  It was God’s plan to save mankind from sin.  But Jesus was to also bring glory to Israel.  God had revealed Himself to a nation (Israel) and now God was revealing Himself to the world through the birth of Jesus Christ.

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And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  Luke 2: 7-14

Many people say that the Christmas season has become so commercial and people are only focused on buying gifts and getting gifts.  There are some who do not celebrate Christmas because they do not believe that Jesus was born in December and think it is foolish to celebrate.  It is a time that we should reflect on what God did through the birth of Jesus Christ.

For hundreds of years God remained silent in Israel.  All the people had were prophesies of the coming Messiah.  Here at the birth of Jesus the Angels inform the shepherds in the field that their Savior had been born.  How fitting that the Angels revealed this to the shepherds since Jesus is called the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep.  He was born in very humble beginnings in a stable and was laid in a manger.  He was not born in a palace or even the local inn.  But Jesus was of royal priesthood.  He came through the line of David and as David was told by God that His kingdom would reign forever and ever.

What the people did not fully understand was that Jesus’ birth at this time was not about Jesus becoming King and taking over Israel’s enemy, but He came to conquer sin and death.  God is always concerned about our spiritual state with Him above any earthly state or position.  Jesus was not born to be just a King, but He was born to save us all from sin and death.  He came to seek and save the lost to restore all that the devil had stolen from man and make right our relationship with God the Father.  This is why we celebrate Christmas and let us never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season.

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Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.   “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.   “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1: 26-33

Mary found favor with God and was chosen to bear the Son of God Jesus.  Mary was a virgin and pledged to marry Joseph who was a descendant of David.  Mary asked how she would conceive a baby since she was not yet married and was still a virgin.  Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive the baby and for this reason the baby would be called the Son of God.

Mary and Joseph were chosen to be the earthly parents of Jesus.  They would be responsible for raising Jesus as a child.  Mary and Joseph accepted their responsibilities as parents and committed themselves to raising the Son of God.  What an honor and privilege to be chosen by God.  How blessed we are that both Mary and Joseph obeyed the call on their lives and had faith in God.

By being obedient Mary and Joseph allowed God to bring salvation to the world.  We see God beginning to undo the damage of disobedience that came through Adam and Eve.  God began the process of restoration of man’s relationship with Him through the conception and birth of Jesus Christ.  It was also prophesied that Jesus would be King and His Kingdom would never end.

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Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
         And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
         The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
         The spirit of counsel and strength,
         The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:1-2

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
         “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
         And He will reign as king and act wisely
         And do justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah 23:5

In the Old Testament there are many prophesies about the coming Messiah, and these prophesies were given to the people of Israel.  Here in Isaiah and Jeremiah God is talking about the coming Messiah being born through the line of Jesse and David.  David was the king of Israel and it was promised that through his line God was going to rise up a righteous branch.  These are prophesies that the children of Israel held onto as they waited to see the Messiah.

As we reflect on Jesus this Christmas season let us also anticipate His return.  As Christians we know that Jesus is returning.  We should be doing the work Jesus has called us to do and continue to proclaim the gospel to all the nations that Jesus is Lord and He reigns forever and ever.   He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

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Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.

 ¹⁰God said to him,
         “Your name is Jacob;
         You shall no longer be called Jacob,
         But Israel shall be your name.”
         Thus He called him Israel.

 ¹¹God also said to him,
         “I am God Almighty;
        Be fruitful and multiply;
         A nation and a company of nations shall come from you,
         And kings shall come forth from you.  Genesis 35:9-11

In God’s plan of redemption, He chose a nation to reveal Himself.  God had earlier made a promise to Abraham that he would be a father or many nations.  Abraham had Isaac and Isaac had Jacob.   In this passage of scripture God changes Jacob’s name to Israel.  It is the nation of Israel that God uses to reveal Himself to the world.  Israel received God’s love and mercy and was a demonstration of His glory to other nations.

It was Israel who was given the law and given specific instructions in how to atone for sin and to not associate themselves with the pagan world.  Unfortunately, Israel continually fell into sin and the animal sacrifices were never enough to atone for Israel’s sin.  God constantly gave Israel chances to redeem herself but always fell back into disobedience.  So God promised a Messiah who would come and redeem Israel of her sin and save her.  Not only was this promise made to Israel but to the entire world.  There was no sufficient person on earth that could atone for the world’s sin and return man back to God.  It was prophesied that a messiah would come and deliver Israel from her enemies and save the entire world.  God’s purpose was that sin would be atoned for and man would be reconciled to God.  God chose Israel as the nation that would birth the messiah.

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Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.”

We know that Jesus was in the beginning before the creation of the world and man.  After the serpent deceived Eve and Adam in eating the forbidden fruit, God cursed the serpent (Satan).  God began to set in motion man’s plan of redemption.  By sinning Adam gave up his dominion over the earth and gave power to Satan.  Adam gave Satan power over man.

In verse 15 God says that “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.”  In this verse God is referring to Jesus’ defeat of Satan and Jesus death on the cross.  So as soon as man had sinned God already planned man’s redemption.  It has always been God’s will that man be united with God.  God knew that the only one who could destroy Satan and take dominion back was Him.

Despite Adam and Eve’s sin God determined to show forth His love and mercy through Jesus Christ.  What happened in the garden was foreseen by God.  The bible tells us that our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life even before the foundation of the earth.  So even before creation God had a plan for man’s redemption through Jesus.  Satan is a defeated foe and we have victory through Jesus.

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