The King has come, and He has brought life and light to the whole world.
Come, let us adore Him!
A devotional blog from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - Isaiah 40:3-5, ESV
The Voice in the Wilderness
I have a confession to make (after 25+ years): In high school, I had the bad habit of sometimes showing up at friends' houses unannounced. Once I got my driver's license and the use of a car, I would sometimes just drive to a friend's house and knock on the door and invite myself in. One of my good friends was my pastor's daughter, so one of the houses I would visit unannounced was my pastor's house. After I had done this 2-3 times, Pastor Don politely requested that I call first before just showing up unannounced.
In the ancient world, it was not unusual for even an overnight guest to arrive unannounced. After all, they had no phones and travel was unpredictable. Yet one kind of visitor would never arrive unannounced: a king. Sometimes kings might go in disguise to secretly explore or visit an area, but if a king was coming for an official visit, his coming was always announced ahead of time. After all, preparations had to be made.
When King Jesus came into the world, God foretold His coming centuries in advance. Yet God not only foretold His Son's coming but also the coming of the forerunner, the herald of His Son. We know the forerunner as John the Baptist, but in Isaiah 40, he is simply "a voice" which cries out a message of preparation.
John the Baptist's role was critical: he called people to repentance and to prepare their hearts for the coming of Messiah. He reminded them of God's holy standard for His people in justice and righteousness. The more people responded to John's message, the more prepared they would be for the coming of Jesus. Being prepared for Jesus meant being ready to see the glory of God in the flesh, which could only be seen by eyes of faith.
John was a faithful herald, a great forerunner. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, "Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) When crowds left him to follow Jesus, he said, "He must increase but I must decrease." (John 3:30) In the end, he was called to lay down his life in the cause of righteousness as he was beheaded by Herod Antipas.
May we learn today's Advent lesson from John the Baptist, the last great prophet before Christ. May we learn to stand for righteousness, to tell others the truth about Jesus, and be content to see Jesus become great, even while we become less and less. Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son into the world to be our Savior, and thank You for sending John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. Thank You for his faithfulness as the forerunner. May we walk in his steps as herald and witnesses of the great King! In Jesus' name and for His glory we pray, Amen.
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 the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. - Isaiah 11:2-3a, ESV
The Spirit and the Messiah
What could be wrong with my car now?? I shook my head in disgust and frustration, anxious about the high cost of repairing whatever had gone wrong. The car's engine sputtered and died and I drifted to a complete stop by the side of the road. I popped the hood and looked underneath, not that I knew what I was trying to see. Nothing was smoking or smelling bad. The car hadn't made any strange noises before it died. I closed the hood and got back into the car. That's when I saw the gas gauge: Empty.
A car can be in perfect mechanical condition, but it will not run without gas. Why did Jesus need to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Wasn't He perfect? Why did the Spirit descend on Him like a dove at His baptism? Was it just a public show of His status as Messiah? Well, the Spirit and the Father were both certainly publicly testifying. The descent of the Spirit was a direct and unmistakable fulfillment of the words of Isaiah 11. Yet, the Spirit also came upon Jesus because Jesus needed Him.
We must realize and remember that Jesus was both true God and true man. As Messiah, He represented us in His human flesh. "God cannot be tempted with evil," according to James 1:13, but Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, because He was a true man. The only way for any of us to resist temptation and glorify God in our lives is by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. He faced His temptations and trials in the Spirit's power. He overcame the devil's lies by the truth of God's word and the power of the Spirit. We have victory in the same way, for we need the same Spirit that Jesus needed - and even more so, for we are not perfect.
Isaiah 11 is a beautiful description of a life that fully manifests the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus was the perfect picture of a fruitful believer: one who walks by faith, who seeks the glory of God, who is filled with the Holy Spirit, and who walks in the path of God's Word. Thus, His ministry as Messiah began with the filling of the Spirit.
Yet Jesus is so much more than a mere man. His obedience does more than just exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, Ultimately, Jesus' obedience brings in the fullness of God's kingdom. God's blessings spread throughout all the earth in peace and prosperity for all, one Jesus returns to consummate the kingdom He is now advancing.
Today's Advent lesson is to thank God for anointing Jesus with the Holy Spirit and to realize how much we need the Spirit in our lives. We need Him more than we can ever know, and He is available to us with more power than we could realize. Heavenly Father, Your Spirit is a comforter, counselor and guide. He is our source of strength and our connection to You. He applies all the saving benefits of Jesus to us, just as He filled Jesus and empowered Him to please You perfectly. Thank You for Your Spirit. May we see more of His powerful presence in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. - Isaiah 11:1, ESV
The Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
When is dead really dead? Some hard-core Marvel fans were upset when Agent Coulson was brought back from the dead to lead the team on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., feeling that it cheapened his death scene in Avengers. Some Star Wars fans (including me) likewise felt "cheated" when Darth Maul re-appeared alive in The Clone Wars after Obi-Wan cut him in two. These moves prompted some to ask, "How will we ever know if a character is truly dead?"
Sometimes everything looks over. Sometimes things look as finished as they can be, but they're not. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was leveled, the Temple completely destroyed, and all the inhabitants taken into exile. The dynasty of King David, the Son of Jesse, had ended after over 400 years on the throne. The family tree which had reigned so long was chopped down, destroyed. God had promised forever, an eternal kingship, but it looked as if His promises had failed.
Not so fast: 150 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah had foretold the destruction. He envisioned a time when Jesse's Tree would be a stump. God was not surprised by 586 BC. He had planned it. It was His work of judgment and discipline.
After the return to the Promised Land under Persian King Cyrus, many began to reflect more carefully on Isaiah's words, then 200 years old. They began to wonder if the time had come for the shoot to sprout. Some looked to Zerubbabel as the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1, but he would not be. Instead, Zerubbabel would be used by God to point beyond himself to One who was yet to come, One whose coming was certain but still hundreds of years away.
The longer a stump sits idle, the more unlikely it seems that life would ever sprout forth. But God's promises only become more certain with the passing of time, for each passing day brings us closer to their fulfillment. So, after the stump sat dry and barren for almost 600 years, the smallest green shoot appeared, in a manger in Bethlehem. 14 generations after the Babylonian Exile had chopped down the Jesse Tree, life and hope come forth in the fulfillment of God's promise.
Our Advent lesson for today? For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed - Romans 13:11, ESV
Heavenly Father, we are closer now to our final salvation in Jesus than we ever have been. Your promises never fail. You sent Your Son, You brought us to faith in Him, and You will surely bring us home with Him when He comes again! Give us the persevering faith to cherish Your promises and to press on toward that coming day! In Jesus' name, Amen.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. - Isaiah 9:6-7, ESV
The All-Sufficient Promised One
As my kids have gotten older, their Christmas wish lists have gotten much more specific and expensive. Their expectations of the satisfaction they'll get from their Christmas presents have also risen. Yet, if we're honest, don't we all know that most Christmas presents end up under-performing? Very few gifts we receive in this life ever seem to live up to the expectations we have for them.
One Christmas gift is different and truly all-sufficient. In Isaiah 9:6-7, we see how all-sufficient, satisfying and comprehensive the gift of Jesus is, Specifically, Isaiah tells us six things about Jesus that we need to believe and live this Christmas season and always -
1. "The government will be on his shoulders." Is anyone else really frustrated by the state of affairs in our government and around the world? Is anyone else looking at potential leaders and saying, "Is this the best we have?" The government is on His shoulders. We're not supposed to look to Washington DC or the State House for our hope and our security. We're not supposed to put our hope in politics or allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by politics. We are to trust that Jesus is upholding the world and He knows what He's doing.
The government is on His shoulders and He can carry the load of the universe because of who He is "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." These are Jesus' throne names, His titles as the One on whose shoulders the government rests.
2. He is the Wonderful Counselor. Jesus doesn't need to take advice from pundits, pollsters and politicians because He is Wisdom. As such, He rules with wisdom and can counsel us with His perfect wisdom. If we need counsel and wisdom, we must seek it from Him. Through His Word, He who is Wisdom and the Wonderful Counselor tells us the truth that we most need to hear.
3. He is the Mighty God. This title reveals Jesus' power and strength. Just as He does not need advice from anyone, He also does not need help from anyone. He is all-powerful, eternally and infinitely strong. No one can defeat Him or challenge Him. Not only that, but "The LORD gives strength to his people (Ps. 29:11)." Yes, "the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people (Ps. 68:35)." When you are weak and come to the end of your own strength, you are in a good place. Look to Him in faith, in prayer, in praise, in expectant hope. He will strengthen your failing hands and empower you to do His work in His way.
4. He is our Everlasting Father. Our culture is being crushed under the weight of fatherlessness. So many children are growing up without a father. Even those who have fathers often suffer abuse and neglect at their hands. The Biblical idea of Father - one who loves, strengthens, supplies, protects, disciplines, instructs - is completely absent from many people's real life experience. In Jesus, we have One who is all of these things and more to a degree that no human father could ever hope to attain. You've never been truly fathered until you know Jesus as "Everlasting Father." He will teach you. He will provide for you. Yes, He will also discipline you in love for your own good. He will shows you how to walk in His footsteps and He will never leave you.
5. He is the Prince of Peace. Oh, when will we ever know true peace? The uprisings in the Middle East, known as "the Arab Spring," are quickly giving way to the rise of Islamic radicalism that threatens to deepen the hostile divide between nations. In our own lives, competing desires, conflicting agendas, confused ideas and frustrated hopes have left us without any peace. We cannot know peace apart from the Prince of Peace. Only when he truly rules our lives and we will our minds with His Word, our hearts with His desires and our lives with His priorities do we begin to see the fruit of peace in our lives. To search for peace anywhere else is simply to search in vain. 6. His rule will never end. Even the best human rulers eventually die and leave their kingdoms in the hands of others, who are usually not as good. Jesus is the best king and He rules forever!
Do you know this Jesus? He's so much more than the cute baby in the manger. He's more than a line in a familiar carol. he is the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Knowing Him and living life with Him is more important than baking that next batch of cookies or getting that great deal on the special present.
Our Advent lesson for today is to worship the greatest King. Get alone with Him. Get on your knees and in His word. Read and re-read the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke and then John 1. Fill your mind with the wonder of His coming and let His loving rule fill your life and draw you into His kingdom. I won't promise you that all your problems will disappear, but you will face them with the Mighty God ruling your heart as the Prince of Peace.
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. - Isaiah 9:1-2, ESV
Light Dawning in Darkness
Last month, we had the privilege of being able to visit Israel. For three nights, we stayed on the Sea of Galilee in Caesarea. Our hotel room had a wonderful view of the Sea of Galilee, and each morning we watched the sun rise over the sea. Israel is a beautiful and fascinating land. The sun rises and sets very quickly there, and each sunrise in Caesarea was dramatic. It went from night to day seemingly in the blink of an eye with a brilliant sunrise.
As I watched the sunrise, I thought of Isaiah 9:1-2 and the powerful promises of God. This land around the Sea of Galilee has seen more than its share of conflict, chaos and oppression. As the largest body of fresh water in the region, the Sea of Galilee has long been prized for its rich fishing and as a source of water for irrigation. The Syrians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans had all occupied this land by the time Jesus was growing up in Nazareth and then ministering in Capernaum and around the Galilee.
The centuries of foreign occupation and the idolatry of the Israelites themselves had made this "a land of deep darkness" indeed! It shows the surprising nature of God's grace that Jesus chose this area as the main center of His earthly ministry, but this gracious choice was foretold hundreds of years in advance by Isaiah.
The dawning of light in darkness speaks of the coming of truth and righteousness into a world of lies and sin. The light can come in different ways - through the preaching of the Word, the establishment of a godly king, reformation among the people, etc. However, this light that Isaiah foresees is nothing less than the coming of the Light of the World.
As we'll see tomorrow, Isaiah 9 is clearly and unmistakably messianic. Thus, the dawning of this light can be due to nothing less than the coming of Messiah. Yet Galilee had such a bad reputation in Jesus' day that the religious leaders refused to associate the Messiah with such an infamous region, despite Isaiah 9. Thankfully, God does not choose to move and save based on reputation. He chooses the lowly and the least, to show the world how upside-down its values and priorities truly are.
Today's Advent lesson calls us to reject the moral and spiritual compromise of the world. In doing so, we are called to reject the world's value systems and the qualities the world prizes as the basis for a good reputation. The light penetrates and drives out the darkness. We must have the Light of the World drive out the world's lies and corruption from our hearts and lives.
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son as the Light of the World. Thank You that He was willing to come to a people who were despised and rejected by the world. Thank You that You have come into our hearts and lives, though we struggle with the darkness or ignorance, deception and sin. Drive out the darkness and bring Your light to bear on our lives more and more. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
The Virgin Will Conceive and Bear a Son
The most quoted man in the history of sports is probably Yogi Berra. The legendary Yankees manager said some of the most memorable things anyone has ever said. Here are the Top 10 most memorable Yogi Berra quotes, according to USA Today:
1. When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
2. You can observe a lot by just watching.
3. It ain’t over till it’s over.
4. It’s like déjà vu all over again.
5. No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded.
6. Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.
7. A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
8. Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.
9. We made too many wrong mistakes.
10. Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.
I just thought that would be a lighter way to start off a Monday morning here on the first Monday in December.
On a more serious note, Isaiah is the most-quoted prophet of the coming of Jesus. Of all the prophets who foretold His coming, no one gets quoted more often in the New Testament, and no one is quoted more often in the Advent Season, than Isaiah. Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking at some of the best-known and most-beloved of Isaiah's prophecies of the coming of Christ.
The first comes in chapter 7 in an unusual and unexpected context. It was 734 years before the birth of Christ. King Ahaz and Jerusalem were facing two fierce opponents, who had united to mount an attach against them. King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel marched together on Judah. God sends Isaiah to Ahaz with words of assurance, but Ahaz is skeptical. God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign of God's promise, but Ahaz refuses, skeptical still. So God gives a sign and makes a promise beyond Ahaz's highest hopes and expectations:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah 7:14 may have had a shorter-term fulfillment within the days of Hezekiah, a few decades after Isaiah 7. But as God often does, He had a bigger horizon and a more glorious fulfillment in view when He spoke these words through Isaiah.
Hundreds of years after the northern tribes of Israel were lost to Assyrian conquest, the true virgin would indeed conceive - quite miraculously! - and bear a Son. This Son would not just be a sign of God's favor on His people, but He would be Immanuel in the flesh, God with us in human form. In the end, Immanuel would defy everyone's expectations and "God with us" would resound from choirs and pulpits in every corner of the world.
Do you face enemies? We all do. We have not two but three fierce enemies united against us: the world, our own sinful flesh, and the devil himself with all his minions. These enemies are stronger and fiercer than we. They have slain countless thousands. What is our hope in the face of such enemies? Only this: Immanuel! God is with us. Christ lives in us by His Holy Spirit, and greater is He who is living in us than He who is in the world!
Heavenly Father, give us the grace to walk in the powerful hope of Immanuel! Let us walk in the joyful reality that Christ lives in us and we live in Him. We have peace with You and Your abiding presence in Your Holy Spirit. Thank You! In Jesus' name, Amen!
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! - Psalm 118:22-25, ESV
The Stone the Builders Rejected
What are the three biggest celebrations in our culture? I would propose Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July as the most widespread celebratory holidays in our culture. Each comes in its own season - winter, spring and summer - and each celebrates something unique and wonderful.
In Jesus' day, Israel had three major celebratory festivals, too. Passover came first, in the early spring, celebrating Israel's deliverance from bondage in Egypt and became a kind of national independence day. Seven weeks later, in late spring, Pentecost came, the Feast of Weeks, also known as the Feast of First Fruits, celebrating the early crops coming in. Finally, in the fall came the Feast of Tabernacles of Booths, which celebrated the final in-gathering of crops before winter.
Unlike our culture's celebrations, God had ordained these celebrations in His word. God wanted His people to gather together in Jerusalem and worship Him with joy during these festivals. Over the centuries, part of the celebration of these festivals became the singing of the Hallel psalms, Psalms 113-118. These psalms became a vital part of the life of the nation of Israel as the people sang them in unison repeatedly at each festival.
The final and longest of the songs, Psalm 118, is a song of thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies. As the song crescendos, building to the finish, it contains some strange-sounding words: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." This could be seen as a reference to the people of Israel, taken from slavery in Egypt to be the blessed and chosen holy nation. It could also be seen as reference to David, rejected and hunted down by King Saul before rising to the throne. Yet the context seems to point at a much greater fulfillment.
This statement is preceded by the words "you have become my salvation" and is followed by a cry, "Save us, we pray, O Lord!" In Hebrew, "Save us" is Hosanna!, the cry of the crowds when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, during the Passover celebration. We know the crowd intentionally drew that Hosanna from Psalm 118 because they also cried, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." (v. 26)
And so we find a prophecy of the coming work of the Messiah, nestled inside what may have been the most famous song in Israel. This would be like finding a prophecy embedded in "The Star-Spangled Banner" (which also celebrates deliverance from enemies). Yet here it is, and when read in the full context of Psalm 118, it makes perfect sense: Jesus was despised and rejected by men, surrounded by enemies. The ruling authorities had abandoned Him. The spiritual builders of Israel had rejected Him. Yet all of this was the Lord's doing and was the way for God to save and deliver His people. This is truly the Lord's doing, and it is indeed marvelous in our eyes!
Today's Advent lesson is to look more carefully for God's work in unexpected places. Sometimes He hides the most clear Messianic prophecies in a national song of celebration. Sometimes He speaks through donkeys. Sometimes He places the King of the Universe in a manger. Where is He working in your life right now? What part of His word have we overlooked a hundred times, not knowing the rich treasures it holds?
Father, open our eyes by Your grace that we may see You at work around us and in us. Open our eyes to understand Your word, that we may see Christ on every page, in every psalm, in every line. Open our hearts to love the unlovely, as You have done for us. Perhaps in reaching out to the most unlikely we will see You more clearly. In Jesus' name, Amen.
