Merry Christmas! Christmas Eve Message - Mary Treasured & Pondered

The Christmas Eve message from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church . . .

Mary Treasured & Pondered

But Mary treasured up all these things, 

pondering them in her heart. – Luke 2:19

In 1997, Beth and I were engaged, and I spent the summer in China, teaching English. It was difficult to be apart from each other for 8 weeks, and communication was difficult and expensive in those days before the Internet and smart phones.  We were able to talk on the phone a few times (which was expensive), and Beth sent me a care package with a letter, which took weeks to arrive. Being apart made me treasure the sparse communication we had and the care package I received. I thought about every word of our conversations and treasured each item that was sent to me in the care package.

Mary was in an unfamiliar town. She was away from her parents and the people she had known all her life. She may have felt a bit relieved to be away from the rumors, gossips and looks. Yet she was in a stable of some sort, amid animals, having just given birth to her firstborn with only her loving husband by her side to help her.

Then, hours later, as she is exhausted and overjoyed as only a new mother can be, shepherds come to visit. We’re not told how many shepherds came or whether they brought any of their littlest lambs with them, as we always see in manger scenes this time of year. The shepherds come and tell Mary that angels visited them in their field as they were on the night watch, telling them the long-awaited Messiah had been born.

Mary’s response to all that she was told be the shepherds, indeed her response to all of the remarkable events of this uniquely wonderful birth is found in verse 19:  “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

The word translated as “treasured” means “to keep from being lost, to preserve, to keep in mind.” The word translated “pondered” means “to bring together in one’s mind.”  So Mary was intentionally remembering, so as not to forget or lose these things, and she was bringing them together in her mind.

The fact that Luke tells us Mary treasured and pondered “all these things” indicates that she was keeping and considering, preserving and pondering more than just the words of the shepherds. In fact, this sentence functions as a summary of everything that Mary has experienced to this point, from the visit of the angel Gabriel to her visit to Elizabeth to the journey to Bethlehem to Jesus’ birth and the visit of the shepherds. “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

We can consider “all these things” under two headings, all she had been told and all she had received.

All She Had Been Told

By the Angel Gabriel

Mary’s story in Luke’s Gospel began with the words of the angel Gabriel: “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” In this unusual greeting, Mary found out she was the special recipient of God’s great grace, that the Lord had shown His favor to her and chosen her for a very special role in His redemption of His people: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord 
God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (vv. 31-33)

Of course, it wasn’t physically possible for Mary to have a baby. She had never been with a man. She knew this was impossible, so she asked how it would happen, and she was told by Gabriel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

Such wonderful and yet overwhelming news would be tough for anyone to process. Yet this young girl, maybe 13-15 years old, responded with faith, humility and obedience, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

So Mary knew from the beginning that her son was the Son of God, for she knew He had no earthly father. And despite the fact that she was a poor girl from a small town in the hills of Galilee, she was to be the mother of the great king, the long-awaited Messiah, who would sit on David’s throne forever. How could it be? She did not fully understand, but she treasured and pondered.

By Her Cousin, Elizabeth

Then, prompted by Gabriel’s words, Mary had gone to visit Elizabeth, her cousin, who was miraculously pregnant after many years of being unable to have children. Elizabeth’s words had been almost as wonderful as the words of Gabriel had been earlier –

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” – 1:42-45

Elizabeth had called her highly honored and favored by God. Her older, godly cousin had called her “the mother of my Lord” and had expressed humble honor at Mary’s visit. Even Elizabeth’s baby boy had been thrilled by the coming of Jesus and had leapt in his mother’s womb.

By the Shepherds

And now shepherds have come, bringing news of a visit from an angel. The angel told them of “good news of great joy for all the people.” A new title had been added to Jesus, matching His name (YaHWeH saves), He is “a Savior, Christ the Lord.” So her Son would not only rule over God’s people forever, but He would bring salvation!

Then, the shepherds told how they were visited not just by a single angel but by a great multitude of the heavenly host, who were praising God with their heavenly song, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Mary knew that, somehow, she was one with whom the Lord was pleased, that she was a favored one, and so she knew that peace from God had been added now to the message of an eternal kingdom and salvation. Kingship, salvation and peace.

All together, these words from Gabriel, Elizabeth and the shepherds gave Mary so much to ponder, so much to treasure!

All She Had Been Given

Yet Mary had more than just words to treasure and ponder. She had received much from the Lord already.

A Miraculous Pregnancy

The first and most obvious thing Mary had already received was a miraculous pregnancy. All pregnancies carry an air of the miraculous about them. The idea of carrying around a tiny, developing life inside your body is profoundly marvelous. Yet Mary knew with each movement of the Baby Jesus inside her that her baby was a true miracle. Her baby was very different from any other baby who had ever been born in the history of the world. The last people to be directly and miraculously created by God were Adam and Eve.

A Faithful Husband

With her miraculous pregnancy, Mary had also been given a faithful husband. Joseph was a righteous man, and he was going to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant. God was merciful to both Joseph and Mary, giving Joseph the truth in a dream and giving Mary a faithful husband who would father her other children and who would help her raise Jesus as best as they could.

A Beautiful Baby Boy

And finally, now, in her arms, she had been given a beautiful baby boy. Babies are so wonderful, so precious. I remember when Andrew was first born, and we stopped going anywhere or doing anything. No more movies, no more trips to Starbucks. For a while, we really didn’t do much of anything but look at, hold, feed and love this tiny boy.

And yet all of this was only the beginning, which Mary knew based on all the words she had heard. Her newborn infant Son was the Son of God, destined to be the eternal King over God’s people, bringing salvation and peace to all of God’s own, including her. What she had received so far was nothing compared with what she was yet to receive.

Will We Treasure & Ponder?

The question for us this Christmas Eve is simple: Will we treasure and ponder all we have been told and all we have been given?

All We Have Been Told

We have been told even more about Jesus than Mary was told. We know the whole story of His life – of His sinless perfection, His miracles of healing, feeding, and freeing people from demons and death. We know of His atoning death on the cross and of His glorious resurrection three days later. We have the complete word of God, the whole counsel of the Scriptures, to show us all about Jesus.
Have we treasured and pondered all we have been told?

All We Have Been Given

Not only have we been told the truth about Jesus, but we have been given so much – forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, adoption into God’s family, the wisdom of God’s word, the fellowship of God’s people, service in the kingdom of God for His glory and the good of others, an eternal inheritance, kept in heaven for us, and a perfectly glorious eternal destiny.

Have you indeed been given these things? Have you received the benefits Christ was born to give?

They are found in Jesus Christ Himself, received by faith as we are united to Him as His people.
If you have not yet received these things because you have not yet trusted in Christ, will you turn to Jesus tonight in faith? Will you believe in the One who left heaven and came to earth in humility to save you and to be your King forever?

If you have received these things, are you treasuring them, making sure you don’t forget? Are you
 pondering them, carefully considering Christ and all His benefits to you?

This Christmas, may we all pay much closer attention to the things we have heard. May we hear the words about Christ and receive the benefits in Christ, and may we treasure up all these things, pondering them in our hearts.

Day 21: The Final Word

Today's Scripture Reading: Malachi 3-4

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. - Malachi 3:1-2, ESV

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. - Malachi 3:16-17, ESV

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. - Malachi 4:2, ESV

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. - Malachi 4:5-6, ESV

The Final Word

Everyone loves the Hallelujah chorus at the end of Handel's Messiah. After hours of beautiful music anticipating and celebrating the coming of Christ, the music builds to the Revelation-inspired Hallelujah chorus. As Christmas draws near, our time reflecting on Advent and the prophecies of the coming of Jesus is drawing to a close. We've spent 21 days exploring what the Old Testament prophets said about the coming of Jesus. We come today to the final chapters of the last book of the Old Testament. Like a good chorale or a great fireworks show, the Old Testament has been building anticipation and tension to prepare for the coming of Christ.

The final chapters of the last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi 3-4, focus on the coming of the Lord with great clarity and zeal. We hear about the coming of John the Baptist:

• "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me." -3:1
• "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." - 4:5

We are also told much about the coming of Christ:

• He is the Lord, "And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming."
• He will redeem those who have faith and write their names in a book before the Lord (called the Lamb's Book of Life in Revelation:  The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession
• The Coming Messiah will be the "the sun of righteousness [who] shall rise with healing in its wings"

As we look back and remember the First Advent of the Lord and we look ahead with joyful anticipation for His Second Advent, we must heed the words of Malachi and make sure we are among those who fear His name and who trust in Him. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, so we need to ask Him to keep doing His work within us.

Lord, thank You for keeping every promise when You sent Your Son. He perfectly fulfilled the words of Your prophets for He is the Word incarnate. We thank You for Jesus and ask that You would strengthen our faith and give us undivided hearts to fear Your name this Christmas and always. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Day 20: A Most Remarkable Small Town

Today's Scripture: Micah 5:1-4

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days. - Micah 5:2, ESV

A Most Remarkable Small Town

It is most fitting that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This small town of no earthly power, no cultural or political significance, has a remarkable history in God's story. The beginning of this story is obscure and sad, as Bethlehem was the burial place of Rachel, Jacob's beloved bride (Gen. 35:19).

Then, the story of Bethlehem turns hopeful and redemptive. The Book of Ruth tells the story of covenant faithlessness and curse, as Elimelech takes his wife, Naomi, and heads to Moab during a famine, leaving the Promised Land in pursuit of material well-being. After Elimelech and both of his sons die, the women of the family- Naomi and her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah- are left alone, abandoned and hopeless. Yet Ruth and Naomi return to the Promised Land, to Bethlehem, where their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, gives them hope and a future again.

The next chapter in Bethlehem's story finds a prophet, Samuel, in search of a new king for Israel. He is sent to the house of Jesse, where he anoints the least-expected son, the youngest, a shepherd-boy, David. David's older brothers don't even take him seriously, so how would Israel? Yet David becomes the hero of Israel and then her greatest king.

Hundreds of years after David's death, Micah the prophet foretells the coming of a future glorious king, who would be born in Bethlehem and would "stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God." (Micah 5:4) This glorious king would be one "whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." (v. 2)

Over 700 years after Micah's prophecy, Caesar Augustus issued a decree to get a census count of all the realms of his vast empire. Local leaders were allowed to conduct the census according to their cultural traditions, so the census in Israel was done by ancestral lineage, with each family going to their ancestral city. This brought Joseph and his new bride, Mary, from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem.

Yet Bethlehem's story doesn't end with the birth of Jesus. It actually closes with the fulfillment of a prophecy regarding Rachel. Jeremiah the prophet foretold a time when Rachel would be "weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." (Jeremiah 31:15) Where was Rachel buried? Bethlehem. So, if Rachel is going to weep, where would she weep? Bethlehem. And Matthew tells us this prophecy was fulfilled in Herod's slaughter of the innocent baby boys in Bethlehem. 

Bethlehem's story thus comes full-circle, from Rachel's death to Rachel's weeping. But the middle chapters are full of hope and redemption: a kinsman-redeemer, the restoration of hope, the anointing of a king, the promise of a glorious future. All of these themes come together in Jesus, the Kinsman-Redeemer who restores our hope, the King who is greater than David, the One whose death brings life for God's people.

Today's Advent lesson is to follow God's story from beginning to end. Never lose sight of what God is doing in His redeeming love. In unexpected places like sheepfolds and mangers, He is always at work!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Bethlehem. It reminds us of Your redemption, powerful and faithful. Thank You for Your story, surprising and hopeful. Give us eyes of faith to see You working and the grace to follow where You lead. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 19: With Us in the Fire

Today's Scripture Reading: Daniel 3

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” - Daniel 3:24-25, ESV

With Us in the Fire

Isaiah 53 teaches us that Jesus is the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, which means that He sympathizes with us in our sorrow. We need real sympathy when we're sorrowing and suffering. It helps that we have a Great High Priest who is able to sympathize with us. But sometimes we need more than sympathy, don't we? We need a powerful and protecting presence.

Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego had been uprooted from their homes in Jerusalem and moved to a hostile foreign land a thousand miles away. They had been indoctrinated in the ways of Babylon, but they had stuck together and remained faithful to God. They had faced a challenging a test with their decision not to eat the delicacies of the king's table, to keep themselves pure. God had shown Himself to be faithful and they had passed the test.

Now a larger test stood before them, literally. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had been inspired by his dream, in which he was the head of gold on a giant statue. Whatever the reason, he constructed a giant golden statue of himself and insisted that everyone bow down to it. The three Hebrew youths looked around and saw everyone complying. What would they do? Together, they refused to bow.

Their refusal was noticed and they were arrested. How dare they defy the king's command? Nebuchadnezzar had come to like and even admire these remarkable young men, so he decided to give them another chance to comply. Their refusal and their unwavering trust in their petty Hebrew god infuriated Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever affection he had fled and was replaced by an fiery rage.

"Heat the furnace seven times hotter and throw them in!" The blaze was so intense that it killed them men who threw them into the furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell bound into the furnace.

Yet Nebuchadnezzar rose from his throne in astonishment when he realized he was seeing the impossible. Four men were in the furnace, not three. And they were walking around, unbound and unharmed in the intense heat! The fourth man in the fire looked like a son of the gods!

Who was the fourth man in the fiery furnace? Can we doubt that it was the Lord Jesus, taking human form before His incarnation to accompany these faithful men of God in their trial? Jesus was with them in the fire, and His presence protected them from all harm. Not even the smell of smoke could cling to them.

Do we know that Jesus is with us in the fiery trials we face? Do we sense His presence, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit? Do we rely on His protecting presence?

Jesus promised us, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) God has said to His children, "I will never leave you. I will never forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) Will we walk in the light of His promised presence, abiding in His word as He abides with us?

Lord Jesus, You came to be Emmanuel, God with us. You have promised to be with us always, never leaving nor forsaking us. Let us rest in Your presence as You abide with us. May we abide in You always. Amen.  

Day 18: The Righteous Branch

Today's Scripture: Jeremiah 23:5-6 & Zechariah 3:8-9

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ - Jeremiah 23:5-6, ESV

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. - Zechariah 3:8-9, ESV

The Righteous Branch

Listen to a sermon from John Piper on today's text.

Would you consider it a complement if someone called you a branch? Honestly, doesn't this seem like a really strange title for God's Son, the long-awaited and much-anticipated Messiah? The Branch? Yet think about what a branch does:

A branch bears fruit and has leaves which make food for the tree. If you want fruit from a tree, you look for it on the branch. If the tree is going to get food, it is made by the leaves on the branches. So, the branches provide life for the tree itself and for the world. Likewise, Jesus feeds His flock, the tree of God, and provides food for the world.

A branch is strong and gives support. We have a big old oak tree in our front yard. On a sturdy branch is a rope swing. My kids love swinging, held up safely by the strength of the branch.

A branch provides shelter, covering people from the heat of the sun and the weather.

Yet this branch is a specific promised Branch. Jeremiah and Zechariah both have a specific Branch in mind. They are picking up on Isaiah's prophecy of a shoot from the stump of Jesse, which we looked at in Day 10. They picture the shoot growing into a strong branch, a new life for God's people.

In Jeremiah, the Branch is a King. He is a King whose reign is marked by righteousness and justice. He will reign in such a way that will bring security and peace to God's people. Further, He will be called "The Lord is our righteousness." Paul speaks of the Righteous Branch in 1 Corinthians 1:30: "Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

In Zechariah, the Branch is the High Priest as well as King. God speaks to Joshua the High Priest and tells him that he is a sign pointing to the coming Branch, who will be the high priest at a time when God removes all the iniquity of His people. Thus, the Branch will be the High Priest and the atonement for His people.

It may seem strange to call the Messiah a Branch. Yet we can thank God for such a wonderful, righteous, just, life-giving, sin-atoning, security-providing Branch as Jesus Christ, King of kings and our merciful and faithful High Priest!

Day 17: The Song of the Messiah

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. - Isaiah 61:1-3, ESV

The Song of the Messiah

What prophetic passage did Jesus see as describing Himself and His mission best? Well, we may not be able to give a definitive and irrefutable answer to that question, but when Jesus launched His public earthly ministry in Nazareth, as recorded in Luke 4:16-30, He read Isaiah 61. So today's passage has a special place as The Song of the Messiah. The word translated "anointed" in verse 1 is the Hebrew word Mashach, or Messiah.

Jesus read Isaiah 61 to an expectant synagogue gathering in Nazareth, where He had grown up and was well known. It was on the streets of Nazareth that Luke tells us Jesus "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" and He "increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." (see 2:40 & 52) 

When Jesus finished reading from Isaiah 61, He closed the Torah scroll, sat down, and said "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." This was not well received. Jesus had a good reputation, but how could the local carpenter's son be the fulfillment of Isaiah prophetic words?

Yet we know Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. He was the long-awaited Anointed One. So let's consider what He said He came to do:

1. He came to preach good news to the poor. Jesus did not come to prop up the egos of the rich and powerful. He came to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God to those who had been excluded and marginalized by the world's kingdoms. The Pharisees had added many requirements to the Law, which only the wealthy could reasonably fulfill. Jesus came to open the gates of the kingdom to all who believe, welcoming all who come by faith in Him. 

2. He came to bind up the brokenhearted. Sin and suffering break many hearts in this world. Jesus came to bind up the wounded hearts, bringing healing to those who have been broken. He did this by bearing our suffering and brokenness in His body on the cross, healing us by His wounds. 

3.  He came to proclaim liberty to the captives. Sin doesn't just break our hearts; it also enslaves us. Satan holds us in bondage to the fear of death, as our guilty consciences condemn us before God's holy Law. Jesus breaks the chains of condemnation and the enslaving power of sin through His victory over sin at the cross and His victory over death in the empty tomb. 

4. He came to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Jesus' coming brings God's favor to His people. As Jesus fulfills all righteousness and takes the punishment we deserve, He brings the sunshine of God's favor and the fulfillment of God's blessing for us. Because of all that Jesus came and did, the Aaronic blessing falls upon all of us who trust in Him - 

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  -Numbers 6:24-26, ESV 

Have you believed in Jesus and received the good news of what He came to bring? Or are you still walking in the brokenness, imprisonment and condemnation Jesus came to undo? Too many people have missed the joyful freedom, healing and blessing of Jesus' coming. Let's walk by faith this Christmas in the work of our Messiah! 

Day 16: He Shall See and Be Satisfied

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities. - Isaiah 53:10-11, ESV

He Shall See and Be Satisfied

I have a very tricky question for you: What does a dead man see? Here's another: How long does a dead man live?

Why am I asking such bizarre and obvious questions? A dead men doesn't see anything, and he obviously doesn't live at all. He's dead. I'm bringing up these questions because so many people read Isaiah 53 and miss the resurrection.

If you've read Isaiah 53, you're probably familiar with the theme of the suffering servant. We explored that theme yesterday. Yet we must notice that the righteous servant doesn't just suffer in Isaiah 53. He dies. How else can we interpret "they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death"? By the end of verse 9, the servant of God is dead and buried.

Strangely enough, this servant dies as a sinner, a condemned wicked man who is nonetheless buried with a rich man, or perhaps in a rich man's tomb. The level of specific detail regarding the death and burial of Christ is astounding, as it is in Psalm 22. Yet somehow people read these very specific words and miss the resurrection in verses 10-12.

After the righteous servant is dead and buried, it is said of him that "he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days" and "he shall see and be satisfied." Clearly the dead man is alive again, alive and rejoicing to see "the will of the Lord . . . prosper in his hands." Not only is this a clear prophesy of the resurrection, but it is also very encouraging.

Jesus sees our salvation. He sees it and rejoices in it, finding satisfaction that His death was not in vain. He justifies many and is satisfied to see us justified through His perfect righteousness and obedient death. We are "accounted righteous" because He bore our iniquities. Praise God!

Hebrews 12 describes "Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." What was the joy set before Jesus as He faced the cross? It was the knowledge that His suffering would not be in vain. He would accomplish the purpose for which He went to the cross: Our salvation.

Are you trusting in Jesus? Do you wonder some days if you're going to be able to persevere in faith? Do you ever wonder if you're really going to be saved in the end? Consider this: Will Jesus look on the purpose of His loving suffering and be disappointed? Will Jesus' soul fail to be satisfied? Absolutely not! And His satisfaction is in our salvation.

Lord Jesus, You died to redeem me, to make me righteous and to bear my iniquity. Though my sins are great ad my doubts are pesky, Your loving sacrifice is more powerful still. You love me and You will be satisfied with nothing less than my full and final salvation from sin. I know You can save me and You will save me, for You have already done all of the work and You have already received Your satisfaction.  I praise You! Amen. 

Day 15: Punished in our Place

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

"But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:5-6, ESV

Punished in Our Place

In Sid Fleischman's classic Newberry Award-winning novel, The Whipping Boy, Prince Horace is a spoiled brat who nevertheless cannot be physically punished for his numerous wrongs. Instead, Horace is given Jemmy, a "whipping boy," who is beaten every time Horace misbehaves. Readers feel the tension as Jemmy is beaten for Horace's crimes and feel a sense of justice when Horace is finally beaten when Jemmy is mistaken for the prince. 

It is unfair that Jemmy should be punished for Horace's crimes. Many people have made the same "unfair" objection to the Christian Gospel. 

The cry of "unfair" goes back to the Garden of Eden and the doctrine of original sin or inherited depravity. "In Adam's sin we sinned all" says the old Puritan Primer. Why should's Adam's sin count for all of humanity? Why should everyone be born corrupt because of one man's sin? That hardly seems fair! But would we have done anything different had we been in Adam's place? Hardly.

If it's unfair that we suffer a curse because of Adam's sin, it's also unfair that we should be counted as righteous because of Jesus' obedience. Some have said, "I never asked anyone to die for my sins." They seem ready to stand before God on their own two feet, ready to get what they deserve, to be treated fairly.

Yet what happens when we get what we deserve? What happens when God is fair and justice is consistently applied? We have all sinned against God Almighty. We have all openly, repeatedly, willfully rebelled against our rightful King. We have all habitually violated His good law, the law of love. Can we really handle getting what we deserve?

In The Whipping Boy, Prince Horace is never beaten because he's the prince. For us, God cannot give us what we deserve because we would all be condemned to eternal punishment. It's not that we deserve anything different, but we cannot handle the punishment we deserve. It would utterly undo us forever.

So Jesus willingly took our place. He obeyed perfectly for us. Then, He went to the cross to be cursed for us. When we consider Adam, we can say that would have done no different had we been in his place. But when we consider Jesus- the perfection of His life and the agony of His death- can we say that we would have done what He chose to do, if we were in His place? No! 

Is the Gospel unfair? Yes! It is gloriously, wonderfully, and redemptively unfair! Fairness lands us all in hell forever. Unfair gives us the reward we did not earn for work we did not do and curses Jesus with the hell we deserve on the cross. This is not fair. This is love. It is wonderful beyond all words.

Guilty, vile and helpless we

Spotless Lamb of God was He

Full atonement, can it be?

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Day 14: Man of Sorrows

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53 (Day 1 of 3)

He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not. - Isaiah 53:3, ESV

Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53 is the high holy ground of the prophecies of the coming of Jesus. This marvelous chapter details the suffering of our servant Savior in beautiful detail. We learn clearly how He suffered, why He suffered and what His suffering accomplished. We will spend three days exploring this great chapter together.

When you are grieving, deep in sorrow, what do you want from others? Sympathy. Not empty sentiment or cliche answers, but real and deep sympathy, defined as "the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration." (see Dictionary.com) 

Sometimes in the depth of our grief, it seems like the person least able to sympathize with our sorrow is God. After all, God is enthroned in heaven, a place of sinless and painless perfection. How can He sympathize with us? Well, He can't, not really, not as God. Does that sound strange to you, to think that God does not sympathize with you in your sorrow?

This is part of the reason why God the Son had to take on a true human nature as Jesus of Nazareth. Goes became a man so He could sympathize with us. Jesus is the "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Think of the grief Jesus knew:

1. Jesus lost His earthly father, Joseph, sometime before His 30th birthday.
2. Jesus was rejected by the people of His hometown, His friends and neighbors, who thought He was insane and tried to kill Him.
3. Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest followers, as His so-called friend betrayed Him to His death for money.
4. Jesus was denied by another of His closest earthly friends.
5. Almost all of Jesus' followers abandoned Him when He was arrested.
6. Finally, God the Father turned His back on Jesus in wrath when Jesus was made sin for us.

So, whether you are grieving the loss of a loves one, feeling misunderstood and rejected, betrayed or abandoned, Jesus the Man of Sorrows sympathizes with your weakness. He has entered into your pain so He can offer your real sympathy in your loneliest times.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

Lord Jesus, you know our sorrows and our pain. You have entered into our hurt, and You sympathize with us when we struggle. Let us always go to You for the mercy and grace we need. Amen.

Day 13: Submitting to Disgrace

Today's Reading: Isaiah 50:5-6

The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
    and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
    from disgrace and spitting. - Isaiah 50:5-6, ESV

Submitting to Disgrace

Today, we begin a series of devotions focused on prophecies that foretell Jesus as our suffering servant Savior.

So much of how we experience life depends on our expectations. Many people enter marriage expecting a fairy tale "happily ever after" life together. Paul Tripp wrote What Did You Expect? and recorded a video teaching series of the same title to help people deal with the reality of marriage after their expectations are tragically unmet. Marriage can be the most powerful way God shapes us to be more like Christ, but only if we expect a struggle and not a never-ending dream.

Israel's Messianic expectations were shaped largely by wishful thinking, based on national hopes more so than God's actual promises. They wanted national independence, economic prosperity and dominance over their neighboring nations. Thus, when they read promises of the Messiah, these were the promises they saw. The language of suffering and rejection in the Psalms and Isaiah were overlooked.

Yet God's plan for His Messiah was to grant victory only through suffering. Freedom would come only after the Messiah voluntarily submitted to humiliation and bondage. Here in Isaiah 50, the prophecy emphasizes the Messiah's willing obedience and His submission to the harsh treatment of His enemies.

Why did Jesus willingly submit to harsh treatment at the hands of Roman soldiers? He did so out of willing obedience to God the Father. The soldiers did not capture Jesus in the Garden. He willingly gave Himself into their hands. They did not force Him to submit to scourging by Roman whip. He gave them His back to beat. He did so because He sought to honor His Father and secure redemption for His people.

What Isaiah 50 foretells, Philippians 2:5-11 recalls from the other side of the cross:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

Our Advent lesson for today is to shape our expectations by the word of God alone and not by our own wishful thinking, our own life ambitions. We must let God's word lead us in this Advent season and always! 

Heavenly Father, Your ways are better than our ways. When we impose our expectations on You, we are asking for less and not more. Give us the grace to submit our life expectations to Your word alone. May Your Spirit help us understand and walk in the path of Your word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 12: The Voice in the Wilderness

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.

Day 11: The Spirit and the Messiah

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

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.

  

Day 10: The Shoot from the Stump of Jesse

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 11:1

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.

Day 9: The All-Sufficient Promised One

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7

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.

Day 8: Light Dawning in Darkness

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-2

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.

Day 7: The Virgin Will Conceive and Bear a Son

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

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! 

Day 6: The Stone the Builders Rejected

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 118

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.

Listen to a sermon on Psalm 118.


 

Day 5: The King Who Is Also a Priest

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 110

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
    after the order of Melchizedek.” - Psalm 110:4

The King Who Is Also a Priest

Separation of Powers is one of the hallmarks of the U.S. Constitution. Now, before your eyes glaze over and you start sweating over bad memories from your high school government class, stay with me: The Constitution has been successful for over 225 years because power is kept out of the hands of any single person or group of people. Three branches of government with their checks-and-balances ensure limited and just government, at least as much as any human constitution can.

What does this have to do with the Bible and Advent? Well, James Madison didn't invest the idea of Separation of Powers and checks-and-balances. God did. In the Old Testament law, God established three anointed offices: Prophet, Priest and King. Each had its own role and responsibilities. Most importantly, the priest and the prophet were both empowered by God to hold kings accountable to God's law. Israel was to be ruled by God's law, which sadly rarely happened. 

Key to God's system for Israel was this: No one man could hold all three offices. Most importantly, no one could be both king and priest. Some kings were also prophets (David), and some priests were also prophets (Jeremiah), but no king could act as priest. Uzziah tried and was struck by God with leprosy as a punishment. Why the restriction? Because no mere man could ever be entrusted with such power. 

Yet there is a man in the Old Testament who is both king and priest. His name is Melchizedek, and he makes a brief appearance in Genesis 14. Melchizedek was the King of Salem, that is Jerusalem. He was also priest of God Most High. His name means King of Righteousness and his title, King of Salem, means King of Peace. He was greater than Abraham for he blessed Abraham. Most importantly, hundreds of years after Genesis 14, God announced in Psalm 110 that He would send another King who would also be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

How could any man be both priest and king? How could any man be a priest forever? (see Hebrews 7) Clearly, this is no ordinary man! God's promised Messiah would be so much more than a mere man. He would be God incarnate, perfect in righteousness and holiness and the only One who could ever be entrusted with absolute authority in the kingdom of God.

Today's Advent lesson is to ponder and wonder at the unique authority of Jesus, our Prophet, Priest and King. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed One who saves and rules forever! Glory be to His name alone!

Heavenly Father, save us from ever placing our hope and trust in fallen and failing men, who disappoint us again and again. Lift our eyes to focus on Jesus, the Great Prophet, High Priest and King of kings! Amen.

  

Day 4: The Suffering of God's Anointed King

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 22

For dogs encompass me;
    a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots. - Psalm 22:16-18

The Suffering of God's Anointed King

Honestly, have you ever been disappointed with God and His decisions? If so, you're not alone.

Here's the thing we need to realize about God: God refuses to meet our expectations. He cannot and will not stoop that low. If we believe that the world (including our flesh) is in rebellion against God, and that the ways of the world are opposed to God and His ways, we should not be surprised if God's ways of accomplishing His purposes are very, very different than what we'd expect.

Yesterday, we saw that God proclaimed the enthronement of King Jesus over all the nations hundreds of years before He was born. Now, if we were able to make our son the King of the World, how would we go about doing this? Would we choose to have Him born to a lower-middle class working family, a carpenter and his young bride? Would we choose to have Him born in poor obscurity and laid in a manger? Would we have society's outcasts to be the first to see him and to know of his birth? Would we choose to have him rejected and despised, betrayed and killed, all as the pathway to his eventual kingship? If you think like a normal human being, your thoughts regarding all of these questions are no, no, no, no! 

Psalm 2 tells us the fixed reality of the kingship of Jesus over all the nations. Psalm 22 tells us how He gets to that throne, and the pathway is marked with suffering and death. Together with Isaiah 53, which we will study in a couple of weeks, Psalm 22 paints an incredibly accurate picture of the suffering and death of King Jesus. Written by David a thousand years before Jesus was born, Psalm 22 describes things David never experienced:

1. Being surrounded by a company of gentiles.

2. Being so thirsty that his tongue clings to the roof of his mouth.

3. Being so violently jarred as to have his joints dislocated, and yet to have none of his bones broken.

4. Being pierced in hands and feet. (Crucifixion, the only form of death to use these tactics, would not be invented for hundreds of years.)

5. Being an object of public scorn and ridicule in a state of physical suffering.

6. Having people divide up his clothing and gamble for the last garment.

David never suffered like this, though he certainly did suffer. Only Jesus experienced these kinds of sufferings. This is why Jesus cried out on the cross, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachtnani?" - "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (see Matthew 27:46) He was quoting the opening line of Psalm 22, pointing people to the Scripture He was fulfilling on the cross. 

Yet here's something we sometimes miss when we read Psalm 22: This psalm doesn't just foretell the Messiah's suffering, but it also foretells His deliverance: 

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! - vv. 21-23

This part of Psalm 22 is quoted in Hebrews 2:12. Even when God the Holy Spirit was inspiring David to write Psalm 22 about the future destiny of God the Son, He foretold His glory after His suffering. God establishes this pattern for Christ and for His people: Glory comes only after suffering. The morning comes only after the darkness of night. When we get to Isaiah 53, we'll spend time pondering why this must be the case, but for now, we need to see that it is.

God's ways are not our ways. They are so much better! We see suffering and we imagine failure and despair. We long for glory and imagine an easy road to get there. God sees glory at the end of our suffering and suffering as the only right road to get us there. Today's Advent lesson is to trust God's greater purposes in the midst of our worst disappointments. Our deepest failures are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory which far outweighs them all! (see 2 Cor. 4:17) 

Heavenly Father, we must confess that we do not always understand our welcome your ways. We do not see how You are working in our pain, disappointments and apparent failures. Yet if we believe in You, we can know that You are working. We can know that You are good, even when we cannot understand how Your will is truly working for our good. Show us how to walk by faith and not by sight. In Jesus' name, Amen.