Podcasts about bethlehem ephrathah

Passage: 2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. 3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler's brothers will return to the people of Israel. 4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5 He will be their peace. -- Micah 5:2-5 (CSB) Song: O Little Town of Bethlehem (https://open.spotify.com/track/3VRqNBXZoZeKWkIfwqhvUo?si=1a20007a15764540) by Adrian Disch, Lewis Henry Redner, Phillips Brooks, Ross Aaron Fishburn, Shane Barnard Lyrics: O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight For Christ is born of Mary And gathered all above While mortals sleep The angels keep their watch Of wondering love O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth And praises sing to God the King And peace to men on earth How silently how silently The wondrous gift is given So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His Heaven No ear may hear His calling But in this world of sin Where meek souls will receive Him still The dear Christ enters in O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray Cast out our sin and enter in Be born to us today We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell O come to us abide with us Our Lord Emmanuel Prayer: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,    though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,out of you will come for me    one who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from of old,    from ancient times.”Start your day in God's Word with our Daily Verse Reflections! Each weekday, our pastors offer insights and encouragement to help you apply Scripture to your daily life. Whether you're seeking inspiration, comfort, or guidance, these Daily Verse Reflections will keep you grounded in your faith throughout the week!You can also watch the video versions of our Daily Verse Reflections at https://watch.timeofgrace.org/browse, where you will also find a wide variety of videos that will help you learn more about Jesus and grow in your faith!To receive special text offers and stay up to date with the Time of Grace, text the word "Grace" to 45321 to subscribe!

Reading IMi 5:1-4a    Thus says the LORD:    You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah        too small to be among the clans of Judah,    from you shall come forth for me        one who is to be ruler in Israel;    whose origin is from of old,        from ancient times.    Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time        when she who is to give birth has borne,    and the rest of his kindred shall return        to the children of Israel.    He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock        by the strength of the LORD,        in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;    and they shall remain, for now his greatness        shall reach to the ends of the earth;        he shall be peace.Reading IIHeb 10:5-10Brothers and sisters:When Christ came into the world, he said:    “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,        but a body you prepared for me;    in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.    Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,    behold, I come to do your will, O God.'“First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.”These are offered according to the law.Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will.”He takes away the first to establish the second.By this “will,”  we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.GospelLk 1:39-45Mary set outand traveled to the hill country in hasteto a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariahand greeted Elizabeth.When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.Blessed are you who believedthat what was spoken to you by the Lordwould be fulfilled.”

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  Micah 5:2 This Sunday, the sermon focuses on the little town of Bethlehem and the Innkeeper who many believe shut the door on Joseph and Mary.  Imagine a small town nestled in the Judean hills, far removed from the bustling cities. This is Bethlehem, often described as modest and unassuming. Its significance wouldn't be immediately apparent to a passerby, yet it plays a crucial role in one of the greatest stories told. Bethlehem, during the time of Jesus's birth, was a quiet town, but one filled with rich history and prophetic importance. Bethlehem, sometimes called the City of David, is mentioned multiple times throughout the Bible. It is not just notable for being the birthplace of Jesus but also for its connection with King David. In 1 Samuel 16, God instructs the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the future king of Israel right in Bethlehem. This town, though seemingly insignificant, has always been part of God's greater plan.  During the time of Jesus's birth, Bethlehem was teeming with travelers due to the census decreed by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1-3). Joseph and Mary were among these travelers, returning to Joseph's ancestral home. The streets of Bethlehem would have been crowded, inns filled to capacity, and the air buzzing with the sounds of diverse languages and dialects as people gathered from various regions. Yet, amid this hustle and bustle, there was an undercurrent of anticipation. Prophecies spoke of a Messiah, and for those who believed and waited, Bethlehem was a place of hope and fulfillment. The shepherds tending their flocks nearby were the first to hear the good news from the angels, reminding us that God often reveals His truths to the humble and lowly of heart.  In the midst of these conditions—crowded lodgings and a bustling town—Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Savior of the world came into a humble, unadorned setting—a stable. This scene highlights not only the humility of Christ's birth but also the profound nature of God's love and the promise of salvation. Jesus, born in a manger, signifies that He came not for the elite, but for all of humanity. The story of Bethlehem during the time of Jesus's birth is a powerful reminder of God's providence and purpose. It teaches us that God's work often unfolds in unexpected places and through unassuming circumstances. Despite its small size, Bethlehem became the backdrop for a pivotal moment in human history.  The Innkeeper was resourceful and gave what he could give—not a room or even a corner in his already crowded inn, but the stable that demonstrates that the King of the world is at home with the humblest of the humble. The arrival of the long-expected Messiah stood out in contrast to people's expectations. Less prominent than even the lowly shepherds and animals, the innkeeper is neither mentioned by the writers of the gospel nor placed in the scenes that adorn our mantels and tables during Christmas time. Rather, he was and is behind the scenes, humbly and anonymously playing a major part in God's great plan. He serves as a reminder to us that God uses what we have. Perhaps we should be more like the innkeeper. We should ask God to give us the compassion of the innkeeper. Even when circumstances indicate that we have used up everything we have to give, give us the courage to stand out in contrast to the status quo. How can we be like the Innkeeper? When all of the worldly Christmas traditions threaten to fill out lives until no vacancy can be found, let us find a way to let Christ in. Find room for Him this season and all year round. Do something different. Add a new tradition or continue in an old tradition that allows you to take some time to let Christ into your life. In our own lives, we may sometimes feel like Bethlehem—small and overlooked. Yet, Bethlehem's story encourages us to trust in God's plan, knowing that He can bring about great things through us, regardless of our perceived insignificance. Remember each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus. Is there room in your heart for God to write His story? May the Joy of our Savior surround you this Christmas,Stephen

So, are you ready for Christmas?There's food to buy, things to cook and bake, decorations to put up.  And I wonder if you have bought all your presents. Done all the wrapping?Let me ask you: Are you the type who does their Christmas shopping at 4pm on Christmas Eve; or the type who has everything bought and wrapped by August?For those who prepare for Christmas well in advance, you may be interested to know that preparations for the first Christmas took a great deal longer. It all started way back in the book of Genesis.In Genesis chapter 3, we are told that a descendant of Eve will come and destroy the work of the devil. Many years later, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read of a prophet like Moses who will be raised up from among God's people, Israel. Thousands of years later, Jesus said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (John 5: 46)In the book of 2 Samuel, a prophet declares to King David that his royal throne will be established forever. Jesus would come from the line of David, who in turn came from the line of Judah. The Prophet Micah (prophesying hundreds of years before Jesus) said, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5: 2) Somebody from Judah's line will come - a ruler, whose origins are from old. (I wonder if that means from eternity past – Heaven perhaps?). That person is going to be born in Bethlehem.And Isaiah prophesied “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” The baby will be born to a virgin. We know Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.  And the prophecy said he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.By the time Jesus was born there was great expectation of a coming king, a Messiah, from the line of Judah, through David, yet coming from eternity past; a prophet like Moses; he will be born of a virgin, and he will be God walking among us.So, the time came for a secular government to announce a census, which meant that the newly married Joseph and Mary (pregnant with child) had to travel to Bethlehem. Upon arrival, she gave birth to a child. God with us in human form had arrived. The first Christmas was literally thousands of years in the making. 

••• The Wiseman's Journey . ••• Bible Study Verses: Matthew 2.1-11, Luke12.2, Isaiah 9.2, Hebrews 12.1-2, 2 Timothy 4.2, Daniel 11.32b, John 3.16 . ••• “If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: "God with us." We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”, John F. MacArthur Jr., 1939- , A 5th-generation preacher who serves as a pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. He is also a prolific author, conference speaker& is president of The Master's College & Seminary. He has a BA. from Los Angeles Pacific College, M.Div. from Talbot Theological Seminary, Litt.D. at Grace Graduate School, & D.D. from Talbot Theological Seminary. His media ministry has satellite offices in Australia, Canada, Europe, India, New Zealand, Singapore & Africa. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English & Spanish radio outlets worldwide, it distributes MacArthur's books, software& recordings. In 36-years it has distributed more than 13,000,000 recordings.† ••• "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting”, 2 Micah 5.2, NKJV . ••• How did the wisemen of the expect to find the new born King? ••• Why did the wisemen visit Herod? ••• What were 3-reasons why the Kings worshiped the Baby Jesus? ••• What are 3-things you must do to truly worship the Lord Jesus Christ? ••• What does it mean to “look beyond the manager'? ••• How were the wisemen not discouraged during their journey?••• What is necessary to worship God during life's many challenges? ••• What are 4-negative consequences of not being able to go beyond the manager? ••• Are you going to ask your small group to pray that you will be more intentional about going beyond the manger through the power of Holy Spirit this Christmas Season? ••• Pastor Godwin Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounters Radio Podcast originally aired on December 21, 2024 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcasted to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible . ••• This Discipleship Teaching Podcast is brought to you by Christian Leadership International and all the beloved of God who believe in it's mission through prayer and support. Thank you . ••• Broadcaster's Website - https://www.lifelonganointing.com/ •••• Exceeding Thanks to Universe Creator Christ Jesus AND Wayne Zuhl Photography, Livingston, NJ, USA, https://theastroguypodcast.buzzsprout.com/, https://www.youtube.com/@astroguypodcast, Paypal Donation Handle wayne.zuhl@gmail.com& Burkay Canatar Photography Pexels.com, Palma, Spain. Art Direction by gil on his mac••• † http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/John-MacArthur-Quotes••• SHARING LINK: https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/going-beyond-the-manger .••• Study Guides at - https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/episodes••• RESOURCE - https://www.soundcloud.com/thewaytogod/ ••• RESOURCE - https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/john.1%20••• FERP241221 Episode#360 GOT241221Ep360••• Going Beyond The Manager: The Wiseman's JourneySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7. Messiah's Leadership Zechariah 10:1 - 5 10:1 Ask of Yahweh rain in the spring time, Yahweh who makes storm clouds, and he gives rain showers to everyone for the plants in the field. 10:2 For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams. They comfort in vain. Therefore they go their way like sheep. They are oppressed, because there is no shepherd. 10:3 My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the male goats; For Yahweh of Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his majestic horse in the battle. 10:4 From him will come forth the cornerstone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. 10:5 They shall be as mighty men, treading down muddy streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; and the riders on horses will be confounded. During the time of Zechariah, the Temple was being rebuilt. The Temple was central to Jewish worship. But who would help give advice and solve the multitude of problems they were facing? Who cared about them? Well, Zechariah speaks into their situation with wise words. He has already likened the nation of Israel as being like sheep, and that God is their shepherd (Zechariah 9:16) "Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they are like the jewels of a crown, lifted on high over his land. ". Throughout Chapter 10, it is repeated again and again, that God will care for and bless them. But in order to receive the blessing and care, the nation of Israelites must seek, turn and follow. Seek God If the people need advice and help in times of trouble and need, the first place they should look, is to the Lord their God. They must seek and ask of Him! (10:1)! God can provide all things! He can control the weather, but these people need to stop being so independent, self-sufficient and start to rely on God and His infinite wisdom and resources. Turn to God In 10:2, Zechariah reminds the people of Israel, that following idols and false gods is foolishness. These idols are self-seeking, liars and deceivers. Israel needed to turn back to the One True Almighty God! Instead of following the glory of the Almighty God, they were turning to idols for worship, advice and listening to superstitious nonsense. And of course idols and false gods are mute! They cannot speak or give advice because they are not Gods at all!! The sin of idolatry particularly broke the second commandment! The people were to turn away from false gods and return to worship the One True Almighty God. They were also to listen to the true prophets of God instead of the false prophets who deceived by speaking words they wanted to hear. Follow Me These sheep, the nation of Israel were to follow God. Instead of wandering around aimlessly, they were to follow and obey God Almighty. The Jewish leaders and teachers were supposed to be leading the nation in worship of Almighty God, but were not doing so. Hence God in 10:3 being enraged at those who were in positions of trust who were deceivers, liars and only looking out for their own interests. Ezekiel 34 expounds this out in much further detail! So who were the people of Israel to follow? They were to follow the coming Messiah. Not only was the Messiah a King, Prophet Servant and Disciple but He would also be a Shepherd: the Good Shepherd! From the lowliest tribe of Judah, will come this Good Shepherd "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2) The Messiah Cares This Good Shepherd will be utterly reliable, responsible, faithful and being the sure foundation that the people of Israel need, particularly in a time of crisis. In 10:4 God will send this Good Shepherd to also be a cornerstone, nail or tent peg, battle bow and a source of all ruling authority. Cornerstone: all ancient buildings needed a chief cornerstone to ensure a sure foundation so that the building could not fall down easily. It held two walls together. The imagery fits in well with the building of the Temple. If you want to continue worshipping God, then you must get the foundations right. The chief cornerstone of the building holds the building together. Not only that, it gives the building shape, strength and all other stones are adjusted by it. Nail: Another translation is that of tent-peg. Just as the chief cornerstone holds the building together, so does a tent-peg ensure that the tent stays fastened down during storms! This Good Shepherd would ensure that everything is held together if they stick to Him. Battle-bow: Probably referring back to 9:13, Zechariah now likens this Messiah Shepherd to a battle-bow! This Good Shepherd will fight to keep the wolves from harming His sheep. He will battle for them. This Good Shepherd will be brave, courageous and strong as he leads his people to victory! How is Jesus this Messiah? Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened." In other words, ask of God your heavenly Father and your needs will be supplied! That was how Jesus lived and obeyed, by being in constant communication with God the Father. That is how he could live a life of utter obedience to God, because He always asked, sought and knocked. What is more, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, hence Him saying in John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Again in John 10:14-17 "I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again." Jesus is the Good Shepherd only through the sacrifice he must make for His sheep. Here Jesus is looking ahead to the sacrifice He makes on the Cross. His love for all of humanity compels Him to make the ultimate sacrifice. Just as all shepherds will endanger themselves for the safety of their sheep, so too will Jesus endure the pain and suffering of the Cross, so that people can be led into safety of God's kingdom. It is in this role of the Good Shepherd, that Jesus exhibits true leadership, which is self-less and sacrificial. E zekiel 34:11 tells of God searching out for his sheep among all nations, and this is fulfilled through Jesus. Through His perfect, obedient and voluntary sacrifice on the Cross, not only will salvation be available to the Jews but also to those of other nations. And Jesus is willing to fight for His people! He gives spiritual armour for all those who follow Him to wear. Christians are in a spiritual battle reminds Paul in Ephesians 6, and as the Good Shepherd, Jesus will fight and battle for us through His indwelling Holy Spirit! For as the Bible says in 1 John 4:4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." Jesus Christ is, as Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:8, the Cornerstone of faith - referring back to Isaiah 8:14. Jesus Christ is the dependable, sure foundation that all faith is to be ground upon. All Christians are living stones, but should be living on the dependability of Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone alone! It is only Him, who can give direction, assurance and be relied upon. It is Him that calls all people everywhere to seek for, turn to and follow obediently. Jesus Christ, Servant King, Servant Prophet, Servant Disciple, Servant Shepherd. Follow Him as the great leader He is and victory is assured! Whatever you are struggling with today, turn it over to God and ask for His help! He has promised to help! Remember that the battle belongs to the Lord! Amen! Just as Jesus said to Peter in John 21:19 "Follow Me!", so Jesus calls all those willing to follow Him, to follow Him for life. Follow and be led by Him and Him alone, regardless of what and where that might be. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

“‘I speak to you, Bethlehem Ephrathah. You are only a very small town among all the towns of Judah. But I will cause someone to be born in you who will rule Israel on my behalf. He will be someone whose family started a very long time ago.'”‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭EASY‬‬Emmanuel God is with us, good evening everyone and how are we getting on with Christmas preparations. Remember if you don't need don't buy it stay blessed and remain positive in all!!

I. The need for peace, v1. II. The promised peacemaker, vv2-5. 1) The birthplace of the peacemaker, v2a. 2) The origin of the peacemaker, v2b. 3) The timing of his peace, v3. 4) The manner of his peace, v4. 5) The nature of his peace, v5.

In this episode, Pastor Dom teaches us about God's plan and how the birth of Jesus fits into it.Micah 5:22 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”John 1:2929 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!Luke 2:1-81 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.John 6:3333 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”John 6:3535 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.John 3:1616 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.Jeremiah 29:1111 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.Proverbs 3: 5-65 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Songs of the Season: O Little Town of BethlehemMicah 5:1-5a1 Marshal your troops now, city of troops,    for a siege is laid against us.They will strike Israel's ruler    on the cheek with a rod.2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,    though you are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come for me    one who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from of old,    from ancient times.”3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,and the rest of his brothers return    to join the Israelites.4 He will stand and shepherd his flock    in the strength of the Lord,    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.And they will live securely, for then his greatness    will reach to the ends of the earth.5 And he will be our peace    when the Assyrians invade our land    and march through our fortresses.Luke 2:1-71 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.CONNECT WITH USIf you have any questions or would like to get to know us further, head over to https://www.triumphlbc.org/connect and fill out our online connection card.ABOUT TRIUMPHTriumph wants to see the life and message of Jesus transform your heart, home, and city. To learn more visit https://www.triumphlbc.org/

The Five Words of Christmas - Clyde Raynard - December 8th, 2024 “And … the Word became flesh…” First Investigative Word – “Who?” John 1: 1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. Second Investigative Word – “What?” John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh” 1 Timothy 3:16 “ Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Philippians 2:5b-7 “ …Christ Jesus... Third Investigative Word – “Where?” Luke 2:4-5 “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,  in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.” Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah (fruitful), The Fourth Investigative Word – “When?” Luke 2:1-2 “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Galatians 4:4 The Fifth Investigative Word – “Why”? Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Matthew 1:20-21 The cross is WHAT Christmas is all about. The cross is WHY the Word became flesh. Without the cross, Christmas is totally meaningless! John 3:16 “For God so loved _______, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if ______ believes (puts their faith and trust) in Him, ______ shall not perish, but have eternal life. Who is Jesus Christ to you? A Saviour? The Saviour? My Saviour? If He is not your Saviour, He will be your judge! Acts 17:30-31 He will either be your Saviour, or your judge. Which will it be? Your choice! There is no middle ground. John 3:17-18 Hebrews 10:26-29 “… the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 Christmas is for Sinners! 1 Timothy 1:15

Sunday 1st December 2024 - West and North Sites Speaker - James Rankine James continues our Christmas series with a look at four of the many Old Testament prophecies which were fulfilled in Jesus. -------- Micah 5 v 2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,     though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me     one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,     from ancient times. -- Isaiah 7 v 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. -- Zechariah 9 v 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!     Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,     righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey,     on a colt, the foal of a donkey. -- Isaiah 9 v 6-7 6) For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given,     and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called     Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7)  Of the greatness of his government and peace     there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne     and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it     with justice and righteousness     from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty     will accomplish this. -------- Recorded at West Site - 01Dec2024

Friday, 2 August 2024   Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, Matthew 2:1   “And Jesus, having been born in Bethlehem Judea, in days Herod the king: Behold, magicians from sunrisings – they came unto Jerusalem” (CG).   Chapter 1 ended with the note that Joseph refrained from having physical relations with his wife, Mary, until she had brought forth Jesus. Now, the narrative continues in Chapter 2, beginning with, “And Jesus, having been born in Bethlehem Judea.”   The words are stated to confirm the prophecy of the Lord through Micah –   “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Micah 5:2   Matthew will deal with this prophecy in a few verses, but this confirms another prophecy that had to be fulfilled concerning Israel's true Messiah. Next, it says, “in days Herod the king.” He is known as Herod the Great. Of him, Albert Barnes says –   “Judea, where our Saviour was born, was a province of the Roman Empire. It was taken about 63 years before his birth by Pompey, and placed under tribute. Herod received his appointment from the Romans, and had reigned at the time of the birth of Jesus for 34 years. Though he was permitted to be called king, yet he was, in all respects, dependent on the Roman emperor. He was commonly called ‘Herod the Great' because he had distinguished himself in the wars with Antigonus and his other enemies, and because he had evinced great talents in governing and defending his country, in repairing the temple, and in building and ornamenting the cities of his kingdom. He was, however, as much distinguished for his cruelty and his crimes as he was for his greatness.”   It was at this time that Matthew next records, “Behold, magicians.” The Greek word is magos, a magician, astrologer, wizard, etc. HELPS Word Studies says of them, “one of a sacred caste, originally Median, who seem to have conformed to the Persian religion while retaining some of their old beliefs.”   Various opinions have been given concerning who exactly these magicians were and where they came from. What is possibly the case is that they were from the area of Iran. It is to the east of Israel, and it is where the great empire that replaced the Babylonians was. Daniel and others were exiled to Babylon. However, Babylon was destroyed by the Medes and Persians. This is detailed in Daniel 5, which ends with –   “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.” Daniel 5:30, 31   When Babylon was destroyed, the new empire would have received all of the ancient writings of the Chaldeans. They also acquired their wise men, such as Daniel. This body of knowledge would have been incorporated into their empire, and it is possible that this included all of the Jewish prophetic writings.   It appears from Isaiah 44 that they possessed the book of Isaiah. If so, it may be that they had copies of all of the writings. The coming verses will show that there was an awareness of the book of Daniel and Numbers. Thus, it seems that all of the Jewish writings were maintained in the archives of this eastern empire.   Therefore, the ancient prophecy of a coming Messiah would be known to these magicians. The word magos is likely connected to the Aramaic name of the Rabmag [Great Mag] found in Jeremiah 39.   This would confirm that these people once were a part of the Chaldeans and were assimilated into the empire of the Medes and Persians. Because of their libraries and training, these men were alerted to the ancient prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures. Of them, Matthew next notes that they were “from sunrisings.”   Most translations say, “from the east.” However, the word is anatolé, a rising of light. In this case, it signifies the rising of the sun. Further, it is plural. Thus, these magicians are “from sunrisings,” and thus east of Israel. Whoever they were and wherever they were from, it next notes that “they came unto Jerusalem.”   These men had traveled from outside of the land of Israel. They had a specific knowledge from prophecy concerning the coming of Christ, and they came to behold what they were certain of. As Jerusalem is the seat of government, they first came there to proclaim what they knew and to ask for further details. This will be seen as the verses continue.   Life application: One interpretation of who these men were that has arisen is that these Magi were Jewish Rabbis who had remained a part of the exile. This has become a point of boasting among Jewish believers in recent times, but it hardly seems likely.   These Magi will ask about the King of the Jews, not specifically the Messiah. It is unlikely they would ask about a king first and foremost. Likewise, they will ask where the King would be born. However, a Jewish rabbi would know where to look for such information, as is evidenced by the verses ahead.   But most notably, if these were Jews, the text would have said so. The problem with this type of analysis is the same as with much else that is ascribed to the Jewish people today. Since the return of Israel to the land and with the modern messianic movement, everything Jewish has become fashionable.   Many deceitful people have arisen because of this, profiting off of their heritage. Many of them do not hold to the grace of God in Christ, but to their traditions and to law observance, in part or in whole. What has been sound theology, and a proper interpretation of Scripture for millennia has been upended by such unsound teaching. The Judaizers Paul warned of have come back like an overflowing flood.   Be sure to not get caught up in the hype of genealogy, culture, or tradition. Hold fast to the word of God as it has been revealed. And that revelation is one of God's grace being bestowed upon undeserved sinners, not man's effort to reconcile himself through an obsolete law that only God in Christ could (and did) fulfill.   To return to what is fulfilled is to say to God, “I know you did Your best, but I will take it from here.” What a slap in the face of God, who has done it all for us. Let us never mar the grace of God in Christ. To Jesus alone is to be our hope, and He alone is our place of refuge.   Lord God, may we hold fast to the grace of God in Christ, never trusting in our own merit. We have no standing before You without Jesus. Help us to recognize this and to exalt You for what You alone have done for us in the coming of our Lord. All hail the glorious and exalted name of JESUS! Amen.  

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (9/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!     Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.    [ Fair Use Notice ]

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (6/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!  

God's Word for Today 18 Apr 2024 -Psa 132:1-18 ESV MY RESTING PLACE FOREVER  As they arrive at the temple, it is a fitting occasion to recall the beginnings of the temple. David, with much difficulty, eagerly brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem with the aim of building God a house for it later (see 2 Samuel 6:3-13; 2 Samuel 7:1-3;  Psalms 24).  Remember, O LORD, in David's favor,     all the hardships he endured, 2 how he swore to the LORD     and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 3 “I will not enter my house     or get into my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes     or slumber to my eyelids, 5 until I find a place for the LORD,     a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” Previously, the ark had been stationed at Kiriath-jearim, also known as Baale-judah. Here, it is called ‘the fields of Jaar'. David therefore went from Bethlehem (Ephrathah) to Kiriath-jearim to collect the ark and bring it to Jerusalem ( see 2 Samuel 6:2,2 Samuel 6:14-19; 1 Chronicles 13:5; 1 Chronicles 13:5).  6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;     we found it in the fields of Jaar. 7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;     let us worship at his footstool!” 8 Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place,     you and the ark of your might. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,     and let your saints shout for joy. Although David wanted to build God a house in Jerusalem, God wanted to do something far greater for David. God wanted to build David a house in Jerusalem; not a house of stone, but a line of royal descendants to rule from Zion where the living God dwelt ( cf. 2 Samuel 7:4-16).  10 For the sake of your servant David,     do not turn away the face of your anointed one. 11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath     from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body     I will set on your throne. 12 If your sons keep my covenant     and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever     shall sit on your throne.” 13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;     he has desired it for his dwelling place: 14 “This is my resting place forever;     here I will dwell, for I have desired it. God would give his people all they needed for healthy lives, physically and spiritually (v.15-16).  15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;     I will satisfy her poor with bread. 16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,     and her saints will shout for joy. He would give the Davidic king power, prosperity, victory and glory (17-18). 17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;     I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,     but on him his crown will shine.” Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast   Spotify: http://bit.ly/glccfil_spotify  Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-applepcast  Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-googlepcast Audible Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-audible Follow us on various media platforms: https://gospellightfilipino.contactin.bio #gospellightfilipino #godswordfortoday #bookofPsalms

WOW Jesus Antiphons In some parts of the church they use as part of their worship, these seven O Antiphons. Each one, addresses Jesus Christ using a Messianic title drawn from prophecy in the Old Testament, looking back to the birth of the Saviour-Messiah. If you read the acrostic backwards, the initials of each title in Latin form the words “Ero Cras” or "Tomorrow I shall be (with you)", looking forward to when Jesus comes back again. Let us look together at these seven Old Testament titles of Jesus. Sapientia Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High God. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner: you came to teach us the way of truth. Isaiah 28:29 This also comes forth from the Lord Almighty, Who is wonderful in plan, and excellent in wisdom! ~ Adonai Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and gave him the Law on Sinai, you came to redeem us with outstretched arms! Isaiah 11:4-5 He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. ~ Radix Jesse Root of Jesse, who stands as an ensign to the peoples, at whom kings stand silent and whom the gentiles seek: you came to free us! Malachi 5:1-5 - You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago. That is why the Lord will abandon Israel until the time a mother has a child. Then the rest of the Lord's people will return to the people of Israel. The child will become the shepherd of his flock. He will lead them with the strength of the Lord, with the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live in safety because his greatness will reach the ends of the earth. This man will be their peace. Jeremiah 23:5-6 - "For the time is coming," says the Lord, "when I will raise up a righteous branch from King David's line, a root of Jesse. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: 'The Lord Is Our Righteousness.' In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. ~ Clavis David Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, who opens and no one shuts, who shuts, and no one opens, you came to free from prison, those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 22:21-22 21 I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. I will give him the key to the house of David-the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. ~ Oriens Morning Star, splendour of eternal light and sun of justice, you came and illumined those seated in darkness and the shadow of death. Malachi 4:2 - "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. Zechariah 6:12-13 Then say to him, 'This is what the Lord of Armies says: Here is the man whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is, and he will rebuild the Lord's temple. He will rebuild the Lord's temple and receive royal honor. He will sit and rule from his throne. He will be a priest on his throne. There will be a peaceful understanding between them. ~ Rex Gentium King of the Nations for whom they long, the corner-stone who makes of both one, you came and delivered humanity whom you made from clay. Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the earth and blew the breath of life into his nostrils. The man became a living being. Isaiah 28:16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. ~ Emmanuel God with us, our King and Law-giver, desired of the nations and their salvation, you came to save us, Lord our God. Isaiah 7:13-14 - Isaiah said, "Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn't it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us'). Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file

9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy. 16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.  Psalm 132 is the thirteenth of the fifteen “Ascent Songs” or “Pilgrim Psalms”. Solomon was the most like writer of this psalm as he fulfilled the desire of his father David to bring the ark to Jerusalem and build the temple as a “resting place” for it. After his dedication prayer the glory of the LORD came down and filled the temple and now the visible presence of God was in the midst of the people and nation (2 Chronicles 6-7). Solomon begins the psalm in verses 1-5 asking the LORD to remember David's desire and promise to give God His rightful place among His people. In verses 6-8, he continues by describing how they found the ark and the people were encouraged to come to Jerusalem to worship. We get the impression that the ark was almost forgotten during the years it was in the house of Abinadab in Kirjath Jearim ("city of woods"). The city was only eight miles northwest of Jerusalem, so distance was no problem. Possibly some of the people in David's hometown of Bethlehem (Ephrathah—"fruitful land") were involved in bringing the ark to Jerusalem. And now, the people felt drawn to go on pilgrimage to the city. When Solomon put the ark into the Holy of Holies, the glory of God moved in, just as when Moses dedicated the tabernacle (1 Kings 8:1-11; Ex. 40). The Lord could now "rest" in His house after many years of wandering from place to place (2 Sam. 7:6; 1 Chron. 28:2). In verses 10-12, Solomon reminded God of the covenant He made with his father David. God's covenant with David (2 Sam. 7) assured Israel that one of David's descendants would sit on the throne, and now Solomon was king, "God's anointed." So it was for David's sake, not Solomon's, that God blessed the king and the people. Ultimately, this promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, whose throne and kingdom are forever (2 Sam. 7:11-17; Acts 13:26-39; Luke 1:30-33). If David's successors wanted the blessing of God, they needed to obey the law of God. Believers today are united with the Lord in a new covenant that Jesus made in His own blood (Matt. 26:26-30; Heb. 12:24), and He will never break that covenant. The Father is faithful to His Son, and the Son is faithful to the covenant He made in His own blood. In verses 13, Solomon reminds the people that God not only chose Israel to be His people and David and his descendants to be His kings, but He chose Zion to be the site of His temple and His throne (the ark). Other nations had temples, but none of those temples had the glory of the true and living God dwelling in them. Now in verses 14-18, God speaks and reaffirmed His covenant with Israel (Lev. 26; Deut. 27-30). God promised to dwell with Israel, provide their food, bless their worship, and defeat their enemies. A “horn” (v. 17), is a symbol of power and strength, and the “growth” of the horn of David is a picture of the coming of the promised Messiah. So, the psalm ends by pointing to Jesus Christ. The psalm concerns itself with David and God's covenant with him, but it points to David's greater Son, Jesus Christ, and His covenant with His church. The psalmist was concerned about the ark of the covenant, but the ark points to Jesus Christ who today is enthroned in the Holy of Holies in heaven. We see, not the earthly Zion, but the heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:22-24), and we rejoice that we are "a kingdom of priests" because of the grace of God (Rev. 1:5-6). Today, let us give God His rightful place, worship Him joyfully, rest on His faithful covenant, and trust Him for the promised blessings for those who willingly obey His will. And then His “saints shall shout for joy”! (vv. 9, 16) God bless!

In November 1962, physicist John W. Mauchly said, “There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer.” Mauchly’s prediction seemed remarkable at the time, but it proved astonishingly accurate. Today, using a computer or handheld device is one of the earliest skills a child learns. While Mauchly’s prediction has come true, so have much more important predictions—those made in Scripture about the coming of Christ. For example, Micah 5:2 declared, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” God sent Jesus, who arrived in tiny Bethlehem—marking him as from the royal line of David (see Luke 2:4–7). The same Bible that accurately predicted the first coming of Jesus also promises His return (Acts 1:11). Jesus promised His first followers that He would come back for them (John 14:1–4). This Christmas, as we ponder the accurately predicted facts surrounding the birth of Jesus, may we also consider His promised return, and allow Him to prepare us for that majestic moment when we see Jesus face to face!

Seven Key Words from Micah 5:2 (Micah 5:2) - But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. [1 hour minutes]

I was thinking the other day that the manger that Jesus was laid in was dirty compared to our standards today. It is estimated that Jesus was most likely born in March or April. We are not entirely sure what kind of room he was born in, but the fact that there was a manger (feeding trough) gives us some idea that it was where the animals were kept. So, what was in the stable Jesus was most likely born in? If there were donkeys, cattle, sheep, or chickens, there was also the smell of manure and urine, cattle-biting lice, a whole bunch of annoying species of flies common in the middle east known as the Bazaar Rly (known to spread trachoma an irritating eye disease). Do not forget the common Stable Fly that would have been feeding on the blood of the livestock surrounding Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. By the way the Stable Flies Mary and Joseph shooed away from Jesus may have carried anthrax. My guess is, there were most likely rats and mice along with all the diseases they carry. The manger was a feeding trough and before they prepared it to lay Jesus in, there was no Clorox to disinfect it from it being used for animals to eat from, drool into, and maybe even sneeze out an occasional maggot that crawled up into the snouts of certain animals to live in their throats. I am sure Joseph did his best to clean out the manger, but then you have the bedding to consider, which would have been straw infested with straw itch mites. So the first group of people invited to see the Christ-Child are dirty shepherds? My point is simply this: The One born King of the Jews made His grand entrance into our world through the mess of a stable. But why that way? It was of Jesus that the ancient prophets declared: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14) For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6) But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity. (Mic. 5:2) Why a stable? Before I answer that question, I want us to reflect on Hebrews 1:1-3 briefly. In only three verses, we are given nine reasons for why there is a good reason for the shepherds, a stable, and a manger. Jesus is the Only Way to Know God. The best and greatest revelation of who God is according to the author of Hebrews, is Jesus. According to the prophet Micah, Jesus did not become the Son of God at Marys miraculous conception as a virgin or at His birth; no Jesus was always God the Son long before His birth, for His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity (Mic. 5:2). What did happen when Mary was told that she would have a child, is that Jesus took on human flesh, and He did so to live a life while remaining fully divine and fully human, and the life He lived was the life we could not live for the purpose of dying a death he did not deserve on a cross for the sins of mankind. Jesus said of Himself: For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus is the heir of all things. The One laid in the manger, was and remains the heir of all things. All of creation belongs to Him; it was His from the beginning, but it is especially His now! The Bible says that all of us are sinners from the moment of conception in that we are all born sinful. When Jesus took on human flesh by way of the miraculous conception that did not include a human biological father, he was born without a nature to sin. Jesus was fully God while remaining fully human. For sinful humanity and a cursed creation to be liberated from sin, a kinsmen redeemer was needed. If a family member lost their inheritance and property for any reason, a kinsmen redeemer was needed who met three requirements: He must be related to the person who suffered lost, he must have the ability to purchase back what was lost, and he must be willing to make the sacrifice necessary to restore what was lost. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, the curse of sin has been passed down from one generation to the next. The child that was laid in a manger is the kinsmen redeemer qualified to restore what was lost through Adams sin. Jesus is the Creator of the world. Jesus not only existed before His birth on the first Christmas, but we are also told that it was through Him that God made the world. The Bible says of Jesus: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). The one who was laid in the manger, was responsible for the material that human hands used to fashion it, which also shows us that only is Jesus a qualified redeemer, but He is also an able redeemer. Jesus radiates the glory of God. Jesus does not reflect the image of God like the moon reflects the Suns light. No, Jesus radiates the glory of God like the Sun radiates light. Jesus was not created by God but is God. There was never a time when Jesus was created because there was never a time when He was not the Son. The God of the Bible is unlike any other god that people have created to worship, for the God we learn of in the Bible is Yahweh as One God in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus is exact representation of Gods nature. I have two sons; they share my DNA but they are not me nor are they the exact representation of me. There is a Son who shares the exact representation of Gods nature, and that Son is Jesus, for the God the Son and the God the Father are of the same divine essence; this is how Jesus is the climax of Gods revelation of Himself to lost humanity. When one of his disciples asked Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. To which Jesus answered: The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? (John 14:8-9). When Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds saw the face of Jesus, the saw the face of God. Jesus is the sustainer of creation. The mystery of the incarnation and miracle of Christmas is that the one who was laid in a manger, is the One who sustains and keeps creation, by the word of His power. What the author of Hebrews is trying to say here is that the Son of God is not only responsible for creation, but actively preserves creation! This is why Jesus could walk on water, cure diseases, raise the dead, and quiet storms with the word of His mouth. Jesus is a qualified and willing redeemer. The One who was laid in the manger was born to make purification of sins, and the way that he did it was through a cross of wood for sins we committed and are guilty of. This is why, when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! Hundreds of years before Christmas happened, the prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus: But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed (Isa. 53:5). The Christ-Child was born to become a curse for us so that we could be pardoned, redeemed, and made the children of God (Gal. 3:13-14); or as the Bible states: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus is the only one who can save. After Jesus died upon the cross for our sins for our redemption, we are told that Jesus, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high What this means is that because of who He is and why He took on human flesh, after He died, Jesus rose from the grave because how can death keep the Author of Life? After Jesus rose, He ascended to heaven, and He sat down! He sat down because his sacrifice for sin only had to be offered once and for all! This is why Jesus said of Himself: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). Besides Jesus, there is salvation found in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved (Acts. 4:12). Jesus is to be worshiped because of who He is. The child born on the first Christmas and laid in a dirty manger surrounded by dirty creatures, of which Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and every other human is the dirtiest; He was born to save sinners. Of Jesus the scriptures testify: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:810). The question for you my dear friend, is what will you do with Jesus today, on this Christmas Eve? The reality of Christmas is simply this: Jesus was really born. Jesus really did live, Jesus really did die on a Roman cross, and Jesus really did rise from the grave. J.R. Tolken, who wrote The Lord of the Rings, once said of the story of Jesus: The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind, which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. But this story is supreme, and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of menand of elves. Legend and History have met and fused.[1] The reason Jesus made His grand entrance into our world through the mess of a stable is because He was born to enter into the mess of sin-cursed humanity. The message of the manger is simply this: If you were a hundred times worse than you are, your sins would be no match for His mercy.[2] Jesus came to save us! [1] J. R. R. Tolkien. On Fairy Stories, (1939). [2] Tim Keller.

I was thinking the other day that the manger that Jesus was laid in was dirty compared to our standards today. It is estimated that Jesus was most likely born in March or April. We are not entirely sure what kind of room he was born in, but the fact that there was a manger (feeding trough) gives us some idea that it was where the animals were kept. So, what was in the stable Jesus was most likely born in? If there were donkeys, cattle, sheep, or chickens, there was also the smell of manure and urine, cattle-biting lice, a whole bunch of annoying species of flies common in the middle east known as the Bazaar Rly (known to spread trachoma an irritating eye disease). Do not forget the common Stable Fly that would have been feeding on the blood of the livestock surrounding Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. By the way the Stable Flies Mary and Joseph shooed away from Jesus may have carried anthrax. My guess is, there were most likely rats and mice along with all the diseases they carry. The manger was a feeding trough and before they prepared it to lay Jesus in, there was no Clorox to disinfect it from it being used for animals to eat from, drool into, and maybe even sneeze out an occasional maggot that crawled up into the snouts of certain animals to live in their throats. I am sure Joseph did his best to clean out the manger, but then you have the bedding to consider, which would have been straw infested with straw itch mites. So the first group of people invited to see the Christ-Child are dirty shepherds? My point is simply this: The One born King of the Jews made His grand entrance into our world through the mess of a stable. But why that way? It was of Jesus that the ancient prophets declared: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14) For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6) But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity. (Mic. 5:2) Why a stable? Before I answer that question, I want us to reflect on Hebrews 1:1-3 briefly. In only three verses, we are given nine reasons for why there is a good reason for the shepherds, a stable, and a manger. Jesus is the Only Way to Know God. The best and greatest revelation of who God is according to the author of Hebrews, is Jesus. According to the prophet Micah, Jesus did not become the Son of God at Marys miraculous conception as a virgin or at His birth; no Jesus was always God the Son long before His birth, for His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity (Mic. 5:2). What did happen when Mary was told that she would have a child, is that Jesus took on human flesh, and He did so to live a life while remaining fully divine and fully human, and the life He lived was the life we could not live for the purpose of dying a death he did not deserve on a cross for the sins of mankind. Jesus said of Himself: For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus is the heir of all things. The One laid in the manger, was and remains the heir of all things. All of creation belongs to Him; it was His from the beginning, but it is especially His now! The Bible says that all of us are sinners from the moment of conception in that we are all born sinful. When Jesus took on human flesh by way of the miraculous conception that did not include a human biological father, he was born without a nature to sin. Jesus was fully God while remaining fully human. For sinful humanity and a cursed creation to be liberated from sin, a kinsmen redeemer was needed. If a family member lost their inheritance and property for any reason, a kinsmen redeemer was needed who met three requirements: He must be related to the person who suffered lost, he must have the ability to purchase back what was lost, and he must be willing to make the sacrifice necessary to restore what was lost. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God, the curse of sin has been passed down from one generation to the next. The child that was laid in a manger is the kinsmen redeemer qualified to restore what was lost through Adams sin. Jesus is the Creator of the world. Jesus not only existed before His birth on the first Christmas, but we are also told that it was through Him that God made the world. The Bible says of Jesus: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authoritiesall things have been created through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). The one who was laid in the manger, was responsible for the material that human hands used to fashion it, which also shows us that only is Jesus a qualified redeemer, but He is also an able redeemer. Jesus radiates the glory of God. Jesus does not reflect the image of God like the moon reflects the Suns light. No, Jesus radiates the glory of God like the Sun radiates light. Jesus was not created by God but is God. There was never a time when Jesus was created because there was never a time when He was not the Son. The God of the Bible is unlike any other god that people have created to worship, for the God we learn of in the Bible is Yahweh as One God in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus is exact representation of Gods nature. I have two sons; they share my DNA but they are not me nor are they the exact representation of me. There is a Son who shares the exact representation of Gods nature, and that Son is Jesus, for the God the Son and the God the Father are of the same divine essence; this is how Jesus is the climax of Gods revelation of Himself to lost humanity. When one of his disciples asked Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. To which Jesus answered: The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? (John 14:8-9). When Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds saw the face of Jesus, the saw the face of God. Jesus is the sustainer of creation. The mystery of the incarnation and miracle of Christmas is that the one who was laid in a manger, is the One who sustains and keeps creation, by the word of His power. What the author of Hebrews is trying to say here is that the Son of God is not only responsible for creation, but actively preserves creation! This is why Jesus could walk on water, cure diseases, raise the dead, and quiet storms with the word of His mouth. Jesus is a qualified and willing redeemer. The One who was laid in the manger was born to make purification of sins, and the way that he did it was through a cross of wood for sins we committed and are guilty of. This is why, when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! Hundreds of years before Christmas happened, the prophet Isaiah wrote of Jesus: But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed (Isa. 53:5). The Christ-Child was born to become a curse for us so that we could be pardoned, redeemed, and made the children of God (Gal. 3:13-14); or as the Bible states: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus is the only one who can save. After Jesus died upon the cross for our sins for our redemption, we are told that Jesus, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high What this means is that because of who He is and why He took on human flesh, after He died, Jesus rose from the grave because how can death keep the Author of Life? After Jesus rose, He ascended to heaven, and He sat down! He sat down because his sacrifice for sin only had to be offered once and for all! This is why Jesus said of Himself: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). Besides Jesus, there is salvation found in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved (Acts. 4:12). Jesus is to be worshiped because of who He is. The child born on the first Christmas and laid in a dirty manger surrounded by dirty creatures, of which Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and every other human is the dirtiest; He was born to save sinners. Of Jesus the scriptures testify: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:810). The question for you my dear friend, is what will you do with Jesus today, on this Christmas Eve? The reality of Christmas is simply this: Jesus was really born. Jesus really did live, Jesus really did die on a Roman cross, and Jesus really did rise from the grave. J.R. Tolken, who wrote The Lord of the Rings, once said of the story of Jesus: The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind, which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. But this story is supreme, and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of menand of elves. Legend and History have met and fused.[1] The reason Jesus made His grand entrance into our world through the mess of a stable is because He was born to enter into the mess of sin-cursed humanity. The message of the manger is simply this: If you were a hundred times worse than you are, your sins would be no match for His mercy.[2] Jesus came to save us! [1] J. R. R. Tolkien. On Fairy Stories, (1939). [2] Tim Keller.

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

A remarkable prophecy in the little book of Micah predicted the Messiah's birth in great detail.   Micah 5:2 says, “But you oh, 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.”   Most of us know the basics. Jesus was born in humble surroundings. His parents were traveling to take part in the census, and Mary delivered in a tiny village south of Jerusalem. If the traditional site is accurate, Jesus was born in a grotto where animals were kept. Because of the business of the year there indeed was no room for the family in the modest inn.   Jesus was born in a dangerous time, but He came for us, to redeem us, and He came as the most vulnerable of all.    Let's pray.   Lord, only you could bring Jesus into the world in such circumstances. His earthly parents watched over Him and He became the sacrifice for us all. Thank you for this gift. In Jesus' name, amen.

We have sanitized the Christmas story and made it clean and cute but think for a moment of what the Christmas story includes. The Christmas story is not only the announcement to Mary and Joseph of Jesus miraculous conception in Marys womb while remaining a virgin, it is not only the pronouncement to lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night, nor is it simply the visit of the magi. The Christmas story is far more than a nativity scene! Think about Jesus resurrection and all the details that surround it. In a culture that did not have much regard for women, it was a woman who first witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. If the gospel writers made up the story of Jesus resurrection, they would not have chosen women to be the first to witness the greatest event in history. In Matthews gospel account, to whom Jews were the primary audience, it is the magi who are included at the beginning of his story in connection to proving the point that the infant Jesus was indeed qualified as the rightful heir of King David. The irony in this is that if you are going to tell a story about Jesus and the motive in doing so is to prove to every Jewish reader that He is the Messiah and greater than David, why in the world would you insert magi into your story?Who were the magi you ask? The magi were royal counselors who used astrology for guidance. Do you know what the Old Testament says about astrology? The Bible forbids the practice of astrology (Deut. 4:9) and uses strong language against it (Isa. 47:13-15). So, why would Matthew include the magi in his story about the life of Jesus? Because God summoned gentile pagans to the Savior of the nations by speaking a language that they could understand. Do you not find it to be both ironic and encouraging that the story of the pagan magi and a woman with a shady past serve as book ends of the four gospels included in the Bible to show us that Jesus is not just the King of the Jews, but also the Savior of the world. Jesus is Gods Yes! to all of His promises of which the one made to Abraham is no exception: And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3). Through Jesus, a son of Abraham and David, the nations are blessed the invitation of the magi and Mary Magdalene to witness the two most extraordinary events in human history is testament to Jesus as the hope of the nations. God Wields Time and Space for His Own Sovereign Designs We are not told how many magi saw the star and we are not given the exact longitude and latitude from where their journey began. All that we are told is that magi were from the East. Now, as I mentioned last week, there are two principals at work that made the first Christmas possible; those principles are: 1) the incarnational principle, and 2) the grace principle. The promise, birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was never plan B but always plan A in the mind of God, because His intention was always to dwell with His people. The principle of the incarnation is seen in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eves sin, Israels experience with God in the wilderness, and in the promise of Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. Matthew is quick to point out that Immanuel means God with us. Connected to the incarnation principle is the principle of Gods unconditional grace in that when it came to the virgin birth, there was nothing anyone could have done to make it happen or to prevent it from happening; Christmas happened all because of Gods unconditional and unmerited grace. It was the apostle Paul who wrote: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters (Gal. 4:4-5). In Matthew and Luke we are provided two separate genealogies that demonstrate this. In Luke 3:23-38 we receive what many scholars believe to be Marys genealogy since the point of Lukes gospel is to show Jesus humanity. In Matthew 1:1-17, we are given Josephs genealogy showing Jesus legal standing as a member of the tribe of Judah as the rightful heir to Davids throne, but before we look at Josephs decision to follow through with his marriage to Mary, I want you to see why the magi are so important to Matthews gospel. For now, what you need to know is that God moved history, empires, and kings so that Joseph and Mary would meet, fall in love, and get engaged with a plan to start a family together. Sandwiched in between the time Mary and Josephs genealogies represent, is the 70 years much of the tribe of Judah was carried off into exile into Babylon (see Jer. 29:10). Babylons method of exile was to ingraft their culture into the culture of the Hebrews. What was threatened by the Babylonian exile was the preservation of the tribe of Judah. One of the Hebrews exiled into Babylon was a young man by the name of Daniel. God had gifted Daniel as a prophet and used him to speak into the life of one of the kings of Babylon known as Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel spent all of his long life as an exile, but for purposes related to this sermon, I want to turn your attention to the time Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a huge statue made of four distinct types of material with a head of gold, a chest and arms made of silver, a belly and thighs made of bronze, legs of iron, and feet made of both iron and clay. The Chaldeans were summoned by the king to interpret his dream without being told what dream Nebuchadnezzar had. The Chaldeans were also known as Babylons wise men, and because they told the king that to interpret a dream without being told about the dream was impossible, Nebuchadnezzar threatened death upon all the wise men who could not interpret his dream (Dan. 2:1-18). Because the God Daniel worshiped is the God who can do the impossible he revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel. Before Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzars dream, he praised God with these words: May the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and periods; He removes king and appoints kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to people of understanding (Dan. 2:20-21). Daniel told the king what he dreamed and then interpreted it for him. The kingdoms represented in the different materials of the statute included Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. There was a fifth kingdom represented in Nebuchadnezzars dream that was separate from the statute which was in the form of a stone not cut out by human hands that struck the statues feet which resulted in the crushing of the entire statue. Here is Daniels interpretation of the stone that destroyed the earthly kingdoms: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever (Dan. 2:44). Guess what the king did next after Daniel finished interpreting his dream? He promoted Daniel as ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief over, all the wise men of Babylon (vv. 46-49). I dont think the magi worshiped the same God of Daniel, but I do think they could trace their roots all the way back to Babylon, and I am convinced that their interest in finding the King of the Jews was related to the stone that was in Nebuchadnezzars dream. I think they included in their studies of the stars any sacred document related to Daniels people in an effort to find and discover the King of the Kingdom that Daniels God would set up that will have no end. If the magi were familiar with Micah 5:2 and its connection they made with Numbers 24:17, which states: A star shall appear from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel (see Matt. 2:1-6), dont you think they were also familiar with Isaiah 9:6-7? I think that the magi connected the dots in the Old Testament and believed that Micah 5:2; Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7 were about the One a powerful pagan Babylonian king dreamed about 500 years before Jesus was born: For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this. The way that God spoke to the magi was through a language they could understand as they looked to the stars the God of Daniel created. We are not told how God did it, but He was able to lead the magi with a star because He is the One, who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20)! God Shatters the Assumptions of Man Through His Redemptive Plans Now back to Joseph and Marys genealogies and personal lives. Following Gods promise to Abraham that He would bless him by making him a great nation and a blessing to the nations were 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile. There were some good years in-between those hard years of slavery, wilderness wandering, and exilic discipline, but during those seasons, I am pretty sure that it was difficult for the Hebrew people to see any silver lining or hope that God would, or could, turn the ugly around into something beautiful, but what Joseph and Marys genealogy shows us is that is exactly what God was doing with the 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile! Gods plan for Israel and the nations always included a king, but not any old king. The king God intended was a King both human and divine. The plan was never for Israel only to have a human king just like David, nor was His plan of Israel to be only divine. Jesus was always plan A and never plan B. Let me briefly show what I mean by reminding you what we have looked at in the Bible during this series so far. In Exodus 19:6, God said of Israel after their deliverance from Egypt and as a people large enough to be their own nation: and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. What would set Israel apart from all the other nations, is that Yahweh would be their King. In Isaiah 44:6 we are told what kind of King to Israel Yahweh is: This is what the Lord says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of armies: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. In other words, Yahweh is King, Redeemer, the Almighty One, eternal, and unlike any other god of the nations in that He is utterly unique! Just as we see in the first two chapters in Genesis before Adam and Eves fall, Yahweh would be King over His people. Yet, in Genesis 49:10, God spoke through Jacob to Judah long before Israel was ever a nation and promised: The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Then when we come to 2 Samuel 7:13, we discover God planned for Israel that not only would the obedience of the nations belong to a human king from the tribe of Judah, but a King who, shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Furthermore, we are told in Psalm 2 that this King will rule the nations with a rod of iron but will also be One in Whom all who find refuge in Him will be blessed (vv. 8-12). In Psalm 110, David says of his descendant who will be King over the nations: Yahweh says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (v. 1). So, what kind of human King can be a physical descendant of David, have the obedience of the nations, and not be subject to the limitations of death because His reign will be eternal? The kind of King the magi sought, Mary would carry while a virgin, and Joseph would become the legal but nonbiological father of. Both Mary and Josephs bloodline could be traced back to David, Abraham, and Adam. The problem with sin is that it is passed down from the father to his child, for we are told in the Bible: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam (Rom. 5:12, 14). Sin is a genetically transmitted curse passed down from a mans sperm cell to a womans embryonic egg. For Jesus to be the rightful and legal heir of Davids throne, he needed to be a legal son of a man who was from the tribe of JudahJoseph qualified to be that man. For Jesus to be conceived without the curse and plague of sin being passed down to him while remaining a descendant of David, Abraham, and Adam, He had to be conceived and born of woman without biological requirement of a human sperm cell from Joseph. This is why the angel explained to Mary how she could be pregnant: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Conclusion The stakes for Joseph and Mary were very high. If Joseph followed through with ending his relationship with Mary because of a refusal to believe that her pregnancy was a miraculous act of Almighty God through His Holy Spirit, then Jesus would not have been qualified legally to be King of the Jews. Regarding Marys pregnancy, there was no turning back; she could not walk away from her pregnancy like Joseph could have. However, both Mary and Joseph chose to trust the God who sovereignly wields time and space for his redemptive plans even though it blew to ashes any assumptions they had for what was impossible or possible. Together, Mary and Joseph would raise the One the magi sought to find, the one read and studied about from the prophet Micah: But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. When the magi found Jesus, they appropriately worshiped Him and brought to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh fit for the kind of King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about 500 years earlier. The treasure for the magi, Joseph, and Mary was Jesus, and having Him in their lives was truly a source of great joy. There are two important lessons from Matthew 1:18-2:12 that I want to briefly mention and think more deeply upon next week: In the same way that God wielded time and space to make the virgin birth a reality and the visit of the magi a possibility, God has done, is doing, and will do to accomplish his redemptive purposes in and through your life. Your circumstances and sins are swallowed up by an infinitely greater God who bears the title: Redeemer. If God is able to move time and space to accomplish His redemptive purposes for mankind even in the 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile, dont you think he can do the same in the midst of the circumstances of your life caused by your own sin? Do you really think that your problems are greater than Gods ability to turn your life around? In order to experience the great joy that Jesus brought to Mary, Joseph, and the magi they had to let go of their assumptions, dreams, future, and safety for the purpose of embracing Jesus as the One promised in Isaiah 9:6-7, For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this. In order for you to embrace Jesus as Savior, it will require you to trust Him as Lord over and in your life. To find Jesus the Savior will require that you let go of your idols to experience Him as Redeemer. To say yes to Jesus will mean that you will have to say no to the idols of your heart. Christmas is about Jesus as the type of King we need!

We have sanitized the Christmas story and made it clean and cute but think for a moment of what the Christmas story includes. The Christmas story is not only the announcement to Mary and Joseph of Jesus miraculous conception in Marys womb while remaining a virgin, it is not only the pronouncement to lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night, nor is it simply the visit of the magi. The Christmas story is far more than a nativity scene! Think about Jesus resurrection and all the details that surround it. In a culture that did not have much regard for women, it was a woman who first witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. If the gospel writers made up the story of Jesus resurrection, they would not have chosen women to be the first to witness the greatest event in history. In Matthews gospel account, to whom Jews were the primary audience, it is the magi who are included at the beginning of his story in connection to proving the point that the infant Jesus was indeed qualified as the rightful heir of King David. The irony in this is that if you are going to tell a story about Jesus and the motive in doing so is to prove to every Jewish reader that He is the Messiah and greater than David, why in the world would you insert magi into your story?Who were the magi you ask? The magi were royal counselors who used astrology for guidance. Do you know what the Old Testament says about astrology? The Bible forbids the practice of astrology (Deut. 4:9) and uses strong language against it (Isa. 47:13-15). So, why would Matthew include the magi in his story about the life of Jesus? Because God summoned gentile pagans to the Savior of the nations by speaking a language that they could understand. Do you not find it to be both ironic and encouraging that the story of the pagan magi and a woman with a shady past serve as book ends of the four gospels included in the Bible to show us that Jesus is not just the King of the Jews, but also the Savior of the world. Jesus is Gods Yes! to all of His promises of which the one made to Abraham is no exception: And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3). Through Jesus, a son of Abraham and David, the nations are blessed the invitation of the magi and Mary Magdalene to witness the two most extraordinary events in human history is testament to Jesus as the hope of the nations. God Wields Time and Space for His Own Sovereign Designs We are not told how many magi saw the star and we are not given the exact longitude and latitude from where their journey began. All that we are told is that magi were from the East. Now, as I mentioned last week, there are two principals at work that made the first Christmas possible; those principles are: 1) the incarnational principle, and 2) the grace principle. The promise, birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was never plan B but always plan A in the mind of God, because His intention was always to dwell with His people. The principle of the incarnation is seen in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eves sin, Israels experience with God in the wilderness, and in the promise of Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. Matthew is quick to point out that Immanuel means God with us. Connected to the incarnation principle is the principle of Gods unconditional grace in that when it came to the virgin birth, there was nothing anyone could have done to make it happen or to prevent it from happening; Christmas happened all because of Gods unconditional and unmerited grace. It was the apostle Paul who wrote: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters (Gal. 4:4-5). In Matthew and Luke we are provided two separate genealogies that demonstrate this. In Luke 3:23-38 we receive what many scholars believe to be Marys genealogy since the point of Lukes gospel is to show Jesus humanity. In Matthew 1:1-17, we are given Josephs genealogy showing Jesus legal standing as a member of the tribe of Judah as the rightful heir to Davids throne, but before we look at Josephs decision to follow through with his marriage to Mary, I want you to see why the magi are so important to Matthews gospel. For now, what you need to know is that God moved history, empires, and kings so that Joseph and Mary would meet, fall in love, and get engaged with a plan to start a family together. Sandwiched in between the time Mary and Josephs genealogies represent, is the 70 years much of the tribe of Judah was carried off into exile into Babylon (see Jer. 29:10). Babylons method of exile was to ingraft their culture into the culture of the Hebrews. What was threatened by the Babylonian exile was the preservation of the tribe of Judah. One of the Hebrews exiled into Babylon was a young man by the name of Daniel. God had gifted Daniel as a prophet and used him to speak into the life of one of the kings of Babylon known as Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel spent all of his long life as an exile, but for purposes related to this sermon, I want to turn your attention to the time Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a huge statue made of four distinct types of material with a head of gold, a chest and arms made of silver, a belly and thighs made of bronze, legs of iron, and feet made of both iron and clay. The Chaldeans were summoned by the king to interpret his dream without being told what dream Nebuchadnezzar had. The Chaldeans were also known as Babylons wise men, and because they told the king that to interpret a dream without being told about the dream was impossible, Nebuchadnezzar threatened death upon all the wise men who could not interpret his dream (Dan. 2:1-18). Because the God Daniel worshiped is the God who can do the impossible he revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel. Before Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzars dream, he praised God with these words: May the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and periods; He removes king and appoints kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to people of understanding (Dan. 2:20-21). Daniel told the king what he dreamed and then interpreted it for him. The kingdoms represented in the different materials of the statute included Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. There was a fifth kingdom represented in Nebuchadnezzars dream that was separate from the statute which was in the form of a stone not cut out by human hands that struck the statues feet which resulted in the crushing of the entire statue. Here is Daniels interpretation of the stone that destroyed the earthly kingdoms: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever (Dan. 2:44). Guess what the king did next after Daniel finished interpreting his dream? He promoted Daniel as ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief over, all the wise men of Babylon (vv. 46-49). I dont think the magi worshiped the same God of Daniel, but I do think they could trace their roots all the way back to Babylon, and I am convinced that their interest in finding the King of the Jews was related to the stone that was in Nebuchadnezzars dream. I think they included in their studies of the stars any sacred document related to Daniels people in an effort to find and discover the King of the Kingdom that Daniels God would set up that will have no end. If the magi were familiar with Micah 5:2 and its connection they made with Numbers 24:17, which states: A star shall appear from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel (see Matt. 2:1-6), dont you think they were also familiar with Isaiah 9:6-7? I think that the magi connected the dots in the Old Testament and believed that Micah 5:2; Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6-7 were about the One a powerful pagan Babylonian king dreamed about 500 years before Jesus was born: For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this. The way that God spoke to the magi was through a language they could understand as they looked to the stars the God of Daniel created. We are not told how God did it, but He was able to lead the magi with a star because He is the One, who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20)! God Shatters the Assumptions of Man Through His Redemptive Plans Now back to Joseph and Marys genealogies and personal lives. Following Gods promise to Abraham that He would bless him by making him a great nation and a blessing to the nations were 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile. There were some good years in-between those hard years of slavery, wilderness wandering, and exilic discipline, but during those seasons, I am pretty sure that it was difficult for the Hebrew people to see any silver lining or hope that God would, or could, turn the ugly around into something beautiful, but what Joseph and Marys genealogy shows us is that is exactly what God was doing with the 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile! Gods plan for Israel and the nations always included a king, but not any old king. The king God intended was a King both human and divine. The plan was never for Israel only to have a human king just like David, nor was His plan of Israel to be only divine. Jesus was always plan A and never plan B. Let me briefly show what I mean by reminding you what we have looked at in the Bible during this series so far. In Exodus 19:6, God said of Israel after their deliverance from Egypt and as a people large enough to be their own nation: and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. What would set Israel apart from all the other nations, is that Yahweh would be their King. In Isaiah 44:6 we are told what kind of King to Israel Yahweh is: This is what the Lord says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of armies: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. In other words, Yahweh is King, Redeemer, the Almighty One, eternal, and unlike any other god of the nations in that He is utterly unique! Just as we see in the first two chapters in Genesis before Adam and Eves fall, Yahweh would be King over His people. Yet, in Genesis 49:10, God spoke through Jacob to Judah long before Israel was ever a nation and promised: The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Then when we come to 2 Samuel 7:13, we discover God planned for Israel that not only would the obedience of the nations belong to a human king from the tribe of Judah, but a King who, shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Furthermore, we are told in Psalm 2 that this King will rule the nations with a rod of iron but will also be One in Whom all who find refuge in Him will be blessed (vv. 8-12). In Psalm 110, David says of his descendant who will be King over the nations: Yahweh says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet (v. 1). So, what kind of human King can be a physical descendant of David, have the obedience of the nations, and not be subject to the limitations of death because His reign will be eternal? The kind of King the magi sought, Mary would carry while a virgin, and Joseph would become the legal but nonbiological father of. Both Mary and Josephs bloodline could be traced back to David, Abraham, and Adam. The problem with sin is that it is passed down from the father to his child, for we are told in the Bible: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam (Rom. 5:12, 14). Sin is a genetically transmitted curse passed down from a mans sperm cell to a womans embryonic egg. For Jesus to be the rightful and legal heir of Davids throne, he needed to be a legal son of a man who was from the tribe of JudahJoseph qualified to be that man. For Jesus to be conceived without the curse and plague of sin being passed down to him while remaining a descendant of David, Abraham, and Adam, He had to be conceived and born of woman without biological requirement of a human sperm cell from Joseph. This is why the angel explained to Mary how she could be pregnant: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Conclusion The stakes for Joseph and Mary were very high. If Joseph followed through with ending his relationship with Mary because of a refusal to believe that her pregnancy was a miraculous act of Almighty God through His Holy Spirit, then Jesus would not have been qualified legally to be King of the Jews. Regarding Marys pregnancy, there was no turning back; she could not walk away from her pregnancy like Joseph could have. However, both Mary and Joseph chose to trust the God who sovereignly wields time and space for his redemptive plans even though it blew to ashes any assumptions they had for what was impossible or possible. Together, Mary and Joseph would raise the One the magi sought to find, the one read and studied about from the prophet Micah: But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. When the magi found Jesus, they appropriately worshiped Him and brought to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh fit for the kind of King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about 500 years earlier. The treasure for the magi, Joseph, and Mary was Jesus, and having Him in their lives was truly a source of great joy. There are two important lessons from Matthew 1:18-2:12 that I want to briefly mention and think more deeply upon next week: In the same way that God wielded time and space to make the virgin birth a reality and the visit of the magi a possibility, God has done, is doing, and will do to accomplish his redemptive purposes in and through your life. Your circumstances and sins are swallowed up by an infinitely greater God who bears the title: Redeemer. If God is able to move time and space to accomplish His redemptive purposes for mankind even in the 430 years of Egyptian slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, and 70 years in exile, dont you think he can do the same in the midst of the circumstances of your life caused by your own sin? Do you really think that your problems are greater than Gods ability to turn your life around? In order to experience the great joy that Jesus brought to Mary, Joseph, and the magi they had to let go of their assumptions, dreams, future, and safety for the purpose of embracing Jesus as the One promised in Isaiah 9:6-7, For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this. In order for you to embrace Jesus as Savior, it will require you to trust Him as Lord over and in your life. To find Jesus the Savior will require that you let go of your idols to experience Him as Redeemer. To say yes to Jesus will mean that you will have to say no to the idols of your heart. Christmas is about Jesus as the type of King we need!

Remember Mary And Joseph's Travels To Bethlehem The Next Time We Are Frustrated In Traffic Micah 5:2 2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans a of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Today's Bible Verse: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” - Micah 5:2   Want to listen without the ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe   Learn more about the hosts of Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Micah 5:2-4 NIV “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

An Unlikely Choice - Joseph                                                                                              Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel [which means God with us].'When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” God isn't looking to use heroes He's looking for humble servants.  Genesis 3:15 (NIV)And I will put enmity                         between you and the woman,                         and between your offspring and hers;       he will crush your head,                         and you will strike his heel.” Galatians 4:4-5 (NIV)“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” What Paul is saying is that the son of God and the seed of the woman are the same thing. God does something in humanity to rescue humanity.    2.      Whatever God asks of you, He will give you the ability to do it.  Matthew 1:24 (ESV)“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [GOD WITH US]” Micah 5:2 (NKJV)“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,Yet out of you shall come forth to MeThe One to be Ruler in Israel,Whose goings forth are from of old,From everlasting.”

It's Monday, November 20th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Israel kills 5 Palestinian terrorists in airstrike An Israeli Defense Forces airstrike on Saturday killed five Palestinian terrorists, including Mahmoud a-Zoufi, a commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and wounded two other people in the Fatah headquarters in Balata camp near Nablus, reports the Jerusalem Post. Among those terrorists killed were Mohammad Zahed, a key commander in Nablus's terrorist activities. Zahed took part in various Nablus shooting attacks, but also in an April 2023 shooting in Jerusalem, wounding two Israeli civilians and was reportedly planning additional terror acts. Bethlehem drops Christmas décor to support Palestinians Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a city located in the West Bank, is set to remove Christmas decorations as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, reports the Jerusalem Post. Despite Bethlehem's significance to Christians and its status as a destination for Christian tourism during the Advent season, the city has a predominantly Muslim population. In 1950, the Christians constituted over 80% of the local population of Bethlehem, However, today, Christians only comprise 10% of the Bethlehem population in this now Muslim-dominated town. Micah, the Old Testament prophet, predicted Bethlehem as the birthplace for the Messiah. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2) Arizona street preacher shot in head Like something out of Nigeria, Africa, a beloved Christian leader was shot in the head Wednesday night while preaching the gospel in Glendale, Arizona. Hans Schmidt, a young father and the outreach director for the nondenominational Victory Chapel First Phoenix, was standing at the northwest corner of 51st and Peoria Avenues with his megaphone, quoting scripture and preaching to passersby ahead of an evening service. Around 6:00 p.m., someone evidently pulled a gun on him, reported Arizona Family. After he was rushed to the emergency room, Victory Chapel revealed that Schmidt “began seizing and was intubated.  There has been some movement. However, physicians are uncertain how much is voluntary and began draining fluid from his brain.” Brad Curell, a family friend, reported “the bullet traveled through his brain and is still inside on the right side of his head. … So far, [the doctors] are saying it's inoperable.” Officer Gina Winn of the Glendale Police Department held a press conference. WINN: “We have a 26-year-old who was a military medic. He is recently married. He has two small children and he's currently in a critical state. We know for a fact that there were people within the area. There were vehicles driving within the area. So, we believe there is somebody within the Valley that does know something about what happened. So, we are asking that you contact the Glendale Police Department. Our detectives are reviewing a huge amount of surveillance footage. So, that's part of the investigation and part of the leads that we're following up on.” Robert Waldrep, a local Christian, stopped by Victory Chapel to pray for Hans Schmidt's full recovery and for God's comfort for the injured pastor's family. WALDREP: “What really got me is that this young man is my son's age. To have somebody out there in the community who's just trying to share the Gospel of love and share Christ with those who need Him. I just pray for his complete healing and blessing over his wife and children and all those who love him.” And Jesse James, the owner of a nearby comics store, talked with KNXV-TV. JAMES: “Who knows why someone would take it out on a preacher like that, you know, because he's speaking the Gospel, the Good News to everybody. He's out to help the community.” It's unclear whether the shooter attempted the apparent assassination on foot or from a car. You can give to a GoFundMe account to help with Hans Schmidt's medical expenses. So far, $2,645 has been donated toward a $20,000 goal. Whoever is guilty of this egregious act of violence against this bold street evangelist will one day be held accountable by Almighty God. Romans 14:12 declares, “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Nikki Haley pulls into second place in New Hampshire GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has moved into second place in New Hampshire in two new polls, reports Fox News.  For the first time, she closed the gap a bit against Donald Trump, who maintains his solid lead with the state's primary just ten weeks away. A University of New Hampshire poll shows Trump getting 42% of the vote against Haley's 20%, the best she's done in the state. In a Monmouth poll, Chris Christie is in third with 11%, Vivek Ramaswamy at 8%, and Ron DeSantis coming in last at 7%. Iowa evangelical leader likely to endorse Ron DeSantis Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical leader in Iowa, is widely expected to endorse Ron DeSantis in the presidential primary, reports Politico. Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader, has picked correctly in every recent GOP primary, backing Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. All three won the Iowa primary, but went on to lose the nomination. But now, with Donald Trump dominating the field, Vander Plaats is poised to back a candidate who is running 30 points behind the frontrunner here — testing not only the clout of his own endorsement, but the willingness of Evangelicals to abandon Trump. GOP Rep. George Santos will not seek re-election And finally, last Thursday, after a monthslong investigation into the conduct of Republican Rep. George Santos of New York, the House Ethics Committee released a scathing report, documenting “overwhelming evidence” of his lawbreaking. They sent it to the Justice Department, concluding flatly that he “cannot be trusted.” Shortly after the panel's report was released, Santos tweeted that it was a “disgusting politicized smear.”  However, he also noted that he would not be seeking re-election to a second term. He gave no indication that he would step aside before his term ends, vowing to pursue his “conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.” But a renewed effort to expel him from the House was quickly launched. The House could vote on his expulsion as soon as it returns from the Thanksgiving holiday later this month. Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, November 20th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com).  Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

We continue our series examining St. Matthew's citations of the Old Testament. Today we look at his citation of Micah 5:2. “In the Masoretic Hebrew it reads, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you will come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” The LXX reads similarly: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, you are very small to be in the thousands of Judah, from which for me will come out to be for a ruler of Israel, and his goings out are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” It is all the more surprising therefore that St. Matthew's version reads a little differently from either the Hebrew or the Greek. It reads, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”

We continue our series examining St. Matthew's citations of the Old Testament. Today we look at his citation of Micah 5:2. “In the Masoretic Hebrew it reads, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you will come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” The LXX reads similarly: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, you are very small to be in the thousands of Judah, from which for me will come out to be for a ruler of Israel, and his goings out are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” It is all the more surprising therefore that St. Matthew's version reads a little differently from either the Hebrew or the Greek. It reads, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”

We continue our series examining St. Matthew's citations of the Old Testament. Today we look at his citation of Micah 5:2. “In the Masoretic Hebrew it reads, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you will come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.” The LXX reads similarly: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, you are very small to be in the thousands of Judah, from which for me will come out to be for a ruler of Israel, and his goings out are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” It is all the more surprising therefore that St. Matthew's version reads a little differently from either the Hebrew or the Greek. It reads, “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you will come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”

Matthew week 4   Matthew 2:1 ESV   Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,         Micah 5:2 NASB   But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,   Too little to be among the clans of Judah,   From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.   His times of coming forth are from long ago,   From the days of eternity.”       John 6:32-35 NIV   “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”   34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”   35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry…             Matthew 2:2 ESV   2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”       “There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judea to rule the world.” Suetonius, Life of Vespasian 4.5.       “There was a firm persuasion … that at this very time the East was to grow powerful, and rulers coming from Judea were to acquire universal empire.” Tacitus, Histories 5.13.       Galatians 4:4-5 NIV   4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.       Daniel 2:5-6 NIV   5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”       Daniel 2:10-12 NIV   10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.       Daniel 2:46-48 NIV   46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him.47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”   48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.       Matthew 2:3-5 ESV   3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:       Luke 19:39-40 NIV   39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”       Psalm 19:1-2 NIV The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech  

Today Pastor Jeff will share from the prophet Micah, and how God wanted to reveal to us where Jesus would be born. Praise God for Jesus, the Savior of the world! Micah 5:2 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Here are the Biblical Passages so you can look them up yourself and mark up your Bibles during Worship!1.      Did you know Micah predicted where Jesus would be born? (about 700 years before Jesus arrived)“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:22.      Jesus could not have controlled His lineage and who His most ancient ancestors were. Consider all the genealogical branches and families that came from Abraham, but also Isaac and also Jacob. The tree of human families splits out wildly. Abraham is about 2,000 BC and consider David is about 1,000 BC. Jesus is also the son of David. All of this was fulfilled by the Holy Spirit when He selected Mary & Joseph to be Jesus' parents and He added the necessary DNA into Mary's womb to create Jesus as a human.[Abraham] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed Genesis 22:18 Ref Matt 1:1, Rom 9:5[Isaac] … it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Gen 21:12 Ref Luke 3:34[Jacob] “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. Num 24:17 Ref Matt 1:2[David] Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom… Is 9:7 Ref Rom 1:3, Luke 1:323.      Jesus also could not have manipulated which tribe he was born into. Gen 49:10 confirms that Messiah will be born into the tribe of Judah. We will look at this verse again shortly.The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Gen 49:10*** On their own, these individual events from points 1, 2 and 3 may seem less that compelling, but when you line them up together, they become much more powerful and demonstrate that God has certified or given evidence that Jesus is indeed the One to come into history and save mankind! It is not Buddha, Mohammad or any of the other Religious Leader or Leader of Philosophy!·        Where Jesus was born – Bethlehem·        Was the descendent of Abraham·        Was also the descendent of Isaac·        Was also the descendent of Jacob·        Was also the descendent of David·        Was predicted to be of the Tribe of JudahThe odds become very, very, very small that any human could even fulfill these things on their own.4.      Were you aware that Malachi predicted that Jesus would have a forerunner to go before Him and Herald His arrival? (~400 years before Jesus)“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. – Mal 3:1 (Also Is 40:3)5.      Jacob predicted that Israel would continue to have a King or Leader (hold the scepter) until Messiah arrived that was Jewish. It turns out that the 1st non-Jewish ruler of Israel was Herod who was Idumean (not Jewish) which signaled that Messiah was due to arrive. And Jesus did arrive just then. (~2,500 years before Jesus) Even afte

The Brooklyn Bridge was considered “the eighth wonder of the world” upon its completion in 1883. But a single, slender wire strung from one bridge tower to the other was essential for the structure to come to fruition. Additional wires were added to the first until a massive cable, along with three others, was woven together. When finished, each cable—composed of more than five thousand galvanized wires—helped support the longest suspension bridge in its day. What started as something small turned into a huge part of the Brooklyn Bridge. Jesus’ life began in a small way—a baby born in a feeding trough in a tiny town (Luke 2:7). The prophet Micah prophesied His humble birth, writing, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel” (Micah 5:2; see also Matthew 2:6). A small start, but this Ruler and Shepherd would see His fame and mission “reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4). Jesus was born in a small place in humility, and His life on earth ended as “he humbled himself” and died on “a criminal’s cross” (Philippians 2:8). But by His immense sacrifice He bridged the gap between us and God—providing salvation for all who believe. This season, may you receive God’s great gift in Jesus by faith. And if you do believe, may you humbly praise Him anew for all He’s done for you.

View the bulletin for Saturday December 24, 2022 – CHRISTMAS EVE2:00 p.m. - Worship Service7:00 p.m. - Candlelight Worship Service(The 7:00 p.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)All are welcomeFirst Reading: Genesis 3:8-15, 17-19 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LordGod among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,'“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”Second Reading: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.Third Reading: Micah 5:1-5 Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod.“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders,Fourth Reading: Luke 1:26-35, 38 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.Fifth Reading: Luke 2:1-7 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.Sixth Reading: Luke 2:8-16 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.Seventh Reading: Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Sermon Notes "Julius Caesar received an unprecedented four triumphs, city-wide parties that were the highest honor a military commander could receive." – National Geographic Luke 2:1-3 NIV "In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register." "He brought long-lasting peace and prosperity to the Roman world. He is considered one of the great administrative geniuses of history and carried out the enormous work of reorganizing the empire after decades of dictatorships and civil wars. He transformed the dying Roman Republic into an enduring, stable empire, beginning the period of tranquility known as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace." – Encyclopedia Britannica "If Jesus is King, why does the Emperor look so sovereign?" – Shane Wood, Professor at Ozark Christian College No matter how things may look, God is still in control. Luke 2:4 NIV "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David." Micah 5:2 NIV "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Psalm 45:6 NIV "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom." Luke 2: 5-7 NIV "He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them." Luke 2: 8-14 NIV And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'" Luke 2:14 NIV "Glory in the highest places to God, and upon earth peace in men of good will." "Glory: high renown or honor won by notable achievements and magnificence or great beauty." – Oxford Dictionary Luke 2:9 NIV "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." Psalm 19:1-4 NIV "The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands; day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." Luke 2:14 NIV "Glory in the highest places to God, and upon earth peace in men of good will." Luke 2:17-18 NIV "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." Christmas is about going. Who occupies your first thought each day and your last thought each night? "Worship, by definition, is all that you are. It's everything that you do; it's what you believe and what you pledge allegiance to. Who is it that you belong to?" – Shane Wood, Professor at Ozark Christian College Will you Make Room for Jesus, the newborn King?

Pastor Adam continues our sermon series, Prophet, Priest, King, God Prophet, Priest, King, GodWeek 3Highlights:Jesus is the anticipated King.‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭7‬‬For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬‬“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬‬He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.Jesus is the conquering King.‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬‬The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.Jesus is the eternal King.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭20‬‬‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬‬He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.Jesus is the King of kings.‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭16‬‬I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and Lord of Lords.‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭6‬‬Jesus is the King that is owed our allegiance.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭4‬‬Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭7‬‬Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬‬Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬‬Connect with us!https://bit.ly/2HOEX2Yspringlakechurch.org Need Prayer? We'd love to pray for you!https://bit.ly/3l8Ysll

Pastor Bill continues our sermon series, Prophet, Priest, King, God Prophet, Priest, King, GodWeek 3Highlights:Jesus is the anticipated King.‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭7‬‬For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬‬“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬‬He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.Jesus is the conquering King.‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬‬The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.Jesus is the eternal King.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭20‬‬‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬‬He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.Jesus is the King of kings.‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭16‬‬I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and Lord of Lords.‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭6‬‬Jesus is the King that is owed our allegiance.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭4‬‬Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭7‬‬Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬‬Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬‬Connect with us!https://bit.ly/2HOEX2Yspringlakechurch.org Need Prayer? We'd love to pray for you!https://bit.ly/3l8Ysll

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace… Micah 5:2–5 (NIV) PEACE is not the ABSENCE of conflict or turmoil,  but the RESTORATION of our relationship with God. FINDING PEACE IN AN ANXIOUS WORLD Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV) Pray with THANKSGIVING in mind, not OUTCOMES. BOTTOM LINE: When you have the PRESENCE of Jesus, you have GIFT of peace. THE CHALLENGE: PRESENT your ANXIETIES

Dig Deep Into Scripture And Watch It Come Alive! Micah 5:2 2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans a of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah – from you a king will emerge who …

John 8:12 NIV   “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”       Jeremiah 25:8-11 NIV   8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.       Jeremiah 29:10-11 NIV   10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.       Genesis 3:15 NIV   15 And I will put enmity   between you and the woman,   and between your offspring and hers;   he will crush your head,   and you will strike his heel.'       Genesis 12:7 NIV   The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.       Galatians 3:16 NIV   16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.       Genesis 49:10 NIV   The scepter will not depart from Judah,   nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,   until he to whom it belongs shall come   and the obedience of the nations shall be his.       Isaiah 7:14 NIV   14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.       Micah 5:2 NIV   “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,   though you are small among the clans of Judah,   out of you will come for me   one who will be ruler over Israel,   whose origins are from of old,   from ancient times.”       Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV   Then will the eyes of the blind be opened   and the ears of the deaf unstopped.   6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,   and the mute tongue shout for joy.       Psalm 41:9 NIV   Even my close friend,   someone I trusted,   one who shared my bread,   has turned against me.       Psalm 22:16 NASB   For dogs have surrounded me;   A band of evildoers has encompassed me;   They pierced my hands and my feet.       1 Peter 3:15 NIV   15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,       Ephesians 1:18 NIV   I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people       1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV   3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.       Hebrews 6:18-20 NIV   God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.       Titus 2:11-14 NIV   11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.    

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (NASU).

FOREVERMORE - like garden beds full of balsam trees yielding perfume. EVERLASTING THRONE / APOSTOLIC SEE Indeed, he will build the (3rd) temple of the Lord, and he will rise up in royal honor, sitting as king on his throne. Moreover, there will be a priest with him on his throne and they will see eye to eye on everything. Zechariah 6:13 sn The priest here in the immediate context is Joshua but the fuller and more distant allusion is to the Messiah, a ruling priest. The notion of the ruler as a priest-king was already apparent in David and his successors (Pss 2:2, 6-8; 110:2, 4), and it finds mature expression in David's greater Son, Jesus Christ, who will combine both offices in his kingship (Heb 5:1-10; 7:1-25). “As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah – from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past. So the Lord will hand the people of Israel over to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth. Then the rest of the king's countrymen will return to be reunited with the people of Israel. He will assume his post (stand up, will arise) and shepherd the people by the Lord's strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.” ‭‭Micah‬ ‭5:2-4‬ ‭NET‬‬ “Solomon sat on his father David's throne, and his royal authority was firmly solidified (Tikkon).” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭ “He will build me a (3T) house, and I will make his dynasty permanent. I will put him in permanent charge of my house and my kingdom; his dynasty will be permanent.”'”” ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭17:12, 14‬ ‭‬‬ “‘I will give you an eternal dynasty and establish your throne throughout future generations.'” (Selah)” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:4‬ ‭NET‬‬ “I will give him an eternal dynasty, and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:29‬ ‭NET‬‬ “His dynasty will last forever. His throne will endure before me, like the sun, it will remain stable, like the moon, his throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah)” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:36-37‬ ‭NET‬‬ “Your throne has been secure from ancient times; you have always been king.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭93:2‬ ‭NET‬ “He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.” ‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7:13‬ כון kwn prepare, make ready; erect, set up; determine, fix, appoint; make firm; feel inclined, be intent on, be firmly resolved BDB be firm; CHAL stand firm, fast; be stable, secure; be re-established; be lasting, durable; be ready; set up, prepare כִּסֵּא kis·sē(ʾ) seat, chair; seat of honor, throne BDB seat; throne CHAL chair; seat of honor, throne DBL Hebrew throne; rule; chair; place of honor עוֹלָם ʿô·lām long time, duration; future time, times to come; long time back; everlasting; eternity CHAL long time, constancy, all; time; for all time, for ever; long time ago, the dim past DBL Hebrew everlasting; ancient; lasting TLOT eternity

Wednesday, 11 May 2022   “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. Acts 7:35   The previous verse referred to the Lord's words at the bush noting the oppression of His people and His coming down to deliver them. He completed the thought to Moses with, “And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” Stephen continues now, saying, “This Moses whom they rejected.”   What had happened forty years earlier is being reminded to the council again. Moses had appeared to his brother Israelites, coming to them as one of them, and yet they rejected him, “saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?'”   It is the words of verse 7:27 being called to mind. Moses had attempted to intercede by bringing harmony between the two who were fighting, but his attempts met with being pushed away and stinging words of rejection. Despite this, Stephen continues with his words about Moses, saying that this same Moses “is the one God sent.”   This refers to the words, “And now come, I will send you to Egypt,” of the previous verse. Despite having been rejected by his own people, it is he who was commissioned to be sent “to be a ruler and a deliverer.”   The word translated as “ruler” signifies one commanding with authority. It can be a governor, a leading man, a member of the elders, and so on. It is a general word that would rightly describe Moses over the people. The next word, translated as “deliverer,” is found only here in the Bible, lutrótés. It comes from the verb, lutroó, to release by paying a ransom, or to redeem. As such, it is more appropriately translated as “redeemer.”   In the choice of this word, Stephen is clearly tying the leadership of Moses in with the work of Christ. Moses worked on behalf of the Lord who redeemed Egypt –   “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.'” Exodus 6:6   “'And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” Exodus 13:15, 16   The verb from which this noun comes is applied to Jesus three times in the New Testament: Luke 24:21, Titus 2:14, and 1 Peter 1:18. It says in 1 Peter –   “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19   Stephen is showing that Moses, through the blood of the Passover, was a type and picture of the coming Christ. This is exactingly stated by Paul in Ephesians 1:7 where he notes that it is “In Him we have redemption through His blood.” It is Jesus who would be rejected by those he came to, and yet, he was appointed by God to be their Ruler and Redeemer. As for Moses, he was sent in this capacity “by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.”   The Greek preposition, en, or “in,” is used – “in the hand.” The hand is a symbol of power and strength. Thus, it is a way of saying, “in the strength of the Angel.” Thus, it is the power of the Lord who led him and by which he performed the miracles, signs, and wonders before Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. The connection to Jesus, the Ruler of Israel and who performs in the strength of the Lord, is being called forth once again –   “‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.' 3 Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. 4 And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; 5 And this One shall be peace.” Micah 5:2-5   Stephen is clearly and precisely showing the council that everything about the coming Messiah was clearly prophesied in advance and that the typology of their historical figures – along with the prophecies – is exactingly fulfilled in Jesus.   Life application: Studying what Jesus has done, as it was anticipated in Old Testament types and pictures, clearly reveals His deity. If you are struggling with this concept, or if you have someone telling you that it is not a proper doctrine, all you need to do is pick up your Bible and read it – cover to cover and again and again. The more familiar you are with it, the more obvious what is being said becomes.   Jesus Christ is clearly a Man, born of a woman. Jesus Christ is clearly God, born of the Holy Spirit. The pattern for all things reproducing after their own kind is found on the first page of the Bible. It is explicitly stated there for a reason. Be confident in your faith concerning Jesus Christ, the God/Man.   Glorious God Almighty, what You have done is incredible! We may struggle with the core doctrines concerning You and what You have done, but they are so clearly presented in Scripture that we would be foolish to deny them. And so, Lord, help us to have faith when our knowledge may be lacking. But also, Lord, lead us to those who can also firm up our knowledge. Thank You, O God. Amen.