Podcasts about this messiah

Welcome to the Grace in Focus podcast. Bob Wilkin and Philippe Sterling continue a short series about the Messianic Thread. This Messiah has a scepter, as seen in this thread. But what is a scepter and what does it signify? Thank you for listening and keep on listening for more insight into the Messianic Thread!

Why would anyone give up everything for Jesus? What are we holding onto that keeps us from fully trusting Him? Tune in this week to be challenged to go deeper in Jesus! EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins. OPENING ILLUSTRATION: I recently watched a thing on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, do you know about him? He was a pastor and theologian during WWII from Germany. As Hitler was rising to power preachers were literally saying he was sent by Jesus to the church and to Germany. Bonhoeffer was actually able to escape to America but after getting here he said he had to go back to Germany because how could he help the church rebuild what she was supposed to be if he had abandoned her during that time frame? He went back and was a part of a failed assassination attempt on Hitler-Valkeryie. Bonhoeffer and thousands of others were arrested and put to death for their resistance to Hitler and for helping smuggle Jewish people out of Germany. Here's my question: Why in the world would someone give something so costly as their life to the cause of Christ? I think it's a fantastic question at Christmas… And it feels ridiculous, doesn't it? Bonhoeffer's family didn't even know he had been sentenced and hung until weeks later. This guy died as what would seem a failure, as someone who died in anonymity. Why give your life for what seems like nothing? Isn't this the question we are all really asking? -I mean we ask it in little ways all the time. I want to look at an answer hidden in the Christmas story. b We are going to have to go back hundreds of years before that first Christmas to find the story.. SCRIPTURE: We have to go back SO far. It's not cold, but instead, it's hot - you need to picture Iraq because that's where we are landing. It was almost 500 years before Jesus would come into the world. But the land at this time isn't called Iraq, it's called Babylon. The King, Nebuchadnezzar had been having terrible dreams at night. You might know this story. He tells all of his magicians and enchanters that they need to interpret the dream, but that he will not tell them the dream. An impossible task. He orders all the wise men to be put to death - this includes a guy named Daniel who pleads for a chance to interpret the dream. The story is serious and would be terrifying. Daniel is answered by God and interprets the dream. After he does this, Nebuchadnezzar does this… Daniel 2:48 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. b Daniel becomes the ruler of all the wise men of Babylon… There will be a change over of rulers in Babylon and Daniel will be considering the words of Jeremiah that said the Israelites would only be in Babylon for 70 years. As they are getting closer to that time, Daniel starts to pray to God. Daniel is visited by an angel - Gabriel is the same angel that appears to Mary… I want you to hear the word that God gives to this guy who is the ruler of the wise men of Babylon: Daniel 9:24-26 24 “Seventy ‘sevens'[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e] 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,' and sixty-two ‘sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,' the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] People who are way smarter than me have done the math to figure out when the seventy-sevens would occur. Notice the things said about this person who would come: This Messiah (the “Anointed One”) will: Put an end to sin (Priestly function) Atone for wickedness (Priestly function) Bring everlasting righteousness  (Priestly function) Seal up vision and prophecy (Prophetic function) Anoint the most Holy place (the temple) (Prophetic function) Be a ruler (King) Be put to death and have nothing b ILLUSTRATION: I grew up watching Sesame Street, they used to have this segment where they would sing “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong..” They'd show red balloons with a blue balloon. I used to think I was a brilliant genius because I'd be like, “The blue one, the blue one doesn't belong! … You can stop singing the song, I figured it out…” Listen, One of these things in Daniel's vision is not like the others. Did you notice it? That the Messiah would be put to death and have nothing… What in the world? How can that be? Let me tie some things together now… Does anyone know what direction Iraq is from Israel? B East Do you know another word for wise men? b Magi b One last thing… Did you know about 1,000 years before Daniel there was a prophet (Baalaam) from the region of Babylon who made this prophecy? Numbers 24:17 “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. Let me tie this together… Listen…. SCRIPTURE: 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 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 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.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘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.'” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.8 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.” 9 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.10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.11 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.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. b Get this: There is a strong chance the magi that come to Jesus are men who have grown up in a tradition where they have learned from those who learned from Daniel… Did you see what these guys brought to Jesus? Gold (the gift for a king), Frankincense (incense used by priests), and Myrrh (oil used to anoint the dead). b “Kent, that's interesting, but how does this help answer the question: ‘Why in the world would someone give something so costly'” b Did you know some scholars have estimated the cost of these items at $4 million in today's money? b These guys came and worshipped Jesus at great cost to themselves… I think the reason Bonhoeffer was willing to give his life and why these men were willing to travel over great distances and at considerable cost to themselves was because of what Daniels vision said about this anointed one: [The Messiah would] put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness The reason someone like Bonhoeffer or these wise men are willing to give so much is because they gain so much more - eternal life! CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: Jenni and I have been watching "The Summit" like survivor on the side of a mountain. They have people do challenges - one they had to descend a cliff on a rope, but at some point, they had to let go of the rope to connect to a zip line. One of the guys did not want to let go of the rope - the rope he knew was solid, the rope had gotten him down the Cliff, and the rope hadn't failed him, but the rope couldn't get him off the wall. He had to let go of the rope, abandon it to trust something different - the zip line, that could take him down to solid ground. Following Jesus is much like this. Jesus' gift is absolutely free and doesn't cost you something in the sense that you have to pay for it or earn it. He gave it freely, but if you don't give up on the old way of life, you will never truly enter into His life. As long as you hold onto the rope that got you here, and it probably worked for some things. It worked to get you to where you are. It worked to make you a shrewd business owner, it worked to make you a revered coach, it worked to make you even the good father that you are. But it can't take you all the way. It can't take you to eternal life, it can't take you into peace and joy, it can't take you into freedom from sin. At some point it leaves you hanging there - it can't tell you your purpose in life, or create real lasting meaning. What we give to Jesus is to offer those things to Him and to let go of the old life for the new life He offers. To get on His zip line and be whisked away into the life of God - which is SO much better than you can imagine. Knowing God, and having Him speak into your life is profound! You know, right before his hanging, Bonhoeffer said these words: “This is the end–for me the beginning of life.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer What if today, you chose to give your life to Jesus, He came to give you the best gift ever, what if you gave your life back to Him…

6. Messiah's Arrival - Zechariah 9:9 - 12 9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 9:10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations: and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9:11 As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water. 9:12 Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope! Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. The King is Coming! We have seen in Isaiah that the coming Messiah was a Servant Prophet, a Servant Disciple and a Servant King. Today we switch over to the Book of Zechariah to look at in more detail about this Servant King Messiah. Zechariah gives us a picture of how the Messiah will announce His arrival and what sort of qualities that this Servant King will have. He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey! The phrases ‘Daughter of Zion' and ‘Daughter of Jerusalem' are terms symbolizing God's people who believe. It is a scene of exultation, excitement and emotion. The people recognize this man as their Messiah: their Servant-King. Royalty: He is recognized as the long waited for king. He is "Your King" oh nation of Israel. King is either the Lord God (Isaiah 43:15) or a King from the line of David (2 Samuel 3:17). This King is both and is the definitive king of Isaiah 9:7! He is described as "yours" because this King is not a foreigner but an Israelite! But His arrival is not just for their benefit and gain as Zechariah goes on to clarify. Righteous: In the example of Alexander the Great, we see a ruler who had great vanity, and this vanity caused him to act injudiciously at times. Alexander the Great could have been the fulfillment of the previous section of Zechariah, particularly with his marauding forces. This Kingly ruler however will reign with righteousness and justice. This Messiah King will desire to enact God's Will in all circumstances and at all times - perfect obedience. Throughout the Old Testament, and in Isaiah as we have seen, righteousness is part of the Messiah! Salvation: This Servant King comes with salvation and saving power! The Messiah shows Himself as one who saves and offers salvation to the people. He has come to help and restore people back into an obedient relationship with God. Again as we have seen with Isaiah who wrote about 200 years before Zechariah, righteousness and salvation are combined in the Servant King (Isaiah 45:8; 51:4). Gentle: In this translation, the word lowly is used, but perhaps a better translation is ‘gentle'. The extended meaning of this word in Hebrew signifies one who has known suffering and sorrow, and lives a simple lifestyle. Humility is worn by this Servant King, like a crown. There is no pride in this King, but a gentle and humble spirit. This is reflected again by Isaiah in Isaiah 53:1-3, where the Servant King would endure rejection and suffering. Perhaps the greatest symbol of his gentle humility is the transportation he is on. A donkey. Donkeys were ridden by every class of people. This is to signify that this King is one of the people and arriving unassumingly. What now? Peace reigns: The Servant King Messiah has bought peace with Him! By this, He has established the environment in order for total peace to exist! Peace comes through people telling the good news that Isaiah talked about in Isaiah 52:7. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" Peace with God comes only through the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant King of Isaiah 53. A life of obedience to God in all those who follow this Messiah, will bring about peace between people and nations. This Messiah's reign is not limited to Israel but all nations of the world. The second coming of the Messiah is hinted at here, but we will save that for a couple of days time. He releases prisoners: This Messiah will release those who are enslaved to sin and are prisoners to its power. He will deliver them because of the covenant that exists between God and Israel. But this King will have a new Covenant between God and all people of all nations! Where God will live inside those who place their hope in Him. This covenant means all people can be saved and be set free from the guilt and stain of their sinful ways. They will be able to live a life of total obedience to God, by submitting themselves to this King! How is Jesus this King? This prophecy by Zechariah is seen as being fulfilled when as both Matthew and John recall how Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Matthew 21:1-5 - When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them." All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." And the scene as recalled by John in John 12:12-15 - "On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!" Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, "Don't be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey's colt." This is Jesus, the Messiah who was and is a gentle King, reigning righteously, offering salvation and has setup the environment for peace on earth to reign. This Jesus, who through His sacrifice on the Cross enables all people of every nation to have peace with God and have God Himself live inside them. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Question – When is Christmas not Christmas? When is Christmas anything but Christmas? Answer – when we just follow the well-trodden paths of the Christmas ritual, and forget completely what God was saying to us on that very first Christmas.   THE PROBLEM WITH CHRISTMAS I don't know if you've ever thought of this but Christmas is a real problem for guys like me, preachers I mean. Year after year, we have to crank out yet another Christmas series. And for the first few years, that's pretty easy but then after a while you start thinking to yourself, "Well, how am I going to put a new twist on Christmas this year?" Last year, I approached it from this perspective, the year before from that perspective, the year before that from ... well, you get the picture. There are only so many different perspectives on Christmas. Well, we've all been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Yeah, so it's Christmas again, so what? If you live in the Northern Hemisphere it's an excuse for a few days off. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere as I do, it's probably the summer holidays that you're looking forward to more than Christmas itself. A chance for a decent break, a bit of a much-needed R and R and sure Christmas is part of that but the Christmas bit can be a bit of a hassle. Buying presents, figuring out who has Christmas lunch with whom and then perhaps scooting off to Christmas dinner with another part of your family. Kids, uncles, aunts, grandparents – it all gets complicated. And then there's the fact not everybody in the family gets on. You know Christmas day is one of the peak times of the year for domestic violence. Even if it doesn't get that bad you know there are going to be clashes or you're going to have to smile sweetly at someone that you don't really like or you just know that so and so is going to have too much to drink again this year. Those are the burdens that many people carry into Christmas, it's just the reality of life. So as things turn out, Christmas isn't just a problem for preachers like me who have to dream up something fresh and new each year, it's a problem for many, many people. I heard someone say once, a Bible believing Christian she was, "I hate Christmas, I wish we could just skip over it." It's pretty sad but it's the reality for many people even those who actually believe in Jesus. So Christmas gets something of a bad rap, I wonder how many people who are out there who would just love to skip Christmas. I wonder? Well, as you look ahead to the next ten days or so in the run up to Christmas, I wonder how you're feeling about it all, exhausted, frustrated, anxious, stressed. What are the emotions that generally accompany this thing we call Christmas in your heart in your life? What are you feeling? Is Christmas a problem for you? Can I be honest here? I struggle with the kids pantomime version of Christmas. I struggle with the whole Carols by Candlelight phenomenon around Christmas where people get together in parks and sing Christmas carols as though they believe them, when most of the entertainers up on the stage and on our television screens don't have the remotest faith that Jesus is actually the Son of God. It's like we wrap this whole Christmas in tinsel and lights and tie a neat bow around it. And we make it out to be this happy time, when the truth is, for many people, well, they struggle with Christmas. Now I don't mean to be a Christmas Grinch here. Personally, I love singing Christmas carols because they mean something to me but what I really want to know is why don't we sing Christmas carols all year round? Why don't we celebrate the coming of Jesus all year round? I remember hosting a Christmas in July service at our Church some years back. It's a bit of a phenomenon down under as many restaurants put on Christmas dinners in the middle of winter when it's cold and at the service we actually sung Christmas carols. I can't tell you the number of people who came up to me afterwards and told me how weird it was singing Silent Night in the middle of July. Yeah, we wrap a whole bunch of rituals up in a nice neat package in December and we call it Christmas. And it's all supposed to be sweetness and light and yet how much of it really, really, really speaks into our hearts about the wonder of what God did on that first Christmas? What I want to do today is to unsettle you, to drag you out of your Christmas ritual comfort zone and ask you, "Why do you do what you do at Christmas time? Why are you racing around buying presents for people who don't really need anything? Why do you put tinsel and Christmas decorations around your house and maybe even a Christmas wreath on your front door? What are the candles and the Christmas tree and presents and all that food really about? What do you do it for?" If you stripped away all that packaging and paraphernalia what would Christmas actually be for you? Luke 2: 8-14: In that region there were shepherds living in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them, "don't be afraid, for see I am bringing good news of great joy for all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is the Messiah, the Lord." "This will be a sign for you, you'll find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger" and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, "glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favours." So if you took the packaging and the paraphernalia and the ritual and the racing around away, is that what Christmas would mean to you? Would you in your heart shout out, "Glory to God in the highest heaven. Glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah?" Because if not, don't you think you just might be wasting your time with all this Christmas nonsense that you go through each year? All this pressure you put yourself under, all these presents you buy and the money you spend and the decorations you put up and the food that you stuff yourself with – is that what Christmas is all about? Or in your heart, is it about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God to be the Saviour of this world? The biggest Christmas gift of all history – the Son of God given to all humanity, given to you and given to me. So let me ask you, what is your Christmas all about?   THE PROPHECIES OF OLD I guess when it comes to this whole Christmas thing; we see it from where we sit. And for most of us, our perspective (our take on Christmas) comes through the ritual that surrounds it – a ritual that we've acted out year after year for as long as we can remember. Sure, it's changed a bit. When we were kids it was all about the excitement of presents. But you know the deal, you know all the things that you do in the weeks leading up to Christmas, you know how Christmas Day is going to pan out. You know the carols you're going to sing and the food that you're going to eat and the people you're going to celebrate Christmas with. If it's at all possible, this exciting celebration of Christmas has become something of a routine for you. A bit of a contradiction but it's true for most of us, life is full of contradictions right? When it comes to Christmas we kind of narrow our view, we lower our gaze and focus on the well-worn familiar path of the Christmas ritual. Whatever that looks like for each one of us, we narrow our perspective and like Pavlov's dogs we get on with that part of life and in many respects, that's how it was on that very first Christmas two thousand odd years ago. Although it wasn't called Christmas back then. In fact, the first record of there being some celebration of Christmas doesn't appear until 354 AD, three and a half centuries after the birth of Jesus. And of course many of the modern-day traditions of Christmas that we celebrate on December 25th – for instance, eating turkey, having a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, presents, tinsel, lights, all of those are much, much more recent. In fact, the Christmas ritual that you and I take for granted today, as though it's been around forever, is little more than a hundred years old, it's a bit of a surprise, isn't it? But let's wind the clock back even further to that first Christmas. People by and large were just going on with their daily business. The big news in town was of course the census. The Romans had ordered a stock take of all the people and in the absence of the technology we use today, the way you did it back then was to go back to your ancestral home. And in the case of Joseph and therefore Mary, his embarrassingly pregnant betrothed, that meant going back to Bethlehem. The inns were full, the shepherds were out doing what shepherds did, tending their flocks in the field by night. Other than the disruption of the census, it was pretty much business as usual. And then wham, the light show in the skies in front of these shepherds. God broke into that "business as usual" in a spectacular way. You know what, I'm praying for this Christmas, God is going to break into your "business as usual" in a spectacular way too. All these people were just living their lives, just like we do, head down, doing stuff that they did day after day when all along God had promised a Saviour. There are quite a number of prophecies in what we now call the Old Testament (the Scriptures to the Jewish people) of the coming of a Saviour and principle among them is that He would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5: 2-5: But you O Bethlehem of Ephrathah who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel whose origin is of old from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel 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 live secure for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth and he shall be the one of peace. The prophecy of the coming of the Saviour in great power in this tiny humble little village of Bethlehem and by the way the word Bethlehem means literally "the house of bread". Remember how Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." How appropriate that He should be born in Bethlehem – the house of bread. And then there was the prophecy that He would be born to a virgin, now that's pretty outrageous when you think about it, Isaiah chapter 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look the virgin woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel which means 'God is with us. And that is, of course, exactly what happened. There are quite a few more prophecies about the birth of Jesus that were given centuries before that He fulfilled – His lineage, the slaughter of the infants by Herrod, His need to flee to Egypt. The bottom line was that there were plenty of signs, plenty of prophecies, plenty of predictions. Okay they were cryptic. I mean God revealed His Son in mystery and wonder. We always try to analyse God and put Him in a box. We try and figure out how He operates and then make a bunch of rules about Him. But you can't do that with God. He does startling, creative, outrageous things like sending His Son, Jesus as the son of a carpenter in humble circumstances in some shed out the back of Bethlehem. But the picture was always there, the big plan was always there. God had given some predictions about what was going to happen even as way back as His promise to Abraham. Right back there in the first Book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, God said to him, "Through you all nations shall be blessed" pointing forward to Jesus. But the people were just chugging along, business as usual and it was difficult (if not, impossible) for many of them to see, to perceive, to understand. Not all of them had the light show like the shepherds and the wise men. As I look at the world today, it seems to me that still today most are asleep to what God did back then and what God is doing now. The only difference is that we know the whole story, we know what was going on and how it ends. So as this Christmas approaches, you find yourself asleep to the wonder of what God is doing then let me say to you with all love and with all care, "Wake up. Don't be asleep through yet another Christmas." The wonder and the power of what God did back then, the doors that He opened for you through the coming of Jesus, the joy of what He brings to you today, the unspeakable glory that He opens up through His Son for you to spend eternity with Him, why would you want to sleep through that? Why would you want to be blind to that? Those prophecies of old which is the faintest hint of what was to come. But now we know, now we can see … the sheer wonder.   THE REALITIES OF LIFE There is something incredibly powerful about "business as usual". If you think about how your life has played itself out, so far, I suspect that it's been ninety nine percent humdrum and about half a percent of wonderful mountain top joy and another half a percent of tragedy and loss. Sure, some people seem to have better lives than others. Some are born rich, some are born poor and very sadly for some people life is one long tragedy. I wish I could wave a magic wand and take all that away for those people who find themselves in that boat. But I just can't and yet for most of us, most of our lives are occupied by the normal every day, business as usual, monotony which consumes most of our time, most of our attention and most of our focus. Am I right? But beneath that monotony there is always, always, always a sneaking suspicion that there must be more. You've had that feeling, right? This sense that something is oppressing you, something is sidling you out of the sort of life that you think you should be living. There are in fact very few people on planet earth today that don't have that feeling. I used to have it but I don't have it anymore. I've always been someone who's tried to get out there and live life to the full. And all along, as hard as I tried, something was missing, things weren't quite right and I couldn't put my finger on it. I want to wind the clock back to what was going on in the history of Israel around when Jesus was born. Not just the history of the nation but the lives of the ordinary people like you and me. In fact there's a particular bunch of guys I want to focus on because they, to me, exemplify this "business as usual" but something was not quite right in their world. What am I yabbering on about here? I'm talking, of course, about the shepherds who were out watching their flocks by night. Now, no doubt you've sung the Christmas carol many times and heard their story many times. By the way, the fact that they were out there watching their flocks by night makes it pretty certain that Jesus wasn't born in December, Israel's winter. Average December maximums of fifteen degrees Celsius or around sixty degrees Fahrenheit and of course nights were quite a bit cooler. So in winter they generally brought their sheep into town where there was a communal pen where they were cared for overnight. So even though we celebrate Christmas in December, it probably didn't happen then on the first Christmas. Anyhow, here were these guys living out their "business as usual" tending their flocks by night but they weren't living as free men, they were living as men in an occupied country. The Romans of course had occupied and ruled most of the known world back then. And in fact, the Romans had been the rulers for the last sixty or seventy years in Israel. Now, in the overall history of Israel that's pretty short but for those shepherds it was all that they could remember. The Romans were tough task masters and what made it even harder for the Israelites is that they knew they were God's chosen people. They knew they were meant to be free and so they expected, kind of, sort of, maybe one day for God to send them a King – a Messiah, as He was called back then, God's anointed King – in order to boot the Romans out and restore the kingdom of Israel, to set God's people free. After all, God had done it before. He'd set them free from captivity in Egypt. He'd set them free from captivity in Babylon. He'd set them free from the Seleucid Empire through the Maccabean Revolt only a century and a half before. That was their simplistic understanding of what should be going on. So there they were, business as usual. But something wasn't quite right, they were oppressed and that simply wasn't the way it should have been. They were being robbed of the freedom, the life that they knew they were entitled to as God's chosen people. Does that sound vaguely familiar to you? Does that sound like anyone that you know? Now, people back then were kind of expecting this Messiah to come. But when you and I used this term "Messiah" we think of Jesus, right? That's not who they were thinking about at all. They were thinking more about a strong warrior king, someone like King David of old who could muster an army, defeat the Romans and set the people free. After all, isn't that what God promised to David years before? 2 Samuel 7: 12 and 13, He said to David: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. So in effect, they were looking in the wrong direction for a saviour because they misinterpreted what God was on about. They thought they were going to get another King David. Again a bit like, in fact a lot like people today, that's what was going on in the popular consciousness of ordinary people like those 'business as usual' shepherds back then and in many respects it's what's going on in the popular consciousness of ordinary people today. People are looking for someone or something to set things right. They know that life is not all it should be so they turn to money or career or reputation or luxury or holidays or friends, you name it. They turn to it expecting "it" to make things better but it never does. People have been looking in the wrong direction for a Saviour for thousands of years just like those shepherds and then God breaks into the world with such power and with such might and in such a surprising way that we can't even begin to imagine what He's up to. Luke 2: 8-14: In that region were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night then an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them, 'don't be afraid for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. To you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is the Messiah, the Lord. This Messiah, this Saviour, He wasn't what they expected Him to be – He still isn't what we expect Him to be. What are you expecting Jesus to be? As we roll inexorably towards Christmas, yet again, what are you expecting to discover or are you so busy looking in a different direction that you're going to miss this amazing surprise in Jesus? Or are you running away as I was for many years because like the shepherds I was kind of afraid? This idea of God breaking into history by becoming one of us is too startling and too incomprehensible to begin to make sense. Just listen with me quietly to what the angel went on to say to those startled, frightened, 'business as usual', confused shepherds. Luke 2: 15 – 20: This will be a sign for you, you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And so ... When the angels had left them and gone into heaven the shepherds said to one another, 'let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place which the Lord has made known to us'. So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and a child lying in a manger. When they saw this they made known what had been told to them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told to them. (Luke 2: 15 – 20) Seems to me that you and I, like the shepherds, have a choice. We can continue to get on with business as usual, stay in our field and ignore Jesus. Or, we can go and check Him out for ourselves. The only question that I'd ask is this; so how well has your 'business as usual' worked out for you so far?

Isaiah points to the coming Messiah as the suffering servant. This Messiah shall come and bring salvation and heal many through his sacrifice and death. In this passage, we will see not only the merciful salvation that we have received, but also our Lord who fully identified with all our pain, brokenness, and suffering as he was crushed on our behalf.

Isaiah points to the coming Messiah as the suffering servant. This Messiah shall come and bring salvation and heal many through his sacrifice and death. In this passage, we will see not only the merciful salvation that we have received, but also our Lord who fully identified with all our pain, brokenness, and suffering as he was crushed on our behalf.

There are many passages which affirm the divinity of Christ. The Old Testament passages points to the Messiah. This Messiah is Jesus Christ. He fulfilled all of the prophecies attributed to the Messiah. The fulfillment can be found in the New Testament. The New Testament says Jesus claim to be the Son of God which was also confirmed by the many miracles. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

I was talking to a good friend recently, and we were lamenting that it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe what our political leaders would tell us. Sometimes, it is obvious they do not understand what they are talking about; sometimes, we get the distinct impression that we are being lied to, even though we cannot prove it. To emphasize that this has happened before, I mentioned a report that recently came out regarding our government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the spring of 2020. The report clarified that many mistakes were made, including false information being passed on to people. Because of this, even more mistakes were made, and people began to lose faith in "the system." The commentator who reported on this then mentioned, almost casually, that it would be long before the people's trust would be gained. Once you lose someone's trust, it is tough to gain it back!   There are many passages in the Bible where God promises to us.   Sometimes, He promises a blessing if one follows a particular pattern of behavior; other times, He promises to act in certain ways and work to bring about a specific outcome. Whenever He promises to us, He always follows through! God may not do things according to our timetable, but He always makes good on His Word.     The story of Jesus' crucifixion is just such a word. God promised us, in many ways and times, that He would send an anointed one, a 'Messiah,' to come and save humanity from sin. This Messiah would offer himself up as a sacrifice and, in doing so, would pay the price for our sins and make our salvation possible. One such promise comes through the prophet Isaiah: "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging, we are healed." 53:5  The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth over 750 years later, wrote of the fulfillment of this promise of God: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures." 15:3  God kept His word! This has happened hundreds of times in Scripture. Christians often speak of God keeping his word to care for them, protect them, and give them encouragement and strength - just as He promised in a biblical passage.   This week, we will remember Jesus' crucifixion on the cross and be reminded that it fulfilled one of God's promises to us all. God is a God of His Word! You can trust Him with your life and believe what He says in Scripture. You can base your life on it!   Please join us for worship and praise every Sunday starting at 10:30 AM. We are located at 500 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO.   Our ministry is also reliant on the generosity of our congregation. Please consider contributing online by clicking here: https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/   If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/   Thank you for listening. We will see you next week!

A Sunday morning sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. Have you ever had a lightbulb moment? That second in time when the complex unsolvable challenge before you seamlessly fell into place. It's the “AHA!” that breaks the silence and confusion with enthusiastic joy. It's the cartoon of a cat downcast and under a cloud when his face brightens, his arms shoots into the air and a lightbulb appears illuminated above his head! Lightbulb moments didn't begin with the invention of electric light. People have had epiphanies for as long as there have been people! For the mathematician Archimedes it was “Eureka!” as he shot from his bath and ran through the city shouting “Eureka!” (meaning I found it!” in Greek) when he finally found out how to solve the question that plagued him. Before the lightbulb, which could bring illumination into the darkest nights, people had to wait for dawn. We still use this language. “I was really wrestling with this situation, and then it dawned on me!” At times like this, when we find ourselves in the cold of night, we can find comfort in the story of Jacob. He didn't toss and turn with the fears and anxieties that lurked in the unknown, Jacob literally wrestled with God (Genesis 32.22-32). Throughout the night he wrestled with God, and it wasn't until morning that it dawned on him who he was grappling with! Jacob had been wrestling his whole life. From before birth with his brother Esau (Genesis 25.26), with his father Isaac for a blessing, and even with his father-in-law Laban. Finally, in the dark night of his soul, wrestling blindly, Jacob discovered the One who truly held the power to bless Him: the Lord God. Out of the darkest night of his life, Jacob limped into a new day with a new name and a fresh perspective of God. Jacob was renamed Israel. The people named after their father Israel faced the same dark night as a nation during the time of Isaiah the prophet. They couldn't make sense of their suffering. Then Isaiah had a light bulb moment, the answer he had fervently sought in prayer dawned on Him and God's response was so much bigger than Israel. It was for the whole world! The One who blessed Jacob would bless Jacob's children with a Savior. This Messiah “in the future will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned,” (Isaiah 9.1b-2). Friend, can you imagine Matthew's joy when he sat down to write his gospel, rejoicing in the light bulb moment for all people, the prophetic promise of a Messiah to Isaiah, was fulfilled in Jesus Christ! Let's join Him in that rejoicing as we prepare our hearts to hear what the Spirit would say to us through Matthew 4.12-17 this Sunday. May we shout “Eureka!” because we've found it! The blessing we've always needed: Jesus our Messiah.

Today on Christmas Eve we look at the last name for Christ in Isaiah 9:6-7 as we close out the Christmas season. This Messiah will bring peace - He shall be called: Prince of Peace

When Jesus was born, the Jewish people were waiting, anticipating the arrival of a savior. The ancient prophets had promised a Messiah and they were waiting for Him. In Luke 1, the song of Zechariah says, “He has come. He will redeem His people. Finally, salvation is here.” Have you been waiting? You know you need help? You know you need a Savior? This Messiah, Jesus, came for the entire world… and for you. His birth all those years ago—what we are celebrating at Christmas—is for you. His coming is personal. Why don't you finally say yes, this Christmas season? Thank You, Jesus, for coming…for me. My life is Yours. This is Wendy Palau. radio.hopewithgod.com

Israel is in danger of small vision- a small life. Understandably so because they are captives! They just want to be free! But God has other plans. And if they want salvation- they will need to care about the same things because that's the only Messiah God offers- a missionary Messiah to the world. But God has other plans. And if they want salvation- they will need to care about the same things because that's the only Messiah God offers- a missionary Messiah to the world. We also have a hard time expanding our purpose because of our suffering and selfishness. We are tempted to live a small life and we are SCARED INTO living a small life. But it is in meeting the true Messiah that we find our meaning and purpose. This Messiah expands our purpose for life beyond our own people and in doing so- the Messiah saves us from ourselves.

Christian Disciple and World View Right mouse click to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file Paul writing in Philippians 2v1-4: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”   What was your worldview before you became a Christian? What is your worldview now that you are a Christian? Are there any similarities and differences between the two? What does a Christian worldview consist of and what are some of the thoughts behind opposing worldviews that are prevalent in Western society today?   Contemporary Society   Shock rock group, Slipknot, in one of their songs, describe people as the equivalent of excrement. Reality television programmes love to show the degradation and embarrassment of human participants. The London Zoo has in 2005 exhibited humans and treated them as animals, in order to reflect humanity's "basic nature" and place on earth. The pornographic industry, despite protests from both religious and non-religious groups, shows both men and women in airbrushed degradation, with pictorial and verbal humiliation. All these treat humans as mere, undignified 'glory-less' commodities to be used and degraded, albeit, in the main part willingly. Some treat other people as either their equal or of lesser concern than themselves. This is following what is commonly called the “Golden Rule“, which is “do to others, what you would have them do to you”. Furthermore, there is the thinking that there are no certainties or absolutes in life, just your own perspective. Morality is a private thing and what is right for you, may not be right for me and don't dare tell me that I am wrong in any aspect of my life. My morals are mine and mine alone, and it is my right. As for religion, all religions inevitably lead to some form of god or gods, that is if any exists at all.   Darwin & Scientific Materialism   Richard Dawkins, the eminent Oxford biologist and atheist, decrees that humans are merely a miniscule section in nature's rich spectrum, and Darwinism explains not only how we got here but that our purpose has evolved just as we have evolved biologically and sexually. Based on this hypothesis, he sees no reason for a creator or any form of intelligent designer, as man evolved by "chance and random variations". Further to this, he views "humanity as just one little twig", amongst the order of primates. He does however admit, that humans have probably evolved as far as they can and further concedes that there is "no definitely accepted account" regarding life's beginnings. This atheistic and naturalistic theory goes on to deny the very existence of a spiritual world and claims that our emotions such as love, fear, hatred and guilt, or our thoughts and feelings, are merely physical or chemical in origin.     A Christian Worldview   Contrast these with a Christian worldview. Atheistic views are entirely theoretical and are based entirely upon presupposed disavowal and disbelief in any form of deity, whether personal or impersonal, and belief that any kind of faith is blind, non-evidential and irrational. Juxtaposed against this thought, Genesis 1 asks us to rejoice in the knowledge of who we are, as the pinnacle of creation. Early Greek Patriarchs likened the creation of humanity to a royal leader being shown his new palace.   Again, contrast those worldviews against Scripture, which says, that humanity, both male and female, is made in the image of God, the imago dei, and is therefore according to one of the church fathers made to "reflect the Divine". Paul when writing to the Thessalonian church said: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).   When God created humanity, it was in His image that they were created. The Bible indicates that humans are composed of 3 parts - Body, Soul and Spirit. The spirit and soul are only separable in thought and are probably best seen as two separate dimensions of the non-material side of a person - the spirit relating to God, and the soul relating to earth. All three parts, spirit, soul and body have an important role to play in our humanity. The whole person is valuable to God, not just the spirit as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Other philosophies and religions have tried to portray the body as evil or irrelevant, and this has crept into some parts of Christianity, with the tradition of priestly celibacy and asceticism. A break down in any of these areas can cause imbalance in the other areas. For example, research has shown that sometimes, physical sickness can be caused through emotional turmoil. Studies have also revealed that mental illness may occasionally be caused through guilt or unforgiveness. As humans we are created in His image, and as Christian Disciples we were bought at a price when Jesus died on the cross.   A biblical Christian worldview should include the following: God created humanity, in His own image therefore higher than the animal world. Humanity subsequently rebelled and disobeyed God. God then took the initiative and promised a way out through His chosen Messiah. This Messiah was Jesus Christ, and he had simultaneously both human and divine natures. It was He, who as God, stepped into history and became confined for a short while by time and space. He was born so that when He died on the cross, it was to pay the price so that all of humanity could be freed from slavery to sin and disobedience, if only they chose to accept and believe in Him as God. He rose again physically from the dead, ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. Those who don't accept Him as Lord and Saviour wil spend eternity apart from Him. He is the only way to God, and all other paths lead to destruction. That is why Christianity is the only true and permanent hope for the world. As Christians Disciples, living in the 21st century, we are to place God first, others second and ourselves last. That is the path a Christian Disciple is to walk, following and serving both God and others. It is done by taking up our cross daily, just as Jesus Christ took up His cross (Luke 9v23) and following His life devoted to being a servant of others. As Christian Disciples, we have God in the person of the Holy Spirit, living inside us as a deposit for our future life with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1v13-14). With His help, we are being transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3v18; Philippians 3v20-21). You may well be able to add other things to this in order to form your own worldview.   For more to think about please do read for yourself: Philippians 2v1-18. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.   Q1. How has and is my worldview being developed and transformed into a worldview similar to that of Jesus Christ? Q2. How has my life been transformed in the last year and in what way can I continue to be transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ? Q3. In what way do the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed help and reinforce my understanding of a Christian worldview?   Right mouse click to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

A Paradox is not two doctors!a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.There are many such things in the Gospel: “Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.” Luke 17:33 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”” Luke 6:38. The King of a Kingdom that is not of this world. Love your enemies and do good to those who persecute you. The first shall be last. Drink the water I give you and you will never thirst again. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,”1 Peter 5:6 Messiah – Christmas is another paradox: that is why there are so many festivities that have nothing to do with the Messiah but just having a good time.  Cashing in on generosity! Many just don't comprehend the paradox.Is the Messiah is God?  That is a paradox.  A God who is born? How can someone 750 years before Christ be able to prophecy that the Messiah could be both God and man?  This Messiah who comes to deliver is God himself? But this is what makes Christianity unique among religions: God comes to us because we are unable to come to him.  Our concepts and understanding of God(s) are so warped and confused.  Mixed with our own imaginations and our own ideas, thoughts, knowledge we assume things that we may have heard here and there and thrown together. Here in America as well as in the rest of the world we make assumptions and twist the Bible to make it fit our desires.  God is love and he loves me regardless of what I do, who I am, and what I say.  That is only a partial truth about love.  He is greatly concerned, not just about our morals, but also our attitudes, character, and behavior. God is greater than we think he is!MightyInteresting adjective. Not Powerful God, not dominant, forceful, potent, dominant, but mighty. This becomes particularly poignant when we see the Government on his shoulders.  Might is right. Wars continue to prove that the big guy wins. Our concept of might just might not coincide with that of Jesus.  He claims to be meek.  Meekness is power under control. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 Now Mighty can have two different reactions:Mighty to judge – creating fear the the One who is coming to judge the world in righteousnessMighty to save: grace and mercy, love and forgiveness How do you choose? Imagine all is OK, or do you repent and receive the gift of God today?“Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.”” Acts2:11NASB2020““For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. “And His mercy is to generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.”Luke1:49-50NASB2020““Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding.”Job36:5NASB2020“Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.”Psalms24:8NASB2020“For this is what the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”Isaiah57:15NASB2020“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”Matthew11:29NASB2020“‘Oh, Lord God! Behold, You Yourself have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows mercy to thousands, but repays the wrongdoing of fathers into the laps of their children after them, great and mighty God. The Lord of armies is His name; great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of mankind, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;”Jeremiah32:17-19NASB2020“Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.””Isaiah63:1NASB2020““You will also suck the milk of nations, And suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”Isaiah60:16NASB2020 

John the Baptist came in a miraculous way – he was born to a woman who was said to be barren. He grew up and became a great preacher. Crowds of people came to listen to John the Baptist. They even wondered: was this the promised Messiah? John made it clear to the people, he was not the Messiah. He was merely the forerunner to the Messiah – the forerunner who was promised in Isaiah. He would come to announce the coming of the Messiah. This Messiah would be greater than him. He wouldn't just announce the way to salvation, but he would become the way to salvation.

Messiah's Arrival Zechariah 9:9 - 12 9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 9:10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak peace to the nations: and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9:11 As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water. 9:12 Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope! Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. The King is Coming! We have seen in Isaiah that the coming Messiah was a Servant Prophet, a Servant Disciple and a Servant King.  Today we switch over to the Book of Zechariah to look at in more detail about this Servant King Messiah.  Zechariah gives us a picture of how the Messiah will announce His arrival and what sort of qualities that this Servant King will have.  He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey!  The phrases ‘Daughter of Zion' and ‘Daughter of Jerusalem' are terms symbolizing God's people who believe.  It is a scene of exultation, excitement and emotion.  The people recognize this man as their Messiah: their Servant-King. Royalty: He is recognized as the long waited for king.  He is "Your King" oh nation of Israel.  King is either the Lord God (Isaiah 43:15) or a King from the line of David (2 Samuel 3:17).  This King is both and is the definitive king of Isaiah 9:7!  He is described as "yours" because this King is not a foreigner but an Israelite! But His arrival is not just for their benefit and gain as Zechariah goes on to clarify. Righteous: In the example of Alexander the Great, we see a ruler who had great vanity, and this vanity caused him to act injudiciously at times.  Alexander the Great could have been the fulfillment of the previous section of Zechariah, particularly with his marauding forces.  This Kingly ruler however will reign with righteousness and justice.  This Messiah King will desire to enact God's Will in all circumstances and at all times - perfect obedience. Throughout the Old Testament, and in Isaiah as we have seen, righteousness is part of the Messiah! Salvation:  This Servant King comes with salvation and saving power!  The Messiah shows Himself as one who saves and offers salvation to the people.  He has come to help and restore people back into an obedient relationship with God.  Again as we have seen with Isaiah who wrote about 200 years before Zechariah, righteousness and salvation are combined in the Servant King (Isaiah 45:8; 51:4). Gentle: In this translation, the word lowly is used, but perhaps a better translation is ‘gentle'.  The extended meaning of this word in Hebrew signifies one who has known suffering and sorrow, and lives a simple lifestyle.  Humility is worn by this Servant King, like a crown.  There is no pride in this King, but a gentle and humble spirit.  This is reflected again by Isaiah in Isaiah 53:1-3, where the Servant King would endure rejection and suffering.  Perhaps the greatest symbol of his gentle humility is the transportation he is on.  A donkey.  Donkeys were ridden by every class of people.  This is to signify that this King is one of the people and arriving unassumingly. What now? Peace reigns: The Servant King Messiah has bought peace with Him!  By this, He has established the environment in order for total peace to exist! Peace comes through people telling the good news that Isaiah talked about in Isaiah 52:7.  "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"  Peace with God comes only through the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant King of Isaiah 53.  A life of obedience to God in all those who follow this Messiah, will bring about peace between people and nations.   This Messiah's reign is not limited to Israel but all nations of the world.  The second coming of the Messiah is hinted at here, but we will save that for a couple of days time. He releases prisoners:  This Messiah will release those who are enslaved to sin and are prisoners to its power.  He will deliver them because of the covenant that exists between God and Israel.  But this King will have a new Covenant between God and all people of all nations!  Where God will live inside those who place their hope in Him. This covenant means all people can be saved and be set free from the guilt and stain of their sinful ways.  They will be able to live a life of total obedience to God, by submitting themselves to this King! How is Jesus this King? This prophecy by Zechariah is seen as being fulfilled when as both Matthew and John recall how Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey. When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them." All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Matthew 21:1-5) And the scene as recalled by the Apostle John:"On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!" Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, "Don't be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey's colt."(John 12:12-15) This is Jesus, the Messiah who was and is a gentle King, reigning righteously, offering salvation and has setup the environment for peace on earth to reign.  This Jesus, who through His sacrifice on the Cross enables all people of every nation to have peace with God and have God Himself live inside them. Right mouse click to save/download this Podcast as a MP3 file

Week Three Reflections with Hunter https://youtu.be/uUq-zxEcBPM New, From the Inside Out Exodus 21-22, Psalm 12 and Acts 4 It's hard to make sense of these laws outlined in Exodus.  They're hard on the ears.  These rules we hear, dictating treatment of slaves and women, seem so cruel and barbaric.  They're hard to hear. In understanding them, it's important that we try to see them in their historical and cultural context. But maybe even more important, is that we see them in the context of the fallen human heart.  These hard and distasteful laws that are being described, are a result of the fallen human heart  living in a fallen world. God is conceding to this state of affairs, but only for awhile.  He will not tolerate this forever.  He has done something about this hard hear - the promised Messiah, that Peter so boldly proclaimed in Acts.  Peter is a man with a new heart, part of a growing community of 5000, who had received new hearts. This new community we see in Acts, is so different than the one being formed in Exodus. In this new community, God is no longer conceding to hard hearts, he's transforming these new hearts. He's changing them from the inside out, through the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This Messiah, has been given to us to take away the sins of the world, sin's punishment, and deal with the problem of our hard and stony hearts. He's dealt with it all on the cross. No longer conceding to our hard hearts through laws, he's made a way for our hearts to be transformed, through faith in him. The penalty for our hard hearts has been absorbed by him and his gracious, kind, loving heart has been released in us. That's the miracle of new birth.  That's what these men and women were so on fire for.  New hearts have been given to a new community. God is no longer conceding to hard hearts, he's transforming these hearts into something brand new. He's placing his Spirit into each one of them. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Gal 5:22-23) These people are living a radical selfless, and self-giving life.  Live in the light and power of the new life given to you by Christ - a transformed heart, made new, by the power of Christ in You.

My Servant Isaiah's Prophetic Book Pt116 on Battle Lines @WarnRadio   My Servant Isaiah's Prophetic Book arrives at Pt116 with an important detailed description of the coming Messiah. This Messiah is called in righteousness and will be the covenant to the people. In addition, he is the light to the Gentiles. Today most in the Gentile churches as well as Messianic believers will recognize the phrases as those belonging to the Messiah, the Son of God Jesus Christ, Yeshua. The introduction of chapter 42 sets the tone of both the message and this portion of Isaiah's prophecy.    Go https://linktr.ee/warnradiomore info.  Above all this there is a servant of #God [#Cyrus for deliverance from #Babylon] but [Jesus, Yeshua prophetically is addressed here in the future], #Hiselect, who will appear in humility and without pretension, but who shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set #judgment in the earth; and the isles of the #Gentiles shall receive His #law. It is also cast here into the mix against the backdrop of Judah from where Yeshua springs from. The hope and promises are all fed through Judah who is now in captivity, but Cyrus will come as Gods anointed to bring the Jews out of captivity and back into the land.   To get the Books from the Watchman Dana G Smith go to his website http://www.DanaGlennSmith.com  

In this third study of -The Coming King,- we see how God promised the birth of the most extraordinary child, one who is to be the cause for our rejoicing- This Messiah-child would be God-with-us.

The Name: Christ the Messiah  (Luke 2:8-11) What? The name of our Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, has power. Phil. 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Power: At the name of Christ one day every knee will bow. What about you? The name of our Savior has influence. Even a secularized pagan world recognizes that Jesus Christ, spoken on a person's lips, carries significant weight. So, those who don't even believe in Christ as Messiah think that on their worst day or in their frustration, Jesus Christ means something. Even in the world's cursing—the name of Jesus Christ brings light and has influence. Read Luke 2:11. Is Christ, Jesus' last name? Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah (Christos) the Lord.  Christ was the Greek rendering of the OT word māšı̂aḥ, anointed. Said another way, today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the anointed one. We often take for granted that we know what Luke means because we know the rest of the story. However, for the original audience, Jesus Christ was an unusual rendering. Think like a Greek speaker for a moment. The word Christ is often associated with anointing or smearing someone with oil. In essence, the angel announced the birth in this way, “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you who  is the smeared- one.” Luke wasn't describing the physical smearing of oil and wasn't giving you Jesus' official legal surname. The angels were introducing a child that was unlike any child that had ever been born. The terms Christ and Messiah are interchangeable. To call Jesus Messiah is to say He is the Christ. To call Jesus Christ is to say that Jesus is the Messiah. So let's go back several years before the angelic birth announcement. The Scriptures of Jesus were the Old Testament. But, unfortunately, “Messiah” as a technical term in the OT does not occur. Fortunately, you will find many people in the Scriptures who were “messiah-ed” or anointed. You see, not any person would be anointed with oil. This sacred act belonged to a select group of people. The first are men like Saul, David, Absalom, Solomon, and even Jehu. 2 Sam 2:4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. Kings were anointed. When you hear of Jesus called the Messiah, you should not be surprised to know that  Rev. 19:16And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Kings were the anointed of the Lord. Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the King of Kings! There is one other group that received the “messiah-ed” treatment in the First Testament. Leviticus tells us that they poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed and consecrated him. If the king received the throne-seat blessing of anointing, the High Priest received the sacred favor of the anointing. Do not be surprised when you hear Hebrews declare; Heb 3:1 consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is your Holy Priest! That's a lot of truth in such a little word, isn't it? And you thought Christ was just a last name. When someone was anointed, the oil represented a cherished special relationship between Yahweh and the one anointed. Aaron, the priest, had a special relationship because the priest was an intermediary between God and man. If you wanted to be near the Lord, be near the priest and the temple. The king had a special relationship because he presented the authority of Yahweh on the throne and among the covenant community. Did you want God's leadership? Look to the king. Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Behold your King; Behold your High Priest. So What? I doubt the shepherds would have dared to ask this question to their heavenly visitorbecause the angel's declaration was crystal clear. Notice that the celestial being did not say, “a Savior was born for you, who is a Messiah.” No, heaven made clear that this was THE (lack of indefinite article) Christ. So the shepherds heard right; there is only one Messiah, Jesus born in Bethlehem! But, how does Jesus THE Christ change your life? Why do you need a perfect king? Yahweh's people waited for over nine hundred years for the Lord to keep his promise that one day 2 Sam 7:13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Israel longed for the day when a man would again sit on the throne and establish a powerful political dynasty. But, unfortunately, they didn't realize that the Lord had a greater kingdom and an eternal plan. The coming of the Messiah was a visible reminder that God's kingdom had come. Jesus is God incarnate, Yahweh made visible. Have you ever wondered when God would restore his kingdom? When was the last time you looked around and asked, “God come quickly!” Jesus' immaculate birth ushered in a new kingdom, a kingdom that you can participate in by faith. And for all who believe in the name of Jesus, you are ambassadors of a better kingdom to a world under siege. The more war-torn your world, the more beautiful His kingdom becomes. This Messiah would soon shed his own blood to save all who accept his free gift of amnesty and come over to his side. Why? You are at war. This kingdom saves sinners! Why do you need a perfect priest? If the world of kings and kingdoms seems ancient, the domain of priests and temples feels equally distant. What if I told you that you were never allowed to approach God, you could only approach the priest who would go to the Lord on your behalf. God is so holy that sinful man needs an intermediary. You see, when you approach the radiant throne of Yahweh on your own, in your unclean state, you will receive complete deserved judgment. But God is a being infinitely lovely because He hath infinite excellence and beauty… So that sin against God, being a violation of infinite obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so deserving infinite punishment –Edwards On your own, as you sit today, you could never go into the presence of the Lord. You could never receive mercy, and you would never find grace. Even if these were available, you could not receive them on your own. Why do you need a High Priest? But in Jesus the Messiah, you can approach the throne of God with boldness so that you may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. You don't have to approach to priest, you can approach God himself because Jesus is God! Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. It's fascinating that this birth announcement is not directed to the parents of Jesus but the shepherds. You and I have a lot in common with these shepherds. First, they were not family (not even 2nd cousins). Second, they didn't exactly have the best reputation. Call them, if you will, double outsiders. With the announcement that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, had come, God redefined what his community looked like. Even outsiders, outcasts, and the oppressed be part of the new family through Jesus because He is the Messiah. Now What? The shepherds never asked the ,”so what,” but the Gospel of John fills in the blanks: John 20:31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. John was written when confession of Jesus as the Messiah was a lasting point of division between Jews who believed in Jesus and Jews who did not. And all these years later, the name of Christ still acts as the diving line of belief and eternal life. Now What? At its core, Christmas (Mass of Christ) is belief and eternal life. The word "Mass" comes from the Latin word, " Missa." At one time, the people were dismissed with the words " Ite, missa est," meaning "Go, you are sent.” Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the anointed King, the Lord. His kingdom has come, and His will be done! Go and do! Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the anointed High Priest, the Lord. God sent his Son that you may come. You can approach this throne with boldness and receive merciful grace in your time of need!  Believe and have life in his name.

This week we begin a new series as we continue our journey towards Christmas, called ‘Surprised by Joy'. The backdrop to this Sunday's message is that the people of Israel had been waiting a thousand years for a Deliverer, a promised Messiah who would be a descendant of King David. This Messiah would bring restoration to Israel and hope to the nations. Yet after being exiled to other nations and then dominated by foreign rulers for hundreds of years, the people of Israel must have wondered, “When was God going to keep his promise?” Was God going to come through for them? With this backdrop in mind, we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25). They had not only been waiting for the promised Messiah; they had been waiting on God for something much closer to home, a child. Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless, and they were now very old. God had not answered their prayers and the hole left by having no children was filled with a deep sorrow. Then suddenly God shows up through the angel Gabriel and tells them that their prayers have been heard and they will have a child. This child's birth will not only replace their sorrow with joy, but the sorrow of a nation as God delivers on his promise to send a Saviour. John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for God's ultimate plan to send his Son Jesus into the world to save it. It is in the gift of Jesus we find the real source of lasting joy. This Sunday we will look at the struggles of living with unanswered prayer and the sorrow that can bring us. At the same time, we will look at the joy that comes from knowing that God is still with us and for us. We'll also look at how the cross of Jesus can continue to give us joy even when we don't understand what God is up to. I look forward to exploring and sharing God's word with you this Sunday. Noel Kluge

This week we begin a new series as we continue our journey towards Christmas, called ‘Surprised by Joy'. The backdrop to this Sunday's message is that the people of Israel had been waiting a thousand years for a Deliverer, a promised Messiah who would be a descendant of King David. This Messiah would bring restoration to Israel and hope to the nations. Yet after being exiled to other nations and then dominated by foreign rulers for hundreds of years, the people of Israel must have wondered, “When was God going to keep his promise?” Was God going to come through for them? With this backdrop in mind, we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25). They had not only been waiting for the promised Messiah; they had been waiting on God for something much closer to home, a child. Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless, and they were now very old. God had not answered their prayers and the hole left by having no children was filled with a deep sorrow. Then suddenly God shows up through the angel Gabriel and tells them that their prayers have been heard and they will have a child. This child's birth will not only replace their sorrow with joy, but the sorrow of a nation as God delivers on his promise to send a Saviour. John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for God's ultimate plan to send his Son Jesus into the world to save it. It is in the gift of Jesus we find the real source of lasting joy. This Sunday we will look at the struggles of living with unanswered prayer and the sorrow that can bring us. At the same time, we will look at the joy that comes from knowing that God is still with us and for us. We'll also look at how the cross of Jesus can continue to give us joy even when we don't understand what God is up to. I look forward to exploring and sharing God's word with you this Sunday. Noel Kluge

Title: Our Salvation: Full of wonder Text: I Peter 1:10-12 and more FCF: We often struggle taking for granted how privileged we are as new covenant believers. Prop: Because men and angels have sought what God has revealed about His redemption, we must marvel at our salvation. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter chapter 1. Last week we had an amazing service. I can honestly say it was one of the highest highs of ministry that I have had in 12 years of being a pastor. Just an incredible time of praising the Lord for and rejoicing in His work of redemption for us. And this was exactly what Peter was desiring for his audience to do. To praise the Lord and rejoice in His saving work. Today, Peter continues to talk about their salvation. However, rather than focusing on praising God or rejoicing – he has a different desire for his audience. He wants them to marvel at the mysterious plan of God and then to realize that they have been privileged to be part of the final steps of God's salvific work for His people. That revealed to them and received from God is a salvation that men and angels have longed to understand since God spoke it to Adam and Eve in the garden. Now it has been revealed in these later times to us who are new covenant inheritors! Today we will be left with wonder at the mysterious plan of God and how it has been revealed to us. Transition: Like last week, this doesn't promise to be an overly long sermon – but it presents a unique enough concept about our salvation that I feel is important for us to spend a Sunday considering. Let's look together. I.) The prophets of old searched for this salvation as they spoke of grace, so we must marvel at our salvation. (10) a. [Slide 2] 10 – Concerning this salvation, i. Which salvation is Peter talking about here? ii. Well, we could go back to the most recent verse in which Peter spoke of the goal of our faith being the salvation of our souls. iii. But I believe Peter is speaking in reference to the whole concept of salvation that he has been unpacking since the beginning of the book. iv. That God did elect us according to His own predetermination through the consecration of the Spirit to obey the gospel and be sprinkled clean by the blood of Christ. v. A salvation that is unfading and sure because of the mercy of God given in new birth and held secure by the resurrection of Christ. vi. A salvation secured for us by the power of God through His gift of a Divinely given divinely sustained faith which we exercise and cling to. vii. A faith that continues even now because of the quality of this faith through which God is powerfully guarding us. viii. This is the salvation which Peter will continue to speak of. b. [Slide 3] The prophets i. Who are “the prophets?” ii. When New Testament writers say the prophets they mean the oracles of the Old Testament given to Israel. iii. Every book of the bible after Song of Solomon would be considered along with certain prophecies given throughout the Pentateuch, historical, and wisdom books that precede them. iv. But what did the prophets do, concerning this salvation? Well before we answer that, Peter wishes to relay something about these prophets. c. [Slide 4] Who predicted the grace that would come to you i. These prophets predicted long ago, through the revelation of God, that God would give grace in abundant ways. ii. Ways that had not, up to that point, been given. iii. It is important for us to not misunderstand what Peter says. iv. He is not describing a time when God operated under a different style of redemption. He is not describing a time when salvation was not by grace. v. He is talking about a special outpouring of grace, different from their time. What could that be? vi. Under the Old Covenant, even though people were saved by grace, through faith, not of works. Even though salvation was still by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone – It was not a salvation in which the Spirit indwelled God's people. It was not a salvation in which the mystery of the Messiah was fully known or understood. And it was not a salvation with the truth of a past atonement but rather the promise of a future atonement. vii. So, if Peter is not referencing what would be a new way of getting saved, what is the grace that would come to the present audience of Peter and by extension, to us? viii. [Slide 5] Deuteronomy – 30:1-10 1. Moses is known as the first prophet of God for Israel. 2. After giving the whole law, Moses tells the people that they will not obey it. They will experience the curses of the law. 3. But that there will come a time when, if they turn back to God, He will bring them back from exile and that they will be cleansed in their hearts. That they will obey all the commandments of the Lord. 4. That they will be blessed immeasurably. 5. If they obey the whole law the Lord will rejoice over them – but they must turn to Him with their whole mind and being. 6. The problem, as Moses prophesies this, is a statement of seeming contradiction. If their hearts must be cleansed, how can they turn to God with their whole mind and being? How can you come to God with something that is, by definition, unworthy of coming to Him? 7. Here we see the problem that the prophets have. They only see pieces of the plan of God. 8. But let's fast forward to Ezekiel and see if he clears up the confusion. ix. [Slide 6] Ezekiel 36:22-38 – now unfortunately there is just no possible way for this to fit on the screen, it is far too long, but let me read it to you. I have took the liberty of at least putting all the I Will statements of the Sovereign Lord on the screen. 1. God, the sovereign Lord says: a. I will act to protect and magnify my great name which you have defiled among the nations. b. I will magnify myself among you in their sight c. I will bring you back to you land d. I will sprinkle you with pure water and clean you from impurity e. I will purify you from idols f. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you g. I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh h. I will put MY Spirit in you i. I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations j. I will be your God and you will be my people k. I will save you from your uncleanness. l. I will call for the grain and multiply it – without famine m. I will multiply the fruit of good and you will loathe yourself on account of your sin and abominable deeds n. UNDERSTAND – it is not for your sake that I am about to act. o. The day after I cleanse you i. I will populate your cities ii. I will give you fertile farm land iii. The nations that surround will know that I did it p. I have spoken and I will do it q. I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them. r. I will multiply their people like sheep and they will know that I am God. 2. Grace is God's power – what God does to help us do what He wants us to do 3. Ezekiel 36, describing the new covenant, is grace. New grace. Grace with an assured end. x. [Slide 7] Jeremiah 31:29-34 1. Punishment and reward will no longer be according to blood but according to promise. 2. That promise is a new covenant. How will it be different? 3. The old one was abused and violated. God kept his side, but they failed their side. 4. The new covenant will not be one where the law is written on scrolls and obeyed by a measure of God's power and covered over by the blood of sheep and goats when there is failure. Rather it will be an outpouring of the Spirit's indwelling and a full and final atonement for all sin. 5. They will be God's people and He will be their God, without exception and without uncertainty. 6. Full and final forgiveness of sin and Spiritual illumination to all. 7. This is more grace! d. [Slide 8] Searched and investigated carefully i. This phrase goes back to before we spoke of the prophet's revelation of God's coming grace. ii. The prophets searched and investigated carefully. What? What did they search and investigate? iii. Salvation! iv. How would God bring about the promise of a new heart? What does it mean to be circumcised in heart? How would God put His Spirit in us? There will be a time when God forgives all our sin once and for all? There will be a time when we perpetually and perfectly keep His law? How? v. These are the questions they searched and investigated. vi. How is all of this possible? vii. Peter's audience knew the answer! Jesus Christ! e. [Slide 9] Passage Truth: And so Peter highlights the wonder and mystery behind the salvation that his audience presently has. That this salvation, this work of grace, was looked into and investigated by the Old Testament prophets. They spoke of this great day when God's plan would come about. f. [Slide 10] Passage Application: And so for his audience they must marvel at the great mystery of the cross that has been revealed to them in these latter days. g. [Slide 11] Broader Biblical Truth: As we go back and look at all the prophesies that have been revealed in the whole of scripture, we too much trust our Lord even when things seem murky and unclear. But we, like Peter's audience, are privileged to know the mysteries of our faith and the reason behind the sufferings of Christ. And we still look toward His future glory, where we will reign with Him. h. [Slide 12] Broader Biblical Application: And so we too must marvel in the great mystery or our redemption that has been revealed to us. We must marvel and trust our God that He will fulfill the remaining promises He has made to us, even if we don't quite understand them all. Transition: [Slide 13 (blank)] So these prophets sought more information about this salvation and the grace coming from God. But they also sought more about the mechanism for that grace; the coming messiah and His sufferings and promised glory. II.) The prophets of old diligently sought when the suffering Christ would come, so we must marvel at our salvation. (11) a. [Slide 14] They probed into what person or time i. The exact idea of what these prophets were probing for is difficult to interpret. ii. The primary reason for this is that the Greek sentence is not overly clear. iii. Ultimately, we know that they were trying to understand the tension of their revelations from God which portrayed the coming Christ as a suffering and even dying Christ, yet receiving glory also. iv. But specifically, Peter says they probed into what person or time. But what does this mean? v. Well, because the Christ was said to suffer and die, they had to understand him as a human or a person. And so, they looked around them for a human who could be this suffering servant. vi. However, because He would also receive glory like the Most High God, they certainly knew that no man alive at their time would be worthy of such exhalation even if he did suffer and die. vii. And so, when Peter says they probed into what person or time, he puts emphasis on when and how this would all come about. Time and circumstance seems to be the focus. b. [Slide 15] The Spirit of Christ within them was indicating i. What an interesting phrase. ii. First, we need to deal with the identity of this person. Who is the Spirit of Christ? Then we can deal with the ramifications of that Spirit being “within them.” iii. So first, who is the Spirit of Christ? iv. This is a noun case that indicates possession, but what kind is the question. v. Is this Jesus' human spirit? Is this another Spirit that belongs to Christ? Is this a Spirit that ministers to Christ? vi. [Slide 16] Fortunately for us, the apostle Paul uses this title in Romans chapter 8:9-11 vii. What do we see here? We see the ministry of Christ and the Holy Spirit are so woven together in the present aspect of our salvation that they are difficult to untangle from one another. viii. The Spirit of Christ then, is another name for the Holy Spirit. In the sense that He is the Spirit that Christ sent to continue the application of His work. ix. [Slide 17] So here is the tough question. If the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit – how is He within these prophets before the new covenant? x. We just read God's revelation in Ezekiel and Jeremiah saying that He will put His Spirit in people. So how is it that these prophets already have the Spirit? xi. At times we use the preposition “in” to speak of the Spirit of God inhabiting or indwelling. However, it does not always follow that this is a permeant indwelling or the redemptive work of the Spirit's indwelling. xii. I am sure that these prophets were, for a time, indwelt with the Spirit of Christ, but that is altogether different than the New Covenant's permeant indwelling of the Sprit of God with God's people. That is unique to the new Covenant which was ratified in the blood of Christ. c. [Slide 18] When he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and His subsequent glory. i. But what did the Spirit of Christ tell these prophets? ii. He testified, He bore witness to the sufferings appointed for Christ and His subsequent glory. iii. Where do we see these? iv. [Slide 19] Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – Again I cannot possibly hope to fit all this on the screen. But please turn and follow along or listen closely. 1. Such is the case of the suffering Messiah. 2. He is wounded and cut off from the land of the living 3. But will somehow, after that, stand in power and victory. v. And the prophets probed the question…. vi. HOW? How is this possible? d. [Slide 20] Passage Truth: Not only did the Old Testament prophets look into the mystery of grace that God was promising through their prophesies – but they also probed deeply into the times and circumstances behind the coming of the Messiah and His death and glorification. They longed to understand how all this could be. e. [Slide 21] Passage Application: But Peter's audience knows. They have seen through the eyes of faith, how all this came to be. And so they ought to gaze in wonder and amazement at the great mysteries that they now understand about redemption. f. [Slide 22] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out, we too understand this redemption is gradually revealed to God's people. Not that His method of redeeming them changes – but rather it develops into the fullness of the plan He set in motion before time began. What a mystery! g. [Slide 23] Broader Biblical Application: So we too marvel at its intricacy. We'd be lying if we said we understood it all. We simply marvel at His great work. Transition: [Slide 24 (blank)] But how does the prophet's seeking of the mysteries of redemption connect to where Peter's audience is, and to where we are? III.) The prophets of old were shown the future wonder of the new covenant, so we must marvel at our salvation. (12) a. [Slide 25] They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you i. One thing they arrived at, clearly. Is that although the promise of the Messiah was for the people to whom they wrote. ii. Although they saw clearly the immediate application of the work of Christ for the people of God when they wrote… iii. They knew that the fullness of time had not yet arrived for the Messiah to come and suffer and be glorified. They knew that this was a future reality for God's people. iv. Although it was unclear, hard to see, they spoke with surety because the Lord had said it will be – and so it will be! b. [Slide 26] In regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you i. Now, all their prophesies have been unveiled. ii. All the mystery has been removed iii. The veil was torn and the truth is now plain. iv. This Messiah, prophesied by these prophets, has shed His own blood as Son of God and Man, and has ratified the New Covenant, securing for Himself a people who are His and will never not be. Who will obey. Who are indwelled with the Spirit of God. That all who are His people will have His fullness dwelling in them richly. v. Truly, this covenant, is a far superior covenant. One that gives the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of future glory by being united to the Son of God. Not simply forgiveness but eternal and abounding grace. vi. This message was preached through these old Testament Prophet's words by the apostles. And those to whom Peter is speaking, heard and received this divine gift of faith. vii. Given… c. [Slide 27] By the Holy Spirit sent from heaven i. The same Spirit who testified about the coming Messiah's sufferings and glory now reveals the fulness of the redemption of God that He has predetermined before time began. ii. Furthermore, He has come down and dwells in us as the guarantee, the down payment, the eternal deposit which seals us until that day of full redemption. iii. Such a marvelous mystery… d. [Slide 28] Things angels long to catch a glimpse of. i. Not even the spiritual beings that dwell in lofty places ii. Not the spiritual beings that dwell on the earth iii. Not the spiritual beings that dwell under the earth iv. None knew what God was up to. Only the prophets had small pieces of this message. And they probed and searched for answers. v. But now, the Spirit has revealed it all… to men. Not to angels, although they see it now. vi. Even while Christ was here and walking the earth the demons had no idea what He was up to. vii. Satan tempted Him, Demons tried to run and hide from Him, and ultimately Satan through Judas had Him killed… but all this… was in fulfillment of the Sovereign Lord's divine decree which He spoke before the demons had fallen… viii. My friends… ix. WOW! x. Do you feel small yet? This is our God! This is His plan for His people. xi. And it isn't done yet. There is still more to come! e. [Slide 29] Passage Truth: Peter explains both future wonder of the prophets who looked at these things before they were revealed and also the privileged place of his audience who are now the recipients of the message the prophets only vaguely understood. Men and angels have longed to see what Peter's audience now see clearly. f. [Slide 30] Passage Application: So his audience must look with wonder and in amazement on this great salvation. g. [Slide 31] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from all of this we recognize the intricacy of this great redemptive plan made by God to rescue His children from sin and death. A plan that once again puts Him at the center of our salvation and magnifies His mighty works. Men and Angels have longed to look at and understand what we now as the church comprehend. h. [Slide 32] Broader Biblical Application: So we must also marvel and wonder at the greatness of our God and His marvelous work in our salvation! Conclusion: [Slide 33(end)] Once again, we can apply this text immediately. But rather than fanfare, rather than music, rather than shouts and claps and stories of how God has saved us… Let's simply sit in our seats. It may be a little awkward for us at first – but let's just sit here quietly and think on and marvel at the plan of God to redeem us. Let each of us pray, thanking him for allowing us to live in a time of privilege where we can know many of the intricacies of the new covenant. Let us worship the Lord in quietness, praising Him for His work. After giving you some time to marvel at the plan of God – I will close us in prayer.

The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalm 110:1-2). Our text is part of a military psalm. Its battle time. In the New Testament it was linked to Jesus' ascension into heaven. This is one of the psalms that led to the composition of the song, “Lord of lords and King of kings”. It is a central doctrine of the Christian faith: Jesus reigns over earth from heaven. Our faith in Jesus the king is a source of comfort and courage for Christians. But there are ways that this truth can be misused. I want to mention two to help us live more fully out of this comfort. A possible misuse is that I shrink this reality to be about me. The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that Jesus' ascension means that he ‘defends and protects us' (A51). Its easy for us to assume this means that everything should go well for me or for my church. When trouble arises, our first response seems to be ‘Why?' or ‘How could God let this happen to me or to us?'. But that was never the intent of this teaching. It needs to be understood in light of Jesus statement to his disciples, “I will build my church.” This was just after Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah of God. This Messiah would build his church. Revelation 19:11ff shows a picture of the victorious church, but the New Testament clearly shows that the road to victory would not be straight and easy. It would be difficult with plenty of setbacks and hardships including the martyrdom of many Christians. Our doctrine of Christ's Lordship recognizes that there is a long road to travel before every tongue acknowledges his Lordship and every knee bows before him. We can endure the agony of the journey because we know how it will end. The journey becomes more bearable when we learn to change our prayer from ‘Lord bless me' to “hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.” We must become less; he must become more. Now a second way that we can misuse our faith in Christ's Lordship. One of my favourite hymns growing up was, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war.” The church organ made us want to march. I imagined columns of iron clad Christians carrying machine guns and swords marching off to distant lands. As I got older, and hopefully more mature, I realized that this was not the image the Bible presents for the church. Paul is emphatic, “be completely humble, and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). And Peter adds that when we give reason for our hope in Christ as Lord, we are to do so with ‘gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 4:15). Too often, the church has attempted to use military and political means to achieve Christ's victory. It sets us back each time. This kind of marching always sets us against other people. The church is not against other people, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Being kind and gentle and compassion can appear rather insignificant. It does not make the news. We do not need to make the news; nor do we need to be impressive. We are called to follow Jesus, who is Lord. He will build his church through our acts of kindness and compassion, through our gentleness and love for each other and the stranger.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 87, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Notable Weddings 1: Chynna Phillips, whose mama and papa are John and Michelle, married this Baldwin with his brothers in attendance. William (Billy) Baldwin. 2: This "Mayflower Madam" wore pale pink at her wedding, saying, "White would have been ludicrous". Sydney Biddle Barrows. 3: This star of "Honeymoon in Vegas" and "Leaving Las Vegas" married Patricia Arquette in 1995. Nicolas Cage. 4: Bart Conner must think she's a perfect 10; he married her in Romania in 1996. Nadia Comaneci. 5: People magazine said she dyed her veil in coffee to match her beige dress when she married Arthur Miller in 1956. Marilyn Monroe. Round 2. Category: The Bible Tells Me So 1: Deuteronomy 5: "neither shalt thou bear" this 2-word phrase "against thy neighbour". false witness. 2: Joshua 6:1: "now" this city "was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel". Jericho. 3: Judges 15: he "said, with the jaw-bone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men". Samson. 4: Deuteronomy 5: "neither shalt thou bear" this 2-word phrase "against thy neighbour". false witness. 5: Job says the price of this quality "is above rubies", and our winning contestants have their share of it. wisdom (knowledge accepted). Round 3. Category: Oprah's Book Club 1: In 2004 Oprah picked "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", the first novel by this Southern woman. Carson McCullers. 2: Things got a little dicey after Oprah selected this maybe not-so-autobiographical James Frey memoir. A Million Little Pieces. 3: This beloved country is the setting of Alan Paton's "Cry, the Beloved Country". South Africa. 4: The club's 70 books in 15 years included this biblically titled book by Jane Hamilton. The Book of Ruth. 5: Things got a little dicey after Oprah selected this maybe not-so-autobiographical James Frey memoir. A Million Little Pieces. Round 4. Category: Sitcom Neighbors 1: In 1996 Olivia d' Abo moved into the same building as Jonathan Silverman on this series. "The Single Guy". 2: "Hello, Newman". Seinfeld. 3: Barney Rubble. The Flintstones. 4: Nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz. Bewitched. 5: Mr. and Mrs. Roper. Three's Company. Round 5. Category: Music And Literature 1: Bernard Naylor adapted her "Sonnets from the Portuguese" for voice and string quartet. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 2: "Rip-Rip" is a comic opera about this sleepy head who killed time in the Catskills. Rip Van Winkle. 3: Franz Liszt's symphony based on this work includes the movements "Inferno" and "Purgatorio". "The Divine Comedy". 4: This John Bunyan work inspired the one-act opera "The Shepherds Of The Delectable Mountains". "Pilgrim's Progress". 5: This "Messiah" composer set Dryden's poem "Ode For St. Cecilia's Day" to music. George F. Handel. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

22. Prophecies Fulfilled Part 8 Over the last few studies in our Christmas series, we saw together some things predicted in history concerning the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Predictions made about Him before He was born. We only looked at a few of the 300 events predicted. Let’s look at these in summary together: The Messiah would be born of a woman - born of a virgin - in the town of Bethlehem. The Messiah would come from the line of Abraham and be a descendant of Isaac & Jacob - from the tribe of Judah and be an heir to King David's throne.This Messiah's throne will be anointed and eternal and his name would be Immanuel. This Messiah would spend a period of time away in Egypt. At the Messiah’s birthplace there would be a grand massacre of children.There would be a messenger sent who would prepare the way for the Messiah who would be rejected by his own people.The Messiah would be a prophet, preceded by Elijah and this Messiah would be declared the Son of God.This Messiah would be a Nazarene and bring light to Galilee. He would do this by speaking in parables and healing the broken hearted.This Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, be called King yet also praised by little children.This Messiah would be betrayed for a sum of money which would be used to buy a potter's field.This Messiah would be falsely accused, He would be silent before his accusers who would spit upon and strike him.This Messiah would be hated without cause and be crucified with criminals. This Messiah would be given vinegar to drink, have his hands and feet pierced, be mocked and ridiculed and soldiers would gamble for His very clothes. Yet despite all this, this Messiah would pray for his enemies. This Messiah’s bones would not be broken but He would be forsaken by God Himself. Soldiers would pierce Messiah's side on His death and he would be buried with the rich. But there is more!This Messiah would rise from the dead and into new life! WOW! This Messiah would ascend to heaven where He would be seated at God's right hand. This Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin before God and therefore anybody can take on this Messiah as their Saviour and be restored back into a living and dynamic relationship with God. If you are not already in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there is no need to delay! If you want to turn to God there is no need for delay. You are separated from God now, but there is no need to be. God is ready and willing to take you as His own right now. Just ask and He will take you in and help you. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!  

(1Jn.2:22-28;   Ps.98:1-4;   Jn.1:19-28) “Remain in the Son and in the Father.” In our gospel John the Baptist tells the priests and Levites sent by the Pharisees, “There is… one who is to come after me – the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.”  This Messiah has come, “The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice,” David proclaims in our psalm, and continues to invite us to sing praise of Him.  It is the anointing that comes from Jesus that John, in our first reading, encourages us to hold on to, for it is true and leads invariably to the Father of all. We must come to the Father; we must find ourselves in the presence of all truth, in the hands of our Creator, who loves us beyond all telling.  And the way to the presence of the Father, in whom we find our true home, is Jesus the Christ.  He is the Son and the only one who can lead us to the Father, for He and the Father are inextricably one.  We cannot deny the Sonship of Jesus, His oneness with the Father – that He is the Christ, upon whom all true anointing rests – and come to know God.  Jesus is the means the Father provides to come to Him; it is through Him alone we find the promise of eternal life.  We must “remain in Him,” that we may “not retreat in shame at His coming.” Those who do not believe in Jesus, who do not recognize Him as the only Son and so only way to the Father, are not to be persecuted – but they are not to be believed.  Jesus is all.  Those who know Him know this; they indeed have His anointing in their hearts.  This “anointing teaches [us] about all things and is true.”  It is this knowledge of His salvation, of His glory, which John instructs us to remember: His Word grows in our hearts.  But again, this Word is not a weapon for the persecution and destruction of others – it is the means for the manifestation of light. Remain in Jesus, brothers and sisters, and eternal life with the Father will be assured you. ******* O LORD, help us always to proclaim Jesus as the Christ.  YHWH, we must indeed acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, as your only Son, as God Himself, and rejoice that your saving power has come to us through Him.  And His anointing will rest upon us, the Holy Spirit will be with us to guide us in all things – we will be one with you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John has prepared His way and in the sight of the nations His glory has been revealed.  None can deny His divinity, except he be a liar.  And to these we must not listen, LORD, but only to the teaching of your Church.  For upon your apostles rests the anointing that is from above, and if we are to find our way to eternal life, no other voice should we heed. John has indeed cried out the way we all must follow if we are to meet your Son and so you, Father.  O LORD, let us listen to the Spirit that is upon him.

(1Jn.2:22-28;   Ps.98:1-4;   Jn.1:19-28) “Remain in the Son and in the Father.” In our gospel John the Baptist tells the priests and Levites sent by the Pharisees, “There is… one who is to come after me – the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.”  This Messiah has come, “The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice,” David proclaims in our psalm, and continues to invite us to sing praise of Him.  It is the anointing that comes from Jesus that John, in our first reading, encourages us to hold on to, for it is true and leads invariably to the Father of all. We must come to the Father; we must find ourselves in the presence of all truth, in the hands of our Creator, who loves us beyond all telling.  And the way to the presence of the Father, in whom we find our true home, is Jesus the Christ.  He is the Son and the only one who can lead us to the Father, for He and the Father are inextricably one.  We cannot deny the Sonship of Jesus, His oneness with the Father – that He is the Christ, upon whom all true anointing rests – and come to know God.  Jesus is the means the Father provides to come to Him; it is through Him alone we find the promise of eternal life.  We must “remain in Him,” that we may “not retreat in shame at His coming.” Those who do not believe in Jesus, who do not recognize Him as the only Son and so only way to the Father, are not to be persecuted – but they are not to be believed.  Jesus is all.  Those who know Him know this; they indeed have His anointing in their hearts.  This “anointing teaches [us] about all things and is true.”  It is this knowledge of His salvation, of His glory, which John instructs us to remember: His Word grows in our hearts.  But again, this Word is not a weapon for the persecution and destruction of others – it is the means for the manifestation of light. Remain in Jesus, brothers and sisters, and eternal life with the Father will be assured you. ******* O LORD, help us always to proclaim Jesus as the Christ.  YHWH, we must indeed acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, as your only Son, as God Himself, and rejoice that your saving power has come to us through Him.  And His anointing will rest upon us, the Holy Spirit will be with us to guide us in all things – we will be one with you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John has prepared His way and in the sight of the nations His glory has been revealed.  None can deny His divinity, except he be a liar.  And to these we must not listen, LORD, but only to the teaching of your Church.  For upon your apostles rests the anointing that is from above, and if we are to find our way to eternal life, no other voice should we heed. John has indeed cried out the way we all must follow if we are to meet your Son and so you, Father.  O LORD, let us listen to the Spirit that is upon him.

Christmas 2020 Today as we start our Christmas season, we are looking at three Psalms which speak about the coming Messiah. This Messiah, we claim is Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. The Psalms are Psalm 2, Psalm 110 and Psalm 22! Come on in, and as you listen to the verses being read, try and pick out the verses speaking about the coming and life of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God's Son and God incarnate. Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Podcast as a MP3 file You can now purchase our book commenting on the Psalms! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!   Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!  

Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament, the one to whom every prophet and promise points. This Messiah perpetually comes in a surprising form, breaking our assumptions because he is so much better and glorious than we imagined, while...

Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Old Testament, the one to whom every prophet and promise points. This Messiah perpetually comes in a surprising form, breaking our assumptions because he is so much better and glorious than we imagined, while...

Mark 11:12-33 Who is This Messiah

12. Prophecies/ Fulfilled (Part 5) We are continuing to look at some of the words given as prophecy in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament, particularly concerning the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. We see together the fulfilment of words and promises spoken about down through the ages, as people looked to God to rescue them. Prophecy concerning events after the Messiah’s death a. Predicted: Messiah would rise from the dead. Prediction: Psalm 16:10; Psalm 49:15 Fulfilled: Matthew 28:2-7; John 20:19-29; Acts 2:22-32 b. Predicted: Messiah would ascend to heaven. Prediction: Psalm 24:7-10 Fulfilled: Luke 24:51-53 c. Predicted: Messiah would be seated at God's right hand. Prediction: Psalm 68:18; Psalm 110:1 Fulfilled: Mark 16:19 So what? In the last few studies in our Christmas 2019 series, we saw together some things predicted in history concerning the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Predictions made about Him before He was born. We only looked at a few of the 300 events predicted. Let’s look at these in summary together: The Messiah would be born of a woman - born of a virgin - in the town of Bethlehem. The Messiah would come from the line of Abraham and be a descendant of Isaac & Jacob - from the tribe of Judah and be an heir to King David's throne. This Messiah's throne will be anointed and eternal and his name would be Immanuel. This Messiah would spend a period of time away in Egypt. At the Messiah’s birthplace there would be a grand massacre of children. There would be a messenger sent who would prepare the way for the Messiah who would be rejected by his own people. The Messiah would be a prophet, preceded by Elijah and this Messiah would be declared the Son of God. This Messiah would be a Nazarene and bring light to Galilee. He would do this by speaking in parables and healing the brokenhearted. This Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, be called King yet also praised by little children. This Messiah would be betrayed for a sum of money which would be used to buy a potter's field. This Messiah would be falsely accused, He would be silent before his accusers who would spit upon and strike him. This Messiah would be hated without cause and be crucified with criminals. This Messiah would be given vinegar to drink, have his hands and feet pierced, be mocked and ridiculed and soldiers would gamble for His very clothes. Yet despite all this, this Messiah would pray for his enemies. This Messiah’s bones would not be broken but He would be forsaken by God Himself. Soldiers would pierce Messiah's side on His death and he would be buried with the rich. But there is more! This Messiah would rise from the dead and into new life! WOW! This Messiah would ascend to heaven where He would be seated at God's right hand. This Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin before God and therefore anybody can take on this Messiah as their Saviour and be restored back into a living and dynamic relationship with God. If you are not already in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there is no need to delay! If you want to turn to God there is no need for delay. You are separated from God now, but there is no need to be. God is ready and willing to take you as His own right now. Just ask and He will take you in and help you. If you want more information about this, use the Contact link above. That is all for today! Come back tomorrow to see more in our Christmas series 2019, looking at Jesus Christ, the promised one of God. Right Mouse click or tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Mark 10:32-52 Who is This Messiah

We started are Christmas series, titled “Unexpected” last week, which will go all the way up to Christmas eve, highlighting characters from the Christmas story, and the idea behind “unexpected” is that the Christmas story we celebrate of God incarnate, Jesus, the Son of God taking on flesh and entering into human history, is unexpected. Israel was expecting a Messiah at this time, who would come and liberate them from the Roman Government, and this Messiah would come in great strength, but Jesus rather came in great vulnerability as a baby. This Messiah was expected to come and overthrow the nations with the sword, and yet Jesus came and was pierced with the sword for the nations. Along with the Christmas story being unexpected, there was a period of time from the last book in the Old Testament to the beginning of the gospels, where God is silent for 400 years. No prophet arises to speak for God to the people in that time frame. And some of you this morning are in a season of life that seems that way. Where there is a hard season in life right now, perhaps the Holiday season brings up old wounds and hurts and it seems as though God is absent because of His silence. And what I am here to preach on today is not only what we all need but what the people of Israel in that time needed as well, and that is hope!

Mark 10:17-31 Who is This Messiah

Mark 9:14-29 Who is This Messiah

Have you ever wondered about the Word "Christ?" Today we dive in and take a closer look at this word and its significance. We begin by taking a look at Genesis 3:15 where we first get a promise of a snake bruiser. God promises Adam and Eve that a "Seed of the Woman" will come destroy the serpent (evil, the devil) once and for all, but This Seed of the woman would also be wounded. The Bible picks up this narrative in Genesis 49:10-12 "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk." Here God shows that The rule will not depart out of Judah until Shiloh (the messiah) would come. So now we have a picture beginning to form. This Messiah would destroy evil, be a king and be from the line of Judah. The Lord's Annointed were the priests (Exodus 28:41, 29:7) and the Kings (1 Samuel 9:16; 15:1; 16:12). And this is what David often referred to Saul as (1 Samuel 24:6; 24:10; 26:9; 26:11; 26:16; 26:23; 2 Samuel 1:14) David literally called Saul the Lord's "Messiah". But Saul was from the line of Benjamin, so He couldn't be "The" Messiah. But now David enters the scene, from the tribe of Judah, He has a scepter as king, and he is anointed... This might be the one! But He doesn't bruise the snake, instead he gives in. We reference Daniel 9:25-26 where the messiah is cut off, but not for himself. We also reference Isaiah 53 to show that He would bear our sins. We don't know who this Messiah will be until Jesus comes and is of the line of Judah, and claims to be a king and priest. Jesus comes, and is cut off on the cross for the sins of you and I, and we can be saved and remade if we will but believe that HE ACTUALLY DIED FOR OUR SINS, was buried and ROSE AGAIN! Questions: Twitter @AccessYM

The time is at hand. Expectations are running high. A critical mass of the population believe Jesus might actually be Messiah. How does Jesus signal the coming of his Messianic reign? He selects a... colt! A mini ride. No shades of triumphalism here. This is a clear message to the people that they should adjust their expectations. This Messiah does not come with dominating power. He comes with the gentle yet unstoppable strength of truth and love. What are you hoping for from Messiah?