Good Afternoon Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
First, I wish all your families and you a very Merry Christmas! I pray it is one of great love, peace, and joy in our Savior. Much shalom!
This and next week we’ll be celebrating the birth, some 2000 years ago, of Jesus the Christ, our King, Lord, Redeemer, and Savior. Christmas for Believers is a wonderful time in which we can enjoy our families and friends and enjoy presenting gifts to one another in celebration of the wonderful and timeless gift God, our Father, gave to us in Jesus – life everlasting with access to ALL that God owns in Heaven and in the earth. Yes, I’ve written before, it is all yours (read John 16:13-15, Romans 8:17, and Revelation 5:12).
The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John testify of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The four gospels give us a distinct understanding of the lineage of Jesus, the different roles of Jesus, and for whom each gospel was written:
Son of David – Heir to the Throne (Matthew)
Son of Abraham – Heir to the Promise (Matthew)
Son of Man – Heir to the earth (Luke)
Son of God – Heir of God and a Servant (Mark)
Son of God – Heir to all God has (John)
Gospel of Matthew written for the Jewish people
Gospel of Mark for the Romans
Gospel of Luke for the Gentiles
Gospel of John, the book that defines Jesus’ divinity, is written for all men, but it has a Jewish focus, too.
Matthew declares Jesus’ kingship. Jesus’ genealogy goes back to Abraham from Whom God declared kings would come from His loins.
Mark declares Jesus as the Son of God and a servant.
Luke declares Jesus as a man, Son of Man. Jesus’ genealogy goes back to Adam, the first man.
John declares Jesus as God.
God gave us Jesus Christ so He could restore us to spiritual fellowship with Him through the unblemished Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the fire of judgment was always greater than the sacrifice. When the fire fell, it consumed not only the sacrifice, but the altar and all around it (I Kings 17, Elijah). In the New Testament, the Sacrifice is greater than the fire of judgment. The Sacrifice, Jesus Christ, remained after the fire fell and then said, “Finished!” Praise God for His divine and wonderful plan which the Godhead put in place before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23).
Jesus, Who is Grace, came to fulfill the Law and give to us Grace, which is unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor, from the Father. Grace came with complete protection, deliverance, healing, and spiritual and material prosperity. Under the Law, we saw God’s hand. Under Grace, we see God’s heart.
Jesus, in giving us Grace, also modeled how we think, talk, and act in the Blessing of the Lord. He came to remove “FEAR” from us. The Blessing will convict you. The Law will condemn you. God doesn’t want to beat us into willingness and obedience. He wants to draw us into it through lovingkindness. This is God’s heart of Grace.
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real
Fear is of Satan. Faith is of God. Fear is a mirage. It’s not real unless you make it real. In order not to fear and accept the mirage, we must walk in faith – fully persuaded of God’s Word. Otherwise, fear will grip you, and, if allowed, wreck your life on this earth. Our precious Father wanted to deliver us from this by sending His Son to redeem, or to purchase us, from the clutches and destruction of sin and fear – the curse.
Desperate prayers are not prayers of faith. They’re prayers of unrest, labor, fear. We’re not operating from victory, as we should be through what Jesus has already done for us. We’re praying for a victory that has already been won.
The more we worry about something, the more problems we’ll have with that something. The devil sees it and he’ll attack it even harder. Our worry opens the hedge like Job’s worry did. Jesus came to give us rest through His already accomplished works. We’re to enter into His rest.
As we enjoy the next couple of weeks, let’s remember, thank, worship, honor, glorify, and praise our Father for His wonderful gift of Jesus Christ, and let’s do the same for Jesus, who willingly left His Father, became our sin and our judgment for us, which separated Him from His Father for three days. When Jesus was praying and asked God, “if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me….,” Jesus was not asking His Father to skip out on the physical horrors and pain of the persecution and crucifixion. He didn’t want to be separated from the love and presence of His Father for three days. Amazing, amazing love for both you and me and for His Father. And for the Father to give of, punish, and be separated from His Son for three days. It was done for YOU and ME. That’s how much God the Father and Jesus the Son loves us.
Merry Christmas in Christ Jesus.
Larry