Favored

Luke 1:26-38[i]

Christmas songs are playing on the radio and in all the stores, songs about mistletoe, Rudolf and white Christmases.

We celebrate love and peace.  We celebrate the birth of a Savior.  We sing about peace on earth and joy to the world.

Truly, the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger at Bethlehem is worth celebrating.  He is God with us, Emmanuel, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  He is our hope and salvation, and represents God’s favor toward us. 

In spite of the celebration and the words we hear about God’s love for us, it may not seem that God loves us.  With all that happens in our lives and in our world, it can seem at times that God is not here.  Do we really enjoy God’s favor?  What does it look like to be favored of God? 

Mary was a young virgin engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.  She was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.  She, of all people, represents what it means to be favored of God.  Mary said of herself, “. . . and from now on all generations will call me blessed.”  When the angel greeted Mary, he said, “Greetings, favored woman!  The Lord is with you!”

Even this greeting shows Mary was favored of God.  As we consider Luke’s account of this moment in history, we will learn truths about God’s favor.

The first truth is, “It changes everything.”

Luke 1:29 tells us Mary was confused and disturbed by the angel’s greeting. Let’s consider this.

First, it was unusual to get a message from an angel.  Gabriel and Michael are the only angels named in Scripture.  Earlier in Luke chapter 1 Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and said of Himself, “I am Gabriel!  I stand in the very presence of God.”  An important messenger delivers important news.  The appearance of an angel or angels usually causes fear.  The importance and appearance of the messenger would have been unsettling for Mary.

The greeting the angel started with was also strange to Mary.  He started with a greeting that meant grace and favor and named her as one who was favored of God.  Then he stated, “The Lord is with you.”

The next verse tells us she was trying to figure out what such a greeting might mean.  In other words, this was not a typical greeting. 

Both the message and the messenger signaled that this was a major event.  Mary’s world was about to change.  In fact, this greeting signaled the beginning of events that would change the world forever. 

There are moments and events in all of our lives that come as life changers.  These events can be either good or bad, but they are events that leave us disturbed and wondering, trying to figure out what these things mean.

The question is, “Can we trust God?”

The angel reassured Mary.  “Don’t be afraid, Mary.”  (Luke 1:30) 

The Lord Jesus reassured His disciples.  “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.”  (John 14:1) 

The Lord God reassured Israel.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

The Lord reassures us.  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”  (Romans 8:28)

The message the angel brought was just as astonishing as the greeting had been.  He said:

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  (Luke 1:31-33)

Again, Mary was left confused and wondering.  So, she asked a question.  “But how can this happen?  I am a virgin.”  (Luke 1:34)

The angel then explained one of the greatest miracles that God ever performed.  He said:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.  (Luke 1:35)

This was so amazing that the angel gave this important additional piece of information.  “For nothing is impossible with God.”  (Luke 1:37)

When Zechariah received the message that he would have a son in his old age he did not believe it.  Consequently, he was stricken and unable to speak until the child was born.  When Abraham received the message that he would have a son in his old age he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. 

These events are similar to events like Israel standing at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army coming behind them, or David facing Goliath.  They are all beyond human capabilities. 

We all have one big issue that is beyond our capabilities.  The issue is sin.  We can do nothing to save ourselves from sin. 

The similarity in all these events or situations is that we must trust what the angel said, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  God parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh’s army.  God enabled David to defeat Goliath.  God gave Isaac to Abraham.  God gave John to Zechariah.  God washed away our sins with the blood of His own Son.

We all face events or news that will leave us confused and wondering how these things can be.  The question is, do we believe God like Abraham or doubt like Zechariah? 

Mary chose to believe and accepted the news with grace.  She said, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May everything you have said about me come true.”  (Luke 1:38)

The greeting Mary received signaled a big change.  The news was beyond human capabilities, and now we see that it would cost her everything.

Before we talk about the cost, let us consider what she was gaining.  She says in the verses that follow:

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.  How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!  For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.  For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.  He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.  His mighty arm has done tremendous things!  (Luke 1:46-51)

Mary was gaining the biggest blessing and privilege of any person in history.  She was to be the mother of the Savior of the World, God in human flesh.  Her Son was the Son of the Most High God.

However, consider the cost. 

People would look down on her.  Her own fiancé was going to divorce her quietly because of the pregnancy.  The only thing that stopped him was the intervention of a messenger from God.  Mary’s word was apparently not good enough.  The Bible does not tell us what other people thought, but even today, many people do not believe that Mary was a virgin.

Besides the cost of community acceptance, Mary suffered.  This is what was prophesied of her, “. . . a sword will pierce your very soul.”  (Luke 2:25) 

We assume this meant that she would have to watch her Son die on a cross.  However, we do not know what she had to suffer as the mother of the Son of God.  This one prophecy gives us an idea that she suffered greatly as opposition to the ministry of Jesus grew to the point of His murder.

Mary did not know what the cost would be, but her response shows that she understood what was required of her.  She said, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May everything you have said about me come true.”  (Luke 1:38)

Mary classified herself as a servant.

The word is slave.

In a culture and age where slavery was an institution enforced by the government, being a slave meant to be wholly owned by someone else and to be entirely at their disposal. 

When God favors us, it costs everything.

Abraham left his home and family in Mesopotamia.  Moses gave up the riches and privileges of being a prince in Egypt.  Paul gave up being a privileged ruler of Israel.  Hebrews 11 speaks of people who paid the price saying:

Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips.  Others were chained in prisons.  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.  Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.  They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  (Hebrews 11:36-38)

God promises new life.  God promises eternal life.  God promises that in this world we will have trouble.  (John 16:33) 

God chooses that some prosper and have the world’s goods.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Job and many others were very prosperous.  This does not mean they did not suffer in their turn.  However, what we know of these people is that they were not their own.  They belonged to God.  Their money and possessions were God’s money and possessions.

What is troubling is the lifestyle that says, “I can accept God’s gift, but I am still my own person.  I like having my sins forgiven.  I like the idea of eternal life.  Heaven sounds wonderful.  However, tithing is a burden.  Fellowshipping with other Christians is a bore.  Trying to control my desire for sex, or food, or money, or acceptance, or what I want is not necessary.  Besides, God wants me to be happy, and this makes me happy.

Salvation is free.  It is a gift.  However, the Apostle Paul puts it this way:

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.  So you must honor God with your body.  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Christmas changes everything.  The birth of the Savior changes everything.  It was an event that was beyond human capacity, even bigger than the biggest events of your life.  The next time you face a life-changing moment will you face it like Mary did, “I am the Lord’s servant . . .”

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

Why Change?

John the Baptist was a great man.  He is called “the Baptist,” because his ministry was characterized by a call for people to be baptized.  Luke 3:3 says, “Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.”[i]  This baptism is how we distinguish him from other men named John, such as John the Apostle. 

John the Baptist did not write any Scripture.  The gospel of John, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd John and Revelation were all written by the Apostle John.  John the Apostle started out as a political zealot and ended up as the Apostle of Love.  John the Baptist was a wild man.  By “wild man,” I mean that he lived in the wild.  He wore clothes made for rough country and ate what food he could find in wild places.

John the Baptist apparently isolated himself for a time.  There is no suggestion of the length of time he lived in the wilderness.  However, in Luke 3:2 we learn, “At this time a message from God came to John, son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness.”  Receiving this message from God may have been part of the fruit of his isolation.  The Scriptures do not say this, but I imagine part of John’s living in the wilderness was his personal seeking after God.

We also see in these early verses of Luke 3 that John lived in a politically charged time.  We see names that are famous even in our day.  Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas are names famous in the story of Jesus.

John was born as the forerunner of Jesus.  This is what Luke 3:4 is referring to when it quotes Isaiah saying, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness.” This is the Advent Season and we are looking forward to the birth of Jesus.  The Advent is a time of preparing and anticipation.  It is a time for us to reflect and worship.  As we look at John as a forerunner, we are looking at this preparing aspect of his ministry.  However, historically the events we are looking at today actually took place almost 30 years after Jesus was born.  Historically, John and Jesus were born close in time with each other.

I began by saying, “John the Baptist was a great man.”  Jesus, Himself, said of John, “I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John.”  (Luke 7:28)  Luke 1:17 and other passages say that John would be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah who would prepare people for the coming of the Messiah.  Elijah was a great Old Testament prophet, and John represented the last of the Old Testament prophets.  However, John the Baptist did not perform any recorded miracles.  Elijah did.  Elisha did.  Moses and Jesus did.  But, John did not.

John came with a very simple message.  He came preaching, “. . . people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.”  (Luke 3:3)  John said more.  His head was chopped off because he told the king that he had no business marrying his brother’s wife.  He said more, but his message was one simple idea.  “People should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.”

John’s job as a forerunner was to announce the Good News.  He does this saying, “someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals.”  (Luke 3:16)

John’s message was simple, and his announcement was equally simple and direct.  He did not perform miracles.  Without miracles or a flashy show, this wild man with a simple message and simple announcement drew large crowds.

In our day of marketing, media and flashing lights it is hard to imagine something so simple drawing huge crowds.  However, I think people today hunger for something simple and direct.  A man who has isolated himself from the corruption and glamour of the world and in a simple straightforward way tells the truth is appealing.  The Gospel is powerful.  Before marketing, before preaching, before speaking, we need to take the time to get alone with God and hear from Him.  Even Jesus, the Son of God, rose a great while before dawn to be alone with the Father.  John the Baptist spent time alone in the wilderness, and left the wilderness after hearing from God.

We are busy.  We are busy, but not busier than Jesus was.  We make time for what is important to us.  I have worked with men who worked 60 and 70 hours a week, who made time to watch their favorite football team.  60 or 70 hours a week may be a light week for you, but I would still ask, “Are you too busy to seek the Lord?” 

All of us are drawn to the simple, straightforward truth of the Gospel.  Crowds flocked to John the Baptist just to hear that the Savior was soon to appear.  But, the reception they received was less than inviting.  While we are drawn to the Gospel, we can be driven away by the truth about ourselves.

Verses 7, 8 and 9 of Luke 3 are harsh, very harsh.  It says:

⁷When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes!  Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? ⁸Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.  Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’  That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.  ⁹Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.  Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

What a greeting!  “You brood of snakes.”  John was harsh.

These people were Jewish.  From the day they were born, they celebrated the Jewish Holidays.  They learned about the 10 plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea at Passover.  They learned about the 40 years in the wilderness and manna during the festival of Sukkot.  They knew the 10 commandments from the time they were children.  They knew God’s promise to Abraham, and were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.  John assaults their confidence when he says, “Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’  That means nothing.” 

We all put our confidence in something.  Many say, “I am a good person.  I have not done anything wrong.”  By wrong, they mean criminal.  We all like to consider ourselves good people.  But, our standard of good is based on our own ideas and not God’s.  Others count on the fact that they were baptized, or some other religious practice.

The people John the Baptist was talking to were the most religious people possible.  If anyone could be right with God by religious practice, surely they could have been.  However, all their religious practice proved is that one cannot be right with God by religious practice.  Galatians 3:11 says, “So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law.”

Writing in 1948, well know author and preacher A. W. Tozer, writing in his introduction to the book The Pursuit of God said:

The truth of Wesley’s words is established before our eyes: “Orthodoxy, or right opinion, is at best, a very slender part of religion.  Though right tempers cannot subsist without right opinions, yet right opinions may subsist without right tempers.  There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him.  Satan is a proof of this.”

Thanks to our splendid Bible societies and to other effective agencies for the dissemination of the Word, there are today many millions of people who hold “right opinions,” probably more than ever before in the history of the Church.  Yet I wonder if there was ever a time when true spiritual worship was at a lower ebb.  To great sections of the church the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the “program.”  This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service which now passes for worship among us.

The point is, all need a Savior.  There is no exception.  You and I, no matter how spiritual we may think we are, are entirely dependent on Jesus Christ for salvation.  That is why the coming of the Savior is such good news. 

John came with a simple message that drew hearts to hear more.  However, the nature of the message confronted all men with their sins.  The conclusion of the message was the need for change.

Change does not save us.  John says, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”  (Luke 3:8)  Salvation is found in turning to God.  Repentance is changing one’s mind.  I once thought I did not need a Savior.  I now see that I need a Savior.  I have changed my mind.  I once thought I was good enough.  I now see that my righteousness is as filthy rags before God.  I have changed my mind.

John tells the multitude that baptism means nothing if the evidence of change is not there.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 

We are talking about this kind of change.  James says it like this:

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.  Good for you!  Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  How foolish!  Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?  (James 2:19-20)

In John’s day as in ours, if we have truly repented and turned to God, our lives will show it.  Do we change in order to be saved?  No, rather, change is the evidence that we have repented and turned to God to be saved.

John came to prepare the way for the Lord’s arrival.  We still need his message today.

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[i]  Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

The Morning Light from Heaven

Luke 1:67-79[i]

What does it look like when the world hates you?

The Nazi regime targeted the Jewish people during the WW II era.  Millions died.  The Nazi death camps are still well known, and horrifying pictures from those camps are still available.  Is this what it looks like when the world hates you?

In 2001 we watched in horror as airliners were flown into the twin buildings of the World Trade Center.  2,977 people died in those terrorists attacks.  Is this what it looks like when the world hates you?

In part, this is what it looks like when the world hates you.  Recently in California and Paris, we again saw the devastating effects of sin, evil and hate.

In 2011, there were 12,664 murders in the United States.[ii]  In the same year, there were 9,878 deaths from alcohol impaired driving.  These and other statistics like them are all the results of sin and evil in our world.

These numbers touch us all.  We all know someone who has lost a loved one.  Perhaps you have lost a loved one.

Jesus warned us, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”  (Matthew 10:21, ESV)  And, John the Apostle wrote, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”  (1 John 3:13, ESV)  The horrifying statics and the death on our news videos are the effects of sin and evidence of the truth of 1 Peter 5:8.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  ESV[iii]

If you are like me, we tend to think light of our sin.  Our anger or unforgiveness is justified.  Actually, we do not call it anger or unforgiveness when it occurs in ourselves.  However, we must consider the words of James 1:14-15.

¹⁴But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  ¹⁵Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  ESV

The connection between lured and enticed to burning buildings and highway deaths may seem farfetched, but this is where all evil starts.  It starts in the heart.

The passage we are looking at today reminded me of the darkness from which we are saved.  If there were not darkness, we would not need a Savior.  Our hope and rejoicing are great because the victory is great.  Our hope and rejoicing are great because our need is great.

Zechariah’s song, found in Luke 1:67-79, is a joyful, triumphant prophecy of the coming of a Savior.  Verse 67 tells us that Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy.  All true prophecy comes from the Holy Spirit.  Men moved by the Holy Spirit record the message God wants to deliver.  This is what prophecy is.  2 Peter 1:20-21 says:

²⁰knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.  ²¹For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  ESV

Up to the time of Zechariah, Israel’s history included plenty of suffering.  Zechariah says, “Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hates us.” (vs 71)  He also says, “We have been rescued from our enemies.”  (vs 74)  Because of the suffering, because of the enemies and hate, Zechariah had reason to rejoice in being saved from these things. 

This is why I started with the question, “What does it look like when the world hates you?  Moved by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah addresses the issues of enemies and a world that hates God’s people.  The world hated God’s people in Zechariah’s day, and it hates God’s people in this present day.  As we look at Zechariah’s prophecy we will see how Jesus has overcome the world and its hate for God’s people.

We see this in the praise that Zechariah offers.  He says:

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.”

There are two parts to this praise.  Part one is that God has visited his people, and part two is that God has redeemed his people.

This visitation is Immanuel, God with us.  In describing this visitation Zechariah says, “He has sent us a mighty Savior.”

John the Baptist was the forerunner of this visitation.  Zechariah describes John’s ministry as a forerunner when he says:

⁷⁶“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. ⁷⁷You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.  ⁷⁸Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, ⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”  (Luke 1:76-79)

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us.”  God’s visitation means the forgiveness of our sins.  To live in bondage to sin is to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.  Because of Jesus Christ, we can be set free from bondage to sin.  He guides us to the path of peace.

Psalm 23 says:

“He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”  KJV

This is what His visitation means.  In a world that hates us with an enemy that seeks to devour us, we have the presence and protection of a mighty Savior.

The second part of the praise is that He has redeemed His people.  This is what ties us to the promises.  This Savior sent from God is from the royal line of his servant David.  This means a lot to us because we have been bought with a price and are now part of the family of God.  2 Peter 1:18 speaks of this redemption when it says:

¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  ESV

 All the promises of God now apply to us because of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This is what 2 Corinthians 1:20 means when it says, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.”  ESV   

Just as God delivered Israel from Egypt at the cost of Egypt’s firstborn son, God has delivered us from slavery to sin at the cost of His first-born Son.  So, when Zechariah says, “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant.”  We are partakers in those covenants.

So, in spite of the darkness and evil around us, we can join with Zechariah in praising God for the great salvation He has brought to us.

However, we must understand there is a now and a not-yet element to this prophecy. 

The now part of the prophecy is our spiritual salvation and inclusion in the covenants and promises of God.  Hallelujah, our sins are forgiven.  We have been given new life.  We have the Holy Spirit, and have even been made partakers in the divine nature.  Because of these things, we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those that love Him.

The not-yet part of the promises are also many.

The fact that the Savior is from the royal line of David points to His rightful position on a throne.  Although He sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us, all of His enemies have not yet been made a footstool for His feet.  (Hebrews 1:13, Colossians 3:1)  He does not yet sit on a throne on earth with all the world subject to Him.  This was foretold in Daniel 7:27, which says:

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.  ESV

Isaiah 2: 2-4 also speaks of this future day when it says: 

²It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, ³and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”  For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  ⁴He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ESV

There is a day coming when there will be no more crime, hate, murder and trouble on our streets.  There will be a day when there will be no more sin in our hearts.  This is the not-yet part of this prophecy. 

We still eagerly wait for this day.  Every year when we put up our Christmas trees and decorate our houses, we point to our eager hope and expectation that Jesus will come again.  This is what Philippians 3:20  is talking about when it says, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”

The world and its ruler are going to try to distract you from this hope and expectation.  Let the praise of Zechariah’s song remind you of why we celebrate.  Let this encourage your heart.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded/expanded-homicide-data

[iii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

The Promises

People lose hope.

Christmas is the season of joy, peace and celebration.  However, many do not feel joyful during this season.  The reasons for this lack of joy are as varied as the individuals we are talking about. 

This year there will be some going through Christmas without a loved one.  Having observed the holiday for years with the same person, this year the loved one is no longer there.

This year some will be exhausted by the busyness of the season.  Concerts, children’s plays, family gatherings, church gatherings, shopping, decorating and the endless expectations rob the season of its joy.

Some do not have fond memories of holidays past.  Family conflict, splitting holidays between homes and other difficulties mar the season of joy and peace on earth.

We live in a world damaged and torn by sin.  Sickness and disease attack our bodies.  Hackers and viruses attack our computers.  Thieves steal our identities.  Terrorists attack our cities.

Jeremiah prophesied in Israel during a very dark time.  In Jeremiah 33 verse 1, we find Jeremiah confined in the courtyard of the guard.  He was in prison in Jerusalem.  He was in prison because he said they should surrender to the Babylonians.  The Babylonians had surrounded the city, and were building siege works.  Inside the city, the Israelites were tearing down houses and even the king’s palace for materials to strengthen the walls and fight the Babylonians.  It was a dark time, and Jeremiah spoke for the Lord saying:

You expect to fight the Babylonians, but the men of this city are already as good as dead, for I have determined to destroy them in my terrible anger.  I have abandoned them because of all their wickedness.  (Jeremiah 33:5)[i]

The Lord is frank with us about dark days.  The Bible speaks of the wrath of God being revealed against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.  I will not try to look at all the verses that speak of darkness, but l will use Isaiah 8:20-22 as an example.  It says:

²⁰Look to God’s instructions and teachings!  People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.  ²¹They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry.  And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God.  They will look up to heaven ²²and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair.  They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Trouble, anguish and dark despair describe much of what happens in our world.  This darkness makes the message of Christmas that much brighter.  If we were not in darkness, we would not need light.  As it is, Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” 

With a backdrop of deep darkness, Jeremiah says, “The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them.” (Jeremiah 33:14) 

Our hope is in the promises of God.  Jesus died for our sins, but we still wait for the day when we will be sinless.  Jesus promised to prepare a place for us, but we still wait for the day when He comes back to take us home. 

God promised to bless all the nations on earth through Abraham’s seed.  We now know that the promise is true through Jesus Christ our Lord.  God promised to remove our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  We now know that this is accomplished through the death of Christ on the cross.

The Lord reminds us of His promises and says, “The day will come when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised.”

Remembering the promises is the point of the season.  We need not lose hope.  God has triumphed over the darkness.

Jeremiah 33:15 points to the source of victory.  There is one central promise that is the key to all the other promises.  All the promises of God, hang on this one promise.  Jeremiah looks at the darkness surrounding his city.  He looks at the army getting ready to invade, and says, “We have reason to hope.”   Jeremiah 33:15 is talking about the great light those living in darkness will see.  It says:

In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line.  He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

This descendant of David is the key to the promises of God in which we hope.  This descendant of David is the one on whom all our hopes rest.  From the time of creation, this was God’s plan, and He made it happen.

When God created man and woman, He placed them in the Garden of Eden.  God placed the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the garden, and forbade them to eat of it.  He did this to test them.  They chose to eat of the tree bringing down the curse about which God had warned them.  At that time, God made a promise.  He said, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”  Genesis 3:15

This offspring of the woman is the One we are talking about.

Later, God chose a man named Abram, who lived in Mesopotamia.  He chose this man and gave him a promise saying:

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you."  Genesis 12:3

These blessings would come through Abraham’s offspring.

Abraham had a son named Isaac.  Isaac had a son named Jacob.  The family was aware of the promises God had made to Abraham.  So, when Jacob was on his deathbed he prophesied about his son Judah saying:

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.  Genesis 49:10

This one to whom the scepter belongs is the One we are talking about.

When Israel was preparing to invade the Promised Land, Balak King of Moab, hired a seer named Balaam to curse Israel.  Looking out over the camp of Israel from a mountaintop, Balaam was inspired by God to say:

"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.”  Numbers 24:7

What he saw is the star of Jesse, a descendant of Judah.

Many years after Jacob and Judah had passed and gone to heaven, a descendant of Judah named David was anointed king over all Israel.  God spoke to David saying:

Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.  2 Samuel 7:16

The songs of Israel are full of references to this ruler who was to come from David.  Just one example of many is Psalm 89:3-4:

“The LORD said, ‘I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant.  I have sworn this oath to him: I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’” 

In the dark days Israel was facing, Jeremiah took them back to these promises.

In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line.  He will do what is just and right throughout the land.  Jeremiah 33:15

The birth of Jesus, the shepherds, the wise men, the manger, the star and the angels are all about this One who was promised.

For the one who has lost a loved one, there is hope.  Because of Jesus, we will see our loved ones again.

For the one fighting sickness and disease, there is hope.  Jesus is our healer, and He promised He would never leave us.  He is with us in our suffering.

What about Peace on Earth?  We have peace in our hearts because of Jesus, but our world is not experiencing peace.  What about, “the government shall be on his shoulders?”  

Jesus is the descendant of David, promised so long ago, but His earthly kingdom will not be set up until He returns. 

Jeremiah 33:16 is about things yet to happen.  It says:

In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety.  And this will be its name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’ 

 Do not give up hope.  “That day” has not yet arrived.  Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there (Philippians 3:20).

Along with the promises of His birth and lineage, there are many promises still being fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled.  We will see Him coming on the clouds with glory.  He will set up His throne and rule with truth and justice.  Do not give up hope. 

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  2 Peter 3:9

Do not let television, movies, radio, music and the culture define for you what you should expect from Christmas.  There is no hope in that.  Please understand me.  I celebrate Christmas wholeheartedly: buying and giving gifts, decorating, baking, singing, lights, tinsel and candy canes.  And, the reason I celebrate is the hope that I have in Christ.  There is trouble in our world.  Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.”  And, in the same breath he said, “But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)

I want to leave you with two thoughts.

First, Jesus said:

¹“Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me. ²There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  ³When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  John 14:1-3

Second, Paul said:

¹⁸Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.  ¹⁹For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  ²⁰Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse.  But with eager hope, ²¹the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  Romans 8:18-21

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.