When God Comes Near, Part III

Hi everyone. Thought I would wrap up this three-part Christmas Bible Insight before we ring in the New Year. That means today or bust; now or never! So hold on. Here we go!

As we saw previously, when God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning. Also, when God comes near, insignificant people are used for His purposes. When it was time for Christ to be born, God didn't send Gabriel to Rome or Damascus. He didn't even send him to Jerusalem. No, it was little Nazareth and lowly Bethlehem. When it was time for Christ to be born,  God didn't send Gabriel to visit kings or religious leaders. No, he went to visit a poor carpenter and a lowly peasant girl. And despised shepherds were given the "good news" to deliver to the people.

Likewise, when God comes near, insignificant events are filled with power. The big events of the day would be plastered all across the front page of the morning papers in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. You would read all about the census. It may even mention the enormous influx of people and catch everyone up on how the economy is fairing because of the people and all the money being spent in local businesses. But a baby born to a poor carpenter? At best you might find it in the “living section,” somewhere around page 5 in section D. Most people wouldn’t see it as important enough, even though it was unusual, having occurred in a stable.

But that one event, the birth of Christ, would ultimately overshadow everything else that went on there that day. The rest of the news that day is gone. The census that was taken is only known because of the role it played in bringing Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. It was just a minor detail in the great event. What everyone remembers is the birth of Jesus, the birth of our Lord and Savior. That is the most important event of the day! Why? Because God came near and a Savior was born.

An ordinary event. Yet to the believer, an event that is anything but ordinary. God came near and prophecy was fulfilled. God came near and a virgin was "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), conceived, and gave birth to the Savior: "So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7).

God came near and lowly shepherds were visited by angels, who commissioned them to bring the good news of the birth of the Savior to the people (Luke 2:17). God came near and wise men from the east saw a star that guided them to the Savior (Matt. 2:1-2, 9-10). God came near and Joseph was warned in a dream about King Herod and fled to Egypt with Mary and the baby Jesus to keep Him safe (Matt. 2:13-15).

Think about it. God started to save the world with the birth of a baby. Another event about thirty-three years later would finish what God started that first Christmas morning. That baby grew, and though Jesus "knew no sin," He became "sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). The birth led to the cross, providing forgiveness of sin and salvation for you and me.

A birth and a cross, filled with power! That is what happens when God comes near. He takes events that most people would ignore, and fills them with power; His power! He moves in places we would least expect. He uses people we would ignore. He brings events to pass in order to meet our needs. That is what happens when God comes near.

Charles Spurgeon, once while testing the acoustics in Agricultural Hall in London, rang out over the empty building, "Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world!" A workman up in the ceiling heard the message, was convicted, went home, knelt before the Lord and found salvation. God took an insignificant event, filled it with power, and brought salvation to this man. That is what happens when God comes near. (Paul Lee Tan, "Spurgeon Tests the Acoustics," Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Assurance Publishers, Rockville, Maryland, 1979, #5869, 1318-19)

Christmas is about God coming near to us. The message is that all places, all people, and all events matter to God. You matter to God! We tend to see ourselves as insignificant. In the greater scheme of things, in this world we think we are of little importance. But you are just the person God most wants to use to accomplish His purposes.

Have a little faith. Let Jesus have all of you. And let the Lord God use you to His glory. Amen.

When God Comes Near, Part II

When God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning, like Nazareth and Bethlehem, along with the lowly stable where Christ was born. We saw how that was true in Part I of this Bible Insight. But not only does God give meaning to insignificant places, when God comes near, He also uses insignificant people for His purposes.

The important people of the world were Caesar Augustus and Quirinius (Luke 2:1-2). They were the movers and shakers. Like E.F. Hutton, when they spoke, people listened. They could call for taxes and the response was, “So let it be done.” But they weren’t called on by God. He used them in a way, but He didn’t call them to do His work. No, He called on the common folk when His work needed to be done.

First, there is the young poor couple from Nazareth, Joseph and Mary (vs. 4-5). Joseph was but a poor carpenter, albeit a good one, and Mary was just a young teenager. Yet they were chosen by God for a great work; a work that would ultimately change the entire world. They were upright, humble, and faithful, but the important thing to note is that God chose them.

God also chose the shepherds: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (v. 8). Throughout the Bible, shepherds had important roles, as we see in this story, but socially they were outcasts. They were considered unreliable, untrustworthy, and larcenous. In the eyes of the world they were insignificant, yet God chose to use them.

The shepherds were surprised at what they saw and heard that night: “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger” (vs. 15-16). They never expected to hear such things or see such sights, but they did!

God chose the despised shepherds to carry the announcement of the birth of the Savior to the world. And they did not disappoint. “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (v. 17). “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (v. 20).

Even the lowly innkeeper was chosen by God to see that Mary and Joseph were not left out in the elements that night. The innkeeper is so insignificant a person, he is not even mentioned in the text. There is only a slight reference to his role: “because there was no room for them in the inn” (v. 7b). That is why they were in the stable and why the manger came into play. Yet it was this unnamed innkeeper whom God used to protect the baby Jesus and keep Him warm.

Still today God uses common people to accomplish His purposes. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

God uses places like Stanzel, and churches like this one, and people like you, to do His bidding. Simply respond to God as Mary did to the angel, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Respond by faith in that manner and humble yourself before the Lord God, and He will respond to you and use you to accomplish His will. He will ask you to do His bidding in some manner, and He will use you to accomplish His purposes in your life and in the lives of those around you. Amen.

When God Comes Near, Part I

The Christmas story has everything a great story needs. There is conflict and fear, as well as amazement as the story begins. There is an upright man who is engaged to be married, but he finds out his wife-to-be is with child. What should he do? How will he handle this most delicate situation? Then an angel appears in a dream and tells him of wondrous things he couldn’t even imagine. (Matthew 1:18-25)

There is concern, as well as anticipation as the story continues and a census is ordered by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1). Joseph and Mary make a long, treacherous journey from Galilee down to Judah, to the city of Bethlehem, the city of their ancestors (vs. 4-5). During that difficult journey they had to be looking forward to the birth of their son, God’s Son.

There is drama throughout the story, from the journey itself, to their arrival in Bethlehem where the streets are crowded with all sorts of people and there are no rooms available in any of the inns. Seeing that Mary was with child, a kind innkeeper allows them to stay in the stable out back, where soon Jesus is born (v. 7). It wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for a delivery room!

Then there is also political intrigue; a government wanting to eliminate anyone that might affect the status quo and a king seeking to find and kill this baby, a baby people refer to as a King (Matthew 2:13). Again, danger is in the mix as eventually Joseph, warned in a dream, has to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee for their lives to Egypt (v. 14).

And yet the Christmas story is really quite simple and straight forward. The whole saga begins in an insignificant village, Nazareth, when an angel of God visits Mary and Joseph separately. It ends in another insignificant little town, Bethlehem, when baby Jesus is born in a stable and laid in a manger, which is also an insignificant place.

But that is what makes everything about the Christmas story so intriguing! In insignificant places, Nazareth and Bethlehem, God finds and uses insignificant people, a carpenter and his betrothed wife, and through an insignificant event, the birth of a baby, He changes the world!

The “happening” places of the world at that time were Rome and Syria. The world rulers lived there. That was all that mattered. No one gave much thought to Palestine, tucked away in a small little pocket of the Roman Lake, also known as the Mediterranean Sea; that is, except God.

When God comes near, everything changes. When God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning. And that is what really matters. When God acts, the important places become less important and the insignificant places of the world suddenly become important and are noticed.

The Christmas story focuses on little places—towns, villages, small cities, and other places that people usually ignored. Places like Nazareth and Bethlehem. When the census was ordered (Luke 2:1-2), “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.” (vs. 4-5).

Nathanael once asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). That is how the world viewed these small towns—as insignificant. Yet it was in Nazareth where God found Mary, a faithful woman, and Joseph, a faithful man, and put His work of salvation in motion. Yes Nathanael, something good can come out of Nazareth.

Likewise, Bethlehem is called “the city of David” because David was born there, but it really was not a city of any noticeable size and it had no great importance as far as the world was concerned. This little village was actually known for sin and rebellion against God (see Judges 17-18 for one story and 19-21 for another story). Yet a third story that takes place in Bethlehem is that of redemption (see the Book of Ruth). And it is here that the birth of Christ takes place.

God takes the common things of the world and gives them meaning. When God comes near, common things are no longer common. When God comes near, insignificant places are remembered throughout history. When God comes near, ordinary things are looked upon with favor and even remind us of the great things God has done. Everything is given meaning when God comes near.

When God comes near, He changes everything, and most importantly, He changes you. He makes you into a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what Christmas is really all about. It is about your life being changed by Christ and for Christ. Monday I will pick up on that theme and expand it further. Amen.

In the Eyes of a Shepherd

All was quiet. The night was silent. And suddenly, without warning, out of nowhere, “an angel of the Lord” (Luke 2:9a) appeared! But that is not all. God’s glory (v. 9b) lit up the sky! What a sight it was! The shepherds rose to their feet, startled by the sight. Fear began to overwhelm them (v. 9c). They did not understand what this was all about. And then the angel spoke.

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:10-12).

Now they understood. God had fulfilled His promise. The Savior had come. They hurried off into the night to meet the Lord, and it was not long before they found Him (vs. 15-16).

It was just as the angel had said. There He was before their very eyes, the Savior, Christ the Lord. They knelt before Him for a time in wonder and awe; and in worship. After all, He was their Lord and Savior.

When they returned to the hillside and to the sheep, they praised God all along the way (v. 20). They gave Him the glory, and they let everyone they met know about Jesus (vs. 17-18).

The gospel was made known that night. It was as the angel had told them: this night in Bethlehem a baby was born, “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (v. 11). The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior had come! It was as God had promised long ago.

They knew the Scriptures. They were all sinners in need of a Savior. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  (Rom. 3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). He was born in order to die for you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead? Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior? If not, you can pray right now and receive the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you finish praying to receive Jesus into your heart, let me know. I would love to hear from you and to have a chance to pray for you. Praise God for your salvation this Christmas. Walk with Jesus every day in the new year. Amen.

A Future and a Hope

We are home. Barb is doing great. She is walking everywhere again. Doctor Taner said she is doing better than expected. Her numbers are near perfect and she remains ahead of schedule. Doc called hers, "a miraculous recovery." She is still tired and full recovery is slower than she would like, but overall she is so much better. Her color is normal again and she looks great. No more constant sickness. She has been given a new lease on life! God is so good! As my title suggests, Barb certainly has a future and a hope! PTL!

Jeremiah 29:11-14a is usually associated with and primarily preached at graduations time. However, this passage has to do with much more than just graduation. It has to do with life in general and it applies equally to each one of us. In Christ, we all have a future and a hope that is certain. In Christ, we all have our identity. In Christ, we all live, and breathe, and move. In Christ, we all find our purpose.

Jeremiah knew that life would not always go so well, so he told us to look up. Always trust God and rejoice in all things because He has special plans in mind just for you. “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:11a). To discover those plans, we must follow three truths that Jeremiah lays out for us in verses 11-14a.

First, we must recognize that it is in God that we have a future and a hope. Verse 11 says, “Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” God has your back! Yes He does. Believe it or not, the Lord God has your best interest in mind. He has planned for your welfare. He has planned for you to succeed. He wants “to give you a future and a hope.” Your future lies in Him. So do not leave God out of the picture. To do so opens you up to certain calamity. But God does not want that for you. He looks forward to your success and He looks forward to helping you make a difference in this world.

Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). And in verse 19 he adds, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Now if God is the one who gives us strength, and if He supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus, then we can certainly accomplish great things through Him. Again, that means always looking up; always “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” (Heb. 12:2)

Live by faith in Christ, keeping your eyes fixed on Him, and you will do well. You will find all that God has for you. And remember, nothing is beyond hope when you trust in Christ and nowhere is beyond reach for God. Rely on Him and you will have a secure future.

Next, we must call upon God. The Lord continues in Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” How do you find the plans God has for you and how do you gain that future? By calling upon God. “Come and pray to Me,” says the Lord. And what? “And I will listen to you.” What a promise! Just ask, and He will listen and obviously, He will give you that future and hope—everything He has in store for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” God wants you to lean on Him. To trust in yourself brings failure. Success in all you do requires trust in the Lord. So trust Him “with all your heart.” “In all your ways,” every day, in everything you do, “acknowledge Him.” Then, in trust, call upon Him, pray, and He will hear from heaven and He will answer your prayers, giving you all He has in store for you. He has promised and His promises are true. He will deliver.

Finally, seek God and you will find Him. Again, the Lord God continues in verses 13-14a, “‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” If you desire the plans God has for you, and I pray you do, you will seek after God. You must! There is no other way to find God’s perfect plans, those special plans He has just for you. If you want your life to make a difference in this world, then seek after God. And if you do, God says you will find Him!

But you must seek after Him “with all your heart” (v. 13b). The “heart” is the center of your emotions. You must want God with your whole being. With all you are, seek God. If you do, again, as God promised, you will find Him. “‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord” (v. 14a).

Seek after the Lord and you will find Him, along with the future and the hope He has for you. Trust God and make a difference. Amen.