To Know Him and to Be Like Him

Through His Word God's purposes are discovered. Study His Word and you will begin to understand what He desires for you—to "know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10, NASB). God's purpose is for us to be saved and "to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29b). To know Him and to be like Him. That is what God wants for each one of us.

Consider Jeremiah's words, and pay special attention to the greater context of what he said. Jeremiah also makes clear the truth that God's call is on your life as a believer. The context of his words is his prophecy that the exiles will return from Babylon in seventy years. "For this is what the LORD says: 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will let Myself be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile'" (Jer. 29:10-14, NASB).

Jeremiah is speaking here of God's specific plan for His people Israel. His plan for Israel involves a Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. His plan for Israel involves blessing all nations of all times through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection the third day. Our forgiveness at the cross and our salvation in Christ is all part of that plan. So the application of these verses in Jeremiah expands to include all of us.

These verses go hand in hand. God says to us, "For I know the plans that I have for you" (v. 11). He also "has saved us and called us with a holy calling… according to His own purpose" (2 Tim. 1:9). So He has "called us" according to "the plans" He has for us. He has "called us" to fulfill His "plans" in us. Plans that stretch throughout all eternity. Plans for a special relationship with each one of us. Plans for us to become like Jesus (Rom. 8:29b). And all of this is revealed by His Spirit: "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:10a). Amen.

A Savior, Who Is Christ the Lord

"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). Such was the announcement the angel gave to the shepherds who were "watching their flock by night" (v. 8).

The word that night when Jesus was born wasn't given to the king; it wasn't given to the High Priest. The angel didn't appear before the leaders of government or the religious leaders of the day. No, the angel appeared before a group of lowly shepherds to announce the birth of the Savior. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (v. 11).

Shepherds were a lowly group. They were looked down on with disgust. They were despised by most, many believing they were nothing more than liars and thieves. They were the last people anyone would expect to be the first to receive such a glorious announcement. No one would ever believe anything they said. Such was the belief of the day. Yet, it was precisely to this band of shepherds to whom the angel came to announce the birth of the Savior.

And where would they find Him? "In the city of David" (v. 11a). They would find Him in Bethlehem, the city of David's birth. Thus, these lowly shepherds were sent into the lowly little town of Bethlehem, a small town of littler to no significance. Again, the last place anyone would expect such a great event to occur. Surely the Savior would be born in Jerusalem or another great city. But no, He was born in a small town of no consequence.

But that is not all. The angel told them to look for a newborn baby: "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" (v. 12). "In a manger" (v. 12b), a feeding trough for animals. The Savior of the world was born in a lowly stable out behind an inn. A dusty, smelly home for animals! That is where they would find the Savior. And they soon discovered that He was born to a lowly couple; a poor shepherd and His betrothed teenage wife.

But what was significant was who this baby was: "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (v. 11b). This baby would grow up, living a perfect life. He shed His blood and died on the cross, a substitute for you, paying the penalty for your sin, bringing you forgiveness and new life. Just believe in Him, in His death and resurrection and confess His name, and you will be saved. Can you trust Jesus today? Have a Merry Christmas! Amen.

In Christ You Are Redeemed

Understanding God's call on your life is crucial for every believer in Jesus Christ. God's call rests on everyone who is "in Christ." With fifteen occurrences, the key phrase in Ephesians is "in Christ" or "in Him." "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). In Christ you are both redeemed and forgiven. That is why Paul prayed "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:17).

When you trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior you are "in Christ" and "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). In Christ you are changed, and you become a child of God: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). In Christ the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you: "The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:17).

Every true believer knows something about the salvation God has given them in Christ. They know the gospel message, "that Christ died" on the cross "for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3), "and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day" (v. 4) defeating death itself. They know they are saved by God's grace alone through faith in Christ: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). But what many do not realize is that when God "saved us" He also "called us… according to His own purpose and grace" (2 Tim. 1:9).

God's purpose for your life is far greater than you can even begin to imagine. It is beyond anything you have ever dreamed of. Listen to what Paul says: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9). God has plans for you that are literally beyond belief. And He reveals those plans to you by His Spirit as you need to know. Paul explains, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (v. 10). The Spirit searches the depths of God's truth and reveals His purposes and His plans to us.

Again Paul explains: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (vv. 11-13). That last phrase is rendered, "combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words" in the New American Standard Bible (NASB). "Spiritual words" explaining "spiritual thoughts"—that is the inspired Word of God (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 1087).

You are redeemed in Christ. Therefore, you should live your life every day in Christ. As Paul says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16). Amen.

God's Word Lights Your Path

Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Every day the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer, speaks God's thoughts to us. He speaks to our inner spirit. Do you hear God speaking to you? You may not hear a verbal voice speaking out loud, in fact you most likely will not, but in your heart you should hear His voice calling every day.

Jesus said, "When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13). The Holy spirit within speaks God's truth to us. When it says, "He will guide you into all truth" (v. 13a), it refers primarily to Scripture. The main avenue through which God speaks is His Word. When we read it, study it, and memorize it, the Holy Spirit makes its meaning clear and understandable. He guides us in knowing the Word and He empowers us to live the Word.

The Bible guides us in nearly every aspect of life. The Bible says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Bible provides guidance in all things. It teaches us God's truth as to how we ought to live. It reproves us when we are doing wrong. It corrects us and helps get us back on track. It instructs us in the way we should go. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word" (Ps. 119:9, NASB).

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Prov. 3:5-6). When you trust in Christ and seek to follow Him, He will speak to you and guide you in the way you should go. If you are listening, God is calling. Habakkuk understood this truth and he responded, "I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected" (Hab. 2:1). When Christ was transfigured before him, Peter declared, "We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed" (2 Pet. 1:19). God is calling. You would do well to listen and take heed. Amen.