Love

What do you think of when you hear the word "Love"? Assuming you are married, I'm sure you love your husband or wife very deeply. If you have children, I'm sure you love them as well. Children tend to love their parents and grandparents. But take it to a whole new level and a question arises: do you love Jesus? Do you know Him as your personal Lord and Savior? If you do, then you should love Him deeply with all your heart.

Sunday, December 24 will be the fourth Sunday of Advent. The Bible theme this Sunday is LOVE. Again, there are several different directions I could go with this, but as I thought about love, I thought about the greatest love there is. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). That means the greatest love ever shown to us was when God the Father Sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our forgiveness.

With this being Christmas, That truth sends me to Isaiah 9:6-7:

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 You might ask, "what have theses two verse to do with love?" God loves us so much He sent us Jesus. He was born in a stable and laid in a manger (feeding trough for the animals) for comfort (Luke 2:6-7). An angel announced His birth to shepherds who were watching their flock at night. They immediately  ran to Bethlehem to witness this great event (Luke 2:8-16).

Isaiah 9:6-7 kind of tells the whole story of God's great love for us. "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given" (v. 6a). That first Christmas morning so long ago was the beginning of God revealing how much He loves us. He loves us so much that Jesus, the Son of God, set aside the glory that was His in heaven and became one of us (Phil. 2:5-7). He was born that morning so long ago to walk this earth with us and to die on the cross to provide salvation for us (v. 8). That is true love.

As you follow through these verses, they take you through His life, His death on the cross, His resurrection the third day, and His ascension back to heaven. Isaiah then jumps ahead to the time just after His return, His Second Coming. It is then that the "government will be upon His shoulder" (Is. 9:6b). Then "His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (v. 6c).

He will then reign in peace, to which "there will be no end" (v. 7a). He will sit on David's throne and rule "over His kingdom" (v. 7b). He will bring "justice from that time forward" which will last "forever" (v. 7b). It will all be carried out by "the zeal of the Lord" (v. 7c).

Among the Christmas songs and hymns, there is one from the late 1800s entitled, "Love Came Down at Christmas." Starting at the incarnation, the birth of Christ that first Christmas morning, God  has shown how great a love He has for us. You might say that God poured out His love when Jesus was born that first Christmas morning. Amen.

Joy

What is joy? When you think back on times of great joy in your life, what brought you this joy? A wedding, the birth of a child, birthdays as the child grows, spending time in loving fellowship with your wife or husband, graduation day? Or various holidays can fill us with great joy, especially Christmas, Mothers' Day or Fathers' Day.

Sunday, December 17 will be the third Sunday of Advent. The Bible theme this Sunday is JOY. Again, there are any number of directions I could go with this, but when I thought about joy, I could think of no greater cause for joy than the Return of Christ to take us to be with Him forever. My thoughts then turned to Zechariah 9:9-10:

                        “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

                        Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

                        Behold, your King is coming to you;

                        He is just and having salvation,

                        Lowly and riding on a donkey,

                        A colt, the foal of a donkey.

                        I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

                        And the horse from Jerusalem;

                        The battle bow shall be cut off.

                        He shall speak peace to the nations;

                        His dominion shall be 'from sea to sea,

                        And from the River to the ends of the earth.'"

On Palm Sunday, Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of we call Passion Week. Oh, the great rejoicing among all the people! This was in direct fulfillment of this passage in Zechariah. You may recall how it was the Babylonians who came in, sent the people into exile in Babylon, and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Eventually, the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon and the people of Israel were allowed to return home and rebuild both the city and the temple. The Book of Zechariah and the Book of Haggai were written at that time to encourage the people in their rebuilding project.

The great joy of Palm Sunday turned to great sorrow on Good Friday with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. But, there was great joy among the disciples early that Sunday morning when they discovered that Jesus was risen from the dead. He is alive! He lives in our hearts! He came bearing salvation. He brings great joy to our hearts.

As we walk on this earth we must trust Jesus at every turn, always prepared to face everything in His power. As He leads us and guides us along the way, an attitude of joy should permeate our soul. As He answers your prayers and as He meets your daily needs, rejoice in Him. Joy isn't always shown through exuberant exaltation. It can simply be a quite assurance that we are in Christ.

Zechariah 9:10 can be confusing. It seems out of place. However, when you think about it, everything becomes clear. Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem to die on the cross and rise again for our salvation. He is about to make another triumphal entry: His Second Coming, when He returns as the conquering King. When He returns, He will set all things straight. There will no longer be any need for implements of war.

There will be no greater time to rejoice than when Jesus returns to take us home to be with Him forever. Oh, what joy will feel my soul! In the meantime, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, always keep one eye on the sky, watching for Jesus and keep joy in your heart. Amen.

Peace

What do you think of when you hear the word "peace"? What comes to mind? With Christmas coming soon, perhaps you think about a quiet family gathering around the Christmas tree, or a time alone enjoying the light snowfall on a cold winter's night? With all the violence in the streets and wars in both Israel and the Ukraine, it's hard sometimes to even imagine what a world of peace would even look like.

Sunday, December 10 will be the second Sunday of Advent. The Bible theme this Sunday is PEACE. We could go in any number of directions with this, but I would like to consider the peace that Christ brings. There are several different Scriptures that speak of peace, but I would like to look at one passage in particular that speaks directly of the fact that our peace is in Christ. Here it is:

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."

Therefore He shall give them up,

Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;

Then the remnant of His brethren

Shall return to the children 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 abide,

For now He shall be great

To the ends of the earth;

And this One shall be peace. (Micah 5:2-5a)

First we should define some words. Bethlehem was a small village. Though not used in this passage, "little" (2a) would describe a "village." The term "village" (qaphar in Hebrew) refers to a small, obscure, unwalled community outside of a much larger, more prominent, walled town or city (Smith’s Bible Dictionary – Village, 1901). The term is derived from the idea of its offering "cover" or shelter for the people who live there (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Village, 1915).

"Bethlehem" is from the root word bara in Hebrew meaning "to be fruitful." There were fruitful orchards and vineyards here. Specifically, "Bethlehem" means "house of bread." It is made up of two words. Beth meaning "house," as in Bethel, "house of God," and lehem meaning "bread." So the two Hebrew words taken together, Beth lehem, means "house of bread" (DesiringGod.org).

"Ephrathah," the original name of the region, tells us which Bethlehem is in view. There were two villages in Israel at that time known as Bethlehem, one in Judah and the other located in Zebulun. Judah is in the region of Ephrathah, so the birthplace of David, the little obscure village of Bethlehem in Judah is the one in mind in this prophecy. It is located about six miles south/southwest of Jerusalem, the larger walled city. (Ephrathah also means "fruitful" and comes from the same root word in the Hebrew).

So Bethlehem is a little obscure village in the hillside country just southwest of Jerusalem. It is a quiet and lonely place. Nothing great could be expected from this insignificant village. Yet it was here that the Savior was born! According to Micah's prophecy in our text this morning, the birth of Christ would take place in this little village of Bethlehem (v. 2a), and in the gospels this prophecy is fulfilled. So Bethlehem, the "house of bread" was the birthplace of the Bread of Life!

Micah turns to Bethlehem and speaks not only of Christ's birth, but the future peace He brings as well. He says that this Christ child is "the One to be Ruler in Israel" (v. 2b). He also identifies Christ as one "whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (v. 2c). He is eternal. He always was, He is, and He always will be.

"And this One shall be peace" (v. 5a). Oh, the peace He brings to those who love Him. If you trust in Jesus you will experience His awesome peace. You will experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7a). Amen.

Hope

What do you think of when you hear the word "hope"? What comes to mind? Christmas will be here soon. Is there something special that you really hope to receive? Or as you plan for the future, is there some particular place you really hope to visit, or something you hope to be able to do?

Sunday, December 3 will be the first Sunday of Advent. There are four consecutive Sundays of Advent leading up to Christmas day, each with a Bible theme. The theme this Sunday is HOPE.

There are many directions we could go with this, but I would like to consider our hope in Christ. There are several different Scriptures that speak of hope, but I would like to look at one that we probably don't often think of in terms of hope. Here it is:

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength; 

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

 We don't always think of this verse because we don't always think about needing renewed strength. As you grow older, you tend to tire easier. You need endurance. If you are young and active in athletics, you need muscle strength and coordination. When facing hard or trying times, you need mental or even spiritual strength. Let's look at the passage.

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. In ancient Hebrew, to "wait" (v. 31a) means to wait actively with anticipation, hopefully watching for God to act. We pray for our needs, strength, or endurance, then we actively wait on God's answer, knowing that He will give you the strength you need.

"Strength" (v. 31b) refers to power, might, or fierceness. However, this same Hebrew word also can refer to courage. In fact, courage is derived from strength, but not strictly from physical strength. It is God's strength, spiritual strength that the Lord supplies.

Note how Isaiah describes this inner spiritual strength and courage. "They shall mount up with wings like eagles" (v. 31c). Eagles fly high and fast, swooping down quickly for their prey, then back up they go high in the sky. That takes strength beyond measure, the type of strength God promises to give you when you wait on Him, trusting Him by faith and placing all hope in Jesus.

God also promised to give you endurance when you wait on Him. Isaiah said that when your hope is in God and you wait on Him, He will take care of you. Specifically, Isaiah said, "They shall run and not be weary" (v. 31d). Getting your second wind from the Lord ls an amazing experience.

Finally, Isaiah said, "They shall walk and not faint" (v. 31e). Again, in ancient Hebrew, the word "faint" means to be grieved or tormented or fatigued. Isaiah said, however, that if your hope is in Jesus, you trust in Him as your Lord and Savior, and you walk with Him daily, you will never tire. You will never tire of worshiping and serving Jesus. Amen.

Keep an Eye on the Sky

We should all be ready to meet Jesus, that is, all true believers. We should walk in the power of the Spirit, always keeping an eye on the sky, watching for Jesus to return and catch us up into the air to be with Him forever. That is how most true believers lived in the early New Testament church.

The believers in Thessalonica were becoming concerned. It had now been some time since Jesus rose from the grave and ascended into heaven. They were faithfully keeping an eye looking toward heaven expecting Jesus to return, while faithfully walking with Him. Like us, they fully expected Jesus to come at any moment and call them home to spend eternity with Him. But where was He?  Loved ones began to die. What would become of them?

Paul wrote the believers in Thessalonica to comfort those among them who mourned departed loved ones. Paul told them not to be concerned about their fellow believers who had died and were buried. He didn't want them to be sorrowful and mourn "as others who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13b). Then he made a remarkable statement of truth that must have sent shivers up their spine. "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (v. 14). That's right! We will not leave them behind, but rather, when Jesus comes back to gather us unto Himself, "the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (vv. 16-17). From that moment forward "we shall always be with the Lord" (v. 17b).

Peter spoke to this same issue when writing the believers who were scattered throughout Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). He told them to remember this truth: "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). He told them that God wasn't procrastinating or reneging on His promise, but was being "longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (v. 9).

Peter was telling them not to worry. The Lord's delay is to allow more time for people to be saved. In other words, He is not being slow or lazy; He is being longsuffering. He is making time to allow His kingdom to grow. He would prefer that none "should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Returning to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul was saying not to worry about your loved ones who have gone on before you. They will not miss out on anything. In fact, they will meet Jesus in the air before we do. When God calls us home, or when God summons us to heaven at His return, "the dead in Christ will rise first" (v. 16b) and the rest of us who are still alive "shall be caught up together with them in the clouds" (v. 17) to be with Jesus. We will spend all eternity with the Lord. These are to be words of comfort.

What Paul describes in these verses is often referred to as the "Rapture." The word rapture does not occur anywhere in Scripture. The Greek word used here is harpazo. It is translated as "caught up" in our English translations. Latin translates this word as rapturo, which is where we get our English word rapture.

The rapture of the church means that we will all be transformed; our bodies changed in an instant. "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-52). What better description can there be of the Rapture?

The Rapture will come as a surprise, perhaps when we least expect it. No one can know the day or the hour. It "comes as a thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2b). "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (vv. 4-6). So we are to keep an eye on the sky while walking in the Spirit, watching for Jesus to come and snatch us away. Amen.

The Heavenly City of God

John concludes Revelation 21 by pointing out the absolute glory of the heavenly city of God, indicating just how glorious heaven will be: "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light" (vv. 22-23).

All of God's people, all who have been saved by the blood of Christ, will walk in the light of God's glory forever (v. 24). Heaven has no temple, because there we will have the Lord God, Father and Son, whom we will worship. There is neither sun nor moon because the light comes from God. He is our light. Jesus is our light. 

Heaven will be so glorious that the city gates of this heavenly city of God will remain open every day, all day. In fact, "there shall be no night there" (v. 25). So the gates are always open. Anything that brings honor and glory will be allowed in (v. 26). But anything evil or sinister, "anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie" (v. 27a) will not be allowed to enter this heavenly city of God. Only the people of God, "those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life" (v. 27b), will be allowed to enter this glorious heavenly city of God. All glory and honor will be brought into the holy city through its gates which are never shut. No bad thing will find entrance. Heaven is all good and only true believers, God’s true people, will be there.

Of course, no description of heaven would be complete without mentioning the tree of life. Revelation 22 indicates that the tree of life is right in the center of everything. Coming directly from God's heavenly throne is "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal" (v. 1). This river of life was flowing right down the middle of the street, and the tree of life was on either side of the river, apparently twelve such trees because they yield twelve different fruits with "each tree yielding its fruit every month" (v. 2a). Its leaves were used for healing (v. 2b), not likely the idea of healing a wound or curing a disease, but the idea of therapy that promotes good health and wellness.

There will be no more curse (v. 3a). God and Jesus will be in our midst and we will serve Him (v. 3b). We will see Jesus face to face and our foreheads will bear His name (v. 4). We are His people and He will lay claim on each one of us by engraving His name on our foreheads. Jesus will make it clear that we are His people.

Again, what a beautiful place! Let your imagination run wild with the thought of heaven. It is the most beautiful and peaceful place you could ever imagine. The crystal clear “water of life” coming from the throne of God, the throne of Jesus, with the “tree of life” growing on either side of the river. The curse is gone! We will see Jesus face to face and serve Him gladly. No night, no day; God lights the way. No pain, no sorrow, no tears, just pure joy and blessing. And most importantly, heaven is forever! Just imagine; spending all eternity in the presence of Jesus. Amen.

The Joy of Heaven

It has been a long time since my last Bible Insight, four weeks in fact. For a month now, I have been out of pocket and unable to make any entries. I have spent this past month in two hospitals and one rehab center. This may sound crazy, but I believe I went three days and three nights with very little food or sleep. I was experiencing hallucinations everywhere I looked. I was seeing things that weren't there; things that didn't exist. Funny looking people who were all mute, were everywhere. They were all through my house, walking right through the walls. I would look out my living room window and they covered the yard. It seemed they wanted to harm me in some way. I knew they were not really there, they didn't exist, yet it seemed so real to me. It was a horrible experience. I can tell you this, I don't ever want to go through any such ordeal ever again.

Finally, I called the lead elder of my church and he tried to help me but I still saw them. I also grew so weak that I could no longer walk or even stand by myself. He took me to emergency at the local hospital, where I was admitted. I had a scrape on the back of my ankle. I had it treated, but it got an infection: cellulitis. The infection had worked its way to my brain causing the hallucinations. They began to give me antibiotics, but my heart started racing, beating at well over 100 beats per minute. So off I went to Mercy West Hospital in West Des Moines, where they were able to get my heart back to normal.

They then sent me back to Greenfield Rehab and Care Center. Finally, after about two weeks there, working with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, I am back home. And oh, how good it feels to be home again. If you listen to my podcast each week, where I upload my Sunday morning messages, you will see I haven't preached for five consecutive Sundays, but this coming Sunday, November 12, I will be back in the pulpit and my messages will again be available on my podcast (pastorlaott.buzzsprout.com). Now on to today's Bible Insight.

The saints that have gone before us, all believers who have already died on earth, will be in heaven awaiting the rest of us to join them. "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5:1). Jesus also assured His disciples that He was leaving for a purpose: "to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). And when He is ready He "will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (v. 3).

This is describing the present, original heaven, but change is coming. Peter reveals, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10). But God is all set to create a new heaven and a new earth, a new earth with "no more sea" (Rev. 21:1b).

There is "a new heaven and a new earth" (v. 1a). This heaven and this earth is destroyed and replaced! There is also a "New Jerusalem" (v. 2). The old imperfect is replaced with the new and perfect. So, heaven is indeed a new and beautiful place.

God is there to reside with us and to be with us, as He is our God (v. 3). All things good are in heaven. There will be no more tears because death and sorrow do not exist in heaven, so there will be no crying. Even pain is gone, never to be felt again. Those things will have all "passed away" (v. 4). The current heaven would also have no pain or sorrow. In that sense, it will be much the same.

This city that John saw coming down from heaven, "the holy city, New Jerusalem" (v. 2) is then described in detail; and oh, how beautiful it will truly be. Again, we see that heaven is absolutely beautiful, elegant, in fact. Not only is the "New Jerusalem" (v. 2) perfect in every way, but it is also elegantly constructed of fine, "pure gold, like clear glass" (v. 18b) or "transparent glass" (v. 21b), along with many other precious stones (vv.18-21).

How could anyone not long for such a home? Remember, Paul said, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). Heaven is ultimately our home; the home of every true believer. Amen.