Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Immanuel. God with us. What a powerful name! What a comforting name! At one point in history, Immanuel walked planet Earth and lived with man. Now, for the rest of history, he reigns from heaven, and his Spirit lives in us.
As we move through the week of Christmas, we are focusing on Jesus, the One Isaiah described as the “Prince of Peace.”
As we move through the week of Christmas, we are focusing on Jesus; the One Isaiah described as the “Everlasting Father.”
Jesus was not the Messiah the Jews were expecting. They lived under the oppression of Rome and longed for a political and military deliverer. The One who was born in a stable to a poor Jewish girl did not meet their expectations.
A few days ago, we focused on Isaiah 9:6 in a general way. As we enter the week of Christmas and zero in on Jesus, let’s drill down on each name the prophet uses to describe Jesus. Let’s start with “Wonderful Counselor.”
We are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. The penalty of our sin is death. But driven by perfect love, the just God became the Justifier. Being fully God, Jesus was the only One who could provide a sinless sacrifice.
A great teacher uses different methods to drive home the point. That’s what God did in the Old Testament. He communicated his message in a variety of ways. Sometimes he used visions, dreams, and supernatural interventions. Other times he wrote the law on tablets of stone and delivered it to the people by his servant Moses. Then there were occasions when God spoke through the prophets by sending warnings and encouragement.
Then one day, studying Scripture, I learned that nothing could separate me from the love of God found in Christ alone. It was like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. That day, on a hot parking lot in Dallas, Texas, I understood that I was a child of God and would forever be!
God loves us.
That’s an amazing truth, isn’t it? The eternal God has deep affection for you. He wants you to be his child. He longs to have a personal relationship with you. He desires to show you his great love.
God is always with us. He is the mighty one who saves. He rejoices over us. He quiets us with his love. He exults over us with loud singing. That’s amazing love!
Our Sin-Bearer paid the penalty for every morsel of juicy gossip, every white lie, every murder, and every despicable action of man. And when we trust in Jesus’ death as our own, he throws our sin into the depth of the sea. He puts it behind his back. The God with perfect memory chooses to remember our sin no more. Forgiveness is love in action!
God’s love is amazing! While we cannot fully grasp its depth, we seek to understand as much as we can. A. W. Tozer explains God’s love in his book The Knowledge of the Holy. I’ll summarize the thoughts of the great theologian in today’s devo.
Jesus was a great teacher, but education was not the reason for his coming. Jesus was a great leader, but simply learning leadership principles from the life of Jesus misses his primary purpose.
Seven hundred years before Jesus brought eternal joy, the prophet Isaiah told us that the Messiah was on the way. These titles describe the Messiah’s character.
For the joy set before him, Jesus took on the cross for us (Hebrews 12:1-2). Christ the Lord is the One, the only One, who delivers true joy to the deepest part of our hearts.
Why did God become flesh? Why did God humble himself to become a man? The writer of the Hebrews tells us that it was for the joy of providing man the way to God (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Jesus approached the cross with joy! Think of that! With joy, he took our sins and paid the penalty so we could have eternal life. True joy is ours in Jesus!
In this fallen world, we are either directly or indirectly impacted by the sin of others. But in this under-the-sun life, Jesus brings the joy of an above-the-sun perspective. He is at work! That is the basis for real joy!
In a world seeking identity, satisfaction, and security, only Jesus delivers true joy. The joy Jesus gives is not the momentary heartfelt happiness of opening a thoughtful Christmas present or, much better, watching our children and grandchildren open their gifts.
From the first moment of the miraculous conception, Jesus humbled himself. He was “made in human likeness” to die in our place on the cross. He gave his life as our substitute to make it possible for us to have peace with God.