Pressing Forward in 2008

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Looking back, would you have ever imagined all of the things that have happened in the course of one year? At the end of each year, I like to take time to reflect on the major events that happened. It helps me to see the hand of God leading me through valleys and up mountains. At the beginning of the year, I preached a message entitled “Blessings from Heaven in 2007.” Certainly, we have all been blessed in many different ways. For me, God gave me a deeper understanding of life by giving me a wife and a home. He also taught me how well He comforts His children during the loss of a church member and grandparents. Every year has challenges and God’s greatest desire for us is that we may know and understand Him (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

It would be easy for us to grow stagnant and paralyzed by the events of 2007. Some people will want to live in the past and forget there is much more to learn in the present and future. Everyday is an opportunity to learn which creates vitality in a person’s life. Have you noticed that those who refuse to learn often are bitter and mad? Be careful not to be paralyzed by the fear of the future or in your present condition. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8). Remember the Psalmist’s words, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4).

With yesterday behind, we have a fresh start to make a difference in this world for the glory of God. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He was telling us that He was fully persuaded that His life was in the hands of God. He feared God above all others and was totally committed to do what He asked of him while he was on earth. The Apostle Paul was powerfully motivated by the Holy Spirit. He knew that he had been saved by God’s grace. He knew that he had a home awaiting him in heaven with the Lord for all of eternity. He knew that there was a place called Hell where every person who did not repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ would live eternally separated from God in torment. With heaven awaiting him, he knew that he could not waste a moment being paralyzed by the things of the world. He knew God and realized that the only hope for the lost world was the good news that Jesus came to saved people from their sins!

As 2008 approaches, where does God fit into your plans for this year? Are you confident in your salvation? Are you sure that you have peace with God in your heart? Being born again is where life begins. I hear many people say that they have been saved or born again maybe once, twice or three times, but their lives are filled with a lack of love for God and His church. You can only be saved once and the evidence is a changed life. God gives you a new heart and new start. He also promises you an eternal home with Him when this life is over (1 Peter 1:3-4). Where does this leave us? If you know that you have made peace with God and that you have an eternal home awaiting you in heaven, what are you going to do with the time that God blesses you with?

Time. Everyone thinks that they will grow old and slowly pass away. Some do and some do not. The writer of Proverbs 27:1 reminds us, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth.” Whatever amount of time that you and I have left, it should be devoted to growing closer to the One who holds tomorrow, living as Jesus would each day and helping those who are in need around us. Until our Lord Jesus Christ returns, let’s press on to make His name great in 2008!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)

Are you beginning to feel the surge of the Christmas rush? For many, the Christmas rush began the first day after Thanksgiving. The shopping malls began to extend their hours by opening up early for those crazy enough to get up for the morning specials, and now they are staying open late for the last minute shoppers. You can literally shop yourself to exhaustion. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas are turning into a spectacle of lights with credit cards getting maxed out and tons of presents under the tree. According to society, the climatic moment is only a few days away.

What if every home on the corner didn’t have any lights hanging? What if you were going through a difficult time financially and could only afford to buy your meals this Christmas? What if you had someone in the hospital or had lost a loved during this year that was not going to be at the family gathering? Could you still have a Merry Christmas? If your standards of Christmas are based solely on the next few days of joy and excitement, then the Christmas message has been lost in your home. Every child loves to get presents and to know that they are loved. Parents love being able to give their children their needs and a few of their wants. These next few days are precious moments where families become close, love begins to abound and the hustle and bustle seems to cease for a few days. However, what will you and I be doing on December 26th when the celebration is over?

The real meaning of Christmas is not found in the city lights of Main Street but in a lowly manger. God had been speaking throughout the years that a Messiah would be born who would take away the sins of the people. He promised Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would crush the head of Satan. He later promised Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. God promised King David that his throne would be established forever. This promised person would be born by a virgin birth. He would also be born in Bethlehem. His name would be called Immanuel meaning “God with us”! God had dwelt with the children of Israel in the tabernacle and the Temple, but now He would come to dwell with us. What an overwhelming thought that the God of all Creation would take on the form of man!

As the Son of God entered the world, He came for a specific purpose. He came that we might know God. First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Although you and I have failed miserably in living up to God’s standard of holiness, God in His mercy and grace sent His only begotten son to this earth to wear the sinner’s crown. He came to bear our sins. From his birth in a manger, he was showing us that He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Through His birth, sinless life and death, we can now be reconciled to God. The greatest thing about God’s gift to man is that you do not have to have a dime in your pocket. God does not look on the outward appearance but directly at your heart. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalms 34:18).

The birth of Christ changes everything. Its truth can bring hope to the hopeless, possibilities to the impossible and peace to the hearts of men. When the Christmas rush ends, remember that everyday is a day to celebrate the greatest gift—eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s Son!

A Name above All Others

Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Have you ever been interested in studying your ancestry to find out all of the people that you have descended from? For most children, they could care less about anyone beyond the grandparents that spoil them and the parents that feed them. All those outside the immediate family are only blurs that you might see occasionally at a family reunion or on a holiday. Studying your family lines may seem to be a boring task, but much can be learned from studying your descendents.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the New Testament opens up with a list of names that seem to be a mile long. If you happen to read through the Bible on a yearly basis, you probably skip over the genealogies because this person begat this one and that person begat that one and then they died. It could be very monotonous reading unless you look a little deeper to get the full meaning. Every name has a special significance. In Proverbs 22:1 we learn “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.” We can either have a good name or a bad name, and how we live our lives will shape the only precious thing that we will leave behind.

The first name that we notice in Matthew’s genealogy is Abraham. He was the father of faith though he came from a pagan home (Joshua 24:2). He believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness (Gal 3:6). The next name is Isaac. He is well known for asking Abraham, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7)? Abraham told him that God would provide Himself a lamb. Third, Jacob grew up as a deceiver most of his life until he became a believer when He saw the ladder from Heaven one night (Genesis 28). He went on to father the twelve tribes of Israel. The forth person on the list is Judah. He had two illegitimate sons with Tamar the harlot. This might be getting a little too graphic. Let’s go a little further. Rahab is listed in verse 5. She was the harlot who hid the spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. She had heard of the living God of Israel, was converted and her family was rescued from destruction. Another questionable person is Ruth. She was a former pagan who married an Israelite, lost her husband, and eventually was redeemed by a man named Boaz to become the grandmother of King David. God’s grace was working in the activities of these lives to bring about His promises in the fulfillment of His Son’s coming to earth.

The point of the genealogy is to prove that the bloodline of Jesus came through King David and Abraham. He was the promised seed that God told Abraham “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). God later promised to David that He would establish the throne of His Kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13). All the promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. His name is above all others. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Whether you are like Abraham who lived in a home that didn’t worship God or like David who believed yet failed God many times, let’s respond with faith and humility this Christmas saying, “Who am I, O LORD my God?” What can we give to God in exchange for His great love for us? Your name does matter in the eyes of God. The most important place it can be written down is in the Lamb’s Book of Life which records all those who have been saved by God’s grace. Many may look at your family tree one day and only see a blemished past, but it is how God sees you that will forever last.