Special / Holiday (Written)

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Luke 1:27
The Virgin’s Name Was Mary

(Read: Luke 1:26-38) One aspect of churches that hold to a literal interpretation of Scripture is, obviously, their focus on Jesus. He is the Grand Subject of everything going on in the Bible. Therefore, Bible-believing men and women will naturally direct their attention and adoration toward Him and what He has done.

Take Paul, the tireless apostle of Jesus Christ, who stated his thoughts on the matter clearly and precisely in several ways. Concerning the Person of Jesus, he said –

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11

Concerning the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, he says –

“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14

And this is not unique to Paul. Everything about the gospels, the book of Acts, and the other epistles finds its greatest focus on the Lord Jesus and what He has done. All other aspects of Scripture point to Him in one way or another, calling out for us to direct our eyes, our hearts, and our attention to Him.

The unnamed author of Hebrews states the matter so exactingly and concisely, that it is hard to imagine how people miss it –

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (BSB)

Let’s consider these words. Elsewhere, Paul says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Peter then explains that, specifically saying it is the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, by whom the men of God spoke (2 Peter 1:21).

As for Hebrews 12:2, we were instructed to fix our eyes on Jesus and that it is He who sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. It is Jesus, the God/Man, who is to be our focus even though Jesus is sitting at the throne of God.

And this is testified to by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit inspired what is written, and Hebrews 12:2 says that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, it means that the Holy Spirit is instructing us to do this. But more, even the Father has explicitly instructed us concerning the Son –

“While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’” Luke 9:34, 35

Nothing could be clearer. Jesus! It is all about Jesus! We are to hear Him. We are to fix our eyes on Him. We are to boast in His cross. We are to consider Christ as our Source of gain. We are to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and even to fellowship in His sufferings. This is what Scripture tells us.

Text Verse: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:1-5

John begins his gospel narrative with a note concerning Jesus, the Word of God, tying Him directly to the Creator God, Elohim, of Genesis 1:1. Notice the unmistakable connection –

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

John’s introduction of the Word, Jesus, and his note of the creation wrought by Him is to tell us plainly and unambiguously that Jesus is the Lord God of the Old Testament, having come in the flesh. No wonder the other writers of the New Testament admonish us as they do concerning where our attention is to be directed.

And yet, being misdirected away from this fundamental truth is the main goal of the devil to this day. It may be a direct attack, such as that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses denying the deity of Christ. It may be a diversionary attack, such as that found in the Mormons where Jesus was a man who became a god and that we too can be a god someday, ruling our own little universe.

It may be a subtle dismissal of the authority of Christ as is occurring in almost every mainstream denomination of the church today. Idols of perverted sex or the diminishing the God-ordained church hierarchy have become a substitute for allegiance to Jesus, the Lord God.

Instead, He is relegated to a sappy figure who will tolerate whatever evil inclination of the heart arises to permeate the congregation and, indeed, the entire denomination.

Sadly, another approach is to exalt others to positions of spiritual recognition that belong to Christ Jesus alone. This is a principal tenant of the Roman Catholic Church where the Pope assumes a primary role in mediatorial aspects of the faith, something that directly contradicts Scripture.

This is followed by lesser mediatorial roles assigned to saints and priests as well. But of all of their violations of Scripture, the most damaging is that of the worship and adoration of Mary. It is, literally speaking, a fatal flaw of their faith.

The amount of attention focused on her is so genuinely demeaning of the Lord that it is hard to imagine how those who are caught up in this overt cult will escape their just condemnation. She has supplanted Jesus in innumerable ways through their rites, rituals, and doctrines.

Sadly, this will bring condemnation on many who have never come to a saving knowledge of the only One who can bear their sin debt and who will then mediate for them before the Father. It is truly heartbreaking how misdirected people have become. And the prophetic word exactingly showed us in advance the state of the church as the end times approaches.

Let us hold fast to the faith we profess, meaning the eye-directed, ear-hearing attention that comes through embracing Jesus Christ as the Object of our hope and the Subject of our faith. This is the doctrine that is to be found in God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. What About Mary?

For simplicity’s sake, I went online and typed the words, “All References to Mary in Scripture.” The obvious meaning is “Mary the mother of Jesus.” Google, being rather slow at 5am, took 4.77 seconds to come up with “about 7,050,000 results.”

The first site that came up was maryimmaculate.tripod.com and the following was pulled from there. If it is incorrect in one place or another, please blame them. I like to be precise in everything I do, especially in regard to Scripture, but for the sake of the sermon today it isn’t of critical importance if they missed a reference or two.

My guess is that they did not. If they are trying to exalt Mary, they will do their best to ensure they have every possible detail available for that purpose. They appeal to the Old and New Testaments in order to exalt her to a point of adoration and worship. For example, they say that she is noted in Genesis 3:15 –

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15

Unfortunately for their argument, this is not speaking of Mary, except in an incidental manner. Mary is a woman and she would bear the Messiah, but the focus is actually on the Seed of the woman as opposed to the seed of man.

In other words, this is speaking less of a particular woman than it is speaking of One born of a woman but not of a man, meaning not having a human father. Therefore, woman is not the relevant point of the verse at all. It is the process involved and the theology behind the coming of the Seed of the woman that is being highlighted.

This is not discernable at this early point in the redemptive narrative, but in understanding the overall context of Scripture, this is what is being conveyed. No matter what, however, the focus is on the Seed, not the woman. This then follows along with the prophecy of Isaiah –

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

Again, the focus is on the Son. The sign is a virgin who conceives. A sign stands for something else; it is not the thing itself. In other words, her virginity is highlighted, not who she is. And even her virginity is only given to highlight and direct attention to a theological point being made. To understand the limiting nature of Genesis 3 and Isaiah 7, we can cite the words of Jacob from Genesis 49 –

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” Genesis 49:10

The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 excludes the seed of man. Hence, no person born of a union between a man and a woman will be the Messiah. Thus, all such unions are excluded. As noted, this will later be confirmed by Isaiah 7:14 where it explicitly states that a virgin will conceive. No non-virgin will bear the Messiah.

As every female ever born was born as a virgin, it could ostensibly be any woman up until the point that she was no longer a virgin who could bear the Messiah. However, we know from Scripture that a descendant of Abraham would bear the Messiah. Thus, no virgin outside of the line of Abraham could be the Messiah.

From there, that was further refined when Isaac was chosen as the son of promise. One must descend from Isaac to be considered as the Messiah. Again, that was later refined to mean one born of Jacob, who is Israel. Only someone born from the line of Israel could be the Messiah. Any virgin of Israel could potentially be the bearer of the Messiah at this point in the narrative.

With that clearly presented in Scripture, Jacob’s prophecy narrowed this down to the tribe of Judah. Therefore, any virgin of Judah, who is descended from Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham could potentially be the bearer of the Messiah. But this is then further refined in 2 Samuel 7 where the promised seed was to come through the house of David –

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-16

This is why, just before uttering his prophecy concerning the coming Son who would be born of a virgin, Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?” (Isaiah 7:13).

Isaiah specifically addresses the house of David because it was clearly understood from the words of 2 Samuel 7 that the Messiah would come through David’s house. Thus, any virgin of the house of David, which was of the tribe of Judah, and who came from Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham could potentially be the bearer of the Messiah.

Other prophecies within Scripture further refine the timing of the coming of the Messiah, the place where He would be born, and so on. But the focus is always on the coming Messiah.

Identifying Mary as a person to be worshiped based on these and other Old Testament references would be no different than identifying Bethlehem as a place to be worshiped. The attention is on neither. They are simply incidental necessities to identify the Messiah based on the prophetic utterances.

For example, in their quest to exalt Mary as worthy of worship, maryimmaculate.tripod.com cites Micah 5. Think on who is being highlighted and why the other references are given, such as Bethlehem –

“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.”
³ 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.
⁴ 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;
⁵ And this One shall be peace.” Micah 5:2-5

The claim by the website is that “she who is in labor” is referring to Mary. Even if this were true, the mentioning is incidental to the One who is being highlighted, just as Bethlehem is. But this incidental entity is not Mary at all. It is a reference that builds upon what was said in the previous chapter –

“And you, O tower of the flock,
The stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
To you shall it come,
Even the former dominion shall come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in your midst?
Has your counselor perished?
For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor.
¹⁰ Be in pain, and labor to bring forth,
O daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in birth pangs.
For now you shall go forth from the city,
You shall dwell in the field,
And to Babylon you shall go.
There you shall be delivered;
There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.” Micah 4:8-10

It is probable that, like Isaiah 7, the prophecy has a dual meaning. Hence, it could be speaking of the virgin birth. But in this case, Mary as an individual is not even a consideration at this point.

The website pulls out six references that they claim highlight Mary in Scripture. Actually, they only incidentally mention her but the main subject of each verse is the coming Messiah. Mary is never directly a consideration in any of them. After this, the website states –

“I have only included prophetic statements here, not the Old Testament types of Mary such as the Ark of the Covenant and the Daughter of Zion. I omitted the latter from this list because they are only implicit foreshadows – not explicit prophecies – of the Mother of the Messiah in Scripture.  However, they are still part of what God’s holy Word has to tell us about the Mother of Jesus, so the complete Old Testament revelation of Mary is by no means limited to the above six verses!”

This is a person that understands nothing of Old Testament typology. Referencing the Ark of the Covenant as being a type of Mary is as far from reality as would be saying that the Table of Showbread was a type of John the Baptist. The only thing these things foreshadow is Christ, His work, and His church in relation to His work.

The approach of the website’s author is what we might term “pick and choose theology” mixed together with “The Bible says what I want it to say.” In the site’s concluding statements, it claims –

The Old Testament prophesies of Mary in six verses. [Not correct]
The New Testament stories of Mary comprise about 129 verses in all, scattered over seven books. [Incorrect – Mary is incidental in most of them and the references in Revelation are not speaking of Mary.]
Mary’s own words are recorded in a total of fifteen verses. [Mostly magnifying the Lord.]
She is explicitly given seventeen names and titles. [Incorrect – the list repeats some and many are just descriptions.]
So she clearly appears in Scripture a lot more than just “three or four times”! [True, but when she is, it is never to exalt her personally. For example, when she says, “all generations will call me blessed,” it is because she was the bearer of the Messiah. Her favor is a result of her relationship to Him.].

Such evaluations of Mary are forced, they ignore the context of what is being presented, and they violate Scripture by redirecting the focus and attention which should be directed to the Lord and placing it on her instead.

Mary, like Abraham or David, was a person who was used by God to lead to Jesus, nothing more. The adoration and exaltation of Mary is no different than if someone were to adore and exalt one of these men. Let us consider this and never fail to offer our prayers, our praises, and our glory in spiritual matters to God alone, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I shall put enmity between you and the woman
An on-going battle through lengths of ages
Your seed, the unregenerate human
Who against me reviles and rages

But there shall come One, a Promised Seed
Who will crush your head for what you have done
Your days are numbered so take heed
In my mind the battle is already won

Jesus is coming to make all things new
This word is faithful, and it is true

 In the cross, a victory you will assume
A victory – yes – but not for you
After His cross and His tomb
He will arise and make all things new

Man’s redemption will have been wrought
By the Seed of the woman, My own Son
With His blood He will have bought
The right to man’s soul, the victory won

II. Mary’s Virginity. Why It Matters.

Some years ago, I was working at the wastewater plant on Siesta Key. At the time, we were very short-staffed, and I was working double shifts, sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. This lasted for about three months. In the evenings while working in the laboratory, I would have Christian radio on one of the shows that came on each day, Renewing Your Mind with RC Sproul.

Because of his clear thinking and depth of biblical knowledge, the areas of doctrine that he failed in were really maddening to me. I would often ask myself, “How can he not get this right?” But that goes back to his training in theology.

Unless you are grounded in your understanding of the word you will usually follow the ones who teach you. He did this to a T. Jim once went to a conference where R.C. was speaking and I said to him, “If you see R.C. Sproul while you’re there, please give him a big hug from me and then sock him in the jaw.”

One of the things he talked about one night while I was working in the lab was the virginity of Mary. He used several verses from 1 Corinthians 15 to make his point. There, Paul speaks of the resurrection of Christ and the importance of that to our lives as Christians. Those verses say –

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

R.C. then essentially said, “If you consider the virginity of Mary using this same logic, you understand how important this issue is.” Without attempting to change Scripture, but to make a theological point, he then substituted the resurrection with the virginity of Mary. His thoughts went something like this –

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if Mary was not a virgin, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact Mary was not a virgin. For if Mary was not a virgin, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

Again, this was not an attempt to change Scripture, but to make a point about Mary’s role in the process of man’s redemption. The virgin birth is actually that important. The main reason for this is that of the doctrine of Original Sin. Essentially, this doctrine teaches that our first father, Adam, fell. And in his falling, we fell with him. This is confirmed by David in the Psalms –

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5

As the psalms are a different type of literature, one might be able to say that David was speaking in a poetic manner about the level of corruption he felt in his soul over the offense he had committed. This would be incorrect, but it could be argued if there were no other clear indications of this doctrine in Scripture.

The story of Cain and Abel is strategically placed and carefully worded to reveal the doctrine to us. Immediately after the record of the fall and then man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the first account we read is that of the births of Cain and Abel –

“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” ² Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, ⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:1-5

Without any record of sinning on the part of either son, the narrative immediately notes that the sons brought an offering to the Lord, implying that appeasement between God and them was required. This becomes more evident when it notes that one offering was accepted and the other was not.

Unless there was a purpose and an intent that extended beyond the offerings themselves, there would be no need for the statement. As this is readily discernible, and because the record indicates no sin committed by either of the sons, the implication is that they were fallen, just as their parents were.

But these things are only implied in the passage, and it could be argued that we just don’t have the details right in our minds, or we missed some other point that shows this wasn’t the intention of Scripture at all. That would be incorrect, but it is not definitive enough to clearly express the doctrine of Original Sin.

However, we are not left without a clear treatise on the subject. That is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. There are several key verses, but they are interspersed in an overall context that should be considered –

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:12-21

The point of Paul’s words is clear and explicit and it tells us that because Adam sinned, all in Adam have sinned. Because all have sinned, all stand condemned. Adam’s one act of disobedience has spread both sin (the doctrine of Original Sin) and condemnation (signifying the universal need for a Savior) to all human beings. Paul’s words are built upon the theology that is clearly presented in Scripture, and which is explicitly stated by Jesus –

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

Jesus did not simply pull this out of the wind. He derived it from what is clearly taught from the very first pages of Scripture. With the introduction of the law, this state of sin and condemnation is only highlighted. That is why Paul said in Romans 4, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound” (5:20).

Original sin is implied in the requirements of the Levitical sacrifices in numerous ways, chiefly in the Day of Atonement observance, and it is hinted at in other ways as well. It is also seen and highlighted in the rite of circumcision as detailed in Scripture. The reason I say, “as detailed in Scripture,” is because other cultures circumcise, but not at the set time found in Scripture nor for the reason given in Scripture. The rite of circumcision was given as a sign –

“And God said to Abraham: ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; ¹¹ and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. ¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.’” Genesis 17:9-12

As stated earlier, a sign is not a thing in and of itself. Despite this, it is how the Jews treat circumcision. In essence, they say, “I am circumcised, and thus I am right before God.” In this, they use the physical cutting of the flesh and equate it directly to their right standing.

This is neither the purpose nor the meaning of circumcision. Rather, circumcision is given as a sign anticipating the coming of Christ, and it is why the virgin birth is absolutely essential to what God has done in Him.

Paul has shown that Adam sinned, that death is the result of sin, and that all die because all have sinned. Thus, all stand condemned. This is a simple one plus one type of equation. Adam sinned. Adam knew his wife and they had children. Adam’s sin spread to his children. His children died and their default position is condemnation.

Adam’s sin has continued to spread to each child that has been born since. Each child is born in sin and each child’s default position is condemnation. This is what Jesus explicitly stated in John 3:18 and it is what Paul lays out in detail in Romans 5.

But Jesus is a Man. If Mary was not a virgin, the sin of Adam would have transferred to her child. Her being a virgin is where the sign of circumcision finds its fulfillment. The account in Luke clearly details this –

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’
²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35

The record of her virginity stands as a witness that the Child born from her did not have a human father. It is also a witness that, like Bethlehem being the geographical point of Scripture’s fulfillment, she is the human focal point of the prophecies fulfilled in Scripture. And more, because the Holy Spirit, who is God, overshadowed her, the Child born to her is the sinless Son of God.

No sin transferred to the child because the sin comes from the union of a man and a woman. Hence, the sign of circumcision. As I said, a sign points to something else. The cutting of the male, in the spot where sin transfers during a union between a man and a woman, is a sign that points to the cutting of that line of sin in the coming of Christ.

Hence, you can see where R.C. Sproul’s logical statement applies. If Jesus Christ had sin, He would not have risen. But sin is not merely something that is committed. It is also something that is received. Hence, the doctrine of Original Sin is what is evident in Scripture, and it is what evidently needs to be corrected.

Jesus Christ was born without original sin, and Jesus Christ – as testified to in the gospel narratives – lived without sinning. As such, death could not hold Him. The first part of the equation is what is dealt with in the virginity of Mary. As stated before, without attempting to change Scripture, but to simply make a theological point about the virgin birth –

“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if Mary was not a virgin, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact Mary was not a virgin. For if Mary was not a virgin, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

Without the first half of the sin equation (original sin being imputed), there would be no need for even considering the second half, meaning that of committed sin. But with the first half out of the way, the Child of Christmas was conceived in the womb of Mary, at this exact time of year.

Nine months later, He was born in Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The sinless Son of God was born of a woman under the law to redeem those who were under the law. With that, God’s Christ continued to live without sinning, perfectly fulfilling the law that God had given to Israel.

And in His fulfillment of the law, He gave up His life in exchange for our sins. Thus, He alone fulfills the typology of the Ark of the Covenant. He is the embodiment of the law contained within. He is the incorruptible Man pictured by the acacia wood.

He is the divine God, pictured by the gold covering. He is the place of propitiation, pictured by the golden mercy seat. He is the One revealed in the two testaments of Scripture, pictured by the poles by which the ark is carried. And so on. To ascribe these things to Mary is the epitome of blasphemy because it deprives Jesus of the glory He alone is due.

We can remember Mary and consider the honor she had as the mother of the Son of God, but we can also remember Bethlehem and consider it in light of its honor as the birthplace of the Son of God. Where is our attention rightly focused? It is not to be on such things that are mentioned only in relation to Christ Jesus. Rather, it is to be on Christ Jesus alone. Indeed, let us fix our eyes on Him.

The story of Christmas is twisted, maligned, and misunderstood by so many. The story of Christmas is the moment when the sinless life of Jesus Christ was conceived in the womb of a virgin. He was the hope of Adam, the anticipation of Eve, the point of the rejoicing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jesus was the One David eagerly expected and He was the Glory heralded by all of the true prophets of God since the world began. He is the point upon which all of time and creation pivots. Without Him, nothing matters. But with Him, everything finds its purpose and value. He is our hope, our joy, our point of rejoicing in all things. He is the Child of Christmas. He is JESUS.

Closing Verse: “So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
²⁹’Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation
³¹ Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.’” Luke 2:27-32

Next week: Joshua 12:1-6 It’s a place where there’s lots of fun… (An Inheritance Toward the Rising of the Sun) (25^th Joshua Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He sent His own Son into the world to reconcile you to Himself. Remember the enormity of what that means each day of your life. And then, follow Him and trust Him as He continues to do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts

Unto us a Child is born
A time to rejoice and not to mourn

Unto us a Son is given
The One to lead us from death to a’livin’

And the government will be upon His shoulder
Every eye will see Him; every soul will be His beholder

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom’s realm
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever – He at the helm
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this

And His name will be called Wonderful
The Counselor and Mighty God is He
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, pure and white as wool
Of the increase of His government and peace, no end shall we see

Do not be afraid, for behold
I bring you good tidings of great joy
Which will be to all people, forever told
The wondrous story, the birth of a Boy

For there is born to you this day
In the city of David, a Savior, it is He
Christ the Lord whom heaven’s hosts obey
The Messiah has come; and now you may go and see

And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
Lying in a manger, a glorious view
The Christmas Child whom our Heavenly Father bestows

A Child like no other has come to dwell among us
He shall lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake
And His name is called out, His name is JESUS
Come, and of the Heavenly Child partake

He is God’s gift and heaven’s treasure
He is Immanuel – God with us
And He bestows upon us grace without measure
The Christmas Child, our glorious Lord – JESUS!

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Doug Kallerson

From the Chamber of the South
Comes the Whirlwind

Florida is a marvelous state. Its summers are not any hotter than most other places, they just go on and on (and, at times, on) longer than other places. The more difficult part of the summer weather is the humidity, but even that isn’t terrible once you acclimate to it.

On the other hand, while people up north are freezing in long, snowy winters, we are on the beaches or living out our lives in marvelous temps with low humidity and constant sunshine. While their ground is unproductive and their trees are void of leaves, we are coconutting in still-lush surroundings.

We are almost free of the things that many other states must constantly dread – droughts, earthquakes, blizzards, and so on. However, there is one calamity that Floridians joke about in the wintertime and fear its coming during the summer: the hurricane.

But even hurricanes are isolated events, and they have been shown to serve their own purpose in the bigger scheme of things. Because of the incredible devastation they bring, we normally only see their negative effects, but that is looking at God’s world with a myopic view of things.

After every such major event, people leave their classrooms and laboratories and head out to where the hurricanes have hit to study the effects of what occurred on the ecosystem. Scientific findings have shown us that there is a positive effect on the surrounding environment. Where we see carnage, the system that God has set in place finds benefit from these giant whirling storms.

Learning these effects will help us to better understand God’s healing powers that arise from the very storms that bring destruction and death. For example, from PNAS.org, we read one benefit derived from hurricanes –

“Despite the destructive effect of hurricanes on mangrove forests in tropical and subtropical latitudes, hurricanes are major drivers controlling soil fertility gradients in the Florida Everglades mangroves, and therefore represent a positive influence in maintaining observed mangrove spatial distribution and productivity patterns. Hurricane-induced mineral inputs to near-coast mangroves in the Everglades enhance phosphorus (P) concentrations in soils, increase plant P uptake, promote soil elevation gains relative to sea level, and facilitate rapid forest recovery following disturbance. The response of mangroves to large-scale P fertilization from hurricanes may be an important adaptation of neotropical mangroves in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean region to withstand the impacts of both sea-level rise and P limitation.”

Text Verse: God thunders marvelously with His voice;
He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
⁶ For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
⁷ He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
⁸ The beasts go into dens,
And remain in their lairs.
⁹ From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
¹⁰ By the breath of God ice is given,
And the broad waters are frozen.
¹¹ Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
He scatters His bright clouds.
¹² And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
That they may do whatever He commands them
On the face of the whole earth.
¹³ He causes it to come,
Whether for correction,
Or for His land,
Or for mercy. Job 37:5-13

God is aware of all things. Nothing happens apart from His knowledge, and nothing happens that is apart from His will. For those who understand this, even in our times of greatest trial, distress, sickness, or loss, that is a great and reassuring comfort. It is also something that we can cling to as we live out these lives in days that are uncertain, often confusing, and surely filled with trouble.

Mangroves are where so much life in the bays and coasts of Florida occur. Little creatures make their homes there, fish spawn in them, soil is captured by them, and new lands arise from the waters because of them.

Apparently, God knows when something is needed to help things like mangroves along and He has developed a means of providing that help on a massive scale. That is scary to humans who think we must somehow correct the natural cycle of things because we think we know better than He does.

We already know hurricanes are an expected danger. And yet, we still move onto the coastal islands and along the rivers and flood plains, hoping for the ideal spot to settle down, catch some fish, and show how “in control” of our surroundings we are. We can’t blame God for our choice of home. But that is often the voice that is heard just before, during, and after a hurricane. “Why, O God, did You allow this to happen?”

For my own part, and certainly for those who shared in last week’s events, I can honestly say that a lot of good came from what we might consider bad. Our house sure has a lot more sunshine coming down upon it now. The trees that might have died over the next few years, causing occasional interruptions in the regular routine of life all perished at one time.

Things that were old and no longer of use have been sorted out and eliminated from our lives. Lots of things that just needed to be done are all jammed into one quick event, and then life goes on. As a result, the mangroves have enough phosphorous to go wild for the next number of years, known to God, before He again sends another whirling monster upon our little haven by the Gulf of Mexico to rejuvenate things once again.

But something more than the surrounding natural effects upon the environment has occurred as well, hasn’t it? We have seen the better and worse sides of those we encountered. We have readjusted our priorities, at least temporarily. We have considered our end, at least for a span, so that we can contemplate what is most important. And, hopefully, we have brought the Lord God into more focus in relation to our lives.

Things such as these are indirect consequences of living through a large catastrophe. The wise will take heed and learn. The foolish will try to return to their vapid existence as quickly as possible without a moment of consideration concerning what might be learned and improved upon. The wicked will attempt to cheat others in their time of distress. And so on.

For those who have readjusted and determined to figure out what their lives mean in relation to both God and their eternal state before Him, there is the hope that they will do it right away before normality returns and life goes back to its regular, dull beat of daily tedium.

When that happens, the comfort of routine will steal away their current ponderings about what it all means. Hopefully, they will seek God while He is fresh on their minds and while He may be found. Or it may be that some now realize they need to get closer to the God they already know. That would be a nice bonus after the time of terror. “O God, I haven’t put you first lately. I want to correct that going into the future.”

If this is you, the only way you will really ever do this is by seeking Him out through His word.

God is.
God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is revealed through the word of God.

One cannot intimately know God without knowing and understanding who Jesus Christ is, and we cannot know a thing about Jesus Christ without knowing the word that tells of Him. Therefore, if you are that person who wants to know God, or if you are that person who wants to readjust and get closer to God, you will need to pick up your Bible and start reading it.

And because the Bible is a big and, at times, complicated book, we will be here to help you to learn it and revel in its treasures all your days. This is the ultimate purpose of the Superior Word. Everything else we do is in hopes of meeting that main goal.

As an example, the weekly Prophecy Report we do that seemingly has little value beyond a weekly reminder of how bad things are in the world was started for one reason and for one reason only.

When Mike the Webguy suggested we do it over a decade ago, I told him, “No, I want to focus on the word. I want people in the sermons because they are based on the word.” His response was, “If you do these weekly reports, people will watch your channel and start watching your sermons.”

That was all I needed to hear. We started them that week and we have done them every week since. And he was right. I can’t tell you how many people now read their Bibles every day who first started with clicking on the ear-tickling Prophecy Reports.

The ultimate purpose of sharing the word of God was met, even through these reports. The irony is that many of them who started by watching the reports no longer do so. Instead, they watch the sermons and Bible studies. Mission accomplished!

If we will just look, great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us consider that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Never Alone in the Storm

After Ian passed, many of us here in Florida had a lot of clean-up to do. Some more than others, but I don’t think any of us was spared a bit of backache. Along with that, most had the inconvenience of either no power or no water or maybe both. For some south of us, power will not be restored for many months.

This is life. This is how it is, and it is inconvenient, but it is what we get in a fallen world. The ease of life is overthrown by the calamity of the moment, and we are left wondering when normal will return.

But what is normal anyway? As bad as we may currently have it, what we have – right now in our time of “deprivation” – is actually much more than billions around the world have on the best of their days. We should consider that and thank the Lord for each blessing we do have. With that in mind, I will tell you a story from my own interaction with Ian…

Having driven around Sarasota, I can attest that our property suffered about as much damage as any in town. No complaints, just stating how it is. While Hideko and I sat in the house and heard really big trees split in two and fall around us, and as large branches snapped and bounced off of the roof, I remember thinking, “It will take months to clean this all up.”

I couldn’t imagine how it would all get done. I even thought, “It’s the beginning of October. I will need to tell people I probably won’t be answering emails until as late as November.”

Really, that’s what I was thinking as another and then another tree fell over. Palms are heavy and hard to cut. Those alone would be backbreakers. And several fell over. That was just the start of the mess.

Despite that, when the storm passed and it was quiet enough to drive on the road safely (well, almost), I loaded up the truck and started winding my way around downed trees. First, I went to check on my uncle’s house. It looked ok, but with lots of branches down. They’ll be fine. They can get a crew to take care of things when they return to Florida.

Then I headed up to the mall I take care of. It is my responsibility and so it needed to be tended to before our own home. Several trees were down, one huge light pole was lying in the middle of the road, and lots of massive branches had to be cleared off the parking – both in front and out back.

The light pole was first. It was dangerous to have that in the road. It weighed about 500 pounds, so it took a tad out of me trying to move it, but eventually, the Davidson brothers who grew up with me on the island showed up and we got it out of the way.

As 7-11 is right next to the mall and that is my responsibility too, I got to work getting the small stuff out first, working from north to south. A strong north wind helped expedite that. From there, I removed all the branches in the parking lot and continued on the trees until I ran out of chain oil (don’t forget the chain oil, Charlie!).

While working there, a visit from Sergio helped lighten the morning mood. We were both glad the other was ok. It was by God’s grace that he still has my home address on his driver’s license. Otherwise, he would not have been allowed on the island. After he left, and with the mall at least safe, I headed back home to begin cleaning things up there.

Hideko was up and doing what she could and I started in with the chainsaw, trying to figure out how to organize absolute chaos into a manageable situation, starting at the road and working back the 250 feet to the bay, every inch of which was covered in so much damage that we had to cut a path just to take the dogs out without losing them.

We worked and we worked. After that, we worked some more. Hideko never stopped, from sun up to sun down, and did more physical work than any person I have ever seen – an eighty-five-pound dynamo. What I cut, she dragged, piling it up into a massive pile. This was Thursday.

At the end of the day, four friends from church came by, and we talked on the dock. That was a really special time for me. The property was safe and clear enough to finish the job in the morning. Each of us shared our stories and we were happy that all were ok. Praise God for His tender mercies.

Friday, Hideko had to go back to work and so I first went to the mall at about 6:00 AM and continued clearing the trees that were down but not any threat to public safety. Then, back home to hopefully get most of the big trees and other things I had left from the day before done.

By 5:00 PM Friday, a lot was done. I was out front cleaning the driveway so that Hideko could safely pull in when a silver truck pulled up by the road. I figured it was a line man or something. I was so tired, I couldn’t gather the strength to walk out and offer help; he was on his own.

It is for this point that everything I have said so far has been included. My work schedule is irrelevant, but I needed to lead you to understand how we can miss the important things in life over that which is actually unimportant.

I get myopic in relation to whatever I am doing. If it is sermon typing day, that is all I can think about. If it is Sunday afternoon, I focus on the sermon editing and nothing else. If I am cleaning up debris, that is all I can think about. But there are more than broken branches in life…

Rather than a line man being in the silver truck, a familiar face suddenly peered around the fence – Jim Dwyer. He was a welcome sight and I figured he was there to check up on things. I thought, “Thank God, I have no strength left for any more work. We can talk like the day before.” But no, after a short greeting, he said, “I’ve come to get the sermon for Sunday.”

I was so mentally exhausted that I didn’t even know what he was talking about. After him re-explaining it, I thought, “I don’t even know where it is!” I said, “They’ll have to do without it this week.” He said, “I can just get it off your computer. I’ll copy it and then send it out.”

The prospect of using one more brain cell to think almost made me collapse on the spot, but I said, “Let me finish this, and then we’ll get it.” I didn’t want Hideko to pull in and run over something and pop a tire. Suddenly, I remembered, we don’t have power.

I said to Jim, “They’ll have to do without it; there is no power.” He looked bummed to have come all that way just to be turned away, but I couldn’t think of anything we could do. So, he got in his truck and started to pull away. Just then, my brain fired one small synapse. I pounded on his truck and told him to wait.

I thought I could email it to him from my iPad because I always save sermons by emailing them to myself in case my computer crashes. Then, I realized, no internet, so that won’t work either. I stood there trying to come up with any solution at all so that his trip would not have been in vain.

Finally, I realized that Sergio has all my passwords. He could get the sermon. But I was so tired, I couldn’t remember his name. I think I said, “Jim has access to everything.” Something wasn’t right with that. “The… well, the… Sergio! Sergio can access my things. Email him and have him search for ‘Sermons and devotionals.’ Then he can send you what you need.”

Jim asked, “Is it the most current revision?” I thought, “What is a revision? This guy is just making that up.” True story. Then I remembered what a revision is and said, “Probably not, but it will have to do.”

He seemed happy with that and off he went. Had he asked one more question, I may have had a brain aneurism and died on the spot. I walked to the shower and then that was the end of the day. Hideko and I ate out of cans in the dark and went to bed.

The entire point is that Jim felt it was important enough to get the word into people’s hands that he drove 15 miles through traffic lights that didn’t work and down the island street that was still filled with trees to simply get that sermon for those in the online church to have for Sunday.

But he said something else to me that I could not get out of my head until today. He could see how tired I was and he said, “You know, so many people are praying for you right now.” I was too tired to cry, but that alone changed my perspective on everything else that I did and have done for these past days.

I was so overwhelmed with the responsibilities for the mall, the house, and the church that I never thought about people praying for our strength, knowing that their prayers included Hideko, and – indeed – everyone here at the Superior Word.

People around the world were praying for us as we were facing uncertainty before the storm and uncertainty after it passed. What a thought to consider. And there was more…

To worship and to serve the Lord our God
Eternal fellowship in a land of Delight
On hallowed soil our feet will trod
And the Lord shall always be in our sight

In His light, to walk and also to praise
The Lamb of God who was slain
Illuminated by His ever-glowing rays
No tears, no fear, no sorrow, no pain

Come to the waters and be restored
Drink and receive Grace from the Lord

II. Tender Mercies

While I tell you about the events in this section, I don’t want to use any names, not because I don’t want to recognize people, but because I don’t want to single anyone out and pass over others who also do so much throughout the year to bless the church.

In other words, if I mention anyone, I would have to mention everyone because everyone is a part of this group, whether in Japan or in Arizona, Sarasota or Michigan. If you are a part of this church, you are included in this section by name, by deed, and through hearing this sermon today. So, thank you.

On Saturday, I did something I have not done without a reason for many years. I did not go to the projects. There was still a lot of work to do at the house and – if the power came back on – there would be a lot to do to be ready for church.

Normally, I only miss going to the projects if there is a funeral, a wedding, or a baptism on Saturday. But this clean-up needed to be done and I knew others would be at the projects to fill in. So I got back to work, finally finishing at about 1:00 PM. Amazingly, the power came back on within about twenty minutes of the clean-up being done.

Opening up the emails, there were 214 to sort through, a large number of which were people telling me they were praying for us. I answered each one with a short note so that they would know we were ok and to thank them. Along with that, there were many people who offered to help in any way they could, including financial needs for us or those in the church.

I tried to reassure folks that we were ok, and that I would check with church members to see if there were other needs. The only one I became aware of is that Claudia had some damage to her house, but she was unable to come to church last Sunday. She is being sorted out, and her place will be repaired.

On Sunday, a few people still did not have power, but they still came to church. I was actually amazed that more than a handful of people would come, but people at the Superior Word seem to understand the priority of church. For that, I am grateful. It is a lifeline at all times. How much more of a lifeline when times are difficult?

One tender mercy I saw is that Jay and Joan, who lost power for 11 days after Hurricane Irma, the last hurricane in our area, never lost power during this one. What a blessing for them! We really felt for them during Irma as we all sat in nice air-conditioned houses J.

Another tender mercy of our Lord is that—maybe for the first time in the history of the universe—the last days of September and the first days of October have actually been cool and not so humid. As I sit typing on Monday morning, it is 66 degrees F out.

Instead of suffering through heat, humidity, and exhaustion caused by them, we have been able to put things back together in fall-like weather. The Lord knows how grateful we all are for that.

Also, on Sunday, I learned of another expression of real compassion, not only in prayers and in financial help by those who offered it, but in genuine human care when two guys who attend online drove from Illinois and Maryland just to help out with the clean-up at the house. They brought a generator, chainsaws, and other things. Who could imagine such an offer of mercy!

Someone brought in a cake for the October birthday people, someone brought in an entire bag of avocados, while others brought in love and cheer, hugs and blessings. Every person can do something in a church to bless others, even it if is to pray for those who have needs.

And the sharing in thanks and help does not need to end at the church. We talk about who the heroes of society are. During times of war, we talk about the soldiers who fight to keep those of the nation free.

For those who respect the right to life, religion, and peaceful existence, we may have a civilian leader that is a hero to those causes. When things are prosperous and all is going well, we make false heroes, even idols, of those who are not heroes. Movie stars and sports figures become our heroes when all they are doing is serving themselves and profiting off the masses. Those are not, nor are they ever, heroes.

But think about your own situation right now. Do you have electricity at your home? In Sarasota, people have given up nights of sleep to work restoring power to the homes and businesses in Florida that do not yet have power.

Water, sewer, electric, traffic lights, and so on, all have to be restored. In the past few days, some of these utility workers have had people come up to them and yell at them for not working fast enough.

Instead, they should be thanking them, bringing them something to eat, and encouraging them. How is it that we can’t consider that they are tired, frustrated, and deprived of their own free time and sleep while doing their best to serve others? They may not all be good people, but they are doing a good service. Consider that as you head out to a store or restaurant that is open this week because of their efforts.

As for the church itself, I often get emails about the sermons, the weekly reports, the commentaries, and other things that have been put out. They include compliments and praises that are wholly undeserved. I do my job because it is the job I do.

But these things would not be if someone hadn’t first filmed the sermons, set up a YouTube channel, and posted them there. I didn’t do that and I am unqualified to figure out those things now. Someone, years ago, set up the website for the church.

He has maintained it for eleven years, checking on it every single day, he QC’s everything I type, he converts the sermons into podcasts, and he won’t even tell me his real name or even give me his address so I can send him a thank you in the mail. None of those things would exist if it wasn’t for him.

Others have developed other websites, podcasts, or YouTube channels to promote the church. They don’t ask for anything except permission to do what they do. Some quality check my pitiful grammar and spelling for the daily commentaries and weekly sermons.

One person does a unique painting for every sermon we have done since Exodus. Some help out monetarily, some come early and help clean, others bring food for the church to eat, while others stay after church or Bible class and clean up. Some have prayer groups or fellowship groups that are specifically linked to this church. Some send money to buy pizza or treats for class or church.

Of all of these things, and so many more that I haven’t mentioned, I have never asked for any of those things to be done. Rather, they have asked to do them, all because they love the word, they love the church, and they want to be a part of it. This is the meaning of tender mercies.

I am fortunate if I can find my way to the door or figure out how to turn on a computer. None of these things that we all take for granted would be happening if these wonderful people didn’t come together and want to be a part of what the Superior Word is doing.

I am just grateful that the word is being looked at, that it is being cherished, that it is being read, and that it is being shared. An example of the benefit of people’s help came to my inbox on Monday morning before I started typing these words.

Some months ago, a man in Pakistan emailed me with questions about Jesus and the Trinity. I responded and continue to respond by answering his questions. He and his wife accepted the Lord Jesus and began to email about their faith. He asked for a Bible. A friend in the UK sent him one. He then asked for some money for local Urdu Bibles.

That was sent. When he got the money, he sent us a picture of them holding their Bibles. He told us he wanted to tell others about Jesus, but it is dangerous in Pakistan to do so. There was an internal conflict going on in him concerning what to do. But the witness of the word won out.

He started to tell his neighbors. Some accepted Jesus; more Bibles needed. He then got the idea to invite people to a screening of the Jesus movie. But he would need money for that. He would have to rent a TV, a generator, buy the movie, and so on. Would we help?

I could have just sent the money, but it was Thursday and Sunday was just around the corner. Maybe people would want to participate. I would not want to deprive others of this honor. So on Sunday morning, I asked during the livestream.

I told the people that we would only accept money for that. The first people to respond making up the needed amount would be accepted and anyone else I would tell them not to send anything as the need was met. I didn’t know it at the time, but someone sitting in the church sent the money while I was still speaking.

So when I got home, I had to tell all the people who offered to provide the needed funds that the need had already been met. However, the Lord already knew they had offered, and so their offer, even if not accepted, still counts for what happened. I will read you from the email my now-friend from Pakistan sent, including a picture. All names have been changed –

——————————-

Regards to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

First of all, my wife [Ruth] and I are very excited to share with you that the recent meeting called “Life Outreach” went very well by the Grace of God. We give praise & honor to God for all the success by His help. We want to thank Brother and Sister [Kermit and Frog] for their support to which made this possible to do the meeting successful. We also want to thank you Brother [Abbott] and Brother [Costello] for your precious prayers for us. We are always encouraged by your love and prayers in Christ.

We share things about the Life Outreach as below:

–          I led this meeting by praying the prayer of thanks in beginning
–          We invited about 40 people to attend this meeting
–          We found 38 people came to attend it
–          They were all very happy and enjoyed the meeting
–          We showed a part of Jesus movie about “Creation”
–          This led the people to learn about how God created the World
–          Then we showed another part of the movie about Jesus’ death on Cross
–          People were touched by the death of Christ
–          We found 3 people were weeping when they saw Jesus hanged on Cross
–          7 people came to believe in Jesus as their personal Lord & Savior
–          There were some others who are near to accept Jesus and they need more prayers
–          We had very nice time of prayers at the end of the meeting
–          We also had wonderful time of taking tea and refreshment at the end of this meeting
–          This remained very good time of fellowship to each other

We found some people want to come to attend this meeting again and they want to bring their family friends to enjoy to learn about God, His creation and His Salvation plan. This is very helpful to people understand the whole picture of God’s plan for human.

I had some people who raised questions to learn more at the end of the meeting, and there was good discussion with them.

A man from Hindu background told me that he only believed in Jesus as prophet and never knew that He is son of God. He came to believe in Him and committed his promise to follow true and only one God.

This was very encouraged to us by faith and we rejoiced in the Lord by prayers for the success and His safety. It is how wonderful that God helped 7 people to know Him and they believed in Him, 3 of them secretly believe in Jesus because of fear from their own family.

We are praying for your safety from the Hurricane that’s going on in your area and believe that you are doing well and safe.

——————————-

From a man and a wife who were fearful to speak about Jesus, to two people who have thrown caution to the wind for the sake of Christ, we have people willing to open their mouths and speak out about the goodness of God toward the people of the world. You can see their photo in the kitchen, proudly holding their Bibles, confident in the salvation of God that is found in our Lord.

Someone had to make this possible. The Lord opened the doors, He provided the way, He placed the burden on people’s hearts, and He is glorified through those who responded. Our Pakistani friend’s words in the middle of his email will need attention –

“We found some people want to come to attend this meeting again and they want to bring their family friends to enjoy to learn about God, His creation and His Salvation plan.”

Surely this means they will want to show this film again. That will require the same help as before. If it fits your budget, and if he asks, I will offer you the opportunity to assist. Thirty-eight people came. Seven accepted the Lord. Maybe we can all talk to thirty-eight people this week in our own circle of life. Maybe we can help this young evangelist in Pakistan to do it for us as well.

Here he is, risking his own life to share the gospel and how did he close? He was thinking of us here in Sarasota – “We are praying for your safety from the Hurricane that’s going on in your area and believe that you are doing well and safe.”

And, indeed, we are. We were inconvenienced for a moment in a world of convenience and prosperity, and we are being prayed for by people that are so poor, they cannot afford a $7 Bible in their own language without compromising their own budget for the month’s expenses. Praise God for His tender mercies.

Heaven’s door is open for all to go through
But it’s guarded with cherub and sword
So, to pass through the gate, this you must do
Follow the gospel and call on the Lord

By faith in His work and by faith alone
Access is granted past heaven’s sword
His blood was shed for your sins to atone
Again, I beg you, call on the Lord

 I implore you, call on the Lord

III. A Heart for the Lord

The next time you feel the need to encourage me, I will accept your words. The next time you have the desire to compliment me, please don’t. What you experience each week has very little to do with me. Pray for those who actually make this church run. Pray that the Lord will give them wisdom, skill, ability, and stamina.

Have a heart for the Lord. In all you do, fix your eyes on Him, cherish Him, and remember His cross. We are servants, temporarily granted the honor and privilege of serving the King of the universe until our days are spent.

For those who spend them wisely, they will not only rise to everlasting life, but they will do so to rewards for their faithfulness that they cannot even imagine right now. So stand fast in your faith, persevere in doing good, and be sure it is good that is done by faith in Jesus.

A good deed not done in His name has no lasting meaning. It may benefit for a moment, it may temporarily ease a pain or a sorrow, but it will not be remembered beyond this tearful path we trod each day until we return to dust under our feet.

But a good deed done in Jesus’ name will endure. It will find an eternal reward, and its purpose in this life will surely extend beyond the deed itself. Eyes will hopefully be opened to the Source of what you have done, and the recipient will then find joy in the everlasting arms of the Lord.

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9, 10

A hurricane is a difficult thing to get through, but it is also a time when the storm around us will help us to reconsider the storms within us. We have things raging inside that can be calmed by the compassionate hand of the Lord, we have conflicts that can be eased by the knowledge of His word, and we have pressures and burdens that we can cast upon the Lord because He cares for us.

Let us spend our time wisely. Let us endeavor to get into the word of God and find out about Jesus because in finding out about Jesus, we can then find out about the very heart of God. But you must first start with the word. Nothing else can replace this and nothing else will be found as an acceptable substitute.

We are the Superior Word not simply because we happen to be on Superior Avenue, but because we understand that God’s word is superior. It is the light to dispel darkness. It is a place to find hope for the human soul. It is our guide when we are on the right path, and it is the way to get on that path in the first place. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Have a heart for the Lord by having a heart for His word. And in that, you will then have a properly directed heart for how to conduct your lives in accord with His word.

This life is short, your time was set before the first grain of sand came into existence, and God already knows how things will end up for you. But you do not. Hence, it is up to you to find out by first expending yourself for Him. The reward awaits and the reward is Jesus. How much does what He offers matter to you? I encourage you today, have a heart for the Lord.

“Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,”
Says the Lord.
“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word.” Isaiah 66:1, 2

Closing Verse: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8, 9

Next Week: Joshua 8:1-20 Jay got a practice week last time, by and by… and yes, he makes it so fun (The Fall of Ai, Part I)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. Though the storms of life may rage around you, the Lord is your hiding place and your safe refuge. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

 

Artwork by Doug Kallerson

Matthew 27:23
What Evil Has He Done?

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. ¹⁶ And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
²⁰ But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
²³ Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
²⁵ And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

In the time allotted to each of us during the years we walk through life, and to varying degrees based upon where one is, the seasons of the year closely match the normally lived-out seasons of life. There is the spring where life begins, everything is fresh, young, pliable, vibrant, colorful, sweet-smelling, and so on.

Then comes the summer. It is a time of endurance. Life permeates everything, but it has become a more mature and developed life. It is a time of adulthood and strength. It is a time of great productivity, hard work, and revealed potency. For the wise, it is a time to store up for the future. The period will arrive when the provisions of this season’s produce will be needed.

Eventually, the fall comes along. It is a time of beauty, but of increasing tiredness. There is a change from the strength and productivity that so highlighted the summer to a time of slowing down, a need to rest from labor, and of diminishing output.

Those who stored up in the summer can rely on those stores to carry them through this period without forcing themselves to overwork. And that is a good thing because overwork can overload. And in being overloaded, damage can result. It’s surely not called “fall” simply because the leaves fall, but because man in this season can too.

The once-simple task of pruning the trees becomes a possibly life-threatening undertaking. Life slows down. Man can look back on the earlier days, remembering what once was, but he cannot get himself to go back there in reality. The season has taken over and it moves him further from who he once was with each day that passes.

And then comes the winter. The bleakness of ever-hardening joints and atrophying muscles sets in. The trees do nothing productive, the animals secret themselves away, hoping to not become prey to some other animal, and man’s faculties fail.

Solomon marvelously describes this condition in Ecclesiastes 12. That which once was vibrant and new, and which then became strong and developed, has gone through its failing fall, and has arrived at its woeful winter. It is the time when death is at hand and only the prospect of the coldness of a grave cut out of the frozen ground remains.

Man’s years end because his life force has been depleted. The journey that began in the spring has come to its termination.

Text Verse: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

If you take time to consider the world around you, one of the things you will notice, is that among individuals, cultures, and nations, there are hints of the biblical story everywhere you look. They may not be in line with the narrative, but it is as if there is a faint memory or inkling of what happened, or how things should be, still evident.

For example, most people agree that there is an evil force that exists. There is the idea that there is life after death. Many cultures have their own flood stories. The Chinese alphabet consists of characters that carry numerous hints of the creation story. And so on.

There is this ingrained knowledge in us of how things were, of how they should be, or of how they could be. They may just be vapory hints of the way the Bible presents these things, but they are there.

When I was young, one of my favorite albums was by the Beach Boys. It was entitled Endless Summer. To this day, if one of the songs from that album comes up – and even though I may not have heard it since I was 15 – I can remember every single word and every single note as if it had just played this morning.

Adam was created. The Lord breathed the breath of life into him, and he became a living being. From there, he was placed in a garden. From the account, it reads – at least to me – of a life more comparable to the summer span of man.

He wasn’t created as a little baby that had to grow. He wasn’t created as a failing older fellow that began to salivate every time he saw a rocking chair. Rather, he was – ostensibly – like any person in the prime of life that we may see today.

He was set in the garden and there was nothing set before him that would cause him to go through any seasonal changes that we now go through. Nothing except one simple thing…

“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17).

How simple that is! The man’s Endless Summer lay before him. It is that vapory hint of the ideal span of life that the Beach Boys sang about. A life of mature youth, vigor, productivity, unceasing enjoyment, and contentment. It is as if it is ingrained in us.

Hollywood movies, books, songs, and – indeed – entire albums, all hint at this marvelous state of life, as if it could be a reality. And because it could be, even though it is not, it is a hope that still exists because we want it to.

Because this hidden hope is so prevalent among humanity, it partly reveals why the gospel of Jesus is so relevant to all people. Every culture where the gospel is presented understands its premise. They get what it means because it speaks of the answer to something in us that is already there, but that previously had no suitable resolution.

It is the gospel – and it alone – that accurately, perfectly, and wholly meets the previously unfulfilled hope that exists in man’s soul. This is the relevance of the Person of Jesus Christ because the gospel is based upon His work. It is the greatest story ever told because it is the most relevant story ever told.

Truly unimaginable marvel and wonder suddenly becomes both imaginable and real through this most pertinent message that is revealed in God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Messiah is Coming

Adam’s “endless summer” in Eden didn’t last very long. We can only speculate on how long he remained in the garden, but his son Seth was born in his 130^th year of life. Seth came some unknown time after the births of Cain and Abel, but which was inclusive of all of Abel’s life, even if Cain was still alive.

As such, it takes Adam’s 930-year lifespan down to a rather short time in comparison to his years, and my guess is that the time in Eden was a lot shorter than that as well. How quickly paradise was lost! Regardless of the exact time, two major things resulted from his transgression.

The first is that he died on the day he ate of the fruit. But this death was not in regard to his physical life. Rather, it was regarding his spiritual life. We know this for several reasons, but the main one is based on what Paul says in his epistles, especially Romans, but probably most explicitly in Ephesians –

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

Adam sinned, meaning he committed evil (the reason for saying this will be explained later), by violating the law set before him. In his sin, he died on that same day. From there, that same state of death (spiritual death, aka “dead in trespasses”) then infected all of humanity. A detailed explanation of that is recorded for us in Romans 5 –

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” Romans 5:12-14

This was the first, and immediate, consequence of his sin. He committed evil, and the spiritual connection to God – meaning the true life of man – was lost. Adam, and all who follow after him, are dead in this manner. The second, and obvious consequence of this state is physical death. It is this death we fear more, though it is only a death that results from the death we already possess –

“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19

The anticipated endless summer has become an endless winter. We are dead, and we shall die. And in our death, we shall remain dead forever. What a bleak and dreary existence it ultimately is. It is a world without hope, even for those who possess that inner elusive vapor of hope that there is something more.

Death awaits and when it comes, even that secreted away hope is snuffed out. But correction of this state is what the biblical narrative reveals. Adam had a hope, but it was not a vapory hint that remained from some long-hidden memory within the collective mind of man.

Instead, he had the words of the Lord that had just been spoken concerning a coming Redeemer. The promise of One who would bruise the head of the serpent was conveyed. The implication was that if the serpent was crushed, a return to paradise now lost would come about.

Therefore, Adam’s hope was a real, certain hope. The Lord had spoken and, therefore, it could come to pass. And, indeed, it must. The Lord had spoken.

It is this truth, passed on to Adam, and that was then passed on to his own children, that has been remembered in the subconscious man. The Lord created the seasons, and it is the hope of spring – of the renewal of life after the bleak and dreary winter – that reminds us it is so. It tells us that life can come from death.

But knowing how it could come about is the uncertain element that man faced, and which many still face. Indeed, there is a promise of One who is to come who would restore humanity to that beautiful place and state of Eden’s perfection. And because there is the promise, it has sunk into the collective mind of man.

All around the world, in innumerable cultures, there is the hope of someone coming who would bring man back to where he belongs. That place, that understood place – which is not our current world – has been given many names. And just what it will be like varies by tradition as well. But when you talk to people about it, they will almost always describe something that is beyond what we now know.

And along with that “something,” there is more often than not a “Someone” who they believe will lead the way. Of course, there are lots of opportunists out there who will also claim that they are that “Someone.”

If you want to get something out of others, all you need to do is convince them that you are the promised One. Jesus Himself spoke of this reality when He said –

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.” Matthew 24:23-25

But by saying what He said, specifically that there will be false christs, it implies that there is a true Christ. His next words indicate exactly that, calling this true Christ “the Son of Man,” and thus a reference to Himself –

“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Matthew 24:26-28

He said it. What makes Him different than all of these others whom He claims are false? What is it that sets Him apart? It can’t be because He is Jewish. Lots of people are Jewish. They aren’t all the Messiah. That may be a necessary factor for being the Messiah, but it is not the principal one.

It is true that lots of Jewish people have claimed to be the Messiah, and lots of others have been called the Messiah, whether they claimed it or not. Even today, right in the land of Israel there are people who are heralded as the Messiah.

Likewise, there are lots of supposed messianic figures outside of Israel – either who have come or who are anticipated to come. Buddhists believe that they are following the right guy. Branch Davidians thought they were as well. Muslims think they are waiting for the true Messiah.

Obviously, Christians believe that “right guy” is Jesus. But within Christianity, there are varying ideas on who Jesus is and what kind of a Messiah he is. It is with all certainty that the Jesus who is proclaimed by the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, is not the same Jesus who is proclaimed by others within the faith.

And, unfortunately, even within “mainstream” Christian denominations, there have arisen other false impressions about who Jesus is and what He is like.

And then, of course, there are those people who claim they actually are Jesus. Right now in the world today, there are supposed “Jesuses” in the UK, Sibera, Zambia, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and even until a few years back, there was one in Miami. Others have come and gone, and more seem to crop up with each passing year.

They have latched onto the name of Jesus and claim that they are Him. It’s a bit problematic when Jesus Himself said that when He returns, it would be in an unmistakable manner. But a little fudging of the scenario, and people will believe pretty much anything.

Who is this Man, and what sets Him apart?
What is it about Him that tells us He is the One?
What is the way to know? Where should our thinking start…
To determine if He is truly God’s own Son?

Why should we cast our lot in with Him?
So many have claimed what He now speaks out
Following the wrong “Messiah” would be dark and grim
How can we know without a shadow of doubt?

What is it about Him that will tell us He is the One?
As we seek the Redeemer of Israel
This man claims that He is God’s own Son
If it is true, just how can we tell?

II. Born Under the Law

The Beach Boys sang about things related to their ideal of an endless summer. What is it that would really make your endless days a time of summer? For me, it’s hard to even think on those lines. I was born, eventually I matured into a man, and now I’m heading into the fall of life.

And I can say that if the summer I lived went on forever, I’d rather not live forever. The world has a lot of beauty, there are fun times, there are great people that have come along over the years, but there is also weariness by the end of every day.

For most of the world, the summer of their life is simply a quest to be ready for the fall and winter. What kind of an existence is that? Really.

We have a bit of enjoyment as we go, but we know – for sure and without a doubt – that we will get old and we will either need to prepare for that, or we hope that someone else will be there to help us along until we finally keel over and die.

Solomon speaks of this type of existence in Ecclesiastes, and he opens the book with a note that pretty much sums things up –

“‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher;
‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2

Other translations say “meaningless,” “futility,” “pointless,” and so on. What a miserable existence if this is all there is. And yet, Solomon elsewhere speaks of the summer gathering as a positive thing –

“He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” Proverbs 10:5

He doesn’t just limit this to humanity either –

“The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;” Proverbs 30:25

Obviously, Solomon is making a point about ants that should be then converted to a point about men. We know this because he had already noted the ant in relation to man earlier in Proverbs –

“Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
⁷ Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-11

But this begs the question. If we are to look to the ant and be like him by being prepared in the summer for what lies ahead, what is the point if everything is meaningless?       The same end will come upon the industrious man as will come upon the sluggard, but the sluggard just doesn’t wear himself out in the process! Who is the smart one then?

This is true, but only if the premise is that there really is the same end for both. What if, however, being prepared in the summer points us to a spiritual truth. What if the seasons are there to teach us a lesson?

Night is coming when no one can work. Winter is coming when life is at an end. And so on. We are instructed to be wise with our time. We are to be prepared now for what is coming. Paul says it this way –

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15

Whether a saved believer, or someone who is looking for salvation, the statement remains true. The days are evil. If they are evil, it is because this is not a place without evil. An endless summer of evil days would be a terrible existence. I dare say that I cannot even imagine it.

People who talk about living forever in this world are just plain nuts. Who would want to live forever in a world as things are now? And yet, there they are. People are working on medicines, DNA advancements, and all kinds of other technologies in hopes of living forever.

Just two days after I typed the first draft of this sermon, an article came out in the Guardian, saying, “If they could turn back time: how tech billionaires are trying to reverse the ageing process / Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel are pouring huge sums into startups aiming to keep us all young – or even cheat death. And the science isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.” No thank you!

If I am going to store up in the summer of my life, it is going to be for something way better than this. Paul speaks of this in his first letter to Timothy –

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it speaks of it in two different ways. The first is in that which is possessed, but not yet attained. The second is a state that is attained, but which is not at all like the one we now have. Thank God for that!

But, again, we need to know how to go from days that are evil to days without evil. This is the key to both understanding who the Messiah is and what He can truly provide. As this is so, defining what evil is becomes necessary.

In short, evil isn’t. It is not an entity that actually exists in and of itself. Rather, evil is a state (the state) of imperfection. To say that the days are evil is to say, “The days are not perfect.” To say that what Adam did was evil is to say, “What Adam did was imperfect.” It did not measure up to a standard of perfection.

To say that the virus in a sick person is evil is to note that something in him is not as it should be. Rust is a great example of this. A car without rust is as it should be. Its body is good. But when a hole occurs in the metal because of rust, that hole is a lack of metal. It is a lack of what is good.

If God created Adam as a living being, and if he died on the day he ate of the fruit that he was commanded to not eat, then it means that what he did was not good, and the result of what transpired, meaning death, is not good.

What is good is life. But it’s not the physical life that he continued to live. We know this, because the days are evil. As such, the life that is good, the life that is truly life, the life that is eternal, is found in the spiritual reconnection to God that was lost. Jesus said as much –

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:1-3

But again, how do we know that He is the One? How do we know that He can truly give this? The answer is found in the state of things as we have already gone over.

Adam sinned. He did something that lacked goodness. As such, it was evil. In this, he was separated from God. He spent the rest of his life apart from God and in a world that is evil. This doesn’t mean evil in the absolute sense.

Rather, it is a world lacking perfection. The good thing that once was has now been replaced with something less good. From there, we will experience different gradations of that lack of perfection because, as Paul said, “death spread to all men.”

This state of separation is inherited by all who descend from Adam as sin travels from father to child. So, we are imperfect and living in an imperfect world. As this is so, we now have a way of excluding those who claim to be the promised One, the Messiah.

It is not necessarily that they are living in the world that disqualifies them. The part of the car that doesn’t have rust is fine. It’s the hole where the rust consumed the metal that is lacking. The lack of goodness in one part of something doesn’t mean that everything lacks this goodness.

The thing that makes man evil isn’t that he is a man. It is that he is a man born from a man. Adam wasn’t evil when he was created. But in becoming evil, he passes his imperfection on to those who follow him. It is Adam, and each father after Adam, that passes on this state that is lacking goodness.

And so, how do we eliminate the false messiahs of the world? Well, if they are human beings that had a father that begat them, then they are not capable of being the true Christ. They bear the stain of sin, and they are thus disqualified.

Understanding this, every person ever born to a man and a woman, and thus every person ever born, stands disqualified. That is every person, except One. This is Jesus. But this is only the Jesus who is accurately portrayed and explained in the Bible. Jesus was born of a woman, but He was sent forth from God –

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4

This is also explained by the angel Gabriel who was sent to Mary –

^“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35

Jesus was born of a woman and of God. As such, no sin – no imperfection or evil – transferred to Him. He is qualified to be the Messiah. However, Paul said something else in Galatians 4:4, didn’t he. He said that Jesus was “born under the law.”

Which law is he referring to? The question is important because the law was given to Israel, and yet Paul says that Jesus was sent to “redeem those who were under the law.” Paul is writing to the Galatians. They are not of Israel, and they were never under the Law of Moses. As such, he cannot merely be speaking of that law.

There is a law that man needs to be redeemed from. Paul using law as an example tells us about its effects on man –

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” Romans 7:9-11

Adam was given a commandment, a law. In his breaking of that law, he died, and “death spread to all men,” as we have already seen. As this is the state of all men, God put the onus on Himself. He did this by calling out a nation from the world and giving it a law, the Law of Moses. It was to be His standard for righteousness for them to see and live by. As He says –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5

To live is to not die. The law is explicit. The man who does the things of the law will live. But the law of Adam already condemned all men. Death spread to all. Therefore, the way for man to live was to live this law out perfectly.

Christ, however, was not born under the law of Adam. Adam’s death did not spread to Him. But Paul says that He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. How could Christ redeem those under the law if he was born under the law given to Adam? He would bear Adam’s sin.

Hence, God gave Israel the Law of Moses. He then sent forth Christ, born of a woman but not of a man, and so He was not under the law of Adam (and thus He was without sin). But He was born under the law of Israel, God’s standard by which if a man does those things, he shall live by them.

If you see the point I’m making, it’s not just that Jesus came, but there had to be a law other than Adam’s law for Him to come under. He could not come under Adam’s law because he would bear Adam’s sin. But by coming under another law, He could both perform and redeem.

There was no imperfection (no evil) in Him at His birth. There was no imperfection (no evil) in Him under the law. This is testified to by the four gospels. It is testified to by His question to those who came against Him when He asked, “Which of you convicts me of sin?” (John 8:46). None responded.

It is also testified to in the lack of a response to the question of the Roman authority appointed over Israel, and who was thus over Jesus who is of Israel, when he asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” No response was given because no evil had been committed by Him. As such, Pilate proclaimed, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.”

What Pilate could clearly see was ignored by those who stood against Jesus. No sin, no imperfection, and no evil were found in Him. And yet, they crucified Him.

What a wonderful, marvelous thing that God has done
He has brought us back to Himself this day
Through the giving of Jesus, His only begotten Son
We have the smooth path, He has paved the way

In Him is found life and length of days
And so, to Him we look and call out His name
To God, through Jesus, we shall give all our praise
He has removed our guilt and taken away our shame

Praise God all you saints of His, praise Him today!
Rejoice in the marvelous thing that He has done
God has brought us back to Himself this very day
Through the precious gift of Jesus, His only begotten Son

III. The Greatest Story Ever Told

One premise of the Bible, and which is something easily discernible among humanity, is that man is an imperfect being. If there is a God, it can be deduced that He is perfect. We don’t need the Bible to know this.

As this is so, then what He does is perfect. Because He created, His creation was perfect at the time He created. This can all be deduced without the Bible. And yet, there is now imperfection in the creation. The Bible explains how it came about, and it explains why things are the way they are at this time.

It also tells us that what is imperfect will be corrected, and that it will either be done through God’s giving of His own perfect Son, or through the purging of imperfection through the Lake of Fire. The Bible records that Jesus was born of a woman and of God. As such, He was born in a state of perfection.

He is fully God – perfect in all of His deity. And He was born fully Man – perfect in His humanity. There is no contradiction in this, something which is unlike the god seen in Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jesus, the God/Man, was born in a state of perfection, He lived perfectly under the law that promised life to the man who did the things of the law. And He died on the cross in a state of perfection, having never sinned. The disciples were unaware of the nuances and failed to make the necessary connection stating, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”

Israel was redeemed from Egypt. They were brought into the covenant and under the law. As such, what did they need to be redeemed from? It’s curious that they would even say this, but Scripture had spoken of the redemption of Israel so much that it was something they knew they needed.

Scripture had taught about redemption from enemies, from oppression, and other such things. But these things point to something else, a state of imperfection, that which is evil. Logically, if there is evil – the lack of a good thing – then being redeemed must go much deeper than some temporary need.

They could not see that the very law that they were under only highlighted their own imperfections. As Paul said earlier, I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death” (Romans 7:9, 10).

Israel needed to be redeemed from the law, but the law was given to allow Jesus to redeem everyone, including Israel, from the law of Adam – the imperfection (the evil) – that condemned all men.

If Jesus had died under the law, it wouldn’t have meant very much to Israel, or to us, if He didn’t resurrect.

It would have meant that He was tainted with sin and the imperfection would have clung to Him. But if that was the case, it would mean He was not God. And if He is not God, then He would not have been born without sin. And if He was not born without sin, then He could not redeem us from the sin of Adam.

In other words, everything is tied up in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In His coming out of the grave, it means that He was (and is) sinless. If He is sinless, and yet He is a Man (a sinless Man had to die for the sins of Adam), then it means that He is also God because He would not be sinless unless He is God.

If he was a man created in Mary’s womb, even as a perfect man, then he would not be God. If this was so, then he would not have possessed the knowledge of good and evil.

In order to possess that knowledge, he would have had to learn through law what that knowledge meant. And in order to learn what that knowledge meant, then he would have to sin by breaking the law. As such, he could not redeem fallen man.

Again, everything is tied up in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It proves He is God. It proves He is the sinless Man. It proves that He can and did, in fact, redeem His people by dealing with our sin. And if He dealt with our sin in His death, then that means that our sin is dealt with forever. We have entered into a New Covenant where sin is no longer considered. We are not under law, either that of Adam or that of Moses, but under grace. And, as Paul says –

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19

What are we doing here today? We are celebrating the greatest story ever told. Pilate asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” The answer, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is “None.” The perfection of God in Christ has accomplished all things for us.

This story is logical, it is understandable, it is without fault in all that it proclaims, and it resolves the greatest problem that man has ever faced. Through Jesus Christ, evil is eliminated, and death is swallowed up in victory.

You can live your life in futility, pursue that which is meaningless, and perish in the vanity of your impoverished existence, or (OR) you can come to Jesus Christ, be reconciled to God through His full, finished, final, and forever work. Demonstrate wisdom today and yield your soul to the One who loves you enough to have done these things for you. Call on God through Jesus.

And for those who are the redeemed of the Lord, be sure to demonstrate your thanks to Him today and always. After all, it is a long, long time that you will live – even to eternal days. Thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord. And all of God’s people say… Amen.

Closing Verse: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Next Week: Deuteronomy 33:1-5 Moses will pronounce his blessings and then he will die… (The Lord Came from Sinai) (99th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and a purpose for You. Though Paradise was lost, He offers access to it once again through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So call on Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

This is the gospel which was preached to you
It is also the one you received and on which you stand
It is the gospel of salvation, providing life that’s new
And which will carry you to the promised Holy Land

What is delivered to you is what was before received
That Christ died for our sins according to God’s word
He was buried and He rose, and so we have believed
And many witnesses testify to this message you have heard

Now, if Christ is preached that He is risen from the dead
How can some among you say the resurrection isn’t true?
If there is no resurrection after Christ was crucified and bled
Then our faith as well as yours is certainly askew

And if so, we are found false witnesses of God
Because we have wrongly testified of this mighty deed
And our faith is futile, no heavenly streets we’ll trod
And we are still dead in our sins; fallen Adam’s seed

Even more, those who have fallen asleep in the Lord are gone
And we are the most pitiable creatures the world could ever look upon

But indeed, Christ is risen from the dead
He is the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep
And as death came through one man, Adam, our federal head
So Christ will make all alive; our souls He will keep

There is an order to the Resurrection call
Christ was first, the pattern for the rest when He comes
When He does, He will make a shout out to us all
And we will rise as if to the sound of heavenly battle drums

Then comes the time, when He delivers the kingdom to the Father
When all rule, authority, and power have come to an end
The last enemy to be destroyed is death, never more to bother
Then the Son will to the Father eternal rule extend

But you ask, “What will we be like after our time of sleep?
After we have been buried in corruption’s pit so deep?”

Our body is sown in dishonor, but it will be raised in glory
It is sown in weakness, but raised in power – the resurrection story

The first man Adam became a living being, it is true
The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit, life to me and you

And as was the man of dust, created so long ago
So are those likened unto him, also made of dust
And as is the Man, the Lord from heaven, you know
That we shall bear His image for eternity just as we’ve discussed

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God
Nor can corruption inherit that which is incorrupt
Be we shall all be changed, and so, heavenly streets we’ll trod
In the twinkling of an eye, the change will be abrupt

When the last trumpet sounds, we will be taken to glory
We shall all be changed, completion of the gospel story

Where O Death, O where is your sting?
When Christ our Savior, us to Himself does He bring

Where O Hades, O where is your victory?
When Christ translates His children to eternal glory

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin the law
But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord
My beloved brethren be steadfast in all you’ve heard and saw
And cling confidently to God’s eternal word

Know for certain that your labor is not in vain
Be of good cheer, Christ is coming again

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Matthew 27:23
What Evil Has He Done?

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. ¹⁶ And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
²⁰ But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
²³ Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
²⁵ And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

In the time allotted to each of us during the years we walk through life, and to varying degrees based upon where one is, the seasons of the year closely match the normally lived-out seasons of life. There is the spring where life begins, everything is fresh, young, pliable, vibrant, colorful, sweet-smelling, and so on.

Then comes the summer. It is a time of endurance. Life permeates everything, but it has become a more mature and developed life. It is a time of adulthood and strength. It is a time of great productivity, hard work, and revealed potency. For the wise, it is a time to store up for the future. The period will arrive when the provisions of this season’s produce will be needed.

Eventually, the fall comes along. It is a time of beauty, but of increasing tiredness. There is a change from the strength and productivity that so highlighted the summer to a time of slowing down, a need to rest from labor, and of diminishing output.

Those who stored up in the summer can rely on those stores to carry them through this period without forcing themselves to overwork. And that is a good thing because overwork can overload. And in being overloaded, damage can result. It’s surely not called “fall” simply because the leaves fall, but because man in this season can too.

The once-simple task of pruning the trees becomes a possibly life-threatening undertaking. Life slows down. Man can look back on the earlier days, remembering what once was, but he cannot get himself to go back there in reality. The season has taken over and it moves him further from who he once was with each day that passes.

And then comes the winter. The bleakness of ever-hardening joints and atrophying muscles sets in. The trees do nothing productive, the animals secret themselves away, hoping to not become prey to some other animal, and man’s faculties fail.

Solomon marvelously describes this condition in Ecclesiastes 12. That which once was vibrant and new, and which then became strong and developed, has gone through its failing fall, and has arrived at its woeful winter. It is the time when death is at hand and only the prospect of the coldness of a grave cut out of the frozen ground remains.

Man’s years end because his life force has been depleted. The journey that began in the spring has come to its termination.

Text Verse: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

If you take time to consider the world around you, one of the things you will notice, is that among individuals, cultures, and nations, there are hints of the biblical story everywhere you look. They may not be in line with the narrative, but it is as if there is a faint memory or inkling of what happened, or how things should be, still evident.

For example, most people agree that there is an evil force that exists. There is the idea that there is life after death. Many cultures have their own flood stories. The Chinese alphabet consists of characters that carry numerous hints of the creation story. And so on.

There is this ingrained knowledge in us of how things were, of how they should be, or of how they could be. They may just be vapory hints of the way the Bible presents these things, but they are there.

When I was young, one of my favorite albums was by the Beach Boys. It was entitled Endless Summer. To this day, if one of the songs from that album comes up – and even though I may not have heard it since I was 15 – I can remember every single word and every single note as if it had just played this morning.

Adam was created. The Lord breathed the breath of life into him, and he became a living being. From there, he was placed in a garden. From the account, it reads – at least to me – of a life more comparable to the summer span of man.

He wasn’t created as a little baby that had to grow. He wasn’t created as a failing older fellow that began to salivate every time he saw a rocking chair. Rather, he was – ostensibly – like any person in the prime of life that we may see today.

He was set in the garden and there was nothing set before him that would cause him to go through any seasonal changes that we now go through. Nothing except one simple thing…

“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17).

How simple that is! The man’s Endless Summer lay before him. It is that vapory hint of the ideal span of life that the Beach Boys sang about. A life of mature youth, vigor, productivity, unceasing enjoyment, and contentment. It is as if it is ingrained in us.

Hollywood movies, books, songs, and – indeed – entire albums, all hint at this marvelous state of life, as if it could be a reality. And because it could be, even though it is not, it is a hope that still exists because we want it to.

Because this hidden hope is so prevalent among humanity, it partly reveals why the gospel of Jesus is so relevant to all people. Every culture where the gospel is presented understands its premise. They get what it means because it speaks of the answer to something in us that is already there, but that previously had no suitable resolution.

It is the gospel – and it alone – that accurately, perfectly, and wholly meets the previously unfulfilled hope that exists in man’s soul. This is the relevance of the Person of Jesus Christ because the gospel is based upon His work. It is the greatest story ever told because it is the most relevant story ever told.

Truly unimaginable marvel and wonder suddenly becomes both imaginable and real through this most pertinent message that is revealed in God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Messiah is Coming

Adam’s “endless summer” in Eden didn’t last very long. We can only speculate on how long he remained in the garden, but his son Seth was born in his 130^th year of life. Seth came some unknown time after the births of Cain and Abel, but which was inclusive of all of Abel’s life, even if Cain was still alive.

As such, it takes Adam’s 930-year lifespan down to a rather short time in comparison to his years, and my guess is that the time in Eden was a lot shorter than that as well. How quickly paradise was lost! Regardless of the exact time, two major things resulted from his transgression.

The first is that he died on the day he ate of the fruit. But this death was not in regard to his physical life. Rather, it was regarding his spiritual life. We know this for several reasons, but the main one is based on what Paul says in his epistles, especially Romans, but probably most explicitly in Ephesians –

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

Adam sinned, meaning he committed evil (the reason for saying this will be explained later), by violating the law set before him. In his sin, he died on that same day. From there, that same state of death (spiritual death, aka “dead in trespasses”) then infected all of humanity. A detailed explanation of that is recorded for us in Romans 5 –

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” Romans 5:12-14

This was the first, and immediate, consequence of his sin. He committed evil, and the spiritual connection to God – meaning the true life of man – was lost. Adam, and all who follow after him, are dead in this manner. The second, and obvious consequence of this state is physical death. It is this death we fear more, though it is only a death that results from the death we already possess –

“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19

The anticipated endless summer has become an endless winter. We are dead, and we shall die. And in our death, we shall remain dead forever. What a bleak and dreary existence it ultimately is. It is a world without hope, even for those who possess that inner elusive vapor of hope that there is something more.

Death awaits and when it comes, even that secreted away hope is snuffed out. But correction of this state is what the biblical narrative reveals. Adam had a hope, but it was not a vapory hint that remained from some long-hidden memory within the collective mind of man.

Instead, he had the words of the Lord that had just been spoken concerning a coming Redeemer. The promise of One who would bruise the head of the serpent was conveyed. The implication was that if the serpent was crushed, a return to paradise now lost would come about.

Therefore, Adam’s hope was a real, certain hope. The Lord had spoken and, therefore, it could come to pass. And, indeed, it must. The Lord had spoken.

It is this truth, passed on to Adam, and that was then passed on to his own children, that has been remembered in the subconscious man. The Lord created the seasons, and it is the hope of spring – of the renewal of life after the bleak and dreary winter – that reminds us it is so. It tells us that life can come from death.

But knowing how it could come about is the uncertain element that man faced, and which many still face. Indeed, there is a promise of One who is to come who would restore humanity to that beautiful place and state of Eden’s perfection. And because there is the promise, it has sunk into the collective mind of man.

All around the world, in innumerable cultures, there is the hope of someone coming who would bring man back to where he belongs. That place, that understood place – which is not our current world – has been given many names. And just what it will be like varies by tradition as well. But when you talk to people about it, they will almost always describe something that is beyond what we now know.

And along with that “something,” there is more often than not a “Someone” who they believe will lead the way. Of course, there are lots of opportunists out there who will also claim that they are that “Someone.”

If you want to get something out of others, all you need to do is convince them that you are the promised One. Jesus Himself spoke of this reality when He said –

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.” Matthew 24:23-25

But by saying what He said, specifically that there will be false christs, it implies that there is a true Christ. His next words indicate exactly that, calling this true Christ “the Son of Man,” and thus a reference to Himself –

“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Matthew 24:26-28

He said it. What makes Him different than all of these others whom He claims are false? What is it that sets Him apart? It can’t be because He is Jewish. Lots of people are Jewish. They aren’t all the Messiah. That may be a necessary factor for being the Messiah, but it is not the principal one.

It is true that lots of Jewish people have claimed to be the Messiah, and lots of others have been called the Messiah, whether they claimed it or not. Even today, right in the land of Israel there are people who are heralded as the Messiah.

Likewise, there are lots of supposed messianic figures outside of Israel – either who have come or who are anticipated to come. Buddhists believe that they are following the right guy. Branch Davidians thought they were as well. Muslims think they are waiting for the true Messiah.

Obviously, Christians believe that “right guy” is Jesus. But within Christianity, there are varying ideas on who Jesus is and what kind of a Messiah he is. It is with all certainty that the Jesus who is proclaimed by the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, is not the same Jesus who is proclaimed by others within the faith.

And, unfortunately, even within “mainstream” Christian denominations, there have arisen other false impressions about who Jesus is and what He is like.

And then, of course, there are those people who claim they actually are Jesus. Right now in the world today, there are supposed “Jesuses” in the UK, Sibera, Zambia, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and even until a few years back, there was one in Miami. Others have come and gone, and more seem to crop up with each passing year.

They have latched onto the name of Jesus and claim that they are Him. It’s a bit problematic when Jesus Himself said that when He returns, it would be in an unmistakable manner. But a little fudging of the scenario, and people will believe pretty much anything.

Who is this Man, and what sets Him apart?
What is it about Him that tells us He is the One?
What is the way to know? Where should our thinking start…
To determine if He is truly God’s own Son?

Why should we cast our lot in with Him?
So many have claimed what He now speaks out
Following the wrong “Messiah” would be dark and grim
How can we know without a shadow of doubt?

What is it about Him that will tell us He is the One?
As we seek the Redeemer of Israel
This man claims that He is God’s own Son
If it is true, just how can we tell?

II. Born Under the Law

The Beach Boys sang about things related to their ideal of an endless summer. What is it that would really make your endless days a time of summer? For me, it’s hard to even think on those lines. I was born, eventually I matured into a man, and now I’m heading into the fall of life.

And I can say that if the summer I lived went on forever, I’d rather not live forever. The world has a lot of beauty, there are fun times, there are great people that have come along over the years, but there is also weariness by the end of every day.

For most of the world, the summer of their life is simply a quest to be ready for the fall and winter. What kind of an existence is that? Really.

We have a bit of enjoyment as we go, but we know – for sure and without a doubt – that we will get old and we will either need to prepare for that, or we hope that someone else will be there to help us along until we finally keel over and die.

Solomon speaks of this type of existence in Ecclesiastes, and he opens the book with a note that pretty much sums things up –

“‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher;
‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2

Other translations say “meaningless,” “futility,” “pointless,” and so on. What a miserable existence if this is all there is. And yet, Solomon elsewhere speaks of the summer gathering as a positive thing –

“He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” Proverbs 10:5

He doesn’t just limit this to humanity either –

“The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;” Proverbs 30:25

Obviously, Solomon is making a point about ants that should be then converted to a point about men. We know this because he had already noted the ant in relation to man earlier in Proverbs –

“Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
⁷ Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
⁸ Provides he supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-11

But this begs the question. If we are to look to the ant and be like him by being prepared in the summer for what lies ahead, what is the point if everything is meaningless?       The same end will come upon the industrious man as will come upon the sluggard, but the sluggard just doesn’t wear himself out in the process! Who is the smart one then?

This is true, but only if the premise is that there really is the same end for both. What if, however, being prepared in the summer points us to a spiritual truth. What if the seasons are there to teach us a lesson?

Night is coming when no one can work. Winter is coming when life is at an end. And so on. We are instructed to be wise with our time. We are to be prepared now for what is coming. Paul says it this way –

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15

Whether a saved believer, or someone who is looking for salvation, the statement remains true. The days are evil. If they are evil, it is because this is not a place without evil. An endless summer of evil days would be a terrible existence. I dare say that I cannot even imagine it.

People who talk about living forever in this world are just plain nuts. Who would want to live forever in a world as things are now? And yet, there they are. People are working on medicines, DNA advancements, and all kinds of other technologies in hopes of living forever.

Just two days after I typed the first draft of this sermon, an article came out in the Guardian, saying, “If they could turn back time: how tech billionaires are trying to reverse the ageing process / Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel are pouring huge sums into startups aiming to keep us all young – or even cheat death. And the science isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.” No thank you!

If I am going to store up in the summer of my life, it is going to be for something way better than this. Paul speaks of this in his first letter to Timothy –

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it speaks of it in two different ways. The first is in that which is possessed, but not yet attained. The second is a state that is attained, but which is not at all like the one we now have. Thank God for that!

But, again, we need to know how to go from days that are evil to days without evil. This is the key to both understanding who the Messiah is and what He can truly provide. As this is so, defining what evil is becomes necessary.

In short, evil isn’t. It is not an entity that actually exists in and of itself. Rather, evil is a state (the state) of imperfection. To say that the days are evil is to say, “The days are not perfect.” To say that what Adam did was evil is to say, “What Adam did was imperfect.” It did not measure up to a standard of perfection.

To say that the virus in a sick person is evil is to note that something in him is not as it should be. Rust is a great example of this. A car without rust is as it should be. Its body is good. But when a hole occurs in the metal because of rust, that hole is a lack of metal. It is a lack of what is good.

If God created Adam as a living being, and if he died on the day he ate of the fruit that he was commanded to not eat, then it means that what he did was not good, and the result of what transpired, meaning death, is not good.

What is good is life. But it’s not the physical life that he continued to live. We know this, because the days are evil. As such, the life that is good, the life that is truly life, the life that is eternal, is found in the spiritual reconnection to God that was lost. Jesus said as much –

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:1-3

But again, how do we know that He is the One? How do we know that He can truly give this? The answer is found in the state of things as we have already gone over.

Adam sinned. He did something that lacked goodness. As such, it was evil. In this, he was separated from God. He spent the rest of his life apart from God and in a world that is evil. This doesn’t mean evil in the absolute sense.

Rather, it is a world lacking perfection. The good thing that once was has now been replaced with something less good. From there, we will experience different gradations of that lack of perfection because, as Paul said, “death spread to all men.”

This state of separation is inherited by all who descend from Adam as sin travels from father to child. So, we are imperfect and living in an imperfect world. As this is so, we now have a way of excluding those who claim to be the promised One, the Messiah.

It is not necessarily that they are living in the world that disqualifies them. The part of the car that doesn’t have rust is fine. It’s the hole where the rust consumed the metal that is lacking. The lack of goodness in one part of something doesn’t mean that everything lacks this goodness.

The thing that makes man evil isn’t that he is a man. It is that he is a man born from a man. Adam wasn’t evil when he was created. But in becoming evil, he passes his imperfection on to those who follow him. It is Adam, and each father after Adam, that passes on this state that is lacking goodness.

And so, how do we eliminate the false messiahs of the world? Well, if they are human beings that had a father that begat them, then they are not capable of being the true Christ. They bear the stain of sin, and they are thus disqualified.

Understanding this, every person ever born to a man and a woman, and thus every person ever born, stands disqualified. That is every person, except One. This is Jesus. But this is only the Jesus who is accurately portrayed and explained in the Bible. Jesus was born of a woman, but He was sent forth from God –

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4

This is also explained by the angel Gabriel who was sent to Mary –

^“And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35

Jesus was born of a woman and of God. As such, no sin – no imperfection or evil – transferred to Him. He is qualified to be the Messiah. However, Paul said something else in Galatians 4:4, didn’t he. He said that Jesus was “born under the law.”

Which law is he referring to? The question is important because the law was given to Israel, and yet Paul says that Jesus was sent to “redeem those who were under the law.” Paul is writing to the Galatians. They are not of Israel, and they were never under the Law of Moses. As such, he cannot merely be speaking of that law.

There is a law that man needs to be redeemed from. Paul using law as an example tells us about its effects on man –

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.” Romans 7:9-11

Adam was given a commandment, a law. In his breaking of that law, he died, and “death spread to all men,” as we have already seen. As this is the state of all men, God put the onus on Himself. He did this by calling out a nation from the world and giving it a law, the Law of Moses. It was to be His standard for righteousness for them to see and live by. As He says –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5

To live is to not die. The law is explicit. The man who does the things of the law will live. But the law of Adam already condemned all men. Death spread to all. Therefore, the way for man to live was to live this law out perfectly.

Christ, however, was not born under the law of Adam. Adam’s death did not spread to Him. But Paul says that He was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. How could Christ redeem those under the law if he was born under the law given to Adam? He would bear Adam’s sin.

Hence, God gave Israel the Law of Moses. He then sent forth Christ, born of a woman but not of a man, and so He was not under the law of Adam (and thus He was without sin). But He was born under the law of Israel, God’s standard by which if a man does those things, he shall live by them.

If you see the point I’m making, it’s not just that Jesus came, but there had to be a law other than Adam’s law for Him to come under. He could not come under Adam’s law because he would bear Adam’s sin. But by coming under another law, He could both perform and redeem.

There was no imperfection (no evil) in Him at His birth. There was no imperfection (no evil) in Him under the law. This is testified to by the four gospels. It is testified to by His question to those who came against Him when He asked, “Which of you convicts me of sin?” (John 8:46). None responded.

It is also testified to in the lack of a response to the question of the Roman authority appointed over Israel, and who was thus over Jesus who is of Israel, when he asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” No response was given because no evil had been committed by Him. As such, Pilate proclaimed, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.”

What Pilate could clearly see was ignored by those who stood against Jesus. No sin, no imperfection, and no evil were found in Him. And yet, they crucified Him.

What a wonderful, marvelous thing that God has done
He has brought us back to Himself this day
Through the giving of Jesus, His only begotten Son
We have the smooth path, He has paved the way

In Him is found life and length of days
And so, to Him we look and call out His name
To God, through Jesus, we shall give all our praise
He has removed our guilt and taken away our shame

Praise God all you saints of His, praise Him today!
Rejoice in the marvelous thing that He has done
God has brought us back to Himself this very day
Through the precious gift of Jesus, His only begotten Son

III. The Greatest Story Ever Told

One premise of the Bible, and which is something easily discernible among humanity, is that man is an imperfect being. If there is a God, it can be deduced that He is perfect. We don’t need the Bible to know this.

As this is so, then what He does is perfect. Because He created, His creation was perfect at the time He created. This can all be deduced without the Bible. And yet, there is now imperfection in the creation. The Bible explains how it came about, and it explains why things are the way they are at this time.

It also tells us that what is imperfect will be corrected, and that it will either be done through God’s giving of His own perfect Son, or through the purging of imperfection through the Lake of Fire. The Bible records that Jesus was born of a woman and of God. As such, He was born in a state of perfection.

He is fully God – perfect in all of His deity. And He was born fully Man – perfect in His humanity. There is no contradiction in this, something which is unlike the god seen in Mormonism or the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jesus, the God/Man, was born in a state of perfection, He lived perfectly under the law that promised life to the man who did the things of the law. And He died on the cross in a state of perfection, having never sinned. The disciples were unaware of the nuances and failed to make the necessary connection stating, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.”

Israel was redeemed from Egypt. They were brought into the covenant and under the law. As such, what did they need to be redeemed from? It’s curious that they would even say this, but Scripture had spoken of the redemption of Israel so much that it was something they knew they needed.

Scripture had taught about redemption from enemies, from oppression, and other such things. But these things point to something else, a state of imperfection, that which is evil. Logically, if there is evil – the lack of a good thing – then being redeemed must go much deeper than some temporary need.

They could not see that the very law that they were under only highlighted their own imperfections. As Paul said earlier, I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death” (Romans 7:9, 10).

Israel needed to be redeemed from the law, but the law was given to allow Jesus to redeem everyone, including Israel, from the law of Adam – the imperfection (the evil) – that condemned all men.

If Jesus had died under the law, it wouldn’t have meant very much to Israel, or to us, if He didn’t resurrect.

It would have meant that He was tainted with sin and the imperfection would have clung to Him. But if that was the case, it would mean He was not God. And if He is not God, then He would not have been born without sin. And if He was not born without sin, then He could not redeem us from the sin of Adam.

In other words, everything is tied up in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In His coming out of the grave, it means that He was (and is) sinless. If He is sinless, and yet He is a Man (a sinless Man had to die for the sins of Adam), then it means that He is also God because He would not be sinless unless He is God.

If he was a created man in Mary’s womb, even as a perfect man, then he would not be God. If this was so, then he would not have possessed the knowledge of good and evil.

In order to possess that knowledge, he would have had to learn through law what that knowledge meant. And in order to learn what that knowledge meant, then he would have to sin by breaking the law. As such, he could not redeem fallen man.

Again, everything is tied up in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It proves He is God. It proves He is the sinless Man. It proves that He can and did, in fact, redeem His people by dealing with our sin. And if He dealt with our sin in His death, then that means that our sin is dealt with forever. We have entered into a New Covenant where sin is no longer considered. We are not under law, either that of Adam or that of Moses, but under grace. And, as Paul says –

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19

What are we doing here today? We are celebrating the greatest story ever told. Pilate asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” The answer, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is “None.” The perfection of God in Christ has accomplished all things for us.

This story is logical, it is understandable, it is without fault in all that it proclaims, and it resolves the greatest problem that man has ever faced. Through Jesus Christ, evil is eliminated, and death is swallowed up in victory.

You can live your life in futility, pursue that which is meaningless, and perish in the vanity of your impoverished existence, or (OR) you can come to Jesus Christ, be reconciled to God through His full, finished, final, and forever work. Demonstrate wisdom today and yield your soul to the One who loves you enough to have done these things for you. Call on God through Jesus.

And for those who are the redeemed of the Lord, be sure to demonstrate your thanks to Him today and always. After all, it is a long, long time that you will live – even to eternal days. Thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord. And all of God’s people say… Amen.

Closing Verse: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Next Week: Deuteronomy 33:1-5 Moses will pronounce his blessings and then he will die… (The Lord Came from Sinai) (99th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and a purpose for You. Though Paradise was lost, He offers access to it once again through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So call on Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

A Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

This is the gospel which was preached to you
It is also the one you received and on which you stand
It is the gospel of salvation, providing life that’s new
And which will carry you to the promised Holy Land

What is delivered to you is what was before received
That Christ died for our sins according to God’s word
He was buried and He rose, and so we have believed
And many witnesses testify to this message you have heard

Now, if Christ is preached that He is risen from the dead
How can some among you say the resurrection isn’t true?
If there is no resurrection after Christ was crucified and bled
Then our faith as well as yours is certainly askew

And if so, we are found false witnesses of God
Because we have wrongly testified of this mighty deed
And our faith is futile, no heavenly streets we’ll trod
And we are still dead in our sins; fallen Adam’s seed

Even more, those who have fallen asleep in the Lord are gone
And we are the most pitiable creatures the world could ever look upon

But indeed, Christ is risen from the dead
He is the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep
And as death came through one man, Adam, our federal head
So Christ will make all alive; our souls He will keep

There is an order to the Resurrection call
Christ was first, the pattern for the rest when He comes
When He does, He will make a shout out to us all
And we will rise as if to the sound of heavenly battle drums

Then comes the time, when He delivers the kingdom to the Father
When all rule, authority, and power have come to an end
The last enemy to be destroyed is death, never more to bother
Then the Son will to the Father eternal rule extend

But you ask, “What will we be like after our time of sleep?
After we have been buried in corruption’s pit so deep?”

Our body is sown in dishonor, but it will be raised in glory
It is sown in weakness, but raised in power – the resurrection story

The first man Adam became a living being, it is true
The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit, life to me and you

And as was the man of dust, created so long ago
So are those likened unto him, also made of dust
And as is the Man, the Lord from heaven, you know
That we shall bear His image for eternity just as we’ve discussed

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God
Nor can corruption inherit that which is incorrupt
Be we shall all be changed, and so, heavenly streets we’ll trod
In the twinkling of an eye, the change will be abrupt

When the last trumpet sounds, we will be taken to glory
We shall all be changed, completion of the gospel story

Where O Death, O where is your sting?
When Christ our Savior, us to Himself does He bring

Where O Hades, O where is your victory?
When Christ translates His children to eternal glory

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin the law
But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord
My beloved brethren be steadfast in all you’ve heard and saw
And cling confidently to God’s eternal word

Know for certain that your labor is not in vain
Be of good cheer, Christ is coming again

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Luke 1:26-38
The Power of the Highest Will Overshadow You

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Yesterday, 25 December 2021, we celebrated Christmas as Christians do all over the world at this time each year. However, it is clearly evident from Scripture that Jesus was not born at this time of the year. Some falsely proclaim that Jesus was born in the springtime around the Passover. That is unmistakably wrong from the biblical text, but it is sensational, and it sells well.

The biblical narrative clearly places His birth during the fall season. Specifically, it would have been on Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Acclamation as is recorded in Leviticus 23:23-25. This can be easily determined from the Bible itself by first following the account set down in Luke 1 and Luke 2, and then by using the information he provides to search the Old Testament to definitively place the timing of the event.

To more clearly see this, you can read or watch the sermon entitled “Leviticus 23:23-25 (The Feasts of the Lord, The Memorial of Acclamation)” from the Superior Word Leviticus sermons. There, the account is laid out to demonstrate this.

This day that would have been Jesus’ birth, Yom Teruah, or the “Feast of Acclamation,” is known by some as the “Feast of Trumpets.” But the Hebrew word used, teruah, does not necessarily refer to trumpets, even if trumpets were blown. It simply means that the people were to raise a tumult of joy – shouting, whooping and yelping, blowing trumpets, and so on.

The specific name is stated in Numbers 29 where it is called Yom Teruah, or Day of Acclamation. In Job 38, the root of teruah – the word rua – is used when speaking of a shout of rejoicing at the time of creation –

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
⁶ To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7

This is the sense of the word, and of what is to occur. Teruah can be a war cry, an alarm, a shout of joy, the blast of the trumpet, and so forth. In the words of Leviticus 23, it is termed zikaron teruah, or a “memorial of acclamation.”

The Greek Old Testament specifically translates this day as mnémosunon salpiggon, or “memorial of trumpets,” but that is more of an explanation than of a translation of the Hebrew.

In modern Israel, the day is known as Rosh Hoshana or “Beginning of the year.” But biblically, that term is not appropriate to describe the event. The redemptive calendar, upon which the Feasts of the Lord are given, begins in the spring, not in the fall. The modern calendar used in Israel does not follow the biblical calendar that was given by the Lord for clues about the coming Messiah

It is a problem because people in the church have mixed up the events of the Feasts of the Lord so completely that almost nothing taught matches what the Bible actually says. It really takes a complete severing from everything that is taught today, and a return to the biblical text alone, to properly know what is going on and how it points to Jesus. Without this, there is complete confusion concerning the purpose, meaning, and significance of the Feasts of the Lord as detailed in Scripture.

Text Verse: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² 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

The reason for repeating all of this detail concerning the timing of Jesus’ birth, and the appropriate terminology concerning it from previous sermons, is to establish a baseline for us to consider why we celebrate “Christmas” at this time of year.

But even before that, we should define what the term “Christmas” actually means. This is because folks love to find a conspiracy in everything, including what they claim is an overt connection to the Roman Catholic mass. It is true the word is from the word that defines the mass, but that doesn’t imply that this is some unholy word that should never be used.

The word is simply a shortened form of “Christ’s mass.” It is found in writings as early as 1038 where it is called Crīstesmæsse. The word “Christ” comes from the Greek word Christόs, meaning Christ. That comes from the Hebrew mashiakh, or “Messiah.” And both Messiah and Christ mean “anointed.” Thus, it refers to the “Anointed One.”

The word mass comes from the Latin word missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. That comes from eucharistia, or “thanksgiving.” It is a word found predominantly in Paul’s writings, but it is also found in Acts and in Revelation. The last use of it in Scripture is in Revelation 7 –

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.” Revelation 7:12

Hence, one can see the word “Christmas” is a perfectly biblical word, even if it is not actually found in the Bible. It is the giving of thanks for what God has done in Christ. At times, the term is substituted for Xmas, something seen as derogatory and a dismissal of the name of “Christ,” but that is also incorrect.

That is a shortened form of Christόs which in the Greek alphabet reads Χριστός. The Greek letter chi looks like a modern X. This is not a new invention, but it actually goes back to Middle English where the first two letters, Χρ (chi and rho), are seen in place of the full word.

So far, that has been a lot of information that hasn’t told us anything about our sermon text, but it gives us the basis for much of what we need to know concerning why we just celebrated Christmas yesterday, except for why we celebrated it yesterday and not in the September/October time frame when Christ was born.

If the birth of Christ is what we are celebrating, and if that happened in the fall, then people argue that there must be some devilish reason why we have been so misdirected to observe it at the end of December. And, indeed, haters of everything Roman Catholic do their best to come to this conclusion.

Just type into your search bar “pagan origins of Christmas,” and you will find every possible reason why this is not a Christ-oriented day at all. One example of this is the common saying that the Norse, Druids, Celtics, and others – all pagan of course – observed the winter solstice at this time.

Others tie it directly to the Roman feast called Saturnalia, in honor of the god Saturn, which was held on 17 December, and which was later expanded to hold festivities as late as 23 December.

There is a problem with these analyses though. And that is that we are not observing Saturnalia on those dates. We are also not observing the winter solstice on 21 December. We are observing a thanksgiving to Christ on 25 December.

The timing of the events is close, and there is a reason for that, just as there is a reason that the feast of Passover was at the same general time as the spring equinox which occurs around March 20^th of each year. Not unsurprisingly, this was also a time of pagan observances.

This time of year is one of renewal and new hope as the long winter comes to a close. To say that Christians are observing the equinox or a pagan ritual at this time is shallow, and it is no different than saying that Christians are observing the winter solstice in some pagan fashion.

It is important not to make stuff up that is without any basis in reality, but rather we are to instead seek out the knowledge of God in Christ and find out why we observe the things we do. And that is what we do when we search out the word of God. And so, having just noted that the timing of the Passover was given by God for a reason, we should think on what that is.

Its timing in the annual calendar comes at the time when Christ died, was buried, and when He resurrected. The spring is the perfect time for this to occur. Just as the season looks to the renewal of life, so the resurrection of Christ looks to it as well. There is new life to be found for every believer who comes to Him based on faith in what occurred at that time.

Yes, the exact timing of what many call “Easter” is not always the same as the day that the Jews observe the Passover, even though they do occur at the same time occasionally. But the calendars we use are not the same either. In order to accommodate the calendar and thus the life cycle of those under that different calendar, a specific dating of the observance was made for the Christian calendar.

Likewise, the timing of Christmas is a time of thanksgiving for what God has done at this time of the year when the nights are the longest and the world seems at its darkest.

But what does that timing have to do with the Holy One of God? The answer is so simple and so easily determined that it is sad that people spend so much time trying to connect the day to pagan festivals instead of just thinking the matter through.

The birth of Jesus Christ from the womb occurred on the day of Yom Teruah, in the fall time. Armed with that knowledge, all we need to do is backdate from there 280 days (+/-), the approximate time for human gestation. From there, we come up with approximately 25 December.

This is the same approximate time that the Feast of Dedication, mentioned in John 10:22, was observed. Today, Jews call that Hannukah, or the “Festival of Lights.”

Like the timing of the Passover and Firstfruits, and the timing of Good Friday and Resurrection day (aka “Easter”) – which do not always coincide, but which do from time to time – the Feast of Dedication and Christmas do not always coincide, but they will from time to time. This happens when the two calendars (the Hebrew and the Christian) merge.

We don’t know who first sat down and did the calculation for fixing what we today call Christmas, but someone did. He did so to align with 25 December, not on 17 or 21 December. And he did so not to align with a pagan festival, but it was surely to align with the birth of Christ. However, it was not from the womb, but in the womb.

This One, who explicitly calls Himself “the light of the world” in John 8:12 and again in John 9:5, is the One who came at the darkest time of the year, thus fulfilling a pattern based on the words of John –

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19

The Feast of Dedication, also known extra-biblically as the Festival of Lights, was celebrated by the Jews at this time of year as a foreshadowing of the true Light that would come into the world at that darkest of times. It is He that would dedicate God’s true temple and sanctify it as holy to the Lord.

One thing is for certain, despite what modern society tries so desperately to hide, the true birth of a person is the day he or she is conceived. That is why the term in the womb is called “human gestation.” A human has come to exist, and that child is being prepared in the womb to survive outside of the womb.

The Koreans get this. They consider a year in the womb as being counted toward their actual age. Thus, each person is considered a year old at birth. They then add a new year onto their age each year on New Year’s Day. Despite this, their actual birthday is still considered as a day of celebration of their birth.

That’s just a cute squiggle for your brain and has nothing to do with the biblical narrative. But it reveals a truth that they get, whereas the hateful left dismisses any such notion as completely unfounded. In them, we can say in Gumpish fashion, “Stupid is as stupid believes.”

And it is certain they don’t actually believe this, but they believe the lie outwardly so that they can continue to try to feel good about their wickedness. To understand this thinking, take time to read Romans 1 today. Paul explains it exactingly.

Regardless of that, now that we have all of this wonderful background information to understand the why and the when of what occurred, we can return to Luke and marvel at what God has done in Christ at this time of the year.

Mary, being a girl who understood how such things work, asked the angel who came to her, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” The question was not one lacking faith. She simply didn’t get how it could be.

Her words indicate that she surely understood the whole thing about having babies, and what she understood didn’t include the thought of virgins having them. As such, the angel spoke to her words that are more incredible than anything else that had ever been heard by human ears.

If you think of the enormity of what he says, it is literally impossible to grasp the totality of it. He began his words saying, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.” Exactly what this means must be determined from a careful analysis of the rest of Scripture.

In such an analysis, it is perfectly evident that the Holy Spirit is God. This is completely obvious, and it is undeniable when properly looked into. We did a ten-part series on doctrine before we started into Deuteronomy. One sermon from that series carefully evaluates the doctrine of the Trinity. It is a doctrine that is manifestly clear. God is three Persons in one essence – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Therefore, to say that the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary is to say that the essence of God, as revealed in the Person of the Holy Spirit, would come upon Mary. This is the same Person in the Godhead that hovered over the waters in Genesis 1:2 and who brought the chaos into order. It is also the same Person in the Godhead that is said to be the Source of life for all beings –

“You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.” Psalm 104:30

What is said to Mary, however, does not speak at all of the creation of life. Rather, it speaks of the issuance of life. The son born to Eve in her union with Adam was not a creation, but was rather a product of who they were as beings. Thus, the term “conceive” is used.

The Greek word that defines conception, not creation, is what is used concerning Christ in Luke 1:31. It is the word sullambanó, a compound word coming from sun, with or together, and lambanó, to receive.

There is the sense of life issuing from both Mary and the Holy Spirit just as there is life from the union of a man and a woman. Creation is excluded in the thought. Rather, the word “beget” is what defines what occurred. The union of two issuing forth into a new being. In this case, and because of who the two are, we have something unique in all of the universe – both temporal and physical.

The pattern was set forth on the first page of the Bible where all life is said to produce after its own kind. As such:

The Father is God: the issuance is God.
The mother is a human being: the issuance is a human.

As the Child is a male, the issuance is the God/Man, Christ who is Jesus.

Again, the word “creation” cannot be used in the explanation of what occurred. To do so will introduce heresy into what is said. Life begetting life is what has occurred. There is human life that was originally created, but there is the Divine life which is uncreated.

Without explaining how it happened, Paul explains that it did, in fact, happen –

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16

God was manifested in the flesh. This is what we call the Incarnation. God did not become a man – as if the infinite became finite, a logical contradiction and an impossibility. Rather, God united with humanity. The infinite has united with the finite. It is something both non-contradictory and completely possible.

John, with failing human words, expresses what occurred –

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4

&

“And the Word became 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 1:14

What came forth was flesh, because He came through humanity. But He is also begotten of the Father. As such, He bears a glory that extends beyond that of humanity. Even to the glory of God because He was there before flesh existed. Paul refers to this at several times and in various ways, such as –

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

Likewise, John opens his first epistle with this thought –

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— ² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—” 1 John 1:1, 2

This concept continued to be explained to Mary with the next words of the angel, “and the power of the Highest will overshadow you.”

Here the term “power” is used to describe the “Highest.” In other words, the One who is Most High is also the Most Powerful. They are not two things, but one. As such, it makes the words of Luke 1:32 more understandable. There, the angel – using the same word – said, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest.”

As such, the same thing that makes a child receive the paternal nature of a man is what makes Christ receive the paternal nature of the Highest. Again, Paul alludes to this –

“but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:24

What God possesses because of who He is, is then revealed through the Son because of who He is. He has received the paternal nature of the Highest, and thus Christ possesses the power of God and the wisdom of God. And, once again, Paul tells us of what God is doing through this dual nature of Jesus – who is the Christ – when he says –

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not  imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19

God didn’t just send a man to reconcile the world to Himself, such as, “Elijah, I want you to be the one who will reconcile fallen man to Me.” Obviously, that wouldn’t have worked, because Elijah was born of fallen man; he received the sin of Adam. But more, God didn’t create a new man, like Adam, and say, “I am sending you to reconcile the world to Me.”

That wouldn’t have worked, because that man would have no knowledge of good and evil. As such, he would not be a suitable substitute for fallen man. But once he gained that knowledge, he would be fallen, just as Adam fell. It is the inevitable outcome of gaining that knowledge.

Rather, God took care of the matter Himself. The One with infinite knowledge of all things – God – was “in Christ.” As such, He was capable of reconciling the world to Himself. The marvel, the absolute stunning and incredible nature, of what God has done is beyond our ability to grasp.

We fight with words in order to explain what God has done, but we are always just one misspoken word away from heresy. Or we provide words that are insufficient to bring the mind to the state of where it should be in relation to the knowledge of how God did it.

But the words do generally tell us what occurred and what it means, even if we cannot properly and fully grasp, or state, the extent of what happened. As such, we come to the next words of the angel to Mary, which are, “therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Mary was a physical human being who bore the DNA of her parents. Her DNA would have transmitted on from her to Jesus. This isn’t only logical, it is to be inferred from those verses that say Jesus is the Offspring of David, is of the seed of David, and so on.

This is also to be perfectly understood from the genealogies recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. If this were not true, and if God created Jesus immediately and directly in the womb of Mary (a heresy known as Valentinianism), then Jesus would be a created, not a begotten, being. But this was not the case.

However, what is it that completed the human nature of Jesus? How did that come about? The Bible does not tell us. It simply states that Jesus was born and that no human father was involved in the process. That leaves us with a mystery at this time, but it did occur.

Somehow, God clicked the tumblers of the building blocks of Jesus’ humanity in the womb of Mary to have this incredible framework form into a human being. And it came about. And even though we don’t know how this occurred, the record testifies to the fact that it did happen.

And to leave Mary (and thus us who have been told the story) with a sufficient (albeit incomplete) explanation for how it occurred, the angel said to her, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” At this time, and maybe forever, we do not have all of the information to know what transpired in the womb of Mary – at least I don’t, and I don’t think anyone else has suitably explained it either.

But we are armed with the words of the text, and we are asked to believe that the seemingly impossible was possible because God is in the details. With this knowledge, we can know that on that Christmas day, over two thousand years ago now, God united with humanity, and then the Offspring of that union developed into a Child who was born from the womb and into the world.

The record of His birth, His life, and the works that He accomplished is sufficiently detailed in the four gospels to give us all we need to know in order to make an informed decision about “Who is this Man?” He is the Son of the Highest who possesses all of the power of heaven and earth. He is the Son of God who bears His holiness, His grace, His love, and His mercy.

He is also the Judge who will preside over all mankind because He is the incarnate word of God who reveals and expresses the unseen God to us. What God spoke through the prophets is more fully realized in Christ. Where the prophets might say, “Judgment is coming,” God in Christ says, “Judgment is come.”

And be sure, judgment is also coming, but it is coming, because it has already come –

“Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ ³³ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” John 12:30-33

Judgment has come through the death of the humanity of Jesus. As we already saw, God did not become a man, and God did not die on the cross of Calvary. Rather, Jesus the Man, who is also fully God, died on the cross. But God in Christ did not die.

When Jesus died, the world was judged. Everything necessary for all of judgment, for all of human history, was judged at that moment. Everything from the fall of Adam until the last breath of the last man that will ever take place on this earth was judged at that moment.

Jesus Christ has the power to judge, He has the authority to judge, and He has the right to judge it all. It doesn’t matter one diddly if we like that, or if we don’t like it. It doesn’t matter one smidgeon if we believe it or not. And it doesn’t matter doodly squat what we think, because what God has done in this matter does not include us in the process. Rather, it includes us in the results of the process.

God in Christ did the work, and He did it for us. The incarnation was for us. The circumcision on the eighth day was for us. The temptations He faced were for us. The long walks along the paths, trails, and highways of Israel were for us. The reviling accusations, the jeers, the sneers, and being shunned by His people was for us.

And when Jesus was betrayed, mocked, disowned by His people, scourged, and crucified – it was for us. There is nothing in what God did in Christ Jesus that filled a need in Him. He is the ruler of this universe and the One who directs all things according to His wisdom. And yet, He did what He did for us.

For whatever incomprehensible reason, He decided that this thing that He would do in Christ was of value. David, even before the cross, asked of the Lord the most honest question he could put forth. In fact, he was so curious about the matter, that he repeated it in two psalms, Psalm 8, and Psalm 144 –

“Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?” Psalm 144:3

David just wasn’t getting it. “Lord, why do you even bother with us?” He knew He did, and he knew that there was a purpose for it, but he just couldn’t fathom what that purpose could be.

Now, here we are on the other side of the cross. We have seen what God was willing to go through for us. And we consistently fail to ask that same question, even now when it is infinitely more appropriate to ask, “Lord, why did You ever do what You did for people like us?”

This is why the Lord has the right to judge all things. It is because He did it. And that judgment can go in only one of two directions. It will be imputed to us because God already judged us in Christ, or it will be a judgment against us because we have failed to receive what God has done in Christ.

God in Christ is the measure. He is the standard. He is where we must find ourselves. Or we will be forever separated from Him. The choice is ours because a bit over two thousand years ago, the Holy Spirit came upon a young virgin, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her. When that happened, the Holy One who was born from this event was and is called THE SON OF GOD.

What is Christmas day? It is the celebration of and the giving thanks for that which is simply incredible. It is a day of contemplating the infinite love of God which is found in the giving of a Son to the people of the world. Through this, we can experience the divine – not in some ethereal way, but in a real and personal way.

The life that is Christ Jesus is essentially the same life that now quickens us, but it is realized in a different way. We are not begotten of humanity and deity as Christ was, thus becoming the God/Man. We are humans who are born of God through an act of faith in what He did for us.

As this is so, we are now called children of God, we are now granted an inheritance that is incorruptible and eternal in nature, and we have the everlasting hope of paradise restored, plus. The plus is Jesus.

Adam couldn’t have fathomed what the Lord would do to bring him back to Himself. David pondered why he was attentive to us at all, and he could find no suitable answer. We, on the other hand, do know what extent God would go to make it possible. But our knowing only makes what He did all the more difficult to grasp.

Surely, O God, what is man that you are mindful of him? We may never fully know, but we have eternity in His presence to try to find it out. Thank God for our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. Thank God for the child of Christmas who is also the Lamb who was slain. Yes, thank God for Jesus Christ. And all of God’s people say… Amen.

Closing Verse: “And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
⁶ Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5, 6

Upon hearing the news of what would happen to her, Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” If you are the redeemed of the Lord, you can be assured that whatever comes your way, from moment to moment, is already known to God.

As surely as he had planned and purposed for Mary to be the mother of Jesus, He knows what is in store for you as well. And so, through the good and through the bad in the year to come, be of the mind that you will respond according to the words of Mary, “Let it be to me according to your word.” He will see you through to a good end, even if things are rocky along the way.

My friend Izabela sent me a note recently, she said, “My 10-year-old granddaughter Lily wrote her first poem.” It is a great poem and I’d like to read it to you now.

Christmas is fun
Gifts are nice
But the best gift of all
Is Jesus Christ

Next Week:  Deuteronomy 29:1-9 Moses has something he wants to address… (I Have Led You Forty Years in the Wilderness) (84th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He sent His own Son into the world to reconcile you to Himself. Remember the enormity of what that means each day of your life. And then, follow Him and trust Him as He continues to do marvelous things for you and through you.

The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts

Unto us a Child is born
A time to rejoice and not to mourn

Unto us a Son is given
The One to lead us from death to a’livin’

And the government will be upon His shoulder
Every eye will see Him; every soul will be His beholder

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom’s realm
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever – He at the helm
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this

And His name will be called Wonderful
The Counselor and Mighty God is He
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, pure and white as wool
Of the increase of His government and peace, no end shall we see

Do not be afraid, for behold
I bring you good tidings of great joy
Which will be to all people, forever told
The wondrous story, the birth of a Boy

For there is born to you this day
In the city of David, a Savior, it is He
Who is Christ the Lord, to whom heaven’s hosts obey
The Messiah has come, and now you may go and see

And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
Lying in a manger, a glorious view
The Christmas Child whom our Heavenly Father bestows

A Child like no other has come to dwell among us
He shall lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake
And His name is called out, His name is JESUS
Come, and of the Heavenly Child partake

He is God’s gift and heaven’s treasure
He is Immanuel – God with us
And He bestows upon us grace without measure
The Christmas Child, our glorious Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…