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Although
the world is full of people who look forward to celebrating Christmas, that does not mean
that they all are Christians. For many it is not Christ's coming into our flesh that
interests them. They are interested in one whom they call Santa Claus, or Saint Nicholas,
or merely in worldly gifts. It is not the gift that Christ brought us that interests them.
Rather, it is the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and of the pride of life that fills them
with joy on Christmas Day.
As
Christians, however, we should, from now until the day the believers celebrate Christmas,
consider more deeply what He earned for us and presents to us in God's grace. To prepare
us for that day, and to deepen our appreciation of what He did and does for us, we should
listen to what our God gave us through Isaiah and the other Old Testament prophets.
Today
let us note this glorious truth: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your
God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins" (
Isaiah 40:1
, 2).
Let
us note first of all that Christmas is a day of blessedness only for God's children, for
believers to whom He gives a new spiritual life. Let us also take note of the fact that it
is not a day wherein we are to celebrate what men give unto us, but a day to rejoice with
thanksgiving in what God gives us through His Son; and what He TOOK AWAY from us, namely
our guilt and unholiness!
By
all means have that wonderful gift and work of God before your mind now, as we approach
the day of Christ's birth, but also on that day when we celebrate His coming in our flesh
for our salvation. Salvation is a most wonderful gift of God's grace. We are going to lose
every gift that man gives unto us; but rejoice in God's everlasting gift of love, mercy,
and grace.
Read:
Isaiah 40:1-8
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read
today:
Daniel 8:1-27
1 John 2:1-17
Psalm 120:1-7
Proverbs 28:25-26
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"
... experience is ... said to be the mistress of fools because those are fools that will
not learn till they are taught by experience, and particularly till they are taught the
danger of associating with wicked people ... See how pernicious a thing it is to join in
friendship and society with evil-doers. It is a hard matter to break off from it. A man
may much better keep himself from being taken in the snare than recover himself out of
it." --Matthew Henry on Jehoshaphat
Having yesterday considered our calling to look forward to our celebration of God's wonderful gift to us, namely, His Son, and through Him salvation, we should today go a step further into this rich truth.
In Isaiah 40:10 we read, "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him; behold his reward is with him, and his work before him." Here we have a very comforting truth in regard to our Savior's birth. He came with a strong arm and hand, which will fulfill all God's promises to us -- from the promise He gave us the day we fell into sin, onward to those in the book of Revelation. He will crush the head of Satan and his hosts through the crushing of His heel on the cross. The victory for us is absolutely sure!
This is true because, as Isaiah presented it, when Christ suffers on His cross it is God, as He came into our flesh, Who is realizing salvation for us. Christ is the second Person in the Holy Trinity Who died in His human nature, in order that we may be raised to heavenly glory through Him. He came, not as the strongest man, but as the almighty God. The strongest man, Adam, could not stand before Satan. He fell. But the almighty God came in our flesh to save us fully by His strong hand and arm. He Who is the I AM, realized for us what we will be everlastingly. We must say, "I will do this or that, if God gives me strength." He, the I AM, depends on no one and nothing. Indeed, all things depend upon Him. We have an almighty Savior.
What a blessed gift our Savior is! How wonderful it is that we have the almighty God as our Savior, the Savior before Whom Satan and all his host of fallen angels and ungodly men cannot stand! Our salvation is sure because our almighty Savior came and is realizing our salvation in all that which is taking place in the world.
Read: John 14:1-11 .
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Daniel 9
;
Daniel 10
;
Daniel 11:1
1 John 2:18-22;
1 John 3:1-6
Psalm 121:1-8
Proverbs 28:27-28
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"The whole gospel is contained in Christ." John Calvin
Salvation
is sure because our Savior is the almighty God come into our flesh, and come to represent
us and bring us out of our guilt, our evil nature, and our death and into everlasting life
and heavenly glory. Christ, Whose birthday is approaching, will take good care of us and
bring us to the glory which God has promised us. This is pictured beautifully in
Isaiah 40:11
, where we find these comforting words: "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young."
The
comforting truth here is that He loves us. All that which we read here tells us that
truth, revealing how greatly He loves us and cares for us. All that which we read here
tells us that He will give us everything that we need to reach the heavenly glory that God
promised us. As our shepherd He will feed us, bring us what we need, and supply us every
day with the necessities of our life. He loves us. This is manifested also in the tender
care and protection that we receive from His hand. The shepherd pictured here reveals that
so clearly in gathering the lambs, carrying them in His bosom, gently leading those with
young. We have almighty and wonderful protection from all our enemies, and the tender
loving care of an almighty Savior.
No
creature needs protection as much as does a sheep, which cannot fight against the wolves,
bears, and lions. No animal needs to be led to green pastures as does a sheep. Our
shepherd does this for us. On the day we celebrate His birth we are called not only to
rejoice, but also to praise God for having sent Him Who earned our salvation by His
suffering and death. Satan and the antichristian world cannot keep us from the glory God
promised in our Savior. Be confident that He has you in His bosom and is coming back to
fulfill all God's promises to us.
Read:
Psalm 23
.
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 11:2-35
1 John 3:7-24
Psalm 122:1-9
Proverbs 29:1
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"Suppose, Christian, the furnace be seven times hotter; it is but to make you seven times better. Fiery trial makes golden Christians." Dyer
Days
and weeks before the day man calls "Christmas" arrives, there are songs sung
which afterward are set aside for months. They are called "Christmas carols,"
some of which do sing about Christ and His birth. Some are beautiful, with truths that
express Christ as our Savior, and have very pleasing music. Some reveal absolutely no
thought about Him and our salvation.
But
we had better take a firm hold on what God declares in
Isaiah 42:10
. There God Himself calls us to "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise
from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles,
and the inhabitants thereof." That song we must sing all through life, and not
merely a few days before what we call Christmas.
The
world sings it because it enjoys the music, not because of the truth presented in these
songs. They sing them to please men, not to praise God. We do well to heed this word of
God that we sing unto the Lord a new song, a song of praise to God. We may sing before
men, as a choir, or as a soloist. But by all means sing unto the Lord. And let us sing it
from the heart, not merely from the mouth. Let us sing God's praises, and not sing to get
man's praises directed to us for having sung those words with that music.
That
song must be a new song. It must not be the old songs the flesh of man sings because of
delight in music. Since God sent His Son to save us there is a new song, a song of
redemption, a song of God's grace and tender mercy upon those whom He chose in Christ.
Can
we, after we celebrate the birth of Christ, forget what He did for us? If His birth means
a little to us for only a short period of time in the year, His cross and the salvation
which He realized for us will also be a superficial and temporary thing.
Let
us every day, in our hearts, sing a new song to Jehovah, for the wonders He has wrought.
Read:
Psalm 98
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Daniel 11:36-45
; Daniel
12
1 John 4:1-21
Psalm 123:1-4
Proverbs 29:2-4
****
Quote
for Reflection:
There
is a joy which is not given to the ungodly, but to those who love Thee for Thine own sake,
whose joy Thou Thyself art. And this is the
happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this it is, and there is no
other.
The Confessions of St. Augustine (354-430)
What
is coming in the future is frightening, unless we know and believe Who, not simply what,
is coming. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in diverse places, and the cruel reign of
the Antichrist are coming soon, according to what our God tells us in His Word. But the
Christian is looking for Christ to come.
And
on what the world calls Christmas (but for us is Christ's birthday, and not a mass
which we celebrate) we will rejoice, because Christ came and is using all things to bring
about the day when we shall enter His kingdom with body as well as soul. Our God, in
Isaiah 43:7
, declares that He has redeemed us, "Even every one that is called by my name: for
I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." This
refers to those who in verse 6 are called His sons and daughters.
Today
these sons and daughters are called Christians, which means not only that they belong to
Christ, but that they are spiritually like Him. Only such should be called Christians. And
when in a few days we celebrate His birthday, we must not overlook the fact that He, the
Son of God, causes us to be the children of God. Only such may be called Christians, for
only they belong to Christ as members of His body, the church.
We
should, on the day we celebrate His birth, but also every day in our lives, reveal that
truth that we were created through Christ to God's glory. Yes, by His cross He saved us
from our guilt and punishment. But He also by His Spirit re-creates us so that we may and
do glorify God. On the day called Christmas we should celebrate Christ's coming as that
work of God's grace whereby He causes us to be those who glorify Him consciously and
willingly.
That
is a wonderful gift which God gives us. What a blessed truth! Our glory is that we were
made capable of glorifying God. That will be our wonderful life when Christ returns.
Read:
Isaiah 43:1-7
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Hosea 1
;
Hosea 2
;
Hosea 3:1-5
1 John 5:1-21
Psalm 124:1-8
Proverbs 29:5-8
***
Quote
for Reflection:
"In
the old dispensation, Moses alone beheld the Glory of the Lord; and the skin of his face
was changed. In the new dispensation, we all beheld that glory; and, by the grace of the
Spirit, we are changed, made like unto the Lord. We are changed spiritually through the
means of looking at His image in the mirror of the Scriptures. And the injunction which
follows if plain: cover not your faces; close not the Scriptures; look steadfastly in
them, for they make us free and wise unto salvation ." Homer C. Hoeksema
Let
us take hold of the truth which we find in
Isaiah 47:4
. And let us confess it with our lips, but also by our whole walk of life.
There
we read, "As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of
Israel." Now, plainly, our God is here speaking through Isaiah of Jesus Christ
our Savior. For He is our Redeemer. He bought us out of our guilty state, and caused us to
be freed from the everlasting punishment which we deserve. He brought us back to covenant
fellowship with God. And through Him God gives us a most wonderful present, the most
wonderful possible.
Our
salvation is a complete deliverance from the curse which we deserve, and it is a gift of
everlasting value. Christmas presents given by man soon wear out, or no longer fit our
needs and desires. The gift we received as little children does not compare with what we
desire as adults. But salvation brings redemption; bestows upon us that which we need
desperately; and never, never wears out. It is that which we never want discarded.
For
our Redeemer is the Lord of Hosts, the Holy One of Israel. HE is God's gift to us. What a
gift! To receive the Redeemer is wonderful. A Savior Who is the Lord of Hosts assures us
that we will get a most precious gift, yea, that we already have a most precious gift, a
Savior Who cannot be stopped in His work of salvation upon us.
We
will most assuredly with our souls enter heavenly glory, the moment we die here on this
earth. And our bodies will most assuredly be raised so that with body and soul we enter
the new Jerusalem.
For
the world, and for Satan who is the prince of this world, Christ's birth means a complete
defeat. For us it means a most blessed gift. We have a most powerful Redeemer. He did
redeem us one hundred per cent. And there is no one that can stop Him from bringing us
that everlasting present of covenant fellowship with God in the glory of His kingdom of
heaven.
Read:
Revelation 22
.
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Hosea 4
;
Hosea 5:1-15
2 John 1:1-13
Psalm 125:1-5
Proverbs 29:9-11
****
Quote
for Reflection:
Praise is quite inevitable in view of what we have already seen in this
Epistle. If we realize truly what grace and peace mean we cannot
help praising
There is no more true test of our Christian profession than to discover
how prominent this note of praise and thanksgiving is in our life. Is it to be found
welling up out of our hearts and experience as it invariably did with the Apostle Paul? Is
it constantly breaking forth in us and manifest in our lives?
All must surely agree
that it is impossible to read through the New Testament without seeing that this is to be
the supreme thing in the Christian life. It must of necessity be so, because if this
gospel is true, that God has sent His own Son into the world to do for us the things we
have been considering, then you would expect Christians to be entirely different from
unbelievers; you would expect them to live in a relationship to God that would be evident
to all, and that should above everything else produce this quality of joy
Hence we
find this constant exhortation in the New Testament to praise God and offer up
thanksgiving. This is what differentiates us from the world. The world is very miserable
and unhappy; it is full of cursing and complaints. But praise, thanksgiving and
contentment mark out the Christian and show that he is no longer of the world.
M. Lloyd-Jones on the praise of
Ephesians 1:3
and our lives
What
do you need more than anything else? What is the most precious gift that you want God to
give you? Can you rejoice and be glad because of what God took away from you? Or are you
more interested in what He can give to you? Is salvation a gift to you, or a work whereby
He takes something from you?
Salvation
is both of these works of God. We look forward to celebrating the day of Christ's birth
because it tells us that He gave us a Savior. But remember also that He gave us this
Savior so that our guilt and corrupt natures might be taken away from us. He made it
possible for us to leave our way down to hell. He gave us a Savior Who will bring us up to
heaven.
To
appreciate this we must take hold of the truth which we find in
Jeremiah 23:6
, where we read, "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shah dwell
in safety: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS."
We
have here both the taking away, which is implied in that word "saved," and the
giving of the gift, which is implied in those words "dwell in safety." What
hurts He removed, and what gives us peace and joy He gives. Our unrighteousness He
removes, and He Whose name is the Lord Our Righteousness gives us righteousness.
We
should also note that Jeremiah here speaks not simply of Christ's "day," but of
His "days." What is more, His day began when in Bethlehem He was born; but His
days as our Savior are still here, and will be here everlastingly in the new Jerusalem.
Although in a special way we may celebrate one day a year concerning His coming day, we
have the calling to thank Him every day for what He took from us and for what He gives
unto us.
Take
that blessed truth along with you the rest of your days here on this earth. Use every day
which He gives you in confessing Him to have made you righteous, and in taking away all
your guilt and punishment.
Read:
Jeremiah 23:1-8
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Hosea 6
;
Hosea 7
;
Hosea 8
;
Hosea 9:1-17
3 John 1:1-15
Psalm 126:1-6
Proverbs 29:12-14
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"As for me, underlines divine
commitment. The covenant does not rest on human wish or need but on divine
determination."
What
we considered yesterday is the truth that we have salvation as a wonderful gift from God.
This is explained in
Jeremiah 23:6
by the truth that our Savior is "The Lord our righteousness." Today
we had better delve a bit deeper into that truth.
Jeremiah
wrote in this verse that God's church -- called Judah and Israel in the text -- shall be
saved and will dwell safely. All this is presented to us because Israel was a type of
God's church. The name "Israel," which was given to Jacob, means "Prince of
God." The name "Lord" here in
Jeremiah 23:5
is literally "Jehovah"; and, as we noted, "Jehovah" means
"I Am." Thus, what Jeremiah wrote was that Jehovah Our Righteousness is our
Savior's name.
Now,
Christ is called this because He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He came to
dwell in our flesh, but His person is that of the Son of God. This explains how He could
suffer and die and thereby pay for our sins.
He saved us in the sense of redeeming us, that is, of buying salvation for us by
His blood and suffering. That punishment and death we deserve. He bought freedom from these, and He
also bought everlasting blessedness. Redemption does not merely set us free from
punishment, but also gives us everlasting glory and joy.
What
a salvation then do we have! What a blessed day it was when God Himself came into our
flesh in order to take away our guilt and give us heavenly blessedness! We are not simply
freed from the cruelty and wickedness of our spiritual enemies. We are given unspeakable
joy through Christ as the Lord Our Righteousness. Jehovah, the I Am Who changes not, made
us righteous.
This
day which men call Christmas is the day when God gave us a most wonderful and everlasting
gift. We are righteous, because we belong to Jehovah the Righteous One. Thank God for
making you righteous through Jehovah Our Righteousness.
Read:
Psalm 130
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Hosea 10
;
Hosea 11
;
Hosea 12
;
Hosea 13
;
Hosea 14
Jude 1:1-25
Psalm 127:1-5
Proverbs 29:15-17
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"Raising
covenant children is arguably the most important thing that Christians do in the Kingdom.
God has chosen in His sovereign wisdom and mercy to make the church herself the
seedbed of election.
A
few days ago we took note of the truth that Jesus Christ our Savior is our Redeemer, which
means that He bought us out of our guilt and the curse, which we by nature deserve because
we fell in Adam.
A
beautiful truth, that stands in connection with this purchase of our salvation, we find in
Jeremiah 50:34
. There we read: "Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his
name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and
disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon."
Let
us today take note of the truth that our Redeemer's name is Lord of Hosts. Here again,
that word "Lord" is the Hebrew word "Jehovah," that is, "I
Am." The point to note here is that He is Jehovah of Hosts; and a host is a multitude
of people. Do not then think that the church is only a handful of people, even though
Satan's army of sinners is far greater in number.
The
comforting truth here is that, as we approach the day of celebrating the birth of our
Savior, we are assured that our Redeemer saves a host of sinners. God has chosen a
host of sinners, a very large group out of every nation, tongue, and tribe, and
established Him as their Redeemer. That body of Christ will have an exact number of
members, and there will be a host like the sand on the seashore (
Hebrews 11:12
).
Today,
and on what is called Christmas Day, thank God for the assurance that we are going to get
a land of rest, and that we have a strong Redeemer Who is Jehovah, the I AM, Who is
unchangeable, and almighty to realize every word in every promise which our God has given
us.
What
a comforting truth there is in what we ought to celebrate on the day of Christ's birth. We
have a strong Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, Who will bring us victory and a most blessed
rest in His kingdom.
Read:
Matthew 11:20-30
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Joel 1
;
Joel 2
;
Joel 3:1-21
Revelation 1:1-20
Psalm 128:1-6
Proverbs 29:18
****
Quote
for Reflection:
Elisha "called for a musician, a
devout musician, one accustomed to play upon his harp and sing psalms to it. To hear
Gods praises sweetly sung, as David had appointed, would cheer his spirits, and
settle his mind, and help to put him into a right frame both to speak to him and to hear
from him."
In
a little more than two weeks, Christmas presents will be given and received. What present
would you want to receive? What would you call a most precious and important gift?
Would
it be what is presented to us through Ezekiel as God's gift to the members of His church?
In
Ezekiel 36:26
we read, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an
heart of flesh."
Do
you want that? Or are there other gifts that you prefer above and instead of that gift? Do
men please you with what they give, and do these gifts give you more joy than that gift of
which God here speaks? Do you look forward to what is called Christmas Day, because you
want what you consider to be more valuable things than such a heart? If on that day you
will get only one gift, would you choose that to be the present you would most like to
receive?
We
need a heart to receive any gift. When our heart stops beating we lose all our earthly
possessions. It is indeed a most wonderful work of God when, as our text states, He takes
away our hard, sinful heart and gives us a new, soft heart that loves Him, and causes us
to want to serve and glorify Him.
Man
comes into this world with a stony heart. With such a heart all men are born, for we come
into this world without the smallest love for God, and with a heart that hates Him. We all
come into this world hardhearted, having hearts that reveal a spirit of hatred against God
and against all the things of His kingdom. Christ's birth then is not in our judgment a
blessing.
As
believers we must appreciate that birth of Christ, Who came in order to bring us this gift
of hearts that love God. That is a most precious gift. It reveals the blessedness of God's
love for us.
Read:
Ezekiel 36:16-27
.
Through
the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Amos 1
;
Amos 2
;
Amos 3:1-15
Revelation 2:1-17
Psalm 129:1-8
Proverbs 29:19-20
****
Quote
for Reflection:
"How
sweet is it to godly minds to be assured, not only by word, but by sight, that they obtain
so much favour with the Heavenly Father that their offspring are within His care?"
Go
to: December 11
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