Advent Hope / Matthew 12:21

Matthew 12:21-In His name the nations will put their hope. The NLT reads, 'and his name will be the hope of all the world'. This is a hard lesson for arrogant mankind to learn. We are the enlightened species and we can solve all the problems of the world, etc. The hope of the nations is not in politics, religion, military might, economic strength, government assistance, etc. The hope for mankind is the person of Jesus. In His Name-there is the power to bring peace to the most troubled heart, to bring light into the darkest life. Our greatest sin is that we continue to look away from Jesus. Man loves darkness because his deeds are evil (Jn. 3). Repentance is for 'bad' people, and we are not bad, just uneducated. At this Christmas time, let us hear the invitation of Almighty God to put our hope in the Son. Those who came to Jesus in the gospels, those who came expressing their need, humble and contrite, willing to submit to His authority, went away filled with hope and life. Joy to the world the Lord is come-let us put our trust in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ.

The Face of God

E. Stanley Jones said, "Christianity put a face on God and Jesus is that face." Moses asked to see the face of God and was spared the experience. Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and claimed to have seen the face of God. Joan Osborne's song, "What if God was one of us?" asks the question, "If God had a face, what would it look like?" The people around Jesus were certain it wouldn't look like Jesus the Nazarene. The Good News of the Kingdom is that in the face of Jesus the Nazarene we see the God of all glory. Eventually the disciples were able to say, 'we beheld His glory-the glory of the One and only Son sent from the Father full of grace and truth (Jn.1).' We have seen-they did see the true and living God in a new dimension. The representatives of Judaism had marred the image of God with their legalism, judgmentalism and general lack of love for everyone else. Jesus looked with compassion on the broken, the lost and the least. Jesus revealed the prodigal God whose love seemed to know no limits. He invites you to look into His face. The God of all ages has revealed Himself in the glory, simplicity and purity of Jesus the Nazarene.

Blessed

The Beatitudes offer an alternative picture to everyday life. Our Creator and Redeemer identifies what makes for the blessed life. Christ is the center of this life, the source of this life. To be blessed is to have Christ in you, the hope of glory. To be blessed is to feed upon the Bread of life. To be blessed is to have the witness of the Spirit that declares I belong to the King, I'm a child of His love. To be blessed is to find a righteousness from God in Christ that sets me right from the inside out. To be blessed is to discover the gift of living in the Father's house. To be blessed is to not get God to do what you want, but to align yourself with the Father's heart, live under His authority and for His glory. Paul proclaims this new life in Ephesians 1-we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Thank you Jesus! I want to live blessed!

Fifty Five

I remember when the speed limit was 55-that was a good speed for the 73 Pinto with a top end of around 73. Now I celebrate 55-which reminds me that life is short-we are a vapor, quickly vanishing. The cemetary is full of markers reminding us that life has no guarantees on duration. Death comes, sometimes it comes in a rude manner. Today I count my blessings. I am grateful for a great wife, two beautiful daughters and a great son in law. I am grateful for a mom who still prays for me, for a dad who showed me the Way, who walked the talk. I am grateful for the good people of Christ-who love, give, serve, pray, and stay faithful even when it would be a lot easier to be selfish. Today I read Ps. 103 and Eph. 3:14-20 to begin the day. Both remind me of amazing grace, of the incomprehensible nature of God and the awesome provision of salvation in Christ. God is able. God is slow to anger, compassionate, abounding in love. At this point I sing, 'all the way my savior leads me what have I to ask beside' and 'just as I am without one plea but that Your blood was shed for me.'

Bulls Eye

The Word of God is the bulls eye for all of life. Jesus came to do the Father's will. God's Word is a revelation of the Father's heart. A heart that desires life for His choice creation. Life that comes as we place our trust in the Word of God (Jesus Christ) and as we follow the Word of God. Jesus didn't turn stones into bread (Mt. 4), He followed the Word of the Father. He was hungry, but a greater desire was to do the Father's will. We must desire God's Word, be hungry for God's Word, submissive to God's Word. Jesus says we are live by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. We cannot afford to be selective in our obedience-when we are we miss the bulls eye-we miss the mark-we sin-death begins to work in our spirit. Our culture rejects the Word of God. At best it is one of many options for our cultural mindset. Deut. 8 sets the stage for Mt. 4. Be careful to obey every command. James says the doubleminded person is unstable-unable to hit the bulls eye. Let us submit wholehearted to the Word of God-this the only source of life.

How Long

Sunday we looked at Psalm 13. The point of the Psalm for me is the choice to sing to the Lord in the middle of the 'how long' of life. For too many the song has gone silent, the music of grace has died in their spirit. They are moaning and groaning about life and the injustice and pain, and the seeming silence of God instead of making the choice to rejoice in the Lord. At times it is much easier to moan and groan than rejoice. But the easy thing is seldom the path of the Kingdom of God. David was under attach from Saul, life was not as it should be, he was the anointed king but living as a fugitive, one of Saul's most wanted. It would have been easy for him to get stuck in the 'how long'. But David still had the song. God's grace brings a song to the human spirit. A song we should be willing to sing at midnight even if we are shackled in a Roman prison (Acts 16). There was a point when David probably lost the song and Psalm 51 records this. David cries out for God to restore the joy of His salvation-I need the song back. God restores the song when we repent and let go of our moaning and groaning. Maybe this song is the heartbeat of God planted within the spirit of the person of faith. Thank you Lord for the song (Psalm 40).

Your Kingdom Come

The rule, reign of God in the human heart is the firstfruits of when this world will no longer be dominated and darkened by the sinfulness and selfishness of man, but will be the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Until then, Christ's people, must embody that Kingdom in their relationships and attitudes, priorities and pursuits of daily life. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) pictures this radical lifestyle, the unselfish attitudes, the other world priorities. Brennan Manning states that when we live in compassion towards others, the Kingdom of God comes. Our compassion connection has become disconnected. Christians are known more for their political efforts and statements on morality than for their love of others. They will know we are Christ's by our love for each other. A love that then carries over into the marketplace to touch the life of our neighbor, who may also be our enemy. The fruit of the Spirit is love...The greatest of these is love...the fulfillment of the law is love...the greatest command is to love God and others. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes. The deepest part of his person was moved to weep, give, serve, lay down his life for those who loved darkness more than light. The Kingdom had come and even the most religious were repulsed by its picture. Dare we pray, Father in heaven, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth...To truly pray this is to be the channel through which the Father shows His compassion, love, mercy. I beseech you, in view of God's mercy, be a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1-3).