Jesus - The Source of Peace

Read:   COLOSSIANS 1:15-20

Before we knew Jesus Christ, our life was full of godlessness and wickedness - we had self-seeking ways and stubborn, unrepentant hearts (Rom 1:18; 2:5, 8). Like our strife -filled world, we clamored for peace and tried to find it, but our efforts failed.

When we came to faith in the Savior, all of that changed. We were rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into Christ's kingdom (Col 1:13) Every one of our sins - past, present, and future - was forgiven. Divine justice was satisfied by Christ's sacrifice, and God's wrath upon us was removed. We became a new creation, washed clean by Jesus' blood (2 Cor. 5:17).

Now that sin's power over us has been broken, we can live in accord with God. he sent His Holy Spirit to be our personal guide in this new life, helping each of us experience Christ's peace (Rom. 8:6). We also can look forward to an eternity spent in heaven, where righteousness, tranquility and joy abound (Rom. 14:17)

The story of the prodigal son's return is a picture of our reconciliation with the Lord (Luke 15: 11-24). The son had chosen to leave his father, living instead to please himself. Repentant, he eventually returned home; his father joyfully greeted him and forgave him, and there was harmony between them. God has done all this for us.

Our unity with the heavenly Father came at a great price - the sacrifice of His only Son. Christ gave His life for us so that we could be reconciled to God( Col. 1:20). Christian lives are to testify that Jesus is the source of our peace. Does your life communicate this message?
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from Intouch magazine, October 2011 issue

The Mission of Christ

READ JOHN 10: 1-18

Christ's mission on earth was to do the will of His father. Throughout His life, He continually surrendered Himself to God. We see this early on when He was separated from His parents. He told them, Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house? (Luke 2:49)

The Father desired that the lost be brought back to Himself. That's why Jesus, though a king came not to be served but to serve - even unto death (Matt. 20:28). His ultimate purpose was to become the sacrifice needed to atone for humanity's sin and to provide access to the Father.

To accomplish His mission, Jesus suffered greatly. But even in His darkest hour, He did not turn from His calling (26:39). Ever the faithful Son, He gave us the only way to the Father and eternal life - Himself (John 14:6) Those who trust in Him are His church, and they will see Him in glory when they die.

Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father" (14:9) and in fact, the two are one (10:30). Today, he sits at the Father's right hand, making intercession for us (Rom. 8:34) One day, he'll return to judge sinners and reward the saints. Are you ready to face Him? The only way you can be prepared is to receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.

Because the Father's love for us is limitless, He gave His son the mission of paying humanity's sin debt so that every person can have eternal life. When you place faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are united with the Father now and throughout all eternity.

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Intouch magazine January 2011 issue

The Suffering Servant

 

"Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. 

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors."

(Isaiah 53 NASB)

A Glance at the earthly context of Christ

by Cameron Lawrence (from Intouch Magazine December 2011)

Jesus the Christ was born into a moment of great expectation. A moment that contained all the anxiety, longing, and hope of every other that had come before it: the people of Israel were waiting to be redeemed. We see hints of this longing throughout Scripture, but perhaps most poignantly embodied in an elderly man, the head of a baby boy cradled in the crook of his arm.

The gospel of Luke introduces us to Simeon 40 days after the Child's birth, as Mary and Joseph present Him to God at the temple in accordance with the Law of Moses. The aged man was "righteous and devout looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon Him". (Luke 2:25)

Hear the tender words of this holy man, spoken in the sunset of his days as he beholds the ancient hope of God's people fulfilled: "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation" (Luke 2: 29 - 30). 

Simeon knew the long, troubled past of the Jewish people, one checkered with highs and lows. Among the greater misfortunes, and an important puzzle piece to understanding Christ's earthly context was the division of Israel into two kingdoms in 922 B.C. - the northern kingdom of Israel, which would eventually become Samaria, and the kingdom of Judah to the south, the house of David.

A Divided Land
The story goes that only two generations removed from David's splendorous reign, Rehoboam - the son of Solomon and successor to the throne - foolishly angered the ten tribes of Israel occupying the northern region of the Promised Land. When the tribes asked for relief from excessive taxation, the new king denied them: "My father made your yoke heavy but I will add to your yoke" (1 Kings 12:14). The northern tribes rebelled and chose their own king, fulfilling the prophecy that ten of the remaining eleven tribes would break away from Judah (11: 28 - 35), leaving only Benjamin as an ally.

Separated from the temple the tradition of their fathers, these tribes quickly devolved into idol worship, eventually intermarrying with foreigners and adopting false gods, as outside powers conquered the people and pagan influences proliferated. Here we begin tho understand the enmity (alienation) between the Jews and the Samaritans of Jesus' day, for the northern tribes had betrayed the God of their fathers and were no longer a people set apart for Him alone.

Meanwhile, the southern kingdom, also troubled by periods of apostasy, was repeatedly conquered by and taken captive by foreign monarchs, until the Jewish uprising of Judas Maccabeus in 167 B.C. This revolt eventually led to more than 100 years of Jewish independence, but it wasn't to last. Infighting began among the people, opening the door to the outside influence of Pompey, the Roman general who in 63 B.C. made Judah - now known by its Greek name Judea - a tributary of the Roman Empire.

The Jewish people would no longer have a true, righteous king as they once had in David. They would now be given puppet monarchs appointed by the Roman government, of whom Herod the Great - the reigning ruler at Christ's birth - was the first in 37 B.C.

Hope for A Redeemer
At the time of Christ, two religious groups ad risen to positions of leadership over the people: the priestly Sadducees, and the more influential Pharisees - a lay group known primarily as teachers and widely misperceived today as merely a legalist sect. At the heart of the Pharisees' seemingly excessive zeal was a godly desire to bring every sphere of life into submission to God's will: to be holy, as He is holy (Lev. 19:2)

The Pharisees' interpretation of how to apply the Law guided most Jews of the era in their day-to-day existence. And it was their influence that popularized the understanding of not only personal salvation but also resurrection from the dead, which the Sadducees denied (Mark 12:18).

Prior to the first century, God had been incrementally revealing who Israel's Redeemer would be, but the people saw as if through a dark glass. In his book The Person of Christ, author Daniel Fanous explains the progression: "What [the people knew] was the historical, present suffering. From this stemmed a hope in Him whom the prophecies foretold dimly... Over time as the kings ordained by God, began to fall short of the expectation of the redemption envisioned by the people, the people began to seek another, the King to come: (pp. 186-189). As the understanding become more convincing in the debates about the Messiah, so did prophecies about the royal Davidic line: His reign was said to last forever (see Psalm 89:29 and Daniel 7:13-14). Here, the people envisaged a powerful earthly king who would restore Israel to its former glory, ushering in an endless age of peace, freedom and prosperity. It's no wonder that, impressed by Jesus' display of power and authority, the people attempted to make Him king by force (John 6:15).

But their expectations were only partially correct: the Messiah was to rule a kingdom forever, but one that was not of this world (John 18:36). Though they looked for Him to be elevated among the masses, the seat of His exaltation would not be a throne but a tree, and His crown not golden but made of twisted thorns.

A crucified Messiah was unacceptable - an impossibility - to the children of Israel. In their disappointment, they failed to realize His true earthly context was neither buildings nor borders but the divided land of the human heart. Yes, He had come to free the people from foreign oppressors, but His foes didn't wear armor or rule from lofty palaces. He came to liberate all people, not from governors and soldiers but from enslavement to sin and death.

Snapshots of the Son

Old Testament Clues to the Messiah's Identity by Sandy Feit (Excerpt from InTouch Magazine December 2011 issue of the same title) 

God was aware the Jewish nation would need to know when to expect His Son and how to recognize Him. And so He created detailed "pictures" of the Anointed One - hundreds of prophetic verses describing who, when , and where - and sprinkled them throughout the Old Testament.

By studying God's "snapshots", His people could live in hopeful expectation until the Messiah arrived. Two who did were Simeon and Anna; they knew whom to look for, and their unrelenting pursuit was richly rewarded - 

^'And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law, then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 'Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, According to thy word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; A light for revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of thy people Israel.' And his father and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him; and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against; yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow even unto fourscore and four years), who departed not from the temple, worshipping with fastings and supplications night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all them that were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. " (Luke 2: 28-35) 

In this most appropriate season of Advent - a time of anticipation centered around the infant King -let's look at the six of the many biblical 'snapshots' God included to acquaint us with His Son.  Old Testament (or the Torah of the Jews) reveals that the Messiah was to be...

Fully Divine, Fully Human and Born of A Virgin 

Judah's King Ahaz was shaken by the news that Syria and Israel had formed an alliance to depose him. Their scheme was a threat not just to the king personally but to the entire royal Davidic line. Trusting his own strategy instead of the Lord's, Ahaz planned to join forces with Assyria against the conspiring nations. But God sent Isaiah with a warning against the tactic, plus a sign explaining why there was no need for fear: The reassurance was that the kingly line would not be cut off: despite any military threat, the Messiah - characterized as Immanuel, or " God is with us" - would still come through Ahaz's lineage in the appointed way, place and time.

'Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name 'Immanuel'. (Isaiah 7:14)

First, of the three possible Hebrew words Isaiah could have chosen, 'almah' is the only one used exclusively to denote "virgin" in Scripture.

Second, Isaiah said this would be a 'sign'. Meaning, something unusual would confirm the message. A young woman giving birth is hardly remarkable enough to warrant such a description. Along the same lines, the New International Version accurately translates ha alma as the virgin, referring back to a specific virginal woman, in this case the mother of the God - Man mentioned earlier. Isaiah reinforces this idea in 9:6-7 - the child who is born nd the son who is given are one and the same, and He's described in terms applicable only to deity.

'For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders: and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.' (Isaiah 9: 6-7)

Born in Bethlehem Around The First Century

'But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore He will give them up until the time when she is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel' (Micah 5: 2-3)

Jewish - and a King 

'The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet. Until Shiloh comes and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Genesis 49:10)

In addition to identifying the Anointed One as a king, this verse offers a clue about timing. The nation's genealogical records were kept in the temple, so for the Messiah's tribal affiliation to be ascertained, He would have had to be on the scene before 70 A.D., when the Romans destroyed that structure. 

Prophet, Priest and Son of God

According to Deuteronomy 18:18, the coming Messiah would be a prophet like Moses. 

'I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put M words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deutoronomy 18:18)

Other passages add to the growing picture. though the Messianic Person would be 'ordinary looking, He would be ' a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek' and God's own Son. 

'I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'  (Psalm 2:7)

(A Psalm of David) The Lord says to my Lord... (*? who is this Lord?) You are going to be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110: 4) 

'... He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. (Isaiah 53:2)

The Substitutionary Sacrifice for Our Sin  

Isaiah 53 describes a 'Suffering Servant'. While some modern interpretations insist that the servant is the nation of Israel, grammar doesn't leave room fur such a reading - by saying, 'He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgressions of my people, to whom the stroke was due.' Isaiah clearly distinguished between the Person who was killed and the people for whom He died. 

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 ⁷ He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

 ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?

 ⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53: 5-9)

 

This chapter describes the servant as one who underwent a trial and execution for sins not His own; in fact, His death removed dour iniquity and brought justification, healing our relationship with God. Let this and other glimpses be reminders that though we can't behold Him right now, our Savior really does exist, and He'll be back. Best of all, everyone who trusts in Jesus not only belongs to Him but will one day be with Him. Get the picture?

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Excerpt from InTouch Magazine December 2011 issue

*For only in Jesus, God gave us hope of redemption from the bondage of sin. He became our bridge to the Father for our longstanding rebellion. Generations upon generations of disobedience and yet, God, though suffering from the hard heartedness of his children never gave up on us. That despite our wickedness, God loved us so much that He was willing to send His own Son to be slaughtered for the Truth that He spoke - That He is the only way to the Father. And that with His (Jesus') birth not only are the Jews (- the chosen people of God being sons of Abraham), but also sons of Pagans (Gentiles, or any other race not Jew in origin) who accepts Him as Lord and Savior, are welcome at His Father's house. 

Being the 'Gentile' race of today, we are now 'adopted' children of God once we believe in His Son. (*Admin's own reflections).