"Messiah - Prophecy of Glory and Purity"

Scripture: Leviticus 12:1-3, 6-8; Luke 2:21-35

Mary had given birth to her first Son, and just as Joseph had been told by the angel, the Child would be named Jesus. But the birth brought with it certain responsibilities. Today, the primary concern of new parents, beyond trying to figure out how to take care of a new baby, is finding the money to pay the doctor and hospital bills.

But for this Jewish couple, there were also religious obligations to care for. There was, of course, circumcision for the male babies, but Mary would also have to go through a ritual of purification, as any issue of blood would, by the law, cause the woman to be unclean. This would mean that the person was unworthy to worship, and in a new mother’s case, the very process of childbirth was, in and of itself, a cause of uncleanliness, and she could not enter temple until purification was completed.

There would also be the consecration of the first born son – a commitment to Jehovah God that the child was dedicated in service to him and his will. This would require a visit to the temple, after Mary had completed her purification, of course, to make the required dedication and offering to God.

In Jesus’ case, though, there would be much more - far more. But the new parents would have to wait to discover all that their new baby would come to mean for this world.

Read Leviticus 12:1-3, 6-8

The term “unclean” was not intended to actually mean “sinful”. More appropriately, it meant unworthy to come before Jehovah. Purification would be required, and would be specific for each and every reason for the uncleanliness, and would have to be cared for before the person could enter temple, before they could offer sacrifices, before they could be part of consecrations or dedications.

For us, this may seem a bit extreme, as the presence of blood during childbirth is as natural as the birth itself. But the Lord had put certain rituals and requirements in place for Israel to set them apart from other nations. The styles of worship for other peoples was drastically different than what was acceptable to the Lord, but to just say “Don’t do it!” would never suffice for this nation. So God gave them rituals and rites to drive home the point that they were to be held to a higher standard than the ones that others followed.

An initial period of purification would be the first step, and in the case of a male child, the circumcision, the full purification, and the offering at temple would follow. The couple would bring their baby to the center of worship – in Moses’ day, it would be at the Tent of Meeting, and later during the reign of Solomon, it would become temple. The sacrificial offering, depending on their financial resources, would be presented as a sign of “redeeming” the child back from the Lord, and all would be well for the new family – under normal circumstances. But this was a very special Boy Child, and the gifts that were about to be given to Jesus’ family would put this birth into perspective for all the people of earth.

Read Luke 2:21-24

At the time of circumcision, the child would also be named, but normally, the boy would receive a name from his family’s history. The name Jesus, which means “the Lord Saves”, would not be of Joseph’s family, but it would be given from the boy’s heavenly Father! Circumcision would be a sign that this boy was a child of Israel, and having been born in Bethlehem, with his earthly parents as descendants of King David, he would also be seen as one from David’s family.

The requirements of the Law were being carried out to the letter, but the timing that Luke seems to imply leaves some accuracy in doubt. After Mary’s initial 7 days of purification, circumcision would be performed on the 8th day after birth, but her purification from the issue of blood would have taken a month, and during that time, she would have been unable to enter the temple for the consecration. But the time did arrive, and the “clean” and worthy mother, along with Joseph, brought their new born son to the temple for dedication to the Lord’s purpose, and they brought the price of “redemption” so they could take the child home with them.

Consider the significance of all of these rituals. Circumcision – a sign that the child was of Israel, the chosen people of Jehovah God. Purification – a time of cleansing, showing that this family was worthy of a relationship and worship of Almighty God. Redemption – proof that this first born Child was given to God for his purpose, and had been purchased back to serve a Godly purpose for the people of earth.
Jesus would be born in a human way, and would be proven worthy through his family’s obedience to the Law. And throughout his life, the Lord would show that even though he was thought to be one who violated the Law of Moses over and over again, the truth is that he fulfilled the Law of God perfectly and completely.

Jesus was truly the foretold Son of Man and Son of God – the Worthy of heaven, and the Lord’s Gift to the world. Mary and Joseph had both been told just who this Child would be through visits from the Angel, but now they were being told once again, just what this precious life would mean for the people of earth, as well as to his earthly family. It would be glorious beyond all understanding, but it would also be traumatic beyond all imagination.

Read Luke 2:25-32

As we read the story of Simeon’s prophecy, we have to remember that there hadn’t been a prophet for Israel for over 400 years – not since the prophet Malachi. Not a word about Messiah, not a hint about his ministry and purpose, not a single encouragement that he would be coming soon to be their salvation. Four centuries without any contact with the Lord God Almighty of Israel. Is there any wonder that the nation was surprised at Messiah’s coming?

But Simeon wasn’t surprised – he had been expectant since the day that the Holy Spirit revealed God’s great promise to this faithful man. And he knew that the day would come when he would see the Anointed One of God, and on this day, he did. Guided, once again, by the Spirit, he was waiting as the Child was brought into the temple court for consecration.

And a long awaited prophecy was heard – he would be a light for the gentiles, and glory for Israel – a paraphrase of Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 42:6-9 (“I … will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release [them] from … darkness.”)

Over and over again, the people had heard that Messiah, the Christ, would be, not only for the people of Israel, but also for the gentile nations. And this faithful man, who had waited years to see the promise of God, now knew that he could die, not just happy, but in the heavenly peace of seeing with his eyes, and holding with his arms, the salvation of his glorious Lord God.

But his task wasn’t quite finished. He still had a word to give to Mary.

Read Luke 2:33-35

It had always been believed that Messiah would bring glory to all of Israel, but Simeon reveals the truth of Christ – that only some will be saved, and the rest will be lost, and that it would all come about through what they see and believe in this Child. And by their reaction and response to this woman’s Son and all that he would bring to them, the hearts and minds of all would be opened, and the reality of their thoughts would be exposed to the Light of Messiah.

Some would know his joy of welcome, while others would know the consequence of denial, but Mary, this young woman who had been chosen to be mother for the Savior of the Earth, would have to know the same pain of rejection that would fall upon her beloved Son.


Messiah, the glory of heaven and the hope of the world, would never measure up to the expectations of Israel, but he would fulfill every need and every plan that had been prepared for them since before time began. And the joy that Mary would know for being chosen by God for this distinct and blessed purpose, as well as the agony that she would know at the refusal by so many to accept Jesus for who she knew, without a doubt, he was, would be the same prophecy for all who would accept this Child of Bethlehem as their personal Lord and Redeemer and Light and Savior. The purity, the glory, the redemption that comes by faith in the Child of Christmas has been offered to all if we simply accept who he is and why he has come.

May the joy of your salvation guide your love for the many who are still immersed in the darkness of this world, and may the love of Christ lead you to share your joyful hope with all who still need to know him.

“Messiah – God’s Gift to Earth”

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20

During our journey through Advent, the truth of Messiah has been laid out for us in such an obvious and marvelous way. The prophets had clearly proclaimed it for the people, but since it didn’t suit their desires, they created their own version of Messiah. But God has never been bound by our plans, and his perfect way would be revealed centuries after these announcements were given.

Jesus Christ would be born to the world in the most human way – as a Baby. But not as just any baby – he would have ultimate authority over the entire world. He would be our “Wonderful Counselor” and our “Mighty God”, he would be the descendent of David (Isaiah 9:6-7) who would continue the reign of the “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22-23). He would bring the truth and love of God to the people of earth, and he would be the means to gain freedom from the burden of our sin, (Isaiah 61:1-3).

And it would all come about in the most miraculous way.

Read Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20

Jesus would be known as the “Son of God” (Acts 9:20) and the “Son of Man” (Acts 7:56). For many, this doesn’t make much sense – after all, how, or even why, would God want to limit himself by letting humanity become part of him? In the Lord’s way, things seldom seem right, but then, we read that God’s ways are never like ours, that they are higher than ours, and that his thoughts are grander than ours could ever be (Isaiah 55:9-13). And later in that passage, we are told that when the Lord speaks, his word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” And this purpose? To show us the way to eternal life!
And in the Lord’s wisdom, the fullness of that truth could occur in no other way than through a joining of the loving power of Almighty God and the faithful obedience of a human woman. Making sense? It does to our Lord, so why don’t we just trust it, and not worry about the “sensibility” of it all?

But the “why” of this Gift giving is still vitally important for us.
WHY would God submit himself to our experiences? Our emotions, our physical limitations, our restricted lives, our temptations to sin, dominance and oppression by worldly authorities – there isn’t a single one of these that God would, or even should, accept for his own way! But the reason for Jesus is so simple – we are deeply and completely - LOVED! The Lord loves us so much that he wants us to be with him for eternity, but our human lives are so fragile and so uncertain that he had to create a whole new life for us – a life that mirrored his. But he also wanted it to be a life that we choose, and not one that was forced upon us.

Christmas is a time of giving. For some, though, the details of Christmas consume all of their time and resources, and the purpose of Christmas tends to be lost along the wayside. How much effort do we put into preparing meals, decorating our homes, buying gifts, attending parties, sending cards, buying and setting up trees, baking cookies, and a myriad of other tasks that seem to take on an overriding importance in our lives.
And how much time do we spend reflecting on, and rejoicing over, this great Gift of God, and all that he had to go through to make that gift possible? Instead of letting Christmas become a season of giving, why not let it become a time of heart-felt caring and loving? After all, love is what God put into Christmas!

So what is this LOVE of Christmas all about? What does it involve? What does it mean for our lives? How do we know?

There’s a hymn that we used a few weeks ago in Advent worship – “Love Came Down at Christmas”. Here are two of the verses.
“Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas; star and angels gave the sign.
“Love shall be our token; love be yours and love be mine; love to God and all men, love for plea and gift and sign.”

Before the birth of Jesus, love, apparently, was not only incomplete, it was misunderstood. Think about all of the insinuations that the word “love” holds for us – “I love my job.” (OK – that one might be a stretch for a lot of us!); “I love spaghetti.”; “I love the snow” (probably need to young, or at least young at heart to agree with this one!); “I love my dog (or cat, or whatever..)”; “I love my kids”; “I love my family” – now we’re getting closer to what the Lord intended when he brought love “down at Christmas”.
In John’s gospel, we read “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12-17) And at the conclusion of that passage, Jesus tells us “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

He never said that he loved any of the things of this life – he came to show us that love for others is the truest form of love that we will ever know.

But what does that include? How is it exhibited? How do we know? 1 Corinthians 13, sometimes known as the love chapter, shows us exactly what a Godly love is. The first 3 verses tell us how Godly love interacts with, and completes, the activities that seem to demand so much of our time and energies. These are the things that we believe are our expressions of faith, while God tells us that without his way and his passion, they are meaningless (Matthew 7:21-23).
The next 4 verses defines how our love is to be shared with others – remember those words from John 15 – “love one another as I have love you.” Without a Godly form of love in our life, all of our efforts - regardless of how many people we reach out to, regardless of how many cards we send out, regardless of how many meals we may serve to the homeless, regardless of all that we do for others – unless we are sharing the same love that the Lord has shown to us, our life is for nothing. So what does this form of love look like?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love “is patient” – it doesn’t rush, it isn’t impatient to see the results, it takes the time to appreciate those we share it with.
Love “is kind” – it cares about others, it’s sympathetic for the struggles that others are going though, without condemning them for the life they live.
Love “doesn’t envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” – it has nothing to do with our own glorification, and everything to do with raising others up above our own position in life. It’s about letting them stand on our shoulders, and rejoicing that they do.
Love “is not rude, it is not self-seeking” – it is a opportunity to be polite to others, not to push them out of the way so that we can move to the front of the line!
Love “is not easily angered” – it is peace and compassion!
Love “keeps no record of wrongs” – it doesn’t keep score, it isn’t used to tell if we have done enough, or if we need to do more for others, because it can never be enough!)
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” – this is how it should be, but this isn’t about the truth that the world knows – it’s the truth that Jesus brings.
Love “always protects” – it puts the safety and needs of others ahead of our own.
Love “always trusts” – faith in all that God has taught us is worthy of our trust.
Love "always hopes” – the world’s hope is no better than a desire, but hope in God is a certainty.
Love “always perseveres” – never, never, never give up loving in the way of our Almighty God.

And when all else fails us - when our efforts in the ways of earth fall flat, when our striving for success falls apart, when our offerings of socially acceptable attitudes no longer have any significance for us, the Passion of God will still be there - loving us, enabling us, encouraging us, teaching us, changing us into a Godly reflection for the people around us.

This is the love that is so foreign to the people of this world, for “God’s ways are not our ways”, and they never will be. But by faith and love in Jesus Christ, our Babe of Bethlehem, the great Gift of our Almighty God, the love that came to earth on that dark and lonely night so long ago, the same love that bathed the shepherds on that plain of Israel, the same love that led the Magi for hundreds of miles and through months of faithful searching, the same love that led the holy family to safety in Egypt and then back home to Nazareth, the same love that led the Savior of the world to Calvary and held him close, even in death, and the same love that not only enabled the crucified Son of Man and Son of God to cheat the death of this world and to rise from the tomb of earth into a new and glorious life with the Father, this same love has been offered to each of us as the greatest of all Christmas presents.

But this, as with all gifts, is a gift that has to be received, accepted and embraced, and not just admired from a distance. If anyone here has yet to rejoice in this Gift of God, and has a desire to receive him tonight, I encourage you to bow your head and repeat this words after me right now:

Lord Jesus, God’s Gift to the world, you are the hope and joy that I have searched for all my life. I don’t deserve your extravagant love, but you know just how much I need it. Lord Jesus, my Messiah, my Redeemer, come down from heaven tonight, and fill my heart with your way, your truth, and your glorious life. Lord, change my life from one of worldly hope, and into the divine blessing of eternal life with you.
Lord, I give my life to you this day, and always. In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

“Messiah – the Man of God”

Scripture: Isaiah 53

As we continue through our visions of Messiah – of who he would be, and what he would do – we have been discovering that the people of Israel, the very ones who the prophecies were given for, have misinterpreted the prophets’ words to suit their own desires and expectations. They wanted him to be powerful and authoritative; they wanted him to defeat and punish the nations who had always given them so much grief; they wanted Messiah to restore them to the glory that they believed they so rightly deserved as the “chosen people” of God!

Messiah might not be the one they wanted, but he would certainly be the one they needed – desperately! They wanted a redeemer who would restore their nation to glory, and a power who would bring retribution on all who had destroyed the hope that they once knew.
But instead, the Lord would be sending one who was totally different. He would redeem them from their condemnation in sin, and would be the power that raised them from the pit of death. They thought that Messiah would do it all for them, and he would. But it would be through his own blood sacrifice, not through the blood of other nations.

Messiah, the Anointed One of God would be, as they believed, a man of God, but he would also be, surprisingly, the Son of God. And while the life that they saw in him wasn’t all that remarkable, the life that was within him, and the life that he brought for each one of them, would be divine.

Read Isaiah 53:1-3

The prophet begins with a series of admonitions – first, this entire chapter is given in the past tense, as though Messiah had already arrived. Second, he chastises the people with the question “who has believed our message”, implying that no one has believed a single word he has shared with them in the past, so why would any believe him now, and third, he asks if anyone has actually experienced the Messiah’s arrival. He had been part of the creation, he had known the nation since before they came into existence, he had been an integral part of every Godly covenant they had ever received, and he had been revealed through the law that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. He had always been with them, but had they ever tried to be with him?

The problem was that Messiah appeared to be all too ordinary for their taste! The law would be pondered and reinterpreted and reexamined until it bore no semblance of what God had originally intended. They saw no beauty in him, no power, no connection whatsoever to Jehovah – there was nothing about him that anyone would see as a reason to want him as a friend, let alone as their Savior.

As a matter of fact, he was so plain that he might have been described as ugly. Not only would people not see him as someone they would want to associate with, he was avoided, and hated, and denied any position of authority and honor in polite society. And as far as his divine wisdom and truthfulness goes, there would be no trust, no acceptance, no love shown toward this Man of God.

Read Isaiah 53:4-6

This Anointed One of God would be so ordinary, from the world’s perspective, that nothing he ever did had any semblance of Godliness. He taught the truth of eternity, but it would make no sense to the worldly, the love he would show to the masses wasn’t to their liking, and when his final act of glory was lived out on the Cross, it was only seen as a sentence of condemnation that he so richly deserved.

Why couldn’t the people see this Anointed of God not only as a gift that they truly needed, but as a Gift that their great God Jehovah wanted them to have? The truth is that he wasn’t who they thought he should be! He was humble, not strong; He was a Savior and one who would right the wrongs of the world, but never as one who could condemn his own people; he was loving toward all, while his people wanted to define for themselves what this love should be, and who it shouldn’t embrace.

And the very thought that Messiah should even be considered as a sacrifice for their sin was outrageous! Oh, they understood the need for sacrifice – they had to do it all the time! But it was always through an animal or a bird or a portion of grain. It could be for forgiveness, or healing, or for praise and thanksgiving. But by a man? Never! And what could human sacrifice accomplish anyway? The law said nothing about that – not for healing, and definitely not for forgiveness!

This prophecy was so strange that it was inconceivable!

Read Isaiah 53:7-9

The prophet’s words would sound more like those describing a criminal, an undesirable, an outcast than it would about the majestic Messiah! Who in their right mind would ever take a stand against this glory? And who among his people would ever refuse to stand with him, regardless of what came against them? Isaiah’s words weren’t so much about a judgment that would condemn Messiah to the penalty of death, as it was a sentence against the nation, for the sinful lives they had led, against the faithless lives they had lived.

What kind of Savior, what kind of Godly appointee would even allow this to happen? Where’s his courage? Where’s his power? Why would he even submit to the authorities of this earth, and let his body be resigned to the ground when he was totally innocent of all that the hateful would say about him?

Read Isaiah 53:10-12

This is the Man of God, the Anointed of God, the Christ of Calvary. It is the life he has been called to accept, and the death and resurrection that will bring glory to both him and to his Father. He will heal the nations by his gracious nature and by the power of his blood, and all who come to his side will be justified to eternal life. His suffering will pay the penalty for the world’s sin, and his restored life will be the promise of eternal life for all who believe in him, and for all who will stand with him against the ways of earth.

This is the plan and will of Almighty God. In his wisdom, it would be the only possible way – that only through the blood sacrifice of God Himself could the people be freed from the condemnation of their sin. And Jesus Messiah would be the One chosen to be the people’s Redeemer. Born a Child, becoming a King, to give His life in sacrifice for the forgiveness of his people, and to rise again in glory.

What a God! What a Messiah! What a Lord! What a Savior!

“Messiah – the Peace and Victory of God”

Scripture: Zechariah 9:9-13; Philippians 2:9-11

During Advent, we have been considering some of the attributes of Messiah as revealed through Old Testament prophecy. We’ve seen that God’s grace will come to all who believe in Messiah and his teachings. We’ve seen how Jehovah God – his ways, his Spirit, his glory – will also be revealed to the people of earth through Messiah. The truth of God will be ours through the teaching of his Anointed One.

Today, we discover that the victory of Messiah will be found in his humble heart, and the peace of God will be received through the victory of Messiah.

Read Zechariah 9:9-10

This is a prophecy of joy, and one that calls Israel to proclaim that joy. But it is, above all else, a prophecy of victory.

In the days of the prophet, after a decisive battle, the victorious king would enter the capital of the conquered nation riding on a great charger. There would be a parade of victory which would let the people know that they were now under the authority of a new king and that they now lived in a new kingdom. A governor would be named, a new government would be established, and a new way of life would begin for the conquered people.

The king would return home, but when he entered his capital city, it would not be on a powerful war horse – it would be on a donkey. And while he wore his armor and battle regalia in the defeated land, here his entire war attire would have been place in storage. He entered the defeated city in a way to remind the people of just who they were and who their new king was. But here, he was proclaiming to his subjects that not only was he a victor, but that the people were also victors. And in that victory, it would be evident to all that war was over, and that peace had now returned to their lives.

Zechariah’s prophecy was telling the people this very thing – that Messiah the Victorious would also be Messiah the Peacemaker! Of course, Jesus Messiah’s first coming to earth was more than just a promise of what was to come, as some believe. He brought, in his coming, peace for the hearts and minds of all who would place their trust and faith in him. And his first coming is also a guarantee that at his second glorious arrival, the ultimate and final peace, as well as the great and perfect victory, will finally rest upon the entire world.

In Isaiah 2:4, in another prophecy, we read that “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

When Messiah returns, Eternal Peace will finally rest upon this hateful and war torn world.

Read Zechariah 9:11-13

The Lord God made covenant with his people in a number of ways. The sign of his covenant with Noah was the rainbow (Genesis 9:8-17); the general sign of covenant with Israel was through circumcision (Genesis 19:9-10); the sign of covenant with Abraham was with fire passing through the sacrifice (Genesis 15); but blood was a very special sign - it was given as a sign of sacrifice for forgiveness (Leviticus 17:11). But Israel would have to make this sacrifice over and over again, for every time they sinned against Jehovah, they had broken the covenant made in blood at the altar of God.

But the blood sacrifice that Messiah would make, a sacrifice for life and forgiveness and peace, would only have to be made once – once for all people, once for all sin, and once for the total and permanent covenant of peace with God. It would bring a freedom from our bondage to sin – that captivity which provides no nourishment, no refreshment, no hope, no light, no joy, and no escape. The only hope for release is through the blood sacrifice that Jesus Messiah would make at Calvary.

The prophet also speaks about Judah and Ephraim, that Ephraim will be poured into Judah. First, a historical reminder of sorts. After King Solomon’s death, Israel was split into two nations – Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and Israel, or Ephraim, the Northern one. Ephraim was one of the 2 “half tribes” of Joseph, but the name would also be applied to the Northern Kingdom, the less faithful of the two. I believe that the prophet wants the people to know that on that day when Messiah comes, the two will truly be reunited in faith, and they will be “roused” up in faith against the Greeks, a reference to the faithless world, and through Messiah, evil will be defeated completely and for all time.

Israel, though, missed the entire point of Messiah’s coming. They saw Messiah as the means of Jehovah’s reuniting Israel through conquest and reclaiming them as his “chosen” nation. He would overcome the gentile world, and place them all under their authority. Messiah would accomplish all of this through power and strength, defeating the world and giving them all to Israel as the treasure of victory.

But Messiah would be far greater and much more important than all that.

Read Philippians 2:9-11

The Anointed One of God will be recognized as the ultimate Authority over all of earth – not so much as a conquer, but as a Victor who brings freedom! He will be honored by every person and every leader, of every nation, of every continent, of the entire world. ALL will bow before him, ALL will kneel before his grace and glory – regardless of who or where they are at the time, and ALL will speak that Holy Name and acknowledge him and him alone as the Mighty King over all of creation!

But only those who gave him that honor before his return will know his blessings. The rest of the people on earth will only know the condemnation that they have earned through the sinful and unforgiven life they lived.

Messiah is the faithful Son of God, not just an appointed representative.
Messiah is the King of Peace, not just a warrior king.
Messiah is the blood sacrifice of forgiveness that each and every person has to accept and acknowledge for themselves.
Messiah is the sole Judge of earth, and his Judgment will be perfect.
Messiah is the Hope of earth, the Promise of Heaven, and the glory that binds us all together.

Jesus is our salvation, and will be for all who come to him willingly and lovingly and expectantly. If you have yet to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, don’t delay! Ask him into your heart today, and let him turn your personal condemnation into the freedom that he has held out to you for 2,000 years.

“Messiah – the Revealing of God”

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7

Imagine, for just a moment, what our impression of God would be if Jesus had never come to earth. Would we know that he is a God of peace and love? Would we know just how much he wants us to live with him in eternity? Would we ever understand the difference between salvation by faith, and perfection from the Law? Or would our God be just another option in faith – mixed in with all of the other gods that earth offers up to us. And whether we chose him or another, would it make any difference?

If the truth be known, our understanding of the difference would be so slight that we could never make an intelligent decision regarding the teachings we would follow, if, indeed, we ever needed to choose! The holy incarnation of Jesus made all the difference for the lives of the entirety of humanity.

Read Isaiah 9:1-3

The prophet Isaiah presents many of the prophecies we have regarding Jesus, and in this passage, he begins with the promise that Messiah, one day, will be revealed to the world. But even more than the introduction of the Anointed One of God, it will actually be God who will be revealed through this One who will come.

We are told that this One will bring relief to all who are struggling, that “gloom” will be lifted from their lives. In Isaiah 14:1-4, we read that when relief comes to our lives, that oppression won’t simply be blocked – the one who is causing the oppression will be taken out of the situation.
This won’t just be our worldly oppression, but will be the oppressor who is diligently working to destroy our eternal lives. Jesus Messiah will defeat the Satan Oppressor.

We also read that Jehovah God had once been seen only as one who humbled others, the one who would be the power behind the defeat of Israel’s enemies. But the truth is that when Messiah comes, he will bring glory and honor to the humblest of Israel. The Galilee region of Israel was separated from the rest of the nation by Samaria – the land of half-breed sinners. Distance and separation can cause distrust and conflict, and this division was no different.
The Galilee was also seen as the home of a people with low intelligence. As Jesus began calling his disciples, many would come from this region, and in Acts 2:5-12, where we read of the blessings of Pentecost, as the crowd hears the disciples speaking in other tongues, they question whether these “Galileans” were even capable of learning these other languages! Of course, the words weren’t through the ability of the speakers – it was the power of the Holy Spirit at work.
And this “honor” wouldn’t be limited to the region of Galilee – it will cross “the sea” - the Sea of Galilee, and will move beyond the Jordan – the division between Israel and the Gentile world. The humblest of all the earth, not just those of Israel, would be honored by Messiah!

The prophet also tells us that our darkness will be overcome by the light of God. As we read a little further, we discover that this reference to darkness is a symbol of death. Messiah, the Light of God, will bring a new dawn to the dark lives of this world. He will reveal the power and love of God through that glorious Light. Death will be overthrown by the Light, and the Lord God will be revealed through the Light and Life that Messiah will bring.

This nation of God will grow, and many others will be welcomed into the family of God, simply by faith in Jesus Christ and through the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9). This enlarged, and unexpected, increase in the family of God will be united through Messiah, and the joy of this new nation will exceed all bounds. No longer will there be division and distrust in the family, for Messiah will come to reveal the love and joy and unity of our Almighty God.

Read Isaiah 9:4-5

These two verses speak of God’s peace. No more oppression, no more slavery, no more conflict, no more persecution. Of course, while Messiah’s first coming has promised this, the fullness of his word would have to wait until his second coming. Israel knew slavery, they knew all about oppression, they knew the hatred of other nations, and if Messiah could end all of this conflict in their lives, then he must truly be worth of their praise.

But obedience was difficult, and the drawn out timing of the fulfillment of God’s promise brought doubts and concerns into the hearts of the people, and it made trust in Messiah nearly impossible. Many would fall away, but the door would be opened to others who would believe and trust (Matthew 21:33-46). Since Messiah had yet to enter the lives of Israel, they trusted more and more in Law, and less and less in faith. The way of Messiah, though, is not so much in all that we do, but far more in the way of God, in the way of faith for all who believe. Messiah, when he is revealed, will be seen as the way of faith.

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

This is who Messiah will be for the nations – plural! He will be born as a child in the way of earth. He will be a son – Son of God and Son of Man. He will have complete authority over both heaven and earth. He will have ultimate and complete wisdom because he will not only be the Anointed One of God, he will be God. He will come, not as a warrior against the sinners of earth, but as the Peace of God for all who will come to him.

His authority will be infinite, and his peace will be available for everyone - regardless of how many will come to his way, there will always be plenty for all. His throne of grace will exist from before time began, and until the day when time will be no more. He will bring justice, hope, righteousness, mercy, and overwhelming love to the people of his Kingdom. And it is all made possible by the passion of our Good and Gracious God – the amazing love that he has always had for his created order.

Faith and trust in Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the only way we will ever experience the true God of eternity. Every other way is woefully inadequate and embarrassingly incomplete. The life and teaching of Messiah, and only Messiah, reveals the truth of our Triune God.

May that truth live within each and every one of us this very day.

“Messiah – the Grace of God”

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-7

Advent is a time to prepare and celebrate the coming of the Son of God. This is, of course, the beginning of Christmas, and must always include proclaiming the joy we receive when we welcome the Christ Child into our hearts and lives. God is in the business of preparing us for all that he brings to us, and the gift of his Son is the beginning of all preparation.

He had been preparing Israel for centuries before Christ even entered this world thorough the womb of a virgin, but the truth is that the people had their own ideas of what Messiah would be and do. And some people, even today, have their own ideas of who Jesus is for them and what they should be for him. So during Advent, we will be considering what scripture has to say about the Messiah who would be coming, as opposed to the one that Israel was expecting.

Read Isaiah 61:1-3

All in all, the proclamation intended to tell the people who Messiah will be for each of them in a far greater way than what he will be for their enemies. Let’s consider each of the promises individually, in relationship to Jesus’ ministry:

First, the good news that will be offered will be, primarily, for the poor. Not that the wealthy and powerful will be excluded, but rather that they, for the most part, will ignore this good news. It will contradict the thought that the authorities of earth are the ones who this Anointed One of God will approach, and the poor and insignificant people will generally be left on the outside to pick up the crumbs.
In Jesus’ case, it was nearly always the poor and simple who hear and come to his way, while the powerful did everything they could to disrupt his ministry! Sound familiar? Some things never change!

Next, he will be coming to heal the brokenhearted. In Israel’s case, it was those who had already received the prestige and honor of earth who would be blessed by Messiah’s presence – after all, Messiah would have great authority from God, and was expected to more readily identify with the authorities of the world. Wrong again, and the misconceptions would continue.

He would “proclaim freedom for the captives”. Messiah would be a conqueror who would defeat the worldly oppressors of Israel, or at least that was the tradition! But the truth is that the freedom that would be gained would be release from the bondage of sin, not imprisonment from the world’s conquest.

“Release from darkness” meant that the truth would again reign supreme. Unfortunately, this truth was only in the things that Jesus taught, and not in the “wisdom” that the wise men of earth taught!

Messiah would reveal just who would be blessed and loved by the Lord, as well as just who would suffer from his retribution. Israel believed that those who had followed the dictates of the law closely would be the blessed, while the sinners who had failed miserably in obedience would know his punishment.
Unfortunately, condemnation was not what Jesus was bringing – John 3:14-21 tells us that the Lord wasn’t coming to condemn the sinner – he was bringing salvation for all who would believe and commit to him and his ways! Condemnation is already on everyone because of the lives we live. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus as the Son of God will continue to miss the point that in their life, condemnation, not salvation, reigns.

“Comfort” would come to those who mourn – this didn’t make sense to Israel either, for mourning was heaped upon people because of sin, and comfort was upon all who did what the law required. Jesus, however, brings a message that completely reverses this thought.

… And “provide for those who grieve” – it was believed that those who were righteous in the Law would be blessed with even more. And the “gospel of prosperity” still lives on today! And it’s a false hope, to say the least!

And the remainder of verse three is also true, but these blessings – “a crown of beauty”, “oil of gladness”, and “a garment of praise” – were thought to be gifts that would be given to those who had earned them, not for those who lived a life that Messiah had exhibited and proclaimed!

Jesus would overturn nearly everything that Messiah had stood for in the minds and hearts of the Jewish people. Their hopes were misplaced, their vision was worldly instead of heavenly, and they had been led away from God’s grace and blessing instead of closer to it, and the false teachers would never give up on their misguided expectations. And we still have many of them in positions of responsibility and authority today.

Read Isaiah 61:4-6

And the dichotomy continues. The "ancient ruins and devastated places" weren’t places on the map - they were the lives that were being ruined by sin, and which were being led further and further away from the grace and healing of God instead of toward it. The ruined cities are the cultures and societies that continue to fight against the “way, and the truth, and the life” of Jesus Christ (John 14:5-7). Jesus told parables about vineyards and harvests that would no longer be to Israel’s benefit (Matthew 21:28-32; 33-41), but the learned of Israel discounted them all, and declared them to be lies.

The declaration of priests and ministers was strange, indeed, as these were positions that had already been determined by lineage, and not by appointment, and as for prophets, at the time of Jesus, there hadn’t been one of them for over 400 years. And yet, the priesthood of believers that we read of in 1 Peter 2:9-10 would become a core appointment of Christianity. Priesthood was being taken out of the hands of those who defiled the charge that God had placed on them.
Jesus was teaching against all that the nation had ever believed, and the authorities of Israel and Rome would work together in an attempt to shut down this heresy. And the powers of earth would fail.

Read Isaiah 61:7

And again, the Lord’s choice of words would be misunderstood. His people would be those who would believe in Jesus and his words, not in some preset collection of people, chosen by human blood lines. Shame and disgrace would be turned away from the faithful in Christ, and their inheritance would be the joy that comes from a heavenly life in eternity.

The prophesy that comes from this chapter of Isaiah’s ministry is correct in every sense, but as with all that comes from God, it can never be understood in the mind of earth. Instead, we must seek out the heart and Spirit of God if we truly want to know its truth. Listen to these words from Isaiah 55:4-9:
“See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Our God is One of grace and unity, not one of retribution and division. Our God is One of hope and truth, not one of despair and opinion. Our God is One of salvation and life, not one of punishment and destruction. Our God is One who we desperately need, not one who we desire within our own imagination.

May we all live within the word of God, and not in the mistaken ways of Earth.