The shepherds that the angel was speaking to here were some of the most marginalized, under privileged, and discriminated people group of the time. But yet God chose them to be the first to hear the good news of His Son’s birth. But why? God wanted them to know that despite their low standing in society, their wretched status in the eyes of others, and their current ignoble living situation…their lives mattered to Him. The angel brought them the good news of a Savior…Jesus Christ, Who would save His people from the guilt and power of sin and from eternal death. This was as the angel heralded, good news of great joy and the shepherd’s hearts were filled with joy as they heard this. The shepherds looked to the Lord for joy and so can we today…or as Romans 15:13 tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 2:2 ” Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the One Who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ “
The wise men came from great learning, wealth, and status. They had carefully followed the patterns of the stars, (Magi coming from the word for Astrologers) when suddenly a new and brilliant star appeared in the night sky. Familiar with ancient prophecies about the coming Messiah such as, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17) or “The days are coming declares the Lord when I will raise up a King Who will reign wisely.” (Jeremiah 23:5) they immediately left to find this Promised One. These wise men were journeying from a great distance to a foreign land… traveling with serious intention to pay homage to the Messiah, but what they were really doing was searching for hope… the long expected promise of Emanuel- God with us. Today, you too can look to the Lord for hope…”a hope that is like an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
Matthew 1:19-20 ” Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’ “
Joseph’s life was suddenly thrown into turmoil as the town started gossiping about his soon-to-be wife’s pregnancy. His emotions ran the gamut from bewilderment, to anger, to heartbrokenness…his mind racing as he asked himself, “How could she? Why would she? Who was it?” He had then sadly determined that all he could do was to send her away, when suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him bringing light and truth to his confusion. Into the midst of Joseph’s turmoil came peace as the angel answered all the questions that were swirling in his mind. Today we too can look to the Lord for peace in the midst of our unrest, confusion, and devastation. For it tells us in II Thessalonians 3:16, “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” Joseph looked to the Lord and found peace…and so can you.
Luke 1:28 “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored: The Lord is with you.’ “
Like Mary, we can look to the Lord for comfort. For like Mary, we too have been facing the fear of the unknown all this year. The only thing Mary could do was to trust in God and be consoled in her faith in Him. For she was alone, bearing the brunt of shame, and isolation…for even if she did try to explain to the gossipers in town…no one would believe her. So Mary took comfort in the only thing she could rely on…the Lord. In Luke 1:46-55 we hear Mary’s song , which starts out, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.” Today, look to the Lord for comfort, or as it says in Psalm 119:76, “May Your unfailing love be my comfort.”
Isaiah 22:12-13 ” The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth. But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine! ‘Let us eat and drink,’ you say, ‘for tomorrow we die!’ “
Chapter 22 in Isaiah is a prophecy against the City of Jerusalem. They were doing things on their own, not once looking to God for help and/or guidance. And so in the Scripture above we see God calling them to repentance, but instead of turning from their sinful ways , they take on a careless and negligent attitude of ‘Let’s eat, drink, and be merry!’ To God it was a dereliction of what they should be doing… showing just how selfish they were and how very little they cared about themselves.
Luke 23:3 ” So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ ‘Yes, it is as you say.’ Jesus replied.”
Pilate was no friend of the Jews, and his question here to Jesus was, in all probability, just a brazen and antagonistic dig at the Jewish Leaders standing nearby. But little did Pilate know that he was speaking the truth…the plain truth that the Sadducees and Pharisees refused to acknowledge. “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King Who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5) Once in John 8:12-30, the Pharisees even argued with Jesus about the validity of His testimony, with Jesus telling them, “. Even if I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.” They flatly denied Jesus as the Messiah, while the pagan King Pilate at least asked the question.
Colossians 4:2 ” Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Let’s talk about the discipline of prayer…that steadfast, faithful supplication on the behalf of ourselves and others. How you doing with it? Could it be better? Now I’ll be the first to admit that regular and consistent prayer is hard to maintain…and even when I headed up the Prayer Ministry at our Church in Idaho it was difficult to remain diligent. So many times we pray expecting immediate results…and when it doesn’t happen within our timetable, we give up. Or we become really good at telling someone, “I’ll pray for you.” without stopping and praying for them right then. Finally, we become callused and forgetful in our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for answered prayer. Jesus reminded His disciples to, “Always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1) So look at the discipline of prayer as having many facets…diligence, gratitude, faithfulness, perseverance, and continuous (without ceasing) that all need to be practiced.
Isaiah 38:16-17 ” You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back.”
At the beginning of this Chapter we find King Hezekiah near death and the prophet Isaiah coming to him saying, “Put your house in order, because you are not going to recover.” (Isaiah 38:1) But when Hezekiah prayer to God for mercy, God relented. The verses above were written by Hezekiah after his illness and recovery, and after a chance to meditate on it all. For he writes this most unlikely phrase here…”Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.” Let me add another Scripture to go along with this thought. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) Many times when we are in the midst of personal hardship and suffering we’re not thinking straight… our minds are clouded over and we lack insight and discernment…and it’s not until time has passed that we can see much clearer exactly what the Lord did through it all. Granted, we may still have to “go through” the hardship, illness, or pain, but remember, God’s affection for us never waned as He preserved our life according to His Word. (Psalm 119:25)
Hebrews 1:1-2 ” In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through Who He made the universe.”
In early Biblical times, rather than remaining silent, God spoke through His prophets in visions and dreams…granting them divine insight into secrets and mysteries, but also giving them the ability to communicate this to His people. “But in these last days” as it says here, the era of prophetic disclosure came to an end. Why? The answer is Jesus Christ. But let me give you an example to show why. Let’s say I’m going to explain to you what it’s like to skydive…the exhilaration of feeling the wind, the anxiety of jumping out of the plane, the excitement of seeing the ground from so high up, the joy when the chute opens and my feet are back on solid ground. Now I can “tell” you all about it, but until you actually experience it for yourself, it’s still remains me just “telling ” you what it’s like. When Jesus came to earth…lived, died, and then rose from the grave, He enabled us to have a relationship with God that required no go between. No longer was it necessary to listen to someone else “telling” us who God was…for we could know Him first hand and experience for ourselves who He was…and even today, anyone can have an intimate encounter with the Lord if they desire, no middleman needed.
Psalm 135:6 ” The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”
“Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.” (Psalm 115:3) So why do we still think we can somehow manipulate or influence God’s decisions? God does what He does for His pleasure and delight…choosing always His perfect Will and way. The very best thing we can do then is to remember this part of the Lord’s prayer – “Your kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) This Messianic kingdom Jesus speaks of is both spiritual and eternal…His kingdom within us and His kingdom everlasting…both perfectly chosen by God in His flawless plan and purpose for our lives.
Safetypinlove 