The Resurrected Lord Imparts Peace through the Holy Spirit

Posted on April 22, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn 20:19–23).

In this passage we find that Jesus when he appears to his disciples says “Peace be with you”, when we read these words we tend to think in terms of an absence of conflict and feeling peaceful, but Jesus meant much more by these words. Peace in the bible is seen as a positive state of blessing, peace is a state of bounty,having the provision one needs. Jesus is granting his disciples all the blessing they will need to continue his mission. He has died for a lost world and is now the resurrected king of kings, he has conquered all the powers of evil, death and hell but people need to come to know the resurrected Lord for themselves. and this is the essence of the commission that Jesus gives his disciples. Jesus knows that His disciples can not carry out this mission without the impartation of the Holy Spirit, the responsibility to proclaim the gospel is not something they can do in their own power.

Some people say that they cannot understand this impartation of the Holy spirit as they feel it conflicts with Luke’s account, but this is not the case, the disciples needed the Spirit to prepare them for ministry. We can not account for Luke’s account if we do not acknowledge the power of the Spirit working in the disciples prior to Pentecost, how else can we account for the spirit of prayer that led to Pentecost. also the disciples would need to be assured of the presence of the Spirit if they were to be able to proclaim the gospel. Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit in John’s gospel, he said that the Holy Spirit would convict of sin, righteousness and judgement, surely this is the essence of the commission given here. The disciples were to proclaim that in Christ alone was to be found salvation. It is through receiving the finished work of Christ that people become Christians, to be willing to receive Christ shows an acknowledgement of our own sinfulness and our need of a Saviour. Here we find the impartation of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit are intrinsically linked together, it is through the presence of the risen Lord that mission can be accomplished in the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples need to know that the power of the Spirit is within them so that they can carry out this awesome commission, without this they would feel powerless and helpless. so Jesus imparts his Holy Spirit to his disciple so that they may know the presence of his blessing and in this they will realise that what to the flesh seems impossible is in fact possible through the spirit of the Risen and Exalted Lord.

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The Grace of the Risen Lord Shown to Doubting Thomas

Posted on April 20, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.(Jn 20:24–31).

Jesus here shows his gentleness and grace to doubting Thomas, the way of Jesus is in contrast to the way we often deal with unbelief or lack of faith. We often condemn where Jesus models bringing people who doubt to a point of belief.

Thomas not believing the other Apostles is in one sense quite understandable if we put ourselves in Thomas shoes we will realise that it is very difficult to believe that a dead man is now alive.  Jesus was crucified the most violent execution known to men, Thomas probably regarded the other disciples as believing in the resurrection as wishful thinking. It just seemed so impossible, Yes Thomas should have believed but we can understand why he did not.  Thomas should have known that the other disciples were credible witnesses they were not gullible people. He tells the other disciples that he will not believe until he can handle the Lord Jesus body, he insists that he must see if he is going to believe.

The risen Jesus sees clearly the state of Thomas mind , he understand exactly where he is at and in his grace he appears to Thomas and invites him to do what he said he what he wanted to do. But when Thomas saw Jesus he confessed his faith confessing Jesus as “My Lord and my God” he moves from unbelief to one of the profoundest statements about Jesus recorded in the gospels. He realises at once that Jesus is not just the Messiah, but he is indeed God. It is this belief that turned Thomas into a great missionary, we know that he took the gospel to India and many believe he went to China. He travelled long distances proclaiming his faith and seeing many put their faith in the Lord they had not seen. By our Lord’s gracious approach doubting Thomas was turned into a mighty servant of God. When we meet with those who are doubting we too must graciously answer their questions knowing that the Lord who revealed himself to Thomas is able to reveal himself to any doubting person. Jesus by his gentle and gracious approach showed Thomas firstly the glory of who he was and only after that did he rebuke him for his unbelief. Our role is to point people to the Lord not condemn them for their doubts and fears. As we look at this story we will not minimise the sin of unbelief but we will maximise the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us confess with Thomas that Jesus is our Lord and our God and then like Thomas we will bring glory to the name of Jesus.

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Godly Extravagance

Posted on April 2, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. (Jn 12:1–11).

The Apostle John gives us a glimpse of the dynamic of faith and love in action when he recorded this notable occasion, this a very dramatic insight into how Mary was willing to give sacrificially for her Lord. Mary shows that she is willing to part with a very expensive product for the sake of Jesus. Nard cost about six months wages and, was often purchased by a family and used sparingly each time there was a burial. Nard was an expensive perfume and  certainly was not normally poured out copiously upon a person. Mary in her devotion to Jesus was breaking all the conventional rules. Judas is such a contrast to Mary here we see someone who is dishonest, trying to argue that the money should have been given to the poor, if that had been the case the money would have passed through his hands and he would have taken what he wanted. The question is wether the poor would have received anything, judas was on the lookout for himself. Mary’s actions are all Christ centered, here she displays her love in a way that is costly for her because she sees the importance of Jesus and what he is doing. She probably did not realise the full significance of what she was doing. We don’t know how much she believed about the future for Jesus. However, she wanted to express her love for Jesus in the most extravagant way possible to her. Jesus at once realises the significance of this act, he knows what is before him and he knows that he needs to be prepared for his coming death and burial, Mary’s act is seen by him as one of those preparatory acts.

This story gives us some insights into the nature of a truly vibrant yet humble faith, all that Mary does is Christ centered, she takes the place of humility at his feet. She makes no claim on Jesusbut she acknowledges who he he is and her need of him.  This story of course is part of the preparation for the culmination of the gospel story, the death and resurrection of Jesus. It shows to us that willingness that early Christians had to give everything for the cause of their Saviour.

The references to the poor puzzle some people because they feel that surely Jesus cared for the poor, yes he did and still does. Moreoverministry to the poor is most effective when it comes from hearts consecrated to God. The history of revivals shows this time and again as do present day charities such as Christians Against Poverty and Tearfund, These two British charities have very different missions but both are guided by their desire to follow Christ and put him first in all that they do. The example of Mary calls us to give up all and follow Jesus wherever he calls us to go.

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Jesus exalted in heaven for us

Posted on March 21, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

Our Lord Jesus is the exalted Lord and King and at the same time he is the great high priest in heaven. Interestingly the writer of the book of Hebrews sees the priesthood of Jesus as something that should draw us close to God. This priesthood is not just something Jesus has because he is God, but rather because as the incarnate son of God he lived on this earth and experienced temptation as we do. Of course we know that Jesus was sinless, and we sometimes assume that he had an easier time than the rest of us, this is not the case because as we can see from the gospels Satan attacked the Lord with temptations and just because he was sinless Satan threw everything he had at Jesus. If we realise this we begin to see that Jesus really understands what we are going through when we are tempted. Jesus the high priest because he has sacrificed for our sins is able to supply all that we need, he has abundant grace and mercy to pour out upon us. His priestly intercession for us is not limited to our sins, but he also asks the Father to give us all we need for the Christian life. Take time to read the account of Jesus as high priest in the book of Hebrews and also read his high priestly prayer in John 17. Both os these sections of scripture show to us the depths of the Lord’s care for us. Ultimately that love and care is shown to us in His death and resurrection. His death shows us how far he was willing to go.

This is along way from a name it and claim it form of the gospel because it acknowledges that our high priest seeks those things that we need not what we want, some of the things we want are not good for us, and he withholds them from us but he does  provide us with all that we need. We can come to our Lord knowing that he will give us those things we need, he cares intimately for us and therefore sometimes he gives us grace to endure a particular situation knowing that it will cause us to grow, at other times he delivers us from the situation and brings his healing grace to bear upon our lives. Whatever situation we are in we can come to him with boldness (see Hebrews 4:14-16).Therefore, we need to come to him day by day and seek his grace so that we can live to his glory.

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Jesus the King who cares.

Posted on February 28, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

We confess that Jesus is Lord and King but our conception of his kingship is very often not shaped by his own life. We tend to see Lordship in terms of an authority who wields power over others, but is this what Jesus models. In the gospels he is the King who cares and shares, his king is typified by love not power. At every step of his life we see this because he came to give not take, most kings raise taxes but Jesus gave himself for the sinner as a saving sacrifice. When he teaches it is to impart knowledge that gives wisdom for living the godly life, surely he is so different from those who want to impose their own law on others. Jesus did not undermine the law of God, but he did undermine legalism and a narrow minded fundamentalism. Jesus lived in obedience to God’s law, but he utterly repudiated the additions to it made by the Scribes and Pharisees. He came to lift the burden of sin and provide the way so that people could live the life God wants them to in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We see Jesus healing the sick, delivering those afflicted by the demonic and most of all providing a way of salvation for sinners. The secular model of kingship thinks of the King as taking his enemies captive whereas the gospel shows that Jesus came to set the captives free. Indeed it is through his resurrection that the victory of Christ is manifested, but the cry of victory came when Jesus was on the cross, and he cried out “it is finished” , he knew he had come to save his people from their sins, and he knew that salvation had been accomplished upon the cross. Jesus delivers from the curse of sin and now imparts the Holy Spirit to us so that we may live in holiness before him. He cares for his people, and he supplies their every need, the hymn writer was correct when he described Jesus as the king of love. When we follow our Lord we also need to have our hearts transformed to be like his and when they are we will care for others in a very deep and meaningful way. Let us remember that Jesus loves us and gave himself for us, now he calls us to live lives that show that same love to a broken and needy world. Read the gospels again, and you will have much to inspire you as you prayerfully ask him,how can I be more like You?

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Thinking Christianly

Posted on February 12, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

When we are confronted with issues we are often tempted to use proof texts from the bible to present a Biblical view. Proof texting can be dangerous especially as it often means that we rip a verse out of context to support our views. In a complex world this is tempting because we want to find a quick solution. But such a method ignores both the culture of the bible and our own culture, but perhaps more dangerously it avoids the complexities of the world and of the biblical revelation. Moral issues need to be seen in the context of today’s culture but tested against the background of the whole Biblical story. So often in discussions today we start with wanting to present our own perspective but thinking Christianly starts not with issues but with worship. Worship means that our approach will be God centred and not man centered. We will want to know not only what the bible says about moral issues but who is the God of the Bible? what is his character ? and what are his purposes for mankind? It is only when we start here that we have any hope of progress. This is because many of our modern issues are not met head on in the Scripture, scientific and technological advance has meant that we need to understand the principles contained in scripture more urgently. I have found that there are three themes of biblical revelation that help me to think clearly they are, creation, fall and redemption. Let me look at these individually, to help unlock the key to Biblical thinking.

Creation: All that is before is created by the Sovereign Lord of the universe and his intention for creation can be found in Genesis 1 and 2 and repeated again after the flood in Genesis 9, here we find that life is precious to God, that each individual is made in the image of God and therefore made to relate to him. This amazing fact means that all human beings are to be treated with dignity. These passages also show that because we are made in the image of God, we are to be his stewards of the created world. This means that we do not exploit the world but rather we take care of it. Concern for the created order is part and parcel of what it means to be truly human. As stewards of creation we are answerable to the Creator and we are called to bring our minds into line with his.

The Fall: If it were not for the fall we would not have the problems we have to day, the problems that we face are a result of the brokeness of the world because it has tried to walk independently of the creator. Our world is in an abnormal condition from a Christian perspective because the world was not designed to function under the curse of sin but rather in relationship with a loving God. The big issues of our day all stem from the brokeness of the world caused by the fall. We can look at the big political, moral and religious issues and in each we can see the results of mans rebellion against God. Even in discussing the fall we are saying that everything relates back to God and his character. Our biggest question must always be what accords with the character of a holy God? Thankfully we are not left to brokeness and the fall as the final solution but rather the loving purposes of our creator God.

Redemption; The work of Christ upon the cross is more comprehensive that just our individual salvation rather it is the redemption of the whole created universe. Redemption demonstrates clearly that god wants to restore his people and the world he created into a loving relationship with himself. This means that we must ask of any moral issue what does God want to restore his creation. We will acknowledge that we should be seeking God’s redemptive purposes for this world. This leads us to ask some tough questions about some important questions. It also means that having a clear framework of what the main themes of scripture are we can search the scriptures for answers to our problems. this does not mean that we will come up with proof texts for each situation but rather that we wrestle with the biblical revelation seeking to know the mind of Christ. In so doing we acknowledge that God’s ways are better than ours. We can wrestle with the Scriptures sometimes in a rationalistic sense, we are called to use all the power of our minds but they must be in subjection to the Lord. In other words we come back to the fact that to be good Christian thinkers our primary aim in life will be to worship and serve our Creator

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Jesus Christ: Creator, Redeemer and Revealer

Posted on January 24, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

In many parts of the New Testament we see the glory of who Jesus is, but in this post I just want to look briefly at Hebrew chapter 1. In this chapter we find a description of Jesus in his majestic and awesome nature and yet we find that this same one is the Saviour of sinners. Consistently throughout the Biblical revelation we find that the majestic God is the one who works salvation for his people. the writer of the book of Hebrews packs a lot of truth into a small space, and we can miss the wonder of the truth if we read the book too quickly.

      In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2       but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Heb 1:1–2).

In these amazing words the writer starts this letter, We are to realise that Jesus is the very pinnacle of revelation, in him we can clearly see who God is, a God of holy love, the awesome one and yet the friend of the poor and needy. This revelation is made to us by the one who created the universe. The Lord Jesus is both God and Man and as God he is the creator of all that has been made. When we look at the sea , the rolling hills, mountains, rivers and wonderful landscapes we see the artistry of our God and Saviour. God has spoken to us through the Lord Jesus and we need to hear that voice both in Scripture and through the witness of the Holy Spirit working within us.

         The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4       So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

5       For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
6       And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7       In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”
8       But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9       You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
10       He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11       They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12       You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
13       To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
14       Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?  (Heb 1:3–14).

These words show to us the exalted nature of Jesus he is above the angels because he is God, and yet he is also the one who came into this world to make a sacrifice for our sins. The writer states clearly that after the work of atonement is completed Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. He has completed the work he came to do, and the rest of the book shows us many implications of his finished work. He is the one who is addressed by God the Father as his son, the one the angels should worship. One day all of the enemies of Jesus will be defeated, and they include sin and death. The work of Christ has overcome all the obstacles to salvation and indeed the renewal of the universe. The angels are ministering spirits sent to those who will inherit salvation, somehow this puts the role of angels in perspective. We tend to think of angels as being more exalted beings than ourselves but this passage has a different message, it shows clearly that they are sent to serve the purposes of God’s salvation of humankind.

      We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2       For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3       how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4       God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.  (Heb 2:1–4).

We are called to pay careful attention to the gospel message, so that we will not drift away. we must ignore the message of this great salvation. this message of salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself but God also testified and still testifies to it through the work of the Holy Spirit. Still today we hear of credible reports of signs and wonders. We see the gifts of the Holy Spirit being used to extend the kingdom of God. Let us revel in the truth of the gospel and may we depend upon the Holy Spirit to empower us to witness to his great name.

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Is Reformed Theology A Grand Vision Or Just A Tulip?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by pneumaandlogos

We very often hear discussions of the Five Points of Calvinism as though they amounted to the totality of Reformed thinking, John Calvin himself would have been horrified that his theology had been reduced to just five points. Of course, historically speaking the five points are really the five points of the Cannons of Dordt, which in turn were a response to the five points of the Remonstrants. Calvin’s theology and indeed the theology of those who wrote the Cannons of Dordt and also the Westminster Divines and those who wrote the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism had a much broader theology. One has only to read Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion” to see this. At this point, I should state that I believe in what the five points state but they are not the totality of my theology. When the five points are isolated from the rest of Reformed theology, it is like taking five bones from a body and claiming that it is the body. The five points by themselves can appear ugly but when they are placed in the broader framework of Reformed thought they function as an important part of the body.

The Grand Vision: John Calvin started his “The Institutes of the Christian Religion” with dealing with the subject of our knowledge of God, Calvin believed that the Christian faith is God centred. He and Reformed thought at its best have always affirmed that the whole of creation is dependent upon God. It has therefore always proclaimed that Christ is Lord of all. When as a young Christian I read Abraham Kuyper’s lectures On Calvinism I was expecting something about TULIP instead I encountered a Christian world view. The more I studied the great Reformed thinkers I began to realise that they were pointing to God as the centre of everything. I began to understand that in the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”. In Calvin, Bavinck, Kuyper, and other Reformed theologies I was introduced to the glorious triune God of the bible. The Sovereign God who has all things in his hands. In this wider and deeper view of the Reformed faith, I find a God centred view not only of Salvation but of the whole universe. It is interesting to look at how the early reformed writers ordered their theology, for instance, Calvin does not deal with election until book 3 of The Institutes. Ironically if we narrow our theology down to just the five points we succeed in impoverishing ourselves of much of  Divine truth and therefore a real understanding of what the five points mean in the completeness of God’s truth. When we understand the tragedy of the fall and its implications for this world, we see much more than Total depravity but see also the brokenness of creation as a result of God’s curse upon the world when humankind rebelled against him. At this point, Reformed Theology with its stress on man being made in the image of God also stresses the significance of man It is this knowledge of the whole counsel of God which makes the Reformed faith a vibrant force for good in this world. I cannot hope to communicate the Richness of Reformed Theology in a few paragraphs, but I do think if we really read Calvin, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, Francis Schaeffer, Berckouwer, Hermann Dooyeweerd and other reformed writers we will begin to realise the true riches of our heritage. Most of all let us get back to the book of books because in the Bible we find God’s infallible revelation of himself.

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A Christmas Communion Service

Posted on December 24, 2013 by pneumaandlogos

We are gathered here today to celebrate the birth of our Saviour The Lord Jesus Christ. Who came from heaven to save us from our sins. Our hearts response of love is to worship him,let us do just that and then we will come to the Family table of the Lord.

Invitation. As we come to the Lords Table let us hear the Word of God,

   The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. (Is 9:2)

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7   Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14).

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17   For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(Jn 1:16–17).

6   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17   For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18   Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  (Jn 3:16–18).

I invite you to come to this table if you have received Jesus as Lord and Saviour and are in fellowship with his Church. Come to this table remembering that you have received the gift of salvation through the life and death of the Lord Jesus. Come remembering that your heavenly Father loves you so much that he has given his only Son for your salvation. The bread before you reminds you not only that Jesus died, but he also lived for your salvation. The Wine poured out before you reminds us that he shared our humanity and that he also came to save us from our sins. Come then and praise the Lord for all that he has done, look up and receive afresh tonight His grace and look forward to that day when he will come again in glory.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father we thank you for the great gift of our saviour the Lord Jesus. We thank you that you did not condemn us but instead in your grace you made a way of salvation.

Lord Jesus we thank you for your willingness to leave the glory of heaven to come and work out salvation for us. We thank you that you humbled yourself so that we might be lifted up, that you died so that we might live and that your resurrection shows to us that sin and death are destroyed.

Holy Spirit, we thank you for making Jesus real to us, we thank you that just as you produced a new work in Mary,  that you can and do  work in new ways in us, and we ask you to impart to us all the gifts and grace that we need to live a life to the glory of Jesus.

We ask all these things for the glory of your great name Amen.

Posted in Church, God, God's love, grace, Holy communion, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, praise, the body of Christ., the Lord's Supper, Word of God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Light has Shone in the Darkness; The Saviour is here

Posted on December 20, 2013 by pneumaandlogos

One of the most impressive facts about the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of Christ is that they all show up the darkness of sin and the light of God’s salvation. Isaiah 9 is one such passage, it is set against the backdrop of the nation of Israels’s rebellion against God. There are prophecies of the coming exile, and yet the situation is not hopeless because God has a plan. When we look at the context of this chapter in its surrounding setting we realise even more forcefully the tragedy of sin and the amazing character of the love of God. Earlier in chapter 7 Isaiah has already prophesied that one would come who could be called Immananuel which means God is with us. So we must realise that the prophet is continuing to speak about the promised messiah when he speak thee magnificent words,

   9:1  Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2  The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3  You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4  For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5  Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6  For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7  Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.  (Is 9:1–7). .

Notice that the prophet describes those who receive Christ as those who have been walking in darkness and living in deep darkness, the Saviour has come to save his people from their sins. Sometimes people ask the question whether God will save a sinner from the worst of sin and the answer must be that no one is beyond the reach of the grace of God in this life. It is therefore important to see that the majestic words of the prophet apply to ourselves, we are those who have seen how great the Lord is in his holy love towards us. It is to rebellious sinful men that the child is given, yet he is also the one who having rescued us from sin becomes our King. the prophet said the government would be upon his shoulders, this one who has come into the darkness to rescue us can do so because he is King of kings and Lord of Lords. It is easy at Christmas time to get taken up with the fact of the human birth of Christ and forget that he too is the creator of the world.

He is the wonderful counsellor the one who can guide us and show his plans so that we might be able to live for his glory, it has been said that this expression could also be translated as wonder-planner.His plans stretch back into eternity past and stretch forward into the eternal future, no wonder he understands what is best for us now.

This child is also Mighty God we need to remember this as we come up to Christmas, this child is different from all others because he is God, however we understand it, it remains a fact the child in the manger is also the ruler of the universe. As mighty God he will accomplish his purposes, even if that involves becoming a man and dying on a cross to save mankind from its sinfulness. The grace of God is shown to be powerful as it delivers people from the bondage of sin.

He is also called, everlasting Father, this does not mean that he is God the Father but rather he shows a fatherly care to his people, another way of looking at this is he is the good Shepherd who cares for his sheep.

He is the Prince of Peace, peace in the Hebrew conception of the word is the place of wholeness and blessing not just the absence of strife. So he will reign eternally as the prince of peace, the one who brings wholeness and healing to broken people.

This passage tells us that Jesus will reign eternally and thus reminds us that we have a living hope for the future. As will celebrate his first coming let us remember that he will come again in glory and then he will complete his work of a new creation. So as we celebrate the coming we do so looking back with thankfulness for what he has done, receiving those blessing for us today, and we look forward with expectation to what he will achieve in the future.

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