BIBLE MEDITATION:"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." Luke 2:14
ENCOURAGING WORD:
The message from an Angel to Joseph,
Matthew 1:18-25; “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
One of the wonderful names of our wonderful Lord is "The Prince of Peace."Jesus holds the key to peace, whether it's personal peace in your heart, domestic peace in your home, or eternal peace in heaven. Isaiah prophesied that He would be called “The Prince of Peace.” The angels told the shepherds that His coming was "good tidings of great joy," for His incarnation and it meant "on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”
Luke 2:8-14; "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
The version that I just read from is the King James Version. These verses in the King James version are what we hear mostly thsi time of year. But this verse in the English Standard Version has it slightly different, which are the corrrect words message. I’ll show you want I mean. The last verse in English Standard Version puts it this way, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”
We can see from the wording in the King James version that its says it this way; Luke 2:14; “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The King James Version insinuates that Peace will come to all people. Look around, does that seem to be the case? I don’t see to many people living in peace in this world. The English Standard Version implies that peace will come to only those from whom God is well pleased. This is the correct version of this verse. There is a huge difference. Let me share another verse that would make this verse a contradiction if the King James version was correct. This is Jesus speaking. Matthew 10:44; “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
The Bible is making it very clear that Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth. There will be no peace on earth until the Prince of Peace returns at His second coming. Those that have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, will not necessarily have peace in this world, but they will have peace in their heart knowing that this is not our home, we are just passing through and the peace that this verse is referring to is the inner peace that comes to those that will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus even validated this in the following verses, John 16: 33; These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Here Jesus is telling us that a true born-again believer will not have smooth sailing in this world. He mentioned that in the verse that we just read in Matthew 10:44. If you are born again, then you have been justified. Once you are justified, it is as if you have never sinned. You can say, Its “Just If id” Never sinned. This is the peace that Jesus brought to the world, to those who would receive Him as their Lord and Savior. It’s called Grace. Grace is a free gift that cannot be earned. It is a gift to those that believe on Jesus Christ and have been born-again into the Holy Spirit.
Here are two verse that explain what it means to be justified.
Romans 5:1; “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Notice: It says Justified by faith, no wisdom, no good works, absolutely nothing can be done on our end to earn justification. Its believing by faith that Jesus is who He said He is.
Romans 5:9-11; “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Jesus was born to bring peace to those that would become born again into the Holy Spirit. He did not come to bring peace to the world as we read in Matthew 10:44. Once you understand this bit of correct information, you will then know why Jesus came to earth. It was to bring peace and salvation to those that would be justified through faith, and He did that at the cross. His death, burial and resurrection is what opened the gates of heaven. That was the ultimate reason that God joined His creation in the personage of Jesus Christ. His physical life began at His birth and ended with the cross. His whole reason for living was foretold by prophets of old.
One such prophecy came from Isaiah, where we read where the Birth of the Messiah was told well in advance. Isaiah 9:6; is probably the most quoted verse in the Bible during the Christmas Season. “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” Isaiah's prophecy about the birth of Christ is believed to have been written around 700 BC. The birth of Christ is traditionally dated to around 4 BC to 6 BC. Therefore, the approximate number of years from Isaiah's prophecy to the birth of Christ is around 700 years.
Now that I clarified these couple of verses, let’s move on. All the way back to when I was a young child, I always felt a sense of peace during the Christmas season, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas day! Even now with the world seemingly falling apart, I still get that feeling of peace this time of year. That peace will never fade away from me because I know the true meaning of Christmas. After all, every year I made it a point to watch “A Charlier Brown Christmas," because when Linus took center stage and told Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas, it gave me a sense of peace that can only come to a true believer in Christ. To this day, I won’t miss A Charlie Brown Christmas. If I’m feeling down for some reason, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will always pick me up.
Christmas is the time of year when people are planning for Christmas parties, social gatherings, parades and other events to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When I was a young child, Christmas time was a time when I truly felt good will in the air. Again, it is only a feeling that can come to thsoe who believe. Theres a song that is always special to me and it was sung by Eddie Arnold. It is one of my all-time favorites, “Christmas can’t be far away." The song truly sums up the way Christmas used to be. I’m going to share the lyrics with you.
A neighbor tipped his hat to me this morning, the landlord even smiled and said good day, and I want you to know, a stranger said hello, Christmas can’t be far away. Old tightwad down the street is buying candy, to pass out to the neighbor kids at play. The town is on the go, the weather man said snow, Christmas can’t be far away. The small fries on our block have all been saving, and now they’re hiding things and looking sly. Mom will get that new hat that she’s been craving, and dad will get his usual Christmas tie. Both young and old are planning sweet surprises. They’ll soon be tied with ribbons and gay, goodwill is in the air, you can feel it everywhere, Christmas can’t be far away.
I wanted to share these lyrics with you because they have a lot of meaning to me. It used to be the simple things in life that mattered, but I feel a dark cloud has come over our country as to what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.
When we were growing up in the fifties, sixties and through the seventies, Luke 2:8-14, which I read previously, it was always very meaningful to all of us true believers. But like I said, the true meaning of Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning over the last few decades. I’ve witnessed the falling away from true biblical doctrine of the Bible and Christmas, and honestly, it hurts me dearly to see America falling away from our biblical roots.
People have taken the concept of giving to an unprecedented level that far exceeds anything that I could have ever imagined. People are running to and fro in the malls in search of that special gift for someone that in most cases may not even appreciate it. They’re spending money that they don’t have, to buy gifts that will soon be forgotten. Bills as we know will pile up and in many cases, they may take a year or more to pay them off. I’m not saying buying gifts are wrong, but the reason for buying these gifts are not being tied in with what Christmas is all about.
When we read about the gifts of the three wisemen from the East back when Jesus was born, the gifts that were presented to Jesus had significant spiritual meaning, which most people don’t have a clue about. Gold was symbol of Jesus's Kingship on earth, Frankincense was incensed as a symbol of Deity, and Myrrh is an embalming oil which is a symbol of death. This dates back to its original origin. Gold as to a King, Frankincense as to one who is mortal, and Myrrh which refers to the death and burial of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When the Wisemen showed up, they brought these gifts to Jesus as we all know, but very few people, if any really know the symbolism behind each gift. The gifts that the Wisemen brought had significant value and also prophetic importance. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh are gifts worthy of a King. Once again, Gold is symbolic of Christs Deity as King, Frankincense represents His Purity as Priest of God, and Myrrh is suggestive of His anointed work as a Prophet and of His death. Let’s look at what the Bible reveals about these gifts and what we sing about in the Carol “We three Kings”.
With Christmas season in full swing and coming to an end soon, I want to share what the Christmas season is truly all about. It seems like as the years go by, the meaning of Christmas is slowly fading away. Christmas should be a time of joy and yet it seems to be more and more a season of depression and loneliness. It's because loved ones have passed on that we miss so dearly, especially this time of year. People have also strayed away from the true meaning of Christmas and because of that, they feel very empty this time of year. Christmas should not be just about the presents and parties, and all the things that bring people together, although that is wonderful in and of itself, but it should be about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and understanding why Jesus came to earth in the first place. He came to save us from sin and in doing so, for those that believe, He has kept us from the penalty of death.
There is so much wisdom in this verse (Isaiah 9:6) that is not understood by many of those who teach it. First of all, this verse speaks of the deity of Jesus Christ when it says, “a son is given.” When we read this verse, very few people see that connection. A “child is born” is reference to the baby Jesus born in the flesh as a human being. A Son is given is in reference to the Son of God who was from everlasting. Jesus never had a beginning; He always was and will always be. A Child is born in the flesh, a Son is given. A child of Mary, the Son of God. Jesus Christ is both Man and God. Our finite brains have not the capacity to fully understand how this can be, but when we get to heaven, provided we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, we will get it!
Also notice, what His name would be, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” There are those that teach that Jesus and God the Father are two different entities. This verse should silence those that make that claim. It says, Jesus is the “Everlasting Father. (God in the Flesh) When the Wisemen showed up, they brought Jesus gifts and like I mentioned previously, very few people know the symbolism of those gifts. Let’s look at what the Bible reveals about these gifts.
Gold = Kingship of God
Gold in the Bible is symbolic of God. It represents the most precious of metals and is extremely rare in its purest form. The intrinsic value of gold has been established since ancient times and gold was used to honor kings. King Solomon had an ivory throne overlaid with the best gold. 1 Kings 10:18; “Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold,
The furniture of the Tabernacle features gold, symbolically pointing to Christ and His deity. The Ark of the Covenant was constructed of acacia wood (symbolic of Jesus’ humanity) and overlaid with gold (symbolic of His divinity). The mercy seat and the two cherubim were made of pure gold. Exodus 25:10-11; “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.
Since gold represents God, it’s no surprise that many idols and false gods were created of gold. Because gold is a pure and valuable metal, it is also associated with God’s precepts, principles, and promises—all of which are perfect and pure and supersede any that are set by man. The gift of gold, given by one of the wise men, pointed to the begotten Son who was given by God to be King of His people. This wise man’s gift proclaimed Jesus to be King at birth as did others during His life:
Matthew 2:2; “saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
Frankincense = High Priest of God
Frankincense is a perfumed, clear resin obtained from trees in northern India and Arabia, Isaiah 60:6; “The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
Jeremiah 6:20; “For what purpose to Me, Comes frankincense from Sheba, And sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.”
It is used in incense and perfumes, and was treasured for its aroma and healing properties. Frankincense was an ingredient used in the sanctuary of the Lord. Exodus 30:34; “And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each,” As part of the meat offering and as a sweet savor
(incense) Frankincense is also a symbol of prayer, Psalm 141:2; “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Luke 1:10; “And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”
Because of the use in the Temple, frankincense is considered to be emblematic of Jesus’ office as a Priest of God, Exodus 30:34-37; “And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte (a sweet spice used by the ancient Jews in preparing incense) and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its [a]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
It is also symbolic of the priest’s work in offering the prayers of the people to the Lord.
The gift of frankincense, given by one of the wise men, pointed to the work of Jesus as a Priest of God, who ministered for three and one half years to the people.
Myrrh = Prophet of God
Myrrh was a spice used for medicine, cosmetics, and anointing oil. It was mixed into the oil that was used to anoint prophets for the divinely appointed work of revealing God and communicating His will and words to His people. Jesus came to the nation of Israel and He came as a Prophet in fulfillment of a prophecy of Moses:
Matthew 15:24; “But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 18:15; “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,” The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet [Jesus] from the midst of thee [Israel], of thy brethren, like unto me [Moses]; unto Him ye shall hearken. Jesus Himself confirmed His office as a Prophet to Israel. He attributed the office of Prophet to Himself with His words:
The use of Myrrh in biblical texts is rich with symbolic meaning, invoking themes of suffering, sacrifice, and redemption. Myrrh was used in ancient burial practices, serving as an embalming agent. This connection to death and preparation for burial aligns with the portrayal of Jesus' eventual crucifixion and burial, where Myrrh was used to anoint His body. In; John 19:39; “And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.” Joseph of Arimathea brought a mixture of Myrrh and Aloes to anoint Jesus' body before His burial, a powerful act that underscores Myrrh’s association with mourning and the reverence given to the deceased.
Another interesting fact is, when did the wisemen arrive to see Jesus? When we see the nativity scene, the wisemen are always part of the display, however, the wisemen did not arrive for at least one to two years after Christ was born. The wisemen had to travel hundreds of miles to see Jesus. When they finally arrived, it was in Nazareth where they met the young child, Jesus. I will share two verses that validate what I just said.
Luke 2:15-18; “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” Notice it says that they found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger. Now let us look at when the wisemen arrives.
Matthew 2:9-11; “When they (The Wisemen) heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Notice it says they came into a house, not manger!
Then we read the following verses that people do not use to connect the dots.
Matthew 2: 16-17; “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: The reason King Herod had all children two years old and under is because Jesus was about two years old when he made the decree to have them killed.
What really grieves me is the lack of biblical knowledge that surrounds the Christmas time of year. I have even talked with an atheist a few years back, and out of curiosity, I asked him why he celebrates Christmas if He does not believe in Jesus Christ. The answer that he gave me, made me extremely sad. He said, “Because I’m just celebrating giving gifts and getting together with friends.” As sad as this is, it is more disheartening to me when people that call themselves Christians, actually fall into this same category. It is all about the parties and the presents. Let me ask you a question, “If you knew about a group of people that were going to get together to celebrate your birthday, but as it would turn out, you weren’t even invited, how would you feel? Well, that is exactly what happens every time we gather together for Christmas and do not invite Jesus Christ to His own birthday party. I can tell you with certainty with the Bible as my authority, Jesus Christ is also grieving, only on a much higher scale. Millions of people are celebrating our Saviors birth and yet very few people, if any invite Jesus Christ into their homes for the celebration.
I have been to many Christmas parties over the past few years, and I can say without hesitation, I have never even once, heard anybody mention the name of Jesus Christ at these parties. As appalling as this is, it does not; surprise me.
We read in; 1 Timothy 4:1; where Paul tells us, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,”
We, as a nation have fallen away from the true doctrine of the scriptures that America was founded on, but with that being said, here is a very comforting scriptures that applies to those that have received Jesus Christ as their Lortd and Savior. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” We have seen this promise fulfilled in our last election. If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand. If you know what I'm talking about, God bless you!
Even though this was spoken to the Hebrews in those days, it also applies to us as a nation. As long as God is in charge, and He always will be, we will always have hope. We need to invite Jesus Christ back into our homes.
We need to take this time of year and focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and make Him the pivotal point of why we gather in the first place. Jesus Christ came into this world to save you and me from our sins. The price He paid cost Him dearly. The pain and suffering that He had to endure was meant for us, but Jesus willfully went to the cross to pay for our sins, so we would not have to.
Psalm 93:1-2; tells us, The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”
How can someone who is born have already existed? The answer is obvious, nobody can! This is a concept we will never be able to understand this side of heaven. How can the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit be one? I do not believe this will be revealed to us in this current age, but when we get to heaven, we will say “I Get It” Until then, it is called faith. We read this is;
Hebrews 11: 1; “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
You need to be able to look past the flesh and let the Holy Spirit indwell you! If seeing is believing and that is all you have to go on, you will miss the truth and glory of Gods only begotten Son. You will never know Jesus Christ until you become born again and submit to the Holy Spirit! With this being said, there most certainly is a need for peace. But look around. What has happened to the promised peace? It was purposefully postponed when God sent the Prince of Peace to the earth two thousand years ago, and the world rejected Him and then crucified Him! There will be no peace on earth until the world that rejected our Savior receives Him again in power and glory. The only true hope for peace for the church, the nation and the individual is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in; Matthew 23:37-39; when He knew He was going to be crucified on a cross of wood, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see me no more till you (Israel) say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
He said this to the Jewish people, which means Jesus will not return until the Jewish people acknowledge Him as their Messiah. They need to repent and petition Him to come back, and this will happen during the tribualtion period that is on the very near horizon. I could teach a whole session on this topic, but I will let it go for now for you to do your own study and come up with your own understanding. It is obvious when you read it in the context that it is written in.
One more thing that I should mention because there is a lot of division within the Christian church. The day that Jesus was born was not December 25th. Is obvious when you put together certain dates in the Bible and do the math. But that should not be something that should be argued. We need to put that argument on the back burner and focus on the obvious. Regardless of when Jesus was born, we should be celebrating the birth of Jesus, not necessarily the day. If we choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th, it should be no big deal. Actually we should celebrate the birth of Christ everyday of the year. For those that are curious, Jesus was more likely born sometime near the end of September or early October. But like I said, it does not matter when He was born, the fact of the matter is, He was born!!! Let us celebrate that event!
So, lets put aside all the unimportant details and focus on Jesus Himself and why He came to earth in the first place. Before Jesus came, the way to God was limited to the Jewish people through the Mosaic law. But by coming to earth Jesus made salvation available to anyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social status, who puts their faith in Him. Thank God He did.
Only Jesus can save us from an eternity of lost souls. There are two destinations that we will inherit. The one that Jesus Christ made by way of His death, burial and resurrection is where all those that put their faith in Jesus Christ will go. Those that reject Jesus Christ and what He did for us, will inherit the destination that God made for Satan and His fallen angels. There are no other choices, its up to us to decide where we want to go. God will not make that decision for you. It is called “Free Will.”
This Christmas, do you have peace with God or is there still a war going on in your soul?The only way you can have the peace that Jesus Christ made is to surrender to Him in absolute, total, unconditional surrender. He has fought the battle, and the battle is won. The question is , what side will you choose, the side that already won or the side that has already lost. Have you laid down your sword of rebellion at His feet? He has made peace with the blood of His cross, but that peace does not benefit anybody until we bow to Him in total surrender. There is peace with God. Once you have that peace with God, then you can have the peace of God.
This season, as we celebrate "God with us" in the birth of Jesus Christ, let us continue to live lives of hope, peace, joy, and love. Share God’s love with the shepherds you meet on the hillside. Let the communion of the Holy Spirit fill your heart with glad tidings like the angels. And the Prince of Peace born unto us, may He live in your heart to comfort and challenge you as you seek to live as one of his disciples. Amen.
Join those of us that made the decision to follow Jesus Christ. We would love for you to join Gods family. May God continue to Bless all those that have given their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Comments