Living God

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 
Psalm 42:2

The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and men became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Only life can produce life. Try as they may, scientists have never produced life from non-living parts. Every living thing on earth got its life energy from the Living God. But humans were the only creatures to receive the direct, life-giving breath of God. We’re special.

But sin brought separation between people and their life source. Because of that, birth kicks off the aging process and everybody is slowly going old and dying. Something inside every person wants to reconnect with the one who gave them their first breath. Call it a “God-shaped vacuum” or call it a “hunger for righteousness”, but there’s something in our Spirit that desires to know the Living God and eternal life.

The problem is that it's not easy. In fact, it can be frightening. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). He’s Holy; we’re not. He’s sinless; we’re mean and disobedient to the core. We dare not approach Him in that condition.

A Living God that is invisible and intangible doesn’t seem real or approachable. Since we can’t go to Him, He came to us. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Living God also became a living, breathing man with skin on the outside and muscle, bone, and blood on the inside. While we were dead in trespasses and sins, he took the death that should have been ours to give us His unending life.

The establishment executed Christ, because He challenged the powers of the ruling class and upset the status quo. Although the death sentence was served, death never really took hold. How could it? He is the LivingGod. 

Beloved Son

For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
2 Peter 1:17

Context! Extremely important in interpreting scripture but essential in understanding the names of Christ. Who said it and where it was said are sometimes more important than what the title means. That is certainly clear in this verse.

Any title that matters is handed down from a higher power. That’s why almost all the names of Christ are God-breathed. Holy men of God wrote them down as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Normally, it’s a quiet process. God dictated to a human writer everything He wanted to communicate to Adam’s race; Sometimes through visions, sometimes through divine ideas that came into the writer’s head, but always the mind of God.

The context here is different. The voice of God thundered from heaven and all who heard it fell down to the ground and curled into a fetal position. Impressive? It carried an impression that lasted the rest of their lives. Peter continues, “And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:18).

Actually, this supernatural, verbal affirmation that Jesus was the well-pleasing Beloved Son of God came on two separate occasions: the first at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), the second at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). In both cases, God the Father was proud to announce to the world, “that’s My Boy!”

God could have used a lot of adjectives to describe His Son: faithful, obedient, holy, wonderful, one and only; but He chose Beloved. God the Father has a special relationship with God the Son, which is rooted and grounded in love. Now in Christ, believers can become beloved sons and daughters of God all because Jesus is and always has been God’s Beloved Son.

Hope of Israel

O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, Why should You be like a stranger in the land, And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?Jeremiah 14:8

Jeremiah was given a tough message to preach. God's wrath was going to fall on what was left of Judah. The nation of Israel was already completely destroyed and those in Jerusalem were soon to die of the sword, sickness, and hunger. On the one hand, 99.9% of the population was going to die, but the good news was that those who were dragged away into slavery would survive, prosper, and return to build Jerusalem up again.

God's promises are a sure thing and when the exiles saw the completion of God's judgment on the Jewish people in the Promised land, they chose to believe that the second part would be true also. God's people set themselves apart from idolatry in the land where it originated and clung to the Hope of Israel.

True hope is much more than wishful thinking; it is an expression of faith that is convinced of God's predicted outcome, even when conventional wisdom would suggest otherwise. It is the belief that God's Word is a sure thing even though the odds are stacked against you.

Today, Israel is surrounded by more than a billion enemies that have sworn to kill them. Those radicals live in the lands rich in petroleum, so they are able to buy bombs and weapons without hard work or a productive economy. The little land of Israel survives by selling fruit grown in the desert and by being on the cutting edge of technology. This is where the David and Goliath story began. But now, even the United States is turning its back on the apple of God's eye and odds have never been worse.

Jeremiah addressed the Hope of Israel as a person (i.e. the Savior). The problem is that Israel today has rejected her Messiah and with that denial has also rejected the hope God offers.

God has called on His people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As we do that, we also need to pray for great revival among the Jewish people that they will receive Yeshua as their Messiah and cling to the Hope of Israel. 

The Door

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9

Doors come in many shapes and sizes. It can be as simple as a slab of ice that covers the opening to an igloo or an inlaid ivory and gold masterpiece before the throne room of the king. When all is said and done, a door is just a device that allows easy access to a place that was designed to keep other things out.

Some doors come equipped with locks or even armed guards which determine who can go in and who stays out. A bank would be worthless if everyone could go in and out anytime they wanted. 

         Heaven has a Door. His name is Jesus. In Luke 16, Christ told a story about a very rich man (unlisted name) and a very, very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a believer and the other guy wasn’t. In the end, they both died. After his fancy funeral, the soul of the billionaire was cast into Hades. Lazarus died full of sores on some side street; no one paid much attention. That is, no one except for Jesus.

When his body was cold, the angels of God carried his soul to paradise and he was cradled in Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man saw that, he wanted to go there too – Not Allowed! Then, he wanted that lowly Lazarus to bring him some water – Not Allowed!

People don’t get to heaven just because they want in or even because they think they deserve it. The bottom line of the story is explained in the chorus of the African-American spiritual, “Rock my Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”

          So high, you can’t get over it
                   So wide, you can’t get around it
                   So low, you can’t get under it
                   You gotta go through the Door

Grain of Wheat

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
John 12:24

Now, is this a title, or is it a parable? It’s both. In context, this verse comes right after the triumphal entry and the Lord just told His disciples that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. He already told His disciples that He was coming to Jerusalem to die and they didn’t get it. He now tries to get through to them by saying that He is going to be like a grain of wheat.

Once a farmer sows his seed, there is no way to get it back. Wheat is just a fancy grass and there’s a lot that can go wrong. If there’s too much or too little rain, it’s too hot or too cold, or there are too many bugs, it just won't produce. That’s not even figuring in dust storms, hail, wheat rust, mildew, and rot. Hungry farmers throughout the centuries have learned not to plow the last of their grain into the ground. If they do, there’s no guarantee that they’ll have anything to eat later.

Most farmers I know are religious (I’m talking family farmers, not big corporations). They have to believe that there is a power greater than themselves that makes things to grow and they trust Him to do His job if they do theirs. It takes a lot of faith to take tomorrow's meal, bury it in the dirt, and pour water on it.

Christ somehow had to convince His disciples that the capital punishment He was about to receive was not just a senseless act of injustice. He was going to be glorified by it and they were the ones that were going to benefit.

The disciples knew that it was dangerous to go to Jerusalem, but He went anyway. He had to go; He had to die. If He didn’t go, there never would have been eternal life; He could never provide for their spiritual sustenance. He first had to become a Grain of Wheat. 

Joint Heir

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs --- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:16,17

          OK, if you want to be technical, this title refers to Christians and not the Lord. However, if we are joint heirs with Jesus, then He is a joint heir with us. The title is a legitimate name of Christ.

          The idea is that the children of God will share with Christ everything that is God’s. Now, if Jesus got 50% of the total and the rest was divided between every believer; calculated out, that means that even the lowliest saint would at least get a galaxy or two.

          That sounds great at first, but stars and planets would have no worth if everyone had them. The title conveys that the Master shares with us things that are of far greater value. He gives us His glory, His power, and His position before God.

As Joint Heir, Christ shares with me His glory: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

As Joint Heir, the Lord shares His power: “So Jesus said to them, "… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).

As Joint Heir, Christ shares with us His position with God: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!…” (1 John 3:1). “…by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). 

Babe

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Luke 2:16*

 When my family lived in Ecuador, S.A., Christmas was a big deal, especially in the underdeveloped rural area where we lived. There, the people were so poor that no one got presents, but each school child in the country received a small bag of candy sent in from the governor of each province. Christmas there was not December 25, but whatever day the grade-schoolers had their program and the goodie-bags were handed out.

In the jungle, the schools almost always presented a living Nativity. An open front thatched roof hut was made with bamboo poles. The stable was full of animals (chickens, turtles, monkeys, iguanas, and dogs). School children played the roles of Mary, Joseph, angels, wise men, and shepherds and the school teachers surveyed the parents to find a suitable “volunteer” for baby Jesus.

The babe that was chosen usually was a newborn wrapped in swaddling. This not only served as a diaper, but the tightly wound length of cloth made the infant feel secure so he’d sleep for hours. The new candidate for baby Jesus was laid in a box of fresh banana leaves, where he lay quietly until the commotion of the program was over. He was supposed to be the main attraction of the day, but was almost forgotten when candy was given out.

Bethlehem’s Babe is also often overlooked with all the distractions of the holiday season. The focus of Christmas day is usually under the tree and not in the manger, where the Savior of the World was laid, where the incarnate God was sleeping. Angels announced Him as Christ the Lord and shepherds worshipped before Him. He was Immanuel, God with us, in the body of a Babe.

*see also Luke 2:12

Only Begotten Son

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Only Begotten Son – one of the better known titles of Christ because it is used in the most memorized verse of scripture. Actually, it occurs only four times in the Bible and was penned only by the Apostle John. Although the phrase is very familiar, what does it really mean?

Early in church history, there were heretics who reasoned that if Christ was begotten, he had a beginning, so He is something less than then the eternal God. There are plenty of people who believe this today, and they’re still wrong.

To try to correct this, the Nicene creed, written in AD 325, tries to define “begotten.” This early doctrinal statement declares Christ to be “eternally begotten of the Father" and “true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.” This refuted the heresy that Jesus was merely a “God Jr.” or “God, the Sequel” but rather, Christ was the eternal God joined in a human body.

The word in the Greek for only begotten is “monogenes” which can also be translated “sole” or “one and only.” The idea here is that Christ is unique. He wasn’t one of many sons of God, but the one and only Son. The Word becoming flesh, God manifested in flesh, and Only Begotten Son are three ways of saying what is this unique miracle of incarnation.

False teachers today do what they have been doing throughout the centuries. They redefine terms, plug a new phrase back into the verse, and try to make it say what it doesn’t. John 3:16 means exactly what we thought it did the first time we heard it and believed it. God loves us and gives us eternal life through His Only Begotten Son.

*see also John 1:18, 3:18; 1 John 4:9

Salvation

“For my eyes have seen Your salvation...”
Luke 2:30

Simeon waited all his life for God's promised Messiah. He'd ask God about it everyday. "How long O Lord until your Anointed will come?" "How long until we see the Consolation of Israel?" "Lord, will it be today?"

In these daily conversations, Simeon demonstrated a faith in God's promises that was extremely rare in his day. He expected an answer from God, so the Almighty didn't disappoint him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him in a way as clear as any message received by Abraham or Daniel that he would see the Messiah before he died. Simeon was encouraged; he was old and ready to die; He wouldn't have to wait much longer.

God's timing is always perfect. Christ came at just the right moment in human history and He made sure that Simeon was at the right place and the right time to be part of it. Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple to be dedicated and God's Spirit made sure Simeon was there.

The Babe's Hebrew name was "Yeshua" which means "Salvation." The old man picked up the baby and began to prophesy:

"Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation 
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel."
(Luke 2:29-32).

God not only kept His promise to Simeon to show him the Messiah, He showed Him the Savior of the World.

In this day and age, another of God's promises remains incomplete, Christ's second coming. While the world mocks at this and even some Christians have given up waiting, a few devout and righteous believers still ask, "Lord, is He coming today?"

God is waiting for just the right time, so with their own eyes they will see the revealing of God's Salvation.

Shiloh

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Genesis 49:10

This curious title of Christ is taken from Jacob’s blessing of his sons shortly before his death. In affirming Judah, the patriarch promises that he’ll give rise to the kingly tribe and that position will continue until the coming of Shiloh, the peacegiver. Long before the coming of Christ, ancient rabbis acknowledged that this single reference to Shiloh was a messianic title.

The word, however, does appear repeatedly in the Old Testament, but in a very different context. Shiloh was the resting place of the tabernacle after the conquest of Canaan. Burnt offerings were given there and Days of Atonement observed. However, the supposed place of peace was given over to immorality and idolatry so God cursed it (Jeremiah 26:6). The destruction of Shiloh was so complete, that its location was forgotten for about 2,500 years. It was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19^th century, but that Shiloh never brought peace.

Since Shiloh is an unusual title of Christ, Christians found it an interesting name to give to their churches. The most famous of these was the Shiloh Methodist Meeting House of Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee. For two days in April 1862, Union and Confederate troops fought around the grounds of the little log cabin church. 24,000 men were either killed or wounded in what was the most tragic battle fought in the Civil War up to that date. That Shiloh also brought no peace.

When the true Shiloh came to His own people the first time, He was rejected; His own wouldn’t receive Him. They cried out for the crucifixion of the Prince of Peace and refused to let Him rule over them. At that point, the scepter and the lawgiver departed from Judah. The Middle East has been without a peacegiver for two millenia. Israel, the church, and the world still wait.

Even so, come Lord Jesus. Come Shiloh, come.

Seed of the Woman

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
Genesis 3:15

          The words above come from the curse of the LORD on the serpent after the fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. The identification of the “Seed of the Woman” with Christ Jesus goes a long way back to at least the teachings of Irenaeus, a second century church father and apologist. For centuries it has been hailed as the earliest reference to the Messiah in the Bible and is considered a legitimate name of Christ.

          The interpretation of God’s pronouncement of judgment on the devil was that the Savior dealt a death blow to the “old serpent” at Golgotha, the place of the skull. Satan’s doom was sealed at that point, even though when Jesus died as a substitute for sinful man, the devil stuck Him at His heel when His feet were nailed to the cross. Christ rose from the dead and broke the evil one’s claim over death. Lucifer has not and will never recover from his defeat at Mount Calvary.

          It’s important to note that victory over the devil came through the Seed of the Woman and not the seed of man or Adam’s seed. Jesus was virgin-born and so, had no human father. He was God’s Son. In giving this very first recorded title of Christ, God eliminated every other man born on earth.

                   Verily God, yet become truly human
                   Lower than angels – to die in our stead;
                   How hast Thou, long-promised “Seed of the Woman”
                   Trod on the serpent and bruised his head!

                                                          H. D’Arcy Champney (1854-1942)

Mighty God

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[….] Mighty God….
Isaiah 9:6

 In order to be born as the little Child in Bethlehem, Christ had to lay aside His glory and authority, but He never relinquished His titles. Lying in the hay of the stable 2000 years ago was the Mighty God. Only the angels really knew that for sure, but that’s who He was.

Jeremiah was given insight into who He was 600 years before His Advent: “You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them [---] the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts” (Jeremiah 32:18). Isn’t that what Jesus is, love and judgment bound together in the person of the Mighty God?

Over the years, the church has lost its focus on just how strong and powerful our Savior really is. However, the Apostle Paul never lost sight of who He was because he boldly declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Our all-powerful Creator reworks broken lives. “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Christ and the gospel was such a great, unstoppable force in the first century that pagan leaders lamented, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6).  Opposed on every side by the powerful enemies of God, Paul knew that the ultimate victory was the Lord’s. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

The world still attacks Christ by attacking his followers, but there’s precious hope. "'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:36,37). We must never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the Mighty God.

  

Counselor

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[…] Counselor….
Isaiah 9:6

As my boys grew up I would tell them Bible stories of David and his mighty men, hoping that this would encourage them to become men of God and get across the necessity of faith and courage or at least that’s what I had in mind.

 In eighth grade English class, one of the boys was studying heroes and was given a writing assignment to tell of something heroic that he wanted to do. He began his paper “I want to kill 1,000 men.” He went on to tell about standing up to great odds like David’s mighty men and doing what was right in the face of danger, but that didn’t matter. The teacher read the first sentence and then marched my boy off to the guidance counselor’s office and for the next five years, he had to make regular visits there even after moving on to high school.

Although the whole situation was misinterpreted, I do understand it. There are a lot of mixed up people in our world today and counselors are there to help work through those issues so they don’t self-destruct or hurt others. Human counselors are limited in how much real help they can offer. Those taking anger management classes or addiction seminars usually repeat these courses many times.

 Jesus Christ is the great Counselor and can set people free from the emotional pretzels they get twisted into. Grief, anger, depression, drug and alcohol addictions, and doubt can produce physical and emotional pain that robs people of joy and peace. Christ came to this world to take away the burdens that weigh people down. By coming to Jesus in prayer, people are able to cast all their cares upon Him

Everyone who is overloaded with anxiety can find help for their souls in the heavenly Counselor. No appointment necessary.

  

Wonderful

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, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

          This well-known “Christmas verse” contains seven important titles of Christ, most of which are unique to this passage. Perhaps the most wonderful of all is Wonderful. It’s not just my opinion of Jesus; it is one of His names.

          In a world where people pay top dollar for entertainment, production studios pay hundreds of millions of dollars to produce mediocre films. Plot and character development are not seen as important as flash and dazzle. Most movie-goers are bored if a film doesn’t have lots of pyrotechnics, sensuality, and computer-generated imagery. It takes an awful lot to impress the average American nowadays.

          These entertainment addicted individuals are usually turned off by religion and totally uninterested in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a pity. He offers the excitement they seem to crave and can transform them in real and meaningful ways. They don’t know Him and they don’t know that He is Wonderful.

          All I can say to those who are addicted to stimulus and troubled by reality is that I can get them an appointment with a Great Counselor that can set them free from their vices. To those who think they’re all alone in their world, I’d like to introduce them to the Mighty God. To those who are afraid to die, I’d like to show them the Everlasting Father and to them who have given up on world peace, I know the Prince of Peace. Jesus is all these things and He is truly Wonderful!

Wonderful, Wonderful
          Jesus is to me
          Counselor, Prince of Peace
          Mighty God is He
          Saving me keeping me
          From all sin and shame
          Wonderful is my Redeemer
          Praise His name!
                              Haldor Lillenas (1885-1959)

Child

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; ….
Isaiah 9:6

Why was Jesus born as a baby and then made to go through all the indignities of childhood? He really didn’t have to come that way. The second person of the Trinity appeared as a full grown man on a number of occasions before He was the Babe of Bethlehem.

The pre-incarnate Christ manifested Himself to Joshua as the Commander of the LORD’s Army when He ordered Joshua to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. He appeared as the Angel of the LORD to Samson’s parents and then ascended to heaven in the flames of the altar. Finally, the Son of God was seen in the fiery furnace with Shadrach and crew, which shook up the king.

Being born, in the same way all humans are, left the Messiah vulnerable to His enemies. Satan urged King Herod to try to kill Him. After Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, was warned by God in a dream, “… he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt” (Matthew 2:14). Jesus needed care and protection.

Why then did He even have to become a child? It's because Christ was the Heavenly Man, 100% God and 100% human. He needed to be of the Seed of the Woman to fulfill prophesy (Genesis 3:15), but He also needed to be a Man born of woman to be able to share the human experience and understand our failings. As our Great High Priest He is able to empathize with humanity.

Being a child meant going to school, learning to read, doing chores, and being obedient to His parents. At age twelve Jesus was able to astonish teachers, but most of His youth He spent subject to the authorities around Him. Mary’s son was an exceptional Child, but He was a Child nonetheless. 

Great Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2

The Lord Jesus is not a candle in the night; He’s a floodlight, searchlight, beacon, lighthouse – Great Light. That’s a lot of light, because there’s a lot of darkness out there. Since people stumble around in the blackness and live under the shadow of death all their lives, a lot of light is needed to take care of everybody’s problems.

It’s really surprising how often Christ is associated with light. He is, after all, the brightness of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3), the Dayspring (Dawn) from on high (Luke 1:78), and the Morning Star (Revelation 2:28). Add to this that He is the Light that shines in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19) and three times in the book of Revelation it says that the glorified Christ has eyes that are flames of fire. Yes, that’s lots of light.

Once I was driving on a country road on the desert of New Mexico when my oil light went on. Those were the days long before GPS told you exactly where you were and at that time I had no clue which way to go. I knew I passed a town about twenty miles back, but I could see the glow of something on the horizon. It was the city of Roswell about ten miles ahead. Eventually a car passed me to help, but the point I am trying to make is that the distant city lights let me know where I was and that I wasn’t alone in the desert. I had seen a great light.

           The verse above in Isaiah comes before the famous Christmas verse about a Child being born and a Son being given. It gives the context of why the Savior came to this world to redeem mankind. The human race was lost, scared, and groping around in darkness. He came to bring hope, direction, and a Great Light.

God of Peace

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9*

“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). To know the peace of God is to know the Savior. He is the God of Peace.

The earliest mention of the coming God of Peace came in Jacob’s blessing of his son Judah. The patriarch foretold that: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh [i.e. the peacemaker] comes” (Genesis 49:10).

The peace offering was one of the five main Old Testament sacrifices offered to God. Everything about it is a type of the Lord Jesus. This free will offering was an animal chosen from the flock or herd that was without defect and given to God as an act of worship. The offerer would receive a portion of the meat while enjoying fellowship with God (see Leviticus 3:1-17). The Lord gave Himself freely to bring peace to men.

700 years before the Babe was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given […] and His name will be called […] Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Then, when the actual fulfillment took place, a huge chorus of angels sang to a small group of frightened shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14).

When Christ was in the upper room with His disciples He made a promise to them: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

The Prince of Peace is hailed as “Our Peace” in Ephesians 2:14 because He has broken down the barrier that divided the Jewish and Gentile people. He is also the Lord of Peace that is with us always and who continuously grants us peace in every circumstance (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Jesus came into this world to give peace to the troubled of heart and mind. He is the God of Peace.

*see also Romans 15:33, 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; and Hebrews 13:20

Scepter

"I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.”
Numbers 24:17*

Ol' Balaam was a nasty guy; he sold knowledge of the true God for a price and showed King Balak how to bring a curse on Israel through seduction by the women of Moab. I really don't expect to see him in heaven.

That having been said, he was still a prophet of the LORD and he spoke words that God gave him. God does that sometimes, reveals His word and will to unbelievers. Both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar had dreams from the Almighty that revealed the future. Caiaphas plotted to crucify Christ, but prophesied in his capacity of high priest: “it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (John 11:50).

Balaam had the reputation that those whom he blessed were blessed and whom he cursed were cursed. His words were probably recorded and they may be what clued the wise men into searching the heavens for a star.                                                                                                                                                                                                            When that star did appear in the East, they recognized that the Scepter would rise out of Israel and they were ready to greet the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). Herod tried to destroy the Christ Child, but God preserved Him. The king is long since dead and his dynasty eradicated, which points out a part of the prophesy that is seldom mentioned.

This Scepter that would come out of Jacob would battle the bad guys and destroy the evil doers. As the Righteous Judge, Christ will sit on the Great White Throne and pronounce judgment on the proud and powerful that reigned on earth. Righteousness will have its final victory over "wrongeousness".

*see also Hebrews 1:8

Ruler

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
Micah 5:2*

When Herod the Great discovered that the wise men from the East wanted to worship the newborn Jewish Messiah, he called up Bible scholars to find out what prophesy had to say. The chief priests and scribes knew that the Christ was to be born in “Bethlehem in the Land of Judah” (Matthew 2:6).

There is no doubt that this passage refers to Jesus because it is quoted in Matthew concerning His birth. There is also no question that this verse is linked to the anointed of the LORD, because it states that He was pre-existant before His birth in the stable and even before the prophesy was given somewhere around 700 B.C.

Like most visions of the future, this prophesy is a two dimensional snapshot of events with no depth of focus. Many prophesies lack chronological order as this one which lumps both advents of Christ in the same verse. The fact remains that the babe of Bethlehem has not yet become the Ruler of Israel.

The promised Son of David who was supposed to reestablish the throne in Israel never had the chance to reign. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). Even the chief priests who handed over the Messiah to their Gentile overlords declared, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15).

All that will change in the twinkling of an eye. Jesus will soon return with an army of angels to reclaim what was denied Him almost two thousand years ago. He will not only be hailed as Ruler of Israel, but as king of the whole earth.

*see also Matthew 2:6

Him Who Knew No Sin

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

Babies sin because it’s their nature. No one needs to teach them how to lie, steal, or destroy; they are born with that ability. In fact, one of my son’s first word was a lie. He had recently turned one and still wasn’t walking or talking but he could crawl everywhere, stand up on his own, and understand lots of words.

 As my wife was cleaning one of the bedrooms, she noticed that the house was strangely silent and the toddler was nowhere to be seen. As she moved towards the kitchen, she called out, “Stephen, are you touching the stove?”

There were very few “no-no’s” in the house, but that was definitely one of them. The one year old was defiantly touching the stove and began looking around to see if Mom was around. When he couldn’t see his mother, he assumed that she couldn’t see him so he proudly answered, “No!”

The sin nature might raise a chuckle when seen in a small child, but it gets very ugly, very quickly and it is not a condition that cures itself. That old nature has to die and a new nature has to come in to replace it, if sin is to ever lose its power over us.

Christ never had that addiction to sin. He certainly knew what sin was, but had no desire to do it. He was sinless by nature, so on the cross he swapped rap sheets with humanity. He gave mankind a clean slate and took on Himself trillions of terrible sins which he paid for with His death.

Coming to the Lord Jesus in faith means that the power sin has over sinners is broken and a new desire to live in God’s will is given to those who earlier were habitually self-destructing. They are changed all because of Him who knew no sin. 

Fountain

For with You is the fountain of life…
Psalm 36:9

Several years ago, one of my boys gave me a small, ceramic fountain for Christmas. It was in the image of a mountain scene with water moving from a top pond out a three inch water fall into a second pool and dropping another short distance into a third little lake. The sound of it was relaxing, so I kept it in the corner of my office and let it run, non-stop. However, the work of recycling a pint of water hundreds of times a day was too much for the little electric pump, so it burned out within a year.

This experience made me appreciate the engineering of ancient foundations that had no moving parts, operated using gravity and kept running for centuries. Some fountains in Athens and Corinth operate from aqueducts and date back to the 6^th Century B.C. and there is evidence that the Sumerian culture had them as early as 2000 B.C..

David plainly understood the fountain principle of a well-spring of water shooting up and giving life and energy. The prophet Zechariah also used a fountain analogy to foreshadow the Messiah: “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1). The image presented is God’s abundant, overflowing provision to cleanse His people from the contamination of sin which was made available by Christ’s sacrificed death on a cross.

In the New Testament, Jesus asked for a drink of water from a Samaritan woman He met at the well in the town of Sychar. He explained to her: “…Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13-14).

Only Christ can satisfy and fill the thirsty soul, because He alone is the Fountain of eternal life.

Sin Offering

If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, […] Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering.

Leviticus 4:32-33

My memories of the special children’s gospel meeting in the 1950’s was that all the evangelists wore suits and ties and did “chalk talks” where they drew pictures at the same time that they preached. One vivid image that I still carry in my mind is of a picture of little lamb lying dead on an altar of stones. A small river of blood flowed down on the rocks and onto the ground below. The preacher used special chalk, so when the chapel lights were turned off and the black light came on, the drawing changed. In the background we could see a cross and at the bottom of the paper, the words “Sin Offering” was written in red, as if they were formed from the blood of the lamb.

As a child I thought that only lambs could be used for a sin offering, but later found out that bulls, goats, and even pigeons could be used depending on who sinned (priests and leaders had to give more costly sacrifices for their sins). Another thing I learned was that this ceremony only covered unintentional sin (Leviticus 4:27). If a person sinned willfully and knew that he was breaking God’s command, no atonement or forgiveness was given.

Perhaps the most surprising thing I learned from studying Leviticus 4 was that the sinner had to kill his own lamb; the priest didn’t do it for him. The person would put his hands on the head of the animal and confess his sins before killing his sacrifice. This would make “the wages of sin is death” ( Romans 6:23 ) real and show the sinner clearly that a substitute was needed so he could live.

Jesus Christ is our wonderful Sin Offering who took away our sins, past, present, and future. He took away the sins we did without thinking, as well as those done in purposeful rebellion. The Savior died so that we might live. Jesus not only deserves a thank you, He deserves our willing obedience. 

High Tower

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle --- My lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer…

Psalm 144:1,2

“Fortress titles” are common in the Psalms of David. The constant running for his life, kept the adrenaline flowing and stress levels high. The only way that David could cope was to remember that he was in God’s will and God was in charge. Since that was the case, David was safe; he could rest in his high tower.

Medieval castles were built in stages. The very first part to be constructed was the “keep”. This was a very strong, very tall central tower located in the center of what would be the castle complex. Once completed, work on the outer walls, gates, inner buildings, and moat could begin. This high tower allowed watchmen to see enemies coming from a distance, but was also a stronghold of defense, even before more complete fortifications could be established.

Believers are able to rest in the Lord Jesus, just like David was able to trust in the LORD. Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The stress and crush of the opposition of the world is manageable, because the Lord Himself is a wall to keep the enemies of God from bringing down Christ’s servants.

Abiding in the will of God allows the child of God to see sin approaching from a long ways away which gives plenty of time to avoid it, along with a lot of heartache. In the High Tower of Christ Jesus, the believer is elevated above the fray of the common place so that heaven itself doesn’t feel to be that far away.

Christ the Lord

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

There are two unusual facts about this title. The first is that it occurs only once in scripture. The second is that it came from a non-human source.

Lots of preachers and hymn writers use the phrase Christ the Lord. That's understandable, since it is a title combination of two of the most common names of God’s Son. In the Bible, it is only proclaimed at the birth of the Savior.

The birth announced of the Messiah emphasized the most significant event in human history, or in the history of the universe for that matter. God Almighty took on human form and even experienced childbirth to be able to reach his fallen creation. It made sense that the angel of the Lord would announce it backed up by a great celestial chorus. The surprising thing was that those who heard the news weren’t the movers and shakers of the world, but poor, cold, and frightened shepherds. The Who’s Who of the world weren’t worthy to receive the announcement that proclaimed a name found nowhere else in the Word of God.

The heavenly messenger proclaimed that Christ the Lord was born. The first part acknowledged that God's Anointed had finally arrived. By calling Him “Lord” the angel acknowledged that He was the boss and commander-in-chief of every angel present that day.

         Christ the Lord is risen on high!

Sing ye heav'ns, and earth reply

He endured the cross, the grave,

Sinners to redeem and save.

                                                         Unknown

Him who Endured such Hostility

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Hebrews 12:3

          I don’t like hassles, arguments or confrontations, so I avoid them whenever possible. I even avoid potential problems, so I’ll send my wife in to get directions at the gas station or hand her the phone when it’s a telemarketer. Angry encounters are worse, because when I’m yelled at, I usually yell back, so I lose the argument before it’s begun.

         

Now, compare that with the Lord Jesus. He left the grandeur of heaven where He was worshiped, to come to a world filled with injustice, violence, and greed. He was “despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). The Lord refused to speak in court when he was falsely accused, so His adversaries continued to curse, insult, and malign Him who endured such Hostility.

         

This name of Christ reveals the great depth of character of the Savior. He didn’t put up with the verbal abuse of sin because he had to; Jesus did it because He wanted to.  That’s a big difference. Homeless people walk places not because they want to, but because they have no choice. The Son of God wasn’t a victim of the evil in this world, but he chose to conquer wickedness by taking it on Himself.

         

The writer to the Hebrews explains why Christ put up with such antagonism from His own creation. He did it for believers, for us. We all know how weary and discouraged we get when we become the focus of loathing and disrespect. Jesus conquered all that by rising above it. We can also overcome the insults, if we can just take the time to reflect on Him who endured such hostility from sinners.

Head of the Body

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:18

Heads are basic equipment on animal bodies. Fleas, microscopic dust mites, and even earth worms all have heads, although they may be hard to see. The head is the controlling force in all of God’s creatures great and small. The head is connected to the various systems by way of nerves, so it can regulate the heart, lungs, and muscles. Millions of bits of information are sent back and forth from the head every second to different parts of the body.

The Lord Jesus is Head of the body, the church. That certainly means that He is in charge and over the church, but the title is used to show that the church is more like an organism (a living thing) than an organization.

The human perspective views the church more in terms of the structure and hierarchy of an institution. This concept was vividly illustrated for me in a mural painted on the back wall of the Catholic cathedral in the town of Banos in Ecuador, South America.

          At the bottom of the fresco a poor peasant farmer is seen holding a rosary and kneeling before a priest. Behind him are much bigger beads of a huge rosary that forms a circle around the enormous painting. The background rosary connects the viewer’s eyes from the priest to a bishop and from a bishop to a cardinal and then the pope. As the rosary beads continue around they connect to the saints and then to the Virgin Mary and then finally to Jesus. Viewing this made me so sad, because the lesson that was being taught was that there is a lot of bureaucracy needed to get to the Lord. But the worst part was that, in portraying Christ at the end of the line, He looked more like the tail than the head.

Our Savior is the Head of the Body so is connected directly to each part. In my human body, if my little finger is cut, a message is sent directly to the brain. It doesn’t go to the hand, then the wrist, then the arm, then to the shoulder. The head is aware of what’s happening all over the body and coordinates the parts to work together.

The Man who is My Companion

"Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion," says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.”

Zechariah 13:7

          The night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He quoted the verse above on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:31). The urgent message that He needed to tell them was that within hours, their Shepherd would be taken and all of them would be scattered. Obviously, this was the fulfillment of a Messianic prophesy, but hidden in this Old Testament verse is another title of Christ: “the Man who is My Companion.”

         

In context, the Shepherd was also a companion of the Lord of Hosts. Other descriptive titles of Christ are much better known such as Son of God, Servant of God, and Glory of God. These names emphasize the Lord’s deity and are a stark contrast to simply being a companion. There is more to this designation than initially meets the eye. The emphasis here is the humanity of Christ. The Savior’s equality with God (Philippians 2:6) is unquestionable. He is the God/Man who came to restore fellowship with His estranged creation. He reached out to multitudes, but He established a true bond of friendship with twelve special men. Jesus was more than just a rabbi, teacher, and shepherd to his disciples, He was a companion.

          Christ not only taught the apostles things about God, He demonstrated a relationship with God that was hard to even imagine. Clearly, Jesus was the companion of the Almighty and both the Father and the Son delighted in the relationship. The Lord would be alone for hours communing with God and the disciples also experienced the reality of this relationship.

          When Christ died on the cross, He reconciled the world to Himself. He restored the broken communications and communion with God, He allowed former enemies to become friends.

          The bottom line is this; the Lord Jesus Christ is not only my God and Savior, He is the Man who is my companion.