H. Cosman baptizes Grace Allen on December 25, 1898
Christmas is a time when many people who consider themselves Christians sing carols, exchange blessings with others and maybe even make a rare effort to attend a worship service. They seem to think that it’s an easy thing to follow Jesus. They couldn’t be more wrong!
Jesus certainly never said anything to make us think that following him would be easy. In Luke 9:23-24 we read—“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”
A friend of mine says that she is dreaming of a white Christmas. However, if they run out of white she will drink the red!
Sadly, a lot of people turn to alcohol or other drugs during the holidays. Too often we hear of one type of tragedy or another that is connected to someone’s drunkenness. Make a wise decision this Christmas and stay sober!
“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”—Proverbs 23:31-32.
A cartoon showed two angels looking down at the earth from their position in heaven. One of them says, “I wonder why God pays so much attention to that particular planet?” The other angel answers, “I think it’s because he visited there once.”
John’s gospel begins with the account of God’s visit to earth. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:1).
The phrase “in the beginning” reminds us of how the Bible begins, with God creating the heavens and the earth. John connects the arrival of Jesus to God’s continuing creative work. Through Jesus God will bring spiritually dead people to life. Through Jesus God will create a family of believers. Through Jesus God will create a church where these believers can live in fellowship with each other and with God.
The “Word” obviously refers to Jesus. Jesus never had a beginning. He was always with God, and he indeed was God. Many cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, try to deny the deity of Christ. Scripture, however, will not allow us to take that position. Jesus insisted that he and the Father were one. He said that if you have seen the Father, you have seen him. Verse 2 of this text says that Jesus made everything. If you made everything, that makes you God!
Verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his swelling among us…” Jesus was to be called “Immanuel”, which means “God with us”. God chose to come to this earth so that he could identify with us. While he walked this earth, he got hot and cold, hungry and thirsty, tired and weary. He was tempted just as we are, but he never sinned. He willingly laid down his sinless life to pay the price for our sinful ones. Then he rose from the dead, proving that all his claims to divinity were true. And everyone who believes in the crucified and resurrected Jesus will not have to perish, but will have eternal life.
This passage from John 1 points out that we have a choice to make concerning Jesus. It says in vv.11-12, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Our choice is to either receive Jesus or not receive him. When Jesus first arrived on earth, some received him and some didn’t. The Jewish religious leaders, who should have been the first to receive Jesus, did not. King Herod certainly did not receive Jesus! But the shepherds who heard the good news did receive him. So did the wise men who travelled from far away to worship the newborn king.
The choice remains for us today to either receive Jesus or reject him. There is no third option. Those who receive him are allowed to become children of God. They enjoy the blessings of living in God’s family, not only in this life, but forever! Those who don’t receive him spend their entire lives, including eternity, outside of God’s family, and they suffer the awful consequences of their decision.
The most important decision you will ever make is to receive Jesus, God in the flesh, as your Lord and Savior. Believe in him! Confess that he is Lord! Turn from your sins! Be united with him in baptism! And continue to live for Jesus for the rest of your life! You will never regret your decision to receive Jesus!
As I write this, almost everyone I know is doing something to get ready for Christmas. They are buying gifts, shopping for food, planning family gatherings, and preparing for church and community events. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting ready for Christmas, but let’s also remember to get ready for Jesus.
The gospels point out that John the Baptist was sent to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus. John was the one that Isaiah predicted would come and prepare the way for the Lord so that all the people could see God’s salvation (Isaiah 40:3-5).
Chapter five of Luke’s gospel tells us how John prepared the way for Jesus. He began by preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v.3). Those who wanted to get right with God must repent, which is always a prerequisite for baptism. And please take note of the fact that John’s baptism had to do with the forgiveness of sins. How could we say anything less about the baptism that Jesus would later preach!?
Not everyone who came to John to be baptized had the right motive. He called them a “brood of vipers”! It takes a lot of courage to begin your sermon by calling your audience a bunch of snakes! But he got their attention and pointed out to them that they needed to show by their actions that they truly had repented. It seems that they thought that they were in good standing with God because they were Abraham’s descendants (vv.7-9). Our spiritual heritage can be a good thing, but we must stand before God on the basis of our own faith. John’s teaching about repentance would serve to prepare people for Jesus, who also had quite a lot to say about that subject.
The crowd seemed to accept John’s message and asked specific questions about how they might show true repentance. He answered that they should share with those in need, avoid being greedy and be content with what they had (vv.10-14). Since Christmas has been so greatly commercialized, this time of year really puts our level of contentment to the test, doesn’t it?! Jesus would teach a lot about our attitude toward material possessions, so John’s teaching on these matters would help people get ready for Jesus.
People were quite impressed with John, and started wondering if he might be the Messiah that the Jewish people were expecting. He assured them that he was not. The power of Jesus’ message and ministry would be far beyond anything they had seen or heard from John! V.18 says, “And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.”
John did what he could to get people ready for Jesus. His message is still relevant today. We need to examine our lives see what we might need to do to prepare the way for Jesus to truly be the Lord of our lives. And we must try to prepare the way for others to get ready for Jesus also. Let’s get ready for Christmas, but let’s especially get ready for Jesus!
I walked out of a hospital recently and noticed that a helicopter was coming in for a rooftop landing, so I stopped to watch. I noticed that the pilot was being extremely cautious in his approach, and I remembered that there were strong winds blowing through the area that day. The pilot took note of the weather conditions and slowed down to ensure a safe landing.
Jesus was in a boat with his disciples when a storm came up. The disciples woke the sleeping Jesus and expressed concern for their lives. Luke 8:24-25 says, “…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples…”
When the storms of life blow fiercely through our lives, it is easy to become fearful. In those times, we need to just slow down and put our faith in Jesus.
Arnold Billie was a rural mail carrier in southern New Jersey. For more than a quarter century his daily route took him sixty-three miles through two counties and five municipalities. Mr. Billie not only delivered the mail, he also brought personal service. Anything you could get at the post office you could get from Mr. Billie—stamps, money orders, and pickup service. All the customer had to do was to leave the flag up on the mailbox. One elderly woman had trouble starting her lawn mower, so when she wanted to use it, she left it by her mailbox and Mr. Billie would start it up when he arrived. Now that’s what I call service!
We Christians are called to serve our fellow humans in many and various ways. In doing so, we follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Two men were once shoveling snow and ice off a concrete ramp at the entrance to a church building. One man almost fell on the slippery surface, prompting the other one to say, “Sinners stand on slippery ground, don’t they?” To which the first man replied, “Yes, and I don’t know how in the world they do it!”
It is indeed difficult to stand firm for the Lord in this sinful world in which we live, but it can be done. Rom. 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…”
We can stand before God because we have been justified. What does the word “justified” mean? It has been said that it means “just as if I’d never sinned”. God looks at Christians as if they had never sinned. How can he do that? Because of our faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus! Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and the sins of the whole world. His resurrection proved that he was exactly who he said he was—the Savior of the world who has power over death itself! Rom. 4:25 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
The fact that we have been justified through our faith in Jesus brings a tremendous change in our lives. For one thing, we Christians have a hope that others don’t have (Rom. 5:2). The word “hope” in the English language contains a degree of uncertainty. For example, when you were younger you might have hoped to receive a pony for a Christmas present, but you didn’t really think you would get it!
However, in the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, the word “hope” carries with it a certainty that what is hoped for will indeed be attained! We who place our hope in Jesus have an assurance that God’s promises to us will most certainly be fulfilled.
Furthermore, the hope that we have because we have been justified gives us the ability to glory, even in our sufferings (Rom.5:3). We know that God will see us through any and every difficult situation that life brings our way, and we understand that our passing through these trials will help us to become even stronger in our faith. A woman who had recently lost her husband was encouraged by her friends to attend a church dinner. She was reluctant to come, thinking that her sadness would put a damper on the occasion. But she came, and before long she was joining in the conversation and even joked with her friends, exclaiming at one point, “Two weeks ago I thought I would never laugh again!”
Finally, those who have been justified and are standing in grace are in a position to be filled with the love of God (Rom.5:5). The love that God pours into our hearts allows us to love him back in a way that non-believers could never do. That love also enables us to love other people with a supernatural, God-given love. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if more people stood in the grace of God, showing the hope and joy and love that we all need to see?
Let’s stand firm in the grace that God has given us through his Son Jesus!
Yesterday was “Giving Tuesday”, a day when people were encouraged to give to charitable organizations. If you let the day slip by you without making a donation to a worthy cause, take heart! Any day is a good day to be generous. There are a great number of groups that could use your support to do the good work of: taking care of the hungry, providing clothing for those in need, buying toys for underprivileged children, supplying medical care for people who need it, and a host of other endeavors, not the least of which is spreading the good news about the salvation that is available through the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ!
So, before you spend all your disposable income on yourself and your family, look to see how you could help out someone who is in need. It’s always a good time to give!
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”—Acts 20:35.
Chapters six and seven of 2 Kings record an interesting event in the history of Israel. The king of Aram had mobilized his army and advanced into Israelite territory. He laid siege to the city of Samaria, trying to outlast the Israelites with the hope that they would run out of food and be forced to surrender. The strategy was working. There was such a great famine in the city that even a donkey’s head would bring a big price, if you could find one. Other food was either unavailable or priced at ridiculously high levels. Some even resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.
When the king of Israel heard about the cannibalism, he was shocked into a state of anger and grief, and he blamed the prophet Elisha for the city’s misfortune. All too often, when things go wrong, some people blame God or God’s messenger. In his anger, the king sent an executioner to cut off Elisha’s head. Then the king apparently had second thoughts and set out for Elisha himself, hoping he was not too late to spare the prophet’s life.
When the king arrived at Elisha’s house, the prophet was safe, and he had a welcome prophecy from the Lord. The famine would end the very next day, and food would be available for reasonable prices. The king, yearning for any small glimmer of hope, apparently believed the prophecy. His right-hand man, however, ridiculed the idea, thinking it was impossible. Elisha told him that he would see it happen with his own eyes, but he would not eat any of the food.
Then the story shifts to four men with leprosy who were outside the city gate. Lepers were excluded from society because of their disease. They had to count on other people to bring them food they needed to survive. But because of the famine, no one had any food to share with these four men.
The leprous men realized that they had no other options, so they decided to throw themselves on the mercy of the Aramean army. If they did nothing, they would die. What did they have to lose?
When the four men entered the Aramean camp, they found it abandoned. God had intervened on behalf of his helpless people. He had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of horses and chariots and a great army, so they fled for their lives, leaving all of their supplies behind. So the four men entered one of the tents and began to eat and drink. Then they took silver, gold and clothes and went off and hid the loot for themselves. Then they had a moment of self-examination. 2 Kings 7:9 says, “Then they said to each other, ‘What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.’”
So they went and told the gatekeepers the good news, and it was reported in the palace. The king was awakened and told of the report. He was skeptical, however, thinking that it could be a trap. His advisors suggested that they send out a scouting party. So that’s what they did, and the scouts came back with the report that everything was just the way the lepers had said. The Arameans had abandoned their camp, and food and drink was readily available.
The people went out to get the food that they so desperately needed, and in the rush, they trampled to death the king’s right-hand man. The prophecy came true! God provided salvation for his people, but the man who doubted this could happen saw it with his own eyes, but was denied the opportunity to participate in the blessed event.
So what important truths do we need to understand from this story?
First of all, we all need salvation. The Bible says that all sin and fall short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death.
Secondly, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We must trust in the hand of God to do that for us, and in his grace and mercy he has provided salvation for us through his Son, the crucified and risen Jesus. Those who refuse to believe will not receive the blessing of salvation.
Finally, we need to realize that this news is too good to keep to ourselves! Like the leprous men in the Scripture, we need to share the good news about salvation through Jesus with people who are currently dying in their sins. If we are truly thankful for our salvation, we will be willing and eager to share the good news with others.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it is important that we cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Some feel that people in general are not as thankful as they should be. One grandmother lamented the fact that her grandchildren used to send her thank you notes in appreciation of the gifts she gave them, but now they only send her a thumbs up emoji!
Many people would agree that we could do a better job of showing our thanks to God for all of the many blessings that he showers upon us every day. One way we could do that is by cultivating a generous lifestyle. By sharing our material resources with those who are less fortunate, we give thanks to God for the blessings he so graciously gives us.
In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul urges the church at Corinth to be generous. He encourages them to give generously to a fundraising effort for the purpose of sending relief to poverty-stricken Christians in Jerusalem. 2 Cor.9:6-15 contains some teaching that will help us keep the “giving” in Thanksgiving.
This Scripture reminds us of the principle of the harvest. In order to reap a crop, you have to sow enough seed. A stingy farmer who foolishly skimps on seed cannot expect to reap an abundant harvest. In the same way, in order to reap an abundant harvest of righteousness, we have to be willing to share our finances with believers who are in need.
This passage goes on to tell us that it is our choice whether to be generous or not. I am reminded of a story about a church that desperately needed to repair their church building. They called a special all-members meeting to discuss the situation. During the course of the meeting, a well-to-do member of the church stood up and declared, “I pledge to give $100 toward the repairs to our church building.” As soon as the man sat down, a huge piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and crashed down on his head! The man promptly stood up again and said, “I am changing my offering from $100 to $500!” In response to that, a voice from the back cried out, “Hit him again, Lord! Hit him again!”
The Lord shouldn’t have to hit us over the head in order to make us give to his kingdom. We should be self-motivated by a desire in our heart to give. Our giving should not be done reluctantly or out of compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver. It is up to us to develop a generous heart that has the desire to give.
Reading further, we are reminded that God is able to bless us so that we can give in abundance and still have our needs taken care of. He will supply the seed that we need to sow enough to have a large harvest of righteousness. V.11 says, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” Our generous giving not only shows our thankfulness, it inspires the recipients of our giving to be thankful to God for taking care of their needs. V. 12 continues on this theme—“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” We should think of our giving as a way of priming the pump to cause thanksgiving to God to overflow in the hearts of his people.
The next verse says that this fundraising project was a way of proving themselves, and that it had to do with their obedience to God that goes along with our response to the gospel message. We have to ask ourselves if our willingness to be generous passes the test. Does our obedience to God show up in our giving?
The chapter concludes with one of the greatest verses in the Bible on the subject of giving, v.15—“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” The sacrifice of his only son Jesus on the cross to provide forgiveness for all mankind shows us that God is the ultimate Giver! His children should reflect the Father’s loving mercy that is seen in his willingness to give such a great sacrifice. Let’s do all we can to keep the “giving” in Thanksgiving!
