Wednesday
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” - Matthew 1:22-23
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
The name "Immanuel" appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated "with us is God" or, as Matthew's Gospel puts it, "God with us." When our sins made it impossible for us to come to him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin's disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God's love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel — he is still "God with us."
The name "Immanuel" first appears in Isaiah 7:14 as part of a prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz of Judah (the southern kingdom) at a time when Syria and Israel (the northern kingdom) had formed a coalition against Assyria. The prophet Isaiah counseled Ahaz not to join in their uprising against Assyria, the region's greatest power, assuring him it would not succeed. He urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord rather than to appeal to Assyria for help against Syria and Israel, who were threatening to invade Judah for not joining their uprising. Then he invited Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign to confirm the prophetic word, but the unfaithful king refused, having already decided to place his trust not in the Lord but in Assyria.
In response to Ahaz's refusal to trust God, Isaiah proclaimed: "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Shortly after that Syria and Israel were soundly defeated, exactly as Isaiah had prophesied. Many years later the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by Babylon, its people taken captive.
Matthew's Gospel recalls Isaiah's prophecy, applying it to the child who would be born of Mary, the virgin betrothed to Joseph. The sign given hundreds of years earlier to an apostate king was meant for all God's people.
In fact the Bible is nothing if not the story of God's persistent desire to dwell with his people. In Jesus, God would succeed in a unique way, becoming a man in order to save the world not from the outside, but from the inside. Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, redeem, and restore our relationship with him.
"The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth - the very thing the whole story has been about." - C.S. Lewis
Jeff Frazier
Tuesday, Dec. 23
Tuesday
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait for the LORD" - Psalm 27:14
What's the longest you've had to wait for something? I imagine almost everyone has a memory of Christmas Eve as a child; squeezing your eyes shut, trying with all your might to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. For those of you with orthodox parents, you knew that even opening one present before Christmas morning was akin to high heresy. And so you counted sheep and waited.
Waiting is still difficult. We expect everything to be at our fingertips the moment we have the desire for it. It's a world we're growing into and it's addicting. We live in a world of downloads, high-speed email, on demand, and Hot Pockets. Yet God finds ways of making us wait. Waiting and faith go hand-in-hand.
Waiting is the embodiment of faith. In Hebrews 11:13 we are reminded that faith involves trust in God's promise even if the promises of God are fulfilled long after we're gone. The writer says, "These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance ..."
Advent is about faith and waiting. What are you waiting on God for this year? Remember the years of silence as God's people waited for the Messiah. Take time today, right now, to reflect on the fact that God's timing is quite different from ours. The story of Jesus birth gives us assurance and joy because even though the waiting lingered for decades, God broke through at just the right time.
Are you struggling with a lack of faith? That's OK. It doesn't take much faith to get God's attention. Jesus encouraged his frustrated followers this way: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).
Most of us try to grow a forest in one day. Jesus, however, invites you to begin with a tiny seed. Watch it grow and wait for it to become all that you dreamed it would be.
Are you willing to plant faith and wait upon God? Nothing seems to be appearing on the horizon today, but just wait! God always keeps his promises, even to those who have little faith. Just wait.
Lord, I remember the years of waiting for a Messiah. I'm often impatient with my life. Please teach me to enjoy You and not just the blessings I see in Your hands. Fill my days with laughter and joy through hardship and uncertainty. Remind me that when I think I'm waiting for an eternity, it really isn't. Life on this earth is infinitesimally smaller than a second in the light of true eternity. - Amen
Waiting is still difficult. We expect everything to be at our fingertips the moment we have the desire for it. It's a world we're growing into and it's addicting. We live in a world of downloads, high-speed email, on demand, and Hot Pockets. Yet God finds ways of making us wait. Waiting and faith go hand-in-hand.
- We wait for the baby we've dreamed we'd hold in our arms.
- Some wait for a prodigal to come to the end of himself and return home.
- Many of us are waiting for the phone to ring so we can return to a job with a normal salary and benefits.
- Others are waiting for a spiritual breakthrough that will open our eyes.
- An entire nation waited centuries before their eternal king appeared.
- Mary wasn't given a full-grown son.
- The Wise Men from the east didn't see the Messiah to appear at their front door.
Jeff Frazier
Monday, Dec. 22
Monday
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - Luke 2:8-14
The message of the angels to the shepherds was one of good news that would bring "great joy"...but what exactly is joy?
Joy is trusting when you want to doubt.
Joy is receiving what you want to reject.
Can you imagine how the master of the house would have felt if he said to Mary and Joseph, "Of course you can't stay in that stable! Who do you take me for?" We find joy in making room for people in need. Reflect on the mysterious words found in Hebrews: "Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).
Joy is celebrating when you want to fear.
What's the first thing angels say to mortals? It's standard protocol. In just about every divine encounter the angels say: "Fear not." I can hear Jesus instruct His most trusted angels. "OK, let's go over this again ... Most of the people that I'll tell you to speak to will be scared out of their wits! So let's practice the greeting one more time." Then the angels would all say in unison, "Fear not."
The message is clear. God is not looking for ways to scare us into faith. He drew near to us to relieve the worries we have about crossing over the divide between heaven and earth. He wants us to know that He's going to take care of us no matter what happens. One of the names that He was called long before he ever stepped on this world's stage was Immanuel meaning "God with us." No matter what we go through we can whisper this simple truth: "Jesus is with me." Think about it. He is with you in your greatest victories and your most humiliating defeats. Jesus is with you at all times in all things.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is discord, union.Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
— Prayer for Peace of St. Francis of Assisi
Happiness is an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it rises to the surface. Joy, however, is a choice. We have a choice. God gives us a joy that is unconquerable. We can choose to live in an attitude of resentment, anger, and fear or we can choose to pursue the joy of Christ.
Can you imagine how the master of the house would have felt if he said to Mary and Joseph, "Of course you can't stay in that stable! Who do you take me for?" We find joy in making room for people in need. Reflect on the mysterious words found in Hebrews: "Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).
What's the first thing angels say to mortals? It's standard protocol. In just about every divine encounter the angels say: "Fear not." I can hear Jesus instruct His most trusted angels. "OK, let's go over this again ... Most of the people that I'll tell you to speak to will be scared out of their wits! So let's practice the greeting one more time." Then the angels would all say in unison, "Fear not."
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is discord, union.Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
— Prayer for Peace of St. Francis of Assisi
Jeff Frazier
Friday, Dec. 19th
To listen to the audio version, click here.
Friday, December 19
John 1: 12-13
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
This text, along with a number of others in the Bible, points to two kinds of birth. There is physical birth; the biological process by which a human infant is thrust from the mother’s womb and out into the cold world. This process is usually preceded by intense labor pains, considerable mess, and followed by great tears of joy. Physical birth is something that all human beings have in common.
The second kind of birth is spiritual. It does not involve a mother’s womb although it often does involve a kind of labor, at least some mess, as well as tears of joy. Spiritual birth is not the result of the physical love of a man and a woman, rather it is the result of the redemptive work of God who brings new life to a once deadened heart.
Earlier in the week I mentioned a speech President Obama gave during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and I want to mention it again today. He said:
“It’s the story of hope--the birth of a singular child into the simplest of circumstances--a child who would grow up to live a life of humility, and kindness, and compassion...who taught us to care for the poor, and the marginalized, and those who are different from ourselves,” “And more than two millennia later, the way he lived still compels us to do our best to build a more just and tolerant and decent world.
All that sounds good, and certainly we are to live lives of “humility, kindness and compassion,” but that’s not the primary reason Jesus came; at least not according to the Bible.
In Ephesians 2 Paul writes:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5)
Paul reminds us here that the point of Christianity; the point of the Word becoming flesh; the point of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again from the dead; was not to make us better people, but rather to turn spiritually dead people into spiritually alive people.
Jesus said it this way:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)
The heart of the Christian faith is not about goodness or tolerance or compassion or service; the heart of the Christian faith is death and resurrection.
Right now some of you are thinking, “Hey, Pastor Brian, you’re talking about the wrong holiday!
We’re supposed to talk about death and resurrection at Easter; this is Christmastime! Let’s talk about the baby in the manger!”
Well, I am talking about the baby in the manger! One of great problems of our cultural celebration of Christmas is that we have cut the gospel out of the story.
The whole story begins with an angel coming to Joseph to tell him about the child already growing in his fiancé's womb:
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21)
There is it.
There’s the reason for the whole story.
“He will save his people from their sins.”
The child in the manger is the man on the cross.
The man on the cross died that you and I might live.
The last verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says it well:
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sins and enter in,
Be born in us today.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Friday, December 19
John 1: 12-13
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
This text, along with a number of others in the Bible, points to two kinds of birth. There is physical birth; the biological process by which a human infant is thrust from the mother’s womb and out into the cold world. This process is usually preceded by intense labor pains, considerable mess, and followed by great tears of joy. Physical birth is something that all human beings have in common.
The second kind of birth is spiritual. It does not involve a mother’s womb although it often does involve a kind of labor, at least some mess, as well as tears of joy. Spiritual birth is not the result of the physical love of a man and a woman, rather it is the result of the redemptive work of God who brings new life to a once deadened heart.
Earlier in the week I mentioned a speech President Obama gave during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree and I want to mention it again today. He said:
“It’s the story of hope--the birth of a singular child into the simplest of circumstances--a child who would grow up to live a life of humility, and kindness, and compassion...who taught us to care for the poor, and the marginalized, and those who are different from ourselves,” “And more than two millennia later, the way he lived still compels us to do our best to build a more just and tolerant and decent world.
All that sounds good, and certainly we are to live lives of “humility, kindness and compassion,” but that’s not the primary reason Jesus came; at least not according to the Bible.
In Ephesians 2 Paul writes:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5)
Paul reminds us here that the point of Christianity; the point of the Word becoming flesh; the point of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again from the dead; was not to make us better people, but rather to turn spiritually dead people into spiritually alive people.
Jesus said it this way:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)
The heart of the Christian faith is not about goodness or tolerance or compassion or service; the heart of the Christian faith is death and resurrection.
Right now some of you are thinking, “Hey, Pastor Brian, you’re talking about the wrong holiday!
We’re supposed to talk about death and resurrection at Easter; this is Christmastime! Let’s talk about the baby in the manger!”
Well, I am talking about the baby in the manger! One of great problems of our cultural celebration of Christmas is that we have cut the gospel out of the story.
The whole story begins with an angel coming to Joseph to tell him about the child already growing in his fiancé's womb:
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21)
There is it.
There’s the reason for the whole story.
“He will save his people from their sins.”
The child in the manger is the man on the cross.
The man on the cross died that you and I might live.
The last verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says it well:
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sins and enter in,
Be born in us today.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Thursday, Dec. 18th
To listen to the audio version, click here.
Thursday, December 18
Romans 8:14-16
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
There are two ways to join a family.
You can be born into that family; that is, you can have a biological relationship to your family; or, you can be adopted into a family with whom you have no biological connection.
One of the things we often miss in the story of Jesus’ birth is that the whole thing is about adoption!
Think about it:
The Bible says that Mary was with child “by the Holy Spirit,” which means, among other things, that Joseph was an adoptive father. Jesus was not his biological son.
That also means Jesus grew up in a blended family. Scripture indicates that Mary and Joseph went on to have other biological children after they were married, and those children would have been technically Jesus’ step- brothers and sisters.
But beyond all of that, the Bible tells us that Jesus came so that we could be adopted into God’s family.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses adoption to explain salvation.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
To understand the power of Paul’s thought here we must understand something of the nature of adoption in the ancient Roman world.
First of all, there was a fundamental distinction in that society between those considered Roman citizens and those considered slaves. Slaves were men and women from the lower class who were regarded as the property of the families they served, and had little or no protection under the law.
However, it was quite common for affluent but childless Roman families to adopt a slave, most often a post-pubescent male, to carry on the family name. The process of adoption included the cancellation of any and all debts of the slave being adopted, as well as a complete change of identity. The slave now become son would also receive a full share of the family inheritance. Once adopted the bond established could not be broken.
Paul is saying that through faith we are all adopted children of God! Through faith in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin and the fear of condemnation, but are now sons and daughters of a new Father. Furthermore, our new position is confirmed by the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we belong to God.
Not only do we belong to God, we have also been promised an inheritance. Paul goes on to say:
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17)
I was not raised in an adoptive family; and I have never adopted a child. But I have known many adoptive parents over the years and have come to see the beauty of adoption as a picture of the gospel.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to adopt a child, yet chooses to do so.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to sacrifice in order to provide for a child yet chooses to do so.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to open his or her heart to love and care for a child yet chooses to do so.
In the same way God was not obliged to reach down to us; to love and care for us; or to sacrifice himself on our behalf, yet he chose to do so in Jesus.
Now the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Thursday, December 18
Romans 8:14-16
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
There are two ways to join a family.
You can be born into that family; that is, you can have a biological relationship to your family; or, you can be adopted into a family with whom you have no biological connection.
One of the things we often miss in the story of Jesus’ birth is that the whole thing is about adoption!
Think about it:
The Bible says that Mary was with child “by the Holy Spirit,” which means, among other things, that Joseph was an adoptive father. Jesus was not his biological son.
That also means Jesus grew up in a blended family. Scripture indicates that Mary and Joseph went on to have other biological children after they were married, and those children would have been technically Jesus’ step- brothers and sisters.
But beyond all of that, the Bible tells us that Jesus came so that we could be adopted into God’s family.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses adoption to explain salvation.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
To understand the power of Paul’s thought here we must understand something of the nature of adoption in the ancient Roman world.
First of all, there was a fundamental distinction in that society between those considered Roman citizens and those considered slaves. Slaves were men and women from the lower class who were regarded as the property of the families they served, and had little or no protection under the law.
However, it was quite common for affluent but childless Roman families to adopt a slave, most often a post-pubescent male, to carry on the family name. The process of adoption included the cancellation of any and all debts of the slave being adopted, as well as a complete change of identity. The slave now become son would also receive a full share of the family inheritance. Once adopted the bond established could not be broken.
Paul is saying that through faith we are all adopted children of God! Through faith in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin and the fear of condemnation, but are now sons and daughters of a new Father. Furthermore, our new position is confirmed by the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we belong to God.
Not only do we belong to God, we have also been promised an inheritance. Paul goes on to say:
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17)
I was not raised in an adoptive family; and I have never adopted a child. But I have known many adoptive parents over the years and have come to see the beauty of adoption as a picture of the gospel.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to adopt a child, yet chooses to do so.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to sacrifice in order to provide for a child yet chooses to do so.
An adoptive parent is not obliged to open his or her heart to love and care for a child yet chooses to do so.
In the same way God was not obliged to reach down to us; to love and care for us; or to sacrifice himself on our behalf, yet he chose to do so in Jesus.
Now the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Wednesday, Dec. 17th
To listen to the audio version, click here.
Wednesday, December 17
Ephesians 1:4-14 (selected)
In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace...
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
I love to hear people’s stories of how they came to faith in Jesus.
We call them faith-stories or “Gospel stories.” I’ve heard all kinds of stories; some are sudden and emotional; some are more gradual and cerebral; and some are wildly unpredictable.
In the text from Ephesians, Paul says:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit...
A faith-story, or gospel story, is what happens between hearing the word of truth and believing in Jesus.
One of my favorite stories of coming to faith is the story C.S. Lewis tells in his book “Surprised by Joy.”
Lewis had experienced a great deal of sadness and loss in his early life and, like many, had decided that there could not be a God if there was so much pain and suffering in the world.
But through several key friendships and after wrestling with his own inner turmoil over a number of months, he describes his coming to faith this way:
You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.
I love his honest and eloquent description!
“I gave in...and admitted God was God...”
There’s the decision. That’s what John means when he writes:
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Several key things to notice here:
Notice that John is saying that we are not born as “children of God.” Now, we are all children of God in the sense that we are created by God; but that’s not what John is talking about.
He’s talking about salvation here.
With regard to salvation, we are not born children of God.
We are born alienated from God. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
So what hope do we have?
Do we just try to do as much good as we can to outweigh our sins? I think this is the “go-to” spiritual strategy of most people in our culture. I think most people think that, if there is a God, what he wants most is for us just to be good people; you know, be a good neighbor, care about the less fortunate, don’t kill anyone, and hope for the best.
Now, those aren’t bad things, and surely God wants us to do good things, but it’s just not the point of Christianity.
So, if we can’t pile up enough good deeds to earn our place with God, then what are we to do? Are we all doomed like Grandpa Joe to just take what’s comin’ to us?
John says there are 2 conditions to becoming a child of God: receiving and believing.
What does it mean to “receive and believe” Jesus?
These terms are often used interchangeably in the New Testament, but if there is a subtle difference it would be the following.
“Receiving” comes from a word that means to take, to lay hold of, to accept with initiative. It’s not passive but active.
For example: Someone offers you a Christmas gift, but it’s not yours until you reach out and take it. That’s what John means by “receiving.”
“Believing” is a word that means to trust fully in something or someone.
For example: You’re on your way over the hills and through the woods to grandma’s house for Christmas. But your car runs out of gas and you’re stuck on the side of a country road. You have no choice but to try to hitchhike to a gas station. A farmer pulls over in his pick up truck and offers you a ride. You have to decided whether or not you trust him. To believe is to get in his truck and trust him to get you to the gas station.
So what are we being asked to receive and believe about Jesus?
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...
It means to believe that Jesus is who John says he is; the eternal Word of God; that Jesus is God himself come in the flesh.
It means to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins because forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood.
It means to believe that Jesus rose from the dead to both prove his authority as the Son of God and to guarantee our own victory over death.
To receive and believe is more than intellectual assent to a set of theological statements. It is committing oneself to all that Jesus is and means. It means complete unconditional surrender. It means not just believing the farmer and his pick-up truck exist, but to get in the truck and trust the farmer to get you to the gas station!
I think there are two primary ways of receiving and believing. I call them “point in time” and “process.”
“Point in time” people hear the gospel, accept it, and begin their spiritual journey with a decision.
“Process people” often hear the gospel, question it, wrestle with it, sometimes for years, and then culminate their process a decision.
Very often “point in time” people can point to a specific moment when they received Christ, or came to believe.
Maybe they attended a Billy Graham crusade; or walked to the front of a sanctuary to pray with a pastor; or stood on the beach gazing out at the Pacific Ocean and were overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s grace.
But there is a clear moment of decision; often very dramatic or emotional.
For “process people” receiving and believing is much more arduous. It can be a long journey of learning, thinking, considering and questioning. I have heard people say that it took them 20 years to come to faith in Jesus, but that they couldn’t point to any specific moment.
I think C.S. Lewis’ story was a process story. He wasn’t convinced quickly but only after a long process of wrestling with himself, with truth, and with God.
Then, as a result of the process, he surrendered!
So what’s your story?
Whether you are a “point in time” person or a “process” person, the most important thing is that you have “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,” and you have received Jesus and believe in him.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Wednesday, December 17
Ephesians 1:4-14 (selected)
In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace...
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
I love to hear people’s stories of how they came to faith in Jesus.
We call them faith-stories or “Gospel stories.” I’ve heard all kinds of stories; some are sudden and emotional; some are more gradual and cerebral; and some are wildly unpredictable.
In the text from Ephesians, Paul says:
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit...
A faith-story, or gospel story, is what happens between hearing the word of truth and believing in Jesus.
One of my favorite stories of coming to faith is the story C.S. Lewis tells in his book “Surprised by Joy.”
Lewis had experienced a great deal of sadness and loss in his early life and, like many, had decided that there could not be a God if there was so much pain and suffering in the world.
But through several key friendships and after wrestling with his own inner turmoil over a number of months, he describes his coming to faith this way:
You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.
I love his honest and eloquent description!
“I gave in...and admitted God was God...”
There’s the decision. That’s what John means when he writes:
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Several key things to notice here:
Notice that John is saying that we are not born as “children of God.” Now, we are all children of God in the sense that we are created by God; but that’s not what John is talking about.
He’s talking about salvation here.
With regard to salvation, we are not born children of God.
We are born alienated from God. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
So what hope do we have?
Do we just try to do as much good as we can to outweigh our sins? I think this is the “go-to” spiritual strategy of most people in our culture. I think most people think that, if there is a God, what he wants most is for us just to be good people; you know, be a good neighbor, care about the less fortunate, don’t kill anyone, and hope for the best.
Now, those aren’t bad things, and surely God wants us to do good things, but it’s just not the point of Christianity.
So, if we can’t pile up enough good deeds to earn our place with God, then what are we to do? Are we all doomed like Grandpa Joe to just take what’s comin’ to us?
John says there are 2 conditions to becoming a child of God: receiving and believing.
What does it mean to “receive and believe” Jesus?
These terms are often used interchangeably in the New Testament, but if there is a subtle difference it would be the following.
“Receiving” comes from a word that means to take, to lay hold of, to accept with initiative. It’s not passive but active.
For example: Someone offers you a Christmas gift, but it’s not yours until you reach out and take it. That’s what John means by “receiving.”
“Believing” is a word that means to trust fully in something or someone.
For example: You’re on your way over the hills and through the woods to grandma’s house for Christmas. But your car runs out of gas and you’re stuck on the side of a country road. You have no choice but to try to hitchhike to a gas station. A farmer pulls over in his pick up truck and offers you a ride. You have to decided whether or not you trust him. To believe is to get in his truck and trust him to get you to the gas station.
So what are we being asked to receive and believe about Jesus?
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...
It means to believe that Jesus is who John says he is; the eternal Word of God; that Jesus is God himself come in the flesh.
It means to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins because forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood.
It means to believe that Jesus rose from the dead to both prove his authority as the Son of God and to guarantee our own victory over death.
To receive and believe is more than intellectual assent to a set of theological statements. It is committing oneself to all that Jesus is and means. It means complete unconditional surrender. It means not just believing the farmer and his pick-up truck exist, but to get in the truck and trust the farmer to get you to the gas station!
I think there are two primary ways of receiving and believing. I call them “point in time” and “process.”
“Point in time” people hear the gospel, accept it, and begin their spiritual journey with a decision.
“Process people” often hear the gospel, question it, wrestle with it, sometimes for years, and then culminate their process a decision.
Very often “point in time” people can point to a specific moment when they received Christ, or came to believe.
Maybe they attended a Billy Graham crusade; or walked to the front of a sanctuary to pray with a pastor; or stood on the beach gazing out at the Pacific Ocean and were overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s grace.
But there is a clear moment of decision; often very dramatic or emotional.
For “process people” receiving and believing is much more arduous. It can be a long journey of learning, thinking, considering and questioning. I have heard people say that it took them 20 years to come to faith in Jesus, but that they couldn’t point to any specific moment.
I think C.S. Lewis’ story was a process story. He wasn’t convinced quickly but only after a long process of wrestling with himself, with truth, and with God.
Then, as a result of the process, he surrendered!
So what’s your story?
Whether you are a “point in time” person or a “process” person, the most important thing is that you have “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,” and you have received Jesus and believe in him.
Pastor Brian Coffey
Tuesday, Dec. 16th
To listen to the audio version, click here.
Tuesday, December 16
John 1:10-12
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
My Mom grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky and was the first person in her family to make a personal commitment to Christ. She was 19 years old and heard the gospel in a tiny church led by a missionary preacher who happened to be a woman. I think there were something like 9 people in church the night my Mom heard the gospel and decided to follow Jesus.
She immediately started to try to share the gospel with her family and, in particular, with her grandfather; a crusty mountain man the family affectionately called “Grandpa Joe.” From the stories my Mom tells, Grandpa Joe was a former coal miner and a bingeing alcoholic who would disappear for weeks at a time when he would start drinking. Then he would sober up and come home and then it would happen all over again.
Some time after my Mom came to faith in Jesus Grandpa Joe had to be hospitalized. He was dying of “Black Lung disease” from all his years in the coal mines; his condition probably complicated even further by cirrhosis of the liver.
My Mom loved her Grandpa and went to visit him in the hospital. She did her best to share the gospel with him and urged him to confess his sins and receive the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
But Grandpa Joe was a tough old bird, and he argued back with her, saying, “But daughter, I can’t think of anything I’ve done wrong!” He was just joking with her, of course, because he knew he was a scoundrel. Finally he looked at her from his deathbed and said with all seriousness, “I’d be a coward to ask for forgiveness now; I gotta take what’s comin’ to me.”
John writes:
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
John is telling us there are two kinds of people in the world; those who receive him and those who refuse him.
Who is “him?”
“Him” is Jesus, the one John has been talking about for the first 14 verses of his gospel! Jesus is the eternal Word of God; the true light that enlightens everyone; Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
John is saying that the central question every human being must answer; and the central question of all human history is, “Who is Jesus and what do I decide about him?”
Notice that John says that Jesus came into the world but that the world did not know him. Then John says Jesus came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
I think John is saying there are two primary ways that people fail to acknowledge Jesus.
First, there are those who fail to understand, to grasp, who Jesus is and what he has come to offer them. This past week President Obama gave a speech during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Among other things he said:
“It’s the story of hope--the birth of a singular child into the simplest of circumstances--a child who would grow up to live a life of humility, and kindness, and compassion...who taught us to care for the poor, and the marginalized, and those who are different from ourselves,” “And more than two millennia later, the way he lived still compels us to do our best to build a more just and tolerant and decent world.
All that sounds good, but that’s not the primary reason Jesus came, not according to the Bible.
I think John is saying that the world generally misunderstands who Jesus is.
Second, there are those to whom Jesus has come personally, who have heard the gospel clearly yet have chosen to reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and salvation. This would be Grandpa Joe, after hearing my mother explain the gospel to him, saying, “I gotta take what’s comin’ to me.” This is a direct rejection of Jesus.
But whether through chosen ignorance or direct rejection,
the Bible is very clear; God has revealed himself to all so all have to make a choice.
Scripture says that God has revealed himself most clearly through Jesus. In Hebrews 1 we read:
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... (Hebrews 1:1)
But scripture also teaches that God has revealed himself through the world that he made. In Romans 1 we read:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20)
Therefore the Bible teaches that every human being makes a choice, a fundamentally spiritual choice that can be framed in a number of different ways.
People can choose to believe that the universe was created by a transcendent and eternal God, or that it happened by accident.
People can choose to believe that there is a God or there is not a God. If there is no God then there are no further choices to make. Live however you want because all of life is simply survival of the fittest.
But if I decide there is a God who created all things, including me, then I must make a whole series of decisions. What is this God like? What does he expect of me? How do I know him? How do I live in relationship with this God?
We must make a decision about Jesus. John says to make that decision we must “receive and believe.”
Back to the story of Grandpa Joe. The truth is, of course, that Grandpa Joe was indeed a coward, but not for the reason he thought. He was a coward not because he was willing to pay the price for his many sins, but rather because he was unwilling to accept the invitation to confess, repent and receive Christ’s offer of grace and forgiveness.
Sadly, Grandpa Joe made his decision about Jesus.
Have you?
Pastor Brian Coffey
Tuesday, December 16
John 1:10-12
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
My Mom grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky and was the first person in her family to make a personal commitment to Christ. She was 19 years old and heard the gospel in a tiny church led by a missionary preacher who happened to be a woman. I think there were something like 9 people in church the night my Mom heard the gospel and decided to follow Jesus.
She immediately started to try to share the gospel with her family and, in particular, with her grandfather; a crusty mountain man the family affectionately called “Grandpa Joe.” From the stories my Mom tells, Grandpa Joe was a former coal miner and a bingeing alcoholic who would disappear for weeks at a time when he would start drinking. Then he would sober up and come home and then it would happen all over again.
Some time after my Mom came to faith in Jesus Grandpa Joe had to be hospitalized. He was dying of “Black Lung disease” from all his years in the coal mines; his condition probably complicated even further by cirrhosis of the liver.
My Mom loved her Grandpa and went to visit him in the hospital. She did her best to share the gospel with him and urged him to confess his sins and receive the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
But Grandpa Joe was a tough old bird, and he argued back with her, saying, “But daughter, I can’t think of anything I’ve done wrong!” He was just joking with her, of course, because he knew he was a scoundrel. Finally he looked at her from his deathbed and said with all seriousness, “I’d be a coward to ask for forgiveness now; I gotta take what’s comin’ to me.”
John writes:
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
John is telling us there are two kinds of people in the world; those who receive him and those who refuse him.
Who is “him?”
“Him” is Jesus, the one John has been talking about for the first 14 verses of his gospel! Jesus is the eternal Word of God; the true light that enlightens everyone; Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.
John is saying that the central question every human being must answer; and the central question of all human history is, “Who is Jesus and what do I decide about him?”
Notice that John says that Jesus came into the world but that the world did not know him. Then John says Jesus came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
I think John is saying there are two primary ways that people fail to acknowledge Jesus.
First, there are those who fail to understand, to grasp, who Jesus is and what he has come to offer them. This past week President Obama gave a speech during the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Among other things he said:
“It’s the story of hope--the birth of a singular child into the simplest of circumstances--a child who would grow up to live a life of humility, and kindness, and compassion...who taught us to care for the poor, and the marginalized, and those who are different from ourselves,” “And more than two millennia later, the way he lived still compels us to do our best to build a more just and tolerant and decent world.
All that sounds good, but that’s not the primary reason Jesus came, not according to the Bible.
I think John is saying that the world generally misunderstands who Jesus is.
Second, there are those to whom Jesus has come personally, who have heard the gospel clearly yet have chosen to reject Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and salvation. This would be Grandpa Joe, after hearing my mother explain the gospel to him, saying, “I gotta take what’s comin’ to me.” This is a direct rejection of Jesus.
But whether through chosen ignorance or direct rejection,
the Bible is very clear; God has revealed himself to all so all have to make a choice.
Scripture says that God has revealed himself most clearly through Jesus. In Hebrews 1 we read:
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... (Hebrews 1:1)
But scripture also teaches that God has revealed himself through the world that he made. In Romans 1 we read:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20)
Therefore the Bible teaches that every human being makes a choice, a fundamentally spiritual choice that can be framed in a number of different ways.
People can choose to believe that the universe was created by a transcendent and eternal God, or that it happened by accident.
People can choose to believe that there is a God or there is not a God. If there is no God then there are no further choices to make. Live however you want because all of life is simply survival of the fittest.
But if I decide there is a God who created all things, including me, then I must make a whole series of decisions. What is this God like? What does he expect of me? How do I know him? How do I live in relationship with this God?
We must make a decision about Jesus. John says to make that decision we must “receive and believe.”
Back to the story of Grandpa Joe. The truth is, of course, that Grandpa Joe was indeed a coward, but not for the reason he thought. He was a coward not because he was willing to pay the price for his many sins, but rather because he was unwilling to accept the invitation to confess, repent and receive Christ’s offer of grace and forgiveness.
Sadly, Grandpa Joe made his decision about Jesus.
Have you?
Pastor Brian Coffey
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
