Our Christmas Security

Listen to the implications of Christmas in this prophecy from Micah 5:2,4-

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days...
He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.
And He shall be their peace.

The King born in Bethlehem will shelter His flock under the majestic refuge of the name of God.  And we will be forever secure, temporally and eternally safe in His hands, because He shall be great to the ends of the earth.  Think on that for a moment, and be staggered by the connections made right here in the verse.  Christ's global greatness is the day-to-day rock-solid foundation for our assurance, peace, comfort, and security.  Because He is ascended at the right hand of God, with "all authority in heaven and on earth" given to Him, we can be confident that we are secure.  The One who was born for us and lived for us and died for us and rose for us is now reigning for us and interceding for us and guaranteeing our security and entrance to glory by His own blood-bought peace with God.

Hear the apostle Paul's own inspired implications of this Christmas prophecy, echoing Micah's words: "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace." (Eph. 2:13)

This Christmas, stand in awe once again at the mercy and majesty of our God.  And count yourselves secure, immovable on this glorious foundation: "now He shall be great to the ends of the earth."

Elijah vs. Jesus

My wife and I are teaching children's Sunday School today, and in the course of planning, I got to thinking.  Elijah was one of the greatest Old Testament prophets and miracle workers.  At his word, the heavens withheld their rain for 3 1/2 years.  He provided a miraculous supply of bread and oil for a widow and raised her son to life, called down fire from heaven, and became one of only two people in history to never die when he was taken away by chariots of fire.

And yet this great prophet and miracle worker does not even hold a candle to Jesus Christ.  John the Baptist, whom Jesus said fulfilled the promise of the second coming of Elijah's spirit and power, said of Jesus, "He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."  Clearly someone greater than Elijah was here.

Here are five reasons why Jesus is greater than Elijah:

1) Elijah's faith wavered.  Jesus remained faithful.
Despite all that he had seen God do, when Elijah's life was threatened by Jezebel, "he was afraid and he arose and ran for his life." (1 Kings 19:3)  Jesus, on the other hand, never wavered in His commitment to Calvary and His Father's will, and thus the author of Hebrews writes, "Christ is faithful over God's house as a son." (Hebrews 3:6)

2) Elijah had to pray to God to affect the weather.  Jesus simply said, "Be still," and the storm stopped.
Most of Elijah's miracles actually involve him praying and asking God to act.  James says that "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain." (James 5:17)  But Jesus didn't ask for anybody's permission; He simply said, "Be still," and the storm ceased.  Thus He proved that He is the God of Psalm 89:9-- "Who is mighty as You are, O Lord?  You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them."

3) Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Elijah is one of the few people in the Bible through whom God raised the dead.  But even though the miracle was spectacular, it is obvious from the account in 1 Kings that it was God who raised the dead, not Elijah.  Elijah pleaded with God, and God answered his prayer.  Jesus, on the other hand, declared about Himself saying, "I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live," (John 11:25), and then backed up this claim by commanding life into the decaying corpse of Lazarus with a simple, "Come forth."

4) Elijah was taken to heaven with fire.  Jesus will come from heaven with fire.
Elijah was taken up into heaven by "chariots of fire and horses of fire." (2 Kings 2:11)  Lest we be too enamored by this spectacle, though, 2 Thessalonians tells us of a greater heavenly fire: a coming day "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God... when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed."  The glory of Jesus' heavenly fire will brilliantly outshine Elijah's, as much as the sun outshines a flickering match.

5) Elijah never died.  Jesus conquered death.
Elijah is one of only two people in the Bible, along with Enoch, to never taste death.  Yet the honor that Jesus has and will receive is infinitely greater, for Jesus is now "crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9)  And Jesus did not just taste death for everyone; "He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death."  Elijah the sinner never died, thanks to Jesus tasting death for Him, and now Jesus has definitively conquered Satan and eliminated the power of death for all time for all who trust in Him.

Elijah is surely worthy of much honor among the great saints of the faith.  But Jesus is surely worthy of much more.  He is a greater miracle worker, greater life-giver, greater sin-conquerer, greater grave-overcomer, greater Savior.

The Founder of Life, Faith, and Salvation

I'm doing independent study third year Greek, which has been a lot of fun so far.  Last semester we translated 1 Peter and James, and this semester we're tackling Hebrews (which is really hard!)  Today we translated chapter 2, and verse 10 got me thinking and doing word studies.

Verse 10: "For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering."

The word "founder" is translated from the Greek "archegos."  It's a rare word, which only appears 4 times in the New Testament.  Here are the other three occurrences, with "archegos" in bold:

"You killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead."  ~Acts 3:15

"God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."  ~Acts 5:31

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross..."  ~Hebrews 12:2

The word "archegos" means a leader, pioneer, source, initiator, or founder.  The only times it is used in the New Testament, it is used to describe Jesus Christ.  He is described as the Author of life, faith, and salvation.

Jesus is the Author of Life

"You killed the Author of Life," Peter accused the Jewish leaders.  A remarkable,seemingly contradictory statement-- you killed the One who invented life.  Yet this is the mystery of the Gospel.  John 1 says that "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."  In Colossians 3, Paul writes, "When Christ who is your life appears, then you will appear with Him in glory."  The Author of Life becomes our life.  1 John 5 gives us the precious promise that, "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  Whoever has the Son has life."  Whoever has the Son has life, because Jesus IS Life; He is the Author, the Source of Life.  St. John Chrysostom wrote, "The life that He has does not come from another; the author of life has to be Him who has life in Himself."  In Him all things live and move and have their being.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  He is the source of everything that exists, and, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:30, He is also the source of our spiritual life.

Jesus is the Author of Faith

"Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith."  In the same way that our life is wrapped up in Christ, so too our spiritual life-- our faith-- flows from Him.  He is the vine, and we are the branches.  He is the Author of our faith because He is the giver of faith.  He "grants repentance," gives faith as a gift, says "Let there be light" in darkened hearts, and invades dead souls with the conquering, life-giving, omnipotent love of Yahweh.  And after giving us new life, He becomes the example of perfect faithfulness that we seek to imitate.

Jesus is the Author of Salvation

"The author of their salvation perfect through suffering..."  Jesus is the Author of Salvation because He is the conqueror of sin, the victor over the grave, and the purchaser of the Spirit.  He is the One who sovereignly elects, calls, saves, justifies, and sanctifies us.  "Those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."

We Wish to See Jesus

Next week, I am starting my last Bible study at Center Presbyterian Church.  It has been a joy and incredible privilege for me to lead the adult Bible study there for the past year and a half.  We have done studies on Philippians, Hebrews, and Colossians, and this spring we will be looking at the "I am" statements of Jesus in the book of John.  I am really, really excited about this semester, because I see this study as the culmination of everything I have been teaching the last year and a half.  Below is my introduction to our study in John:

"Life in a fallen world is a tightrope dichotomy between searing pain and seductive pleasure.  In a world full of sudden tragedy, seemingly random violence, natural disasters, cancer, illness, heartache, and tearful goodbyes, where is a rock of refuge to which we can go?  And conversely, in a materialistic culture littered with the spiritual landmines of blinding prosperity, numbing comfort, earthly treasures, and broken cisterns, where is a transcendent and satisfying reality to which we can commit ourselves?

What we are looking for is Ultimate Reality, a person and a truth and a life that transcends the problem of pain and pleasure, eclipsing both in all-consuming glory.  The Ultimate Reality that we are looking for is the person of Jesus Christ.  Colossians tells us that He is "the image of the invisible God," that "all things were created through Him and for Him," and that "in all things He has the supremacy."  Hebrews speaks of this supreme Christ when we hear that "He is the radiance of the glory of God and exact imprint of His nature, upholding the universe by the word of His power."  Philippians tells us the implications of Christ's all-satisfying supremacy: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."  Here, then, is the end of all things: suffering and satisfaction, gain and loss, united in the glorious Son.  To know Him will cost everything, yet knowing Him is infinite gain.

How then can we know this Glorious One?  How can we "know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge?" (Ephesians 3:19)  Hosea invites us into this eternal pursuit, saying, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord."  We want to say with the Greeks in John 12, "We wish to see Jesus!"  But how?"

The first lesson is all about my answer to that last question: God has given us His Word so that we can see Jesus in it and be supremely satisfied in seeing Him forever.

All Authority in Heaven and on Earth

I realized after my Through-The-Bible reading today that there has been a theme emerging in the last couple of readings from Matthew.  I would summarize Matthew 7:28-9:8 with these words: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."  This section of Matthew highlights the divine, omnipotent authority of Jesus.  The word "authority" actually appears 4 times in this relatively short passage.  For example:

7:28-29- "The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority."

8:1-3- Jesus has authority to simply 'will' a healing; "I will; be clean."

8:5-13- The Romans centurion understands the nature of Jesus' authority ("I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go' and he goes...)  Jesus commended his faith, and healed the man's servant.

8:14-17- Jesus has authority over all ailments and diseases.

8:18-22- Jesus has authority to command his disciples to leave all to follow Him.

8:23-27- Jesus has authority over the natural world, including the winds and waves.

8:28-34- Jesus has authority over the spiritual realm and all the forces of Satan.

9:1-8- "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sin."

In this section, we see a general progression from the more 'mundane' authority to more explicitly supernatural and surprising authority.  We first see Jesus teaching with authority, then we see Him in progressively more dramatic healings, then with control over nature, then with control over Satan, and finally with the absolute divine authority to blot out sin.  

I think that this passage is designed to make us more and more amazed at the power and authority of Jesus, so that we will say what the disciples said, yet with hearts full of faith, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and waves obey Him?"

Wondrous Sovereign of the Sea

Today in my Through-the-Bible reading, I read about Jesus calming the storm.  Matthew 8:26-27- "And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?'  Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  And then men marveled, saying, 'What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him?'"

Jonathan Edwards answers their question in his phenomenal sermon, "The Diverse Excellencies of Christ:" "By His walking on the sea in a storm, when the waves were raised, He showed Himself to be the God spoken of in Job 9:8, that treadeth 'on the waves of the sea.'  By His stilling the storm and calming the rage of the sea by His powerful command, saying 'Peace, be sill,' He showed that He has the command of the universe, and that He is that God who brings things to pass by the word of His power; who speaks and it is done, who commands and it stands fast."

The disciples were amazed and afraid, because as good Jewish men, they knew their Old Testaments.  They knew Psalm 65:6-7, which speaks of "the One who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples."  They knew Psalm 89:9- "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them."  They knew Psalm 107:29- "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed."  They knew who this One in the boat with them must be-- Yahweh Himself, the Lord of the heavens and the earth.

The Eternal Glory of Christ

In Revelation 22:16, Jesus says, "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."  This is an amazing statement-- He is both the root (which comes first and from which everything else springs) and the descendent (who comes later).  He is both the source and goal.

In light of that, other statements by or about Jesus become more profound:

And as Jesus taught in the temple, He said, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?  David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.'  David himself calls him Lord.  So how is he his son?"  ~Mark 12:35-37  Jesus is here calling attention to the fact that the scribes and Phariseees had too small a vision of the Messiah-- Jesus wasn't just the descendent of David; He was also the root of David, the One who brought David into existence.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." ~Revelation 22:13

John bore witness about Him and cried out, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.'"  ~John 1:15

Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."  ~John 8:58

"And now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed."  ~John 17:5

The Good Shepherd

I was incredibly blessed last night in my daily Through-the-Bible reading to get a new glimpse of Jesus and His glory.  I was reading from Ezekiel 34 and John 10, and I don't know if the people who designed the reading plan intended this, but both passages overlap marvelously.

In Ezekiel 34, we get a stunning picture of the grace of God and His plan of future redemption in Christ.  This is especially amazing, coming after 33 straight chapters of judgment.  At the beginning of chapter 34, God condemns the shepherds of Israel (their spiritual leaders), saying "The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought."  But then a few verses later, the tone shifts dramatically:

"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will see them out.  As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered... I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.  I will seek the lost and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak... And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.  And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them.  I am the LORD; I have spoken."

What a prophecy!  We see its fulfillment in John 10: 

So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me where thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Praise God for that!  He Himself will be the shepherd, and lay down His life for His sheep that He will seek out and bring in and bind up and heal.

Admiring, Exploring, Expositing, Extolling

Sinclair Ferguson once insightfully said, "The evangelical orientation is inward and subjective.  We are far better at looking inward than we are looking outward.  We need to expend our energies admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ."

He's absolutely right.  So much of American culture, so much of the American church, so much of my time, is spent on inward examination, on taking my emotional temperature every five minutes, on thinking about how things relate to me rather than on how things relate to Christ.  We read the Bible this way, always looking for "how this relates to me," "how this is relevant," etc.

But Scripture calls us to end our suicidal love affair with self, and to find real life, real purpose, real fulfillment, real joy, real glory, real passion, in "admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ."  The Bible is not about me; life is not about me.  Both the Bible and life are all about pointing me away from myself and towards the greatest, most glorious all-satisfying Reality in the universe, namely, Jesus Christ.

My prayer is that I, and all of you, will be ever more captivated with the glorious Christ revealed in the pages of His Word.