Tag Archive for Advent

The Shepherd King

2014-11-23 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Hear this from Ezekiel 34:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?…You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.”

Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them:
“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.”
(vv. 2, 4-5, 20a, 23-24, NIV)

Micah 5 prophesies this:

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.
He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
And he will be their peace.
(vv. 2, 4-5a, NIV)

Isaiah 40:9-11 says:

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain…
lift up your voice with a shout…
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See the Sovereign LORD comes with power…
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. (NIV) 

Sheep and shepherds were a fixture of daily life in biblical times. Everyone was familiar with them. Thus “shepherds” was a common figure of speech for leaders, from kings on down. These “shepherds” were to lead their flock to food and water. They were to provide protection for everyone and special care for those who needed it.

But not all shepherds took their jobs seriously. Ezekiel spoke of leaders who cared for themselves rather than the flock. The fed on the flock rather than feeding the flock. Through both Ezekiel and the prophet Micah, God said that He would not stand by while His flock was neglected. The unfaithful shepherds would be judged and struck down.

But He would not leave His people without a shepherd. Both prophets said that God would send a Greater Shepherd, His own Anointed One, Messiah, who would shepherd His people as Loving God desired. This Great Shepherd would be from the line of King David, who himself had been a shepherd.

In fact, says Micah, this Shepherd would come from David’s home town, Bethlehem. This tiny village, insignificant by human standards, would provide a second great leader, even greater than King David. God said this leader would come as God’s own agent, not man’s choice. His origins would be “from of old, from ancient times”; that is, He would be part of God’s timeless plan, working since before the foundation of the world. This Leader would “stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.” His power would not be limited by human weakness but would be the power and authority of Sovereign God Himself. God’s people would finally live in total security, and the King’s rule would reach “to the ends of the earth”.

This King would not simply bring peace. He Himself would be their peace. Over 700 years later the Apostle Paul would say the same of Jesus Christ:

He himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14, NIV)

How appropriate that when Jesus came and was opposed by the false shepherds of His day, He characterized Himself this way:

I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
(John 10:11, NIV)

To our picture of the mighty Messiah King, the Shepherd King brings a personal flavor, a tenderness, an individual attention that all who know Jesus Christ will recognize immediately.

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28, NIV)

Father, Jesus Christ is my shepherd.
His every word is love, and
His every path leads to You.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Peace, Peace, Peace
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Prepare for the Living Christ

2014-11-16 Devotional with Hymn No comments

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This is the one I meant when I said,
‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me
because he was before me.’” 

Then John gave this testimony:
“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and
remain on him.
I would not have known him,
except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain
is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
(John 1:29-30, 32-34, NIV)

He is coming,
the Lamb of God who takes away all sin,
the only Son from the very presence of the Father,
the Holy One who immerses our hearts and lives
in the Spirit of God Himself.

He comes with such rich gifts.
Have you prepared?
Are you ready to receive Him?

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Christ Is Coming! Lift Your Eyes!
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The Christ of Advent

2014-10-26 Devotional with Hymn No comments

No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
(2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV)

Think of our God, unlimited by time and place,
all-seeing,
ever-present.
Everywhere and all eternity are the domain in which He dwells.
He is complete and perfect, so He does not change.
His Word is sovereign.
All reality responds to His will.
He speaks, and it is so.

For this God, His eternal purposes are certain and complete.
They are not future possibilities.
They are present reality.

But we are small and fearful, bound by time, creatures of the now.
We see only ourselves and our tiny sliver of all that is.
God’s greatest blessings are too vast, too broad in time.
We cannot trace His love and all its magnificent ways.

But our loving Father longs to wrap us in the beautiful certainty of
all He is and all He does.
So He makes promises that let us glimpse His love beyond our now.
His promises assure us of unchanging truth, that
God will always be who He has always been;
He will always do what He has always done; and
He will complete all He has started.

God’s promises are not empty words, rosy wishes, or mere intention.
God’s promises describe eternal reality.

And now, God’s promises are a Person, a living, human, divine Person
who embodies all God has done and all He is doing for His children.

During Advent, look to Jesus.
He is the Promise of the Father.
As He is, we will be.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: The Promise
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Christ in Genesis and Exodus

2014-10-19 Devotional with Hymn No comments

In the beginning, when God spoke the universe into existence, Jesus Christ was that sovereign, creative Word. All that the Father willed, the Word brought to reality (Genesis 1; John 1:1-18).

Christ was the deliverer God promised to Adam and Eve. He was their descendant who would crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).

Christ was the rainbow’s promise to Noah that in the face of overwhelming evil, life would always triumph (Genesis 8:21; 9:8-17).

Christ was the heir promised to Abraham and the sacrifice God provided in place of Isaac (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:4; 22:8, 14).

Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest. Melchizedek and the entire Old Testament priesthood pointed ahead to Him (Genesis 14:17-20; Hebrews 7; 10:19-23).

In the Exodus, Christ was the Passover lamb. Through His blood God’s people were saved from death (Exodus 12). Christ was the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16) and the Bread of the Presence (Exodus 25:30). His life was the completion of the entire sacrificial system and won forgiveness for all our race (Hebrews 10:11-14).

Jesus Christ fulfilled Sinai’s law for all of us (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4). Moses saw the back of God for a few seconds (Exodus 33:18-23; 34:1-7). In Christ we see Him face-to-face and are changed into His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Tabernacle in the wilderness feasted our senses on reminders of God’s presence (Exodus 40), but Jesus Christ is Himself God’s tabernacle among us and within us (John 1:14).

Under the Old Testament law, the transcendent God could not be pictured in physical form, and anyone who tried was guilty of idolatry. But Jesus Christ is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and “the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3, NIV).

In the creation, at Sinai, and in the wilderness, to Adam and Abraham and all God’s people, the Father longed to make Himself known and trusted and loved. His desire is fulfilled completely and forever in Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with Us.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Christ in Genesis and Exodus
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The Second Coming

2014-10-05 Devotional with Hymn No comments

“Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4, NASB)

The New Testament teaches that the same Christ who came in weakness as an infant will return in power and great glory. His first coming was secretive. But the second time, “every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7, NASB).

But nearly two thousand years have passed, and still, no Second Coming. And since our Savior Himself said that no one can know when it will occur, it could be another ten thousand years before the prophecy is finally fulfilled.

So why do we continue to teach, write, sing, and make movies about it? To many, the idea of Christ coming in the clouds, in full view of every living human being, seems hard to believe and remote from practical daily life. Why should we risk embarrassing ourselves and alienating our listeners by emphasizing such an incredible idea, one that even believers admit might not happen for generations, centuries, or even millennia?

Consider this:

  1. Jesus taught His return as centrally important. He spoke about it clearly, emphatically, and at length. Realize that He knew life both in heaven and on earth. He had seen both time and eternity. If He considered His return important, it’s important!
  1. The New Testament writers unanimously teach it. The Spirit of Christ spoke about His return through each and every one of them. They considered it essential to believe that Christ will come to finish all that He has started and to consummate our salvation. For all the New Testament writers, the truth of Christ’s return fueled faith, hope, perseverance, and holy living.
  1. The stakes are high. When Christ returns, He will judge every individual. Depending on our relationship with Him, we will go to eternal life or eternal death, to joyful union with Him or complete and final separation from Him (Matthew 25:31-46).
  1. When He comes, we must be ready. Since no one can know when He will return (Matthew 24:36), His return will seem sudden and unexpected (Matthew 24:37-44). He will come as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The only sure way to be prepared is to stay prepared (Luke 12:35-48).
  1. Christ’s first coming had been foretold for centuries, and He did come, at God’s right time. His second coming, long foretold, is just as certain. It will occur when the time is right. The reality of Christmas proclaims the reality of His return.
  1. Peter reminds us that with our eternal God, “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8, NASB). His sense of time is far different than ours. But be assured that He is not lax about His promises but “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). God’s “delays” are His patient love.

Consider the beautiful things Christ has done in you already, and eagerly anticipate His completing each one. Look forward to that wonderful day. Wait patiently for it, knowing that it will happen in the fullness of time. Keep first things first. Stay focused on Him. Stay faithful.

In a world completely obsessed with the shallow and temporary, it is vital that the people of Jesus Christ continue to proclaim the ultimate things: Jesus’ return, the judgment, and the world to come. Whether He returns today or in a thousand years is not the point. The certainty of His return shapes the entire reality in which we live.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Second Coming Hymn
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A Christ-centered Year

2013-12-31 Devotional No comments

During Advent, Jesus is the Promise of the Father.

During Christmas, He is the Gift of the Father. He is all the fullness of God embodied in a human infant.

During Epiphany, Jesus is the Light of the Father, drawing all people to Himself.

During Lent, He is the Father’s Servant, leading us on the path of obedience and trust.

During Holy Week, Jesus is the Love of the Father, humbly submitting to death on the cross.

During Easter, He is the Life of the Father, overcoming death and sin forever.

On Ascension Day, Jesus is at the Father’s right hand, reigning as Sovereign Lord and King.

On Pentecost, He pours out the Promise of the Father, baptizing every believer in the Holy Spirit of God.

During Ordinary Time, Jesus helps us order our lives by His teaching and example. He gives us His Spirit as a down-payment while we eagerly await His promised Advent.

Brothers and sisters, let’s constantly celebrate all God has done for us in Jesus Christ! Let’s make this year a Christ-centered year.

The Word

2013-12-08 Devotional with Hymn No comments

In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and
the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. 

All things came into being through Him, and
apart from Him nothing came into being
that has come into being. 

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not overpower* it.
(John 1:1-5, NASB; *optional reading) 

Matthew’s gospel focuses on showing the Jews that Jesus is their promised Messiah. Thus he begins with Jesus’ human genealogy, proving that Jesus descended from King David.

John’s gospel focuses on Jesus’ relationship with God, His Father. Therefore he begins with Jesus’ divine genealogy. He says:

In the beginning,
the very beginning,
before anything else was,
Jesus was already there with God the Father.
They were two persons
but one life,
one Being,
one God.

Jesus is the Word, the full and perfect Word,
spoken from the Father’s great heart to us.
All that the Father wills,
the Son makes reality.
All that the Father’s love imagines,
all the life,
all the light,
all the riches of His own being,
are born in our world…and in us…
through Jesus Christ.

Father,
may Jesus Christ be all that You want Him to be
in my thinking,
my speaking, and
my doing.
I want to be one with You in Him.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: God Is with Us! Alleluia!
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Praise to You, Our Father!

2013-12-01 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Luke 1:46-55

As you read the above passage, called The Magnificat, hear the joy and praise in Mary’s words. She realized that the coming of Christ proved that God was faithful to all His promises.

His coming shows that God is all He says He is and does all He says He will do. Praise to You, Father!

Christ’s coming displays our Father’s deep compassion on all our human weakness and need.

In Christ God pours out His grace on the unworthy and lavishes His mercy on we who don’t deserve it.

In the infant Jesus, the tenderness of our Father becomes flesh and blood. We can touch Him, and He touches us.

In Christ we see the power of our holy God to make us like Himself.

In Christ we sense God’s desire for intimate fellowship with us human creatures.

Father, in Jesus Christ we see You as You are! Praise to You! Praise and glory and thanks to You forever and ever!

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: My Soul Exalts You, Lord
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Shadows of Christ

2013-11-24 Devotional with Hymn No comments

Adam…was a pattern of the one to come. (Romans 5:14, NIV)

These are a shadow of the things that were to come;
the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:17, NIV)

In the Old Testament, not all portraits of the coming Messiah were painted by the words of prophets. Some were painted by the lives of God’s people. Living individuals became sign posts pointing us toward Jesus Christ. As we saw God working through them, we caught glimpses of the way He would work through His Son.

Here are just a few examples:

  • ENOCH “walked with God” and left this world without facing death, being taken up directly into God’s presence. (Genesis 5:22-24)
  • Like Christ, NOAH pleased God in a time when sin seemed overwhelming and inevitable. Through him God saved our race from destruction.
  • ISAAC was a long-promised son and heir, miraculously born and later offered up by his father as a sacrifice. (Genesis 15, 21 – 22)
  • JOSEPH endured betrayal, injustice, and great suffering, then was dramatically exalted to a high position. From that position he saved his family and his entire nation from death. (Genesis 37 – 50)
  • Like Christ, MOSES was God’s instrument for leading His people out of bondage. He served as deliverer, leader, prophet, and mediator.
  • SAMUEL was miraculously born by God’s promise and was wholly dedicated to God’s service before birth. Though not of the priestly tribe, he was God’s chosen mediator between Himself and His people. (1 Samuel)
  • Like his Greater Son, DAVID was a good shepherd, lifted from humble beginnings to become a glorious leader of God’s people. He was a man after God’s own heart, and God considered him His own son (Psalm 89:26-27).

As we consider these lives and others, we see shadows of the coming Messiah. We catch passing glimpses of how the high and holy God would incarnate Himself in flesh and blood.  Their faith and God’s faithfulness to them prepare our hearts for His fullness so beautifully revealed in the Living Christ.

Father, the human race is like a prism.
Through it we begin to see Your life
exploded into its full range of
color, variety, and dazzling beauty.
Shine through us,
Glorious Father!

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Prepare Us
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We Wait

2013-11-17 Devotional with Hymn No comments

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25, NIV)

We wait.
Basking in the joy and freedom of all You’ve given us in Jesus Christ,
we eagerly await His return and
the completion of all Your love has planned.

We wait.
Immersed in disappointments and delays,
weakness and uncertainty,
decay and death,
we keep our faith focused on You.
Though we cannot see,
we cling to the strong and certain hope that is ours in Christ Jesus.
Day by day, in the noise and in the silence, our hearts forever cry,
“Father, may Kingdom come and
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven!”

We wait.
So many are deluded,
lost in the darkness of the small and temporary.
In You we glimpse bigger realities.
Our physical world seems so lasting and all-encompassing,
but it will burn away like a morning mist.
Father, don’t let it seduce us.
You are truth.
You are unchanging.
You are forever.

In this false world, keep us faithful in proclaiming the ultimate things:
the return of Jesus,
the judgment, and
the world to come.
Whether He returns today or in ten thousand years is not the point.
The truth of His return shapes the entire reality in which we live.

Our Father, we look forward to the day when all creation rings with
the music and the beautiful silence of all You are.

As we believers wait together,
enduring these last hours of pain, darkness, grief, and death,
we’ll encourage one another to the hope and joy that are ours in You.
We’ll share songs, stories, and acts of kindness that remind us of
Your eternal, unfailing love.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Waiting on Our Lord
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