LookingtoJesus

January 3

Bible Reading: John 1

John 1:1-5, “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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus once asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am” (Matthew 16:13)?  That’s a great and important question, having eternal ramifications.  John wrote his gospel to address this very thing: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). 

Here, in the opening verses of his gospel account, John instructs us in important aspects of Jesus’ identity.  He declares the eternal existence of the Word (Jesus) with the Father.  He declares Jesus to be God.  And He speaks to His relationship and nearness to the Father.  Jesus was always with Him, is with Him now, and will always be with him.  From all eternity, there is a perfect and intimate union between the persons of the trinity. 

Many suppose Jesus to be merely a good teacher or some kind of prophet.  C. S. Lewis, in his book “Mere Christianity,” argued against the logic of such thinking:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would be either a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.” 

C. S. Lewis

“The Word was God!”  This is one of the great themes of John’s gospel.  His miracles attest to His divine identity.  The eternal Son of God, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us!  Marvel, as you remember, it is none less than our creator who hangs there on that cross!  It is, as the hymn says, “Amazing love, how can it be?  That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”

“If Jesus is not God, then we are sinners without a Savior… If Jesus were only a man, then He died for His own sins. And we are still in our sins. We have no hope.” – John Mitchell

HE IS LORD!
Emptied of His glory; God became a man,
To walk on earth in ridicule and shame.
A Ruler, yet a Servant; a Shepherd, Yet a Lamb;
A Man of Sorrows, agony and pain.

Humbled and rejected, beaten, and despised.
Upon the cross the Son of God was slain.
Just like a lamb to slaughter, a sinless sacrifice;
But, by His death His loss became our gain.

Satan’s forces crumbled like a mighty wall.
The stone that held Him in was rolled aside.
The Prince of Life in glory was lifted over all,
Now earth and heaven echoes with the cry.

Refrain:
He is Lord, He is Lord!
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord!
Ev’ry knee shall bow, ev’ry tongue confess That
Jesus Christ is Lord

January 2

Bible Reading: John 1

John 1:1-3, “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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

I must be getting old. The hospital I was born in no longer exists. The submarine I served on (as a part of the commissioning crew no less) was long ago scrapped. Even the nuclear power plant I worked at was demolished years ago. Things on earth are like that. They all have a beginning and an end. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine anything not having a beginning. But Jesus has always been and will always be.

We begin our reading plan “in the beginning,” but not just in a beginning verse, but in the beginning of all things. And, as our passage declares to us, Jesus was there in the beginning! Each gospel account focuses on a different aspect of Jesus’ identity. The book of Matthew starts with its genealogy, which proves Jesus to be the promised king of Israel. Mark’s gospel begins in the desert, and includes no mention of Jesus’ birth, since his focus was on Jesus as the obedient servant (the details of a servant’s birth are not important). Luke presents Jesus as the perfect man and his genealogy delineates Jesus’ lineage from Adam. As with Mark, the gospel of John includes no details about Jesus’ birth. Instead, John goes back to the beginning, for Jesus is the eternal Son of God who has always been!

“Christ’s existence did not begin when He was conceived in Mary’s womb and born into the world several months later. As an eternal divine being, He had always existed without beginning and end throughout eternity past.”

Renald E. Showers

Not only is Jesus eternal, He is also the creator of all things. Such thoughts challenge us. Everything we see and touch has a beginning of some sort. But not so Jesus! He has always been and will always be. His eternity and our mortality work to persuade us of our desperate need for Him.

“Out of eternity our Lord came into time to rescue His human brethren whose moral folly had made them not only fools of the passing world but slaves of sin and death as well.” 

A. W. Tozer

How precious, therefore, is the truth that Jesus Christ has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).  We all have a desperate need for Jesus!  The only question then is to what extent do we realize that!

“There never was a time when the Word was not.  There never was a thing that did not depend on Him for its existence.” (including you and me) —Leon Morris

FAIREST LORD JESUS
Fairest Lord Jesus,
ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer
who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Savior!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine.

January 1

Bible Reading: John 1

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Happy New Year! And we are off into our new Bible reading adventure in chapter one of this wonderful gospel account. May the Spirit open our eyes to the truth that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus!

The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John near the end of his life, as most scholars assign a date of about A.D. 90 to its writing.  As a disciple of Jesus, John walked with Jesus and was a witness of His death and resurrection (1 John 1:1-2; Acts 1:1-3).  Following Christ’s ascension, he had a foundational role in the church’s establishment (Acts 3:1; 4:19).  He faithfully served as a leader in the church for the rest of his life, nearly six decades, and suffered persecution for his faith (Revelation 1:9).

Why did John, and his fellow Apostles, devote their lives to serving Jesus, with all willing to suffer persecution or martyrdom for the cause of Christ?   In his gospel account, John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  John beheld the glory of Jesus.  What he beheld in Jesus worked to change the trajectory of his life!  He saw the glory of Jesus’ person and character, full of “grace and truth” as He was.  He witnessed the amazing miracles that Jesus did.  He saw Jesus suddenly transfigured on the mountain, His garments becoming white as light (Matthew 17:1-2).  He stood with Jesus’ mother when Jesus hung on the cross and beheld Him after He rose from the dead (John 19:26; Matthew 28:8-9). John was a firsthand witness to the beauty of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Have you ever witnessed something so glorious that you could not take your eyes away?  Like a beautiful sunrise, perhaps.  What you see might even move you emotionally, so much so that you want to take a picture to share with others.  John saw the beauty of Jesus and wanted to tell others about what he saw.  He yearned for others to behold the beauty of Jesus and to experience the salvation he himself had found (John 20:30-31).  That’s what his gospel account is all about—the glory of Jesus!  Read it with that thought it mind.  This daily reading is not some kind of religious ritual.  Nor are you reading merely to increase your Bible knowledge. You read to know Jesus better!  You read that you, through the pages of the gospel account, might behold the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Just as John had, so many years ago!

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”—John 5:39

MORE ABOUT JESUS
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.

Refrain:
More, more about Jesus,
More, more about Jesus;
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for me.

More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God, my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me. [Refrain]

Jesus is the best friend any of us can ever have

No one can love like Jesus

No one can forgive like He

No one else can save us

No one else has the power to change us from the inside out

He knows all about us, but loves us still

He knows all about the challenges we face—He faced them too—and cares

Other friends aren’t perfect, He is in every way

He is wise beyond measure

The greatness of His love was evidenced in His willing sacrifice for sin

The surpassing greatness of His power was revealed in His resurrection from the dead

Other friends may fail us, He never will

Other friends may desert us, but He will never leave us or forsake us

Though He may not give us all we want, He knows what’s best for us and Will always give us what we need

In Him we can find true peace

In Him we can possess a true and lasting joy

In Him we have a certain hope, even when all other hopes prove futile

He is a friend to all who will but trust in Him—-no matter age or gender or color or standing in this world

The richest amongst us is nonetheless poor if He doesn’t have Jesus for a friend

The poorest amongst us is nonetheless rich beyond measure if He has Him

When we breathe our final breath it’s a friendship with Him that will bring us safely home to heaven

And we’ll marvel at Him when we see Him face to face

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Today was the last day of our 2023 NT Reading Plan. Thanks to all who participated and read my daily devotionals!

Next year’s plan starts Monday. It involves reading the same chapter every day for a week. New daily devotionals will be drawn from that chapter. The format will be a little different than last years. They can be accessed at looking2jesus.blog or my Facebook page (or on those of participating churches).

I’d much appreciate if you’d pray for me in this. Feel free to share the plan with family or friends. God bless! Happy New Year!

DM or email or call if you’ve any questions🙂

December 29

Bible Reading: Revelation 22

Revelation 22:1-5, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

I’ve noted before that the message of the Bible can be summarized in four simple words: man sins, God saves.  And, of course, He does that to His glory.  It is by His grace and mercy that He intervenes on our behalf to rescue us from our sin predicament.  As we come to the last chapter of our study, it’s good to keep that in mind.  If the early chapters of the book of Genesis serve as one bookend to the Bible story, then the final chapters of Revelation serve as the other.

What we should note here is the fact that God is great at turning things around.  That’s true in both the micro and macro realms.  He can do that when it comes to our personal troubles, be they big or small!  He can also do that with the sin curse that’s afflicted mankind since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  Our passage notes that “no longer will there be anything accursed” (Genesis 22:3).  As horrific as were the consequences of the curse, it is not difficult for God to reverse them.  He is a redeeming God, always working to bring good out of our bad!

Note how God worked to reverse the curse, working to redeem His creation: The fall brought a curse to the ground, but in the new heavens and earth there is no longer any curse (Genesis 3:17; Revelation 22:3).  The curse brought sorrow, but there will be none in the redeemed world (Genesis 3:17; Revelation 21:4).  Then there was sweat on the face, but then there will be no more tears (Genesis 3:19; Revelation 21:4).  Then there were thorns and thistles, but then there will be no more pain (Genesis 3:18; Revelation 21:4).  Then there was the eating of the plants of the field, but then there will be twelve manner of fruits (Genesis 3:18; Revelation 22:2).  Then there was the returning to dust, but then there will be no more death (Genesis 3:19; Revelation 21:4).  Then there were coats of skin for covering, but then there will be fine linen, white and pure (Genesis 3:21; Revelation 19:14).  Then there was Satan opposing, but then Satan will be banished (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:10).  Then they were kept from the tree of life, but then they will have free access (Genesis 3:24; Revelation 22:14).  Then they were banished from the garden, but then they will have free access to the city (Genesis 3:23; Revelation 22:14).  Then a redeemer was promised, but then redemption is complete (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 5:9-10).  Then there was evil continually, but then there will be nothing that defiles (Genesis 6:5; Revelation 21:27).  Then there was the promised Seed of the woman, but then there will be the Root and offspring of David ruling over all (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 22:16).  Then there were the cherubim guarding, but then there will be the angels inviting (Genesis 3:24; Revelation 21:9).

If God can redeem like that, imagine what He can do in your life.  There’s no trouble so big, no problem so debilitating, that He cannot work to intervene in your life for good.  There’s no sin so big that He cannot forgive.  No life so desperate, that He cannot save.  No situation so hopeless, that He cannot work to bring good out of bad and reveal His glory!  God is in the business of saving.  The cross is the great testimony of God’s ability to do that!  The simple requisite is that we come to Him in our brokenness, trusting Him to do the saving work.  Praise God for His redemptive power.  He’s got a plan to reverse the curse, both in your life, and in the entirety of His creation!

There’s no situation on earth so desperate that God cannot work to turn things for good!  If we will but trust Him!

I will sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ who died for me.
How He left His home in glory
For the cross of Calvary.
I was lost, but Jesus found me,
Found the sheep that went astray,
Threw His loving arms around me,
Drew me back into His way.

I was bruised, but Jesus healed me;
Faint was I from many a fall;
Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
But He freed me from them all.
Days of darkness still come o’er me,
Sorrow’s paths I often tread,
But the Savior still is with me;
By His hand I’m safely led.

He will keep me till the river
Rolls its waters at my feet;
Then He’ll bear me safely over,
Where the loved ones I shall meet.
Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.

December 28

Bible Reading: Revelation 21

Revelation 21:1-4, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’.”

In recent years, I’ve led some grief support groups for those who have lost loved ones.  We always take boxes of tissues to these meetings, because undoubtedly tears will be shed.  I’ve been serving as a hospice chaplain for some years now.  I’ve made lots of visits to homes of dying folks.  I’ve sat with spouses and children and friends.  I’ve witnessed the tears of the dying and those who’ve had to tell them goodbye.  The sad reality of this world is that there are plenty of things that can work to bring tears to our eyes.  But there will come a day when tears will be no more.

Revelation chapter 21 unveils to us a new heaven and earth that will be the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed.  Paradise lost in Genesis chapter 3 is paradise regained in these final chapters of the book of Revelation.  Specific details of this new creation are revealed.  There will be no more sea (Revelation 21:1).  A city, New Jerusalem, “coming down out of heaven,” will be the dwelling place of the saints in the presence of God (Revelation 21:2-3).  There will be no more sin (2 Peter 3:13). Hallelujah!

The most difficult aspects of life here on earth will be non-existent in heaven.  These things have troubled man since the fall.  Were there tears shed by Adam and Eve when they fell in sin?  There have been plenty shed since.  Mourning, crying, and pain are all sourced ultimately in sin and death.  Creation itself groans under the burden of the curse (Romans 8:22).  We do too (Romans 8:23).  No estate in this present existence can avail these “no longers” to us.  There is no place on earth devoid of these troubles which have long plagued man’s existence.  No set of circumstances can guarantee to us the absence of death, mourning, crying, or pain.  And though we, as believers in Christ, are strengthened and comforted amidst our afflictions by God, it is the Spirit-borne hope of glory which ultimately works to encourage and sustain us.

John MacArthur has commented on this, “He shall wipe away every single tear. What it means is there never will be a tear in heaven, not one single tear. There will be nothing sad. There will be nothing disappointing. There will be nothing unfulfilling. There will be nothing lacking. There will be nothing wrong. There will be nothing limiting. There will be nothing to cry about.  Tears of misfortune, tears of poverty, tears of loneliness, tears over lost love, tears of sympathy, mercy, pity, tears of persecuted innocence, tears of remorse, tears of regret, tears of penitence, tears of neglect, tears of yearning for what cannot be are all gone forever. Bliss, joy and nothing but for eternity. Tears, you see, are part of what he says at the end of verse 4, the first things that have passed away. They don’t exist.  To put it in a clinical form, you won’t have any tear ducts. Furthermore, you might not even have any water in you. How about that? I told you there’s no more sea. It’s not a water-based existence. No more tears, gone, nothing to cry about.”

John MacArthur

What a comfort it is to know that God has a perfect place prepared for us in heaven!  A place where all the bad that is part of our present experience will be no longer.  What a beautiful promise God has given to us!  And that’s where our hope lies.

There’ll be no more tears in heaven because there’ll be no reason to cry anymore!

There’s no disappointment in Heaven, No weariness, sorrow or pain;
No hearts that are bleeding and broken, No song with a minor refrain.
The clouds of our earthly horizon, Will never appear in the sky,
For all will be sunshine and gladness, With never a sob or a sigh.

December 27

Bible Reading: Revelation 20

Revelation 20:1-4, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.  And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.  Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

This passage speaks of what is commonly referred to as the millennial kingdom, which has to do with the thousand-year reign of Christ over the earth.  The phrase “thousand years” appears six times in the first seven verses of this chapter.  There are three main views regarding the nature and duration of this period.

Premillennialists understand the millennium to be a literal thousand-year period in which Christ will reign in fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 2; 45, 110; Isaiah 2:1-5, 11:6-12, 24:23, 60, 61-3-62, 66; Jeremiah 23:3-8, 32:37-44; Ezekiel 40-48; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; 12:2-3; Micah 4:1-8; Joel 3:9-21; Amos 9:8-15; Zechariah 12:10-14:21).  Christ will return after the Great Tribulation to establish His Kingdom.  A great rebellion takes place at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:7).  A new heaven and new earth is then established after the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-21:1).

Postmillennialists say that Christ will return after the thousand years.  According to their view, the thousand years are merely symbolic of a period of world-wide turning to Christ.  As J. Vernon McGee has pointed out, “This viewpoint has become obsolete as it could not weather the first half of the twentieth century, which produced two world wars, a global depression, the rise of communism, and the atom bomb with which worldwide destruction is imminent.”

Amillennialists understand the thousand years to be merely symbolic of a long period of time.  This view typically interprets Old Testament prophecies of having been fulfilled in a spiritual sense through the church.  Most amillennialists fit the millennium into the present age and the events of Revelation into past history.

What difference does it make what one believes about such matters?  God made specific promises to Israel that are yet to be fulfilled.  God has not abandoned Israel (Romans 11:25-27).  He promised to them a kingdom and God is always faithful to do that which He has promised.  Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum has commented on this,

“The belief in the Messianic Kingdom does not rest on this passage (Revelation 20:4) alone. In fact, it hardly rests on it at all. The basis for the belief in the Millennial Kingdom is twofold. First, there are the unfulfilled promises of the Jewish covenants, promises that can only be fulfilled in a Messianic Kingdom. Second, there are the unfulfilled prophecies of the Jewish prophets…The only real contribution that the book of Revelation makes to the knowledge of the Kingdom is to disclose just how long the Messianic kingdom will last—namely one thousand years—for which the term Millennium is used. This is the one key truth concerning the Kingdom that was not revealed in the Old Testament.” 

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

John Walvoord has written of the nature of this coming kingdom: “For the whole period of one thousand years the earth will revel in the immediate presence of the Lord and His perfect divine government. Israel will be exalted and Gentiles also will be blessed. The major factors of the millennium, therefore, include a perfect and righteous government with Christ reigning in absolute power over the entire earth. Every nation will be under His sway, and God’s purpose in originally placing man in charge of the Garden of Eden will have its ultimate fulfillment in the Last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will reign over the earth.  The prominence of Israel in the millennial scene is evidenced in many passages of the Old Testament…Gentiles who share in the kingdom blessings have unparalleled spiritual and economic benefits, and the thousand-year reign of Christ is a time of joy, peace, and blessing for the entire earth. Though problems in understanding this period persist due to the fact that there is not a complete revelation on all details, the major facts are sufficiently clear for anyone who is willing to accept the authority and accuracy of Scripture and interpret language in its ordinary sense.”

John Walvoord

Christ is coming again to rule over all. Is He, even now, the ruler of your heart?

Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.

December 26

Bible Reading: Revelation 19

Revelation 19:12, “And on his head are many diadems..”

Yesterday we celebrated the first advent of the Lord Jesus who “came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).  We are almost to the end of our reading through the New Testament.  It’s been almost a year since we began and read in the early chapters of Matthew of His first advent.  And now in this chapter, we read of His second.

It’s good for us to connect the two together.  In fact, it is impossible to rightly celebrate Christmas—in God-intended fashion, at least—apart from understanding the whole truth about Jesus Christ.  You’ve read through the narrative of Jesus’ birth.  That God in His love would condescend to our need in sending His Son is glorious truth indeed, as Martin Luther has noted: “The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.”  The nativity scene speaks to this mystery, but there is more to the story.

Jesus Christ is the CREATOR.  John 1:3, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”  This is an important truth to remember in our consideration of the import of Christmas.  The Apostle John spoke of the creator’s identity and advent when he wrote: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  The hymn writer put it this way: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.”

He was laid in a CRADLE.  Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).  In His first advent, He came in humility.  There was no place for Him in the inn.  They laid Him in a feeding trough.  He received no royal reception and was instead welcomed by shepherds and foreigners.  He lived a humble life for “He came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:5-8).

He died on a CROSS.  To fulfill the Father’s will, Jesus purposed to die on a cross for sins.  Having been delivered up, they “stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.  And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying ‘Hail, King of the Jews’” (Matthew 27:28-29)!   And as He hung there on that cross—the subject of mocking abuse—the sign above His head seemed to mock Him too.  Pilate had written the inscription.  The chief priests tried to make a change, but Pilate stood by what he wrote.  The sign was written in four languages and said, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Matthew 19:20).  It spoke the truth, though on that day He appeared to be anything but a king.

He will wear a CROWN.  He’s coming again.  The first time He came in humility, but He’s coming again in glory.  Revelation chapter 19 speaks to the events associated with His return.  He will come on a white horse to judge and make war (Revelation 19:11).  He will be accompanied by the armies of heaven (Revelation 19:14).  He will “tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Revelation 19:15).  He will be clothed in a “robe dipped in blood” symbolizing not His redemptive work, but His coming again in judgment (Revelation 19:13; Isaiah 63:3-6).  He will wear on his head “many diadems” which speak to His identity as the Sovereign ruler over all.  His robe likewise speaks to this having the name written on it, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16).  Jesus is no longer a babe in a manger.  He is the risen and returning Lord who is coming to reign forever and ever.  He exchanged His kingly crown for a crown of thorns in His first advent.  He will wear glorious crowns in His second. 

The creator of all, who flung the stars into the expanse of heaven, confined himself to cradle.  That same babe in a manger was born purposed to die.  He willingly subjected Himself to the Father’s will and gave Himself up to bear our sins.  He’s coming again, but in glory, not humility.  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him to be Lord!  Is He, even now, your Savior and Lord?  To celebrate Christmas in God-intended fashion, one must first receive Him in the entirety of His person and not just as the babe of Christmas.  To those who thus receive Him, He gives the best gift of all, “the right to become (a child) of God” (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 9:15).

Oh, can’t you see that long ago. So very far away. That Jesus Christ, our only hope. Was born the King that day!”—Scott Wesley Brown

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee.”
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.

December 25

Bible Reading: Revelation 18

Revelation 18:19-20, “And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, ‘Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth!  For in a single hour, she has been laid waste.  Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

Merry Christmas!  It appears that we’ve found ourselves today in a seemingly most “un-Christmas-like” passage of Scripture.  But I think we can turn things around, or better yet, consider how wonderfully God has worked to turn things around for those who have trusted in Jesus.  More on that at the end of our little study here.

It was nearly a century ago when the US economy experienced its dreadful stock market crash.  A Time Magazine article described the events of that day: “As the story goes, the opening bell was never heard on Black Tuesday because the shouts of ‘Sell!  Sell!  Sell!’ drowned it out.  In the first thirty minutes, 3 million shares changed hands and with them, another $2 million disappeared into thin air.  Phone lines clogged.  The volume of Western Union telegrams traveling across the country tripled.  The ticker tape ran so far behind the actual transactions that some traders simply let it run out.  Trades happened so quickly that although people knew they were losing money, they didn’t know how much.  Rumors of investors jumping out of buildings spread through Wall Street; although they weren’t true, they drove the prices down further…One trader fainted from exhaustion, was revived and put back to work.  Others got into fistfights.  The New York Stock Exchange’s board of governors considered closing the market, but decided against it, lest the move increase the panic…The market recovered for a few months and then slid again, gliding swiftly and steadily with the rest of the country into the Great Depression.  Companies incurred huge layoffs, unemployment skyrocketed, wages plummeted and the economy went into a tailspin.  While World War II helped pull the country out of a Depression by the early 1940s, the stock market wouldn’t recover to its pre-crash numbers until 1954.”

That was a bad day in the history of our country.  And from time-to-time other kingdoms and countries have experienced similar kinds of financial disasters.  Revelation chapter 18 speaks of a future political and financial collapse that will encompass the entire world.  The antichrist will exercise reign over a one-world government and one-world economy, but at the end of the Tribulation, it will all come crashing down.  J. Vernon McGee has commented on this:

“In chapters 17-18 two Babylons are brought before us.  The Babylon of chapter 17 is ecclesiastical.  The Babylon of chapter 18 is economic.  The first is religious—the apostate church which entered into the Great Tribulation Period.  The second is political and commercial…When Christ returns, political Babylon will be destroyed by the judgment of God.”

J. Vernon McGee

The judgment comes about suddenly: “In a single hour” (Revelation 19:10, 17).  The destruction will be complete, laying waste to all human wealth (Revelation 18:17).  There will be much weeping and mourning on that day.  All kinds of people will lament the destruction of Babylon: the kings of the earth; the merchants of the earth; all shipmasters and seafaring men.  Babylon will be “found no more” (Revelation 18:21).  Musicians will be heard no more.  Craftsmen will build no more.  Industry will function no more.  Light will shine in cities no more.  Social and family life will be no more.

Men plan and scheme and dream big dreams of gaining power and accumulating wealth.  But no matter how much wealth a person accumulates, none can “take anything out of this world” (1 Timothy 6:7).  There is a wealth of another kind that is bound up in Jesus and in relationship with Him.  In Him are “unsearchable riches” (Ephesians 3:8).  The message of Christmas is about the gift of God availed to us in Him.  As 2 Corinthians 8:9 reminds us: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”  The riches availed to us in Christ are “reserved in heaven” for us!  The Christ of Christmas has made it so!  If you know Jesus you possess every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), and nothing can work to steal them away! Thank you, Jesus!

You can’t take anything out of this world, but if you know Jesus, you don’t need to because you already possess unsearchable riches in Him!

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becomes poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man.