The Greatest Gift of All

 

"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 NKJV

As I took time this week to reflect on the reason we celebrate Christmas, the thought occurred to me that what a wonderful time of the year it would be for God to share another gift with us. What gift would that be? The gift of sending His Son to take us home. Like many others after suffering through this past year, more and more my thoughts are fixed on the hope that we soon will go to be with our Lord and Savior and begin to enjoy the gift He has given us, the gift of eternal life with Him. O Come, O Come Immanuel.

"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."
Luke 2:1-16 NKJV

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Refusing to Take the Vaccine

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16  NKJV

 

Now you might be wondering what this passage has to do with refusing to take the vaccine, but I would reply it depends on which virus we are talking about.  While the news today is all about Covid 19 and the new vaccines which are being rushed out, the world seems to be ignoring what I and others would consider a very important statistic.  You see, the mortality rate of Covid, depending on which statistics you wish to employ, are by all accounts much lower than we were led to expect.  Yet the entire world is focused on the new vaccines and how quickly we can all be vaccinated.  The simple truth is that while the world is focused on a virus which is only around 1% fatal, they are ignoring a virus that God tells us is 100% fatal, and that is sin.

 

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”              John 14:6  NKJV

 

I received many questions this past week concerning the decision to accept or refuse the vaccine and its implications for the body of Christ.  As you might expect, many are very hesitant to being vaccinated and have serious questions concerning not only its efficacy, but if it is really necessary to receive it in the first place, especially if one has already been exposed and has developed antibodies.  While the answers to those questions need to be determined on an individual basis, my thoughts are that this is a perfect time for the body of Christ to address the need to be vaccinated in order to escape eternity in hell by sharing the gospel of Christ.

 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”  Romans 1:16  NKJV

 

Sadly, the vast majority of churches today teach what I have termed the “gospel of the moment”.  That is, they teach whatever they feel the congregation wants to hear in order to fill the seats with happy, contented people.  Even in this time of social distancing, and churches being told they cannot meet, the message seems to be more about how to cope and how quickly we can return to normal rather than sharing the gospel.  Sadly, it is not as if God did not warn us in advance that this would happen.  In his second letter to Timothy, Paul warned of this problem in advance and explained that people would turn away from the truth of the Gospel and instead embrace the lies of the evil one.

 

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”                                   2 Timothy 4:3-4  NKJV

 

In all of his letters, Paul makes it plain that the truth of which he is speaking is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Greek word for gospel is “euaggelion”, which translates as; “gospel, the glad tidings of salvation through Christ”.  The truth is, there is only one way for mankind to be saved from eternity in Hell and that is by accepting the vaccine of salvation offered by His sacrifice on the cross for our sin. On the day of Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit had come upon the disciples, Peter makes it very clear when talking to the High Priest and his advisors that there is only one true gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”     Acts 4:12  NKJV

 

The power of the gospel of Christ was so powerful that even these who had crucified Him were forced to admit that something they could not explain had indeed occurred.  I find it curious that there is so much talk about the need to be able to identify those who have been vaccinated for Covid 19 when the Word makes it clear that those who receive the vaccine of the blood of Jesus Christ are easily recognized.

 

“But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”    Acts 4:15-16  NKJV

 

When Paul and Silas were put into prison in Philippi, a miracle occurred when God produced an earthquake which caused the doors to open and their chains to fall off.  When the jailer was about to kill himself, he was stopped by Paul and responded by asking this question;

 

“And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”    Acts 16:30-31  NKJV

 

Notice that Paul’s answer to him was the gospel of Jesus Christ, and not some of what you might hear in many churches today which teach a different “gospel”.  There is only one vaccine which is 100% effective against the wages of sin, and it is the blood of Jesus Christ.  Yet in the world today the vast majority refuse to receive the vaccine which would guarantee spending eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   When Jesus was explaining the gospel to Nicodemus He said this;

 

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”    John 3:3  NKJV

 

Jesus went on to tell him that to be born again is to be born of the Spirit, which is what happens when we choose to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is the truth of the Gospel of Christ?  That God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die on a cross for our sins.  What is required of us is to simply admit we are sinners, and believe that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin when He died on the cross.  This is what it means to be born again, and it is a gift given to us free of charge, the only requirement being we must receive and accept it.

 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9  NKJV

 

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to do it right now.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin, and believe that His Son Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin, and you will be “born again” and “have everlasting life” just as Jesus said.  If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that by praying a prayer just like this one;

 

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."  

This is the vaccine which saves mankind and is 100% effective.  Have you received it?

 

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We Are Not of This World

 

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.         John 17:14-16  NKJV

I have what many might call a "pre-covid lockdown" question for you this morning. Have you ever traveled away from your home for a short period of time?  If so, I wonder if you experienced a longing to return home just as I have.  Now I love to travel, and I made it a point to take my family on vacations every year either to visit relatives or to go camping by ourselves.  Now I find myself spending a lot of time away visiting my children as they have all left home to live in different parts of the country.  Yet as much as I may enjoy seeing my daughters, it doesn’t take very long for me to begin to miss being at home. 

Have you ever felt a longing to return home when you were away?  As much as you may have enjoyed where you were or what you were doing, you began to miss the comfort of home?  Most believers are aware that Jesus prayed in the Garden on the night of His betrayal, yet many would be hard pressed to remember what the subject of His prayer was.  That prayer is recorded for us in the seventeenth chapter of John and if you read it you will find that rather than praying for Himself, Jesus was praying for us!  One of the things Jesus tells us in His prayer, and something I feel we all need to remember and never forget is that we are not of this world.

What exactly does that mean?  I believe that Jesus wants His followers to understand that as much as we might begin to enjoy the comforts of this world and the distractions it might place before us, we are not at home here!  I have wondered a lot lately if this is the point of much of what has happened in the past year. This world is just a temporary “hotel” where we are staying before we travel home to spend eternity with our Father in Heaven.  Peter refers to this in his letter to the believers living in different parts of the country some thirty years or so after the resurrection.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.         1 Peter 1:1-2  NKJV

The word translated pilgrims in the New King James Version is the Greek word parepidēmos, and the meaning of it is as follows; one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside there by the side of the natives, a stranger, sojourning in a strange place, a foreigner, in the NT metaph. in reference to heaven as the native country, one who sojourns on earth.

You see, the very first thing Peter wants his readers to remember is that no matter where they are or what they are experiencing, they are just sojourners here on earth for a short period of time.  If you have ever experienced being homesick, you know how comforting it can be to know that your time away will come to an end.  I can remember telling my daughters when they took their first trips away from home for school functions or even sleepovers with friends and got homesick that it would be over soon and they would be back home soon.  The knowledge that their time away from home was temporary was a comfort to them, and made their time away easier.

The truth is, I can't tell you the number of believers I have heard from in the past few months who have made it abundantly clear that they are not only ready, but praying fervently for our Lord to take us home. It would appear from the many times we as believers are reminded of where our eternal home is  in scripture that God is making the point that we are only here for a short time and our real home is in Heaven with Him for eternity.  When I consider these things, I can think of at least three ways that knowledge can help us as believers living on this earth, especially in the times we are experiencing right now.

The first is simply hope.  Looking forward to what lies ahead gives us hope for tomorrow knowing what we can expect when we finally get home.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.               Hebrews 11:13  NKJV

Second, it gives us strength to fight against the temptations of this world which Satan uses to try and get us to forget what lies ahead, and to enjoy the temporary pleasures of this world.

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,                       1 Peter 2:11  NKJV

Third, it is a warning to us of what to expect from the world when it realizes that we are different, and in Jesus’ words, “not of this world”.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.             John 15:18-19  NKJV

Many believers today are experiencing troubles and hardships and persecution.  This past year has affected not only the world in general, but in many ways singled out the church, the body of Christ. The world seems to be getting increasingly hostile to those who are not of this world, and it shows no signs of getting any easier for us who believe.  If you have made the decision to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and have accepted the salvation He offers based on His sacrifice for you, you can have the comfort provided with the knowledge that you are not of this world any longer.

Your “home” is in Heaven with the Father, and your time here on earth is temporary.  We have the promises from God that our reward will be in Heaven with Him and there is nothing this world can do to take that away.  If you are homesick and wishing you could find comfort, remember what Jesus prayed for you in His prayer that night in the Garden.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”                     John 17:20-26  NKJV

If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life and to make you a part of His family, I encourage you to do it today. Simply confess to Him you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you, and believe that His Son, Jesus Christ paid the price for your salvation.  At that point you become a child of God and Heaven becomes your eternal home.  Then you can join the rest of us in the body of Christ who can joyfully say, we are not of this world.

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Anchored to the Rock

 

I want to share with you today an article I came across this past week which I enjoyed very much and which mirrors my thoughts of where we are and where we are going. Recalling the promises of God is the only way I personally can deal with the events we are seeing every day and the effect they are having on the body of Christ.  I hope you enjoy this commentary as much as I did.

 

Anchored to the Rock – Todd Hampson

Psalm 2:1-4
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

Everyone sees the world deteriorating in a myriad of ways. Unfortunately, many do not understand that this is exactly what the Bible says the world would be like near the time of the end. So much has happened in 2020 that people are just ready for the year to be over. Relatively few are aware of some gigantic prophecy-related events on the horizon which 2020 merely set the stage for. If you think 2021 is going to offer a return to normalcy after the unprecedented events of 2020, I’m afraid you’ll be blindsided by what’s coming our way.

I’ll resist launching into a commentary about how political corruption is at an all-time high, or how our country is weakening before our eyes. Neither of those are exaggerations by the way. Regardless of party or candidate—if we don’t have a reliable voting system, we no longer have a democracy consisting of “we the people”. I’ll also resist addressing (for now) the globalists planned “Great Reset” in June of 2021 (although many key developments we’re witnessing in the West are directly connected to that coming event). In this particular article, there’s something much more encouraging I’d like to focus on and it is this:

God is still on the throne.

God is not pacing in the throne room wondering what to do next. He is sovereign over all things. God raises up and puts down leaders. His ways are high above our ways and everything God allows moves history along to its prophesied end. Perhaps God wants us American Christians to put our trust solely in God, rather than our comfort and security. He is enough. Actually, God is MORE than enough.

Whatever we might face in the coming years, God is allowing it. Perhaps we’ll face strong persecution. Perhaps the world will get worse and our light will shine brighter. Perhaps the Lord will come to take his Bride home and we’ll finally be raptured out of this corrupt world with its impending globalism, lawlessness, upside down thinking, and strong delusion. Regardless of what lies ahead we must trust in Christ alone like never before. He is our only real security and he is all we need.

In Exodus 17 as Joshua led the people to fight the Amalekites, the Israelites were winning as long as Moses held up his staff. Apparently the battle went on for a long time and as Moses’s hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur provided a stone for Moses to sit on as they held up his weary arms. When studying this passage, I’ve always focused on the help from Aaron and Hur as they held up Moses’ arms. But recently I noticed the other key detail—Moses sat on a rock. This may seem inconsequential, but I don’t believe it is. Every detail in Scripture is there for a purpose.

Earlier in the same chapter of Exodus we have the account of Moses striking the rock and water gushing out of it. Later (in Numbers 20) Moses struck another rock twice for water to pour out, but God chastised Moses because he was only supposed to speak to the rock. For this reason, Moses could not enter the promised land. This seems harsh until we realize that God was using the rock as a prophetic foreshadow of the Messiah. We read this in 1 Corinthians 10:4, “They drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” Jesus was only struck once. He died once for all (Romans 6:10). Psalm 118:22 tells us, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

So, Moses sat on the rock. His foundation was Christ. Jesus picks up on this theme in his parable of the wise builder in Matthew 7. If you’ll recall, the foolish builder constructed his house on sand while the wise builder assembled his on the rock. The wise builder drove down deep until he hit bedrock to which he anchored his foundation. Both builders had the same construction materials. Both builders faced the same storm. The only difference was the wise builder had his foundation anchored to the Rock. Jesus is our firm foundation. Unshakable.

Here’s the practical application question we need to consider in the context of the coming year—2021. What are we anchored to? Are we anchored to Jesus, the unshakable one? Or, have we placed our trust in the unstable and temporary things of the world (people, politics, candidates, money, comfort, our country, etc.)? Will we face even tougher times? We might, but if we are anchored to the Rock we will not be shaken. If Jesus is not shaken, neither should we be. What if the worst happens? What if (insert your worst case scenario here) actually comes to pass in our lifetime—or even in the next year? Will it occur apart form God allowing it to? No. Will we still be able to live out our calling in this generation? Yes.

In times like these, we need to make sure we truly believe verses like Romans 8:28 or Psalm 139:16. As we head into the unknown of 2021, let’s take stock in what really matters and evaluate what we are really trusting in. Regardless of what lies in our immediate future, we can’t lose sight of God’s sovereignty and his appointed times.

We should not be surprised that the world is headed full-speed in the direction of last-days developments. Perhaps we’re closer to the rapture than most people realize. Perhaps there is yet more time and we’ll have to face tougher circumstances than in 2020. In either scenario (rapture or growing persecution and lawlessness) God is in control. In either case, God will guide us. In either case, we are destined for this moment. In either case, we must anchor deeply into bedrock. In either case, we must share the fantastic news of the cross with a lost world while we still can.

As believers we must not live like practical atheists. If we say we believe God is on the throne; if we say that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; if we say we trust God with our lives and the future; if we say that we believe God is ultimately in control of all things; if we say we believe what the Bible says about where all of this is headed—then we can live with joy, hope, courage, faith, and perseverance even now. We must not let the deteriorating world conditions get us down. Fear and faith cannot occupy the same space. Trust and anxiety are polar opposites. My first pastor used to say, “Worry is a Christian sin.” When we worry, we are not trusting God (see Matthew 6:25-34 and Proverbs 3:5-6.)

Let’s rise up to be the Church that God intended for us to be at this moment in history. Though our number is shrinking in the West, we (along with believers everywhere) are still the salt and light of the World. We still have the guidance and enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We are still called to such a time as this. Don’t give up now. Seize this moment with our promised future in mind. You’ll be glad you did.

The darker the night, the brighter the light. As our spiritual eyes adjust to the darkness, let’s shift our gaze from the shiny things of the world to the leading light of Christ who provides just enough light for us to take the next step of faith. Believer—it is time for your Christian faith to be more real, more raw, more grounded, and more authentic than it has ever been. Let’s rise to the occasion and sprint to the finish line together. Perhaps the rapture is soon—but if not, we must be tethered to the unshakable Rock of Christ and stand firm in these truly unprecedented times.

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

http://toddhampson.com/anchored-to-the-rock/

 

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