"Therefore the Lord himself..."

“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 ESV)

This is a verse we often hear around Christmas time. We usually focus on the latter half of this verse and speak of Immanuel—“God with us”. But let’s explore the first half of Isaiah 7:14—“the Lord himself” and find another place in Scripture where God and “himself” are closely associated.

Back in the Old Testament, Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice His own son Isaac as a test of Abraham’s faith in Him. Abraham obeyed. 

While things were getting prepared, unknowing his father’s intention, Isaac saw the wood, he saw the fire, but saw something missing. He asked his father, “Where’s the lamb?”

Abraham replied, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8 ASV)

These were prophetic words. 

Seeing his faith, God held Abraham back from sacrificing Isaac. Instead God provided a ram, caught by its horns in the thicket, to sacrifice.

Seeing us, our sinful state, our hopeless-on-our-own selves, God had a plan. He would provide Himself to save us. He. Himself. Jesus. Eventually caught in the thicket of a crown of thorns. Immanuel. God with us.

What does this mean to you? How does our belief in God sending Himself distinguish itself from all other faiths in the world? What good news do you find in “God will provide Himself the Lamb”? How may you share why Christmas is so merry to those who do not yet know Jesus?

Ready...Set...GO!

Ready?

As we wait for something we hope for (remembering Jesus’ coming to the world as a baby)…

We prepare.

We ready ourselves.

We remind ourselves of that in which we hope for and why we hope for it.

Peter wrote, “Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 (ERV)

ARE YOU READY?

Are you prepared to explain the hope you have in Jesus?

We have a simple tool for you—The Bridge!

Read through it multiple times to become familiar with it.

Practice sharing this with a friend.

Take turns with it in your small group.

Memorize the Bible verses.

Then share it with that friend of yours who does not know Jesus but who needs the same hope you have and need.

Ready…

Set…

“Go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (ERV)

The following is also featured in http://twentydaysofchristmas.weebly.com/. 

What Are You Waiting For?

Below is my writing contribution to the December 7 devotion of 20 Days of Christmas. 

What are you waiting for?

In the season of Advent, we await the birth of Jesus, or rather we await the remembrance of Jesus’ birth.

Why wait? Why not skip Advent and jump right to Christmas? What’s the point in waiting?

Waiting makes the heart grow fonder.

Waiting prepares us for what we hope for.

Waiting forces us to examine ourselves (our motives, our wants, our desires).

Waiting grows our patience.

Waiting builds our trust in God.

(What else would you add?)

What does the Bible say on waiting?

• "As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me."  Micah 7:7 (NLT)

• "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31(ESV)

• "I truly believe I will live to see the Lord’s goodness. Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help." Psalm 27:13-14 (NCV)

• "Meanwhile, the Eternal One yearns to give you grace and boundless compassion; that’s why He waits. For the Eternal is a God of justice. Those inclined toward Him, waiting for His help, will find happiness." Isaiah 30:18 (VOICE)

• "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

What are you waiting for?

How does waiting grow your heart for Jesus?

Beyond Advent, as we await Jesus’ 2^nd coming, how does waiting prepare how you live your life for Him every day?

How does waiting on Jesus force you to examine yourself?

How does waiting grow your patience?

How does waiting build your trust in God?

Which of your responses reveal where you have the most room to grow in the area of waiting? In what ways do you believe God is growing you spiritually through this waiting period? Discuss these questions with a friend. Pray for one another as you both wait on Jesus.

Me in Jesus - Day 4 of 10

Impossible (right?!) for a butterfly to revert back to a caterpillar? So are we to understand who we are in Jesus.

That person who you were, your regretful past, your sins, ALL gone in Jesus! You can want to not forgive yourself. You can want to hold onto and dwell on the past. But that would be of your own doing and choosing. 

In God's eyes, because of what Jesus did on the cross for you, your old self is gone. Gone. Gone. Gone!

In Jesus you ARE a new creation. So what does this mean for your life moving forward? What are the implications? How are you encouraged? Who in your life needs this reminder as well?

Watch the following for a fun way to remember the good news of 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Me in Jesus - Day 3 of 10

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

Plans will go awry.

People will disappoint.

Misfortune will come.

But one thing...the only thing we can always count on is the love of Jesus!

His plan for you is perfect.

He will always be in your corner.

In Him is found true joy.

What does this assurance, the love of God known in Christ Jesus, mean to you? What could this assurance mean to another?

Be comforted by Citzen Way's Nothing Ever (Could Separate Us):

Me in Jesus - Day 2 of 10

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1 ESV)

Familiar with "junk files"?

Every time you use your computer, junk files are made. They are created when you open a document. They are created when you browse the internet. Just powering your computer up and shutting it down creates junk files. 

There are 2 main problems with junk files: 1) They take up a lot of disk space; 2) They slow down your computer. For these reasons junk files should be deleted from your computer on a regular basis. I'll let you google yourself on how to delete junk files, but it is an easy process--only takes a few click. 

Now what about the junk, the times we blew it, the past sins, in our lives? They can take up space inside us--filling us with guilt, regret, etc. They also slow us down from being whom God created us to be. 

Thankfully, Jesus did something about this! He died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead defeating sin and death. Because of Jesus' work, our sins, our past, is wiped clean. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Even though this is a truth about who we are as followers of Jesus, I think we need the reminder. I need the reminder. The church in Rome to whom Paul wrote needed the reminder.

How has your past taken up too much residence in your life? How has your past slowed your life down and kept you from being whom God created you to be?

Read Romans 8:1 over and over again. Hold on to this truth. Let this truth take prominent space in your heart and mind. Let this truth free you to move forward in life, to live your life for Jesus, to share this good news with all you encounter.

Sit back, be refreshed, be reminded and soak in Andrea Hamilton's song No Condemnation:

Me in Jesus - Day 1 of 10

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4 ESV)

Most of this 10-day devotional is about assurances--assurances of the truth as to who we are in Jesus. These assurances knock down the lies we tell ourselves and/or the deceptions we allow the evil one to whisper in our ears. 

Your baptism into Jesus was more than a "thing" you did. It was more than a symbolic ritual that happened to your life. It was more than a proclamation of faith. Your baptism into Jesus was transformational! Your baptism was God changing your life--all His work--100% credit goes to Him. The power of this life change, what made it all possible, flowed out of Jesus dying for your sins and being raised from the dead. Jesus did this so that we would walk in newness of life.

If you were baptized into Jesus, you have a new life--the old is gone! That is the truth as to who you are! There was something in the water which changed your life forever. 

Watch Carrie Underwood's music video Something in the Water. Listen to the lyrics carefully. In the song, where do you find God's work in baptism? What hope does Carrie reflect upon regarding her being baptized into Christ? What encouragement do you find in Carrie's testimony? How may you walk in newness of life with the hope and promise God gifted you through baptism? (And if you believe in Jesus, have faith in Him, but have not been baptized, what's stopping you from receiving this amazing grace gift?)