Author: David Ashworth

Isaiah 40:3-5:
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

When I hear the words of Isaiah 40:5 I cannot help but think of the work of George Frederik Handel and his great masterpiece “Messiah”. Many know the most famous of the songs from the oratorio, “The Hallelujah Chorus.” “Messiah” was written by Handel to tell the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. The very first chorus in the entire work is the musical quotation of Isaiah 40:5. As the choir sings for the first time the beauty of both the music and the prophecy is seen.

The book of Isaiah contains many of the prophecies that tell of the coming Messiah that would save the nation of Israel. While Israel waited for a great political leader that would free them from Roman captivity, God’s plan was not of earthly gain but of a heavenly nature. Verse 3 prophesies regarding John the Baptist. A voice that would prepare the way for the Messiah, a voice crying in the wilderness. The heralding of the King of Kings declares the glory of the Lord revealed to all humanity, Jesus! 

Prophecy is so important in the story of Christ. There were many throughout history that may have fulfilled some of the prophecies given regarding the Messiah. There was only one and has only ever been one that fulfilled all the prophecies. Christ came and everything that had been foretold many years before came to pass, and was fulfilled in His time on earth. Christ was Emmanuel, God with us! The God of all creation came to earth and humbled Himself for us. There is no greater narrative. There is no greater demonstration of love. There is no greater grace, than what God shows us.

We reflect on the past birth of Christ and the future coming of Christ and we must herald Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our lives. As the scriptures are sung in the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s masterpiece, He, Jesus, shall reign forever and ever, and we get the privilege of living our lives for His glory to prepare the way of the Lord, for his return, to gather us to Him. The glory of the Lord was revealed to us, through Jesus, and we now prepare for the return of the King.

Video of the Academy of Ancient Music performing
“And the Glory of the Lord” from Handel’s “Messiah”

This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with Your presence from the very start.
As I prepare for the holidays and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave when You sent Your Son from Heaven.

The first Christmas gift, it was the greatest gift ever.
You came as a baby born in a manger.
Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree,
Waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me.

Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus’ birth,
when He left the riches of Heaven and wrapped Himself in rags of earth.
Immanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night.
And angels announced, “Into your darkness, God brings His Light.”

“Do not be afraid,” they said, to shepherds in the field.
Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield.
Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to Your call.
Setting distractions and worries aside, to You I surrender them all.

Surround me with Your presence, Lord, I long to hear Your voice.
Clear my mind of countless concerns and all the holiday noise.
Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush.
In the midst of parties and planning, I want to feel Your hush.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart.
Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part.
Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Lord. It’s in Your wonderful Name I pray.

– Renee Swope, “The Manger of My Heart” from Proverbs 31 Ministries

Sources:

• https://handelhendrix.org/learn/learning-resources/gcse-set-works/and-the-glory-of-the-lord-from-handels-messiah/
• Reformation Study Bible ESV Isaiah 40:3-5
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

What is hope? We say we hope for so many things in our lives and the lives of others. We hope that we get that job we want, we hope that we get a nice car, we hope that neighbor that revves the engine of his truck at 1am moves…. we hope for so many things both good and bad but what does hope truly mean?

There are several different definitions for Hope but in this instance, we use the following definition, “Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well-founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a scriptural sense.” (Noah Websters Dictionary) While we look back at Christ’s birth we hope in a savior that is coming again to bring us to Him. While the world crumbles around us we have hope in the knowledge that this is not our home. We are strangers in a strange land, but Jesus is preparing an eternal home for us.

Hope is something that we cling to, that we embrace. Hope is our eternal rest. We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that He keeps His promises. (Heb 13:8) That He who started a work in us will be faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6) and that if we sow and we work the harvest we will reap it at the proper time. (Galatians 6:9). 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12) but we can rest peacefully in the Hope that we have in Christ. As we continue to celebrate and remember Christ’s birth and His second coming, we have hope in a risen savior who loves us. A God that demonstrated His love for us that while we were still dead and depraved in our sin, Christ came to earth and died for us (Romans5:8), so that we could be born a 2nd time and be adopted into the family of God. What peace it is to have the hope of Christ in our lives.

“Father, just as You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus,
me to clear the path in my heart, too. Show me the distractions in my life that block me
from all-out worship of You this Advent. Lord, I await Your coming! As I celebrate the first Advent––the first coming––I look toward the day where I will see You face to face
 I imagine what it will be like. Give me a heart, Lord, that looks for Your coming on a daily basis. Help me to live my life where I’m constantly seeking Your presence.
My offering to You today is my righteous life for I know I am only clean because of Jesus.
Show me today how I need to be refined, purified, forgiven.
Give me the strength to ask for forgiveness and to then change my ways.”
~Sarah Martin, from “The Awe & Wonder of Advent: Day 18”

 

Sources:

• http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/hope
• Reformed Study Bible Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (ESV)
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html

What is Advent? We see the proliferation of advent calendars at the stores at Christmas time, normally involving chocolate, or perhaps cheese or even wine. Commercially it is looked at as a countdown to Christmas, with most calendars beginning on Dec 1st and Ending on Dec 24th. The true meaning of Advent and its origins is actually more spiritual than chocolate candies.

Advent is derived from the Latin “adventus” which means “coming.” This is a translation of the Greek word “Parousia” which is usually used, in theology, to reference Christ’s second coming. Advent originally had little to do with Christmas but was thought by scholars to be a 40-day period of fasting and penance leading to new Christian baptisms for the Feast of Epiphany. It is believed by the 6th century that Advent had been tied to preparation and anticipation of Christ’s second coming by the Roman Catholic Church. It was not until the middle ages that Advent was linked to Christ’s first coming and birth.

Advent stretches across the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. During this time, we, as the Church, look back at Christ’s birth and His first coming, while also looking ahead to Christ’s second coming, and the redemption and peace that will be brought to earth. The first two Sundays are dedicated to looking ahead to Christ’s triumphant return, while the last two Sundays are dedicated to remembering His birth. Often these 4 Sundays are broken down into 4 topics: Hope (or promise), preparation (waiting or prophecy), Joy (peace), Love (adoration).  

These topics culminate into the final topic on Christmas Eve of Adoration: the worship and adoration of an almighty, sovereign, God that put-on flesh and humbled Himself to be born as a baby. To walk through the same trials and temptations that we walkthrough, and to ultimately pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins on a cross. Then, to rise again, with the keys to death and hell in His hands, so that the gap between us and God could be bridged, and we could have a right relationship with God again. With this hope, preparation, joy, love, and adoration are all found in the perfect work of Christ. I pray we keep this joy in our hearts as we walk through this season of celebration and as we not only look back at Christ’s birth but look ahead to His second coming for His church.

“Father, I want this holiday season to be filled with light instead of darkness.
Please help me discard my emotional masks and
be real before You as well as my family and friends.
Father, help me make this holiday season an offering
of praise to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
~Mary Southerland, from “Turning Christmas Chaos into Christmas Joy” from Girlfriends in God

 

Sources: 

• https://www.christianity.com/christian-life/christmas/what-is-advent.html
• https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/advent-bible-verses/
• https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/what-are-advent-readings.html
• https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.html
• https://uribrito.com/remember-the-sabbath-day/

Joseph probably had his life all planned out. He was set to marry, have children, settle into his carpentry business. It would be a good life. Then Mary gave him some news that rocked his whole world. He could have handled it in any number of ways, but Joseph was a good man who did not want to publicly disgrace his bride. His first thought was a “quiet” divorce. But after the angel appeared to him, Joseph was obedient and followed through with the marriage. 

You see, God not only chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother, but he also chose Joseph to be his earthly father. Nothing about it would be easy, but Joseph willingly took on the responsibility of raising Jesus as his son. 

Think about that. What if Joseph had taken on the task grudgingly? What if he had resented that he had to raise someone else’s child, or that Mary’s firstborn was not from him? What if he gave his other children more love and respect than he gave Jesus? He was obedient to God by doing what the angel instructed, but he could have done it unwillingly and with a poor attitude. But instead, Joseph worked to provide for Jesus. He loved and cared for him, as we see when Jesus went missing as a child, and Joseph was worried and frantic looking for him (Luke 2:48). 

There is not a lot written about Joseph in the Bible, but his was not a minor role. He had one of the most important jobs anyone could ever have. His obedience and willingness serve as an example to all of us. 

It is important that we are obedient to what God calls us to do. We can either do it willingly as Joseph did, or we can do it grudgingly. God’s purposes will be accomplished either way, but how much happier will we be if we serve Him joyfully? God loves a cheerful giver. In this season of giving, let’s give God our best, our willing hearts. 

Psalm 100:2 NASB “Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before Him with joyful singing.”

There was a video that came out roughly 15 years ago demonstrating “inattentional blindness.”  You may remember the video.  

In the video, there were two teams of 4.  One dressed in white shirts and the other dressed in black shirts.  The video challenges you to count the number of times the white-shirted team passes the ball.  After 30 seconds, the video reveals that the white shirt team passes the ball 13 times.

However, there was a surprise question, “Did you see the moonwalking bear?”  And most certainly, the first time I watched the video, I did not see the bear.  I was counting passes, but as the video played again, ignoring the passing this time, plain as day, a man in a bear suit does some horrible break dancing right in the middle of the screen and I was too busy distracted by something else to see it.

It reveals something about human vision.  What scientists understand is that we have a small area of real focus and most of our vision is peripheral or low res.  We save our limited focus on the things we perceive to be important or occupying.

It’s how we deal with the extreme complexity of our modern world:  We pick our focus and everything else outside of focus becomes low res or peripheral.  It is how we keep our sanity in daily life.  If the internet has proven anything, it has proven that we cannot handle too much information.  We do not process it well. We were never meant to be all-knowing.  That is only left to God.

Our problems are this way:  We detect the obstacle, the pain, and the challenge.  We hyper-focus there and sometimes, we don’t see a way out.  But with this understanding of how we view life, sometimes the answer can be right in front of us, but we just can’t see it.

How many times has Jesus looked at Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the Law and revealed to them that they were blind?  It’s not that they couldn’t see physically, but this blindness is based on focusing on the wrong thing but missing the greater thing.

If we could be honest, how often, as we look back on our lives, have we suffered from the same blindness?  Do we remember the seasons where we focused on what we wanted, knowing now it had nothing to do with what we needed?  Was the right thing in plain view, but maybe we just didn’t see it?

The end of the dancing bear video has a simple message that means so much more in light of what we are studying:

“It’s easy to miss something you are not looking for.”

It’s the warning of Jesus to the world.  We will miss the Gospel or receive it.  It will come into view or we will focus on the wrong thing.  It will all come down to what we are truly looking for in our lives.

Have you ever wanted something to happen so bad but when it didn’t happen, you almost became depressed?  It was as if life was against you and the result was the nothing you started with.  Many look at life as the great defeat with lost hopes and dreams and even losing people they loved whether through death or the ending of a relationship.  It’s enough to destroy a person if the person allows life to do such a thing to them.

The Bible declares through the Gospel that there is a greater dream that is available for every person.  The idea of life after death, a good one, where no matter what happens in this life, the hope Christians hold to is one where when this life completely disappoints us, whether in success or failure, there is something greater coming.

What we read in Matthew 25 is that there is going to be a time of waiting.  We are called to live life now, not for ourselves, but for Christ.  But in that living, we are waiting for the renewal of all things.  

The question is: What does it mean for a Christian to faithfully wait for Christ?  Three major answers come to mind:

Holding to faith: Knowing that faith is the lifeblood of the believer.  In the context of Matthew 25, the bridegroom is not yet seen, but faith becomes the confidence that we will see Jesus.

Holding to hope:  Hope is learning to see what is in us before we see what is around us.  At some point or at multiple points in our life what is around us will attempt to rob our hope.

Staying true:  As we look at the virgins in this chapter, the world around us will tempt us from our relationship with God.  We have got to stay true to Christ while tempted not to.

These are practical means by which we wait, holding in faith to the return of Jesus.  Waiting in a Christian sense is far from sitting idle and doing nothing.  It is living out the Christian life and staying true to the one who has saved us.

Dreams in this life may come and go, but there are things that cannot be taken from you as we look to Christ. In our context today, faithfulness and hope are things you cannot be robbed of.  You can only give them away.

I could never tell you for sure what you will face in your life, but I can tell you for sure that God loves you, Jesus is returning and in the end, no matter what you lose here, what you have in the end is all you will ever need or want if you are in Christ… so we wait.

Matthew 24:37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Eating and drinking and marriage are normal things and normal occurrences.  But our day is going to be interrupted.  Jesus will enter the scene and break up our day and the future. But understand something about these words.  It is almost a picture of a people distracted with day-to-day life.  They are caught unaware.  Life’s struggles, demands, schedules and pace keep them from what God wants them to focus on and they are caught unaware when Jesus returns.

The use of days of Noah in this analogy is one where Noah represents Christians who are ready. In the days of Noah, there were two parties represented in this:  the people unaware and Noah.  Noah now represents the person who knows the season and represents one who follows God with all his heart.  It is a picture of every Christian who lives their life with a sense of urgency.  There is no room in faith for casual Christianity.  

We will never casually prepare well for a catastrophe.  That is not how we prepare.  It is intentional effort driven by real concern. Jesus declares that every generation is intended to be living with the urgency the end brings, yet we do not. We get lost in the day when we should not.  We open our phones and computers, and we confuse information with wisdom when the two are dramatically different from each other.  We prioritize one life over another.  We act like this life is all there is and death is the end when the Bible declares that this life is temporary and eternity is forever and we often choose to place our focus on the wrong life.

Noah is distinguished from the rest of the world in that he lives a different life following a different set of rules.  It also shows that while Noah was one person, most of the world will not be ready when Jesus returns.  Only Noah and his family enter the ark.  

The warning of Jesus is to live with the sense of urgency that the Christian life brings.  Every Christian in every generation should prepare for the day when Jesus catches the whole world off guard. It is in this mindset that the Christian is prepared for the day when Jesus changes everything.

Imagine this end-times scene:  false messiahs, false messages, lawlessness, death, war and more than we would ever want to face in our lives.  In Matthew 24, the scene is so bad that it says the love of many will grow cold.

So how do we survive?  If we had to face all these things there is one word that possesses our greatest need during the tribulation.  It is not “love,” but love is contained within it.  It is not “strength,” but strength is found in it.  It is not “hope,” but we can find hope in it.

What is the word we are looking for that will see us through a season like this?  The word is “truth.”  This word is dividing because there is one truth:  God’s truth expressed in His Word.  It is in truth that we find the love of God, the strength and reason to make it through and we are given hope, no matter what happens in our lives.

We live in a society that has discarded truth for personal preference.  Society has made personal preference so valuable that we now call it personal truth as if elevating our perspective makes us the authority of the lives God has authored.

The point of making it through is not about coping.  It is about holding to truth and in this, finding yourself holding to Jesus.  Some may cope on their own, but they find themselves lost within everything that is going to happen and all the lies spoken within this season.  At some point, people will either attempt to determine truth or yield to God’s established truth.

For the believer living out the truth, God’s truth, truth now becomes the compass and despite what is happening, a Christian experiences the reality of living for something greater.  You will never be strong enough or informed enough in worldly knowledge to find what you are looking for at the end of this life.  The person who yields to the reality and direction of Jesus finds everything they were hoping for and more.  The promise of the Bible is more than ease or comfort, it is truth.

How you treat your Bible matters.  Everything you have ever needed to know is found in this book.  It is the truth you are looking for.  Your life is what it is intended to be when you know the Word, live by it and as a result, learn what it means to live for God and enjoy His benefits.

At the end of his days, Solomon exhausts every pleasure of this life that he can find.  He observes the world to the fullest and his ending thought is simply this:

 Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

This is how we live.  This is how we find something greater than this life knowing we are in God’s hands.

The great sin of the Pharisees was losing sight of God in the issues of fame, fortune, pleasure and power. They wanted to be recognized.  The gold in the temple became more important than the temple, convenience and living over others was what their religion produced.

The Pharisees were lost in self-promotion.  It was actually required.  Pharisees had to maintain social standing in the community, be seen in the right places, dressed the right way, be recognized for who they are to maintain influence.

Not much has changed.  Social media has fostered this same world of self-promotion where people seem to compete for attention. In the early years of social media, people had to have something to say, whether on a blog or message board, but now you just need the right look or share the right video to be recognized.  You can promote your movies, books and causes, just to show the world that you are relevant.

A pastor and his family took his daughter to Italy for her senior trip.  For a pastor, this was a treasure, to see the Colosseum and the Forum in Rome.  He had been there before, but every time was special. This trip was different.  He hadn’t been in a few years and rather than people taking pictures of sites, people were posing using a selfie stick.  After several minutes of getting the right picture, the volume of people backed up at all the tourist sites.

The out-of-touch pastor didn’t understand why people would be getting glamour shots in front of the arch of Titus missing the significance of the monument, or the Colosseum…  His daughter tried to explain:

“Dad, it’s bragging rights. They’re taking selfies to prove to everyone where they’ve been. That’s far more important these days.”

To which the pastor replied, “It’s all about image, isn’t it?”

She continued to explain the social dynamics of our world to her out-of-touch father, ending her little tutorial with a wry smile and saying, “To be seen is the only thing that matters.” 

The pastor looked back to see the gang of tourists with their selfie sticks, posing in front of the arch of Titus, ignoring the dramatic scene of the aftermath of the destruction of Jewish temple in AD 70 carved in the wall, wondering what the ancient people of Jerusalem who suffered the tragedy would have thought of the charade. 

Then, with the words of Jesus echoing in my ears, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matt 23:12) (Reeves)1

Maybe we are not as different from Pharisees as we think…  Maybe God is calling us beyond our own fame to live for His glory. Maybe this is not about Mark Zuckerberg changing Facebook.  Social media is successful because it caters to our hearts.  Maybe it’s time for us to take a moment and look at who we really are.

1. Matthew, Story of God, Bible Commentary, Rodney Reeves

Let us look at what was written by Robert Murray McCheyne to the Rev. Dan Edwards on 2 October 1840 after his ordination as a missionary to the Jews: 

‘I trust you will have a pleasant and profitable time in Germany. I know you will apply hard to German; but do not forget the culture of the inner man,—I mean of the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. 

‘Remember you are God’s sword,—His instrument,—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.’ – Robert McCheyne to Dan Edwards, 1840

This idea of holiness is something that escapes us. We see it as something God is, but we don’t see it as something we are.  

1 Peter 2:9 ESV But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

However, we look in the mirror and we say, “I’m not holy.”  

And to be honest, if the mirror is all you have, then you are right.  You and I are NOT holy because of what is in the mirror.

To really understand this idea of holiness, we must go back to the Old Testament.  Israel was chosen by God as a holy nation or a “set apart” nation.  

God gives Israel specific instructions in how to live and in these instructions regarding the temple, there were specific cleansing procedures to set items apart for sacred use. The holiness of God was intended to be on display in the lives of the people He had chosen.

Leviticus 19:2 ESV “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Holiness is something given to us by God.  It is maintained in us by His grace and we are called to walk in the ways commanded us as believers. Just as instruments were cleansed in the Old Testament for holy use, believers were cleansed by the cross for holy use.

We are not holy because we are great.  We are made holy because God is great.  Jesus is the sacrifice that made us holy and it is this that will allow us to enter a holy city before a holy God for all eternity.  In declaring our holiness, it is not declaring our goodness.  It is declaring God’s hand in our life.