A favorite praise tune we sing at church, “Imannuel”, is one of my favorites. When we sing it, I often wonder if all of our members are aware of it’s message. Do they know that the word means “God is with us”? The word “Imannuel”, (some modern versions of the Bible spell it “Emannuel” or “Emanuel”) appears only 3 times in the Bible, twice in Isaiah, and once in Matthew, the most notable being Isaiah 7:14, which reads: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Most bible scholars, of course, know this is one more prophecy which speaks about the birth of the coming Messaiah. (Jesus)
This prophecy was given first to an unbelieving Ahaz, king of Judah. At the time, Jerusalem, it’s capitol, was surrounded and about to be attacked by forces much greater than they. Because of it, Ahaz and his people were gripped with fear. Therefore, God, in His mercy, sent Isaiah to the unbelieving king to tell them that the invasion would not occur, that He would defend them. Because of his unbelief, the prophet informed the king he could ask any sign whatsoever from God to confirm it’s reality, Ahaz refused, stating that he did not want to tempt God, but the Lord knew it was really unbelief. Regardless of how difficult things appeared to His people, God wanted to remind them that He was with them. Because Ahaz never really believed, he and his people missed out on all the good things God had for them’
During the Christmas season in particular, I think often of “Immanuel.” Ahaz never got it, but I know that in spite of all the negative things we see and hear on a daily basis, “God is with us.” Many people around the world feel especially lonely during the Christmas season. They hear of all the families which spend time together at this time, some coming home from far and wide just to be together. May I remind you that on the very first Christmas, Joseph and Mary had no family or friends with them. Yet, I bet they knew that God was with them. In fact, He was closer to Mary than we can humanly understand or appreciate. I pray none of you will feel alone and forgotten this Christmas. I trust, that, unlike Ahaz, you don’t miss out on the comfort, joy, and peace that should always characterize our every Christmas. If you know the One who was born in a stable a little over two thousand years ago, you know that He is with you. After all, He is Immanuel.
God’s word for today: (Micah 5:2) “But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
I’m sure many of you agree that the world’s concept of Christmas or the observance and celebration of it are quite different than yours. Because of it, some of you may not even believe that “its the most wonderful time of the year” as a popular Christmas song suggests. If you are indeed one of those who has soured a bit on it because of the world’s treatment of it, I trust you will let me share with you some of the beautiful thoughts I get every time I read God’s account of the “real” Christmas story.
For starters, the gifts the Wise Men presented in honor of the Newborn King, were in practicality very helpful to His poor earthly parents. A common argument of many Christmas nay sayers is that “if it is Jesus’ birthday, why are we getting the gifts?” I choose to believe that, just like the Wise Men, when we gift gifts to others, we are actually emulating and honoring God. After all, His gift to the world was motivated by His great love for it. The best known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, reminds us: “For God so loved the world that He gave.” Because we are all created in His image, (see Genesis 1:27) we also present our gifts mostly because of our love either for people or for giving alone.
Secondly, the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth revealed God’s purpose in it, that is, that the news would be a source of “joy” to all people (Luke 2:10) and would manifest His good will toward men. (Luke 2:14) God has not changed. He never will. I believe He still wants His peace and joy to bring people together, especially in the Christmas season.. Unfortunately, many people, including Christians, are not united in the observance and celebration of it. They have permitted the world’s erroneous concept and celebration of Christmas rob them of the joy and peace God wanted to give the world through His Son in the first place. They are like the people in Jeremiah’s day that would blame their dissatisfaction on others. Because of it, God told the prophet to tell His people this: Warn my people to not use this refrain anymore: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” ( Jer. 31:29) I hope you will not permit what the world or others do with Christmas ruin yours. Enjoy it! Enjoy the food, lights, decorations, etc.. It does not have to be expensive gifts or even gifts at all, but give somebody you love something. A warm embrace, something you baked, or expressions of love to others are oftentimes the best gifts anyway. Let Christmas be “the most wonderful time of the year”, but not because the song says it. Let it be special because it reminds you of the One for whom this time of the year is named.
I read once that the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were so excited on the day when they finally succeeded in keeping their homemade airplane in the air that they rushed a telegram to their sister in Dayton, Ohio, telling of this great accomplishment. This was the message in their telegram to their sister on December 17,1903: "First sustained flight today, fifty-nine seconds. Hope to be home by Christmas." Upon receiving the news the sister was so excited about the news that she rushed to the newspaper office and gave the telegram to the editor The next morning the newspaper headline read, "Popular Local Bicycle Merchants To Be Home For Holidays." One of the greatest stories of the twentieth century was missed because an editor missed the point. He could only see that two prominent residents would be coming home for the holidays. He did not not see that the news really meant that men could now fly.
Is it not the same with the world today? Did John not write: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:4) and “He came unto His own, and His own received him not.”? (John 1:11) Is it not obvious to you that, to many people, Christmas only means time off from work, delicious foods and goodies, lights, trees, decorations and huge sales everywhere? All these things are great. I enjoy them; I hope you do too. However, these are only fringe benefits and part of a greater package. I love this line from an old popular Christmas song: “And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.” You see, Jesus could not have eventually gone to the cross to save us from sin, had he not first been born. Apart from living forever, this is what Jesus’ birth also meant: No longer did people have to live a life without hope; lost sinners could be saved, forgiven, redeemed and transformed. If that is not something to rejoice about; if that is not enough to fill our hearts with comfort and joy, I don’t know what is.
One more thing: As great as the news was for the Wright brothers’ sister, I wonder if she was more excited that they had become the inventors of flight or that they would be coming home for Christmas. What excites you more about Christmas? What means more to you: the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem, or the day He was born in your heart?
Music fascinates me, as do musical instruments. When I hear a symphony or an orchestra, I get goose bumps, sometimes even tears of joy. I remember a few years back, at a middle school concert. I was surprised at how good they sounded. To me, they sounded about as good as professionals. Then, this thought hit me: We did not get to hear the varsity band play immediately after. If I had heard them play, my first impression of the middle school group may have changed a bit. Here’s the thing: though I love music, as well as almost every musical instrument, it is not in my area of expertise. For example, I may hear a trumpet solo that sounds fantastic to me, but if a professional trumpet player is sitting in the same audience, he may think: “Boy, this poor fellow needs a lot of practice!”
I was reminded of this point recently while attending a funeral service. I presumed there were some in the audience that were touched or impressed with the words of the presiding minister. If they knew or were familiar with the true gospel, however, they would have instead been turned off. To some poor folks, anybody’s sweet sounding words will do. The problem here is that they will get very little benefit from it, especially in a funeral message. Many of the folks in a funeral need genuine hope, comfort, and more importantly, the truth. I can recall many funeral addresses of the past where the speaker is telling fairy stories which may sound sweet, but his message is nowhere near the true gospel message. Whenever any of these unqualified ministers also add personal words of advice, you can only imagine the harm that is done. As a fellow minister once said: “You can’t ask directions from someone who is also lost.”
That is why it is so important for those who feel God has called them and wants to use them to take heed of this advice from the Apostle Paul: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”(2 Timothy 2:15 NIV) The King James version reads: “Studyto shew thyself approved.” I pray that the next time you hear a message from the Word of God, it will be brought by one of God’s genuine ministers. If not, I pray you may grow enough in the knowledge of His word in order to be able to tell the difference.
God’s word for today (Romans 10:14-15) How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
During my many years in the pastoral ministry, I have learned a lot, not only from the Word of God, but by personal experience and also from our church members. As a result, I am quite different than I was at the start and now do things differently than before. I did one thing in my early days I’m pretty sure I won’t do again. I am referring to this: One Sunday, after the worship service, I approached one of our faithful members to ask him why I never saw him pray at the altar. His reply was : “Because I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Back then, I knew a little bit less then than I know now, but I knew enough to know that this brother’s concept of prayer was way off. From him, however, I learned that a lot of church folks have basically the same mindset. They have this erroneous belief that those who go pray at the altar at the time of the invitation are there to ask God to forgive them because “they did something wrong.” I suspect that, because of it, they will never join the others at the altar for fear that they too will be suspected of having done something wrong. To be fair, there may be people at the altar asking God to forgive them but that is just one of many, many reasons to go pray. Permit me to list a few.
People pray for themselves as well as for a specific family member, loved one, or friend. The nature of their petition may be physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual. Stevie Wonder many years ago wrote a song which perhaps, just by itself alone, would have been enough to make him a millionaire. It was titled: “I Just Called To Say I Love You.” It has never occurred to many folks that among those who are gathered around the church altar, there may always be one or two who just came up to tell the Lord “I love you.” After all, Paul once wrote: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) I trust you could see that in this sage advice, Paul included these following reasons people pray: (1) things or situations which trouble or worry us. (2) Supplication: specific urgent prayer petitions (3) Just to thank or praise God for His goodness (4) anything and everything. To the point of boring them, I often tell our church members: “If it is important to you, it is important to God.” As you can see, God’s children will always have many reasons to pray. As far as reasons for not praying are concerned, I can’t think of a single one. For us, praying is not only a great benefit, it is a privilege as well. Are you taking advantage of it?
God’s word for today: (Hebrews 4:16) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
I was happily reminded Sunday in Pastor Ruben’s article in our church bulletin about a tradition that many people look forward to during the Christmas season. I am referring to friends and families getting together, some coming from far distances just to spend time with those they love. Even as you are reading these words, some of you have already made plans about those you and your family will be visiting. From the very first time I heard Perry Como’s “There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays”, I immediately loved and identified with it. The song was released when I was 14 years old and back then, one of the things I loved the most about Christmas was that our large family would get together. Just in our immediate family alone, there were around seventy so you can imagine just how packed our house would get. Those days are just a memory now, but because of the One for whom this time of the year is named, our family will get together again, this time in Heaven, and there will be no more painful separations.
You may wonder “Who thought of starting this beautiful tradition? When did it begin?” It started with God at the creation of the world. From the very beginning, He loved to have fellowship with the man and the woman He created, and even though they later disobeyed Him, He still wanted to be with them. Because of Adam’s sin, however, the dealings between God and man would not be as beautiful and meaningful as before. It continued like that for many centuries and then God made a way for the former type of fellowship with man to be restored. More than 600 years before it actually occurred, God called His prophet, Isaiah, to inform His people of how that would come to be. He prophesied: “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) God’s people knew that “Immanuel” means “God with us.” Through His Son, Jesus Christ, (Messiah) there would now be a way for Him to continue having fellowship with those He loved.
Why do we love to be with our friends and family during the Christmas season? I think it is because we are made in the image of God. Just as He desires to have fellowship with those He loves, so do we. If, for whatever reason, Christmas and the observance or celebration of it means little or nothing to you, keep this in mind: Christmas is one more reminder that God wants to be with you. He wants to be a big part of your life. Why? Because He loves you! Just on that alone, should that not be a valid reason to have comfort and Joy? I pray that it is.
God’s word for today: (1 Peter 1:8 NLT) “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”
I suggested recently that everyone should make an effort to find out the true meaning of their name. People today seem to be overly interested in their ethnic origin but how many people actually know their name’s meaning? Should we not be at least a little curious to see if we are in anyway like our name implies? In my case, for example, by birth name is José Samuel. The name Joseph (José) means basically “increase” or “addition” but particularly, “God will add.” His mother, Rachel, named him such because she was sure that God would give her (add) another son after him. She was right, although she died right after giving birth to that second son. Before she died, she gave him the name “Benoni” which means “son of my sorrow” but after she died Jacob changed his name to “Benjamin” which means “son of my right hand.” “Ben” by itself means “son.”
This was a corny line from a comedian of long ago: “My cousin is a prophet (profit) and his wife is a total loss.” I’ve never forgotten that pun because I sometimes wonder to how many people I am an “addition” and to how many I am the opposite. Perhaps my parents named me José Samuel because they knew the meaning of the names. If, however, they named me such because of the Joseph and Samuel in the bible, then I’ve got quite a legacy to live up to. The truth is that if I have been even a little bit like them, my life on earth has been meaningful.
I’m sure you all know that not all evangelical churches are the same. They differ in size, appearance, doctrine, mission, even in personality. Needless to say, many Christians are often left wondering regarding what God expects of His churches and their leaders. I am no expert on this matter and probably my way of thinking is much more simplistic than other pastors, but of this I am sure: I know what the Lord expects from me in regards to our Church and it’s quite simple. It is exactly the same set of instructions that was given to the original leader of His church. The answer is found in the 21st Chapter of John, in particular the second part of the chapter where He asked Peter three times if he loved Him.
Here are some things to keep in mind when we dwell on this now famous conversation: Jesus waited until after they had enjoyed their full fish meal before He confronted Peter, who probably had anticipated that the Lord would eventually bring up the night he publicly denied knowing Him. Jesus treated him with mercy, tenderness, and compassion. That is our first clue. The church leader must treat sinners and all who fail the Lord, just as they themselves, like Peter, have been treated. Then, there was Jesus’ questions. The first was “Do you love me more than these?” (Vs 15) Peter may have understood this question in one of several ways. Did He mean “Do you love fishing more than me”, “Do you love your fellow fishermen more than you love me? or “Do you love me more than they love me?” I tend to believe that Peter understood it as the latter. After all, was he not the one that had said “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Mt. 26:33) implying that he loved Him more than the others?
To understand Jesus’ questions to Peter, it is helpful to know what He did not ask. He did not ask “Do you admire, fear, or respect me?” Neither did He ask: How much have you wept, prayed, or fasted since the day you failed me?" This is important because many of God’s children fear, admire, or respect Jesus more than they love Him. Also, many have the idea that a lot of prayer, study, fasting, and weeping is the best indication that they love Him. To me, those who love the Lord the most are those who believe that they have been forgiven the most. Regarding the woman who wiped His feet with her tears, Jesus declared:
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:47) Even the Apostle Paul referred to himself as the “chief of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
The Lord’s instructions to Peter on that day were: (1) “Feed my lambs” (new believers) (2) “Take care of my sheep.” (the church) and (3) “Feed my sheep.” (with the Word of God) The implied clincher, however, was this: “If you, Peter, don’t love me with all your heart, you will not fulfill these three simple commandments.” I suspect, Peter also remembered these words: “If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15) Whether you are a leader at home, work, play, or in church, it is no different for you. In the end, a church’s plans, missions, ideas, goals, ministries, etc. will have no value whatsoever if the leader does not love the Lord’s flock as he should. It all begins with loving Jesus with all our heart.
God’s word for today (Deuteronomy 6:5) “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
To me, the word “joy” is difficult for anyone to rightfully define. From what I have seen in my research of the meaning, it seems that even dictionaries have a hard time with it. Even so, it may be the first word that comes to mind in the hearts of many of God’s children during the Christmas season. I believe that if they were asked to fill in this blank: Christmas ---------- , the word most chosen would be “joy.” After all, even those who are not regular church folks are familiar with Luke 2:10-11, which reads: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Going back to the word’s definition, I think “joy” is in a higher plane than “happiness. To me it is more a state or condition than a mere emotion which may disappear in an instant. When I read Hebrews 11:2, it implies that “joy” is the feeling of happiness and excitement one gets when looking forward to the fulfillment of a desired goal. It reads: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Did you get that? Some have wondered what was on Jesus’ mind when He went to the cross. This verse implies that His heart was filled with joy at the thought of what would transpire after having completed His mission. He was thinking of the coming joy of setting captives free, of their victory over death and sin because of His sacrifice, of sharing eternity with all those who trusted in Him, of having fulfilled His Father’s will and finally, of being the greatest gift the world would ever know. Is not your heart filled with joy when you do something that obviously helps others or puts a smile on their face?
May we never forget that from the day that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was the Father’s will that joy would be a permanent part of our every day lives. Many of you may be going through a difficult trial even as you are reading these words. If that is the case, Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to think of the joy that was in Jesus’ heart even on the day of His encounter with the cross. If joy filled His heart in spite of it, we can do the same. Remember, joy is the state of our hearts and minds when we think of what is up ahead for us. In fact, it is pure joy. May it fill our hearts this Christmas and every day thereafter.
God’s word for today (Psalm 32:11) : “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
I have read that in the old Anglo-Saxon language the word “thankfulness” means “thinkfulness.” I like that! It is pretty safe to say that all of us would be more thankful if we would take the time to think about our many blessings. More often than not, we tend to dwell on the negative things in our lives instead. To me, gratitude is a product of a good attitude.
I also read an illustration about the time when my favorite bible commentator, Matthew Henry, was robbed. That very night he prayed: "I thank Thee, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed." Apparently, Matthew Henry really believed in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which reads: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
I pray that this Thanksgiving will be one of your best ever and that you will take the time to reflect on all the blessings we, as God’s children, are afforded always. Happy Thanksgiving!
God’s word for today: (Psalm 100:4) “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
