I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this week's message. I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season.
This weekend sermon is the last one before Christmas comes around. In keeping with that, I wanted to bring a message that was about the Christmas season.
A topic that has interested me for quite some time is the various prophecies that one finds in the Old Testament about the Messiah. Some are very familiar like Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2. There are many, many more prophecies about the first and second Advents of the Messiah that we find in the Bible. One of these is found in Jeremiah 23:5-6 that states, "The days are coming declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely, and to do what is just and right in the land. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called, The Lord our Righteous Savior." These verses speak about the first and second Advents of the Lord Jesus.
What does it mean when the Lord says He will raise up a righteous branch for David? This is similar to the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 11 that talks about the Branch. The Lord made a covenant with David. He promised David that a member of his family would reign forever in Jerusalem. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was born of the line of David. He is the Branch that God raised up from the line of David to fulfill the covenant.
When Jesus was on this earth during His first Advent, there were a number of things that He accomplished and Messianic prophecies that He fulfilled. While on this earth, Jesus lived a holy and sinless life in order that He might be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. When He was on the cross, Jesus bore our sins in His body in order that He might pay the penalty for sin that we could not pay. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. As our verse for the day tells us, Jesus became our Righteous Savior by dying for us and taking away our sins. Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The Bible is clear that the Messiah will come again. That is known as the Second Advent, and that is what much of our verses for the day are speaking to us about. When Jesus comes again in power and great glory, He will sit on the throne of His father David, and His reign will have no end. He will only do what is right, and He will only do what is just. All people will dwell in safety on the earth. Perfect justice and perfect peace will be the order of the day. There will be no more oppression, and there will be no more war.
Jesus came into this world as God and man. He came to redeem us from sin and from the consequences of sin. When He comes again, He will make all things new, and everything will be returned to the state in which it existed before sin entered into things.
Jesus has made a way for us to be redeemed and have forgiveness of sins. I urge you during this Christmas season to accept God's gift of love in Jesus and turn your life over to Jesus making Him your Savior and Lord. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I need a lot of prayer right now. I am having some bad health problems. Please pray that I will get better. Thank you.
Pray for those who are suffering from depression during this holiday season.
Continue to pray for peace. Pray for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Syria, Sudan and anyplace where you know there is conflict.
Let us pray for those affected by the bad storms. Mayotte was hit by a terrible storm. Pray that aid will reach the people. People in Madagascar, Comoros and Mozambique were also affected by the storm. Pray that they will also receive the aid that they need.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Morocco and Turkmenistan. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. I don't know what the message will be about yet. May God bless you all.
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