O COME, O COME EMMANUEL

12/01/2019

O COME, O COME, EMMANNUEL, AND RANSOM CAPTIVE ISRAEL. THAT MOURNS IN LONELY EXILE HERE, UNTIL THE SON OF GOD APPEAR. REJOICE ! REJOICE ! EMMANUEL SHALL COME TO YOU, O ISRAEL

AS WE APPROACH THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, I FIND MYSELF DRAWN MORE AND MORE INTO THE AMAZING GIFT OF THE BIRTH OF MY SAVIOR, LORD, AND KING, JESUS. I REFLECT IN AWE THAT GOD THE FATHER HAD SUCH AN AMAZING PLAN TO BRING US INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AFTER THE FALL IN THE GARDEN BY ADAM AND EVE. OUR FATHER GOD GAVE US THE ULTIMATE MIRACLE IN THE BIRTH OF A TINY BOY IN BETHLEHEM SO LONG AGO. A BOY WHO WOULD GROW INTO A MAN OF PERFECTION…..TEACHING ALL THE TRUTH IN THE COMMANDMENTS OF HIS FATHER, WHILE ADMONISHING THE HYPOCRISY OF THOSE WHO WOULD USE THEM FOR THEIR OWN SELF IMPORTANCE. JESUS WOULD REVEAL HIS TRUE IDENTITY AS THE SON OF GOD, AND THE PURPOSE OF HIS LIFE TO THE TWELVE DISCIPLES WHO FOLLOWED HIM LOYALY, WITNESSES TO HIS LIFE, HIS DEATH, AND HIS RESURRECTION. IT ALL BEGAN A NIGHT LONG AGO. ON THAT NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR MANKIND AND THE WORLD. WE READ ABOUT IT IN THE GOSPELS. THE BOOKS OF MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN SHARE THE AMAZING STORY IN IT’S FULL GLORY. EVEN MORE AMAZING IS THAT THE PROPHET, ISAIAH, ALSO TOLD US OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS. THE AMAZING THING IS THAT ISAIAH LIVED IN 700 B.C. THAT WAS HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE JESUS WAS ACTUALLY BORN !

THEREFORE, THE LORD HIMSELF WILL GIVE YOU A SIGN : SEE, THE VIRGIN WILL CONCEIVE, HAVE A SON, AND NAME HIM EMMANUEL. Isaiah 7:14

ISAIAH ALSO PROPHESIED OF THE LIFE OF JESUS AND OF HIS PURPOSE, AND OF HIS CHARACTER TAKE A LONG LOOK AT ISAIAH 53 !, PROPHESYING IN DETAIL EVERYTHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO JESUS. FROM HIS ACCUSATION, TO HIS CRUCIFIXION, AND TO HIS DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND HIS PLACE AS OUR SAVIOR. JESUS, OUR INTERCESSOR TO THE FATHER. JESUS, BORN TO SAVE US. BORN TO REDEEM US. BORN FOR GOD’S PURPOSE TO REGAIN US AS HIS PEOPLE. BORN TO SHOW EACH OF US HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US. ISAIAH WAS PROPHESYING ABOUT THE MESSIAH, AND THE GOSPELS SHOW US THE AMAZING COMPLETION OF THAT PROPHECY. SO YOU SEE THE TRUTH ! THE STORY OF JESUS’S BIRTH AND HIS PURPOSE ISN’T FOUND JUST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. JESUS IS FOUND IN ALL OF GOD’S WORD. FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION ! THE COMPLETE WORD OF GOD.

“MOREOVER, I WILL MAKE MY DWELLING AMONG YOU, AND MY SOUL WILL NOT REJECT YOU. “I WILL ALSO WALK AMONG YOU, AND BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE” Leviticus 26: 11-12

AND I HEARD A LOUD VOICE FROM THE THRONE, SAYING”BEHOLD, THE TABERNACLE OF GOD IS AMONG MEN, AND HE WILL DWELL AMONG THEM, AND THEY SHALL BE HIS PEOPLE, AND GOD HIMSELF SHALL BE AMONG THEM.” Revelation 21:3

WHO ARE YOU JESUS ? I HAVE HEARD THIS QUESTION MANY, MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE AS PEOPLE LOOK TO UNDERSTAND LIFE AND IT’S COMPLEXITY. JESUS AND HIS LIFE ARE TRULY THE CENTRAL POINT OF EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS IN OUR LIVES. HIS SUFFERING AND HIS VICTORY ON THE CROSS ARE THE REASON HE WAS BORN, AND THE REASON WE CAN REJOICE ! THE PROMISE IS WHAT HIS BIRTH AND HIS RESURRECTION LEAD TO…..AND THAT IS ALL IN THE PHRASE “O COME, O COME EMMANUEL”. EMMANUEL MEANS “ GOD WITH US”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ? IT MEANS THAT HE HAS COME FOR YOU. HE WAS BORN THAT NIGHT FOR YOU. HE DESIRES YOUR HEART TO BE ONE WITH HIS. JESUS ISN’T SOME COOL STORY….HE IS ALIVE RIGHT NOW, ALL AROUND YOU. PATIENTLY WAITING FOR YOU TO SEE HIS FACE AND HEAR HIS VOICE. OFFERING YOU THE CHANCE TO KNOW GOD, AND HAVE A FUTURE OF BEING WITH HIM EACH AND EVERY DAY FOR ETERNITY.

FIND A QUIET PLACE….CLEAR YOUR MIND AND CLOSE YOUR EYES…..PUT YOURSELF IN A FIELD IN BETHLEHEM…..SURROUNDED BY SHEEP. LOOK UP AND SEE THIS AMAZING STAR THAT SHINES OH SO BRIGHTLY. CAN YOU HEAR THAT AMAZING SOUND ? IT IS THE SOUND OF ANGELS SINGING, AND YOU HEAR THEM ! SO SWEET AND CLEAR, IT RINGS OUT. GLORY IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON THE WORLD BE PEACE, GLORY TO GOD THE ANGELS SING. JESUS HAS BEEN BORN ! HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE…FOR ALL ETERNITY. OPEN YOUR EYES AND SING WITH JOY, FOR HE IS YOURS ! SEE HIM, SEEK HIM, WANT HIM, EMBRACE HIM, TRUST HIM. SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO HIM, AND LET THAT NIGHT AND THAT STAR GIVE YOU THE HOPE AND PEACE THAT WE ALL LONG FOR….GOD WITH US :)

FOR IT IS THIS WE LABOR AND STRIVE, BECAUSE WE HAVE FIXED OUR HOPE ON THE LIVING GOD, WHO IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN. ESPECIALLY OF BELIEVERS. 1 Timothy 4:10

FIX YOUR HOPE ON HIM/JA