A Contrast of Births

Jesus said, "'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."1

Walter B. Knight reported how, "An hour after Queen Elizabeth's third child was born, 128 cables were sent to all parts of the world! Lights in Buckingham Palace, the Home Office, Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Commonwealth Relations Office had burned all night. The palace's big switchboard was manned all night. And personnel on night duty were doubled in the ministries."

How different was the birth of Jesus, "The Prince of Peace." No earthly potentates proclaimed his coming. Atrocious, bloodthirsty Herod concerned himself with the event because he thought some rival rule had appeared.

God, however, signalled the birth of Jesus by dispatching angelic hosts to proclaim the good news and by placing in the heavens the guiding star to direct humble shepherds and seekers to the lowly place of Jesus' birth.

How different will be the second coming of Jesus. The first time, he came as a babe to identify with lost mankind and to pay the price of our redemption through his death on the cross. The good news is that Jesus is coming again and, when he does, he will come in all his divine glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. To him every knee will bow. What a day this will be!

Jesus himself promised that he would come back to earth to get and take his true followers to be with him forever in Heaven. The important thing is to be sure that we are ready for his return and/or to meet God face to face should we pass from this life to the next before Jesus Christ comes back again.

We do this by confessing our sinfulness, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins, and accepting Jesus as our personal Savoir and Lord.

From Despair to Hope

It is almost uncanny how the poet describes the abandonment of the sufferer by God to the scorn of evil people who mocked Him. The Hebrew poet-king wrote,

But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
 All who see me sneer at me;
They separate with the lip, they wag the head,   saying,
 "Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him" (Psalm 22:6-8).

King David writes using gestures of helplessness, frailty, and hopelessness in these verses. It is another vivid picture of the events at Calvary put in writing a thousand years before they actually took place in history (Matt. 27:39-43).

"They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring loin" (v. 13). The crowd at the crucifixion of Jesus did just that in graphic detail. His bones were pulled out of joint at the hands, arms, shoulders and pelvis (v. 14). "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it is melted within me" (v.14). Perspiration pours profusely from the intense suffering, and the exhaustion and strain affects the functioning of His heart. With His strength exhausted, and dehydration, His tongue clings to His mouth from extreme thirst (v. 15). "My strength is dried up like potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws" (v. 15).

We draw up near the cross in verse sixteen and hear him say, "For dogs [Jewish term for derision for Gentiles] have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet" (cf. Matt. 27:35; Jn. 20:20, 25).

They stare at Him on the cross. He is so frail from suffering they can count His bones on His naked body. Even the casting of lots for His clothing is literally fulfilled (v. 18; cf. Matt. 27:35; Lk. 23:34; Jn. 19:24; 19:23; Mk. 15:24).

Any unbiased reader of this messianic poem must come to the inescapable conclusion that it finds its historical fulfilment in the crucifixion of Christ.

The death of Jesus Christ made perfect atonement for our sins. He was forsaken of God so we could be forgiven.

This matchless messianic poem also declares that the suffering servant of God died in triumph knowing that His suffering produced perfect atonement for the sinner. He tells how His prayer was heard and affirms that He will praise God before the brethren in the great assembly.

There is an abrupt change in the steady progress of the poem from the despair in suffering to one of renewed trust in God. Verses 22-31 conclude with the results that spring from the resurrection. It closes with a message of thanksgiving and hope in the anticipation of the proclamation of the good news.

"I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise thee" (v. 22). He admonishes others, "You who fear the LORD, praise Him" (v. 23a).

Moreover, the message is not just for the Jewish brethren (vv. 22-24), but also "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee" (v. 27). Is this not the great missionary message preached after the resurrection of Christ? (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16; Phil. 2:8-11; Rev. 4-5).

The psalmist gives a great invitation for all to humble them and trust in the Savoir. Salvation is for those who "fear the LORD" (vv. 23, 25), "seek the LORD" (v. 26), "remember and turn to the LORD" (v. 27), and "bow down before Him" (vv. 27, 29). It is for all who will call upon His name and be saved. 

People yet to be born in future generations will serve Him (v. 30-31). "It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it."

You and I are included in this great multitude (Jn. 17:20). The Savoir had you and me on His mind while He hung on the tree. Have you responded to Him in faith?

A True Winner

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters ... in singleness of your heart as unto Christ; Not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart."1

Craig Saunders wrote about an experience he witnessed when he attended a Special Olympics for the Handicapped where several people from his church were competing. He shared how in the 220 track race a very fast runner named Andrew was 50 yards ahead of the rest of the runners when he glanced back and saw his best friend fall. The crowd at the finishing post was yelling to Andrew, "Come on, come on, come on!"

But Andrew stopped, went back, took his friend's hand and lifted him to his feet and they ran together to finish the race.

The entire crowd stood to their feet and applauded. As Saunders said, "It was an amazing sight because that's what the Special Olympics are about. People don't consider being 'Number One.' The most important thing is that people finish the race."

Andrew won the Sportsman Award at those Special Olympics because he was more concerned about being "Number One" to his friend than being "Number One" to the crowd.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please grant that I will always want to please you and be there for my friends and not allow my life or lifestyle be that of wanting the adulation of the crowd. And please help me to finish the race that you have set before me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Ephesians 6:5-6

Do Our Actions Show Appreciation?

But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him,
for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him
and over Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 32:25

When Hezekiah erred by showing all his treasures to the envoys from Babylon, his error was all the worse because it showed a lack of appreciation for God's grace. Hezekiah had been sick and about to die, but he prayed that God would spare his life, and God did exactly that. And so after that, when in his pride "his heart was lifted up" and he acted foolishly toward the Babylonian representatives (2 Kings 20:12-19), Hezekiah demonstrated a lack of gratitude for the mercy that God had extended to him. As the text says, he "did not repay according to the favor shown him." And that's a serious mistake.

When we're thinking as we should, there is no greater motivation to do what's right than the awareness that God, or even someone else, has treated us better than we deserve. Knowing that we've been shown mercy humbles us and moves us to do better.

But we don't always think as we should, do we? And when grace is shown to us and we take it for granted, receiving it thoughtlessly and unappreciatively, there is no greater sin. One of the saddest stories in the New Testament is the one in Luke 17:11-19, where the Lord healed ten men of their leprosy. When only one, a Samaritan, came back to thank the Lord, He said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

Do we do any better than the unthankful nine? We wouldn't remain alive today if it weren't for God's grace. We've been forgiven of sins that we didn't deserve to have forgiven. God has been patient and longsuffering with us, far past the point when justice would have blasted us out of existence. But do we "repay according to the favor shown [us]"? Too many times, we do not.

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Basically, we say "thank you" to God for His grace and favor by obeying His will. And in particular, we show gratitude for God's grace by extending grace to others. "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13).

What Was That All About?

A man walked home from work one day when he saw a snail on his porch and said, "Ooo, a snail." So he kicked it as hard as he could, sending the snail to his neighbour's yard.

Two years later, the man was sitting in his front room watching television, when he heard a knock at the door. He answered the door finding no one there. As he was about to close the door, he looked down and saw a snail. The snail looked up and said, "So....what was that all about???"

My first reaction to this story was to think, "Two years is a mighty long time to hold a grudge (well, maybe not long for a snail!)." But, wait a minute! The snail doesn't hold a grudge. There's no anger, no resentment in his voice. It merely takes him two years to be able to say what most of us have the opportunity to say within hours, if we choose: "You hurt me. Maybe it was unintentional, but you hurt me."

That's tough to do. A lot tougher than the option we often choose -- telling everyone else we know about what that "terrible person" did to us. Yes, it's tougher, but it's crucial if we want to preserve a good relationship.

Jesus said, "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone...."(Matthew 18:15)

Someone done something to hurt you lately? Why not summon up the courage to say (without anger or resentment), "You hurt me. What was that all about?" Oh yes, and be prepared to forgive!

Have a great day!