Hope for the Approaching Year

BIBLE MEDITATION:

"For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Psalm 116:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Yes, believers can experience loneliness. I believe the Holidays are the loneliest time of the year. People are told everywhere they're supposed to be happy and they realize they're not. They see everybody else acting happy, and they feel so lonely. 

Death, divorce, desertion—even travel can make you lonely. Success can make you lonely. You often hear “it's lonely at the top.” Old age makes you lonely. You can be lonely in a big crowd. You can be lonely in a mall. Loneliness is one of the chief maladies of our age, but Jesus promised, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." 

What I am saying, my dear friend, is that when I am discouraged, His presence sees me through. When I am lonely, His presence cheers me up. And when I am worried, His presence calms me down.

ACTION POINT:

When you are tempted—and oh, you will be tempted this coming year—His presence will help you out. Begin now to practice the presence of the Lord as you enter this new year.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Who Was This Child

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:20-21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Who was this Child born that day? Who is this One we call Jesus? There’s one right answer; there are many wrong answers. Some say He was a great man. Beyond any doubt, He was a great man, but if you just tip the hat to Jesus Christ, you’ve missed it all. Jesus is more than Jesus the Great. He’s Jesus the One and Only. 

The late Dr. W. A. Criswell said: “To compare the greatest men on earth like Alexander, Caesar or Shakespeare with Jesus is like comparing a grain of dust to the whole universe, a mole hill to Mount Everest.”

Others speak of Him as a moral teacher, but as C.S. Lewis said, “We don’t have the option of just simply calling Him a moral teacher and moving on. I’m trying to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus Christ as a great teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher; he would be either a lunatic, on the level of a man who says he’s a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God or else a mad man or something worse.”

ACTION POINT:

Be prepared to share that concept with someone today. C. S. Lewis went on to say, “You can show Him up for a fool. You can spit at Him. You can kill Him as a demon. Or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let none of us come away with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He’s not left that open to us.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Your Second Chance

Non-believers, every time you are permitted to draw a breath, God is giving you a second chance to repent!
Christ will return for His church!
I will humbly and faithfully see His return or I will die waiting for His return!
We all will face judgment!

Acts 3:
13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
16 And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 "And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,
20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
22 Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.

Daniel 7:
13 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Ps. 90:
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust and say, "Return, O children of man!"

4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

John 14:
1"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

2 Thessalonians 1:
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering--
6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,

12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, You delay Your second coming because of Your great mercy toward the lost!  We ask for Your great wisdom to be spread and hearts to receive the good news of salvation through Christ! Amen

The Promise of His Return

2 Peter 3:1-18
1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
4 They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation."
5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Final Words
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

What? – The world trashes what we treasure.

Scripture declares Christ’s return repeatedly. (1-2)
Scoffers dismiss Christ’s return rationally. (3-4)
So What? – We can stumble at the world’s scoffing.
Remember that God is sovereign. (5-7)
Remember that God is timeless. (8)
Remember that God is merciful. (9)
Remember that God is just. (10)

Now What? – Our response to this temporary venue is eternal
values.
Practice righteousness for now. (11-14)
Prepare for righteousness forever. (14)
Share God’s salvation for now. (15-16)
Strengthen your salvation forever. (17)
Grow in Christ for now. (18)
Glorify Christ forever. (18)

Thanks Pastor Jim!

Who Is Jesus, the God-Man?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

John Blanchard estimated that of all the people who’ve ever lived, from the beginning of creation to now, there have been about 30 billion here on earth. Of those, few have had any major effect on human history. One person stands out unique above all the rest. That one person, Jesus Christ, has attracted a greater combination of attention, devotion, criticism, adoration, and opposition than any other of those 30 billion. 

Every recorded word He spoke has been studied, sifted and analyzed from generation to generation by theologians, philosophers, and historians. At this moment multiplied millions around the globe in every time zone are studying what this one individual had to say. 

He is Jesus of Nazareth. He preached and taught in a tiny little land called Israel some 2,000 years ago. Yet the birth of this baby has divided the centuries into “B.C.” (before Christ) and “A.D.” (Anno Domini, or “the Year of our Lord.”) He divides world history.

ACTION POINT:

Whether you are on death row or Wall Street, you need Jesus. He’s the saving Son of God. There’s no one that He cannot save. There’s no one that He will not save. Jesus is what the world needs today. Thank God for Christmas. If there had been no Christmas, think what that would mean.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Christ of Christmas Is Coming Again

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto He called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

You need not be disturbed. “Rest with us.” And you will not be disappointed.

Paul tells us in Second Thessalonians that when He comes, our Lord shall reign.

The first Christmas, there was no room for Him in the inn. When He comes for the final time, He’s coming as King of kings and Lord and lords. Jesus came the first Christmas to die in the sinner’s place. When He comes again, Jesus is coming to receive the sinner to Himself. 

There are two aspects of His Second Coming. First, He’s coming secretly for His bride. Then He’s coming with His bride. He’s coming sweetly like a bridegroom; then He’s coming sovereignly like a King. The unfinished story of Christmas is this: Jesus is coming again.

ACTION POINT:

In faith, look backward to a crucified Savior. In love, look upward to a crowned Savior. And in hope, look forward to a coming Savior.

 LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

You Who Are Troubled—Rest!

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels…” 2 Thessalonians 1:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Are you troubled today? Listen: “And you who are troubled rest with us.” That is, be at ease. Quit your worry. It is not over yet. There is an unfinished story. If you are troubled, rest with us. 

You say, “Pastor, it’s so dark.” Yes, it’s gloriously dark, because the darkest hour of the night is just before the sunrise. Our hope is not in politics, our hope is not in sociology, our hope is not in science. The only sure hope for our world is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Think about who is coming again. Underscore this: “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed.” The Lord Jesus is who is coming again. We’re not looking for some event in history. We’re looking for Jesus Christ to be revealed. And when He’s revealed, He’s going to be revealed as the Lord Jesus. Today He is despised. He is rejected. He is mocked. But He is coming as the Lord Jesus to be glorified and admired.

ACTION POINT:

If you are unsaved, if you’re not one of His saints, His coming will strike stark terror in your heart. But if you are saved, you’re going to say, “Oh glory to the Lamb. Isn’t He beautiful?” Say this aloud if you can say it and mean it: “Lord Jesus.” The Lord Jesus is coming.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

This Light Momentary Affliction

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1 Peter 1:6-9

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1Peter 5:10-11

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 8:24

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

Hebrews 11:1

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Isaiah 54:7-8

7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 

8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. 

This is the season of joy when we celebrate the birth of Christ. But even in the midst of such joy there is still suffering. We live in a fallen creation which has been perverted by Satan. God created the heavens and the earth for us just as He created us in His image. Will you put your faith in the grace that was bought through pain and suffering by an innocent? Christ paid the debt that belonged to each and everyone of us through obedience to God the father! Are you one of the souls which Christ is calling to repentance today?

Father God, we fall at Your feet for mercy. We know we deserve nothing, but You give us grace through Jesus. Forgive us we ask in the precious name of Christ our Lord! Amen

The Unfinished Story of Christmas

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels…

When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe…” 2 Thessalonians 1: 7, 10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The Jesus who came the first time is coming again, and Christmas is not complete without the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The incarnation without the coronation would be like east without west. It would be like an engagement without a marriage. The story is not complete until Jesus comes again. 

You may have thought that this was a good Christmas for you—but, friend, I want to tell you…the best is yet to come! The Heavenly Father has so much more in store for us when Jesus comes again. 

You see, we get all wrapped up in the little baby, the baby that was born, and we then go beyond the birth of the baby, saying, “Yes, He came to die for our sins” (thank God He did that), but I want to remind you that the First Coming of Jesus and the Second Coming are linked together.

The Christmas Story in Luke 1 and 2 speaks not only of the Jesus who redeemed, but the Jesus who reigned. Not only Jesus who came the first time, but Jesus who is coming the second time to sit upon the throne of His father David, to rule over the house of Jacob forever and ever.

ACTION POINT:

Imagine for a moment what your life would be like without the Resurrection, the Rapture, and the Second Coming of Jesus. The most glorious fact of the past is that Jesus came the first time. The most glorious fact of the future is that this Jesus is coming again. The one sure hope of this jittery old world is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

LWF Dr.Adrian Rogers

THE PROMISE OF HIS ETERNAL REIGN

2 Samuel 7
1 Now when the king lived in his house and the LORDhad given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent."
3 And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."
4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan,
5 "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.Your throne shall be established forever.'"
17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
David's Prayer of Gratitude
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?
19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD!
20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!
21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.
25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,' and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever."

The Davidic Kingdom…
God’s People…
A continual seed will endure.
An honored son will reign.
In God’s Place…
A place where they will enjoy God’s rest.
A place where they will encounter God’s glory.
For God’s Purpose.
To redeem a chosen people.
To extol the incomparable God.
Nations will come to the temple and
behold God’s greatness.
The Divine King…
God’s People…
Jesus came from the seed of David.
Jesus came as the Son of God.
In God’s Place…
In Christ, we find our rest.
In Christ, we see His glory.
For God’s Purpose.
To save a chosen people.
To exalt the incomparable God.
The temple now goes to the nations to
declare God’s greatness.
The Bottom Line…
Put all your trust in this King.
Spend all your life proclaiming His kingdom.

Thanks Pastor David!

The Promise of His Death and Resurrection

Isaiah 53:1-12
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Messiah, in the Eye of the Beholder
Christ’s Suffering: The Servant-Lamb
The OT Sacrificial System
Limitation: His Birth (53:2)
Jesus willingly embraced our frame with all its limitations.
[Isaiah 53:2; Philippians 2:7; John 4:6; Mark 11:12; Luke 2:52]
Rejection: His Life (53:3-4)
Jesus volunteered to pour himself out in ministry to people who would
reject him. (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11; Mark 3:21; Luke 4:28-29; Matthew 23:37;
Hebrews 10:1-7)

Substitution: His Death (53:5-10a, 12b)
“He who hung the earth is hanging; He who fixed the heavens has been fixed;
He who fastened the universe has been fastened to a tree…
O unprecedented murder! Unprecedented crime!
The Sovereign has been made unrecognizable by his naked body,
And is not even allowed a garment to keep him from view.
That is why the lights of heaven turned away,
And the day was darkened.”
-Melito, Bishop of Sardis (2nd century)
Jesus drank the cup of wrath (Isaiah 51:17; John 18:11) which
we deserved so that we might drink the cup of blessing. (1 Corinthians 10:16;
11:25)

Christ’s Triumph: The Risen Lord
Vindication: His Resurrection (53:10b-12a)
Jesus’ resurrection was a demonstration that His message was
true (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:4), that His death did in fact secure
our forgiveness (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20-22), that we who believe have
life in him (Ephesians 2:5; Romans 6:1-4), and that our final resurrection
is certain. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

Thanks Matt!

Why Frankincense and Myrrh?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Take unto thee sweet spices…with pure frankincense…And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.
And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord.” Exodus 30:34-37

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Not only did the Wise Men bring gold, they brought frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense speaks of His sinless deity, myrrh of His sacrificial death.

In Bible times they worshiped the Lord by burning incense, a sweet perfume rising up to the nostrils of God. It was a symbol of worship—to be used in the worship of God alone. Frankincense tells of the beauties, the fragrance, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Frankincense represents Jesus, our Intercessor, and His intercessory prayers for us. Its fragrance speaks of the love and mercy of God.

Myrrh was used to embalm the dead. When the Lord Jesus Christ was being buried, they poured spices and myrrh into His grave clothes. “And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.” (John 19:39) Myrrh to embalm the body of Jesus.

In the gifts the Wise Men brought to the young boy Jesus, we see His sovereign dominion, sinless deity, and sacrificial death. He was born to die.

He is King and they brought gold.
He is God and they brought Him frankincense.
He is our Savior and they brought myrrh.

ACTION POINT:
Give—worship—witness—serve. These are what a wise man will do. I wonder, are you really wise? Do you understand that He was born to die?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Symbol of Gold ~ His Sovereign Dominion

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart's desire…with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.” Psalm 21:1-3

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Gold was a gift that was fit for a king. The Wise Men asked, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” Our verse today speaks of kings. They wear a crown, and it is a crown of gold.

When the Wise Men brought gold, they were saying, “We recognize this child is the king of the Jews. He’s destined to reign. He has sovereign dominion.” 

“Well, how am I going to crown Him?” you may ask. You can crown Him the way they did—with gold. If all of your wealth is not under His control, you’ve not recognized Him as your sovereign king. He has a right to all you own. You say, “It’s mine.” If He is not Lord of everything you have, He’s not your Savior. His throne is not a duplex.

ACTION POINT:

How will you serve Him? One way is to serve Him with your wealth. As the saying goes, “He has no hands but our hands.” Serve Him is by showing His love to those in need. He requires your absolute surrender to His lordship. He is the king.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Three Symbolic Gifts

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Many people think these three gifts were just something incidental. No, they’re fundamental. They carry deep significance. These were not trinkets; these were treasures that didn’t occur by happenstance. This was something the wise men had planned. 

Why these specific gifts? They are highly symbolic. Gold speaks of His sovereign dominion—He was born a King. Frankincense speaks of His sinless deity—He is God in human flesh. And myrrh speaks of His sacrificial death—He was born to die that we might live

He is a king and they brought Him gold. He is God and they brought Him frankincense. He is a Savior and they brought Him myrrh. Sovereign dominion, sinless deity, sacrificial death.

ACTION POINT:

Because He is a King, He has my wealth. Because He is God, He has my worship. And because He died, He has my witness. All that I am, all that I have, all that I do, belongs to this One. That is wisdom. That’s what a wise man will do. Do some soul-searching today. Are you really wise?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

We Must Repent

Romans 3:10-12

10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 

11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 

As a fellow sinner who has a daily need to repent of my sin, I will pose a question to you!

Who is the judge of man?

Is it his neighbor?

Is it a peer?

Is it the world?

Or is it the Creator of the universe who made man and everything in it?

This Creator has very clearly, in His word, told us to spread His gospel of truth with the expectation of persecution.

Why then are we so shocked when the world condemns us for speaking the truth?

When we speak the truth of God’s holy word, it forces us to examine ourselves.

It is uncomfortable!

We are wicked by our very nature so we want to do as we please!

God did indeed give us free will but that free will of rebellion or obedience will bring consequences, bad and good!

Are we prepared to stand before God?

We will be judged on whether we presented the gospel in truth or whether we changed the doctrine of God to suit man.

God is a God of love but also "The Judge" who will judge the sins of His people!

Unforgiven sin is to be punished!

This world has continually grown wicked with each passing day.

There will come a time of judgment.

You will die.

You have an appointment with a holy God who has the right to judge you.

You can deny that and Him.

Your free will works for good or evil.

God has made a way for you to rest assured in His salvation and forgiveness.
Jesus Christ, whom God His Father sent as the only acceptable
ransom is drawing all men to Himself.

The purchase price, death of a sinless man, Jesus Christ.

Christ, the propitiation of my sin and your sin, even when the world denies the truth.

Christ is the only way for eternal salvation!

The assurance of grace is found in the resurrection of Christ on the third day!

God has shown His power in creating life from tiny cells and raising the dead.

Man will be without excuse for his unbelief. 

Creation is solid evidence and can't be denied!

Will you stand before God politically correct or as a humble soul who spoke the truth of the bible in love to a world headed for eternal hell?

God is the Creator and judge of man.

Ps.50:6

The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah 

Ecc.3:17

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

We preach the truth of salvation in Christ.

Acts 10:42-43

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

We will be persecuted because the world will hate us.

2 Tim.4:1-5

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

All face death and judgment.
Heb.9:27

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Power and authority of Christ.

John 12:32

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Romans 5:18-21

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Tim.2:5-6

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Heb.2:9

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

1John 2:2

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Eternal separation, some forgiven, some not forgiven

1Cor.6:9-11

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Lord, I pray for hearts to be changed by Your Word! Amen