His Unquestioned Lordship

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Can you imagine what it meant to Mary to hear the angel say to her, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus”? Or for those Jewish shepherds the night of his birth to hear the angels say, “…born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”?

What does that word “Lord” mean? What did it mean to these shepherds? It meant “Jehovah” to them. Jehovah, God Almighty. When the angel said, “a Savior which is Christ the Lord,” the angel was saying He is co-equal, co-eternal with the Almighty.

Jesus Christ is called “Lord” far more than He is called “Savior.” He’s called “Lord” 747 times in the New Testament. He is Lord. Every so often someone says, “Well, I decided to make Him Lord.” Too late for that. He is Lord.

ACTION POINT:

You cannot “make” Him Lord; He already is. Can you receive Him as Lord? Yes. You can bow your knee to Him and say, “O Lord, You are the King. Therefore, I yield my heart to You.” Receive Him today as your Lord. Will you submit to His Lordship?”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Faces Of Evil

Evil hides behind many faces.

It can be crime!

It can be religion!

It can be race!

It can be illegal drugs.

It can be mental illness.

But make no mistake, it is driven by Satan!

His ultimate goal is to bring down all who follow Christ and His commands!

Satan will destroy your family!

Satan will convince you to do evil!

He knows your every weakness and he will dig in that wound until it festers and becomes an open sore full of poison!

Evil takes on human form but is driven by a spirit of evil, Satan is his name, he's bent on destruction!!

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:11-12

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. - Ephesians 2:1-3

They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. - Revelation 9:11

Satan's mission!!

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

7 The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." - Job 1:6-7

I Am A Sinful Man, O Lord

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." - Luke 5:8

God's Mighty Forgiveness:

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 

13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 

15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 

17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 

18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 

19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.  - Psalm 103:11-19

Have you fallen on your knees and begged for mercy from Jesus?

You must repent from sin!

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the man who was paralyzed-"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home." - Luke 5:24

Jesus has been given the authority from God the Father to forgive you!!

31 And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." - Luke 5:31-32

We all have sin and are in need of a Savior!

The only way is through Christ the Lord!!!

His Sovereign Nobility

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…And the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6b.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Jesus was born a king. Scripture says “…the government shall be upon His shoulder.” In verse 7 of this chapter, this is fleshed out. “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.”

How is this going to happen? “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” This little baby was born a king and He is a King. We didn’t elect Him and, friend, we’ll not impeach Him. He is King. He is Lord.

ACTION POINT:

Some people say, “Have you made Him the Lord of your life?” Too late for that. God has already declared Him Lord. This is His sovereign nobility. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. If you miss that, you miss the meaning of Christmas. You have to take the cradle, the cross, and the crown together, or you don’t have the true story of Christmas.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Jesus’ Supernatural Nature

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The apostle John, who wrote these words, had lived and walked with Jesus for three years. He had seen Jesus in all manner of situations. Years have passed. Now Jesus has gone back to Heaven, and John is an aged man. As a Jew, John would have an ingrained resistance to any kind of idolatry. Yet he said of the Lord Jesus Christ that He is fully God and calls Him “the Word.” 

What is a word? A word is an expression of an invisible thought. You can’t hear my thoughts, but you hear my words; therefore you know my thoughts. You can’t see my thoughts. My thoughts are invisible. But my words make the invisible known to you. 

Everything that God is, Jesus is. Everything that God has, Jesus has. Everything that God does, Jesus does. Jesus is God. He is fully God. He is not part-God and part-man. He’s not all God and no man. He’s not all man and no God. He is the God-man. Jesus makes the invisible God known to man. He is the very Word of God. He is God’s Word to this human race. He is God in human flesh. 

ACTION POINT:

There has never ever been another like the Lord Jesus Christ with a supernatural nature. Read John 1:1-18 today. Have you acknowledged Him, Jesus, as the One and Only?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Only Grace and Faith

In the end, it comes down to these two fascinating things sent from God to you, Grace and faith!!!

God is the giver and you are the receiver.

Grace is a gift bestowed on man by God.

Faith also is a gift, cultivated by the word of God!

Man studies God's word and God reveals the truth.

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. - Deuteronomy 29:29

There will be a price to pay if you deny this gift!

And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.  - Micah 5:15

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. - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12

Word of the Father, Now in Flesh Appearing

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The educated man is ignorant, the strong man is weak, and the wealthy man is poor who doesn’t understand the true meaning of Christmas. 

What good does it do us to put a man on the moon if we can’t get God in our hearts? What good is it to know astronomy, how the heavens go, and not know Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star, and how to go to Heaven? What good is it to know botany and the study of flowers and not know Jesus, Heaven’s sweetest rose, the Rose of Sharon, who can perfume any life? What good is it to know the events of history, yet not know that history is His story? What good is it to know geology and the ages of rocks and not know Jesus, the Rock of Ages? “For it is in Him we live and move and have our being.” 

Jesus was not just another child. He was not just the Galilean peasant, the great teacher. He was supernatural. 

ACTION POINT:

You won’t understand Christmas until you understand that this child was born of a virgin. This child is the very Son of God. Never forget this. Read the words of Isaiah 9:6-7. Let his prophecy about this child speak to you today. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers