He is Greater

John the Baptist comes on the scene, and he is a fascinating character. H is out in the wilderness dressed like a wild man, but people are flocking out to hear what he has to say. He is drawing such a crowd that the Pharisees and Saducees even come out to see what's going on! He is baptizing people and warning them to flee from the coming wrath. He is also preaching about one who is to come after him who will save the world. It is pretty amazing that all of this popularity doesn't go to John's head. But I guess if you really realize that the Son of God is right around the corner it kind of keeps things in perspective.

As a pastor, I have the same job as John...to prepare the way for Jesus. The smae temptation is there as well...to gather followers for me and not for Him. There is real danger here because it feels good when people want to follow you. However if I am attracting followers for myself that means I am taking them away from Jesus. That puts me in direct competition with the Son of God! Not a good place to be. I have to guard against that temptation by continually focusing on the greatness of Jesus. I know I don't compare to Him, but if I take my eyes off of Him for awhile I can start to become full of myself. 

So I have to focus on what I know about Jesus. He is perfect, I am not. He came to save the world, something I couldn't do. He has made me right with God, something I was powerless to accomplish. He can save, I cannot. 

If I remember those things, it is easy to put Him before me. The truth of the matter is, He is greater. He must become greater, I must become less.

Enjoy the Journey

It's a Sign!

It amazes me how many times in chapter 2 alone there are references to the words of the prophets. We see it in verses 5, 15, 17, and 23! Jesus fulfilled 4 Messianic prophecies in 23 verses! That's a pretty big deal, and it reveals a pretty big God. The plan has been in place since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. The 1st Messianic prophecy was all the way back in Genesis chapter 3! God has been weaving this plan of redemption from the very beginning, and now it is finally coming to pass...in spite of Herod's best efforts.

The Magi come from the east to find the new child king, and so they go to the current king to find out where the child is so they can worship Him. Herod seems shocked, and obviously wasn't well read in his Bible, so he asks about it. Once he is informed that the child will be born in Bethlehem (according to prophecy), he sends the Magi on their way with instructions to let him know what is going on so he too can worship the child (and by worship I mean kill). Herod was paranoid, as confirmed by history, he would kill anyone who he thought was even a potential threat to his throne. So when the Magi didn't come back, he did the logical (and by logical I mean crazy person) thing to do, he killed all the boys 2 years old and younger in Bethlehem (which also fulfilled a prophecy)! Thankfully Jesus and the family had already left town to go to Egypt (which was also a prophecy)!

Once Herod died Joseph brought his family back to Israel, but he was afraid of Herod's son killing them so he moved his family to Nazareth. This is why Jesus is known as a Nazarene, although He was born in Bethlehem (a fulfillment of prophecy!). It is pretty incredible the amount of detail that God is putting into His story. It is also pretty amazing to know that I am a part of the same story! That means that God is still writing the story, and He is still in control. It is a very comforting thought, because sometimes I feel like I'm just spinning out of control. The good news is I was never in control to start with. I'm learning to be ok with that!

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There is Always a Plan

The first chapter of Matthew starts out with a genealogy of Jesus...super exciting! Ok maybe not, but check out verse 17: "Thus there were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Christ." My mind is blown. There is a plan, and it isn't mine, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. 14 generations between all of the most significant events in human history! 14 generations between the time Abraham is chosen to be the father of the nation of Israel, from whom the Savior of the World would come, until David, the 'man after God's own heart' and Israel's most famous king. Then 14 more generations and Israel is banished from God's presence for turning their backs on Him, and finally 14 more generations until Jesus finally arrives. I don't know what the significance of 14 generations is, but as I am a little OCD myself, I think this is awesome! If nothing else it shows that God meant to do exactly what He did from the very beginning. He isn't just making this stuff up as He goes along! That is a pretty comforting thought.

Keeping that theme, look at the birth of Jesus. It happens in such a weird way. Who has a baby without having sex? Just Mary. Why is it important? Because it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin! There is a plan, and if you are willing to look for it, you can see that Jesus meets all of the expectations of the Messiah. God wasn't playing around with these prophets in the Old Testament. Some people think the Old Testament isn't worth anything. But let me pose this question to you, if we didn't have all of the prophecies about Jesus, how would we know what to look for? How would we know He wasn't just good at magic tricks? In a more practical sense, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my ancestors either, so the Old Testament and it's figures are fairly important in the life of Jesus. If I still need more proof, Jesus quotes the Old Testament all the time!

I love verses 22-23 of chapter 1, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel'-which means, 'God with us.'" I don't think I give that enough thought, God with us. God, who doesn't need me for anything, came down here? Really!? It sounds kind of crazy truthfully. The truth of the matter is that He could have just started over. He spoke everything into existence once, He could do it again. It would have probably been even easier than sending Jesus down here! I'm sure Jesus would have been for it! 'You mean I don't have to die a terrible death!? Awesome!' But that isn't what happened. Instead Immanuel, God with us, came to save the world. Heroes never take the easiest road, and Jesus is no exception.

Enjoy the Journey

Love and Truth

John's 3rd letter is to a man named Gaius. He encourages him to continue to be friendly and hospitable to other believers, especially those who are spreading the gospel. He is talking about missionaries, and encouraging him to continually give them his full support. He contrasts the things Gaius is doing with another man in the church named Diotrephes. He discourages people from helping the missionaries and even kicks them out if they do! John calls this evil. He also commends a man named Demetrius for having a good reputation and speaking the truth.

In this short letter John again emphasizes 2 things: love and truth. These things are supposed to work hand in hand in my life. Really all 3 of John's letters come down to this point. How am I loving other people and how am I speaking the truth to them? It seems so simple, but I have to have a plan in order to make it happen. Otherwise I can go years without even talking to anyone about Jesus that doesn't already know Him! This is not what I'm supposed to be doing. Making disciples implies that people weren't disciples before. It's time to kick it into high gear.

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Love and Truth

John is writing to 'a lady chosen by God along with her children.' I'm not sure if he's talking about an actual lady or if he's writing to the church (often referred to as the bride of Christ), but either way, what he has to say is beneficial to us me. He reminds her and her children to live by 'the command we received from the beginning': love each other! But this time he goes on to clarify that he isn't talking about some abstract concept or feeling. He says in verse 6:

"Love is defined by our obedience to His commands." If I follow the teachings of Jesus, I will be living in love of my fellow man.

He also warns again that there are many people out there who are denying the reality of the gospel. Not only that but they are teaching other people to do the same. I have to be very careful around these people. In fact, John says not even to welcome them into my home as a brother or sister. Why? That doesn't sound very loving does it?

Notice that John doesn't say to never associate with them or try to get them on the right track. He simply says not to treat them as a brother or sister in Christ, because they aren't! If I pretend everything is ok when it isn't ok, that isn't love. The most loving thing I can do is talk with someone about the gospel because when they come to faith in Jesus, it will save them for eternity. Is it loving to know someone is going to hell, but treat them as if they are going to heaven? John goes so far as to say if I welcome this person and their teaching you are partnering with them in their wicked agenda.

The importance of being in the Word of God can't be overstated. How else will I know if what other people are teaching is truth? I don't think pleading ignorance is going to work either. I have the very words of God, I just have to read them. God's will and His word are not hidden, so I am without excuse.

Enjoy the Journey