For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (NASB)
Series Focus: “Behold Your King”
I don’t know about you, but after the go, go, go of the Christmas season, the sudden halt of activity brings a little sadness to my soul. I love the peaceful feeling surrounding me, as I no longer rush from place to place. But when my girls pack up and head to their prospective homes, the house is quiet, and we take the decorations down, it feels a bit empty. Getting back into the swing of the regular day-to-day responsibilities seems to take more effort than it should. After all, didn’t we just celebrate one of the holiest, precious nights of the year? The birth of Christ, our King!
“for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 NASB)
We joyfully celebrated, sang songs of praise and thanksgiving, proclaimed our adoration of the Newborn King—now what? Isn’t the babe we revered in the stable still worthy of our praise when our trees come down and we pack the nativity sets away? Yes, He is! Let us not forget who He is and what He came to do. Do you know what He came to accomplish? Jesus came to reveal the Father, to be a living sacrifice to abolish our sin, to destroy the works of the devil and to be a perfect example of living a holy life. In all this, He brings glory to God and reconciles us to the Father. How thankful I am for all of this! Let’s confirm these statements with scripture:
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:9 (NASB)
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known. John 1:18 (ESV)
“and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 (NASB)
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:26b (ESV)
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 (ESV)
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21 (ESV)
There are so many more scriptures we could examine to understand more fully why God sent Jesus to Earth. Let us never lose sight of the gift God gave us. Even after Jesus went to be with His Father in Heaven, He continued to make a way for us to commune with Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us! He is no longer baby lying in a manger. He is the fullness of Joy and Glory! He makes all things new! He is our redeemer and our provider!
We dedicate January 2022 to continue the celebration we started in Advent 2021! Our new series explores the names of Jesus found in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace!
Our prayer is that you continue to celebrate, to sing, to rejoice and proclaim, all Jesus has done for you. May we never tire, forget, or lessen His mighty sacrifice for us to have eternal life with Him. Hallelujah and Amen!
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:11; John 1:18, 14:9; 1 John 3:8, 4:14, 1 Peter 2:21, Hebrews 9:26; Revelation 21:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-24