IS HE THE ONE?

IS HE THE ONE?

Matt 11:2-5 KJV

2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

          John’s entire life was one of way maker for the Son of God. He leaped in his mother Elizabeth’s womb at the announcement of Mary’s pregnancy. He pointed to Jesus as “the Lamb of God.”  Yet the stress of prison and the threat of death caused John the Baptist to momentarily doubt. He sent two of his disciples to ask a question and to return with a clear answer. Are you the one?

          Jesus responded not as clearly as the heart of John longed for but with the evidence of fulfilled Scripture! Jesus pointed out the prophecies of Isaiah.

Isa 35:4-6 KJV

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Let’s take a look at some of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus!

1. He would be the seed of the woman and bruise the serpent’s head!

Gen 3:15 KJV

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Gal 4:4 KJV

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

1 John 3:8 KJV

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

2. That he would be born in Bethlehem!

Mic 5:1-2 KJV

5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Luke 2:4-7 KJV

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

3. That he would be born of a true virgin!

Isa 7:14 KJV

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:34 KJV

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Matt 1:18 KJV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Yes John! Yes, weary soul of mine! He is the One!

Acts 1:3 KJV

He shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs.

Dear Lord, why do we doubt in the face of these proofs? Perhaps it is the prison of this world and its threat of death. Lord, we know that you are the One! AMEN      

LOUD RAUCOUS NIGHT!

LOUD RAUCOUS NIGHT!

Luke 2:8-16 KJV

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

          All is calm – all is bright! At least that is what the song says. In our mind we imagine the shepherds perhaps sitting at the mouth of one of the many caves near Bethlehem. Their sheep likely were huddled inside the cave for the night. A small fire would be kindled for warmth and light and the shepherds would be quietly talking. Silent night!

          Suddenly a booming voice (do not all angels speak in a booming voice?) says: “Don’t be afraid. I bring good news to you and to everyone! Tonight, in the nearby city of David a savior has been born. He is Christos the anointed of God. He is kurios the Lord, supreme in authority. He is Messiah!

          This announcement caused a plethos, a huge number of angels to explode in collective and personal ecstasy. The Bible does not say that they were singing or even shouting but simply “saying.” The sound must have been like a food fight in a mess hall. Each individual angel struggled to make his very own praise heard above the rest. The air must have crackled with the power of it.

          Their message was one of eirene, peace, rest and prosperity. The angels announced a new era of eudokia, good will or kindness with purpose. God had done something marvelous beyond description and the proof of it was now resting in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. God came down at Christmas and this great gift was wrapped in strips of cloth bundling him tightly.

          And just as suddenly as they came the angels were gone. Slowly the shepherds talk among themselves and decide to confirm the truth of this vision. “Let us go to Bethlehem and see for ourselves if this is a dream or reality.” As they left they began to spread the news giving personal testimony to the verity of it. It caught like wildfire.

          It was anything but a silent night – but it was a holy night.

Dear Lord, thank you for making peace available to our sin-troubled hearts. Thank you also for looking upon us unworthy sinners with kindness and purpose. AMEN

OUT LOUD – WITH GESTURES!

OUT LOUD – WITH GESTURES!

1 Sam 1:9-13 KJV

9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.

13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

          Yesterday, coming back from having lunch with a preacher friend, I felt the need to pray while I drove the twenty plus miles home. I was burdened and cried out for answers – out loud, with gestures. It was conversational and bordered on being confrontational. God seems to be pretty busy right now but I needed some face time with the Savior – an audience with the King. My prayer was insistent and urgent! As I drove along the dusty Texas highway I came close to demanding answers. I know who the boss is, and it is not me, but I needed to hear from the Boss.

          I rather think this was the situation with Hannah. She was “in bitterness of soul.” The Hebrew word marah means “angry, chafed, discontented and heavy.” She was barren and childless and she was greatly tormented not only by the condition itself but by her “sister wives” who teased her mercilessly.

          Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard! Well, I found that inside the cab of a 2000 model Dodge pickup truck was a wonderful place to pray out loud – with gestures. People waved back but I was not waving. I was flailing and praying. I’m not sure of my speed.

Job 19:7-8 KJV

7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.

8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

Mark 10:46-48 KJV

46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

          Do you have a need that is urgent? Have you been waiting without an answer? Pray – out loud – with gestures!

Dear Lord, you know that I love you, but I also need you to answer. I am waiting on you. Thank you for your careful watching over me. I know that when I am tried I shall come forth as gold. AMEN