Immanuel

Advent Day 5 The Great Light

7 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 8:18-22
Isaiah 9:1-7
Philippians 2:5-8
Hebrews 2:14-15
Hebrews 7:23-28

Advent, Day 5

As the lights went out, and the house plunged into darkness, I was unprepared for the fear that gripped me. I was used to the city where “darkness” wasn’t really dark, but now, out in the country, in an unfamiliar house, this was a darkness deeper than I’d ever experienced. I began desperately searching for even a tiny glimmer of light.

As our study of Advent continues, we travel backwards to learn how the ministry of the prophet Isaiah foreshadowed Christ’s eventual arrival. In today’s reading from Isaiah, the Israelites also found themselves stumbling along in deep darkness, though theirs wasn’t a physical darkness, but a spiritual one.

Isaiah 9 is a common reading in Christmas services, and its promise of a great light is well-known, but to really understand the impact and significance of that Great Light, we must first consider the darkness in which the Israelites found themselves.

Isaiah was a prophet to the nation of Judah around 700 years before Jesus’ birth. The nation was far from God and under constant threat from the brutal Assyrians. In 2 Kings 15:29, we read that some Israelites had already been deported to Assyria, and Isaiah warns the worst is still to come. Assyria is poised to sweep into Israel and Judah like a flood and overwhelm it (Isaiah 8:6-8) because of the people’s rejection of God.

Isaiah vividly describes the darkness of rebelling against God as turning to one place then to another, always seeking satisfaction but never finding it. Israel felt alone, abandoned, and in despair. (Isaiah 8:18-22)

A time of humbling and hardship is coming for the people of Judah, but God gives Isaiah eyes to look beyond the chaos of the immediate future to bring a message of hope.
The darkness and despair will not last forever; a light is coming.

The Great Light will bring restoration and rejoicing, freedom and peace; a victory so decisive there will be no need for boots of battle and garments of war. These will become so unnecessary, they will be burned as fuel for the fire. (Isaiah 9:5)

Not only is this Hope and Light on the horizon, but it’s coming is utterly independent of the people’s action or lack thereof. The Great Light is all down to God. Just as the Midianites were defeated by God without Gideon and his men fighting the initial battle (Judges 7:19-22), so this victory will be won by God, and it will happen in an unexpected way.

“For a child will be born for us [. . .]” (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah speaks of One who will rule and bring peace, One who will reign on the throne of His ancestor David forever, but this was not, as the Israelites expected, simply a human king.

He would be human. Hebrews 2:14-15 makes it clear the Savior must be human in order to defeat the power of death. Paul’s description of Jesus’ willingness to humble Himself to be born as a human (Philippians 2:5-8) shows the amazing love He has for us. He willingly chose to enter the mess of human existence that He might redeem us from it!

But He would not be just a human king.

Over the years, the people of Israel and Judah had been ruled by a series of human kings, many of them appalling. Even the few godly kings such as David, Joash, and Amaziah had ruled imperfectly.

He was not to be merely another human king, but a Messianic King.
“[. . .] a son will be given to us.” (Isaiah 9:6)

A Son given by God himself; He would be Immanuel, God with us.
(Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:21-23)

He would be “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) come to live among His people to bring salvation, and this was something only He could do.

For hundreds of years, priests had represented the Israelites before God, bringing sacrifices to atone for their sins, but both the sacrifices and the priests themselves were imperfect. The repetition of sacrifice was necessary; their sacrifices could only provide temporary relief.

Hebrews 7:23-28 outlines why Jesus was different, pointing to His eternal nature and His perfect sinlessness. He never needed to make sacrifices for His own sins. Because of this, His sacrifice on the cross could atone for our sins forever, once for all time.

I don’t know what darkness you’re facing now, but I do know we live in a broken world where all of us experience darkness and despair.

Just as the promise of the Great Light Mighty God dwelling on earth brought hope to the Israelites, so it can bring hope to us in our darkness.

Jesus has come!
He has done all that is necessary for our salvation, and, by His Spirit, He is with us in whatever darkness we face when we surrender ourselves to Him!
That’s a present reality we can embrace now.

We also have great hope for the future, as we hold to His promise that He will come again to set all things right. Those who trust in Him will be welcomed into an eternity devoid of pain or darkness.

The Light has come,
and the Light is coming.

His promise is certain because it does not depend on us.

“The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Advent Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Advent!

Advent Day 1 The Arrival

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 7:10-14
John 9:13-41
Mark 2:15-17
John 18:33-37
John 15:18-25

Advent, Day 1

I know, most people start at the beginning of the story.
Advent is really about “leading up to” the birth of Christ, right?

The word “advent” means “coming.”
But, here we are on December 6th, already at the fulfillment.

Jesus is here!
Angels are singing!
Mary holds a shivering infant’s divine skin next to her fallen flesh.
Here, as mama suckles Jesus, tears flowing for both of them, and a terrified Joseph stands in flushed awe, we see the gospel laid out.

This Jesus, this GOD, here with us.
Immanuel, God with us.
The Holy Righteous and Divine in the middle of our biggest mess.

When else has Love looked like this?!

In love, God ordained Jesus, truly man and truly God, to be born like any other person.
“Instead He emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant,
Taking on the likeness of humanity.” (Philippians 2:7)

Although His conception was a miracle by the Holy Spirit, Jesus grew in His mother’s womb and was born a helpless babe, the same as you and me.

God works in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-5), and so Jesus was born in the days of Herod, a king who guarded his throne with jealousy and violence. As we will see later in this Journey Theme, Jesus’ coming was foretold by Old Testament prophets, and when Herod learned of those prophecies, he sought to kill Jesus as a potential rival king. (Matthew 2)

Yet, King Jesus didn’t come in splendor and glorious robes.
He came in humility, in a stable, wearing swaddling clothes.
This was the beginning of Jesus’ purpose to serve.
“[J]ust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

From the beginning, Jesus confounded expectations for the long-awaited King of the World. Much of Jesus’ ministry on earth revealed a new, “upside-down” Kingdom understanding of knowledge, wisdom, service, and culture. He came to bring judgement on those who were right in their own eyes.

“I came into this world for judgement,
in order that those who do not see will see,
and those who do see will become blind.” (John 9:39)

Often, such judgement was addressed to the religious scholars of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. These self-righteous, self-aggrandizing men added their own religious laws and heaped legalistic burdens on the Jews. In reality, they were blind and deaf to the Truth when He stood before them. (John 14:6) They thought they were going to heaven because they were ethnic Jews, God’s chosen people. But Jesus came to usher in a new covenant, available to anyone, Jew or Gentile, who would turn from sin and trust in Him.

“When Jesus heard this, He told them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:17)

Jesus Himself declared, “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37b) And the angel told Joseph, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth and to save his people from their sins. Nothing would stop Him from accomplishing His ministry. Before the foundation of the world, God set His plan of redemption in motion. Jesus was born to die, to speak the truth in love so those who listened to His voice and repented of their sin would be saved and bring glory to God.

Against the backdrop of our inky rebellion, God’s beautiful, holy love shines brilliantly, ready to rescue us from the brokenness of our sin.

Jesus came into a dark world as a bright shining light. (John 8:12) We are all born blinded by sin (Ephesians 2:3), but by His grace, He opens our eyes to see the light. Then it is our duty and delight to shine this light before others that they may see God’s glory for themselves. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Tragically, just as Jesus’ light was not welcomed by all, neither will His light in us be embraced by all. And just as Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, and ultimately murdered on a cross, we too will face persecution for carrying His light.

“Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:20)

With the confidence of Christ, let us go forth boldly this Christmas season, shining His light and proclaiming His gospel, and not letting anything stop us from this ministry. Let us pray God would open the eyes of the unbelieving around us that they may have eyes to see the truth and light in Christ. Amen!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Advent Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Advent!

Reveal Day 3 Heartache’s Hope

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 147
Hosea 11:1-8
Isaiah 60:1-7
Isaiah 61:1-4
John 3:14-21

Reveal, Day 3

This will be a tough Christmas for me and my family.
We lost my uncle in February.
My sister, only 48 years old, went to be with Jesus on Easter morning due to Covid-19.
My grandmother is entering hospice care.
Tears come unbidden as I write. 

It’s been an incredibly traumatizing year and for the first time since my dad died twenty years ago, I can physically feel my heart ache. It’s like part of me is missing. Do you know that feeling? I don’t like it, but it’s here to stay for a while.

I anticipate that as Christmas arrives, this ache will be worse. It was my sister’s favorite holiday. Elaborate decorating . . . many gifts lavishly wrapped . . . all born of a genuine love of giving and sharing, especially during Christmas. She was like a bright star in December. I know my holiday, my world, will be a bit dimmer without her.

As I write about heartache, I think about the Israelites. I cannot imagine the pressing ache of waiting, generation after generation, for a promised Savior who would crush the enemy underneath His feet. (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20) I have a hard time waiting 17 days for something, so 1700 years seems unimaginable.

They endured so much during those 1700 years. They were exiled several times because they just couldn’t follow God with all their hearts. After one exile, when they returned and were trying to rebuild, rich Israelites took advantage of poor neighbors. They were so ruthless, they accepted their kinsmen’s daughters as payment for taxes! (Nehemiah 5:5)

They should have worked together to help rebuild, not just their city, but also their relationship with God. Instead, they tried to soothe their heartache with money and power over the weak and poor.

And you know what?
Their actions broke God’s heart.
Just read Hosea 11:1-8 again.

Can you feel the hurt and heartache of God? But God is merciful and loving. As He always does, He gave them a way to return to Him, to be His people again:

“If [. . .] my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

God knows we can only be whole through Him, so He has provided an eternal road back to Him, even when we break His heart.

When the 1700 years was up, God delivered His promise.
But His promise wasn’t just for Israel.
It was for us, too.

Jesus came to “bring good news to the poor [. . .] heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

This promise from hundreds of years earlier was for Jews and Gentiles alike, which includes us. Jesus came to free us from looking to anything or anyone else for freedom and healing because He “is the way, the truth and the life.” Just like the Israelites, we can get caught up longing for something better, instead of looking to the One Who is better.

Let’s face it, living in this world is hard. There is no living without heartbreak and heartache. Sure, it points to the brokenness of the world. But it also points to our own insufficiency: we cannot heal ourselves.

We try, though. We shop, eat all the comfort food, drink, use drugs, isolate, or even deny our pain, but none of these will bring light to our darkness. Similarly, not one idol, power play, or act of rebellion brought light to the Israelites’ darkness. Instead, Jesus came, died, and rose to free us from sin and death. (John 3:16-17) And that’s not even the full picture!

If we look to Isaiah 60, we see God’s full promise to the nation of Israel, and to us. Israel will no longer live in darkness. Jesus will reign there and the glory of God will shine so brightly, darkness will be cast out. Forever. He will draw in other nations, who will find the light they’ve been searching for everywhere else. What a wonderful picture!

Even better, we don’t need to wait for eternity to experience the light and healing of Immanuel, God With Us. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Further, if you have accepted Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit lives within you.

Sisters, let us connect with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us be radiant and rejoice in Jesus, the light of the world. (Isaiah 60:5)
Until He returns, let us look to Him for our comfort, healing and light.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Reveal Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Reveal!

Reveal Day 1 Until He Appears

4 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Habakkuk 1:1-4
Habakkuk 3:16-19
1 Peter 1:3-9
Romans 8:18-38

Reveal, Day 1

“How long, Lord, must I call for help
and you do not listen
or cry out to you about violence
and you do not save?
Why do you force me to look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.”
(Habakkuk 1:2-4)

If ever there was a prayer for 2020, this passage from Habakkuk pretty much covers it.
Pain, strife, injustice, violence, conflict, loss . . . all wrapped up in a God who has never felt further away.

Christmastime often taps us on our shoulder to remind us what we’ve lost throughout the year, or to bring attention to what we don’t have. Loved ones with whom we once celebrated who will not be sitting at the dinner table this year. Gifts we wish were under the tree, but for which the budget couldn’t make room. A special someone to share life with or children and a family of our own.

But 2020, and all its tumult, have truly humbled our hearts. What we thought was known has toppled into an overwhelming heap, perplexing us when we attempt to piece it back together.
Loss of jobs, businesses, and lives.
Sudden, rapid loss of our “normal.”
The loss of comfort in, and blindness to, the systematic racial inequities still existing in the world, despite the long and hard-fought battles already waged.

It seems impossible that God is here. That He is working. We want to cry out, like Habakkuk, “How long, God!?”
“Where are You now?”
“What are You doing?”
“Why don’t You save us?”

The book of Habakkuk shows us a raw and real conversation between God and Habakkuk on behalf of the nation of Israel. For hundreds of years, since the exodus from Egypt, Israel suffered from the plight of its own sin. Time after time, they turned away from God and deliberately disobeyed Him by worshiping other gods and idols, despite the Father’s constant grace and effort to bring them back to Him.

And so Israel fell, and suffered, at the hand of corrupt nations like Babylon. God delivered them, and they remained faithful . . . for a time. Until they abandoned their Deliverer, and the endless cycle began again, and again, and again.

We see both Habakkuk and God hurting for the world and the sin wreaking havoc at every turn. God shows Habakkuk that He, too, sees the hurt, the pain, the suffering, and the loss. His heart breaks, too. Even though it seemed inconceivable, God was working a plan far greater than their present troubles. In the midst of the consequences of our own sin and the ripple of others’, God’s glorious plan to save His people was being revealed.  

I’m amazed at Habbakuk’s praise at the end of the book. Despite the absence of God’s immediate rescue, Habakkuk rests in God’s constant promises to deliver His people. Habakkuk didn’t have the Christmas story of Immanuel, God with us, or even the knowledge of the Easter story of the resurrection of Jesus, and yet he chose to trust in the midst of loss.

My favorite Christmas hymn lyrics, from the first verse of “O Holy Night,” simply and beautifully remind us of the “now” of our suffering and the “not yet” of the promise to come:

 “Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!” 

How long have you felt the weight of sin and error and pined for relief, crying out to God, “How much longer, Lord?”

Friend, when Christmastime taps us on the shoulder and we look back at 2020 and remember what was lost and painful, may the picture of an innocent baby named Jesus, born in the midst of chaos and filth, prompt our weary hearts to turn toward hope and the bright, new, glorious morning our Father has given us.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Reveal Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Reveal!