 |
|||
Volume. XXXVIII, No. 79 Who is Christ of Christmas? Isaiah 9:1-7 (Part 2)
The Chinese rendering is accurate and according to Hebrew: He is not only mighty but sovereignly almighty in all His ways that no one can stand up to His might. During Isaiah’s time, the people were poly-theistic and believed in many gods. To say that your god is the all mighty god, many would challenge if this were true. There is only one God, the God of the Bible. Christ is God himself, there is no other gods beside Him. This God is all powerful, all knowing and all present everywhere. He has our lives and destinies in His hand, He decides our beginning to the end. As we come to know this God, we know the truth concerning life and know this God who gives us purpose and meaning, hope and peace forever. Jesus is not just human. He is also the almighty God because when they crucified Him, He triumphed over the grave, destroyed death and three days later, He arose from the grave. This is the power of the babe in the manger, not an ordinary child, He is God in our midst, He is God on earth and who is triumphant over all.
The emphasis in this phrase is on the everlasting which is eternal or without beginning and the end. All of us have a beginning, we were born one day and will die and leave this world. But Jesus Christ, the babe in the manger, that was not His beginning but His incarnation. He has a beginning right from the start, like God the Father, who has no beginning or the end. There was an occasion when Christ was asked about Abraham and the Lord said before Abraham was, I am. This shocked His listeners that He already existed before Abraham. In other words, the Lord was helping the people to realise that He was the eternal one. Our lives are limited. But God, in Christ, is unlimited. If you know and believe this God, and entrust in this God and repent of your sins, you can have everlasting hope in Jesus Christ. To know this God, we have to know Him on His terms, of who Christ is and what He requires of us. We are to believe in Christ, receive, confess and repent of our sins and come and entrust our lives to Him. It means surrendering to Him and acknowledging Jesus Christ as King of kings and Saviour of our souls.
When Isaiah was writing this chapter, Israel was under threat of the Assyrians. King Hezekiah prayed to God for deliverance. God protected Israel and 180 thousand enemies perished. Israel today looks for peace in all the wrong places; from alliances and political connections and the middle east is still in turmoil. The Bible says Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Peace will not come from UN, USA or superpowers but from the true source of lasting peace. Our Lord made a statement in John 14:27 concerning peace. Do you have peace in your heart today? Peace does not come by having more monetary resources, more fame, more assets or more power. Recently a famous K-pop singer committed suicide, and many suffer from depression, anxiety and phobias despite having fame, power and millions of fans. Peace comes not from the world or self. Peace comes from a person – only Christ is the fountain of peace. To have everlasting peace, you need to focus your mind on Jesus Christ alone (Isaiah 26:3–4). You may wonder why peace eludes you. You can have peace when you have Jesus Christ. Christ alone is the source of perfect peace for this life and the life to come. With Christ, you can have lasting peace in the midst of personal and worldwide turmoil and the adversity. Conclusion To know this peace, come to Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus and know that He died on the cross for our sins and He is coming back for us and takes us with Him. We can have hope, peace and joy, all found in the person who was born on Christmas Day (Luke 2:10). Let this Christmas in 2022 in the midst of a pandemic be a new beginning, new life, new direction, because you truly know this God of Christmas who could give you eternal life and it is forever. If you would trust and believe in your heart that Jesus is God, accept Him as Saviour and God, you can be saved. The Bible says in John 1:12 that as many as believe in Him and call upon His name will be saved. The Bible says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32). All of us are born sinners, condemned to everlasting hell fire and are helpless and hopeless. Unless we have Christ, and know Jesus as our God and Lord, we are totally condemned in sins and trespasses. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Will you turn to Jesus this Christmas? Something to think and pray about and act upon too. Rev Jack Sin |
|