In this familiar Christmas story of the magi and king Herod, we see two diametrically opposed responses to the Messiah. They both had a knowledge of the Messiah by the providence of God, but one responded with worship and the other with suspicion and an attempt to exterminate the Messiah. Matthew presents to us the Messiah as the Savior and King whom people either humbly worship (as the magi did) or repudiate Him (as Herod did). How will you respond to the Lord this Christmas season, as you are also bombarded with the knowledge of the Son of God who has come to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21)? This is the challenge of Christmas.
John 8:43-37, Why Must Sinners Be Born Again
Jesus said, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). What we discover in this passage are the reasons why sinners desperately need to be born again. Without the work of God in their hearts, people are unable to receive God’s word, they are imitate their spiritual father, the Devil, and they hold fast to an irrational bias against the truth. May the Lord regenerate souls and bring them to Himself.
Psalm 123, Look Up!
From time to time, we find ourselves suffering in the fallen world. What are we to do? Are we to seek an escape from our problems? How are Christians to deal with times of suffering when they arise? Psalm 123 encourages us to look up to God who is enthroned in the heavens and to wait on Him and to learn to pray during times of trials.
John 8:37-42, The DNA of the children of God
In this passage, Jesus addresses Jews who were not the children of God. He demonstrates this by showing them the traits of the children of God, which were markedly absent in their lives. These traits enable us to gauge where we stand before God. Are you a child of God or not? This passage shows us how even those who “believed” may not be truly Jesus’ disciples who are born again. May the Lord help us to see the truth about who we are in the sight of God.
John 8:30-36, Freedom from Sin
Sinners are enslaved to their sins. Instead of the power and ability to say no to sinful inclinations, they are bound by their lusts, pride and selfishness and they are unable please God. The Savior promises freedom from this enslavement to sin. He directs us to two actions and two promises. He who has paid the penalty for our sins also leads us away from a life of sin to live fruitfully for the glory of God. May we all gain His wisdom to continue in His Word and thereby experience the freedom which He promises to those who follow Him truly.
John 8:19-30, The Consequences of Denying the Truth
Only fools say no to the Savior. They overlook the dire consequences to refusing Christ and denying His truth. As Jesus points out in this conversation with the Pharisees, denying the truth of Christ is to forfeit the knowledge of God, entrance into heaven and the Savior who alone can save them from their sins. We must never refuse Christ but wholly embrace Him. Always say yes to Christ.
John 8:17-18, The Testimony of God (Part 3)
God the Father has confirmed the self-testimony of the Son and has rendered unbelief and unrepentance inexcusable. This is also seen in the biblical doctrine of election which is alluded to the verses prior. Regeneration is God’s business, while repentance is man’s business. Similarly, election is God’s business, while evangelism is man’s business.
John 8:15-16, The Testimony of God (Part 2)
We see a great deal of theology in these verses: divine omniscience and divine election. The Lord’s response to the Pharisees reveals these attributes of God. The Lord had access to divine knowledge which the Pharisees did not have. The Lord assessed people based on the Father’s choice. He accepted everyone whom the Father gave and drew to Him. Unlike the Pharisees, the Lord did not judge the book by its cover, but by a divine collaboration with the Father.