JESUS IN THE BEGINNING

Genesis 1:1-3 (NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Yesterday, we saw that John, Jesus’ disciple, brought out that Jesus and His Word are one.  He created everything good with His Word, and His Word will always work, no matter what comes against us in our world.  His Word will be here, now and forever.  What I want to do now is look at the beginning, and see the part that Jesus played in creation.

We need to remember that Jesus is the Word of God, so when we see God speaking, that is Jesus at work.  When God was making this beautiful planet with all of its vast resources of gold, oil, food, and so much more, He did it all through His Word, Jesus.

In verse 3 it says, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”  Do you see it?  God said it, so that was Jesus right there, in the beginning.  God thought it, Jesus said it, and the Holy Spirit did it.  In the beginning, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were working together to create all that we see: His creation.

My, oh my!  What love the Father has for us, His children, that all three parts of the Trinity would be totally involved in making our home, and then making us.  What love, that the Godhead would make sure that everything was perfect, so that we could have this amazing planet called Earth.

Yes, Adam and Eve fell, but Jesus has won it back for us.  One day soon, there will be a total redemption (spirit, soul, and body) for all those that believe in His Word, and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior.  So, today, if you have not received the free gift of salvation, ask Jesus to come into your heart and be your everything.  I promise you that you will never regret it!

Confession: Lord Jesus, thank You for creating this beautiful world for me, and also for dying on the cross for me.  Thank you for redeeming me.  I receive your free gift today.  I believe that you died for my sins.  Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.  Amen!

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THE ETERNAL WORD

John 1:1-5 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus and His Word are one.  God's Word is eternal.  It will always do what it says it will do.  If Jesus does not return for another 2000 years, His Word will continue to move on this earth, just like it did when it was first written.  The Bible is the number one best-selling book of all times, and they say there are over six billion copies in our world today.  Amazing!  God's Word is still working, and Jesus and His Word are one.

Jesus is not a god; Jesus is God.  He is 100% God, just like God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  He was in the beginning with God.  Everything that is on this earth was made by His spoken Word.  And now this same Jesus resides within us.  We need to really think of this love of God.  God loves us so much that He gave us Himself.  He is the One who was from the very beginning, making the universe, the animals, and Adam and Eve.  The Word from the beginning is our God, dwelling in us and living for us.

So today, see the big God.  Do not see God as the world tries to show us God.  See the One that put Himself in His Word, and within our being.  Get to know Him like you have never known Him before.  See what happens in your life.  I will tell you, you will never be the same!

Confession: The eternal Word lives within me today.  God, the Creator of all good things, dwells within my heart, and He is making sure that all things will work out for my good.  Christ in me is the hope of glory!

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NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES

Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God has highly exalted Jesus, and given Him a Name that is above every name.  As we are celebrating Christmas today, we need to continue to reflect on what the Father did.  In giving us the Name of Jesus, we now have eternal life.  In giving us the Name of Jesus, we now have the right to combat the enemy, and command sickness to bow its knee to that Name.

In Mark 16:15-18, Jesus tells us what the great commission is: "And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

This is what we are to preach this Christmas, and every day of the year.  At the Name of Jesus, sickness must flee.  At the Name of Jesus, God, our Heavenly Father, has redeemed us and restored us.  Do not settle for anything less than what God has promised us in His Word!

As we see how they used the Name in the early church, and throughout all of history, we see the amazing power that God has placed in that Name.  Just think of it: every person that was ever born, every angel, every demon, and even satan himself, will have to bow their knee to this great and awesome Name.

So this Christmas, see Jesus as a baby, but also see Him as the risen Savior, the Messiah, that restores us to all that the Father has provided for us!

Confession:  This Christmas, I am going to keep Jesus first in my life.  It is in His Name that I am saved, healed, and restored.  His Name is above every name, and I am proud to bow my knee to Him today!

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HE WILL SAVE US FROM OUR SINS

Matthew 1:21 (NKJV) And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.

Jesus; there is just something about that Name!  His Name is exalted.  His Name is the most beautiful for those who believe on Him, and the most feared for those who do not.  At His Name, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This young child was given a Name that has lasted through the ages, and will last throughout all eternity!  At His Name, the blind can see, and the lame can walk.  At His Name, the storms can become peaceful, and food can be multiplied.  But the most amazing thing is that at the Name of Jesus, we can be saved!

All of us have sinned in our lives, and none of us will be able to go to God on our own righteousness.  Because of Jesus and what He has done, all those who accept the free gift offered to us from the Father have now received eternal life.  The gift is to all that would believe.  Jesus gave Himself freely for you and for me.  He was born in a manger, lived and walked throughout Israel, and then hung on a cross so that we might be forgiven of all our sins.

I cannot save myself, but it is in that wonderful Name that salvation comes.  The angel said to Joseph, "He shall save his people from their sins."  I can just imagine what Joseph was thinking when he heard those words: “Save His people from their sins?  This little child that is going to be born supernaturally from the womb of my wife-to-be will save us from our sins?”

So this Christmas season, do not look to yourself to be saved, or look to religion to come to salvation.  It is a free gift given to us from our loving Father.  This Christmas, see Him Who gave so much for us so that we could have so much.  This Christmas, see the young child Jesus, and see that He will save us from our sins.

Confession:  My Jesus has saved me from my sins.  I am not saved by my works or my good deeds.  I am saved because of what Jesus has done for me.  I am saved and forgiven.  To God be the glory!

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DO NOT BE AFRAID

Matthew 1:18-20 (NKJV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: after His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."

Can you imagine this one?  Joseph is all excited about getting married to Mary, and then he hears these words: “Hey Joe, I am pregnant, but it is not what you think.  You see, I am pregnant with the Son of God.”  I do not know about you, but that would sure be a hard pill to swallow. 

But God, who is so full of love and grace, sent an angel to Joseph to bring great comfort to this good man.  The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary to be his wife, and that the child within her womb was not conceived by a man, but by the Holy Spirit.  This child would be the Savior of the world!

Glory to God!  You see, Jesus was not born of natural birth, but by supernatural birth.  Jesus, our Redeemer, is 100% God, and He is also 100% man.  In being God, He cannot fail, but in being man, He can take my place, and set me up for total redemption.  My God, my Jesus, my Holy Spirit, have put together this amazing plan of salvation, so that anyone who would believe it, and receive it, would have Eternal Life!

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  This verse is now for you, and for me.  Because of the awesome love of God, we are forgiven, and we are restored!

So today, hear the words that the angel spoke to Joseph: "Do not be afraid."  Let us not be afraid, but believe God for His great love for you, and for me.  Take hold of His goodness, and receive the Baby who became our all: Jesus Christ, God and man, for you and for me!

Confession: I see the One who has saved me this Christmas season.  I see Jesus, my God, and my brother.  He has forgiven me, and restored me to God the Father.

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WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM

Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

I am always amazed that it was these wise men from the east that came and followed the star.  What happened to the Pharisees, and the other leaders in Israel?  They were the ones who should have seen, through the Word of God, that the Messiah was to come and be born in Bethlehem.

Jesus taught a story one day about a wise man who built His house upon a rock.  He was prepared for the storms that life brought to him.  It is the same here.  It will be those wise virgins, who keep their oil filled, that will be ready for the return of Jesus to the earth.  These wise men saw, through the scriptures, where the Messiah was to be born, and they were the ones who were watching the stars for the sign of His coming.

Today, I am asking you: “Are you looking within the Scriptures?  Are you seeing what His Word declares about how the world will be before He returns?  Are you being wise?”  A wise person will keep their oil filled, and lay a foundation in the Word of God.  If you are saying, “Yes!” to these questions, then I could say to you that you are a wise person, and you will be ready for the return of the King!

But today, if you are saying, “No, I have not been doing any of these things.  I have been living my life for myself, and not putting any time into the Word or the fellowship of the saints,” then I say, “You need to look up, because His return is near, and I do not want you to miss out on that amazing day!”  Make a quality decision to live for Him, and to take time each day to put the Scriptures deep within your heart.  I promise you, you will never regret it!

Confession: Today, I declare that I am going to give His Word first place in my life.  I am going to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only, and I am going to keep my oil filled!

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GOD CHOOSES THE LITTLE TO DO GREAT THINGS

Micah 5:2 (NKJV) But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

I am always amazed how God chooses the small things to make such an impact in our world.  He chose Bethlehem, one of the smallest cities, to bring the Messiah into the world.  He chose Israel, one of the smallest nations, to bring the message of the Gospel to the world.  And He chooses us, little nobodies, to share His message of salvation to the world.

Sometimes I am blown away when I think of who we are, “nobodies,” and yet God uses us to do big things for people.  You might say, “Well Pastor, God might be using you, but He is not using me.”  No, every one of us are used by God.  We just need to see the field that God wants us to plant in, and start sowing!

Too often, we think that we have to reach everyone, but to reach the world we need to reach one.  I always wonder, who was the person that shared the message of salvation with Billy Graham?  Did that person ever think that God would use him to bring one to Christ that would reach so many?

Many times, we look at our few loaves and fishes, but it is when we put these loaves and fishes in the Master's hand that we see the multitude of blessings that they make.  So do not look at your lack; look at God's ability!  Look at how God can take a hand like yours to bring a cold cup of water to someone in need.  Look at how God can take that dollar, and use it to reach way beyond what you ever thought or imagined.

Today, look to Jesus, the One born in little Bethlehem, and see what He accomplished!  Then see that through Him, you can do great things for His Kingdom.  Together, with Him at the wheel, He will take you into places that you never thought you would go.  God and you; what a team!

Confession: My Jesus was born into one of the smallest cities that there is, and I believe, today, that God can take little me, and use me to be a true blessing to others.

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