Born to be King

Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy which probably isn't the best way to start a bestseller, so why does Matthew do it? Matthew 1:1 tells us why. It says, "This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham." This genealogy establishes the fact that Jesus was a descendant of David and was therefore eligible to be the Messiah. 

Messiah is a Hebrew word that simply means “anointed one.” You may remember that David was anointed as king many years before he actually became king. In the same way, when God revealed that one of David's descendants would reign forever over a kingdom that would extend to the ends of the earth, God’s people began to think of this descendant as having already been anointed king. They were just waiting for him to take the throne.

When we read the Christmas story we find this emphasized over and over again. Jesus was born to be king. This is overwhelmingly clear in Luke's birth account as well, but for the sake of space let's stick with Matthew's gospel. 

Matthew 2:1-2 says that "Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?'" The wise men came looking for a king! And in the rest of chapter 2 Herod set out to kill not just any baby but a king. 

If we fast-forward through the gospel, we find the same emphasis many years later at Jesus’ death. Matthew 27:37 says that as Jesus was crucified, “above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” So, that phrase, the "King of the Jews" hangs over both Jesus’ birth and His death in the gospel of Matthew. It was the king of the Jews that the Magi came searching for at His birth, and it was the king of the Jews that the Romans crucified at His death.

And yet somehow, today Jesus has been robbed of his kingship. Churches present Him as a Savior and a friend but never as a king. Certainly Jesus is the only Savior and He is our closest friend, but not until He is first our King! So, this Christmas let’s not just kneel before the manger in wonder at the baby. Let’s not just kneel before the cross in awe of the Savior. This Christmas, let’s also kneel before the throne and swear allegiance to the King.

Christmas Obedience

...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins...” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Matthew 1:20-21 & 24

Joseph was a devout Jew. He had it in his mind to follow the law and quietly divorce his fiancée that had turned up pregnant; but the Lord had other plans. So, God sent an angel to tell Joseph not only that he was to take Mary as his wife but also that the child who would be born of her had been sent to "save his people from their sins."

In other words, Jesus' birth, Christmas itself, is about people being saved from their sin. That includes not only people coming to place their faith in Jesus for forgiveness of their sin, but also people turning from their sins to obedience to God. And even though Joseph wasn't turning away from sin, we do see him turning toward obedience in the next verses. Verse 24 tells us that after his divine dream, Joseph woke up and obeyed God. In this way, he sets an example for all of us to follow. 

Purely by coincidence I happened to read Romans 16 right before I read Matthew 1 tonight. And a certain phrase at the end of Romans 16 caught my attention. "so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith" (Romans 16:26). It is probably the reason I noticed this minor theme of obedience in Matthew 1. Having that phrase stuck in my mind helped me realize that a lot of emphasis is placed on faith at Christmastime and very little on obedience. But there's something wrong with that, because there is an obedience that comes from faith. And I have no doubt in my mind that the kind of faith that God desires is the kind that leads to life change and obedience. 

So, this Christmas don't just place your faith in the baby in the manger...obey Him. Wake up on Christmas morning and do what He has told you to do. And then, even after Christmas is over, try to make it your daily practice to wake up and obey just like Joseph did.

Jesus Always Lives to Pray for You (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:23-25

 

When we find ourselves at a truly low point in life- perhaps at death's door or losing someone we can't bear to lose- we often turn to others for prayer. When our own strength fails, we want as many people praying for us as is possible. However we all know certain people whom we sense are nearer to God. We want these people praying for us most of all during our time of need. We somehow feel that if God will hear anyone's prayer, He will hear theirs. Knowing that they are lifting our needs up to the Lord gives us extra strength to press on. Who could this be truer of than Jesus Himself!?

Hebrews 7:23-25 presents the precious truth that Jesus is interceding for all those who have come to God through Him. How encouraging it is to know that if you are a believer then right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven praying for you! Jesus is pulling for you! Jesus Himself is pleading with God on your behalf! Now, the word 'intercede' is one of those churchy words that we use a lot, but many people don’t really know what it means. To intercede for someone is to plead or advocate on their behalf. It is usually used in reference to prayer (as it is here). We intercede for someone when we lift up their requests to God on their behalf. So this passage tells us that Jesus is always praying for you and pleading for you to God. What a blessing! What a privilege! What an encouragement!

  

Not only is this true, but Jesus lives forever. He isn’t going to get tired and fall asleep while He’s praying for you. He isn’t going to give up. He isn’t going to die and leave you trying to convince someone else to plead your case to God. “He always lives to intercede for” you.

 

I believe that Jesus is pleading with God for both your ultimate salvation- that you would persevere in the faith and be proven to be one of the true children of God in the end- and that God would provide you with all you need to beat the power of sin in your life and become more and more like Christ.

What could make this better? Only one thing: if this Jesus who prays for you could actually understand your human weakness, the flesh that you have to battle against, the temptation that you face. If He could understand that, then He could better plead for you. Good news! Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

 

Jesus has walked in your shoes. He knows what it’s like to be tired, to be hungry, to be sick. He knows what it’s like to be discouraged. He even knows what it’s like to be tempted. And He sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven living forever to lift up your requests and your needs to the Father on your behalf. Praise God! So lift up your requests to God in Jesus’ name today and trust that He is praying for you and that the Father surely hears His prayers.

 

For further reading...

• John 17:6-26- This passage probably gives us a pretty good idea of what Jesus is praying for us, because it is the prayer He prayed for us before He was crucified.
• Hebrews 4:14-16- Check out Hebrews 4:15 in context.

Live for the Lord. Die for the Lord.

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Romans 14:8

This simple truth is often neglected. Some Christians don't want to live for the Lord. They want to live for themselves, gratifying the desires of their flesh. Others are more than willing to live for the Lord as long as it means they will be able to avoid suffering, struggle, and death. They live God-honoring lives but expect God to keep them untouched by sickness and death in return. They wouldn't claim to believe they should live forever, but when sickness or death does come, no matter how old they are, they feel betrayed by their God. 

I would like to be a third and rarer type of Christian, a Romans 14:8 Christian. I would like to be the kind of Christian who is more than willing to live every day of my life for the Lord while being willing to die for Him as well. 

In Romans 14, the concept of dying for the Lord has nothing to do with martyrdom. It is simply dying for the Lord or as unto the Lord. As Christians, we are called to do whatever we do for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Romans 14:8 reminds us that this includes dying. When you die, you should do it in such a way as to bring glory to God. You should die for the Lord just like you lived for the Lord. And every single one of us will one day be called on to die (unless we live until Jesus comes back). And I can tell you firsthand how powerful a witness it can be when a Christian dies well, when they die for the Lord. Sadly, I can also tell you that it doesn't always happen. 

So, take a moment and ask yourself if you are really living for the Lord. And then take another moment ask yourself if you are really ready to die for Him. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). I am convinced that if we obey this command, if we take up our cross every day and live for Jesus, then we will be ready to die for Him when the time comes. Live for the Lord and His glory. And when the time comes, die for Him and His glory too.

Heavenly Father, 

Help me to live for you and Your glory. And when the time comes, help me to die for you and your glory as well. In Jesus' name...Amen.

Talking about God's Faithfulness

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

through all generations.

Psalm 89:1

We don’t talk about God’s goodness nearly enough! This verse is a great reminder that we should make His faithfulness known! Don’t keep it to yourself. Somebody needs to know what God has done for you. Chances are you know someone whose is struggling in their faith right now and your story about God's faithfulness in your life may be just what they need to hear to give them the encouragement to keep on believing.

Verse 1 goes a little beyond that though. The psalmist doesn’t just want to tell those who live in his day about God’s faithfulness. He wants to make it “known through all generations.” Amazingly, God did just that. This song was inspired by God and preserved in Scripture so that even now, over 2,500 years later, this psalmist's words remind us of God’s faithfulness.

Think about this. How will your children and grandchildren know about all God has done for you if you don’t tell them? How will they know about all the times God provided for you when you didn’t know how you were gonna pay the bills or put food on the table? How are they gonna know about how God healed you when it looked like you might die? How are they gonna know about how God forgave you and showed you mercy when you deserved judgment? They can’t know if you never tell them! 

Make time to tell the next generation about God’s faithfulness in your life. Tell them what God has done for you. Because if you don’t, a generation will rise up and is rising up that doesn’t know the Lord. Don’t you realize that we are locked in a battle for the souls of our children and grandchildren? The world is telling them that the Bible isn’t true, that the stuff we believe is outdated and unnecessary and maybe even oppressive. They’re hearing lie after lie after lie about God. There are plenty of people telling them that God isn’t good. Who is going to tell them that He is good! Who is going to stand up and make God’s faithfulness known to the next generation? No one is better suited to do it than you. You tell them.