The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

The announcement of Jesus' birth, which is formulated like Old Testament announcements (Gen 16:11; Is 7:14), stresses three things about Jesus: his position (Son of God, Son of the Most High, ruler), his authority (seated on Israel's throne forever; ruler of a kingdom that will never end) and his divine ties (the Holy Spirit will come . . . and . . . overshadow you). In short, Jesus is the promised king of the Davidic line.

Mary has difficulty comprehending the announcement. She asks, "How will this be?" She knows she cannot yet have conceived a child, since she is a virgin. The answer comes in terms of God's creative overshadowing power. Mary's faith is put on the line at the start. Will she believe that God has the capacity to create life within her? God does not leave her alone in the decision. The angel notes the life that is stirring within the womb of an elderly woman, Elizabeth, Mary's relative. Thus John serves as a pointer to Jesus not only in his preaching but also in his birth.

The angel states the basic premise "Nothing is impossible with God." Mary simply responds in humble acceptance, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

We can only imagine what this announcement required of Mary, especially as her condition became obvious. A hint of the issue is raised in the story of Joseph's dilemma in Matthew 1:18-25. Is God's power such that he can create life and exercise sovereignty over it? This is a question Jesus' birth should raise. Would people believe the claims surrounding Jesus? The questions are profound. Wonderful things come in surprising packages, but they can come, because God has the power to deliver them.

The Truth
"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom to order it and establish it." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Testify of His Goodness

I came across this story about an organization in Montana that offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. Two hunters, after reading the announcement, decided to "head for the hills" and make some money capturing wolves. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests searching for the valuable prey. Exhausted after three days of hunting without success, they both fell asleep. During the night, one of the hunters suddenly woke up to find that the two were surrounded by a pack of fifty wolves, their eyes flaming and teeth bared. At once, he called to his friend, “Hey, wake up! We’re gonna be rich!”

There are times in our lives when circumstances can surround us like that pack of wolves, preparing to pounce and, it can seem like there is no way out - no hope for resolution. However, as pastor Chuck constantly reminded us, "Mans difficulties are Gods opportunities." He would say, "it is through tribulations that we see God taking each situation, one by one, and turning it for His Glory."

I can testify that the longer I live, the more I see the wisdom of this great truth. God does work in the affairs of men. He is mindful of us, He does preserve us from evil, help in time of trouble, guide us with His Spirit, hear our prayers, strengthen us in our time of need and most of all - has provided us with eternal life through His Son, Jesus.

As Christians then, we should testify of His great goodness in our lives and share with others what God has done for us. What better time than Thanksgiving to do just that.

The Truth
"I will praise you, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of Your marvelous works." (Psalm 9:1)

Bless The LORD at All Times

I came across an old Chinese legend that tells of a group of elderly, cultured gentlemen who met often to exchange wisdom and drink tea. Each host tried to find the finest and most costly varieties of tea leaves, to create exotic blends that would arouse the admiration of his guests.

When it came time for the most respected of the group to entertain, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony, measuring the leaves from a golden box. Upon tasting the tea, the assembled group praised the exquisite drink. The host simply smiled and said, "The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I hope it will be a reminder to all that the good things in life are not necessarily the rarest or the most costly."

The good things in life are usually right in front of our faces - family, friends, clothing, shelter. We often take them for granted and neglect to see how very precious they truly are. This Thanksgiving
let's remember to thank God for all His blessings toward us, both big and small. We all have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Truth
"I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1)

Thanksgiving History

The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of,"Thanksgiving and Prayer", shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians.

During the American Revolution a yearly day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. Here is a exerpt from the state of New-Hampshire's Thanksgiving Proclamation.

"The congress in general assembly do here by command the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of "Thanksgiving" as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939. (approved by Congress in 1941)

As a nation our forefathers knew the value of thanking God for all His blessings. It is my prayer that our current and future generations of leaders will do the same.

The Truth
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Veterans Day

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m., known as the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Armistice Day was made a legal holiday in 1938, primarily to honor World War I veterans. The honor was extended to all veterans by an Act of Congress in 1954. In 1968, Congress approved the Uniform Holiday Bill so that Veterans Day and several other national holidays would be bumped up to a weekend to create a three-day holiday. The decision angered many veterans and the original date of November 11 was restored in 1975.

Veterans Day, a day to honor those who served in all American wars, is often confused with Memorial Day, a day of remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This may be due to the fact that, at 11 a.m. on November 11, a combined color guard representing all military services executes "Present Arms" at the tomb of the unknown soldier, the nation's tribute to its war dead.

"We must remember that many who served in our military never lived to be called veterans. We must remember many had their lives changed forever by experiences or the injuries of combat. All veterans are examples of service and citizenship for every American to remember and to follow." -- President George W. Bush, Oct. 30, 2001

Thank you to all who made the decision to serve and have placed themselves in harms way to uphold our freedoms. May God continue to bless our soldiers, veterans and our Nation

America & The Battle for Truth

The 2013 Veritas National Apologetics Conference will be held at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on Friday November 8-9, 2013. The Friday session begins at 6:15 PM and goes until 9:30 PM and Saturday session begins at 9:30 AM and concludes at 4:30 PM. Admission is FREE both days.

You won't want to miss this great line up of speakers; Ravi Zacharias, author of, "America and the Battle for Truth, head of Zacharias International Ministries; OS Guinness, senior fell at Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, author of, "A Free People's Suicide" Sustainable Freedom and The American Future; John Lennox, Senior Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, author of, "Has Science Buried God?" - Creation: Seven Days That Divide The World; Norman Geisler, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics, Veritas Evangelical Seminary, author of, "America's Godly Heritage" What Is It? How Did We Lose It? How Do We Get It Back? and many more.

In these dark days of our governmental legislative moral decline, we need to know how to fight back. So, mark your calendar, redeem the time, get educated by the leaders in this field, don't miss out. See you there.

Speak Boldly

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus, he describes himself — an ambassador in chains. Locked away in a prison, Paul refuses to allow his circumstances to dictate or alter his identity. He may be in chains, but he remains the Lord’s ambassador.

Can you imagine Paul chained up in that dungeon, throwing up his hand saying, That’s it; it’s over; I’m finished!?

Not on your life! Instead the apostle grows bolder as an ambassador; not intimidated or ashamed, because Paul isn’t chained in his Spirit, he’s only bound in the flesh. Remember how he concluded his letter to the Philippian Church? - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So can we!

Don’t allow yourself to be defined by your past, or “chained” by your current circumstances. See beyond the physical with the Spirit and be an ambassador for Jesus Christ.

The Truth
Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:19-20)

Be Still And Listen

“Before refrigerators, people used ice-houses to preserve their food. Ice-houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters, hauled to the ice-houses, and covered with sawdust. Often these ice-blocks would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an ice-house. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the ice-house during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

“I closed the door,” the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.” (story taken from “Directions” by James Hamilton)

So often life can become so hectic that it becomes hard to find time to sit still and just listen to what the Lord is saying. But Jesus often secluded himself, so that He could commune intimately with His Father. In these days and in this hour it’s so imperative that we spend time in our own prayer closets, so we can clearly hear what our Father is saying to us, through His still small voice. If we do, we may find some wonderful and valuable things that others have missed.

The question isn’t whether God will speak, but whether we will take the time to be quiet and still enough to hear His voice.

The Truth
.."and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:12)