Episodes
Wednesday Dec 28, 2016
The Gift of Jesus: Everlasting Father, Isaiah 9:6; various texts
Wednesday Dec 28, 2016
Wednesday Dec 28, 2016
The Gift of Jesus: Everlasting Father
Isaiah 9:6; Various Texts
The Child’s Father
- This child who comes to rule is named ʾăbîʿad: “My father is Eternal”
- It is not necessarily a claim that this child is the Eternal Father
- But rather that he is Son of God
- The only human ever to be called God’s eternal son is the promised Messiah (2 Sam. 7:16; see Ps. 2; 89)
- The Eternal Davidic King = The Christ
The Gift of the King
- This Eternal King comes to give access to His Eternal Father (John 14:6; Eph. 2:18-19)
- A relationship with the Eternal God of the Universe
- And to have this relationship is to have Eternal Life (John 17:3)
- The gift that Jesus gives us is God Himself
- And with Him, Eternal Life
The Gift We Can Give
- If we have this relationship with the Eternal Father through Jesus
- We have Eternal Life to offer the world
So What?
- This Christmas, have you received the gift of Jesus?
- And if so, are you sharing Him with the world?
Meditation Verse: Luke 1:32
Monday Dec 19, 2016
The Gift of Jesus: Might God Isaiah 9:6; various texts
Monday Dec 19, 2016
Monday Dec 19, 2016
The Gift of Jesus: Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6; Various Texts
The Child who is God
- Isaiah describes this coming king with a unique name:
- “Mighty God” (ʾēl gibbôr)
- Mighty: Strength of the king to overcome his enemies
- Isaiah often uses names symbolically
- ) In Isa. 7:14, Immanuel is not the actual name of the child, but rather what his presence represents, “God with us”
- When one looks at how Isaiah uses this name in 10:21, “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.”
- It is obvious that the prophet understood this child is to be identified as God Himself
- And yet, Isaiah describes this Mighty God as:
- A child who will be born
- To a monotheistic Jewish prophet:
- How can the eternal God be born some time in the future?!
- How can God became a man?!
- And not just appear as human
- But be born as a child?!
Who is this Mighty God?
- The answer came 700 years after Isaiah wrote it
- Not in a castle, where you would expect a king to be born
- But in a stable
- Not to the rejoicing of the nations
- But to sounds of animals
- And the praise of angels
- When this king was born, who is Mighty God
- He came into the world like every other human being (Phil. 2:6-8)
- Because this Mighty God came to carry the name Jesus (Matt. 1:21)
The Gift of the Mighty God
- Jesus came to show us who God is (John 14:7-9; see also 10:30; Matt. 11:27)
- But, because Jesus is Mighty God, He came to give us what God in His might provides in Isaiah (Isa 63:1; see also 1:24; Isa 49:26; Isa 60:16)
- He comes to provide us with salvation
- And not just from our earthly foes
- But from sin and death itself
- He comes to provide us with salvation
The Gift We Can Share
- If we have received Jesus as Mighty God, the Giver of Salvation
- Then we have a gift to give to the world (Luke 2:10-11)
So What?
- Have we received the Gift of Jesus, Mighty God, Giver of Salvation?
- Are we giving that gift to others?
Meditation Verse: Luke 2:10-11
Version: 20240320