Title: God's Zeal (Christmas Day)
Contents
Isaiah 9:6-7
God's zeal
We are approaching Christmas Eve. Christmas is a time to worship the birth of Jesus. The main character of Christmas is only Jesus. Not a Christmas card, not a Rudolph reindeer nose, not a nativity tree, not a white Christmas, not white snow, not even the Virgin Mary. Only Jesus is the protagonist of Christmas. The prophet Isaiah was a prophet who was active about 700 years before the coming of the Lord. He prophesied very accurately about the Messiah. In verse 6 of the main text, five names are introduced.
First, it's a weirdo.
The word 'strange' means amazing. First of all, the birth of Jesus is amazing. In Genesis 3:15, it is prophesied that He will come as a descendant of a woman. As prophesied, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit from the body of Mary without a man. All people are descendants of men, but only Jesus came as descendants of women. The work of Jesus is also amazing. Jesus cast out demons from demon-possessed people and healed those who were afflicted with various diseases. He fed 5,000 people with five fish, calmed the storm, and raised Lazarus from the dead. The death of Jesus is also amazing. Jesus came to this earth and died on the cross to bear the sins of all mankind. That's amazing. The resurrection of Jesus is also amazing. No matter how advanced medicine and science are, there is no way to explain the resurrection. Even if you clone a sheep, clone a wolf, go to the moon, and through the internet the whole world can become one, there is no way to explain the resurrection. The coming of Jesus in the future will be a surprise that will startle the whole world.
Second, it is a copy.
The word ‘counselor’ in English means ‘counselor’ or counselor. In Chinese characters, it's "mo" (謀) and "seonbi" (士). It means that he is the one who solves all problems with wisdom. It is an expression we are familiar with, and it is almost similar to the word ‘Comforter’. A Comforter is someone who helps you by your side. Our Counselor, the Lord, is with us now as a Counselor. He protects us, gives us grace, and teaches us. Jesus took on a physical body and went through all that we are going through. You all won. You have the know-how. So he can be merciful to us and grant us the grace to help us in time of need. As long as we come before the throne of grace, Jesus can help us. They are already ready and waiting to help. The secret to living a good life of faith is to approach Jesus who is trying to help you, reach out and ask for help.
Third, He is Almighty God.
Jesus is God. Jesus is fully human because he was born in the body of Mary, but he is also God conceived by the Holy Spirit. He is both a cold God and a true human being. Judaism recognized Jesus as one of the prophets, but did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus overcame death, sin, the world, and the powers of Satan. He Himself showed that He is Almighty God. He said he was God himself. “I and the Father are one.” He Himself created all things in the universe. He claimed that God gave all authority in heaven and on earth. You said you have the power to judge. Jesus did what only God could do. He forgave sins, raised the dead, calmed storms, cast out demons, examined people's hearts, accurately predicted the future, and resurrected. The early church boldly confessed their faith, risking their lives in front of the question, “Is Jesus God or Caesar God?”
Fourth, He is the Eternal Father.
“Eternal Father” does not mean that Jesus is God the Father. In heaven, Jesus knew the Father's heart. The Father wanted to save mankind from sin. So Jesus left all the glory of heaven and came to this lowly and lowly earth. In telling the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus described the heart of a father waiting for the prodigal son. He had the Father's heart and waited for sinners to repent and return. Jesus showed love to the end with the love of the Father. Even though he knew everything that Judas Iscariot would betray, he knew everything that Peter would deny, and he knew all his disciples would flee, he showed his Father's love to the end. He embraced people with love until the end. Jesus is not only Almighty God, but also the Father of eternal life. As the Father of eternal life, He Himself died on the cross to give eternal life to humans who have no choice but to die in their sins. He showed the Father's love by dying on the cross. He directly put into practice the love of the Father by pouring out all his water and blood.
Fifth, He is the Prince of Peace.
On the night Jesus was born, angels sang peace in heaven. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” Jesus came to this earth to bring peace. “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus preached the kingdom of God to give us peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus died on the cross to give us peace. Through the cross, he achieved peace between God and man and between man and man. The gospel that Jesus fulfilled is the gospel of peace. Because David walked with God, the Prince of Peace, he confessed in Psalm 3:6, “Even if ten thousand men encamp around me, I will not be afraid.” He did not lose his peace of mind even in a situation where numerous enemies surrounded him.
A man named Dr. Bonner had a dream one day. It was a dream that an angel weighed his zeal on the scales. It weighed a hundred pounds. At first he was very happy. Because he thought that God recognized his zeal. However, an angel gave the details of his zeal. Looking at the details, we can see that the zeal that they exercised out of selfishness was 14 pounds, the zeal they gave to form a faction and secure their own power was 15 yuan, the zeal they gave for their own honor was 22 quarts, and the zeal they showed to others was twenty. It was three pounds. And the zeal of loving God and serving Him sincerely was only twenty-six out of a hundred pounds. “He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify us, that we might become a people of his own, zealous for good works.” “If ye do good with zeal, who will harm you?” “Anyone whom I love I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.” What kind of zeal is God's zeal that we need to learn concretely as we face this Christmas?
First, it is the zeal of love.
Verse 6 says, “A child is born to us, and a son is given to us.” Jesus was obviously born on this earth through the body of Mary, but God gave the Son of God for us. John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” Love is giving. Grasping and owning is no longer love. Love is giving generously the most precious thing. In other words, love is sharing, not possession. The true spirit of Christmas is love to share what is most precious.
Second, it is zeal for practice.
Today's text is called Messianic Prophecy. God promised through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus came. And God did not forget that promise and fulfilled it 700 years later. You are working so hard. Jesus' coming to this earth is the fulfillment of God's promise. God made a promise and was zealous in fulfilling the promise, not saying that he does not know me. Faith is action. Faith is works. If you make a promise, you must live this life. The true spirit of Christmas is the practice of fulfilling promises.
Third, it is the zeal for salvation.
God sent Jesus to this earth to save us sinners. “The people who walked in darkness see a great light, and light shines on those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death.” Jesus came to this earth that was shrouded in darkness and death and gave light. You have driven out darkness and death. He died on the cross to save all mankind. That is why he gives us life, gives us peace, and rules with justice and justice. To put it in one word, you did the work of saving lives. You did the work of salvation. Lighting the darkness and saving lives is what we call evangelism. The true spirit of Christmas is evangelism of Jesus.
tidy up.
We are approaching Christmas Eve. Today's text is the prophecy of the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus. Jesus is the Wonderful, the Counselor, the Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Jesus came to this earth because of God's zeal. While spending Christmas, we must learn the zeal of God who sent Jesus to this earth and the zeal of God who saved us. The zeal of God is the zeal for love, the zeal for practice, and the zeal for salvation. The true spirit of Christmas is to give love, fulfill promises, and do evangelism.