First Day of Christmas (Season of Celebration Begins)

December 26, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Jesus stepped into the world as a little babe. We celebrate Him as Lord and as King. The angels tell us our savior is born. Yes, our savior! The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the one who existed at the beginning of the universe came to earth to die.

The Shepherds in near by fields watched over the passover lambs. The shepherds tended the sheep assuring those without flaws would be available in the Temple for the Passover sacrifice. Jesus came to be our true Passover lamb.

Two thousand years before, Pharaoh refused to release the Israeli slaves. Over generations they were forced into service. Now, God wanted his people freed. Moses told Pharaoh to release the people or the first born son in every home would die. But God provided a method for salvation. If the family sacrificed a lamb and placed the blood on the two door posts and the beam above the door, death would not come to the home where the blood of the lamb was found.

Jesus came into the world to teach us, and to demonstrate right from wrong. But the truth is that Jesus came into the world to die. He is our Passover Lamb. And when the book of life is open to judge the just and the unjust, if the blood of the lamb is found on our hearts then we will be covered in his righteousness.

We celebrate our King, but it is the greatest of Kings who chooses to die so his people can live.

Jesus came the first time as the Sacrifice for our sins. Jesus came to die for us.

Next time, he will be coming as our King.

Come Lord Jesus!!!

Advent · Christmas · Uncategorized

The Passover Lambs in the Fields

December 17, 2013 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Luke 2 ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

That flock of sheep sitting in the field probably had something in common with the babe in the manger.

Bethlehem sits about six miles from Jerusalem where the temple was. The sheep in the fields, more than likely, were being raised to be a sacrifice. At Passover people flooded into Jerusalem, they needed a lamb without flaw for their sacrifice.

The babe in the manger would grow up to be the only perfect human. This man would lay down his life as our Passover lamb.

And on the day of His birth, the shepherds were called by the Angels to view the new born baby who would be the final Passover Lamb required.

John 1 ²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

I am constantly amazed that Christ chose to leave heaven to be a sacrifice for me. He came to be the final passover lamb. I am in awe constantly just at the thought he was willing to leave heaven, but to come knowing that he faced being the passover sacrifice. That is just amazing.

John 3 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Babe in the manger was your gift from God. The Father provided the Lamb to be sacrificed for your sins.

^{Genesis 22:⁸Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb or the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.}

Prayer: Thank Jesus for coming to earth, for being our Passover lamb, for giving us the comforter.

Meditation: Think about what it would like to be in heaven and then to leave for earth. Think about the love Jesus had for us to be willing to sacrifice himself to build a bridge between us and God.

Action: Write a Thank You note to Jesus for what his coming to be a sacrifice has meant for me in my here and now.

12 Days of Christmas · Christian. · Christmas

Sixth Day of Christmas: Reviewing the Nativity Characters

December 30, 2012December 30, 2012 purposeunderheaven1 Comment

Let’s zoom in on our nativity scene for a minute.

We have elite sages from some where in the East headed to Bethlehem. They represent nobility and the highest levels of knowledge for their times.

Mary, probably 15 or 16 years old, descended from the great King David lives a humble peasant’s life in the small village of Nazareth. A women described as favored by God. A teenage women God trusted with His only begotten son. Basically, you can say Mary is a small town teenager who loves God.

Joseph, we have no idea of his age, but we know he was also of the family of David. We know he was an craftsman. He worked with his hands to create the things needed by others. Many believe he was a carpenter though the word can be used for any of the crafts. This man knew he could have dealt harshly with Mary when he discovered she was pregnant, but he had compassion for her. Then the angel came in his dream and told Joseph the baby was from God and to take Mary as his wife. Joseph immediately did as God asked.

Shepherds leave their sheep in the fields after hearing from the angels.

Luke 2 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

In this moment we have Angels, the highest of creation and who stand at the throne of God, announcing to Shepherds about the God of creation taking on flesh and being born a baby. The shepherds represented a strange group of people. These men live at the edges of society. But shepherd’s in the Bethlehem area were probably raising sheep for the Passover sacrifice. The feast of Passover required only perfect sheep be sacrificed; these shepherds raised the sheep and provided lambs with no blemish for the Passover. They also would be among the first to see Jesus our Passover Lamb.

1 Corinthians 5: 7B For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us

Journel Exercise

Who do you relate to in this crowd? Are you of the educated elite? Or are you a hard working crafts person? Do you work in an important profession that no one respects? I am assuming you are not an angel.

The last people to be a part of Jesus birth are a man named Simeon and a women named Anna. Simeon waits in the temple for the messiah. God has told Simeon that before his death he will see the Messiah. And he does.

Luke 2

²⁸Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

³⁰For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

³¹Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

³²A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Are you waiting for the second coming of Jesus? Really waiting in expectation?

Anna was an elderly woman who spent her days in the temple praying and fasting. She received the honor of also beholding the infant. Are you more like Anna? Do you spend your days in prayer?

Last question

Of our crowd, who do you wish you were like? Why?

Christmas · Christmas Traditions

Baa Baa Baa I Just Want to be a Sheep

December 20, 2012December 20, 2012 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

Luke 2 ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Those sheep sitting in the manger scene probably had something in common with the babe in the manger.

The babe in the manger would grow up to be the only perfect human. This man would lay down his life as our Passover lamb.

And on the day of His birth, the shepherds were called by the Angels to view the new born baby who would be the final Passover Lamb required.

John 1 ²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Journal Exercise

John 3 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Babe in the manger was your gift from God. The Father provided the Lamb to be sacrificed for your sins. Write a thank you note for God’s love.

Thanksgiving

Jesus sang “His Love Endures Forever”

November 15, 2012 purposeunderheavenLeave a comment

We are still looking at the deeds of God. But I thought you might enjoy reading the words of a song Jesus sang about thanksgiving and remembering who God is.

In the last supper, Jesus took the cup (This is the third cup of the Passover–the cup of redemption) and says:

Matthew 26:30

²⁷Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

There are four cups (last is the cup of ingathering) , but that night Jesus said He would not drink of the cup again until He drank it new with them in His Father’s kingdom.

So after they drank the third cup they sang a hymn. By tradition, this psalm they would have sang is the Hallel. The entire Hallel is Psalm 113-118. but after the third cup and right before the forth cup they sing Psalm 115-118.

This is what Jesus sang just hours before HIs arrest and death.

Psalm 118

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

²Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
³Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
⁴Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”

⁵When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
⁶The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹¹They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹²They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.

¹⁵Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶ The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

²²The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
²³the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up^[c] to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Exercise

Think about the fact Jesus sang this song. Do you believe God’s love endures forever? This phrase exist in many of the psalms. God’s love never wavers. We maybe disciplined, but it is because He loves us. We may go through hard times, but there are lessons that must be learned because He loves us. No matter what is going on in our lives we know His Love Endures Forever and that is something to be thankful for. He loved us so much that He sent His only son to die so that whoever trusts in Christ shall not perish but have ever lasting life.

Look through each of the things Jesus sang thanks for and ask yourself if you are also thankful. By the way, the cornerstone in this psalm is seen as a reference to Jesus. Now that is actually wild.

Playlist

Psalm 118: Easter Alleluia Gary Daigle, Rory Cooney & Theresa Donohoo This Very Morning

Psalm 118: This Is the Day John Angotti Joy Beyond Our Dreams

Already on list

Hallel Richie Furay In My Father’s House