3-25-2017

Good Morning All,

                   Isaiah 9:6; “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

    We have another grandbaby on the way and everyone is excited.  Mom, Dad, big brother and big sister, grandma and grandpa, the uncles and the aunts are dreaming of what that child will do or become.  Depending on their own personal likes, hobbies, or goals; we set big sights for our children.  Maybe he will be president or a Nobel Prize winner.  Maybe she will be the doctor to cure cancer or become Miss America.  Maybe he will win the Heisman Trophy or pitch the winning game in the World Series.  We all have dreams and goals for our children.  I doubt if they ever quite reached this level.

    As God was telling his prophets who was to come and save the nation of Israel, He laid out some incredible actions and achievements.  There are many reasons for this.  First, no mere human could ever accomplish these.  The government will be upon his shoulders, he will be called Mighty God; these demand more than what any human could ever imagine trying.  Yet it also requires that a man do it.  This is part of Jesus’ two natures.  He was both true God and true man.      

    Jesus had to be true God in order that his death would be sufficient to pay the debt of all our sins.  He had to be true man in order to suffer and die.  He was true man in order to live under the law, the same conditions which we live under.  As true man, Jesus lived the life of a common, ordinary man.  He didn’t receive preferential treatment; he wasn’t spared any of the struggles of everyday life.  He watched as the Romans abused his friends, his family and his religion.  He maybe even experienced some of this himself.  The weight of the whole world was on his shoulders. 

     As we live our life, as we muddle through the battles and the struggles of our life, it is easy to lose hope.  The devil loves it when we lose hope.  The more hopeless that state of mankind, the happier the devil is.  So Jesus came and beat the devil, beat the devil at his own game.  Jesus lived the life of every man of every common man and because he was true God as well; he defeated the devil.  He is Mighty God; He is Prince of Peace.  We have true peace with God.  We have true hope with God.

     The beauty of this is that God never stops coming to us with his peace and hope.  He comes over and over with his amazing grace.  He brings to us peace always drawing us back to him so that we can live in his holy peace. 

Dear Father, you graciously sent your Son to redeem us and to claim us back as your own.  We give you thanks for this blessed gift.  Keep us in your arms and dear care.  Hold us close to your heart.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret