2 Christmas - Sunday
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| 2 Christmas – Sunday C Isaiah 61:10-62:3 – Vindication of Zion; Psalm 147:13-20 – God's Relationship with Israel; Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 – Spiritual Blessings; John 1:1-18 – The Word Made Flesh; Isaiah: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10). The Lord will cause righteousness and praise to come forth like a garden causes seed sown in it to sprout and grow. For the sake of Jerusalem the prophet will not be silent or rest until Zion's vindication and salvation comes forth as brightness like a blazing torch. Zion's vindication will be seen by all nations, and her glory will be seen by all the kings. Zion will be given a new name by the Lord. Zion will be like a beautiful royal crown in the hand of the Lord their God. Psalm: Let Jerusalem praise the Lord! Let Zion praise her God. It is the Lord who strengthens her gates; it is he who blesses her sons. The Lord gives peace within her borders, and satisfies her hunger with the finest wheat. His command goes forth to all the earth; his Word is swift. It is the Lord who calls forth snow, hoarfrost and ice; who can prevent it? With a Word he melts them. He causes wind to blow and water to flow. The Lord declares his Word to Jacob; he has given his statutes and ordinances to Israel. The Lord has dealt with no other nation like he has dealt with Israel; his ordinances they do not know. Praise the Lord! Ephesians: Let us bless God the Father of Jesus Christ our Lord, because in Christ he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. He chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in his presence before the world was created. In love he destined us to be his sons and daughters through Jesus, according to his purpose. Let him be praised for his glorious grace which he gave us freely in the Beloved (Jesus Christ). The Apostle Paul had heard of the faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ and the love of their brethren (saints; consecrated to God's service) and so he constantly praised and gave thanks to God for the congregations of new believers such as the Ephesians. Paul was praying constantly that God the Father of Jesus Christ would give them “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17), that their spiritual eyes would be enlightened and that they would with certainty the hope to which they had been called, the richness of the inheritance they had among the saints. John: At the beginning of Creation was the Word, the creative power of God, present with God, and in very nature God. The Word was present in the beginning and every created thing was made through him; there was nothing created that was not made through him. In the Word was life, and the life was the light of mankind. That light shines in the spiritual darkness of this world, and has not been overcome by the darkness. John (the Baptizer) was sent by God to testify to the light (of God's righteousness (John 1:5; 3:19-21), spiritual enlightenment (John 1:9); and eternal life (John 1:4; 8:12). John was not that light, but he came to point to the light. “The true light that enlightens every [person] was coming into the world” (John 1:9). He was the Creator of the world who had come into the world but the world did not recognize and know him. Even his own home and people didn't recognize and welcome him. But to all who received (welcomed and accepted) him, he gave the <b>power</b> to become children of God. God's children are not born of flesh and blood, carnal desire or the will of man, but only by God's will. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we (“born-again” disciples) have beheld his glory, glory as of the only (“begotten,” KJV; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:34-35) Son from the Father. (John had testified that Jesus was the one John had been talking about when he said that one was coming after John, chronologically, but who ranked before him, because he was before John -from eternity- and above all people and authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:8-11). From the fullness of the grace (unmerited favor) of God which is (only) in Jesus Christ, we receive grace upon grace. The Law came through Moses, but through Jesus comes grace and truth. No person has ever seen God, but Jesus who is in complete communion with God the Father has made God known. Commentary: God's Word is eternally true and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. This portion is believed to have been written around the time of the fall of Babylon to Cyrus of Persia in 539 B.C. and 510 B.C.. It prophesies the the salvation and vindication of Judah, the remnant of Israel which had been in exile in Babylon for seventy years as foretold by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-12 from 587 to 517 B.C., counting the time from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem until its re-dedication. God's Word was fulfilled. Judah was allowed to return to their Promised Land. Cyrus even returned the gold, silver, and bronze temple vessels which had been looted by Nebuchadnezzar, gave them money to rebuild the temple and authorization from help from the provincial governors. But Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. He is the one who has supplied the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness (Philippians 3:9; Matthew 22:11-14). The Church is the New Zion, the New Israel, the New Jerusalem on earth. It is the Lord who strengthens her gates against her enemies, blesses her sons, gives peace within her borders and satisfies those who are spiritually hungry. Unfortunately in too many instances the nominal Church, particularly in America, has turned to self-reliance and self-fulfillment. Instead of making disciples and teaching them obedience to Jesus' teaching (Matthew 28:19-20), the nominal Church has settled for making “members,” who are loyal to the denomination or the pastor, instead of seeking the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They've settled for building buildings instead of building the kingdom of God. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil for he gives to his beloved [in] sleep (Psalm 127:1-2). If we are concerned with pleasing our Lord instead of ourselves, we would let him do the building and watching, and the providing for our needs (Matthew 6:25-34), and we could sleep soundly. Those who believe in (trust and obey) Jesus will receive the “baptism” (gift) of the indwelling Holy Spirit, through whom we receive all spiritual blessings of heaven. Only Jesus “baptizes” with the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 1:31-34), only his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the garment of salvation, the robe of righteousness. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The Holy Spirit is our Counselor and consoler, our teacher, and our enabler. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Jesus (Romans 8:9) will open our minds to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45), lead us into all truth (John 16:13), teach us all things, bring to mind all Jesus' teachings (John 14:26), and give us what to say at the moment we are called on to testify (Matthew 10:19-20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11; 21:14-15). I personally testify to these truths! Paul's prayer for new believers was that they would receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, revelation, personal knowledge of the Lord, and spiritual enlightenment. That by the indwelling Holy Spirit they would know with certainty the hope of eternal life to which they had been called and the richness of the inheritance waiting for them, through the joy of the presence of the Lord through the indwelling Holy Spirit within them. Jesus is the light of the world, the light of eternal life (Romans 8:12). Jesus is the light of righteousness, spiritual enlightenment and eternal life. To all who welcome and accept him he gives them the power (the opportunity, the authorization, the promise) to become children of God. That “adoption” is not automatically received by Church membership or ritual such as water baptism or affirmation of faith. We must lay hold of the promise and claim it for ourselves, through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus' disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)? |