God...his ways, his planning -> peace (December 11, 2024)

Christmas did not just happen - not at all! The birth of Jesus had been in the mind of God for a long, long time.

God spoke of the Messiah he would send for hundreds of years before that star-lit Bethlehem night when he announced the birth to shepherds. Long before the people of God had the written scriptures they could hold in their hands. . . God spoke through prophets. 

One of the strong proofs of the veracity of Scripture is the prophecies we find in the Old Testament that have been fulfilled. 

Hear me now: what God spoke

through ordinary men hundreds of years

earlier actually happened just as he said. 

Consider several of the prophecies about the birth of Jesus:

1. The Messiah would be born to a virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7.14 Friends, this prophecy of Isaiah was 700 years before Jesus was born to Mary!

2. Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5.2 This was recorded long before anyone had heard of the Herod who would order all to travel to the regions of their birth to register!

3. There would be a star above the Messiah. “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth.” Numbers 24.17 Simply amazing.

4. Gifts would be presented to Jesus. “May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him” Psalm 72.10-11. "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh”. Matthew 2.11

Just a few of the prophecies of Jesus, and Paul said of the timing of Jesus' birth, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galatians 4.4-5

These prophecies show us several things:

>the truth of Scripture--God-given prophecies hundreds of years earlier fulfilled

>the coming of an infant king, One born in an actual place at an appointed time for a very specific purpose, to give us the ability to be his children

>God is sovereign. He alone is and has the power and dominion over all things. God has done and will do what he said he would do.

Because of these things, God is worthy of our trust.

Entrusting ourselves to a trustworthy God gives us a peace that cannot be taken away. I guess when the kids sing 'he's got the whole world in his hands', they were right!

The question is ‘Will you trust Jesus today?' 

This new song has captured me! Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3owDdl5NMSA

Because he is sovereign...

because he is trustworthy . . . peace.

Christine

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