Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesusbecause through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Rom.8:1-4)

This blog is dedicated to helping people find freedom in Christ through the power that is inherent in the kingdom of God. The foundation of that freedom is always found in the Word of God and one of the great sections in the entirety of scripture is Romans 8. As we launch this new year, I want to take a few blog entries to dissect this chapter to see what it has to say about the power of Christ to set us free and to overcome the power of the enemy.

Paul begins this chapter by reinforcing the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. It’s my experience that we must know where we stand with God before we can stand against the enemy. Paul says that where we stand with God is a “condemnation free zone.” The key knows that Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.5:21). Because Jesus died for our sins, the Father relates to us on the basis of our position rather than our condition.

Many believers assume that God’s evaluation of them is based on their performance as a Christian and most of us find our performance lacking. Because of that, we assume that God is not generally pleased with us and, as a result, he is not quick to answer our prayers or deliver us from the trouble that attaches itself to us in this world. Satan fuels our assumptions with feelings and thoughts of condemnation so that we feel disqualified to serve our God in significant ways or to receive his blessings. As a result we pray with little faith that God will hear our prayers and less faith that he will act on our behalf. We ask for little and expect little because we assume that we are always in God’s disfavor. When we have that mindset, we feel helpless against the enemy and the troubles that come our way. Our testimony fails and so does our courage.

That is one of Satan’s greatest lies. God’s view of us is not based on our performance but on the cross. The covenant that we have with God was not established by our sterling character and righteous works but by the blood of Christ. We are in Christ, covered by Christ, and carried by Christ. We have a position of righteousness before the Father even though our condition does not match that position. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb.10:14). In other words, God counts us perfect based on the sacrifice of Jesus (our position) while he works on our condition. God is not indifferent to our sinful or weak condition but his promises come to us by faith not performance. It is all about his goodness not ours.

As a result, we can walk in the knowledge that our heavenly Father does not reject us or hide himself from us when our lives have some tarnish. As long as our hearts are turned toward him he sees us as sinless and is more than ready to answer our prayers and work through us. We still walk in the authority of the king and the enemy must still answer to us as long as we submit our imperfections to the grace of God. In Christ, there is no condemnation and any whispers to the contrary are lies. When condemnation begins to sap out strength and our confidence, we can call the enemy a liar and command him to be silent because in Christ we are the righteousness of God. Romans 8 begins with that great assertion and builds on that truth. It is a truth on which everything in our life with Jesus stands and a truth that we should ask the Holy Spirit to write on our hearts with indelible ink!

I’m amazed that in four gospels made up of 89 chapters that recount the life of Jesus, not one of the writers gives a physical description of the Messiah – the deliverer for whom Israel had waited since Moses. They also omit a myriad of details that I think would be incredibly interesting. The gospel writers give us a brief introduction to the birth of Jesus, a snapshot of Jesus at about age 12, and then nothing until he begins a three-year ministry at the age of 30. The writers knew Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. They spent every day of three years with the Son of God but chose (or the Holy Spirit chose) not to fill in the blanks of his years in Nazareth. Neither did they tell us whether he was tall, short, or average. Whether he was thin, stocky, or even pudgy. They never mentioned the color of his eyes, the texture of his hair, or whether he had a dark or light complexion. We don’t know if his nose was large or unusually small or if he had a deep voice or a high, nasal tone.

What physical appearance does your imagination project when you think of Jesus? Does he laugh through the day or is he mostly serious? Does he ever whistle or sing a song or is he always taking care of business? Does he get excited when someone is healed, angry when an injustice is done, or is he always cool and calm – unruffled by events around him? Is he gentle and domestic or is he strong and aggressive? Does he make requests or issue orders in clipped sentences? Some of these things may not matter so much but if we are to become like Jesus then our view of him in many things does matter. I wonder if we need to stop from time to time and see if our personal vision of Jesus needs adjustment.

Most of us probably assume that our view of Jesus is the biblical view. But since many of us disagree about other biblical doctrines we probably disagree about what Jesus was really like as he walked in the flesh. If we see Jesus as the gentle Mr. Rogers then we too may become very gentle and almost passive toward life and be overwhelmed in the face of any situation that requires an aggressive response. If we believe that Jesus watched the world around him with the detachment of a distant and objective observer then we too may watch the triumphs and tragedies of lives around us with detachment and avoid emotional investment in others or in a cause as we take a cerebral, passionless approach to our faith.

If we see him like ourselves, then we may feel that Jesus would see no need for change in us and, therefore, not experience much transformation at all as his disciple. If we see him as a white American then we may find ourselves standing against Israel forgetting that Jesus came as a Jew. If we see Jesus as a social revolutionary with long hair and an unkempt beard then we might lead the way in civil disobedience for some cause we believe offends heaven. If we believe Jesus spent his time pointing out the failings of sinners then we may well do the same or if we see him as so accepting that he never mentions the sin in a persons life then we may be tolerant and accepting of everyone and everything – in the name of Jesus.

How do you see Jesus? Do you see him as predictable and definable and model your Christian walk after that view? Why didn’t the writers of the gospels or Peter when he wrote his letters give us more detail? One reason may be that Jesus simply cannot be typecast. He has never been one-dimensional. At times he seems to ignore the sins of those around him while at other times he warns and rebukes men for their sin. At times he seems passive and gentle and at other times he is turning over tables in the temple or rebuking his own followers. He is both the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. He is not only the Prince of Peace but also the one who brought a sword of division to the earth – the fragrance of life to some and the aroma of death to those who reject him.

In a sense, Jesus has many layers and one view of him does not do him justice. In many ways he seems unpredictable and surprising but I believe it is because he did not set his own agenda. Jesus clearly tells us that he only did what the Father directed him to do and only said what the Father directed him to say. That is probably the one thing that defines the man Jesus more than anything else and that set him apart from all other men. Jesus was truly Spirit-led and since the Father’s ways are beyond our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, we should expect those who are Spirit-led to be somewhat unpredictable and multi-dimensional as well.

If we are never surprised by what we find ourselves doing or saying then we are probably not being responsive to the Spirit and if we are not being led by the Spirit then we may not be as much like Jesus as we think we are. Hearing the Spirit and being responsive to him is what sets certain people apart in the kingdom of God. I want to hear the Spirit not just in the quiet of an early morning devotional but also in the chaotic craziness of the mall at Christmas time or in rush hour traffic. I want to hear him in the heat of spiritual battle and in the complexities of a family crisis. That is the consistency that I find most in Jesus and the one I want to grow in during 2015 – hearing, doing, and saying only what I receive from Jesus. Perhaps, you will join me!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:16-21)

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. (Col.1:29)

If you haven’t noticed, the devil had his way in many areas across the world during 2014. The Middle East continued to boil in turmoil. Race issues tore at the fabric of America once again. Russia ruthlessly pushed out to expand “the empire” once more. Washington D.C. couldn’t seem to get its act together at any level. Ebola is still ravaging parts of Africa and economies around the world are shaking.

For some believers, these are simply unavoidable signs of the end that we cannot stand against so we should just bunker in and wait for Jesus. That time may come but, in my opinion, this is not the time because too many people groups and nations have not yet been gathered in for the Lord of the Harvest. I believe that 2015 should be a year of pushing back against the enemy and defeating him on multiple fronts. The problem with such a view is that most of us still feel helpless in the face of such national and global calamities.

As this new year begins, we need to be reminded that there is the same power working within each of us that raised Jesus from the dead, toppled the Roman Empire, and spoke the universe into existence – just for starters. Paul sensed that divine power working within him and framed it as a kind of supernatural energy that enabled him to heal, cast out demons, preach in the face of fierce opposition and keep going when his natural strength had been depleted.

Paul asked the Lord to give the church at Ephesus the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that they might be aware of the power, authority, and strength available to them in Christ (see Eph.1:17-23). Interestingly, this power does not flow out of God’s desire for conquest but is rooted and established in love. Our capacity to experience the power of God is directly proportional to our understanding of the depth of God’s love for us and for all of his creation.

In order to walk in the power of God we must understand that his power is distributed in order to bless the people he loves. Jesus healed out of love. Jesus raised the dead out of love. Jesus cast out demons because he loved the people oppressed by the enemy. Jesus fed the 5000 because he had a love for these “sheep without a shepherd” and was concerned that they were hungry. He preached the good news because he loved lost people. He entrusts power and authority to us to be exercised on behalf of the people he loves. If we want an increase in power then we should be praying for an increase in love – a greater awareness of God’s love for us and a greater love for the world he cares about.

Great power resides within every believer but is released in greater ways when the exercise of that power is motivated by love and when that power reveals the love of God to those who have not known it before. My prayers this year will include a request for God to reveal his love to me in greater ways and for me to be an instrument of his love for others. The enemy cannot stand against love and it is love that will release the provision and power of heaven into every “hopeless situation.”

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Gal.1:6-8)

Paul began his letter to the believers in Galatia with a stern rebuke of those who would change the character of the gospel. In the case of Galatia, men had come in after Paul had left to plant other churches and had begun to add works from the Law of Moses to the message of salvation. Paul preached grace through Christ alone while those who came after him preached Jesus plus the keeping of the Law of Moses as the path to salvation. Paul made it clear that to change the character of the gospel was to change it altogether and put the salvation of these believers at risk. The character of the gospel can be changed in other ways as well – by adding or taking away form the message.

Millions of Christians live under a gospel of grace without power. Grace is only half the good news. Power is the rest. A gospel without power is an insufficient gospel and leaves believers far short of God’s intended transformation in their lives. In Luke 4, Jesus stood in a familiar synagogue in Nazareth. There He announced and outlined his three-year mission to the world as He read from the scroll of Isaiah (Isa.61: 1-3). Preach the good news. Heal the brokenhearted. Set captives free. Release prisoners from darkness. Raise the dead. Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of that text and then spent the next three years demonstrating that mission.

Jesus not only operationalized his mission statement for the kingdom of God on earth but also prepared others to continue the mission after his departure to sit on his throne in heaven. He sent out the twelve and the seventy, and commanded them to do what he had been doing. He then declared to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

We are to do what Jesus did. We are to offer grace and forgiveness of sins through Jesus, but also the transforming power of the kingdom of God. A gospel with power does more than forgive sins. It frees and transforms. For years I have watched faithful, forgiven Christians continue to live in bondage to anger, depression, shame, fear, and lust year after year. They have prayed, cried, repented a thousand times, and sat at the feet of counselors and pastors looking for keys to be set free. At best they have learned to manage their sin or their “issue” but have not truly found freedom. Are they forgiven? Yes. Are they saved? Yes. Are they free? No.

But God’s word says: So, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (Jn.8:37). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor.3:18).   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Gal. 5:1). Christ’s freedom is not just freedom from condemnation but is freedom form all the things that keep us from being Christ-like – holy, joyful, loving, compassionate, etc. Brokenness and bondage keep us living a life that falls far short of those qualities.

Every time the gospel was preached in the New Testament power and authority was on display along with the grace of God. Power allowed people not just to hear about God’s grace but to also experience it. Experiencing God always has an exponentially greater impact than only hearing about Him. Most churches enable their people to hear about God week after week. Not so many allow them to experience Him as well.

When God’s power is manifested, we experience Him. When we experience Him we are set free and changed. Where significant transformation in the lives and hearts of God’s people has not been profoundly experienced, then, perhaps, an insufficient gospel is being preached. That insufficiency, then, puts some believers’ salvation at risk.  Through the years, I have seen a number of believers give up on their faith and their walk with the Lord because they could not overcome their brokenness or bondage. They felt that God was not hearing their prayers or that they were so defective that even God didn’t care about their struggles. A gospel of power could have set them free. Paul declared, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1Cor.4:20). God is not content to simply be talked about. He wants to be experienced. May this coming be a year of greater power and “experience”  in the church and in our own lives than we have ever known before.

No matter how great the Christmas holidays, if we are sensitive to our hearts, most of us will still sense a longing for more. That feeling clearly arises when holidays have been disappointing or even hurtful but we typically chalk it up to unmet expectations, people letting us down, or losses we have experienced around this time of year. A dear friend of ours lost his wife Donya to cancer Christmas Eve morning and that feeling of loss, helplessness, and even anger at the injustice of death may be anchored to lights and Christmas carols for seasons to come.

But I believe there is more to it. For the season that was birthed out of the coming of a Savior, there is a special sense of “what ought to be in the world” – peace on earth and good will toward men. There is a sense that families should be gathered together surrounded by crackling fires, extravagant food, lighthearted laughter, and warm memories. When those things don’t appear we feel robbed. But even when they do, there still seems to be an emptiness or a longing lurking in our hearts when the last friend or family member drives away.

I believe that little prick of emptiness is a longing for heaven that God has placed in our hearts. Christmas, at its best, gives us a faint echo of the way things ought to be and the way things are in heaven. Joy to the world can only come from heaven. Our Father’s intention was that we would live in harmony, abundance, and joy. His intention was that people who loved one another would never be separated by death or distance. His intention was that people would live in safety and in communities where people felt at home, supported, and connected. The world, even at its best, falls short of heaven’s promise.

But there are moments around Christmas when we can sense the presence of heaven. Perhaps, we sense it in a warm hug given and held by people we love or a Christmas card reminding us of friends far away. Perhaps, we sense in it children’s laughter or the warm smiles of family and friends around the table as we share the fellowship of lovingly prepared food. Perhaps, we sense heaven’s peace in the quiet of a chilly night with Christmas lights in the distance or when we notice God’s stars in the sky for the first time in a long time. Perhaps, we even sense heaven in the excitement of packages being unwrapped and the surprises that emerge. All of that, speaks to me of heaven and the longing we have is to be home where every day feels like Christmas and the family is all together without the brokenness or bitterness of this world intruding on God’s plan.

If this Christmas left you a little empty or left a vague feeling of disappointment, you are not alone and you are not defective. Ultimately, it is the Father calling you home and the promise that your hunger for love, laughter, and security will some day be satisfied for all those who are in Jesus – the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father (Isa.9:6). When Christmas falls short it is not God letting us down. It is the sin that violates every intention of God that gets in the way, but when Christmas blesses in even the smallest ways that is a gift from heaven, purchased by the blood of the Lamb, calling us home. Pay attention to the blessings rather than the disappointments for each blessing is a touch from Jesus.

It’s Christmas Eve. Today millions of believers around the world will be finding ways to celebrate and remember the Father’s great gift of his Son to the world he created.   Such an act reveals or continues to confirm a number of things about the Father that we must remember in both good times and bad. The first revelation is the depth of God’s love for people – both the saved and the lost. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (Jn.3:16).

The incarnation of God – Immanuel, God with us – is a greater miracle than the creation of the universe. How does the infinite become finite? How does the one through whom, for whom, and by whom all things were made and hold together (see Col.1:16-17) shrink himself down, lay aside the powers of deity, and entrust himself to any part of humanity that has demonstrated its moral failings over and over again? It’s a remarkable thing that God would become part of his creation and play by the same rules as mere man with so much on the line. God loves but he is also a daring God.

Perhaps, it was necessary. I love Philip Yancey’s analogy in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew. He tells the story of taking care of fish in his aquarium. He talks about how he lovingly prepares a place for his fish to live, how he creates a safe and perfect environment for them, how he cleans the water, adjusts the temperature and feeds them every day. He is their protector, provider and sustainer. And yet, each day at his approach they run and hide with no seeming awareness of his good intentions. Yancey explains that he would have to become one of them to communicate who this great shadow is that hovers over their world from time to time and the good will he has in his heart toward them In essence, that is what Jesus did for us. However fearful we may have thought God to be, Jesus said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” Jesus shrunk himself down, took on bodily form, and spoke our language so that some, at least, might stop running and hiding from the very one who loves and cares for us.

Even more remarkable is the fact that the Father, Son, and Spirit all knew that this Christ-child was born to suffer a tragic and painful death. The death of Jesus was no surprise. John tells us in Revelation 13 that Jesus was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Every animal sacrifice, every Passover lamb slaughtered since the Exodus pointed to the stark reality that an innocent one would have to die for the sins of the guilty so that man could be reunited with his God once again. Knowing what awaited him, Jesus was still willing to be born into a world bent on his destruction.

On top of that rests God’s greatest gamble of all – free will. I believe free will is a necessary extension of love. God is love and love is never satisfied until love is returned. And for love to be love, it must be chosen not programmed in. For God to be loved by man, man must also be able to reject him. That is apparently true for the angels as well. The rejection of God is the door through which all evil comes into the world. To disallow evil is to disallow choice which is to disallow love. The irony is that in order for love to exist, God must allow free will to hurt the very ones he loves. Jesus would experience both love and hate, both tender embrace and the nails of Calvary. But to reclaim those who would return God’s love, heaven was willing to subject Jesus to the free will of man and for Jesus to face life on the same playing field as the rest of us.

On that field he was born into a poor, working class family in an obscure village in Israel. His mother and father were subjected to suspicion and shame due to the unlikely circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy. He wasn’t born into a palace surrounded by the best Jewish doctors available but in a stable with no friends or family at hand. When threatened to be slaughtered by Herod, angels didn’t take out the wicked king, but instead the little family, carrying the hope of the world, became refugees to Egypt where they hid for several years. He was loved by many but judged and hated by many more. He found friends but also betrayal. Jesus became like us, entered our aquarium, and eventually took our place on a cross. On the night of that entrance angels declared, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Lk.2:11).

The Christmas story is truly the risk of love and God becoming one of us so that we might finally understand who had been moving over this aquarium we call earth.   May we run to him rather than hiding from his presence on this Christmas Eve.

When I first came to Christ I was part of a denomination that prided itself on Biblical knowledge and a commitment to be “biblical” in everything they did which is a value every believer should hold. However, because of their approach to biblical interpretation, they held great reservations about Christmas. There were no Christmas trees or decorations to be seen in any faithful church that belonged to that fellowship. No sermons on the birth of Christ were ever presented in the month of December just to make a point. The idea was that nothing religious should be connected to the holiday season.

These devout believers blacklisted Christmas as an ancient pagan holiday “baptized” by the Catholics centuries ago or because there is no biblical command or authorization for the holiday. To celebrate Christmas was to embrace something pagan or to “go beyond that which was written.” They argued that nowhere in scripture were we commanded to celebrate Christmas (or Easter for that matter) and doing so would violate scripture. The odd thing was that many of these faithful families would participate in the secular side of Christmas but would not celebrate the birth of Christ in relation to the season.   Any impulse or yearning to do so shrouded the season with a vague feeling of guilt or participation in some kind of ancient pagan ritual. Since my early days as a believer I have continued to discover other fellowships that also maintain those “anti-Christmas” positions although those groups may be dwindling.

For many years now I have embraced celebrating Christmas. For any of you who suffer from doubts about Christmas as day to celebrate Jesus or know those who do, I want to share my theology about that with you, hoping to brighten your holidays.

First of all, I will readily agree that scripture does not command us to keep Christmas. We have no definite date for the birth of Jesus and no record that the first century church did so in any way. If celebrating a season or a day that is not “authorized by command in scripture” is adding to that which is written and adding to that which is written is always sin, then keeping Christmas might just be sin. However, God is not religious and the heart behind many things is what makes it acceptable to the Father or unacceptable.

The gospels make it clear that on the last Passover Jesus and his followers met together to share the Passover meal, two elements of which were appropriated by Jesus as a memorial we call the Lord’s Supper or communion. In that meal, Jesus took a cup of wine (probably several times) and declared that in years to come it would represent his blood – the blood of the new covenant. I may have missed it, but nowhere in Old Testament do I find a command to drink wine at Passover. I see roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread (Ex.12:8) but no wine. The cups of wine were added through the years by religious leaders as symbolic reminders of spiritual promises and events but I do not see wine “authorized” or commanded in scripture. Yet Jesus freely participated and even appropriated that “tradition of men” into sacred communion. To participate in something that is not specifically commanded in scripture cannot always be wrong or be sin or Jesus sinned. If something honors God or points us toward Jesus in the spirit of scripture, we may be on solid ground even if it is not specifically commanded.

The apostle Paul also speaks to the issue of “holy days” not strictly authorized in scripture. As a former Pharisee, he certainly was sensitive to “going beyond that which is written.” Yet he says, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Rom.14:4-5). Paul makes it clear that if I want to celebrate Christmas unto the Lord I have the Lord’s permission and if I want to disregard it all together I also have his permission. The biblical principle is not to I judge those who hold a different view or insist that others hold the same view as I do. Our freedom in Christ allows either approach as long as I am doing what I do unto the Lord.

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Thirdly, Christmas in the spiritual sense reflects the nature of God. God loves to remember and celebrate! All through scripture, God’s nature is reflected in festivals for the faithful in which they were to remember what God had done for his people and to celebrate – not just for a day but for weeks! Joy is a constant quality of the kingdom and a fruit of the Spirit. Even under the Law of Moses, joy and celebration were to mark the people of God. “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh.8: 9-10).

To me, Christmas passes the litmus test for remembrance, joy, celebration and an event that points us to the goodness of God in Jesus. We are also commanded to give honor to whom honor is due and Jesus certainly deserves to be honored. So…let’s celebrate as the angels and shepherds celebrated the entry of God into the world and have a very merry Christmas!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.     Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Lk.2:10-11)

The birth of Christ was declared to be good news by the angles who announced his birth. Good news, of course, is the definition of the word gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of Jesus Christ. In this verse, the idea is linked to the title of Savior. If you’re drowning and someone shows up on the scene who can save you – that’s good news. A world drowning in sin and hopelessness needed some good news and that was Jesus! It is still the same today.

The declaration of good news by angels to shepherds in the gospel of Luke was not the first use of that term related to Jesus. In Isaiah 61, the prophet who spoke often of the coming Messiah, declared on behalf of the one who would come, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isa.61:1-2). This is one of the great Messianic prophecies and it gives us some significant insights into the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Somehow in the past 200 years the gospel of Jesus for many has simply become the message that Jesus died for our sins so that we could be forgiven and live forever in heaven. If that was all the gospel promised, that would be more than enough but the truth is that it offers much more. The “good news” referenced in Isaiah 61 includes the healing of broken hearts, freedom from every form of bondage including sin, release for those who have been imprisoned in spiritual darkness, and the declaration that God is for us rather than against us. Too many believers have lived a Christian life believing that the extent of Christ’s power in their lives was forgiveness. As a result, they live forgiven but not transformed. They live as if freedom from bondage, addictions, fear, depression, and all the other things that hinder the witness of believers is only available after their funeral. They seem to believe that forgiveness is for now but transformation only comes in heaven. But that is not the gospel.

The good news the shepherds heard 2000 years ago was that not only will your sins be forgiven in Christ but the power of Christ will make you into a new creation in this world as well as the world to come. If you were to read the next few verses of the Isaiah 61 passage you would see the word “instead” mentioned several times. The prophecy promises that when Jesus came the lives of people would be drastically changed. In Christ they would exchange ashes for a crown of beauty, mourning for the oil of gladness, and despair for a garment of praise. In each life there would be radical reversals – not just the forgiveness of sin but radical transformation.

Yet how many of us know long-time believers whose lives and conditions are hardly different from those who don’t know Jesus at all. Sometimes, they remain in the same condition in which they met Jesus because they don’t know what has been made available to them through the cross. The announcement of angels that a Savior had been born was intended to communicate that this Savior would not only deliver them from sin but also from their brokenness and their bondage. That is a gift worth celebrating. That is a gift you definitely want to unwrap and yet many believers leave most of the packages Christ has purchased for them under the tree. They leave the gifts unclaimed because they don’t know what’s in the boxes nor do they know that those presents are for them. This Christmas you may want to seriously consider all the gifts in heaven with your name on them and begin to confidently ask God to release those gifts into your life because in the Kingdom of Heaven, every day is a day to celebrate Jesus and every day is Christmas.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isa.7:14). For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isa.9:6-7)

These are two of the great Messianic prophecies of Isaiah that are traditionally connected to Christmas. Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14 in relation to the birth of Jesus (Mt.1:23) as one of the definitive signs that the Messiah had come. These verses reveal the mind of God regarding the birth of his son and give us some insights that should be recalled at Christmas.

First of all, Jesus is God. Through the prophets, God wanted us to know that he was coming and that he would be coming as a man. Immanuel is descriptive because it means “God with us.” From this side of the cross and the resurrection the idea that God came in the flesh is still difficult to wrap our minds around but before the cross and the revelation of the New Testament it would seem impossible to understand.

The Jewish view of God was one of power and glory rather than in infant who needed to have his diaper changed by a teenage girl from the backwaters of Galilee. Isaiah’s vision perfectly depicts the Jewish revelation of God. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa.6:1-3). To make the incarnation even more difficult to grasp, John tells us that the glorious one Isaiah saw in his vision was Jesus (see Jn.12:41). Imagine now the Word of God seated on a throne in heaven, huge in stature and glory, surrounded by powerful angels singing his praises. Now imagine that same God being reduced and somehow poured into the womb of a tiny Jewish girl.

Even more amazing than the miracle of an infinite God becoming a finite human is the willingness of God himself to do such a thing for a fallen race. Why would such a God come to live among us and to be one of us? In the book by the same name, Job cries out to God and asks, “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a man” (Job 10:4-5). His complaint was that God was judging him without really knowing what it was like to be a man subject to weakness, pain, and temptation. After the birth of Christ, that complaint was answered because God would experientially know exactly what it was like to be a man subject to all the hurts, disappointments, and losses of this world.

In addition, Isaiah confirmed that Jesus was God’s greatest and most perfect gift to his people. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Certainly, we did not deserve salvation. Certainly God was not obligated to do anything for us. And yet, the God who is love was compelled by his love to give himself in the form of a son to ultimately make things right in a world that had gone terribly wrong.

Not only would Jesus answer our sin problem by his sacrifice but he would also rise from the dead to take his place again on the throne he had occupied when Isaiah got his glimpse of heaven. From that moment on Jesus assumed the title and role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is already the Prince of Peace and Wonderful Counselor to those who know him and we are moving toward his return when all the earth will be under his rule. There is a mystery about the Trinity for Jesus will also be known not only as Mighty God but Everlasting Father whose rule will be without end and whose imprint will be that of peace. That peace was declared at his birth by angels who sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men upon whom his favor rests” (Lk.2:14). The incredible gift that brings peace to those who believe now and to an entire world later – that is the spirit of Christmas. I hope you will find some time for peace during this season for Jesus is our peace.

One of my favorite authors is Philip Yancey. As far as I can tell, his theology would not at all be charismatic but he has insights into the word and into spiritual things that are fresh, honest and thought provoking. One such insight is found in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew. As Christmas is upon us I want to share a lengthy quote from his book and then make a few observations that come to me as a result of his thoughts.

Sorting through the stack of cards that arrived out our house last Christmas, I note that all kinds of symbols have edged their way into the celebration. Overwhelmingly, the landscape scenes render New England towns, buried in snow, usually with the added touch of a horse-drawn sleigh. On other cards, animals frolic: not only reindeer but chipmunks, raccoons, cardinals, and cute gray mice. One card shows an African lion reclining with a foreleg draped affectionately around a lamb. Angels have made a huge comeback in recent years, and Hallmark and American Greetings now feature them prominently, though as demure, cuddly-looking creatures, not the type that would ever need to announce “Fear not!” The explicitly religious cards focus on the holy family, and you can tell at a glance these folks are different. They seem unruffled and serene. Bright gold halos, like crowns from another world, hover just over their heads. Inside, the cards stress words like love, goodwill, cheer, happiness and warmth. It is a fine thing, I suppose, that we honor a sacred holiday with such homey sentiments. And yet when I turn to the gospel accounts of the first Christmas, I hear a very different tone and sense mainly disruption at work. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, p.29; Zondervan)

As I read this chapter again, I am reminded by Yancey and my own thoughts about how intrusive God can be and should be in our lives. Most of us like life to move along at our pace, according our plans and our prayers simply ask God to pave the way for our desires. However, the biblical pattern is somewhat different.

Mary’s world was turned upside down in a moment by an angelic visitation announcing that she would soon be pregnant by the Holy Spirit even though she was only promised to Joseph. Joseph, having decided to divorce his “unfaithful fiancé,” had his plans abruptly reversed by an angelic visit of his own. He would share Mary’s “shame” with her. Sleepy shepherds spending another uneventful night in the fields around Bethlehem were jarred awake in a moment and terrified when the heavens exploded with the glory of God and angels sang. Even wise men from the east were shown a star that somehow compelled them to take a long, difficult journey to find this new king and then to sneak quietly out of the country to avoid Herod’s wrath that had been stirred suddenly by the unexpected announcement of the birth of a new king in Herod’s territory.

Most of us are committed to comfort and doing things for God when the doing is convenient. We like to plan our steps and then enlist God to smooth the way. But in my experience, the big things God wants to do in each life usually require an intrusion that challenges us to drop what we are doing, shelve our plans, and go with God – or simply miss our destiny. Think of how intrusive Jesus was. “Come and follow me!” Leave your boats, your career, even your family on a moment’s notice to take up the call on God has placed on your life. That seems to be God’s approach. A burning bush for Moses. A voice in the night for the boy Samuel. A prophet calling David out of the pastures and pouring oil on his head. A staggering light for Saul of Tarsus at midday. Each was unexpected. Each was intrusive. Each was incredibly inconvenient and in some ways made no earthly sense. Each changed a life and the world forever.

The Christmas story is a series of intrusions that often led to hardship before it led to glory. Here is the question Christmas raises for each of us. Are we open to God’s intrusions or do we turn Him down? Would we be willing to let God have his way in our own lives and at a moment’s notice start down a road never contemplated – even if it is just a five-minute journey to pray for a stranger or to tell someone about Jesus? And before we think about God’s inconvenient intrusions into our own lives, think of God’s own intrusion into the peace and order of heaven when suddenly the Word of God laid aside his glory and his deity and became a small and helpless child who parachuted alone into a world of poverty, danger, disease, sin and persecutions for our sake. That intrusion pointed toward a cross. And yet each of these intrusions led not only to moments or days of hardship but also to world changing encounters orchestrated by the Father.

If we have any hunger for greatness or significance in the kingdom of God we must be open to intrusions – sometimes taking a small bite out of our day and at other times changing the entire course of our lives. My dual nature wants to do something great in the kingdom of God for Jesus while at the same time wants comfort, predictability, and security like a hobbit in the Shire. The question for the day is always which part of me will I follow. Will I embrace God’s surprising intrusions or turn them down as I continue on my own agenda. Christmas dares me to go with God.