The Sages, The Star, and The Savior

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THE incarnation of the Son of God was one of the greatest events in the history of the universe. Its actual occurrence was not, however, known to all mankind, but was specially revealed to the shepherds of Bethlehem and to certain wise men of the east. These wise men, magi, were students of the stars and of old prophetic books from the far-off east.

Christ was born at Bethlehem, near to Jerusalem; yet throughout all the streets of the holy city there were no enquirers, “Where is he?” He was to be the glory of Israel, and yet in Israel there were few indeed who, like these wise men, asked the question, “Where is he?”

The wise men did not regard the favor of seeing the star as a matter to be rested in. They did not say, “We have seen his star, and that is enough.” Many say, “Well, we attend a place of worship regularly, is not that enough?” There are those who say, “We were baptized, baptism brought regeneration with it; we come to the sacrament, and do we not get grace through it?” Poor souls! the star which leads to Christ they mistake for Christ himself, and worship the star instead of the Lord.

Note well, that these wise men did not find satisfaction in what they had themselves done to reach the child. As we have observed, they may have come hundreds of miles, but they did not mention it; they did not sit down and say, “Well, we have journeyed across deserts, over hills, and across rivers, it is enough.” No, they must find the new-born King, nothing else would satisfy them.

I pray that you and I may always be so led by the Spirit of God that we may never put up with anything short of a real grasping of Christ, a believing sight of Christ as a Savior, as our Savior, as our Savior even now. If there be one danger above another that the young seeker should strive against, it is the danger of stopping short of a hearty faith in Jesus Christ.

See, then, how these wise men were not made by the sight of the star to keep away from Christ, but they were encouraged by it to come to Christ, and do you be encouraged, dear seeker, this morning to come to Jesus by the fact that you are blessed with the gospel.

I should like you to notice how these wise men were not satisfied with merely getting to Jerusalem. They might have said, “Ah! now we are in the land where the Child is born, we will be thankful and sit down.” No, but “Where is he?” He is born at Bethlehem. Well, they get to Bethlehem, but we do not find that when they reached that village they said, “This is a favored spot, we will sit down here.” Not at all, they wanted to know where the house was. They reached the house, and the star got over it. It was a fair sight to see the cottage with the star above it, and to think that the new-born King was there, but that did not satisfy them. No, they went right into the house; they rested not till they saw the Child himself, and had worshipped him.

Lastly, consider the example of these wise men. They came to Jesus, and in so doing, they did three things: they saw, they worshipped, they gave. Those are three things which every believer here may do over again, and which every seeker should do for the first time.

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Adapted from the C. H. Spurgeon sermon “The Sages, The Star, and the Savior”, Dec 25, 1870, From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 16

You Will Find a Baby

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“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

— Luke 2:12—

Now, observe, as you look at this infant, that there is not the remotest appearance of temporal power here.

Look again, and you shall observe no pomp to dazzle you. Is the child wrapped in purple and fine linen? Ah, no. Sleeps he in a cradle of gold? The manger alone is his shelter. No crown is upon the babe’s head, neither does a coronet surround the mother’s brow. A simple maiden of Galilee, and a little child in ordinary swaddling bands, it is all you see.

The artists paint angels in the skies, and surrounds the scene with a mysterious light, of which tradition’s tongue of falsehood has said that it made midnight as bright as noon. This is fiction merely; there was nothing more there than the stable, the straw the oxen ate, and perhaps the beasts themselves, and the child in the plainest, simplest manner, wrapped as other children are; the cherubs were invisible and of haloes there were none.

I say, then, to you who would know the only true peace and lasting joy, come ye to the babe of Bethlehem, in after days the Man of Sorrows, the substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. Come, ye little children, ye boys and girls, come ye; for he also was a boy. “The holy child Jesus” is the children’s Saviour, and saith still, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not. Come hither, ye maidens, ye who are still in the morning of your beauty, and, like Mary, rejoice in God your Saviour. The virgin bore him on her bosom, so come ye and bear him in your hearts, saying, “Unto us a child is born, onto us a son is given.” And you, ye men in the plenitude of your strength, remember how Joseph cared for him, and watched with reverent solicitude his tender years; be you to his cause as a Father and a helper; sanctify your strength to his service. And ye women advanced in years, ye matrons and widows, come like Anna and bless the Lord that you have seen the salvation of Israel, and ye hoar heads, who like Simeon are ready to depart, come ye and take the Savior in your arms, adoring him as your Savior and your all. Ye shepherds, ye simple hearted, ye who toil for your daily bread, come and adore the Savior; and stand not back ye wise men, ye who know by experience and who by meditation peer into deep truth, come ye, and like the sages of the East bow low before his presence, and make it your honor to pay honor to Christ the Lord. For my own part, the incarnate God is all my hope and trust.

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Adapted from the C. H. Spurgeon sermon “Joy Born at Bethlehem”, Dec 23, 1871, From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 17

His Name is Jesus

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“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins..”

—Matthew 1:21—

Bernard of Clairvaux has said that the name of Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, and joy in the heart. So inexpressibly fragrant is the name of Jesus that it imparts a delicious perfume to everything which comes in connection with it.

According to the text of Matthew 21, the angel brought a message from the Lord, and said, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus.” It is a name which, like him who bears it, has come down from heaven. Our Lord has other names of office and relationship, but this is specially and peculiarly his own personal name, given to him by his Father.

The name is the highest, brightest, and noblest of names; it is the glory of our Lord to be a Savior. To the best that was ever born of woman God has given the best name that any son of man could bear. JESUS is the most appropriate name that our Lord could receive.

The angel explains quite clearly the reason for the name of Jesus — “For he shall save his people from their sins.” “Savior” is the meaning of the name, and in Hebrew it means “the salvation of the Lord,” or “the Lord of salvation,” or “the Savior.”

The name Jesus is given to our Lord because “he saves”— not according to any temporary and earthly salvation, from sicknesses, enemies and troubles, but he saves from spiritual enemies, and especially from sins.

In addition to explaining this name, the Holy Spirit, speaking through evangelist Matthew, has also given us a synonym for the name Jesus, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Mat 1:23  “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which is translated, “God with us.” (vv. 22-23).

The precious name chosen of God is given to him by all those who know him, and to whom his gospel is entrusted, and given heartily, zealously, and boldly. Yes, all of us call him Jesus if we know him, and we are resolved to publish his name abroad as long as we live. If he was Jesus in the cradle, what is he now that he is exalted in the heavens? As Emmanuel, God with us, his very incarnation made him Jesus, the Savior of men.

“Jesus, name all names above;
Jesus best and nearest,
Jesus, fount of perfect love, holiest, tenderest, dearest:
Jesus, source of grace completed;
Jesus holiest, sweetest,
Jesus, Savior ail divine, thine’s the name, and only thine.”

Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, was written on his cross. That is his resurrection name. That is his gospel name, the name we preach. And Jesus is his heavenly name. They sing to him there as Jesus. See how it concludes the Bible. Read the Revelation, and read its songs, and see how they worship Jesus the Lamb of God. Let us go and tell of this name; let us continually meditate upon it; let us love it now and forever.

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Adapted from the C. H. Spurgeon sermon “Jesus”, September 15, 1857, From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 24

The First Christmas Carol

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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

—Luke 2:14—

What is the lesson to be learned from this first syllable of the angels’ song? Why this, that salvation is God’s highest glory.

He is glorified in every dew drop that twinkles to the morning sun. He is magnified in every wood flower that blossoms in the copse, although it live to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness in the forest air. God is glorified in every bird that warbles on the spray; in every lamb that skips in the meadow. Do not the fishes in the sea praise him? From the tiny minnow to the huge Leviathan, do not all creatures that swim the water bless and praise his name? Do not all created things extol him? Do not the stars exalt him, when they write his name upon the azure of heaven in their golden letters? Do not the lightnings adore him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light piercing the midnight darkness? Do not thunders extol him when they roll like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not all things exalt him, from the least even to the greatest?

But sing, sing, oh universe, till you have exhausted yourself, you cannot afford a song so sweet as the song of incarnation. Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle— incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.

Pause Christian, and consider this a minute. See how every attribute is here magnified. Lo! what wisdom is here. God becomes man that God may be just, and the justifier of the ungodly. Lo! what power, for where is power so great as when it conceals power? What power, that Godhead should unrobe itself and become man! Behold, what love is thus revealed to us when Jesus becomes a man. Behold, what faithfulness! How many promises are this day kept? How many solemn obligations are this hour discharged? Tell me one attribute of God that is not manifest in Jesus; and your ignorance shall be the reason why you have not seen it so. The whole of God is glorified in Christ; and though some part of the name of God is written in the universe, it is here best read—in Him who was the Son of Man, and, yet, the Son of God.

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Adapted from the C. H. Spurgeon sermon “The First Christmas Carol”, December 20, 1857, From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 24

The Heart of the Bible

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This week’s devotional series from Think & Act Biblically is based on Romans 3, which has been considered “The Heart of the Bible”. The Monday devotional presents us with Three Views of the Human Condition. The author tells us:

“So far as I know, in the whole history of the human race there have only been three basic views of the spiritual condition of men and women. One is the view that they are well. The second is that they are sick. The third is that they are dead.”

The author then explains:

“The idea that men and women are well is quite popular. This is the view of our modern world, of secularism. It says that everything is all right; and if things are not absolutely perfect, well, that is only a slight deviation from the norm. If things are all right, we do not need any help. We do not need a Savior. Above all, we do not need God. Unfortunately, like a wrong medical diagnosis, this view leads to all sorts of other problems; because if you do not recognize the problem, you are not going to seek a cure. This is the state of many people today. Things are very wrong with them, but they will not face the fact that they are wrong. So they are unwilling to seek the solution God provides.

The second view is that men and women are sick. It is a little closer to the truth, but it is not close enough. Unfortunately, it is the view of most Christians in the United States today. It says that we certainly need a physician. We are not well. We are “under the weather,” as it were. In some cases we may not be faring at all well. As a matter of fact, some would say that we are so sick that we are going to die eventually. But there is hope! We need a physician, and we have one in Christ. He can cure us. As I said, this view is closer to the truth, but it is not the full biblical picture.

In these verses Paul expounds the third view, saying that so far as our ability to find or please God is concerned, we are dead—just as dead spiritually as a corpse is dead physically. A corpse cannot do anything to help itself. It just lies there. And, spiritually speaking, that is what Paul says is true of us. We are unable to please God, choose God, seek God, or find God.”

The entire devotional can be found at: Monday: Three Views of the Human Condition | Think & Act Biblically

Be Blessed!

THE REFORMED DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION by Loraine Boettner

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SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION

1. Election is a sovereign free act of God, through which He determines who shall be made heirs of heaven.

2. The elective decree was made in eternity.

3. The elective decree contemplates the race as already fallen. The elect are brought from a state of sin and into a state of blessedness and happiness.

4. Election is personal determining what particular individuals shall be saved.

5. Election includes both means and ends, election to eternal life includes election to righteous living here in this world.

6. The elective decree is made effective by the efficient work of the Holy Spirit, who works when, and where, and how He pleases. God’s common grace would incline all men to good if not resisted.

7. The elective decree leaves others who are not elected others who suffer the just consequences of their sin.

8. Some men are permitted to follow the evil which they freely choose, to their own destruction.

9. God, in His sovereignty, could regenerate all men if He chose to do so.

10. The Judge of all the earth will do right, and will extend His saving grace to multitudes who are undeserving.

11. Election is not based on foreseen faith or good works, but only on God’s sovereign good pleasure.

12. Much of the larger portion of the human race has been elected to life.

13. All of those dying in infancy are among the elect.

14. There has also been an election of individuals and of nations to external and temporal favors and privileges an election which falls short of salvation.

15. The doctrine of election is repeatedly taught and emphasized throughout the Scriptures.

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The above is an excerpt from The Reformed Doctrine Of Predestination by Loraine Boettner, Chapter 11, Unconditional Election. The entire book is available for free download in several formats at:

The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (eBook) | Monergism

Be Blessed!

“Then you will know that I am the LORD”

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That phrase, or a similar phrase appears 72 times in the book of Ezekiel![i]

A summary of the book of Ezekiel is provided below with the number of times our phrase is listed in each section:

In chapters 1-3, God commissions his servant Ezekiel. He receives visions, and his message is to confront God’s sinful nation, “I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day ” (2:3).

In chapters 4-24, Ezekiel delivered the message of doom to the captives. He told several parables, one that compared Israel to an adulterous woman (16:1-63). He taught them that God was cleansing His chosen nation, “You have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations’, the LORD declares” (16:58). (34 times)

From chapters 25-32, Ezekiel condemns judgment upon the nations who mocked YHWH, the God of Israel because of the captivity; they too would soon see their fate. These nations are Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt. (18 times)

In chapters 33-48, a message of deliverance and restoration is written. This includes not only the current nation of Israel but also the future of the coming Messiah, the Temple, and the Kingdom of God in the End age. In chapter 37, he writes the famous vision of the valley of bones, “He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know” (37:3) (20 times)

The DanDee couple has been watching The Chosen series together, discussing the word-for-word accuracy of various characters quoting scripture throughout the series, as well as the teachings of Jesus.

In certain parts of the show’s story line questions arise, sometimes angrily, concerning why Jesus healed one person and not another or why Jesus raised one person from the dead and not another. In season 4 of the series Jesus agonizes over his followers not being able to understand what is really going on, and keep asking the “WHY?” question. Jesus explained exactly what he was doing when he responded to the Jews who wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, saying:

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

(John 10:37-38)

Just as in the book of Ezekiel, Jesus was telling religious Jews, as well as his followers:

“I and my Father are one.”

(John 10:30)

Every one of Jesus’s miracles was a confirmation of God’s message and messenger!

[i] Ezekiel Summary

Are you interested in becoming a Kingdom Multiplier?

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This morning, while listening to Erwin Lutzer’s daily podcast I learned that a recent survey revealed that only 11% of evangelical Christians read their Bibles on a daily basis. I immediately thought “That’s really sad,” but then I remembered that I’ve been part of the 11% during my own faith walk!

Reading the Bible means reading and studying the Book, not living off social media memes containing a verse or two out of the original context, watching Bible based movies or the latest Bible based TV series, listening to the occasional sermon or podcast, or even listening to the Bible itself just being read.

When this prodigal son was drawn back home in the providence of God, he started looking for good discipleship training material. After some time, he fell in love with the Christian Military Fellowship Discipleship Training Objectives (CMF DTOs) because they taught him HOW to properly study the Bible! They challenged him (no ‘fill in the blanks’), to study passages and sections of scripture using the three important rules of Context, Context, Context, and by asking the text a lot of important questions.

If you think you might be interested in the CMF DTO’s go to: Bibles Studies (List) | CMFHQ.ORG and scroll image

Let me know if you take up the challenge or if I can answer any questions! Above all,

Be Blessed!


The Amazing Memorial Service for Charlie Kirk

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I remember when an entire Special Forces battalion staff received a clear presentation of the gospel at it’s operational base for a training exercise after a close friend of mine was killed because both of his parachutes failed to open during an infiltration jump. The Bn Commander wanted to have a memorial service at our field headquarters. I thought that small memorial was the fulfillment of my friend’s desire that everything in his life be used for the glory of God.

Talk about the glory of God in the midst of tragedy, what happened during Charlie Kirk’s memorial at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ was beyond good, it was glorious! How many of us would have ever thought that the clear message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would ever be preached to so many around the world at a single event! 90,000 to 100,000 people attended the Charlie Kirk memorial service, while millions streamed the funeral online (6.62M viewers on YouTube) and watched it on TV.

Charlie Kirk’s Pastor, Rob McCoy began the service with a bold presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, recounting the New Testament message of Jesus the Christ, the very Son of God, who “left the glory of heaven’s throne for the humiliation of an earthly cross.” Pastor McCoy talked about of the reality of sin, of the wages of sin as death, and of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners. He called sinners to believe and be saved at the very beginning of the service.

Speaker after speaker bore witness to the gospel. They spoke openly of Charlie Kirk’s personal faith in Christ and of his call for others to believe and be saved and to follow Christ in obedience. They didn’t speak of Charlie’s faith in political terms, but how Charlie Kirk’s politics reflected his Christian commitments.

Apologist Frank Turek presented the gospel in doctrinal detail, right down to penal substitutionary atonement. In His righteousness, the Father demanded an innocent and perfect sacrifice for sin, and the Father sent the Son to die for sinners on the cross, the perfect substitute. This same Christ rose from the grave, raised by the Father. Sinners who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are “given His righteousness.”

Explicit gospel testimony came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Peter Hegseth, and many others. Vice President J. D. Vance went to the platform and said, “I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have in my entire time in public life.”

The familiar phrase “what man meant for evil, God meant for good” was on full display at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. The precious gospel of Jesus Christ was presented to millions of people around the world. That was no accident!

How many times in recent days have we seen the motto “We are ALL Charlie!” being shouted and broadcast around the world? Is that motto a call to arms for us to fearlessly and boldly proclaim the gospel to the lost world around us just as Charlie did? Is it a reminder that we should want to be known more for our Christian faith than anything else about us? I pray that the answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!”

I pray that all of us who have repented and believed in Christ consider the Great Commission Jesus gave to his disciples our own:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  

(Matt 28:29-30)  

Be Blessed!

ALL Because of Words?

Posted by Dan C. on

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That meme showed up in my FB feed sometime last week; I forget which day. I have waited to say anything because it made me angry and I needed to process my emotions. There’s already too much vitriol in every form of communication on the planet about the death of Charlie Kirk, whose strong stance for his faith upset more than a few people.

I couldn’t help but think that to place the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Charlie Kirk on the same level (All Because of Words) isn’t actually accurate. I don’t think that any one of those assassinations was ALL about words, and I KNOW that the death of Jesus wasn’t all about words, even though many of the words he spoke during his short three-year ministry angered both Jewish religious leaders, secular authorities, and many who were lost in their sin. Here is exactly how the death of Jesus came about:

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:22-24)

No angel from heaven or anyone else prophesied that any of the 4 on the left would save anyone from their sins. An angel of the Lord did appear to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, when Joseph had doubts about marrying her because the child she was carrying was his own. Here is the record of that divine encounter
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt 1:18-21)

The original author of that meme might really not even have had a clue about the ultimate reason for Jesus’ crucifixion. I refuse to stand in judgment. I do however, with all the love I have in my heart for the perfect and sinless one who died for MY sins, suffering the wrath of God due ME, have a Christian obligation to tell “the rest of the story”.

All of those deaths were evil, but they are not the same. Food for thought.”

I pray that God has blessed you in the reading of this little post.