With Justice and With Righteousness

“For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

    there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

    to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

    from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV)

This is a prophecy from the Old Testament concerning the birth and life of Jesus Christ, and regarding who he is and was and the purpose for why he was born and lived upon this earth. For Jesus Christ always existed, for he is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He was with God in the beginning, he is God, and he is our creator God. And when he lived on the earth he was fully God and fully man (human).

Now Jesus Christ, who is God, willingly left his throne in heaven, came to earth, and was born as a baby to a human mother, but was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man. So Jesus wasn’t born with a sin nature in the image of Adam like the rest of humankind. But he had the ability to sin because he lived in a flesh body, and he was tempted to sin, but he did not sin. For he came to this earth to die on a cross to deliver us out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we can now live for him in obedience to him.

[John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

Jesus Christ lived on the earth for about 33 years. At the age of 30 he began his earthly ministry, at which time he called 12 men to be his disciples and to follow him and to work alongside him in feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, raising the dead, delivering people from demons, healing their diseases and their infirmities, and preaching the good news of the gospel. And his gospel message was not like what many are preaching today.

For Jesus said if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his ways and to his commands, then we have eternal life. For if we deny him on this earth he will deny us when he returns for his bride (Luke 9:23-26). 

See also: [Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 15:7-9; Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:15-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:3-4]

He also taught that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before him one day and will profess him as Lord and will claim many things they believed they did in his name, but he will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” for they refused to obey the Lord (see Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now Jesus did gain some popularity, for a time, because of all the miracles that he performed, and because of him feeding the hungry, and because he raised the dead and delivered people from demons and because he healed their diseases and their infirmities. But his gospel message was not this light and fluffy stuff that is being offered up as his gospel message in today’s world here in America. For he taught death to sin and to self, and obedience.

And the stronger his message became in relation to the cost of following him as our Lord and Savior, the less popular he became, and the more rejection that he faced. And this will be the same with us. If we teach and preach the gospel he taught, we are going to be hated and rejected and mistreated like he was, and we will not have huge followings and lots of “likes” on our internet posts. But if it saves people’s lives from hell, it is worth it all!

Jesus also was not a friend of the religious leaders in the temple of God. They did not like him, and so they continually hounded him and persecuted him and falsely accused him of what he did not do, and they plotted evil against him, and tried to trick him into saying something to where they could accuse him of wrongdoing. And we may experience the same from pastors in “churches” where they don’t like the gospel Jesus taught.

So, those leaders who hated him plotted his murder, and they incited the people into joining in with them in calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. And so they falsely arrested Jesus, and gave him a mock trial, and they beat him beyond recognition, and they spat on him and mocked him, and they put a crown of thorns on his head to mock him. And then they hung him on a cross to die as though he was a common criminal worthy of death as punishment.

But this was God’s will for him. For in his death he took upon himself the sins of the entire world. He who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross so that when he died our sins died with him. But he didn’t stay dead. God the Father raised him from the dead on the third day. So by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, no longer to walk in slavery to sin. Amen!

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 26:26-29; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 11:23-32; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:15,21; Eph 4:17-24; Php 2:5-11; Col 2:9; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1]  

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing 

By Charles Wesley / Mendelssohn / Cummings

Hark! The herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th’angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;

Christ the everlasting Lord;

Late in time, behold Him come,

Offspring of a virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail th’incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with men to dwell,

Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z67EXPODXO8

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