“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, CSB)
Merry Christmas! For the past few weeks, we have been studying God’s promises in the Bible. As we approach the day set aside to celebrate and remember Christ’s birth, let’s remember some of the promises pointing toward that day.
The promise was spoken as far back as when Jacob/Israel blessed his sons. “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.” (Genesis 49:10, NLT) The coming Messiah would come from Judah’s line. The genealogies of Matthew and Luke show the fulfillment of that promise. Paul reminds us of the present and future reign of Christ. “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11, NLT)
Isaiah 7:14 declares that a virgin shall conceive. “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isaiah 7:14, NLT) Micah points towards Bethlehem as the birthplace. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” (Micah 5:2, NLT) We know from the Gospels that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary.
There are many other promises and foretelling prophecies concerning Christ’s coming, mission, and events. God keeps His promises. And yet, we wish that He would hurry things up a bit. Peter reminds us that “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9, NLT) There were about 1800 years between Jacob’s blessing to Judah and the birth of Christ. God keeps His promises in His time, not ours.
We often spend our energies considering the unfulfilled promises in our experiences. This Christmas, I’m inviting you to consider the promises God has already kept. Consider the significant promises of prophecy fulfilled in Christ. Consider the new life you have in Him. “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT) Consider the many answers to prayer you have already seen. And consider God’s eternal promise that Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.
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