Advent Gems #7

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and allowed the prophet to see, prophetically, both the guiding star and the patriarch from whose tribe our King and Redeemer would be born.

Numbers 24:15-17: “Then he took up his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes opened wide: I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.”

The Scepter (the rod of authority) of the Messiah will not be taken away nor destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14: "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

Revelation 19:13,16: “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God... And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

 Advent Gems #6

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

In Jacob, who became Israel, we know the nation from which the Messiah will come. Israel passed that blessing on to his son Judah. Therefore, we know the tribe from which He will come.

Genesis 49: 8-10 ``Judah, your brothers shall praise you. You shall destroy your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow before you. Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. He has settled down as a lion--who will dare to rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes, whom all people shall obey.”

Judah means praise. The tribe of Judah always led the Israelites into battle. Our spiritual warfare must always be grounded in praise for our Lord. Psalm 22:3: “God inhabits the praises of His people.”

Shiloh means tranquil or peaceful. Notice the meaning of the names. Isaac means laughter. Laughter is the grandfather of praise (Judah). Shiloh, peace, is a fruit of the Spirit. Philippians 2:9-11: 9. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 Advent Gems #5

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

We see the lineage of our Messiah established in God’s covenant with Abraham. Genesis 17: 6-7: "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you”

The covenant continues through Abraham’s son, Isaac. Genesis 17:19: Then God said: "Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

Isaac passed that blessing on to his son Jacob. Genesis 27: 28-29. “Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!''

After wrestling the Jacob, Lord Himself gave Jacob the name of Israel. Genesis 32:28: “28. And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.''

The Living Bible explains, “``Your name is Israel--one who has power with God. Because you have been strong with God, you shall prevail with men.''

In Jesus Christ, we can have power with God and prevail in spite of this troubled world.

 Advent Gem #4

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Mankind fell. He was here. Redemption began. Genesis 3:14-15: “So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.''

Genesis 3: 21. “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

As He was in the beginning, so He has always been and so He will always be.

 

Advent Gems #3

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

He was here in the beginning. Genesis 1:1-5: “1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light''; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

John 1:1-5: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John 1:9-12: “That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

As He was in the beginning, so He has always been and so He will always be.

 

Advent Gem #2

In Him Is Life

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

John 1:1-4;10-14

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men….He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The essence of Christmas is the eternal, divine and glorious life given to the believers when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

What did Jesus give up in order to come to earth? 

Philippians 2:5-8

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

The most humbling aspect of Jesus’ appearance on earth as a full human being is that He gave up his glory and came into a world system that vilified Him 2000 years ago and continues to vilify Him today.

In the Garden, He prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was (John 17:5).”

Jesus left heaven and the Word become flesh.

He created all that has been created.  Yet, He submitted himself to the authority of His parents, the government of Rome, the religious leaders and even unto death. He gave up the glory of heaven to pay the price for our redemption.  He gave up everything for our salvation

God loves us so much that He gave His Son.  That truth is what makes Christmas truly merry.

 

Advent Gem #1

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

 

            The incarnation of the Son of God is more than a story to be remembered each year in December.  It is an epic that began before the foundation of the world, progressed through the Garden of Eden and will culminate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  Tradition has so romanticized, so fantasized, so embellished the story that we have overlooked chapter one, made chapter two unrecognizable, and ignored chapter three.

            The Encarta Dictionary defines epic as “a long series of events characterized by adventures or struggle; impressive by virtue of greatness of size, scope or heroism”.  The Christmas story is chapter two of God’s epic plan for the redemption of His creation.  Nothing is more empowering in our lives than the fact that the Son of God Who spoke all creation into existence became Emmanuel, God with us.

            I love all the lights, music, and joy of the Christmas season.  Yet, I don’t want to neglect the deeper significance.  Let’s move past the mythology and into the truth; past the tradition and into the revelation; past the pretty devices of man and into the power of the incarnation.   Because much of church tradition has denied the historical Jewish roots of Christianity, our interpretation of Scripture has often come from a European mindset rather than a Hebrew mindset.  In bringing back a more Hebrew perspective, we uncover truths that for many have been hidden in the ages.  Let’s lay aside the little drummer boy, the animals that spoke at midnight, and Amahl and the night visitors.

            We hear many, even some Christians, denying the virgin birth of Jesus and declaring that He was the biological son of Joseph the carpenter of Nazareth. Do you know that if Joseph were the biological father of Jesus, that Jesus could not be the Messiah?  A careful reading of the genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew shows that one of Joseph’s ancestors was Jeconiah (vs. 8).  Jeconiah was also called Coniah.  Because Jeconiah was an evil king, the prophet Jeremiah pronounced a curse on him saying that none of his descendants would sit on the throne of David.  (Jeremiah 22:24-28.)

            Because the Messiah of Israel will sit on the throne of His ancestor David, no descendent of Jeconiah could be the Messiah.  Joseph believed the angel who said that Mary had been impregnated by the Spirit of God. (Matthew 1:18-25.)  Joseph believed and, therefore, we can believe.

            Even though we know He was not born on that day, we celebrate the birthday of our Lord on December 25^th.  I have no problem with the day of the celebration because we do not know the actual date of His birth.  However, we should understand that He was most likely born during the season of either the Passover or Feast of Tabernacles when most Jews traveled to Jerusalem to bring their offerings and worship at the Temple.  One of those days would be a likely time to register for a census.

            When we understand that God has times and seasons and that He doesn’t operate on a Roman calendar, we might be more hesitant in setting timetables for past events and for the future fulfillment of prophecy. 

            Christmas is a time for adoring the Christ Child in the manger.  It is also a time to adore the soon and coming King.

Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV):Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
¹Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

“Joy to the world.  The Lord has come!!” Let’s celebrate in spirit and in truth.