Victory in Letting Go of Life-control

Victory in Letting Go of Life-control

Matthew 1:18-2:23

The events that happened during Jesus' birth is rich in symbols and profound spiritual meaning. In this narrative from Matthew there are two outstanding characters, Joseph and King Herod, who deal with control of their lives in very different ways. To understand these two characters, we need to think about their situation

Most people see and would have seen Herod the King as a ruthless tyrant. He was appointed by Mark Anthony to the throne and then later Caesar Augustus increased Herod’s power and privileges. Herod was not a descendent of King David and most people considered the family Herod to be half Jews. When Herod heard that a Jewish king who was from the line of David would be born soon, he worried that he would lose his power. Everything he had done to establish his kingdom would have been for nothing.

Although Joseph did not have a kingdom to lose, he did have his future at stake. This was his wife who would later have his children to continue his name and take care of him in his old age. Joseph had waited a long time to marry Mary and then to find out that she was pregnant would have been shamefully devastating. It is little wonder that Joseph wanted to divorce Mary.

Both Joseph and Herod had their lives and plans challenged. Joseph decided to stick to the laws and cultural norms of those days and divorce Mary. Herod decided to fight back to keep his kingdom using violence. In the world, we can either fight or flee to survive or be victorious. Yet, there is another way to victory which is to fight or flee, and that is to surrender to God.

Joseph was planning to divorce Mary, but an angel gave Joseph assurance to go ahead and keep to the marriage because the baby was from the Holy Spirit. Joseph relented and accepted God's plan over his own plans

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.
Matthew 1:19-20 ESV

Herod chose to fight. He did not change his plans even though he recognized this child as from God. In Matt 2:3, we read that Herod calls the child “the Christ”.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."

Matthew 2:3-4, 8 ESV

When we place more value on our plans and less on God's plans, we suffer. We need to plan. Indeed, we have been given the power to plan; however, we must understand that God is sovereign. A person who understands and accepts God is sovereign will be able to respond like Joseph.

There is a temptation to use resources in a way that God did not want us to use them. We can use our resources for our plans and purposes and not to God's plans. These resources include our talents, abilities, skills, wealth, positions and time. Herod had many resources at his disposal and used them to benefit Herod the King and his family. Joseph's great treasure was his wife to keep his bloodline, yet Joseph risked being married to a pregnant woman who was not carrying his child. Joseph respected God's sovereignty whereas Herod did not. This is why Joseph could react the way he did.

In our lives, we tend to make decisions to maintain our plans, but if we listen to the Holy Spirit, we do not feel comfortable. These are signs to us to make us aware we are aligned to God’s plans.

When we surrender to God, God will intervene in our lives to the challenges ahead and fulfill His sovereign will. Also, our experiential knowledge of God allows us to follow God more. We see this in Matt 2:13-14.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
Matthew 2:13-14 ESV

Joseph is quick to obey. Now Joseph knows that God is in control and has peace because of this. God wants control of our lives for our wellbeing and to allow his sovereign will to happen. Great things happen when we permit God to take control of our lives.

Life can easily demand control of our lives, so it is easy to become caught up in this world and ignore God’s will. Yet, there is victory in letting go of control and letting God reign our lives. Let us be like Joseph and surrender all to God.

The God Who was in the Beginning is Our God(John 1:1-14)

The God Who was in the Beginning is Our God

John 1:1-14

One of the most celebrated holidays in the world is Christmas. Yet it would seem that most people who do celebrate Christmas do not know what the holiday is really about. These days, everywhere around you see Christmas trees and decorations, but it I s doubtful that people see or understand the meaning attached to these ornaments. As Christians, we need to reflect on what Christmas means to us and what we are practicing. We can always look to the Gospels for answers,

The four gospels all narrate the same story of Jesus’ life, purpose and victory but in different ways and different emphasis such as the Gospel of John. Where The Gospel of Luke shows the historical narrative of Jesus’ birth, the Gospel of John traces Jesus’ origin back to the very beginning of time. John does not do this in a worldly way, but in a heavenly way. Moreover, the Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus is God who loves us. If there is one thing that John wants to tell us, it is that Jesus is love.

John presents God who was in the beginning as one who comes to us, and therefore for that reason alone, we should have joy. From the Jewish background, John tells us that the Word was before the beginning, and this Word which was God brought forth everything. John invites the readers of John to go back to Genesis to look at the nature of the God who was the beginning. John is telling us that God is not limited by time and space, nor is God limited in power or knowledge.

But John did not just stop there. John wanted to also show the loving Jesus who understood His followers and their sufferings. Keep in mind that the first audience who read the Gospel of John were Christians who were going through difficulties and having their faith challenged. These brothers and sisters needed hope, encouragement and understanding. John shows us Jesus who knew their difficulties and who had experienced life as a man on Earth and not just as God in Heaven.

God is not just all knowing and all powerful. God is in control and has a perfect plan. The Gospel of Matthew talks about how Joseph was told by an Angel from God to go to Nazareth so that the scriptures would be fulfilled. John knew that only a God who was from the beginning and knew everything would be able to do this, and so it is very fitting the John starts his gospel with stating

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 was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

This is the same God who is in control of our world and lives. This God protected Mary and Joseph during dangerous and turbulent times. God puts events in our lives to help us get to places where God wants us to be. Just as we see in Jesus' life or others in the Bible.

If it were not enough, God gives us grace and mercy although we are undeserving. We are created in the image of God and yet we are terrible, corrupt creatures. Man falls and continues to fall. All the heroes of the Bible fail at some time except for Jesus. Yet Jesus still loved us and sacrificed Himself for us. The same people who fail God are given great mercy and grace. For example, Adam and Eve are clothed by God. Cain is marked so he would not be published by others for murdering Able. Abraham is given a son even though Abraham had lied, cheated and taken on a second wife of which God never approved.

At this time of the year, we need to remember that Christmas is the good message that God makes himself known to us. That Christmas is the time to cheer up because God is with us. God is our personal God. Jesus has come and will come again.

The God Who Was in the Beginning

 The God Who Was in the Beginning

John 1:1-5 
John 20:30-31 

The Gospel of St. John is the fourth book in the New Testament and the fourth gospel. It was written by John presumably from John's perspective. As we understand, the gospels are all about the good news and have different perspectives of the same message from their different authors.  

There are several Johns in the New Testament. Whether it is, John the brother of Jesus, or one of the Zebedee’s we do not know.  We do have some clues who this John might be. In John 21:20-22, the author says it was the disciple of Jesus who Jesus loved much. We also know that this John is the same author of the three epistles of John. Some scholars will dispute that this John is not the same author of Revelation.  It must also be noted that many NT scholars ascribe the authorship of the gospels to different authors. Some of these same scholars believe the authors were redactors who made edits to the gospels for different reasons. For us believers, we accept that this is John's gospel, and John the disciple was the author.

The book was written for the Jewish communities who were Christians in Ephesus. They were Jewish Christians who had converted in the first century. These Jews were subject to ostracism and persecution from the Jews, so they were careful with proclaiming their beliefs and affiliation with Jesus Christ. 

Some scholars argue that the Gospel of St. John was written before 70 AD. We know that 70 AD was the time the Roman Empire destroyed the last temple and this is a year that many Christians use as a reference point when dating early Christian writings. Since the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, it seems strange John did not mention anything about the temple. Others say the book was written later at around 80 or 90 AD. We do know that Paul had already been to Ephesus in 52 AD. We read this in Acts. Paul had established a Christian community in Ephesus. This included Christians of the diaspora and new converts. 

 John wrote the gospel so that Christians may hold onto their faith.  He wanted to persuade his audience to believe that Jesus is God. That the Word had a preexistence. In Greek, Logos would be the word that John meant. They believed Logos, reason, was involved in creation and everything was made from Logos. The Greeks had the concept of Logos but was abstract and influenced by Platonic thinking whereas Jesus was Logos made flesh. The word Logos was the power to create everything out of nothing. Jesus was the channel of creation and was God. 

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 

Psalms 33:6 ESV 

The same Logos is resurrected and does come back as spirit, but as living, physical flesh to be with us.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 

John 20:19 ESV 

From John 1:1-5 and John 20:30-31. We understand three crucial points.

1.       Jesus is the creator and is God. 

2.       Jesus is real and rose from the dead and is with us. He is dwelling amongst us all the time.  

3.       Jesus will be an abstract reality unless we put our faith in him. We have to believe and act in faith.