December 10th 2017
Remember There Is Only One Perfect Gift That Comes To All Of Us On Christmas Day!
Matthew 1:21-24 (NIV)
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Today in the USA, this embarrassing situation of this unwanted pregnancy, would likely be handled by murdering the baby, and letting the pregnant woman live. Well there is a difference here, as the woman is not a virgin, or at least, that would be the assumption. When Mary was found to be pregnant, and thus, she would not have been perceived to be a virgin, the law was very different, as the woman would have been assumed to be guilty of promiscuity and would have been stoned to death, killing her and the baby. As it states in the following verse from Deuteronomy “She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house.” Read this in context in the verses following.
Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 22:17-21)
In the selected verses when Mary was found to be pregnant and she was not yet married, and if “no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.” The proof needed was supplied by her parents bringing a bed sheet showing a blood stain caused by sexual intercourse by a man with a virgin. If Joseph did not follow the command given him in a dream, Mary would have been stoned to death killing the developing baby Jesus! Similar situation today would have been Joseph claiming he is not the supplier of sperm to get Mary pregnant, then she could elect to dispose of Jesus by aborting the fetus! Would a modern Mary choose to abort the Savior of the World? Of course, this is a stretch of our imaginations, as the Mary of the Bible would not have chosen to abort her baby, as she believed the angel Gabriel’s message about who Jesus would become.
As we now enter the Advent season, we start to think about the real Christmas account, as detailed in our Bible. It makes us wonder who is this baby Jesus we see in the manger scenes that have not yet been outlawed? Is this story really true, did God come down to this earth, and be born as a human baby? If it is true, then surely, He would have had some special abilities that would identify Him as some special person? Jumping ahead some 33 plus years from His birth, let’s save those stories for some later versions of the VOW, stay tuned. For today let us hear what some of His followers thought about Him and who He was. His disciple wondered about Him, and were amazed by some things He did. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:27). They said this after Jesus calmed a stormy sea, and saved them from drowning. Mark recorded Jesus’ comments at such an incident. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:40-41)
In Jesus days on this earth the religious people believed that anyone who was wealthy must be doing what God wanted them to do. So, when His disciples heard His accounts related to salvation, they were confused, when He said it was extremely difficult for a rich man to be saved. Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:26-27). Jesus already knew He was going to be the perfect sacrifice needed to atone for all of mankind’s sins. Here He was relating to His disciples that worldly possessions were not necessarily blessings, as they perceived, and could lead a member of mankind to lose focus on God, and even believe they did not need God, as they were doing very well without God’s help. Paul wrote about such thinking, and that we could be focusing on the wrong stuff in our lives. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18). Are you focusing on the stuff you can see, and forgetting to align our thoughts on the hereafter?
Our attention is constantly being focused on shopping for that perfect Christmas gift, and getting it for the absolute best price! We are bombarded with ads, and given critical dates like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and then cyber ever day until Christmas to overlook everything else, and to get that perfect gift. PLEASE remember there is only one perfect gift that comes to all of us on Christmas Day, and it arrived over 2,000 years ago, and it is the only gift that is available to bless YOU (us) every day for rest of your life! Oops, I stated earlier that this VOW was not going to present the real Christmas Story, but how can anyone write anything and NOT think about this the greatest gift of all, that is available FREE to everyone! You cannot buy it, as is available only through grace. Let me restate that; this greatest gift is always FREE!
Being rich in this world does not show itself through generosity unless the person being blessed identifies a belief in a hereafter life. The most generous people are professing Christians. This statement can be observed by seeing Christians contributing to many fund-raising campaigns, and being first responders when devastating catastrophes occur. Paul wrote about this, and connects it with Jesus followers being aware of the incredible gift of Jesus to this world. First, they are blessed, so they can have stuff to share. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2Corinthians 9:11-15).
Once again be ready to receive the greatest gift of all! Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Matthew 1:21-24 (NIV)
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Today in the USA, this embarrassing situation of this unwanted pregnancy, would likely be handled by murdering the baby, and letting the pregnant woman live. Well there is a difference here, as the woman is not a virgin, or at least, that would be the assumption. When Mary was found to be pregnant, and thus, she would not have been perceived to be a virgin, the law was very different, as the woman would have been assumed to be guilty of promiscuity and would have been stoned to death, killing her and the baby. As it states in the following verse from Deuteronomy “She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house.” Read this in context in the verses following.
Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 22:17-21)
In the selected verses when Mary was found to be pregnant and she was not yet married, and if “no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.” The proof needed was supplied by her parents bringing a bed sheet showing a blood stain caused by sexual intercourse by a man with a virgin. If Joseph did not follow the command given him in a dream, Mary would have been stoned to death killing the developing baby Jesus! Similar situation today would have been Joseph claiming he is not the supplier of sperm to get Mary pregnant, then she could elect to dispose of Jesus by aborting the fetus! Would a modern Mary choose to abort the Savior of the World? Of course, this is a stretch of our imaginations, as the Mary of the Bible would not have chosen to abort her baby, as she believed the angel Gabriel’s message about who Jesus would become.
As we now enter the Advent season, we start to think about the real Christmas account, as detailed in our Bible. It makes us wonder who is this baby Jesus we see in the manger scenes that have not yet been outlawed? Is this story really true, did God come down to this earth, and be born as a human baby? If it is true, then surely, He would have had some special abilities that would identify Him as some special person? Jumping ahead some 33 plus years from His birth, let’s save those stories for some later versions of the VOW, stay tuned. For today let us hear what some of His followers thought about Him and who He was. His disciple wondered about Him, and were amazed by some things He did. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:27). They said this after Jesus calmed a stormy sea, and saved them from drowning. Mark recorded Jesus’ comments at such an incident. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4:40-41)
In Jesus days on this earth the religious people believed that anyone who was wealthy must be doing what God wanted them to do. So, when His disciples heard His accounts related to salvation, they were confused, when He said it was extremely difficult for a rich man to be saved. Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:26-27). Jesus already knew He was going to be the perfect sacrifice needed to atone for all of mankind’s sins. Here He was relating to His disciples that worldly possessions were not necessarily blessings, as they perceived, and could lead a member of mankind to lose focus on God, and even believe they did not need God, as they were doing very well without God’s help. Paul wrote about such thinking, and that we could be focusing on the wrong stuff in our lives. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18). Are you focusing on the stuff you can see, and forgetting to align our thoughts on the hereafter?
Our attention is constantly being focused on shopping for that perfect Christmas gift, and getting it for the absolute best price! We are bombarded with ads, and given critical dates like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and then cyber ever day until Christmas to overlook everything else, and to get that perfect gift. PLEASE remember there is only one perfect gift that comes to all of us on Christmas Day, and it arrived over 2,000 years ago, and it is the only gift that is available to bless YOU (us) every day for rest of your life! Oops, I stated earlier that this VOW was not going to present the real Christmas Story, but how can anyone write anything and NOT think about this the greatest gift of all, that is available FREE to everyone! You cannot buy it, as is available only through grace. Let me restate that; this greatest gift is always FREE!
Being rich in this world does not show itself through generosity unless the person being blessed identifies a belief in a hereafter life. The most generous people are professing Christians. This statement can be observed by seeing Christians contributing to many fund-raising campaigns, and being first responders when devastating catastrophes occur. Paul wrote about this, and connects it with Jesus followers being aware of the incredible gift of Jesus to this world. First, they are blessed, so they can have stuff to share. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2Corinthians 9:11-15).
Once again be ready to receive the greatest gift of all! Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak