http://bible.com/events/47805233

Christmas Light, Part 1: The Dawn

Isaiah 9:1-2

9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

• This prophecy foretells the coming of Christ by predicting certain things that will be true about that time:
  • There will be no more gloom
  • The people of God (Galilee) will be honored
  • Those walking in darkness will not only see, but see a great light
  • A new era will arrive, in the form of light dawning
  • To grasp the utter importance of this text, we have to go back. All the way back to when light was created
• To grasp the importance of this text, we have to go back to when light was created.

Genesis 1:1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

• The first thing we ever read God saying, the first of His stated creative acts – Let there be light. 
• We learn from the very beginning that light will be something important and special.
• Everything in creation stems from that original creation of light.

1.  LIGHT IS GOOD 

Light is the first of the Creator’s works, showing the work of the divine in a world that is chaos without it.

• Light symbolizes life – “You have rescued me from death. You have kept my feet from stumbling so that I could walk in your presence, in the light of life” (Ps 56:13)
• Light symbolizes truth – “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path” (Ps 119:105)

2. GOD IS LIGHT 

“God is light, and there isn’t any darkness in him.” 1 John 1:5 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?” Psalm 27:1

• Light to the world  – “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 
• Light yet to come – “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Revelations 22:5 

Matthew 4:12-17

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.” 

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

• Any good Jew would be able to immediately read Matthew 4 and see how points us back to the prophecy in Isaiah 
• There is a clear parallel here between the initial story of creation of Genesis 1 (“Let there be light”) and the arrival of Jesus  (“a light has dawned”)
• Jesus’ affirms that God’s kingdom has come near. It is not just that “a light has dawned” but rather “our light has dawned” 

Bottom Line: 

He didn’t just come to be THE Light, He came to be YOUR Light. 

“The splendors of creation and the agonies of redemption combine in Christmas, this center where God in Christ invades existence with redeeming light and decisively defeats evil.” 
― Eugene Peterson

http://bible.com/events/47529342

Anatomy of a Storm: Feeding Hope

As we conclude our series, Anatomy of a Storm, we are going to talk about one unexpected gift this season has given us: the opportunity for hope.

Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And weboast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces  perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

-We are justified (made right) before God because of Jesus, and not based on our works 

-Through Jesus we can have peace with God and we now have access to God’s grace (his favor). 

-The grace of God is our foundation. In this way, we are not just saved by God’s grace, but we are also saved for God’s grace. We get to experienced his incredible and unearned favor in our lives.  

Paul is highlighting two aspects of hope for those who put their faith in Christ:

-Hope THROUGH the storm – the promise we have that God will get glory on the other side of the storm ( “And weboast in the hope of the glory of God.”)

-Hope IN the storm – the realization that God can produce hope in us even while the storm is raging (“wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces  perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”)

Two things to remember about hope:

-Hope comes from God 

                -Hope is not something we catch, not something we produce, not something we can source 

                -The reason hope doesn’t put us to shame (Romans 5:5) Is because the Holy Spirit is pouring it out in our hearts. Hope is sourced by His Spirit at work in us.

-Hope grows 

                -Paul highlights that hope grows through a process (Romans 5:3-4)

                -Hope does not just begin and end with me, but continues to grow and even overflow (Romans 15:13). 

                -People with hope can’t contain it. They are determined to spread it. They refuse to let hopelessness have any ground in their lives or in others 

Romans 15:13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Other Scriptures for Study/Reflection 

Romans 5:1-5 (The Message)

5 ^1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. ^3-5 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

http://bible.com/events/47034312

You can’t read your Bible without understanding that God is in the business of healing.

• In the Old Testament, God declares that He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals:

He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”  Exodus 15:26

• In the Book of Matthew, the first thing Jesus does after calling his first disciples is preach and heal:

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Matthew 4:23-25

• Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus didn’t just reserve this ministry power to Himself:

9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  Luke 9:1-2

• Before Jesus was famous for resurrection He was famous for healing. And that didn’t stop with His ascension:

3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Acts 3:1-10

• The ministry of healing continues throughout the New Testament:

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:13

In the midst of this, there is an obvious question: 

Why isn’t everyone healed?

John 5:1-8

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda^[a]and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^[4]  5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  ⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

It’s never enough from God’s perspective, to just heal you physically

• Jesus desires to strengthen the man’s faith 
• Jesus desires to challenge the man’s willingness and desire for healing 
• Jesus desires to minister to the spiritual needs in addition to the physical needs 

The bottom line:

My healing is up to God. My trust is up to me.

James 5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

For Further Study & Reflection:

Nazarene Article of Faith: Divine Healing: 

https://2017.manual.nazarene.org/section/divine-healing/

Jeremiah 17:14

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;

    save me and I will be saved,

    for you are the one I praise.

1 Peter 2:24

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”