 Isaiah 9:6:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Did you ever wonder about who is Jesus? There is so much written about Him. First there are all the prophecies. Then there is the history in the Gospels. And so many titles. "He shall be called 'Emmanuel." "You shall give to Him the name, 'Jesus.'" And there is this prophecy. So Who IS Jesus? Before I answer that, allow me to make an observation. Whenever people are confronted with options about issues or people, we automatically go to the "either/or" position. It is "either" this "or" that. So when we have so many "names" for Jesus, we get a little panicky. "Is it either this name or that name?" Is Jesus called, "Savior" or "Redeemer" or "Wonderful Counselor" or "Everlasting Father." Do you see where the confusion comes? So who is Jesus? In order to answer that, I want to introduce you to another way of looking at choices about Jesus and who He is. It is "BOTH/AND." So Jesus IS "Savior," "Redeemer," Wonderful Counselor," "Everlasting Father" and so on. Jesus IS ALL OF THE ABOVE. Does it Make Sense? When you let go of "either/or" and embrace "both/and" through your faith, then, "Yes." It makes perfect sense when you include the fact that the child who was born and the son who was given is BOTH 100 percent human AND 100 percent God, When you believe that, anything is possible with God. Embrace the "Both/and" Embrace the reality. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Believe that He is what is written about Him. When you do, you will have life and have it to the full. Have a Merry and Joyous Christmas celebration. Join us for BOTH worship tonight AND worship tomorrow. If you're not in Huntsville, find a church in your town and worship the newborn King.
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 It is Impossible:
A young lady who is a virgin cannot conceive. It is physically impossible in the way that God designed men and women. Yet at the same time, God tells King Ahaz through the prophet, Isaiah, that a virgin WILL conceive. Let's hear from God through Isaiah 7:10-14. Again, the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Ahaz: "Ask a sign of the Lord (Yahweh) your God. Let it be deep as Sheol (hell) or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord (Yahweh) to the test." And he (Isaiah) said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord (Yahweh) Himself will give you a sign. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His Immanuel. Yet It Happened: In spite of our rational thoughts and ways that try to "understand" or "dismiss" this prophecy, we can't do it. It is a reality. Yet how did it happen? Easy. The power of God the Holy Spirit made it happen. From King Ahaz, let us move 700 or so years into the future to a town in Galilee called, Nazareth. There we meet up with Mary. She is promised to Joseph who is a carpenter to be his wife. Let's hear the rest of the story from Luke 1:26-38. In the sixth month [of Elizabeth's pregnancy], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greeting O favored one, the Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God. And behold your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing is impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." And that is it: That is the main reason why Mary, a virgin, conceived. God caused that which is biologically impossible to be possible. It is A MIRACLE! It is the only way that the story of Jesus' birth works. And Why do it? The answer to this question is in the meaning of the name, "Jesus." "Jesus" is not a Hebrew name. It is the Greek translation of a Hebrew name. The Hebrew name is, "Y'shua." In English, "Y'shua" is translated as "Joshua." "Y'shua" means, "The one who saves" or "Savior." Jesus is the Savior of the world. Jesus is the Son of God AND Son of Man at the same time. At this time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to save us from our sins and the influence of the deceiver, or adversary. Come and join us and receive the forgiveness that God gave through Jesus. |
AuthorPastor Robert Hemsath joined Faith Lutheran Church and School as the Senior Pastor in January 2017. Pastor Hemsath comes to FLC from Christ the King Lutheran Church in Waxahachie, TX. He has also served congregations in Aberdeen, ID and Pocatello, ID. He has been a Lutheran pastor for the past 20 years. Archives
February 2025
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