Tag Archives: Son of God

December 24, 2018

His Son’s Name Is…

First of all, I would like to thank Daniel Klem for his posts on Advent. They were a blessing and obviously much appreciated.

Secondly, for all of you who have been regular followers of this blog over the years, thank you for reading and praying for all involved.

But to the main point, tomorrow we celebrate the birth of someone who was not only spoke of extensively in the New Testament, but also in the Proverbs.

As a matter of fact, in the next to the last chapter, one of two that are attributed to people other than Solomon, a wise man named Agur asked a very profound question (or several in one):

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What [is] his name, and what [is] his son’s name, if thou canst tell? – Proverbs 30:4

Was Agur asking about a simple man? A mortal?

Or, as the context suggests, was he asking questions reflecting the nature of “the holy” (v. 3), the one of whom every word is pure and “is a shield to those who put their trust in him” (v. 5).

I believe it was the latter.

To put it simply, at least a thousand years before there was no room for Him in the inn, Agur was asking about the Holy One’s Son.

His name is… Jesus.

1 Comment | tags: Christmas, Jesus, Son of God | posted in Jesus

December 17, 2018

Celebrating His Coming: Thoughts for the 3rd Week of Advent – Day 2

By Daniel M. Klem

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. -Luke 1:46-50, KJV

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

During Jesus’ first advent to among His people, we must remember that the God of all Creation came as a baby.

Contrary to recent ideas being offered, God did not force Himself on young Mary against her consent. In verse 38, we see her response to learning she would be mother to “the son of God”: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” She felt honored to be the one chosen for such an opportunity.

Do we feel this way about God’s plans, will, and expectations? Are we able to hear the call to serve, even when it will be inconvenient, potentially ruinous to our reputations, and possibly painful?

Can you reply like Mary? Can you say, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior?” Are you willing to to praise God and let Him do great things through you, especially sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to redeem lost souls?

Are you willing to help usher in Christ’s second advent?

Heavenly Father, give us a heart like Mary’s: willing to serve to and sacrifice for Your glory, even when it is inconvenient and painful, and praise You in the process.

1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Coming, Father, God, God the Father, God's Will, God's Word, Humble, Lord, Luke, Magnificat, Magnify, Mary, Mother, Rejoice, Rejoiced, Rejoicing, Second Coming, Servant, Son of God, Soul, spirit, Willing | posted in desire, Love

December 16, 2018

Celebrating His Coming: Thoughts for the 3rd Week of Advent

By Daniel M. Klem

Welcome to the third week of Advent!

Tradition holds that the third week of Advent is about the joy and peace we find in the Messiah, with Mary, the mother of Jesus, being our example. We finally begin to see the the connection from seeing our need for a Savior to discovering and sharing the news of that Savior to beginning to see some of the rewards of following the Savior.

Photo by George Dolgikh on Pexels.com

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. -Luke 1:38

But those rewards rest on our response to what God has done.

(This is not to claim that we can do anything to earn salvation. This is also not the place to have a major soteriological debate [hash out matters and merits of salvation, i.e. over Calvinism, Arminianism, and the like]. Please enjoy the thoughts today, and head over to the Proverbial Thought Extra Facebook page if you want to dialogue with us, or you can leave a respectful comment.)

Contrary to what many teach today, God will give us more than we can handle. It encourages us to rest in Him, trust that He knows what He is doing, and let His power flow through us by the Holy Spirit.

Case in point, young Mary – who is yet to be married to Joseph at this juncture in the story of Christ – is told she is to carry the Son of God and give birth to Him.

Think about it: a young female, not yet married, in a society that limits what women can do with a religion that shuns the sexually impure, being told she is about to be pregnant. She is risking being ostracized by family and friends, thought a liar and a slut, and severely limiting her prospects for the future.

And how does she respond to this news?

“I am the Lord’s servant.”

How willing are we to be willing to the call of God?

We do not have to carry the baby Jesus to term, but we are tasked with carrying His Gospel to a fallen world.

We do not have to risk being labeled liars, but we risk being ridiculed for believing a man is God in the flesh, was killed, and came back to life.

We may not have to risk family and friends thinking we are crazy and abandoning us …

Actually, yes, we do.

Such is the cost of believing in and following Jesus. It may even cost us our lives.

If we want to find the joy and peace that comes with following Jesus, we first must be willing to actually follow Jesus. With all that it may cost us.

Emmanuel, thank You for coming to save us. Give us the resolve to pursue you throughout the world, or even to our literal neighbors and family.

2 Comments | tags: Advent, Christmas, Desire, faith, Faithful, Faithfulness, God's Will, Handmaid, Joy, Mary, Mother of God, Peace, response, rewards, Servant, Son of God, Willing, Willingness | posted in desire, Faithfulness

December 14, 2018

Celebrating His Coming: Thoughts for the 2nd Week of Advent – Day 6

By Daniel M. Klem

And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. -Luke 3:15-18, KJV

person touching sand with right index finger

Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com

Just as John and Paul had people wonder if they were the Christ or a son of a god, we should be setting the example “in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12) and in good works “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

They may begin thinking we are divine, but just like John and Paul, we should be quick to point them back to Jesus. We do good works because “the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14), the One who came to earth and out of His love sacrificed Himself for us, and we are merely unworthy servants of Christ.

But this must also come with the warning that you must believe in Him, or you will be removed in the age to come.

There is no good news without first revealing the bad news of our sinful condition. But when we come to see our need for the coming Savior, it will lead to joy and praise of His return as we see the peace brought through His life, death, and resurrection!

Our world today is longing for peace, someone who can save them from the perils we face. They have an expectation that either things will get better or get worse.

May we be ready to respond to expectation and humble enough to point to the One who is coming.

Cleansing Creator and Savior, thank You for saving us. Please give us a heart for the lost, to preach righteousness and salvation, the peace of Christ; and give us a boldness to share the gospel.

Leave a comment | tags: Advent, Apostle Paul, Baptist, Christ, Christmas, Coming, Gospel, hope, Jesus, John, John the Baptist, Joy, Messiah, Peace, Second Coming, sharing, Son of God, Warnings | posted in hope, Warnings

November 9, 2013

A Wise Parallel

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 8:35-36

“For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”

Choices

Wisdom speaks and pulls no punches. Either choose Wisdom and obtain life and favor, or choose foolishness and death. The choice cannot be made much clearer.

Yet, how often are wrong choices made with abandon? How often do fools choose to “miss the mark,” bringing destruction upon themselves? Even as Wisdom cries out the fools among us close their ears, going against their own consciences.

It seems that man either loves or hates Wisdom, but there is no in-between. To find Wisdom is to show one’s love for her, for only those who seek her find her, and life. Those who do not seek her prove their love of self, ironically wronging their own souls and instead of life, choose death.

Parallels

While some, such as the New American Commentary, stress that Wisdom should not be interpreted as a metaphor for the Second Person of the Trinity, I find it hard to close my eyes to the obvious parallels between Wisdom and Jesus Christ.

First, Jesus dogmatically declared: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Afterwards, the Apostle John reminded us that whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12). And when it comes to obtaining favor, Jesus said: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him…” (John 14:23).

In today’s world there are so many who who hate God and demand “choice.” Is it any wonder that what they choose most is death?

“For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:” – Amos 5:4 KJV