GOD WITH US
Joseph’s world had changed dramatically with the news that Mary, his fiancé, was pregnant and the child was not his. He was a good and just man, and so as he went to bed, his mind was wrestling with how he should end his engagement quietly. And in the night God gives him clarity through the words of His sent angel.
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.
Matthew 1:20b-22
Joseph’s world had changed dramatically with the news that Mary, his fiancé, was pregnant and the child was not his. He was a good and just man, and so as he went to bed, his mind was wrestling with how he should end his engagement quietly. And in the night God gives him clarity through the words of His sent angel.
The angel reminded Joseph of his true identity.
The angel addresses him as a son of David. As Joseph wrestled with the details of his present life, he was reminded that he was a descendant of a king after God’s own heart who had been given magnificent promises regarding the enduring of his dynasty and an everlasting throne.
The angel comforts Joseph and tells him not to fear.
The first words spoken are words of comfort. As Joseph works through the decisions he should take and the actions he should make, the words, “Do not be afraid!” must have reassured him and quietened his troubled mind and heart. God had sent his angel – God knew all that this just man was going through, and God invites him to not be frightened.
The angel tells him what to do.
“Take Mary as your wife.” Joseph had made a decision to divorce Mary quietly to save her from shame but now he is being asked to stand with her and to marry her. This would no doubt mean running the gauntlet of gossip and sharing Mary’s seeming shame, but Joseph was not to worry. Why?
The angel gives him a picture of the future.
This baby is God’s work in Mary and will bring to birth a Saviour, saving his people from their sin. This baby is God’s promise of old fulfilled. And when this baby is born God will have come to live among us – and Joseph will have the unimaginable privilege of rocking him in his arms.
The staggering lesson from these few verses is this. When life seems to take an unexpected turn and we are not sure of the next step, that can often be the moment when God is birthing his greatest work in us. Listen for his voice, reminding you of who you are and inviting you to trust and not be afraid. Listen for his instruction telling you what you must do and be prepared to see your life in the context of God’s eternal story.
As we celebrate Christmas let us reassure ourselves with this great truth – God is with us, and he is not planning to leave.
Easter Study: True In Him
Spiritual amnesia. We all suffer from it. That tendency that afflicts us all as believers to forget the truth of who we are in Christ. Those united to Christ by faith, blessed recipients of the great salvation that is ours in Him.
Spiritual amnesia. We all suffer from it. That tendency that afflicts us all as believers to forget the truth of who we are in Christ. Those united to Christ by faith, blessed recipients of the great salvation that is ours in Him.
So, why not take some time this Easter to have a look at this week's study, maybe with a friend or family member, to renew your mind in the truth of who you are in Christ and all that you have in Him.
To download the study in a printer friendly version, click here.
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
READ:
2 Corinthians 5:17;21.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the phrase IN CHRIST / HIM.
CONSIDER:
What is true of anyone who is in Christ?
INSIGHT:
BE SIN - “Christ was not guilty, and could not be made guilty; but he was treated as if he were guilty, because he willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yea, he was not only treated as a sinner, but he was treated as if he had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance. The sinless one was made to be sin.” (Charles Spurgeon)
BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD - Those who through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-26) are no longer under God’s condemnation (justified) because God the Father has punished Christ for our sins who bore them for us on the cross and credited us with the perfect righteousness of His Son. What a glorious exchange!!
DEAD TO SIN
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
READ:
Romans 6:6-7;11.
OBSERVE:
Underline the phrase WITH HIM;
Circle every reference to the phrase IN ORDER THAT / SO THAT;
Put a box around the phrase CONSIDER YOURSELVES.
INSIGHT:
OLD SELF – old nature that loved sin and hated God.
BODY OF SIN – our body controlled by sin.
CONSIDER:
V6-7 What was crucified with Christ? Why?
V11 What truth are we to believe and to live in the light of?
DEAD TO THE LAW
“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
READ:
Romans 7:4-6:
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the phrase DIED TO THE LAW / THAT;
Circle every reference to the phrase SO THAT / IN ORDER THAT;
Put a box around the phrase NEW WAY OF THE SPIRIT.
INSIGHT:
DIED TO THE LAW – those redeemed from the curse of the Law through the death of Jesus, justified through faith in Him, and have received the promised Holy Spirit who empowers them to obey God’s commands from the heart (Galatians 3:10-14).
CONSIDER:
V4 How have we died to the law? Why?
V5-6 What ‘before and after’ picture are we given in these verses?
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
READ:
Ezekiel 36:26-27.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the phrase I WILL;
Circle the phrase CAUSE YOU TO WALK.
CONSIDER:
V26 What did God promise to do in us?
V27 What will the Spirit within us cause us to do?
A promise gloriously fulfilled for all who are in Christ!!
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
READ:
Romans 8:1-4.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the phrase IN CHRIST JESUS;
Circle the phrase GOD HAS DONE;
Put a box around the phrase IN ORDER THAT.
CONSIDER:
V1-2 What is true now (and forever) for those who are in Christ Jesus?
How do these truths provide comfort and strengthen us in our ongoing battle with sin (See Romans 7:14-25)?
V3 What has God done so we could be justified (no longer condemned) in His sight?
V4 What is the evidence that we have been justified?
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
READ:
Galatians 5:16-18;22-23.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the SPIRIT;
Circle every reference to the FLESH;
Put a box around the phrase WANT TO DO.
CONSIDER:
V16 What happens when we walk by the Spirit?
V17 What do those, indwelt by the Spirit, most want to do? How can this truth give us hope in our sinful failures?
V22-23 What fruit will the Spirit grow in us?
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
READ:
Romans 8:5-6.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to the phrase SET THEIR MIND(S);
Circle the phrase LIFE AND PEACE.
CONSIDER:
V5-6 What do those who live according to the Spirit do? What is the outcome of doing so?
INSIGHT:
“...wherever your mind goes most naturally and freely when there is nothing else to distract it – that is what you really live for. That is your religion. Your life is shaped by whatever preoccupies your mind. The overcoming of sin in our lives begins in our minds; and victory over sin is only ever the result of having minds set on the Spirit.” (William Temple)
Let’s finish then by setting our minds on one more glorious truth from Romans 8.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
READ:
Romans 8:28-30.
OBSERVE:
Underline every reference to THOSE;
Circle the phrase CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON;
Put a box around the word GLORIFIED.
CONSIDER:
V28 Who are those for whom God works all things together for good?
V29 What is the good that God works all things together for?
V30 How can we be sure that we will one day be glorified - fully and finally conformed to the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ?
Reflect on all you have learned from God’s Word and write down one key truth that the Spirit brings to your mind. Bring this truth to God in prayer, giving thanks to Him for it and asking Him to help you live in the light of it.
Easter Devotions
While we are not restricted to thinking about the Cross once a year, Easter allows us to set time aside, reflect deeply, give thanks, and celebrate what it means to us. Holy Week provides another opportunity to prepare our hearts to remember the events of Calvary, and our Lord who died there.
While we are not restricted to thinking about the Cross once a year, Easter allows us to set time aside, reflect deeply, give thanks, and celebrate what it means to us. Holy Week provides another opportunity to prepare our hearts to remember the events of Calvary, and our Lord who died there.
“Also called ‘Great and Holy Week,’ or ‘Passion Week,’ Holy Week in the Christian year is the week preceding Easter. Holy Week has five days of special significance, which start on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, until Holy Saturday (Black Saturday), but doesn’t include Easter Sunday. Did you know? The day commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion and death, Good Friday, has been celebrated since 100 A.D. as a day of fasting? This means that Christians around the world have celebrated Holy Week and observed different services during the week for over 1,900 years!”
This year we wanted to share a couple of resources that you could use during Holy Week to help focus your mind on the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This list isn’t exhaustive; they are just some ideas! And if you have another resource you are using - let us know in the comments what you will be reading!
The Story of Easter
(Life.Church, Digital Reading Plan)
How would you spend the last week of your life knowing that it was your last? The last week Jesus was on earth in human form was filled with memorable moments, fulfilled prophecies, intimate prayer, deep discussion, symbolic acts, and world-changing events.
Designed to start the Monday before Easter, each day of this Life.Church Bible Plan walks you through the unfolding story of Holy week.
Woven - A Holy Week Devotional
(The Bible Society NI, Book / eBook)
Holy Week: the greatest week in all of history. Eight days woven into the fabric of countless lives changed forever.
Pause, ponder and journey through the teaching, trials, tears and triumph of the final week of Jesus’ life through this devotional by our friends at Bible Society Northern Ireland.
Available to order in both hard copy format and digital.
Jesus: Understanding His Death and Resurrection
(Precept Ireland, Book / YouTube)
In this powerful study centered on the final chapters of the Gospel of Mark, you'll consider for yourself all that Jesus endured to bring forgiveness to sinners and hope to the hopeless. And you'll understand as never before why it's so essential to share with others the good news of His death and resurrection.
Jesus: Understanding His Death and Resurrection
If you want to follow the study, you can also watch each study on YouTube.
Jesus: Understanding His Death and Resurrection Video Series
Easter Lightning Studies
(Precept Ireland, Printable)
This short series of 3 Lightning Studies asks the questions, why did Jesus live? Why did he die? And asks what it means for us now that He lives again! These studies use basic inductive Bible study skills such as marking words and making lists in order to dig deeper into Scripture.
Maybe you’re not one for reading… why not listen to an audiobook or podcast?
Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings by C.S. Lewis
(Audible.co.uk, Audiobook)
Preparing for Easter is a concise, handy companion for the faithful of all Christian traditions and the curious to help them deepen their knowledge and consideration of this holy season - a time of reflection as we consider Jesus' sacrifice and his joyous rise from the dead.
Carefully curated, each selection in Preparing for Easter draws on a major theme in Lewis' writings on the Christian life as well as others that consider why we can have confident faith in what happened on the cross.
Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings by C.S. Lewis
The Characters of Easter with Dan Darling
(LifeAudio.com, Podcast)
In The Characters of Easter with Dan Darling, you'll become acquainted with the unlikely collection of ordinary people who witnessed the miracle of Christ's death and resurrection. This podcast is the companion to Dan Darling's book "The Characters of Easter: The Villains, Heroes, Cowardsm and Crooks Who Witnessed History's Biggest Miracle."
You can listen to all episodes at LifeAudio.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Pocket Casts.
Look Closer This Christmas
Check out this great wee video from FaithLife. This Christmas, let's look closer at the Bible and discover what it has to say about Jesus!
Check out this great wee video from FaithLife. This Christmas, let's look closer at the Bible and discover what it has to say about Jesus!
USELESS!!
USELESS! One word that can be the soundtrack of our life, annoying background music running on repeat, affecting everything we think, say or do. A mindset we can adopt that confines us to a life of constant comparison with others, our self-worth rising and falling on the sea of public opinion, ever anxious of how we look to those around us.
READ
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
REFLECT
USELESS! One word that can be the soundtrack of our life, annoying background music running on repeat, affecting everything we think, say or do. A mindset we can adopt that confines us to a life of constant comparison with others, our self-worth rising and falling on the sea of public opinion, ever anxious of how we look to those around us.
Setting us free from this dungeon of despair is the truth of 1 Peter 2:9-10. Reminding us that our value and significance is not found in us. Rather, that God in His great mercy has chosen us, calling us by name, and made us His own. That we are His treasure – loved, honoured and precious in His sight. Ours the joy to know and be known by God, the privilege to help others know Him too, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. The worth of service not determined by our ‘success’ but by the One who calls us. Resting confident that God will work for His glory in the lives of those we are given the opportunity to serve.
RESPOND
Take time to meditate on the truth of 1 Peter 2:9-10 and let it encourage and strengthen you in your service for the LORD.