The Sacrificial King..Craig Denison Ministries

 

The Sacrificial King

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

What a gift we have in the Christmas season. God himself took on flesh and dwelt among us that we might find eternal relationship in him. His coming serves as a continual reminder of his grace and pursuit of us who are lost without him. As we look to Jesus this week to celebrate who he is and what he’s done, may you find life-giving hope and foundational joy.

Scripture:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Devotional:

It’s impossible to separate the birth of Christ from the purpose of his coming. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” As we take time today to look at the heart of a God who would sacrifice his own life that we might find life through him, let’s open our hearts to receive a fresh encounter with his real, available love.

Jesus’ coming was entirely a love-motivated decision—“For God so loved the world.” So great is the depth of his love for his wayward crown of creation that he became man himself to live the life none of us ever could. So vast is his affection for us that he took the pain and shame we were due and offered up his life as a ransom for ours. Truly there is no greater love than the sacrifice of our King.

Have you stopped recently to acknowledge how intentionally God pursues you? Have you stopped to marvel at the lengths to which he will go simply to have your heart? In the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season, may we not look past the greatest gift we have. May we not skip over the reality of God’s love for us to get to the next thing on the calendar. Instead, may we take time every day to let sink in the simple truth that God became man entirely for our sakes. God himself, who has no beginning, no limit, no weakness, and deserves no pain, took on flesh in pursuit of a deeper, richer, and entirely restored relationship with you and me.

The love of Jesus we celebrate at Christmastime is a sacrificial love. He didn’t just give himself sacrificially on the cross. Every day of his life was another day given up for our sakes. Every tear, pang of hunger, and wound he suffered throughout his life he experienced not because he had to, but because he chose to out of love for us. Imagine leaving the perfection of heaven to come to earth. Imagine leaving unhindered, face-to-face connection with the heavenly Father and becoming an infant. Imagine allowing a mother and father to take care of you when you are God himself whose very existence has never known a beginning.

In this season of celebration may we take time to remember the loving, life-giving sacrifice of the King we worship. May we center our hearts and lives around him. May we give him the adoration and praise he deserves. And may this Christmas season change our lives forever as we respond to the continual pursuit of our loving God by offering him our hearts in return.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a moment to reflect on the love of God reflected in the coming of Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

2. Ask God to reveal all the ways in which he has been pursuing you lately. Allow the coming of Jesus to build your faith that God pursues you still.

3. Take time to respond to God’s pursuit by offering him your heart. Crown him King of your life that all you are and have might be his. Commit to living today in response to God’s great love for you.

“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!” Psalm 132:7

In Philippians 3:12 Paul writes, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” As a believer, Christ has made you his own. You were bought with a price only Jesus could pay. May this season be marked by the love and joy that can only come from true communion with Jesus, our sacrificial King.

Extended Reading: John 3

Conviction for the Believer..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Conviction for the Believer

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 1:24-25, Psalms 23

Recently I spoke to a heartbroken woman. Her father was dying, and he was cold toward his family and God. He desired no contact and refused to discuss any spiritual matter.

But God is able to reach anyone—even someone hostile to the faith. Consider the apostle Paul’s conversion! Yet Scripture also teaches that the Lord eventually gives people over to the hardness of their own hearts. There may come a point when He no longer draws them by revealing their need for a Savior.

The situation is different for believers, though. When we, in our humanness, continue to sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us so we’ll get back on track. At that point, we can humbly repent and follow Him or ignore His voice and continue to sin. If we persist in error, our Father will keep calling us back. But the danger is that our hearts may become desensitized and eventually we may cease hearing His warning.

Thankfully, we are children of God, and He loves us too much to let us remain in a sinful pattern. Though chastisement and conviction are never pleasant, He knows our travelling down the wrong road results in much greater heartache. The Lord is a shepherd, using His staff and rod to lovingly bring us to green pastures.

On the Christian journey, there will be temptations to stray, falsely promising to satisfy longings. Stay closely connected to Jesus through prayer and Scripture. Be listening so you can obey immediately when He calls you to change course. In the long run, living God’s way brings the greatest joy.

The Amazing Reality of Who We Are Now Because of Jesus..Mark Altrogge

 The Amazing Reality of Who We Are Now Because of Jesus

by Mark Altrogge

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the incredible results of Jesus’ resurrection is that God makes believers into completely brand new creations.

The Bible says we are completely new creations – we aren’t simply reformed or refurbished. We’re brand new.

We aren’t just the same old people who have now made resolutions to change or improve. It’s not like Jesus bought an old piece of beat up dirty furniture in a junkyard, washed it off, and is now beginning to sand it and polish it up.

No. That decrepit rotten piece of junk is gone. It no longer exists. Now there is a brand spanking new, beautiful creation in its place. God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

When God saves us, he not only washes all our sins away, but he joins us to Christ. He makes us one with Christ. When God looks at us he sees Christ. When he looks at Christ, he sees us in him.

We aren’t just refurbished old creations – we are completely NEW.

We are nothing like we were before. We are NEW creations in Christ. We have to remember this – the old has passed away. It’s gone. The new has come.

But we don’t always feel like new creations. When I first prayed to receive Christ, I expected fireworks or goosebumps, but didn’t feel any different. I still felt like the old me. I still felt tempted to sin. I didn’t realize that for right now, while we are still in these earthly bodies, we can still be tempted to sin. We will still have desires and cravings from what remains of our sin nature in our bodies.

But we ARE new. Whether we feel like it or not.

We must believe God’s word. Early in my Christian life, I felt like it would be impossible for me not to sin. Then I heard someone teach that believers are no longer slaves of sin. As it says in Romans 6:12-14:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Did you catch that? Sin will have NO DOMINION OVER YOU!

And why not? Because we are no longer under law but under a whole new system – we are under grace. We are new creations, no longer enslaved to sin, no longer under its dominion. We don’t have to sin. We don’t have to obey it’s urges, no matter how strong they feel.

God isn’t simply refurbishing the old us. He has created us anew and is shaping us more and more into the likeness of his Son:

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”-2 Cor 3:18

We are new creations, and God is taking us from one degree of Christ’s glory to another. We are one with Christ, and God makes us more and more like him every day.

This is incredible! Even the highest seraphim in heaven can’t claim to be new creations.

The angels around the throne aren’t being transformed into the likeness of Christ. The most glorious angels have not been adopted by God as sons and daughters. They can’t call God “Father” like we can. And they are not one with Christ the way we are.

When God gave Isaiah a glimpse of his glory, he saw the seraphim:

“Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”- Isaiah 6:2

These glorious heavenly beings who had never sinned had to cover their faces – they could not look upon the infinite glory of God.

Yet look what God says we will experience:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”- 1John 3:2

We are now God’s children, and someday, we shall be like Jesus – clothed in his glory, and we shall see him as he is!

We shall gaze directly upon the face of Jesus Christ in all his infinite radiant glory.

And we will never grow tired of taking in his beauty, because his beauty is infinite. For all eternity he will show us new, amazing, astounding, breathtaking, mind-blowing, vistas of his glory and majesty.

Why? Because Jesus died for us, then rose from the dead to make us who believe in him into new creations.

Someday we all will die unless Jesus comes back first. But because Jesus rose from the dead, believers will rise from the dead. We will have new glorious heavenly bodies. We will be like Jesus and see him as he is. In the meantime, though we live in this dying world, WE are right now, new creations. We have imperishable, everlasting life. The old is gone, the new has come. Jesus isn’t just sanding and polishing up the old you. You are a brand new you.

Prayer for God to Be with Us..Tiffany Thibault

 A Prayer for God to Be with Us

By Tiffany Thibault

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 NKJV

I love to read the scriptures and hear them read by others aloud. The precious words bring peace to my heart and encourage my faith with its truth. In the midst of all the sights and sounds of this Christmas season and the extra busyness that this time of year brings into our already full lives, it is so easy to gloss over the powerful words found in this Bible verse. There are two significant things that we see in this verse.

First, we see a miracle. “A virgin will bear a child.” This incredible sentence shows just how much God truly loves us. He could have easily sent Jesus into this world as a warrior fighting for injustice, or as a powerful leader who would change the world with His government. Instead, He sent a precious little child to an unwed young mother, into a poor community that was oppressed by the Roman government. None of this is at all how you and I may have planned for the Savior of the world to make His grand entrance. Yet God, in all His power, chose to send a little baby, why? Because His plans are always better than ours. 

The second incredible thing that we see in this verse is these words: “they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.”

His very name, Immanuel, has a promise for us. The meaning of His name is powerful in just those three words: “God with us.”  Those words should bring comfort to us through their incredible clarity. God is with us. God is with you. God is with you at all times, in all circumstances, in all your high and low moments. God is with you in all your tears and in all your joys. 

Jesus, the Savior of the world, came as an infant, grew to be a man, died on the cross for our sins, conquered death through His resurrection, and will one day return. So, this promise God is with you covers every detail and every little nuance of your life. You can go into this Christmas season comforted with these words. You can begin a fresh new year clinging to this promise. God is with you through your todays, and He will be with you as you go into all of your tomorrows. God is with us. This is the reason we can joyfully celebrate that baby born so long ago who came to change the world in His perfect way. 

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, 
Thank you for being with me in every moment of my life. Thank you that I never have to be alone because You, God love me so much that you are here with me always. May each moment of my day be filled with that life-strengthening truth. I love you, Lord. 
In your name, I pray, Amen

Cling to What Is Good..By Meg Bucher

 Cling to What Is Good

By Meg Bucher

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 NLT

Sadness will teach us to cling to what is good for survival. In the ugly cry moments in our lives, we can hold tightly to Christ Jesus and know He absolutely understands how we feel. Paul’s words in the verse above are often the very reason we are clinging as we cry, holding tightly to the comfort Christ Jesus provides. “Don’t just pretend to love others,” he wrote to the Romans, “really love them.” When we really love others, it’s bound to get painful at times. We are all flawed human beings. Paul wrote earlier in his letter to the Roman church, “we all fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) 

Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

Joshua was about to take over for Moses, and God’s people were the most fickle to lead. Always rebelling and losing faith. The Lord faithfully encouraged him through Moses. The Lord is faithful to encourage us today, too. When life gets hard, and we find ourselves clinging …turn to the only One who can mend the cracks in our armor.

Father, 
Praise You for the way You faithfully place people around us. When the hurt is so bad, and the fear of connecting with others is paralyzing, please remind us who we are in Christ Jesus. More than conquerors, Your children equip us with hearts full of encouragement. Fill us with the love we need to heal and move forward and spill onto others who are discouraged and in need of a faith-filled friend. Help us to be encouraged by the same words Moses encouraged Joshua with:

“Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched he said to him, ‘Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that they LORD swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.’” Deuteronomy 31:7-8 NLT

Intersecting Faith and Life:

There is no one person we can guarantee will love us perfectly, but You do, Father. Help us to gain a clear understanding of who we are in Christ, and allow others grace. Help us to see the good in each of us, created in Your image. Father, when we find ourselves clinging, it can cause us to fear. Remind us in those moments, You have placed people to encourage and love us, even at times when we’re having trouble loving ourselves. 

Father, when the hurts are too big to talk about, we know the Holy Spirit takes them to you in prayer, and You meet us right where we are at. We confess our disobedient tendency to quit and run on people, God. It’s hard, and You don’t shame or blame us for our feelings of fear. But help us to stick it out more, God. To stay with people, and learn the remarkable relationships which grow from forgiveness, mercy, grace, and compassion.

Mature us to be strong and courageous and to cling to the good. Allow us to see people the way You do, Father, fearfully and wonderfully made. 
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Further Reading: 

• Romans 12
• Deuteronomy 31

Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?..Lynette Kittle

 Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?

By Lynette Kittle

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). — Matthew 1:23

Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?

Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about miracles!

It’s a celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God come to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins. What could be more miraculous than that?

So how do you approach Christmas? Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life? Do you believe what Jesus said, that all things are possible with God? (Mark 10:27)

If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps it’s because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope and anticipation but didn’t see your prayers answered?

If so, ask God to renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite your disappointments. Choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on past discouraging experiences.

If former letdowns are holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to believe with all your heart and not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.

Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him. Their disbelief effected what they were able to receive from Jesus. As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

If you’re lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith. Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God. As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and asking Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.