Good morning,

This week we celebrate Christmas. This is the most important and unique birth of all time. The Old Testament makes several prophecies about the birth of Jesus. This is what I would like to look at today. Tomorrow, we will look at the story of Jesus birth.

Prophecies

 1) Virgin birth and name

 Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.

 Matthew 1:21-23

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²² Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

2) Place of birth

Micah 5:2

But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

Matthew 2:6

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

John 7:42

Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

3) Birth and reign

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:7, 11

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:25

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

4) Worshipped and Presented gifts by Kings

 Psalm 72:10

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Matthew 2:11

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

5) Worshipped by Shepherds

Psalm 72:9

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

Luke 2:8, 9, 20

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Application

The birth of Jesus Christ was not a random event. God knew this from before the creation. Prophecies were written so all would know that God was sending a Savior, King, Redeemer, for fallen man.

Each of us should be eternally grateful to God for His provision for us. Wicked, vile, and lost, God sent Jesus to redeem our wicked souls. Praise the Lord.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we celebrate Christmas. This is the most important and unique birth of all time. However, prior to coming down to earth in human form, the Son of God, Jesus, was busy. He made many appearances call Theophanies. It was Jesus who created all we have today.

This is what I would like to look at today. Tomorrow, we will look at a few of the Old Testament predictions of the birth of Christ. The Wednesday, our last day this week, we will look at the story of Jesus birth.

Theophanies

“What is a theophany?

Answer: A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form. Some of the theophanies are found in these passages:

1. Genesis 18:1-33 – One day, Abraham had some visitors: two angels and God Himself. He invited them to come to his home, and he and Sarah entertained them. Many commentators believe this could also be a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

2. Genesis 32:22-30 – Jacob wrestled with what appeared to be a man, but was actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also have been a Christophany.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed

3. Exodus 3:2 – 4:17– God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him exactly what He wanted him to do.
4. Daniel 3:24-28 – The Fiery Furnace

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus 24:16-18; the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seen in the words “the Lord came down,” as in Genesis 11:5; Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:25; and 12:5.

Some Bible commentators believe that whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These appearances can be seen in Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23 2 Kings 19:35; and other passages. While there are no indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

APPLICATION

The Son of God has been making appearances all through the Old Testament. He was busy doing the business God the Father gave Him to do.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

James 5 has five themes, riches, patience, prayer, faith, and restoration. This week we will explore each of these and make pertinent application.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)

INTRODUCTION:

 When we are patient, we are persevering. We will have confidence and hope in life whatever we face because who we are in Christ.

Today we will look at prayer for the backslidden.

Prayer for the Backslidden (5:19-20) (Restoration)

5:19-21 Our call to help restore the stray sheep (Matt. 18:15)

¹⁹ Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;²⁰ let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

It is the responsibility of every believer, church member, and local church Pastor, to help restore the backslidden.  Galatians 6:1-2 states, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ² Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Matthew 18:15-17 gives us the process we are to follow.

Unfortunately, believers are prone to ostracize the backslider. We distance ourselves and show no willingness to help. This is where believers need show the love of Christ. We need to live what we say we believe. We need to come along side and encourage them in God’s word, show them why they need to repent, and explain God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness. Remember, that could be you.

This concludes our study of James 5.

CONCLUSION:

 Beware how you deal with money

Be patient; the Lord is coming soon

Do not swear an oath

Pray for the afflicted, the sick, the nation, and the backslidden

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

James 5 has five themes, riches, patience, prayer, faith, and restoration. This week we will explore each of these and make pertinent application.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)

 INTRODUCTION:

 When we are patient, we are persevering. We will have confidence and hope in life whatever we face because who we are in Christ.

Today we will look at prayer.

Prayer for the Sick (5:14-16)

 ^“14 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

It is the privilege and responsibility for every Believer to pray for the sick. We should have the faith to believe that God can heal anyone, of any sickness or disease, at anytime. BUT, we must also understand that God is not bound to bend to our desires. There are reasons unbeknownst to us, God may choose to allow a person to suffer or die. Our part is to pray and accept God’s perfect will in each situation.

 Prayer for the Nation (5:17-18) (Israel)

 ^“17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

James takes us back to 1 Kings 17 and 18. King Ahab was a wicked Baal worshipper. He set up pagan shrines called groves to his god. God was not pleased. He sent Elijah to proclaim that no rain would fall for a period of time. (1 Kings 17:1) Then 3 ½ years later the word of the Lord came to Elijah and God caused it to rain. (1 Kings 18:1) The nation of Israel was being punished for failure to follow God. Their wicked leaders drew the nation to idol worship. God sent Elijah with judgment. Only God could withhold rain and then produce it. It was a sign to Israel that the God of creation, the Almighty God, was more powerful than Baal and the other false gods. Prayer changes things.

Effective prayer comes from knowing God. So we must be Believers in God. We must be saved. Then we must understand the way God thinks. To understand how God thinks we must understand His word. We must be willing to read it, study it, and apply God’s word to our lives.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

James 5 has five themes, riches, patience, prayer, faith, and restoration. This week we will explore each of these and make pertinent application.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)

 INTRODUCTION:

 When we are patient, we are persevering. We will have confidence and hope in life whatever we face because who we are in Christ.

Today we will look at oaths and prayer.

Oaths and Christians 5:12

“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

First, we are never to take the Lord’s name in vain. Second, the oaths taken in secret societies are also prohibited. Third, the oath we take in court or for the “oath of office” is an expression of agreement and is acceptable. Many of us have served in the military. When we were inducted we took an oath to “serve and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Prayer for the Afflicted (5:13)

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”

We are to pray for those who are afflicted. Who are the afflicted? Believers persecuted for their faith. Why are they being persecuted, beaten, and killed, because they will not renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. Although this is the extreme, there are believers at work or in a local church that may be afflicted for their faith.

Pray for these believers. Ask God to put His hedge of protection round about them. Pray that they would stand firm under the affliction.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

James 5 has five themes, riches, patience, prayer, faith, and restoration. This week we will explore each of these and make pertinent application.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)

 INTRODUCTION:

 When we are patient, we are persevering. We will have confidence and hope in life whatever we face because who we are in Christ.

Patient Endurance James 5:7-11

 5:7            Be patient

5: 8-9        Watch because Jesus will return (Matt. 24:33; Mark 13:35-39)

5:10          The Prophets are our example (Matt. 5:10-12)

⁷ Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.⁹ Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.¹⁰ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.¹¹ Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

APPLICATION

James challenges us to be patient. In today’s culture we are not accustomed to being patient. We have fast food, stores with all kinds of products, fast internet, and on demand TV. So when the Bible commands us to be patient, we do not know what to do.

Slow down might be a good first step. Find a quiet place in your home, get your Bible, and read. Turn off the TV, cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices and just relax.

James points out we are to be patiently waiting for the Lord’s return.  We are to be patiently enduring and suffering affliction. We are to follow the example of the prophets and Job.

Be patient!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

As you may have noticed, the posts we missed earlier in the week on Hanukkah, were posted yesterday.

Tonight we celebrate the sixth night of Hanukkah.

Sixth Candle

After we come to know Messiah, we are to be a source of light for the
world. King Messiah tells us in Matthew 5:14-16:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure,
but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

What we learned:

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  Candle Six makes the application to believers to be lights to the whole world. Live it, teach it, proclaim it, to all who will listen.

Our world is BLINDED by the wrong kind of lights. The holiday displays, commercial and residential, fails to portray the God of all creation, who was virgin born, sent to provide salvation to all, and who would eventually die on a cross for the sins of all mankind. They fail to pay reverence to God’s Son, second person of the trinity, and soon coming Judge.

So we have a choice to make. How will we celebrate Christmas this year? Will we follow the true light or a fake. Is Christmas, for us, still about Jesus and his birth or is it about the bells and baubles of commercialism? Each of us must decide and then act decisively.

The lights of the Hanukkah lamp can teach us a lot.

Happy Hanukkah.

Tom Stearns
WASI Chaplain
907 715-4001

Tonight is the 5th night of Hanukkah.

Fifth Candle

Messiah Yeshua is the greatest light of all:

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John
1:4-5).

As Messiah Yeshua was in the Temple in Jerusalem watching the
illuminating lights, He declared: “I am the light of the world; he who
follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of
life” (John 8:12).

Aged Simeon was promised by the Lord that he would not die until
he saw Israel’s Messiah. When he saw Yeshua as an infant in the Temple,
he knew that this One was the light of Israel and the Nations. Simeon
declared: “My eye have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in
the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the gentiles,
and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One
who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Messiah (2 Corinthians 4:6).

What we learned:

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Candle Five pictures the baby Jesus as the greatest light of all. Simeon testified to it. John, the apostle, writes about it. Then Candle Six makes the application to believers to be lights to the whole world. Live it, teach it, proclaim it, to all who will listen.

Our world is BLINDED by the wrong kind of lights. The holiday displays, commercial and residential, fails to portray the God of all creation, who was virgin born, sent to provide salvation to all, and who would eventually die on a cross for the sins of all mankind. They fail to pay reverence to God’s Son, second person of the trinity, and soon coming Judge.

So we have a choice to make. How will we celebrate Christmas this year? Will we follow the true light or a fake. Is Christmas, for us, still about Jesus and his birth or is it about the bells and baubles of commercialism? Each of us must decide and then act decisively.

The lights of the Hanukkah lamp can teach us a lot.

Happy Hanukkah.

Tom Stearns
WASI Chaplain
907 715-4001

Tonight marks the half way  point in our celebration of Hanukkah.

On Hanukkah, it is customary to eat potato latkes and jelly doughnuts. These treats, which are fried in oil, remind us of the miracle of the jug of oil that burned for eight days.

Fourth Candle

Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:130 describe the light that comes from
God’s Word:

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. The
unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the
simple.

When we read God’s word, the Bible, God gives us His light. He allows us to see things that will encourage us, convict us, and motivate us to follow Him more closely. He allows us to see things that we should be doing and things that we should not. Wisdom and understanding are found in the pages of the Bible.

Have a great weekend and take some time in God’s word. It will brighten your day.

Happy Hanukkah.

Tom Stearns
WASI chaplain
907 715-4001

Tonight we celebrate the third night of Hanukkah.

One of the games played at Hanukkah is the Dreidle. It played a significant role during the persecution of the Jews.

“It is said that when King Antiochus would not let the Jews worship God, they prayed and studied secretly. Little wooden tops were kept on the tables with the Holy Books. When soldiers came into the houses to make sure the King’s orders were being followed, everyone pretended to be playing a game with spinning tops.

During the celebration of Hanukkah, children play with the four-sided top called a dreidle. There is a different Hebrew letter on each side. The letters stand for the words: “A great miracle happened there.” This refers to the victory of the Maccabees over the King’s army.” (Festival of Lights, The Story of Hanukkah)

Third Candle

King David reminds us that God Himself is the source of our own
individual light:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the defense of my life; whom shall I dread (Psalm 27:1)? For You light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness (Psalm 18:28).

In life we may be told we can not witness, read our Bibles, or speak about what we believe. It is then, we must learn to be creative. The Jews used a top. What can you use? The Scripture for today goes right along with this. I should have no fear because God is my defense. He will give us light in the midst of darkness. He will also give us creative ideas to communicate Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

Interesting how a Jewish holiday, that a couple of days ago you knew nothing about, can be so helpful to our walk in Jesus Christ.

Happy Hanukkah.

Tom Stearns
WASI Chaplain
907 715-4001