KINGDOM FOCUS. Memory Verse for December, Luke 2:13 and 14

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1 KINGDOM FOCUS Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness -Matthew 6:33 CHRISTIAN BIBLE FELLOWSHIP MONTHLY PUBLICATION Sharing and Caring with the Community of Believers December, 2018 For additional copies go to Christianbiblefellowship.net Articles: Angels from the Realms of Glory Joy to the World Memory Verse for December, Luke 2:13 and 14

2 Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Angels from the Realms of Glory By Linda Timco Every event in the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was attended to and acclaimed by the presence of angelic beings. The event of His birth was an occasion that filled all of heaven with great joy and rejoicing. Hebrews 1:6 tells us, And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says, and let all the angels of God worship Him. From the announcement of His conception through Mary, a virgin of Israel, who found favor with God, to His ascension to the place of glory at the right hand of the Father, angels proclaimed His deity and ministered to our Savior. Heaven was interested and very involved in everything Jesus said and did. Speaking of the prophets who prophesied of Heaven s plan to send Jesus, the word of God tells us in 1 Peter 1:12 of the angels interest in these matters; it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy This is the season that we meditate on and rejoice in the birth of Jesus. It was a momentous happening on earth. God s word tells us of a just and devout man named Simeon who the Holy Spirit came upon and revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Lord s Christ. Luke 2: tells us that when Jesus was bought to the temple to be dedicated, Simeon took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bondservant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou has prepared in the presence of all peoples, A light of revelation to the gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. The birth announcement was presented by the angel Gabriel, who was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. He appeared to Mary, a virgin of Israel to announce to her what would happen. Our hearts can rejoice once again in the words of the angel to Mary in Luke 1:28-33, and coming in He said to her, greetings favored one! The Lord is with you! The angel went on to say, 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 God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His Kingdom will have no end! An amazing thing about the Word of God, the bible, is that our God, through John the Revelator, graciously pulls back curtains for us to reveal wondrous signs in the realms of Glory, or Heaven. According to Unger s Bible Dictionary, a sign is the rendering of several Hebrew and Greek words which usually denote a miraculous, or, at least divine or extraordinary token of some (generally) future event. In Revelation 12:1-2, 5 we find just such a sign

3 given. Before looking at the verses, I want to uncover some meaning into the number twelve. God does everything so perfectly in His word! In the bible the number twelve symbolizes God s power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation. It also symbolizes the completeness of the nation of Israel as a whole. In Hebrew twelve represents totality, wholeness and the completion of God s purposes. Revelation 12:1-2, and 5 reads; and a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.(this is a picture of Jesus being given to us through the nation of Israel) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Isaiah 9: 6-8 is the revelation given to Isaiah the prophet of this wondrous sign in heaven being carried out on earth; For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called, Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, Eternal Father, prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of host will accomplish this. What is revealed in Heaven will be accomplished on earth! Glory to God! great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Verse 10 and 11 of Luke 2 tells us And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Suddenly the skies above were filling with the brightness of a great multitude of angels praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men. WHAT A GLORIOUS SIGHT AND WHAT JOY FILLED THE SHEPHERD S HEARTS! They rushed to see the wondrous sight of the babe in a manger who was to be the Savior of the world. Verse 20 of Chapter 2 still fills our hearts with wonder, And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them! Finally the word of God in Luke 2: 8-16 transports us to the dark hillsides of Bethlehem where some faithful shepherds were keeping watch over their flock at night. The bible says in verse 9; 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. An angel gave them the glorious news of the birth of the One who would one day be called the great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ! Hebrews 13:20 confirms this; Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that

4 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests. An angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him in Matthew 1:23; the virgin (Mary) will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel (which means God with us). What a wonderful gift God gave to us by sending His Son, Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, to earth to save us from the disastrous consequences of our sin. Let every heart prepare Him Room and heaven and earth sing praises to His name, as we repeat the sounding joy, the joy that sin reigns no more! THOUGHTS OF A REPENTANT SINNER Joy to the World By Russ Timco Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king! As we approach the upcoming Christmas season, we need to embrace it with joy in our hearts, as believers, and anticipation of our coming King, recounting what the celebration of the birth of Jesus means to all of mankind. Luke 2: 8-14 confirms that Jesus was born in the town of David which is Bethlehem: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and laying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, John 3: reminds us why Jesus came to earth to be born physically of a virgin, Mary, chosen by God. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God s one and only Son. Jesus came to give life to our world dead in sins. To give hope to those who were perishing. Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again conquering sin and death and in so doing made eternal life available to everyone who makes the decision to believe in Him. As believers, He is our Savior and Lord. When He returns as King for His believers, His bride, the church, He will rule with truth and grace. The entire world will experience His righteousness. If you have never made room for Jesus to come into your heart, now, during the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our Savior is the perfect time to do so. 1John 1:9 advises us: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Let the joy of the birth of Jesus fill your heart as you make room for Him in your heart! 2Cor. 6: 2b exhorts us, I tell you,

5 now is the time of God s favor, now is the day of salvation. If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, He would love to come into your heart today. Experience the joy of the celebration of the birth of Jesus this season! Here is the hymn I alluded to at the beginning of this article in its entirety. I hope it blesses your heart as it did mine, as I read it and recalled the words in my mind. One Last Thought JOY TO THE WORLD Joy to the world; the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King: Let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing. Joy to the Earth, The Savior reigns; let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground: He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love-.written by Isaac Watts (London, England, 1719) Written for the benefit of believers-based on Psalm 98:4 For believers the approaching hoof beats of God s judgment aren t some apocalyptic horror story. It s a call to get ready, to remain pure, to live with purpose and to offer the gospel with your life and mouth. As it was in the Days of Noah by Jeff Kinley

6 The Father s Heart, by L. Timco The Father s heart flowed forth with love, a love beyond all measure. God gave and gave until it hurt. He gave His greatest treasure. Jesus, the Son, the Father s heart, the One who pleased Him most, left Heaven above, died on a cross, salvation free, but what a cost! This matchless love, so undeserved, the greatest gift of all, the Father s heart bled with the price, do not esteem it small. Accept this gift of love, it is for you, don t turn and walk away. The Father s heart still beats with love. It is our Father s way! Merry Christmas, Russ and LindaTimco Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Please accept our Christmas greeting to you given in the love of Jesus Christ!