Galatians 4:4

Title:  The fullness of the time

  

The date of the Lord Jesus’ birth should not be a subject of unprofitable debate when the Father had set to send his Son when the time had fully come, and also to signal the last days.

It is not for us to dwell on dates in view of a timeless eternity, but our attention should be riveted on the purpose of the Immanuel, who, being in very nature God was born of human flesh to redeem his people from their sins that they might share in his glory, and also at the proper time.

Luke 2:10

Title:  Good tidings of great joy

Not everyone would find a Savior in the promise of the birth of the Messiah.  Reactions to this obscure event during the reign of Caesar Augustus (31 B.C. – A.D. 14) ranged from worship, amazement, to outright fear and murder.

2000 years later, the reception would be that of apathy and a season designed to make a mockery of the virgin birth, satisfy the lust of the eyes, to indulge in gluttony, and to fulfill the cravings of the flesh for material baubles.

Only a remnant would come out of this commemoration glorifying and praising God, and only those who have experienced the new birth from above and have been raised to walk in newness of life.

Matthew 1:21

Title:  From their sins

The Lord Jesus was born a man in order to give eternal life to those who would repent of their sins and trust in him for their salvation.  Period.

Not included in the promise of his sacrificial death are prosperity and sublime health.  These matters are individual in nature and come between God and the person concerned.

The remedy to sickness and poverty is an imperishable body at the resurrection; therefore the flesh shall be subject to all the ills that befall mankind, and yet we have a blessed hope, and those without a Savior have none.

Mark 9:35

Title: Who was the greatest?

Christian service is not about achieving greatness or prominence.  If that were so, we should have known the identity of the good Samaritan long ago.  The kingdom the Lord will establish will have only one foremost and essential figure in its economy, the Son of God.  In the presence of the majesty and awesomeness of the power of the Lord Jesus, we dare not yearn for any other position but that of a servant.

Luke 10:1

Title: To places where He would Himself go

The true master is also a servant, determined to the task before delegating it to his followers, and could be nameless, considering the proximity of this account to the narrative on the good Samaritan.

No lesson in leadership is more insightful than to rule by example, in every single detail, such as traveling light and not greeting anyone along the way for any lengthy exchange of pleasantries, in view of the urgency of the undertaking.  The Lord Jesus would not only carry out the same mission, but accomplish more than any of His disciples was willing to do, even to suffer on the cross.

1 Timothy 6:11

Title:  Man of God

A minister of the gospel must run away from and shun the pursuit of wealth, which is so uncertain and could lead a person astray from his moral convictions and to dejecting grief, and because it is actually his pledge before God and men to pursue, instead, the fruit of the Spirit, and having the basic necessities of life, must be content.

Luke 12:21

Title:  Rich toward God

We cannot store up riches for ourselves here on earth and at the same time store up treasures in heaven.

And, by the way, being rich toward God will not be a source of pride or influence in eternity, or a means of acquiring prominence in the kingdom of God.

Anyone who would be rich in this life must realize that God has a plan for our wealth, since God owns everything anyway.

We often speak of God’s plan for our lives, but seldom, sometimes never, of his plan for our money.  No, no, no, you can’t touch that.

God doesn’t want us to be greedy, to rely on our bank accounts for security, to send away a hungry brother when we have more than enough bread to eat, refuse a worthy borrower when we have the capacity to lend, to be proud of our wealth, to use our money to subvert the law, to bribe civil servants, etc.

The time we start using our money for the welfare and succor of the brethren according to the plan of God for our wealth, which we have inquired of Him by prayer, we begin to store up treasures in heaven.  And these eternal riches will gain for us the greater capacity to worship and serve God.