Who was Jesus (6): Christmas and Eager Expectation!

Christmas for me all those years ago was a very exciting time. I can clearly remember when the Christmas holidays came around (about December 15th - Australia), my brothers and I would wait in eager expectation for ten days to pass and our Christmas presents arrive under the tree. I want to emphasise the words “eager expectation” as this will be the theme for this article!

I will once again postpone my article on Jesus’ resurrection for a later time (as I am reading a fantastic book on this event) and focus closer to the life of Jesus. If you have missed the five previous articles in this series please click on the following links (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5).

Returning to our introduction, can you remember back to those younger days when Christmas drew closer? I want you now to put on the shoes of a Jewish person living in the Middle East, about 2000 years ago. The Jewish people of this time were waiting for a king who would come and rescue them from terrible rule of the Roman Empire. This king would bring about eternal peace between God and the human race (see Christians Believe Part 1 and Part 2 for more information). Finally, on the first Christmas, the king arrived and he was named Jesus.

Like an eager young child at Christmas, the Jews were eagerly awaiting this king. As Christmas is almost here, today, I am going to give you the criteria, from the Old Testament ( firest section of the bible before Jesus arrived) for this global conquering Christmas king. Beside each criterion is a bible reference about this king and how it is fulfilled in Jesus from the New Testament (second section of the bible during Jesus life and after), which is linked to RefTagger – simply scroll over the top of the reference and the bible passage will pop-up. All references are from Mark Driscoll’s Vintage Jesus – Chapter 3, which I strongly recommend you check out – he is a gifted Pastor and author!

The Strict Criteria for the Christmas King

* The King would come from the family of Abraham, the Patriarch from the Old Testament (Genesis 12:3, 17:19, 49:10; Numbers 24:17). At the beginning of Matthew, Jesus family tree is detailed showing that he descended from the family of Abraham (Matthew 1:1-2).

* The King would be born of a virgin and he would be named Immanuel, which means God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The Gospel of Matthew explains that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, to a virgin woman named Mary (Matthew 1:18-23).

* The King would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). As you may know, Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7).

* The King’s family would escape to Egypt to save his life when he was young (Hosea 11:1). Jesus parents, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to evade King Herod (Matthew 2:13-15).

* The King would never rebel (sin) against God (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus, Peter explains never sinned once – he was perfect (1 Peter 2:21-22).

* The King would enter the Jewish temple (Malachi 3:1). This is an important fact to the argument as the temple was destroyed in 70AD, and Jesus entered this very temple (Luke 2:25-27).

* The King would have a messenger who would prepare the way for him (Isaiah 40:3). John the Baptist, Jesus cousin, prepared the people for the arrival of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-3).

* The King would do amazing miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6). Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and the mute. He even raised people from the dead (Matthew 11:2-5).

* The King would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus, days before his death, rode into Jerusalem as a donkey and people greeted him as a king (Luke 19:28, 35-38).

* The King would be betrayed by a friend for exactly thirty pieces silver (Psalm 41:9; Zechariah 11:12-13). Jesus was betrayed by his friend and disciple, Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:49-50, 14-15, 27:5-7).

* The King would be beaten up and mocked by crowds (Isaiah 50:6). Jesus was beaten and mocked by crowds of people and soldiers (Matthew 26:67).

* People would gamble for the Kings clothing (Psalm 22:18). During Jesus execution, soldiers gambled for his garments (John 19:23-24).

* The King would eventually be hated and rejected and he would defend himself (Isaiah 53:3, 7). Jesus was most definitely hated and rejected (Matthew 27:39-44, 12).

* Before crucifixion was even invented, it was predicted that the King would be crucified (Psalm 22:16). Jesus was executed by mode of crucifixion (Luke 23:33).

* The King would be killed with sinners (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus was crucified between two criminals (Matthew 27:38).

* By two different prophets, it was predicted that during the execution, none of the kings bones would be broken (Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20). None of Jesus bones were broken during his execution (John 19:32-36).

* The King would die (Isaiah 53:8). Jesus most definitely died (Luke 23:46).

* The King would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus, a poor man, was buried in the tomb that belonged to a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57-60).

* Again predicted by two different prophets, the King would resurrect from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-11). Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion (Acts 2:25-32).

* The King would ascend to heaven with the souls of dead Christians (Psalm 68:18). Jesus ascended into heaven with the souls of dead Christians (Ephesians 4:7-10).

* The King would sit at the right hand of God ruling the Universe (Psalm 110:1). Jesus, to this very day is sitting at the right hand of the Father ruling (Hebrews 1:3).

Our Eternal Christmas Gift

Jesus clearly and emphatically meets the job description of the King. We all live in a broken world in desperate need of a good king. Therefore, Jesus fits the description for this very king, for whom the Jews were long waiting for. My plead through all of this is today is that you might come to live for Jesus. Christmas is truly and solely about Jesus the king. Why not make this Christmas about Jesus? I’ve given you the facts so please digest them and consider making him your king!

Resource Review: Death by Love

To order this product:
Click Here

Most men don’t like to talk about, but really need it. Women watch TV series and movies about it, but can’t define it. What is love? The bible tells us that God demonstrated his love for us by dying on the cross to rescue you and I from our rebellion and death (see Life Part 5).

This gospel (good news) has implications for our lives today and in this book, Mark Driscoll expertly discusses how Jesus death in our place transforms lives. Death by Love is a great read, which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend – plus it is a real eye opener! The book is a bunch of letters Driscoll sent to members of his congregation, who were struggling with:
* Porn additions,
* Adultery,
* Self righteousness,
* The memory of terrible actions of the past (rape etc),
* Death and cancer,
* Hate,
* How to know God,
* Hell,
* Demonic attack.

Real people. Real sin. Transformed lives. A compilation of heartfelt letters written from a pastor to his people that explains Jesus' work on the cross.

Death by Love is a unique book on the cross of Jesus Christ. While many books debate the finer points of the doctrine of the atonement, what is often lost are the real-life implications of Jesus' death on the cross for those who have sinned and have been sinned against. Written in the form of pastoral letters, Death by Love outlines the twelve primary effects of Jesus' death on the cross and connects each to the life of a different individual.

Driscoll, one of America's most influential pastors, and Breshears, a respected theologian, help readers understand, appreciate, and trust in Jesus' work on the cross in a way that will transform their lives. Both deeply theological and intensely practical, this book shows how everyone can find hope through the death of Jesus Christ.

Hardback, 256 pages
Price: Approx. $22.95

Life (5): You Deserve to be Loved!

Can you guess where these love quotes come from:
* "It doesn't matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other".
- Good Will Hunting
* Love actually is all around us.
- Hugh Grant, Love Actually
* "Promise me you'll survive. That you won't give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless". 
- Titanic
* "Death can not stop true love, it can only delay it for a little while."
- The Princess Bride
*"I loved her so much I had to kill her"
- Guns and Roses

Love is all around

Love is one of those things, from a young age we think we have it for someone and the oldies around us tell us that we don’t know what we are talking about. But, what is love? We all agree that it is a feeling, a strong emotion that drives us. Some of us even go as far as to say that love is an action, which speaks louder than any word could describe! We all agree that love is so important. It is an essential ingredient in our society.

I think a good expression of this is found in our families. Parents, on the whole, demonstrate love for their children. Feeding, washing, clothing, making our beds, putting up with our rubbish, reading us stories and the list goes on. The events that stick out in our mind as an act of true selfless love is when a parent puts themselves in harm’s way to rescue their child:

September 2010 – Brian Wood was forced to brake when an out-of-control SUV came hurtling towards him in an inevitable head-on collision in Whidbey Island, Washington State. He swerved his car so that he would take the brunt of the collision, sparing his wife, who was pregnant with their first baby. Brian sadly died, while his wife and unborn child lived.

The father-to-be gave his own life to save his wife and unborn child when he swerved his car to take the impact of a fatal head-on collision.

His shattered wife stated 'I am not going to waste the gift he gave us'.

This, without a shadow of doubt sticks out in my mind as a pure act of love, don’t you think? With selfless acts like this, you have to say that love is all around us, isn’t it?

What is love?

We are a loving society aren’t we? How about these love quotes from the ultimate lovers of this generation who influence the our families:
* He who loves 50 people will have 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes! Budda
* My goal was to show true love between a man and a woman. Hugh Hefner
* I will always love Simone, I will make her my other priority (and I guess Liz Hurley would have to be the other half!). Shane Warne

I picked these blokes because Budda has been considered one of the world’s most influential teachers, Hugh Hefner’s porn industry is statistically the Western world’s favourite past time and Warnie is considered one of Australia’s favourite sons. Add to that statistics which demonstrate an alarming increase in relationship breakdowns, domestic violence and child abuse.

We all hold families and love as an important facet of our society but let’s be honest with each other, do we really understand what love is? Looking at the voices of our culture, my answer is no, because our society today looks for answers in the wrong place.

Jesus, our solution

I know this will hit some people really hard, as the majority of my own extended family has experienced the pain of relationship breakdown. Though, more and more, I am convinced that the answer to this problem is not better counselling or therapy, but we need what the bible calls a new heart.

The bible is essentially about Jesus, and it explains that Jesus is God, who created the universe to be in a loving relationship with him (I’ll point out there is more to this but God didn’t create us because he was lonely but because he is a loving God). But our relationship with God has been broken because of our rebellion. This separation from God is corroding all of our society because we live opposed to God and will one day face judgement.

So what is love? Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”(John 15:13). Love is an emotion that causes and drives us to act. Love is selfless and Jesus, who is God says that he loves us and he proves this by dying on the cross for our rebellion! Jesus does for us what Brian Wood did for his wife, and what did his wife say in response? We can’t and we won’t experience true love until we meet the inventor of love, Jesus Christ. Our lives, families and society are dying and Jesus, out of love died to rescue us from this corrosion.

You don’t have to do anything but trust Jesus, as it is written in the bible:

For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become part of God’s family (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Resource Review: Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, & Wannabes

To order this product:
Click Here

Did you know that Jesus created sport for our enjoyment? For more information on this, check out Life (4): World Cup Tears.

It just landed on my desk, so I haven’t read it yet, but it looked good as I read the back and flipped through. Here’s why I’m planning to read it: Because I’m a Christian and a sports fan, and I want to think better through how my time playing and watching sports should be lived to God’s glory. Additionally, I know that Jesus created sport for our enjoyment so I want to learn how I can glorify him through my enjoyment of sport. This book is barely a hundred pages—short enough for the stereotypical sports fan to read (like me).


Paperback, 130 pages
Price Approx: $9.95

Life (4): World Cup Tears

Sport has the habit of bringing out our best and our worst. The raw emotion and sheer dedication by any serious fan can be, quick frankly, rather intense! The greatest sporting moment in my mind was in the cricket, Steve Waugh’s hundred against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Against all the odds, Steve smashed the Poms all around the ground and he had everyone going crazy in process. Add to that the FIFA Soccer World Cup. The skill, determination and passion of the players who contest the cup. The fans come by the million – soccer is the world’s most popular sport!

Sport has this way of driving people mad! A great example of this is Australia’s campaign to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup. The Australian Government dedicated over 20 million dollars to the campaign, which sadly will be coming out of our (Aussie tax payers) pockets. Thousands of people hit the streets awaiting the announcement of the result. Australia was competing against Qatar who mounted a good campaign but in the eyes of the Aussies, it was no match for them. FIFA guaranteed Aussie votes and as a result, most Aussies thought we had this in the bag. Until, the result came and Qatar had done the impossible by winning the bid.

The Aussie fans were destroyed, as if the world was coming to an end. Let’s face it, when it all boils down, sport is basically a bunch of men or women running around on a patch of grass chasing a piece of leather around. How can sport demand so much power and influence then? In a lot of ways, sport is a kind of modern day god or religion. It weaves itself through the fabric of our lives, demanding our money, time and devotion. Sports stars are modern day prophets calling us to give more time and money. We send our kids to sporting clinics to hone their skills and we watch copious amounts of sport on television. We have pictures of our gods (sports stars) around our house and we even want to mimic our gods.

Please don’t get me wrong, I love sport, play sport and watch sport. Sport is a great way to meet people and have a great time in the process. What I want you to do while you read this is examine your devotion to sport. I want you to understand that sport is not life. They are two separate entities that seem to have meshed. Then I want you to think, is sport my god? Does it rule my life? Can I live without sport? Is it worth it in the end?

Did you know that Jesus created sport for your enjoyment and pleasure? He even wants you to enjoy and engage in sport. What he wants through this is your love and admiration. He created sport for enjoyment and not for you to worship. Jesus wants us to worship him as God.

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! (Romans 1:25)

Let me now return to the opening remarks of this article by saying that my favourite sporting moment , which out does any cricket or soccer moment, happened two thousand years ago in Jerusalem. It was a well fought battle between two foes, Jesus vs Satan. Satan nailed Jesus to the cross, believing that this would defeat him, but Jesus divine knowledge out witted Satan and the cross simply took away the sins of those who trust Jesus. Satan was easily defeated, Jesus painfully victories. Jesus then rose from the grave three days later and he now reigns as king of the world! I love sport and I encourage you to get involved, but I also encourage you to worship the creator of sport, Jesus Christ, the king of the universe!

I leave you with this verse form the creator of the universe:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)

If you enjoyed reading this post, check out:
Life (1): This is my show
Life (2): Where in the world can I find joy?
Life (3): You are worth more than a trillion dollars!

Check out this years Christmas special:What the (2): Santa, Dutch Sailors and Coca Cola

The Gospel of Luke

Christmas is a fun time of the year and what better way to celebrate then by reading the biography of the man who we celebrate Christmas. As you may already know, but there are four Gospels (this word means Good News). The Gospel of Luke is one of these Gospels which detail the life of Jesus. The scriptures state: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). With this in mind, below is a link to bible gateways reading of Galatians (ESV).

The Gospel of Luke was written by a man named Luke. His resume consists of:
* Trained Medical Doctor and Historian,
* Highly equipped in Koine Greek (language of the New Testament),
* He wasn’t raised in a Jesus believing family,
* Wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts (he possibly wrote the book of Hebrews too),
* He appears in the Book of Acts and is a helper of the Apostle Paul and he is mentioned in parts of the New Testament (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24).

Luke wrote the Gospel around 60AD, with the aim of presenting a historically and theologically account of the life and teachings of Jesus to a rich and interested benefactor named Theophilus (Luke 1:2-3). The Gospel of Luke traces the life of Jesus, from his birth to his crucifixion to his resurrection. This is a gem to read at Christmas time.

Please follow the links below to read Luke:

The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 1 – 4) (ESV)
The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 5 – 8) (ESV)
The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 9 – 12) (ESV)
The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 13 – 18) (ESV)
The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 19 – 22) (ESV)
The Gospel of Luke (Chapters 23 – 24) (ESV)

If you would like to download a FREE and complete bible, please check out E-Sword. Over 80% of the material is free, very useful and small in size. In addition, I can send you a FREE hardcopy of the bible (simply email vintagejc@hotmail.com).

I pray the Lord blesses your time and that your study may be fruitful in Jesus name.