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For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

There are two unusual facts about this title. The first is that it occurs only once in scripture. The second is that it came from a non-human source.

Lots of preachers and hymn writers use the phrase Christ the Lord. That makes sense since it is a title combination of two of the most common names of God’s Son. In the Bible, it is only proclaimed at the birth of the Savior.

This announcement of the Messiah’s birth emphasized the most significant event in human history, or in the history of the universe, for that matter. God Almighty took on human form and even experienced childbirth to be able to reach His fallen creation. It made sense that the angel of the Lord would announce it backed up by a great celestial chorus. The surprising thing was that those who heard the news weren’t the movers and shakers of the world, but poor, cold, and frightened shepherds. The Who’s Who of the world weren’t worthy to receive the announcement that proclaimed a name found nowhere else in the Word of God.

The heavenly messenger proclaimed that Christ the Lord was born. The first part acknowledged that God’s anointed had finally arrived. By calling Him “Lord,” the angel acknowledged that He was the boss and commander-in-chief of every angel present that day.

Christ the Lord is risen on high!
Sing ye heav’ns, and earth reply
He endured the cross, the grave,
Sinners to redeem and save.
                                         – Unknown

December 21

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands
for war, and my fingers for battle – my lovingkindness
and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer…
Psalm 144:1,2

“Fortress” titles are common in the Psalms of David. The constant running for his life kept David’s adrenaline flowing and stress levels high. The only way that he could cope was to remember that he was in God’s will and God was in charge. Since that was the case, David was safe; he could rest in his high tower.

Medieval castles were built in stages. The very first part to be constructed was the “keep.” This was a very strong, very tall central tower located in the middle of what would be the castle complex. Once it was completed, work on the outer walls, gates, inner buildings, and moat could begin. This high tower allowed watchmen to see enemies coming from a distance, but was also a stronghold of defense even before more complete fortifications could be established.

Believers are able to rest in the Lord Jesus, just like David was able to trust in the LORD. Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The stress and crush of the opposition of the world is manageable because the Lord Himself is a wall to keep the enemies of God from bringing down Christ’s servants.

Abiding in the will of God allows the child of God to see sin approaching from far away. This gives us plenty of time to avoid it, along with all the heartache that comes with it. In the High Tower of Christ Jesus, the believer is elevated up and above the fray of the commonplace so that heaven itself doesn’t feel like it’s that far away.

December 22 

“Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?”
Exodus 15:11

After the children of Israel witnessed the total destruction of the Egyptian army, Moses led them in a song of triumph: “I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” Excitement and emotion filled the multitude of escaped slaves because they saw the power and glory of God.

The song continues for 18 verses in Exodus chapter 15. At verse 11, two questions are asked: “Who is like You among the gods?” and “Who is like You, glorious in holiness?”

To answer the first, Egypt had plenty of gods – even “puddy” cats were worshiped – but none of them could save the Egyptian army from the power of the living God. Nothing compares to the incomparable Creator of the universe.

The second question concerns God’s glorious holiness. Again, no comparison. Glory is a hard concept to define, but it is pretty easy to see the absence of it. Idols have no power, no splendor, no supernatural qualities, and no glory. God’s glory was not just demonstrated in His power to defeat the ancient world’s Number One superpower; He showed it in His holiness. He not only neutralized the bad guys – He obliterated them.

Christ is in all things the outshining of God’s glory. He was in the burning bush when Moses was commissioned, and He was there when the waters of the Red Sea parted. John saw the glorified Lord as he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos and was overpowered by the vision. Certainly the Son of God is glorious in compassion, grace, might, and authority. But above all these, we must remember that He is Glorious in Holiness.

 January 23 

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21

Babies sin because it’s their nature. No one needs to teach them how to lie, steal, or destroy; they are born with that ability. In fact, one of my son’s first words was a lie. He had recently turned one and still wasn’t walking or talking, but he could crawl everywhere, stand up on his own, and understand lots of words.

As my wife was cleaning one of the bedrooms, she noticed that the house was strangely silent and the toddler was nowhere to be seen. As she moved towards the kitchen, she called out, “Stephen, are you touching the stove?”

There were very few “no-no’s” in the house, but that was definitely one of them. The one year old was defiantly touching the stove and began looking around to see if mom was near. When he couldn’t see his mother, he assumed that she also couldn’t see him, so he proudly lied, “No!”

The sin nature might raise a chuckle when seen in a small child, but it gets very ugly very quickly, and it is not a condition that cures itself. That old nature has to die and a new nature has to come in to replace it if sin is to ever lose its power over us.

Christ never had that addiction to sin. He certainly knew what sin was, but had no desire to do it. He was sinless by nature, so on the cross he swapped rap sheets with humanity. He gave mankind a clean slate and took on Himself trillions of terrible sins, which he paid for with His death.

Coming to the Lord Jesus in faith means that sin’s power over sinners is broken. Those who were trapped in a habitual cycle of self-destruction receive a new desire to live in God’s will. They are changed, all because of Him who Knew no Sin.

March 11 

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20*

Many years ago, when I was suffering from a case of buyer’s remorse, a wise man told me, “Salesmen are a part of everyone’s practical education.” They teach you not to believe everything people say and or trust that they have your best interest at heart.

Over the years, I’ve been scammed by telemarketers and have bought things on the internet that weren’t as described. However, the worst are the “free downloads” for checking for computer viruses. With one click, I once added dozens of pop-ups, malware, and advertisements, but was told that I could get rid of them all for $29.99. The result of this practical education is that I never do business over the phone, nor do I download anything from the internet. It seems that you can’t trust anyone anymore.

Salesmen, politicians, advertisers, and even preachers often lie or twist the truth to gain advantage over people. At that point, I can only trust Him Who is True. I can believe Christ’s promises and the Word of God. When I’m in doubt, I go over in my head what I know for sure.

       I know for sure, sin is destructive. No good ever comes from pornography.
       I know for sure, the love of money is the root of all evil. I don’t need get-rich schemes.
       I know for sure, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. I don’t need to glorify myself.
       I know for sure, I should owe no one anything but love. I don’t want the loan “I deserve.”
       I know for sure, trials and tribulations are part of the Christian life. I reject the health-and-wealth gospel.

Lord Jesus, you are the only One I can trust, because you are He Who is True.

*see also Revelation 3:7

 January 24 

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?
And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
Mark 6:3

The folks in Christ’s hometown of Nazareth resented Him and that caused real attitude problems: “Who does he think he is anyhow? He’s just a common laborer, a woodworker. He doesn’t come from a good family. After all, he’s Mary’s son; he was born out of wedlock.”

People back then and there were judgmental just like they are today. They felt anyone who they labeled as “illegitimate” could never obtain greatness much less do anything for God. Being the Son of Mary meant “bad blood.”

The self-righteous are never so wrong as when they convince themselves that they are better than others. Mary descended from royalty and could trace her bloodline back to King David, and then even back to Adam.

Jesus has two genealogies recorded in scripture. Matthew traces Jesus’ birthright through His adopted father, Joseph, who could have had title to the throne of David if they were still doing that kind of thing at that time. One big problem with this succession of legal heirs is that it included King Jeconiah who was cursed by God in Jeremiah 22:24-28. The prophet said that “Coniah” and his descendants would be cut off, meaning that the Messiah could not come through Joseph. This presented a prophetic contradiction for the Messiah. Only the miracle of the virgin birth could solve this problem.

People assumed Jesus to be Joseph’s son, but the genealogy of Christ in Luke 3 is actually Mary’s. She was a descendant of David, but not of Jeconiah.

Christ had all the legal rights to the throne of David, because Joseph adopted Him and made him his own. He also had to have a human blood line back to David, without being Coniah’s relative. The King of Kings was able to fulfill scripture, because He was the Son of Mary. 

December 8 

There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
James 4:12

At first glance, I’d put this name of Christ in my folder of “Who’da thunk it?” titles. After all, we’re now under grace and not under the law. This sounds more like the God of the Old Testament and not like Jesus Christ of the New.

At second glance, it’s my theology that needs reworking, and not the classification of this title. There are not two Gods, one for each Testament. We don’t even have three, which is how some people understand the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. There is one God who always existed and never changes. Anything different from that is just wrong.

Lawgiver is one name given to the LORD in the Old Testament: “For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). The verse also mentions the LORD as Judge, King, and the one who saves. All these titles belong to Christ.

It’s true that grace is emphasized in the New Testament, but grace was shown all through the Old Testament (e.g., in Genesis 6:8 when it says “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD”).

Jesus clearly taught that He didn’t come to undo the law, but fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The Savior never sinned; He kept the whole law and taught His disciples to keep the law and not to sin (John 8:11). If we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we’ll naturally want to do what is right, because God’s laws are written on our hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10).

It’s dangerous to think that God’s laws are ever optional. Christ Jesus died on the cross to deliver us from the curse of the law, but He wrote every law in the Book. In the New Testament, He gave us New Commandments (John 13:34), and we’re told to fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). We’re not saved from the law; we’re saved from sin by the Lawgiver Himself.

 January 25 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

As long as there have been villains who are willing to kill and hurt innocents for profit, there have been wealthy people willing to pay the bad guys off so that it doesn’t happen. Since there is no standard rate for a kidnapping, the size of the ransom doesn’t depend on the value of the victim as much as the bank account of the one paying the tab.

In 1932, Charles Lindbergh paid $50,000 to the kidnappers of his son, only to discover later that they murdered the boy even before the ransom was paid.

The ransom of Patty Hearst was $6 million in 1974. The enormity of the sum shocked many people, but 22 years later, Hong Kong tycoon Li Ku Shing, paid $134 million for the release of his son.

Historically, these prices are low. When Julius Caesar was 25 years old, he was captured by Sicilian pirates and ransomed for 8,522 pounds of silver. King Richard the Lion-Hearted was released by his captors after 65,000 pounds of silver was paid – the modern equivalent of $3.3 billion. Atahualpa, emperor of the Incan Empire, was strangled by Spanish Conquistadors after 13,000 pounds of gold and 26,000 pounds of silver were paid for his release (roughly $34 billion today).

But none of these compares to the ransom paid by Jesus Christ for the lost human race. There are no deeper pockets than those found on the Creator of the Stars. He could have made a solid gold planet or listed a galaxy on the real estate exchange, but none of these could “ransom mankind” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

In giving the only thing in heaven that couldn’t be recreated, God overpaid for the deliverance of sinful man. Jesus paid it all and for all. He’s not only the ransom for many; He’s the ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:6). Not everyone is saved, because not everyone responds in faith to the salvation that is already paid for. What a pity!

 January 26 

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men,
but chosen by God and precious.
1 Peter 2:4

How do you tell the difference between a living stone and a non-living stone? Ask it a question and if it doesn’t respond, assume it is dead.

Earth is a living sphere with organisms abounding on every square inch of the planet’s surface. Hundreds of millions of bacteria can live in a drop of water, and scores of dust mites can fit on the head of a pin. Yet, if you add the weight of every whale, elephant, insect, and all of the other living things in the world, it would still be less than 1/1000th of 1% of earth’s total mass.

Most everything around us is inert matter. Rock, sand, water, air, minerals, and magma are most of what this place is made of, and none of it is alive. Heaven is a different story. I imagine life to be everywhere, even in things that are quite dead down here. The old laws of physics and biology won’t apply in the New Jerusalem. After all, the Bible talks about living stones and living water.

Probably 99.999% of all preachers will tell you that the verse above is to be interpreted figuratively, meaning it’s an illustration to help us understand spiritual truth. Old Testament worship centered around the temple in Jerusalem, which was built with massive, beautiful, quarried stones. Under the new covenant, the church is not a building or even an organization, but an organism. Its believers are edified together as living stones on the foundation of Christ, who is the principal Living Stone. The idea is to compare and contrast how things were before Christ died on the cross and the change that happened afterwards. It’s really not supposed to be taken literally.

However, if you want to have a little fun with it, think outside the box. John the Baptist preached that “God is able to raise up children of Abraham from […] stones” (Matthew 3:9). If we’re supposed to take this power of God literally, why can’t I, with my wild imagination, do the same with the verse above. I can see Jesus in heaven somehow manifesting Himself as a real, honest to goodness Living Stone, with the beauty of a ruby, the luster of a diamond, and the intricacies of marble. Wow – that’s no ordinary stone!

 January 27 

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you
and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.
Revelation 1:4

In the introduction to the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John begins with a benediction from Him Who Is, and who was, and who is to come. The blessing came from Jesus Christ who occupies all the aspects of the time-line.

The title “Him Who Is” is significant in two distinct ways. The first, in a very real sense, is a title of God. Yahweh told Moses that His name was “I am” (Exodus 3:14), and Jesus took this title for Himself on a number of occasions (John 8:24 and 58, 9:9, 18:5). Grammatically speaking, the term is given in the first-person singular. The same term, to be referred to in the third person, would be “He is,” or a more literary phrase, “He Who Is.” John starts his book of Revelation focusing on Jesus Christ the Divine.

The name communicates the same message as “I am,” which is that He is eternally present – always existing. His relationship with Abraham was as fresh and contemporary as it was with Moses or the Apostle Paul. Therefore, Christ’s role as HimWho Is means that He is also there for me. The Savior doesn’t grow old or get too busy.

The second aspect of the title is the reality of the Son of God. Jesus is. He exists. He is here and now. He is real.

Too many people today regard Jesus as a myth. There are even theologians who don’t literally believe the miracles and stories of the gospels, so are prone to mix fiction with these facts. Christ takes on the person of a folk hero who is famous and interesting, but not real.

The Lord was not only a historical figure who lived and breathed 2,000 years ago; He is alive and well today. Believers still walk and talk with Him and can testify that He is real. In fact, just today I had a conversation with Him Who Is.

 January 28