Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 5

How to Spot Your Own Hypocrisy

There was only one time my mother-in-law and I "had words." During my second year of marriage, in the middle of discussing an unrelated misunderstanding, my mother-in-law brought up the topic of my wedding. She didn't have kind things to say.

As she spoke, I felt a spike of self-righteous indignation. How dare she say such unforgiving things about the day I cherished so deeply?! In my hurt and anger I flung an accusation back, saying her heart was bitter and hardened. When she immediately denied this, I zapped her with a verse that I thought settled the matter:

"Out of the abundance of the heart [the] mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).

Words and Hearts
It's true that our words betray our hearts. This verse is tagged onto a mini-parable Jesus told about trees and how there's no such thing as a hypocritical tree. Fig trees bears figs and only figs. Thorn bushes bears thorns and only thorns. So a thorn bush cannot get away with saying it's a fig tree because the thorns it produces prove otherwise.

Jesus said there's no such thing as a hypocritical heart, either. An evil heart cannot get away with saying it's good because the words it produces prove otherwise. This is the logic I used on my mother-in-law. But I didn't realize I used it all wrong.

Years, later, when my Bible study group was studying this passage about the trees, I noticed a little connector word "for."

"For no good tree bears bad fruit" (Luke 6:43, emphasis added).

The "for" links this paragraph to the previous one—which is the story of the guy with the log in his eye who thinks he can see clearly to remove the speck in the other guy's eye. The log-in-the-eye guy is a hypocrite. He wanted to correct others but not himself.

Then Jesus talked about non-hypocritical trees. By linking the two images together, Jesus was saying, "If you want to avoid being a hypocrite who corrects everyone but yourself, check out your fruit. Listen to the words coming out of your mouth. Then you will know what needs to change in your heart."

Suddenly, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks," had new meaning for me. Jesus wasn't giving His people a way to zap each other in judgment. He was showing us how to avoid hypocrisy, how to judge our own hearts before we correct others.

When we think someone else is wrong, often the last thing we're looking at is ourselves. The last thing we're measuring is our own motives. The last thing we're considering is our own heart. But Jesus said that we should look at these things first.
Seeing Clearly
Though it's been almost two decades since I quoted Luke 6:45 to my mother-in-law, I can still picture the scene perfectly—her sitting stiffly in a chair near our guestroom window and me perched on the edge of the bed near the door. Always before when I revisited this scene, I only heard the anger in her words, revealing the bitterness in her heart. I could see with perfect clarity that she was wrong! Look at her thorn bush-type words!

But now, I turned the camera of my memory back on myself. I heard the anger in my words and heard the bitterness of my heart. Look at my thorns! How had I been so blind to myself? I was like the log-in-the-eye guy! I was a hypocrite.
Hypocrisy
Luke 6:44 says, "Each tree is known by its own fruit." Like fruit on a tree, the words on our lips cannot lie. They tell the truth about our hearts. They help us see what our hearts are like. And yes, they help us see what other people's hearts are like, too. But we need the most help, not with judging others but with judging ourselves.

Even fifteen years later, my words showed me my heart. Once I was willing to inspect my own fruit, I saw my own heart. I saw my own hypocrisy. I saw my own log in my own eye. And I was so thankful! I shared with my Bible study group how God had opened my eyes to the true meaning of Luke 6:45 and how convicted I was over the way I had used the verse to judge my mother-in-law but not myself.

Susan, my group's leader, said softly, "Are you going to tell your mother-in-law? I think you should . . ."

Clearly Susan had no idea what she was suggesting. It was one thing to confess my hypocrisy to my Bible study group. But my mother-in-law? My stomach churned at the very thought!
Uprooting Hypocrisy
Especially in the early years of my marriage, I often sensed underlying tension with my mother-in-law. I had to work through many private frustrations and hurt feelings, diligently surrendering each situation to God. After many years, with both of us carefully trying to show kindness and understanding, we had ironed things out. It hadn't been easy, but things were finally settled and peaceful between us. The thought of dragging up the single most painful moment in our history and naming my sin from fifteen years prior caused me to seriously cringe.

I cried all the way home from Bible study that day, sensing the Spirit of God prompting me to do exactly what Susan had suggested. Oh, how I dreaded it! It's quite humbling to say, "Sorry about getting it all wrong. I had a log in my eye."

Yet that was the point. God wanted me to humble myself. Owning my sin and confessing it is only way to rid myself of hypocrisy!

I pulled in the driveway and went immediately to my desk. I wrote my mother-in-law a letter, telling her about the discussion in Bible study that morning. Then I said:

I am so convicted about how I spoke to you. I was so busy pointing out the things that I saw in you, I didn't even hear how horrible I must have sounded. What an ugly, self-centered heart I had! I didn't even stop to wonder why you might be so upset . . . I didn't take the time to consider your feelings on the matter. I only focused on how ridiculous the situation seemed to me and completely exempted myself from the "log" sticking out of my own eye.

I'm very sorry for treating you this way. It's a decade or so late, but I wish I could take it back. I wish I had been more concerned with evaluating and judging the contents of my own heart rather than yours.

With the stamped letter in hand, I arrived at my mailbox just as the mail truck drove up. I was thankful I would not be able to snatch the letter back.

A week or so later, I got a letter in return. My mother-in-law opened by saying, "Well, glory be!" It was a sweet note, filled with praise to God for our relationship. That letter is still in my desk drawer. It was the last letter I received from her, for she died just months after she sent it.

Friends, we could spend a lifetime convinced that we see with perfect clarity just how wrong someone else is. But how willing are we to look at ourselves?

Hypocrites point out the flaws in everyone else, but never themselves. Jesus invites us to do the opposite—to first look at the words coming out of our own mouths, and consider the changes that need to take place in our own hearts.

—

Post Credit: Revive Our Hearts

Overwhelming Joy in Ministry

One of our biggest challenges in ministry is that it’s often difficult to know what comes from our work.

It’s easy for builders. In the morning, bricks lie scattered on the building site, and by evening a wall has been built! The builder has the satisfaction of seeing clear and measurable results from a day’s work. But ministry is different.

Farming is a better analogy for the various ways in which we serve the Lord. When the farmer sows seed, the field looks much the same in the evening as it did in the morning. At the end of a hard day’s work, the farmer has no visible or measurable results to show for his efforts, and if he has a “builder’s mindset” he might wonder if his work is really worth it.
Good News for Sowers of the Word
Christians have the same experience. Looking back on the various ways we have tried to serve the Lord, it is often hard to know what came from our effort.

And then there’s another problem: Why is it that some people get the joy of great success stories while the rest of us labor on, sowing our seed without anything dramatic seeming to happen? Reapers have the joy of bringing in the harvest. Sowing just seems like hard work with no immediate reward.

But Jesus has good news for sowers. “The reaper,” he says, “is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together” (John 4:36, emphasis mine).
The Eternal Reward of Ministry
Sowing and reaping are separated by many months, and seasonal workers may never meet, let alone rejoice together. But when God’s great harvest is finally gathered in, our Lord says the sowers and the reapers will rejoice together. The reward is not for reapers only; it is for those who did the sowing as well.

None of us knows what God will do in a person’s life after we have sown the seed. But Jesus makes it clear that you will share in the joy and the reward of all that comes from every seed you have ever sown.

In this life, you only see a small sample of the full harvest God will bring from what you have sown through your faithfulness in serving, giving, going, speaking, helping, and praying. But when God reveals the full effect of every prayer you ever prayed, every dollar you ever gave, and every hour you ever served, along with the full outcome of your perseverance in loving and trusting Christ even through the valleys of disappointment and loss, you will experience overwhelming joy!
The Reason You Can Rejoice Now
The shared joy of sowers and reapers also reminds us that we may have the joy of reaping what someone else has sown. Our Lord says, “One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor.  Others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor” (John 4:37-38).

In our increasingly secularized culture, we may sometimes fear that people are no longer interested in spiritual things. That’s simply not true! There are always people who are ready to hear the gospel and respond to Christ, and there may be people in your sphere of influence who are more open to faith in Christ that you would think.

Someone else may have “labored,” doing the hard work of praying and sowing the seed of the God’s Word in the life of your friend or neighbor. They did not see a harvest but, unknown to you, the seed was planted, and now you may have the joy of reaping what someone else has sown.

How could you know if your colleague at the office has a believing cousin who has been faithfully praying for her? How could you know if your new neighbor down the street once had a Christian friend who made a deep impression on her for good?

The joy we have in ministry is that you never know what God has been doing in a person’s life before, and you never know what he will do later as a result of your sowing the seed.

 
This article is adapted from a column by Pastor Colin in Mature Living Magazine .



 

If Jesus offered to tell you “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” for your ministry, would you listen? Join Pastor Colin Smith for the free course Sustaining a Lifetime of Ministry where he unpacks Jesus' Kingdom Parables of Matthew 13 that help us embrace God's perspective on gospel ministry.

 

Eight Reasons to Pray the Bible

When I think of the value of praying the Bible, I think about superfoods. While the term "superfood" may be more of a marketing term than a scientific one, the simple idea rings true. A superfood is a food that is rich in nutrients beneficial to our health. When you eat a superfood like blueberries, broccoli, salmon, or kale, you get more nutrients and more benefits than eating a non-superfood.

In the following video clip taken from the free Pray the Bible course, Kevin Halloran shares how praying the Bible is like a superfood in that it will bring us many more benefits than simply trying to pray out of the resources of our minds and hearts. And the good news is that the Bible tastes better than kale! As Psalm 19:10 says, it is sweeter than honey.


Learn more about the Pray the Bible Course
We all face obstacles in prayer. Some are theological; we forget why prayer matters or don’t feel heard by God. Other obstacles are practical; we don't know what to say or we simply can't focus for prayer. Kevin Halloran believes that if we pray the Bible, we can bypass many of our struggles and go straight to fruitful prayer and deeper communion with God. This course will introduce you to the wonderful benefits of praying the Bible as well as several tools for doing so. Enroll for free.

A Prayer for the Anxious

Heavenly Father, Your word instructs me to cast my anxieties on You, because You care for me (1 Peter 5:7). I confess that I have too often misjudged Your character, questioned Your kindness, and doubted Your provision. I have not considered the ways that You provide for all life, including food for the ravens and beauty for the lilies of the field. If You care for these, how much more do You care for Your children, for me (Luke 12:22-31)? I have little faith. I believe, but help my unbelief (Mark 9:23–24).

Father, in my anxiety and worry, I have believed the lie that I can control my circumstances. Help me to remember that by worrying, I cannot change what You have ordained, or even add a single hour to my life. Worry and anxiety can't even get me one step further down the road. They are fruitless. Help me to look at my life through eyes of faith. Help me to see my current circumstances as part of Your eternal plan to work all things for my good; to make me more like Christ (Romans 8:28–30).

While I am not in control of my life, remind me that You are. God, You are the one who speaks into existence things that do not exist (Romans 4:17). You are the one who brings life from death, beauty from ashes, and comfort and gladness from mourning (Isaiah 61:3). You can still a raging sea with merely Your word (Mark 4:35–41); do the same for me. Speak Your ‘peace, be still' to my troubled mind. Quiet the inner turmoil of my heart. Remind me of Your power and Your care. Nothing is impossible for You. I believe, but help my unbelief.

Thank You for holding all things together by Your power (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17). Thank You for giving me life and breath today. Thank You for sending Jesus to take my sin and give me His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5.21). Thank You for forgiving my sins through Christ, and delivering me from death and darkness to Your kingdom of light and life (Colossians 1:13-14). Thank You for Your continual presence, and Your peace that surpasses understanding which guards my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Thank You for being my Prince of Peace. Thank You for Your loving care and concern to meet all my deepest needs. Remembering all I have to be thankful for, I bring my requests to You (Philippians 4:6), my Heavenly Father and Giver of all good gifts (Matthew 7:11).

Lord teach me to trust You, to learn the secret of contentment in every circumstance: that through Christ, I can endure all things. I am weak, but You give me strength (Philippians 4:11–13). If it is Your will, I pray that You would take from me this anxious spirit and frame of mind. If not, help me to know and rejoice in and feel that Your grace is sufficient for me, and Your power made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8–10).

Help me to be free from every form of greed (Luke 12:15) and every form of idolatry (1 John 5:21), and to remember that it is Your good pleasure to give me the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Help me to value Your kingdom and Kingship above all else, and give me a generous spirit toward others in need (Luke 12:33–34).

Renew my mind. Give me faith for what I cannot see. I believe, but help my unbelief. Grant that one day, I might comfort others with the comfort I receive from You (2 Corinthians 1:4).

In Christ's name and for His sake I pray. Amen.

Seven Tests for Discerning God’s Will

Romans 12:2 teaches that we can discern the will of God for our lives:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In the following video, Pastor Colin Smith shares seven tests for discerning God's will. This teaching is part of the Watch Your Life course in the Open the Bible for Leaders training program.

Christian leaders especially need to learn to discern the will of God. They're the ones shepherding others and leading churches in our complex world.

If you're a Christian leader and want practical ministry training that will help you watch your life and doctrine closely, check out Open the Bible for Leaders, a great resource for small groups and ministry teams.



For more Open the Bible content, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Why Christians Should Not Get Angry with the Lost

Imagine for a moment that you are responsible for parking at the Super Bowl. The cars are jammed in, bumper-to-bumper, and when the game is over, your job is to clear the parking lot as quickly and as safely as possible.

Your strategy is simple: As soon as the drivers in the first row of a section arrive at their cars, you begin moving them into the exit lane so that others parked behind them can follow.

You notice three drivers, seated in their cars in the front row of one section, so you raise your flag and wave them forward. Nothing happens. So you point to them and wave the flag again, but still nothing happens. Then you notice something strange—these people are in their cars, but they haven’t even started their engines. What in the world are they doing?

By now, the folks in the cars behind are wondering the same thing. Some of them are sounding their horns. They are getting frustrated. Why are these people at the front not moving?
The First Problem
You start getting angry yourself. It’s your job to clear the parking lot, and these guys are holding you and everyone else back. So you walk over to the cars. That takes time and leads to even more blaring of horns. Some people are rolling down their windows and shouting abuse at the drivers on the front row.

You get to the first car, and bang on the windshield: “Get moving!” The driver rolls down the window. “I don’t know what happened,” he says, “but I can’t see. I got in the car, and everything went dark. I can’t drive— I’m blind!”
The Second Problem
You go quickly to the next car, and bang on the windshield: The second driver tries to roll down his window, but he has great difficulty. You look at his wrists, and you see that he is in handcuffs. “I don’t know how this happened,” he says, “but when I got in the car, someone was hiding in the back seat. He slapped these handcuffs on me and then took off. I can’t drive— I’m bound!”

By now, the folks in the cars behind are getting ready to riot: Horns are blaring, and people ten rows back are standing on pick-up trucks, waving their fists, and hurling abuse.
The Third Problem
You move to the third car, and bang on the window. “Sir, these people have a problem. They can’t move their vehicles. I need you to move your car now!” There is no response, and when you look more closely, you see that the driver in the third car is slumped over the wheel. He is dead.

Now picture the scene: Crowds of people are shouting abuse, blaring their horns, and bellowing what they will do to the drivers in the front row, if they don’t get moving.

Everyone is angry, but you have compassion. Why? Because you understand the problem: One man is blind, another is bound, and a third is dead.
Understanding the Human Condition
There is a kind of Christianity that is angry with the sinful world and rails against the evils of our time. It is angry because it does not grasp the human condition: By nature, we are blind, bound, and dead. We cannot see the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). We do not have the power to stop sinning (John 8:34), and we will not come to Christ and follow him (John 5:40).

Blaring the horns of condemnation may give vent to Christian frustrations, but it does nothing to solve the human problem. People who are blind, bound, and dead need a Savior who is able to open their eyes to the truth, set them free from the powers that bind them, and raise them up in the power of a new life—and this is precisely what God offers to all of us in Jesus Christ.

Our mission is to bring the light, liberty, and life of the gospel to people who are blind, bound, and dead. When we grasp the extent of the human problem, we will exercise this ministry with compassion.

 



 

Go deeper on the doctrine of sin in the free course Watch Your Doctrine with Pastor Colin Smith. This course is part of the Open the Bible for Leaders training program, an online resource designed to help small groups and ministry teams watch their lives and doctrine closely. Preview the course below.


This article is adapted from Pastor Colin’s November 2017 column in Mature Living Magazine.

Seven Questions to Evaluate Your Progress in Life

These questions came directly out of a fresh examination of my own life some years ago.

When I first raised them it was during a significant year in ministry, having served in the States as long as I had served in London—sixteen years. I asked myself, “What’s happened to me in that time? Where has there been progress? Where have I lost ground?”

I’m sure there are other questions that could be added, but I urge you to start with these and to use them as a grid for examining your own life, as you seek to lead and serve others in Christ:

1. Am I praying with faith?

I could have asked, “Am I praying?” That would be a good question, but this question goes further. In Luke 18, Jesus teaches us that we ought always to pray. Then at the end of that teaching He asks a question: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Notice, He doesn’t ask, “Will the Son of Man find prayer on the earth?” but “Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth?” Why? Because what matters is not that I am saying my prayers, like the Pharisees did, and like millions of people in all religions around the world do.

What matters is that I’m praying with faith. Do I have confidence in God to do more than I can do? Or have I wandered into the spiritual wasteland of evaluating everything in terms of what I see as humanly possible—the easiest thing to do when you’ve been a Christian for 10, 20, or 30 years.

2. Am I serving with zeal?

I take this question straight from the Scriptures. Romans 12:8 says “The one who leads,” must lead “with zeal.” There’s something about passion here, something about vision, and something about direction. We must lead and serve others from a place of genuine passion and obedience to God. Are you serving with zeal?

3. Am I believing with confidence?

God says that “the gospel…is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Do I believe that? Do I believe that when I pray for an unbelieving friend or relative? Do I believe that God is able to save them through the gospel?

When I struggle with a powerful temptation, with a habit that is difficult to overcome, do I believe that God is able to deliver me through the gospel? When I become tired, get discouraged, begin to wonder how long I can continue, do I believe that the God who saved me is able to keep me?

4. Am I confessing with humility?

Martin Luther said, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ He meant that the whole life of a believer should be repentance.” Christ calls us, not to a prayer of repentance, but to a life of repentance, a life of turning ever more fully to Jesus Christ.

A life of repentance is not a life of misery, but a life of growth. It’s a life in which the Holy Spirit is constantly opening your eyes to how you can take the next step in becoming more like Jesus. A process of examination like this may begin to connect this reality with your life now.

A Christian is a person who has light to see what there needs to be less of and what there needs to be more of in his or her life. This leads to a life of confession, in which you see your sins and your failings, and you keep bringing them under the blood of Christ.

When you live life like this, you don’t waste your life in the shallow water of compromised obedience. Instead you launch out into the deep oceans of following Christ. Can you name a sin that you have confessed in the last week? In the last month?

5. Am I worshipping with joy?

When you come to worship, do you participate or do you observe? In the presence of Jesus, there will not be a single person with their arms folded, listening to the angels and observing the worship. We will all sing. We will all shout for joy. Ask yourself, “Am I worshipping with joy?” If not, why not?

6. Am I giving with gladness?

Giving is an indicator of love within marriage. A marriage that’s marked by withholding is not healthy. Giving is also an indicator of your love for Christ and your love for the bride of Christ. “I work to earn money that I gladly give to the bride.” Is that true of you? Or are you tiring of that?

7. Am I reaching out with love?

Here we are in a world of need, and some Christians are stretched out in sacrifice. This is so that lost people on their way to an eternal darkness may see the light of Christ through the gospel and be saved. What about you? Are you sacrificing for the sake of the gospel?

 

This post includes material from the sermon "Your Influence Is Greater Than You Think."

Salvation: So Much More Than Accepting a Good Offer

"I accepted Ken as my husband."

For the record, I have never spoken about my husband in these terms. I've never said to my children, "Twenty years ago, I accepted your daddy as my personal husband." This conjures up an image of me on my throne, holding out my golden scepter to Ken as he approaches carrying a pillow with a diamond ring. The thought makes me laugh out loud!

So why do I use this language when I speak of Jesus? When I say, "I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior," do I impose the same throne and scepter imagery on my relationship with Christ? I certainly hope not! Instead of laughing, this thought makes me cringe.

I never thought much about this phrase, "accepting Christ," before listening to a message by Pastor Colin Smith. Pastor Colin said that besides being offensive, it would never enter his head to say that he "accepted" his wife back when they got married. He married her because he loves her!

Now I understand what we mean when we say we "accepted Christ" (though I can't find that word combination in the Bible). We mean that we received His gift of salvation (Eph. 2:8). We recognize that He alone can save us from our sin, reconcile our broken relationship with God, and grant us both entrance into heaven and escape from hell.

But the Bible says that true believers are the ones who treasure Jesus with all their hearts, not the ones who merely accept Him as a good solution to their problems.
Surprised by Hidden Treasure
When I met my husband, Ken, I was a single girl who longed to get married. I didn't want to navigate life without a partner. I didn't want to sit alone in church. I wanted someone to do my taxes for me and take care of my oil changes.

And while Ken solved all of these problems and more, that's not why I married him. Had he been the only single guy for a hundred miles, it would have been ludicrous to marry him just because he could do my taxes. I married him because I loved him! I loved only him! I loved him enough to forsake all others and say, "I do," to a future with only Ken.

Jesus says that this is the way we must come to Him. Unless our hearts are stirred to love Christ above all else and all others, we don't truly belong to Him. Matthew 13:44 says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

Picture yourself finding treasure in a field that is for sale. You can't believe your eyes! Your heart rate quickens. As you fly home to pound a "For Sale" sign in the yard, you aren't bemoaning loss. You can't stop smiling. You're convinced that you are getting a remarkable deal!
I Couldn't Stop Smiling
That's how I felt about finding my husband. I couldn't stop smiling. I was convinced (and still am) that I was getting a remarkable deal! How could it be that a guy like him would choose me? He was good-looking, funny, smart, and successful. I was honored and overwhelmed with joy to have a relationship with him. So when another guy called me for a date, I didn't relish turning him down, but my joy over being with Ken made it easy to cut off all other dating possibilities. I was in love! And I still am.

How strange it would have sounded if I had said to the other guy, "Sorry, but I have accepted Ken." My relationship with Ken is not some calculated response to the best offer! Nor is my relationship with Jesus.

I love Jesus. I marvel that He chose me! I'm amazed that He would die in my place to cleanse me from sin. Jesus has changed everything for me. He is my rock of security. Even if I lost my husband, whom I love dearly, I would be devastated but I would not be lost forever. I would still have Jesus. I will always have Jesus.

If I had never heard other people talk about "accepting Jesus," I doubt I would have come up with the phrase on my own. Brides don't talk about their husbands that way, and I am part of the Bride of Christ!

If Jesus is the treasure I can't stop smiling about, the world will see that I've done more than just accepted a good offer; I've fallen in love with a Person.

Do you love Jesus? Instead of just accepting a "package deal," have you fallen in love with a Person? If He is your treasure, how can you let others know—even today?

 

This post originally ran on Revive Our Hearts and is used with permission of Shannon Popkin.

Bible Q & A: How Can Jesus Be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace?

Question: How can Jesus be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Son of God, and the second person of the Trinity all at the same time?

Answer: This question is based on Isaiah 9, which links all these names to Jesus:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The prophet Isaiah was writing about a future child that was coming into the world, and he says, “his name shall be called…” It is possible that he is referring to different people’s names—like Santa Claus, Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), or George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life). That would be confusing. How could one person—a son—be four different people at the same time?

But the names by which Jesus is to be called are what we would call “titles,” rather than different people’s names. So, for example, Queen Elizabeth II has various titles such as Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Her Majesty the Queen. These names for Jesus are not the names of different people, they are different titles for the same person that reflect His activity and authority.

Jesus is “Wonderful Counselor.” Isaiah tells us that a Son is given to us, Jesus Christ, and He is a wonder of a counselor! He is the counselor from God’s right hand. He is God’s special counsel, and everything He says is the very counsel of God. 

Jesus is “Mighty God.” Isaiah is telling us that a Son has been given to us, Jesus Christ, and that this baby, born in a manger, is none other than almighty God. Look through the pages of the Gospels and you will see that He forgave sins (Luke 5:20), claimed to be one with the Father (John 10:30), and raised the dead (John 11:43). He was crucified for blasphemy (claiming to be God). And on the third day, He was raised from the dead, vindicating His claims (Acts 3:15).

Jesus is “Everlasting Father.” Isaiah is not saying that Jesus is God the Father. He is talking about Jesus, in relation to Adam, our first father. Adam is the father of us all, but he sinned, and his sin brought death to all humanity. Jesus is the father of a new kind of humanity. He obeyed God perfectly and His obedience brings eternal life to all those who believe in Him. “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). 

Jesus is “Prince of Peace.” We live in a world that is not the way it is supposed to be. In the Old Testament we find a great word for the way things are supposed to be—Shalom! How are things in a Shalom world? Husbands and wives would be faithful to one another. People in public office would tell the truth. All people would be united in truth and love. You could travel in any city without fear. Isaiah is telling us that the hope of the world lies in a child who will be born, a Son, Jesus Christ, who will have peace, make peace, and bring peace to a world in conflict. This has not happened yet, but it has begun in the church, and it will be brought to completion when Christ returns.

Jesus is one person with many titles. Isaiah 9:6 contains only a few of them. Here are some more that you will recognize: the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Messiah (John 1:41), Lord and Savior (Philippians 3:20), the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). I could go on, but the point is that in the Bible Jesus has many titles, and these titles tell us about His authority and activity.

I hope and pray that this will encourage you as you read the Bible this Christmas,

Pastor Tim

Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Explaining a Misunderstood Lyric

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Worship pastors have long endured clever congregants eager to correct an error in the lyrics of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

“It should be Hail the Son of Righteousness, S-O-N,” they say. But there was no misprint. Jesus brought His light into this dark world – a clarifying light that is brighter than the sun.

In our times, those who walk with God in the world must endure darkness for a time, but on the horizon approaches a permanent daylight.
Prophecy Foretold – The Light Will Shine from Heaven
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the darkness of his day, and of a coming light.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2; cf John 1:5).

A few hundred years later, the prophet Malachi said something similar.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:1-2; see also Psalm 84:11).

For centuries, while these and other prophets spoke from God, people who loved and feared God lived in a world that was filled predominantly with idol worshipers, a world ruled by haughty, wicked men. The vast majority had rejected God and His knowledge. They were arrogant, thinking they could find happiness in something other than fellowship with God. They didn’t want to be exposed to the light. They loved their sin, even as it enslaved them and made them miserable.

But some righteous ones looked forward and waited for the light to dawn. Ten generations came and went, but then the fulfillment of Malachi 4:2 came when Christ was born.
Prophecy Fulfilled – The Light Dawns upon a Weary World
Zechariah prophesied at the birth of his son, John the Baptist:

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-69)

We can see in this prophecy several things about the light:

The essence of the light is divine knowledge of salvation (v77; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:6).
From this light comes power over death and peace with God (v79).
As we walk with Him, His light guides our steps (v79; cf. Psalm 119:105).

“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). That light, that sunrise, shone on the earth for a short time, during the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and He has left an indelible mark.

Nevertheless, the darkness of sin remains for now and troubles the world.

“The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil,” Jesus taught in John 3:19. “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”
Prophecy Followed – The Light Shines Forever, Upon and Through the Righteous
Jesus Himself said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Luke 8:12).

The continuing ministry of Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, is to shine His light upon His followers, even through these dark days in which we find ourselves. In fact, because He lives and abides in His chosen ones, He says to them, “You are the light of the world,” and He commands them to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Notice that He says it is your light. By grace, through faith, you are His, and He is yours. So, you can walk in the light, because His light dwells in you.
Enjoying the Light Forever
The Sun of Righteousness has shone upon a dark world. Jesus says in Matthew 6:22-23 that the light is still shining. The problem is that our eyes are bad, because they are darkened by sin. But you can walk in the light today. Through faith in Jesus, His splendid righteousness is yours.

If you walk in that Sun-light of righteousness, you can look forward to enjoying that light forever. Because one day soon, the rebellion will be ended, and no sin will keep that light from being seen. The last book of the Bible points to that day and declares that the source of unending light is the glory of God:

“And the [New Jerusalem] has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).