If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.      
Romans 8:11

We can have resurrection life now, not just after we pass from this life. His Spirit dwells in us now, and gives us the power to change our lives. We can move from a life of dead works, we all that we do serves our flesh and sin, to a life of victorious overcoming where we go from victory to victory, from glory to glory. It is because He is in us and will give "life" to our mortal bodies. Being spiritually minded means overcoming the deadness of the body, of sin, and experiencing life and peace. Even now, in this life, we can have life and peace as we submit to His Word and follow His commandments. His commandments are not meant to keep good things away from us, but to protect us from all the bad things that come from sin.

In Titus 3:5 it says "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

Ultimately, we must remember that though we are to strive to do good works, our salvation does not come through those things, but we were saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, His death and resurrection, and we were washed and made new by Him. And that takes the pressure off us. We don't have to worry about "am I good enough?" "am I nice enough?" or any other thing. It's not on us, it's on Him, and He did it, once and for all, and all we need do is trust in Christ and His completed work. Have joy in knowing Him today because He truly does love you!!

Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

In 2025, Alex Ovechkin surpassed Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history; a record many thought would never be broken. As players continue to chase Wayne Gretzky’s records, one thing has remained clear: even if one mark falls, his greatness remains untouched. His total points still stand in a category of their own, far beyond reach. His dominance was so complete, so overwhelming, that even the best goal scorer to ever play the game still stands far behind him.

This is what we mean when we talk about greatness. Supremacy. The “greatest of all time.”

Yet…there is still comparison. There are still categories. Still records that can be chased. Still debates that can rage in your nearest comment section.

Scripture gives us a category beyond debate: preeminence.

To be preeminent is not merely to be first, but to be above all: to stand unrivaled, unmatched, and without equal.

Christ is the image of the invisible God. The God who cannot be seen has made Himself known in Jesus. To see Christ is to truly see God.

Christ is supreme over creation. When Paul calls Him the “firstborn of all creation,” he is not saying Christ was created, but that He holds authority over all things. Everything, visible and invisible, was created through Him and for Him.

Christ is the sustainer of all things. “In Him all things hold together.” The world does not run on its own. Every breath, every moment, every detail of existence continues because Christ upholds it.

Christ is the head of the Church. He does not merely guide it: He rules it. He defines trour doctrine, establishes our order, and commands our obedience. The Church belongs to Him.

Christ is the firstborn from the dead. His resurrection, which we will be directly celebrating this weekend, was a total victory over sin & death. By His death, our death has been conquered and new life in Him has begun.

Christ is fully God. “In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Nothing is lacking. Nothing is diminished. Jesus Christ is God in full.

And Christ is the Redeemer. The One who created all things is the same One who reconciles sinners to Himself, “making peace by the blood of His cross.” He holds all things together, and yet allowed Himself to be broken so that we could be made whole.

This is why Paul says:

“That in everything He might be preeminent.”

Not in some things. Not in religious things. In everything.

If Christ is preeminent, then He is not merely important; He is everything. He is not one priority among many; He is the standard by which all priorities are measured. He is not simply part of your life; He is the Lord of it. 

With Easter only a few days away, it is good to ask, “Are you living as though He is preeminent?” Let us declare, along with the saints and angels: Christ is Preeminent! 

"Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”
Psalm 29:1-2 ESV

“Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”
—
“The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.”
Exodus 33:18-19; 34:5-8 ESV

Glory is a difficult word for us to wrap our minds around. We simply don’t use it in our regular lives. It’s a church word, it has something to do with God, and perhaps most charitably we know it shouldn’t be given out freely to anyone or anything else.

Glory has to do with the weight of a person’s presence carried in their reputation. Who someone is and what they have done add to their glory. The Hebrew of the Old Testament conveys the idea of heaviness. It is an awe invoking quality of majesty. 

No one is more glorious than God. Whose deeds rival the Lord? Who compares to our God? It is simultaneously terrifying and yet inviting, drawing us closer in awe of His presence. When the Lord extended mercy to the people of Israel after they rebelled at Mt. Sinai, Moses rejoiced but it sparked in him a desire to know the Lord still more. He had tasted and seen that the Lord was good to quote the Psalmist. More remarkable than the request is God’s answer to Moses. God invites him to deeper relationship to greater understanding. 

Jesus invites us to know Him further today, to come into deeper relationship still. I pray we have the cry of Moses burning within us, pleading to Christ; “Show me your glory!” May God answer that prayer and may we bow and worship Him when He does!

We all know it. Life is hard. We suffer loss of all kinds. Terrible things happen to us, to our loved ones, and in the world around us. Sin and death create pain that can be overwhelming, and for these things the world has no sufficient answers
   
But consider the following verses that speak of suffering and difficulty:  
               
Romans 8:18-27                  
             For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.      
           
Entire sermons could be preached on this section of scripture, and I certainly can't do it justice in a devotional, but note that our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory, the greatness, of what God has in store for us. All of creation waits with "eager longing," ultimately being set free from the bondage of decay. Our bodies will be renewed, all of creation around us will be renewed. There is hope for the future! But until then, yes, it is true, we are in these bodies and will suffer "weakness." But the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness. God told the apostle Paul that His "grace was sufficient" when Paul asked three times to have a difficulty removed from his life. Sometimes we just have to rely on Him and wait, trusting Him, knowing He loves us, and that He'll never leave us or forsake us, and in this hope we can continue despite the suffering we may have to go through. He will sustain you and get you through to a better day!              

“21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:21-24

The oldest depiction of Christ can be found in Rome, scratched into a wall on the Palatine Hill, likely dating to around AD 200 (the Alexamenos graffito). What makes this image even more striking than its age is that it is not an image of devotion, but of mockery. A Roman, perhaps a soldier or classmate, sought to insult a Christian named Alexamenos by drawing him worshiping a crucified figure with the head of a donkey, alongside the words: “Alexamenos worships his god.”

To the ancient world, suffering was shameful. Crucifixion was not merely execution—it was degradation. Weakness. Humiliation. Certainly not something worthy of worship. And yet, there stands the Alexamenos, mocked for bowing before a crucified Lord.

Until Christ, no one would have imagined a God who willingly endured such suffering. Yet, this is exactly what Scripture shows us:

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21

Christ did not merely suffer—He faithfully endured.

He endured without sin:

“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” (v.22)

He endured without retaliation:

“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.” (v.23)

He endured with unwavering trust:

“He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (v.23)

And He endured with purpose:

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…” (v.24)

This is not passive suffering, not helplessness. This is faithful endurance: a deliberate, trusting submission to the will of the Father.

When we suffer, we instinctively look for escape—and in many cases, that is right and good. But Christ shows us something deeper. In the garden, He prayed that the cup might pass from Him—the cup of God’s righteous wrath against sin. Yet, when the moment came, He did not run.

He could have called down legions of heavenly armies. He could have silenced His accusers, struck down His captors, and ended it all in an instant…but He didn’t.

He endured the betrayal.
He endured the arrest.
He endured the false trials.
He endured the scourging.
He endured the cross.
He endured death.

And He did so in perfect trust: entrusting Himself to the Father who judges justly. Why? Because He was not merely enduring suffering...He was bearing sin.

“…that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (v.24)

The world looked at the cross and saw weakness. God declares it as the very power of salvation.

Peter does not give us this picture merely to admire, but rather to follow.

“Christ also suffered for you… so that you might follow in his steps.” (v.21)

We are not called to atone for sin—that work is Christ’s alone. But we are called to walk the same path of faithful endurance:

To endure without sin.

To refuse retaliation.

To trust God’s justice over our own.

To entrust ourselves to the Father, even when suffering feels unjust.

This Easter, as we reflect on the cross, may we not only see what Christ endured for us, but learn how to endure because of Him.

The world may still mock, but may we join Alexamenos: worshiping the Lord who suffered for us and following in His steps.

“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!
 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
 his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:19-26 ESV


If you are more familiar with your Bible then it should seem strange to turn to the book of Lamentations for a word on God’s faithfulness. Jeremiah is referred to often as the weeping prophet, and his ministry to a faithless people did not see the nation turn back to God. Jeremiah watched his people go into the ever exile he had so diligently warned them of, and then wrote the book of Lamentations as he poured out his prayers before the Lord.

Why would we turn here? Here is the truth; it is much easier to remember the faithfulness of God when things are going well by our standards. We still need the reminder to be sure as our hearts must constantly be trained in gratitude and we are prone to forget. When hardship comes however the believer is often not plagued by forgetfulness, but doubt. Pain brings to mind all that we have heard and read but we then doubt God’s goodness. We question Christ’s faithfulness.

The prophet Jeremiah sat utterly broken, with every pattern of his life disrupted and destroyed before his eyes. He expresses his anguish and grief which were very real and very present. Yet there is something remarkable here; “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” Jeremiah turned his mind to the Lord in hope. The pain was still present but Jeremiah knew, so was the Lord. The mercy of the Lord continued still and was new each day. God’s goodness had not ceased or taken a day off. God was with Jeremiah even in the heartbreak.

As we approach Easter we also near the suffering, sacrifice, and death of Christ in our remembrance. Jesus stands before us the man of sorrows, well acquainted with our griefs. He is a God not far off but very close to the weary and broken. I pray that in the seasons of difficulty of our lives that we would refuse the offer of doubt. That we would reject the hopelessness which stands ready at the door of our hearts to take up residence. We may find ourselves broken and sorrowful, but never without hope. Oh that we would recall to mind the words of Jeremiah; The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER ceases! What God has promised, Christ will accomplish! You can be sure of that hope!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 
           
As a Christian, the fruit of the spirit as described here in Galatians is something we should all want. If you're like me, it can also be quite difficult at times to attain, or if we do attain it, something happens and all of a sudden, in an instant, we lose it. It's frustrating, but we mustn't give up. Just like a farmer has to carefully tend his crops, watering, fertilizing, keeping the pests away, so do we have to tend our own "garden of fruit" to make sure that what we're producing is good fruit and not bad fruit. But the farmer isn't discouraged if he has to throw away one bad tomato as long as the overall crop is good. And the farmer will likely note what went wrong, maybe a pest got in or his irrigation system broke down, and he'll fix the problem so no more bad fruit is produced. So should we note where we fall short of the "good fruit" and do our best to fix the problem. Remember, God is patient, kind, and gentle with us, and He is not going to snuff us out just because we might not have the absolute perfect crop yet.  
               
I think the best way to have an ever improving crop of good fruit is to take to heart Jesus' words from John 15: 1-5, which reads:
           
“1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."  
               
When we stay connected to Jesus, we will truly bear good fruit, and our good fruit will remain and increase over time. Be encouraged, your garden of good fruit will increase over time!

John 1:14
“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 9:31-32
“31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

In a world where the truth seems to be both increasingly available and manipulated, we can often be left wondering who, or what, can actually be trusted. Certainty is often met with suspicion, and even sincerity can feel unreliable. Yet those who trust in Christ have solid footing in a slippery world: the Truth is a person. Jesus is Truth.

Christ is “full of truth.” He doesn’t have a part of the truth. He doesn’t distort the truth. He is Truth: in FULL. He is unchanging, immovable, and entirely trustworthy. Christ stands as a beacon of hope over our world deception.

But the problem is not only “out there.” Scripture teaches that sin itself is deceptive (Heb. 3:13). We are not merely surrounded by falsehood—we are susceptible to it. Sin blinds, distorts, and binds. It convinces us that what is false is true, and what is deadly is good. Left to ourselves, we do not simply lack truth—we resist it.

This is why Christ’s truth is not only something to be known, but something that sets us free. Jesus declares, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). His truth does what sin cannot: it opens blind eyes, exposes deception, and breaks the chains that hold us captive.

In Christ, truth is not cold or crushing—it is gracious and liberating. He is full of grace and truth. He does not merely confront our deception; He rescues us from it.

May we carry the Truth of Jesus this Easter, declaring it among the falsehoods of the world like torch in a dark cave to expose all that lies in the darkness. Even more, may we ourselves be illuminated by His Truth, as it breaks the dark deceptions within our own hearts!

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Romans 11:33-36 ESV

You can never overestimate God. His power and majesty, His goodness and faithfulness, His every quality stretches beyond our ability to quantify. He has no lack, or need. There is no limitation to His knowledge and governance. 

We give assent to this idea but we quickly forget it in the midst of the ups and downs of life don’t we? God why did this happen? God how can these people do this? God why me? Why them? Questions often easily give way to suggestions in our prayers and we can find ourselves laying forth the blueprints of our perfect plans attempting to sway the Lord to our way of thinking. We bring forth our best lawyer impression seeking to be respectful of the judge but persuasive for our cause.

We see this exemplified in the story of Job. God describes him as righteous but rapidly all blessings and good things of the world are taken away from Job. He is left sick in body, morning in spirit with a nagging wife and accusatory friends. The book of Job lays forth his protests of innocence and the questions of the evil that has befallen him. God’s response? The extended answer can be found in Job 38-42 but the summary could perhaps be encapsulated as “I am God, and you are not.” The reminder is of all that God has done without our help and without our insight. The answer humbled Job, and should humble us as well. It is not a dismissal of suffering but an encouragement that God is still on His throne. 

This season leading up to Easter have you considered how much more wonderful and glorious God’s plan for redemption is than anything that we could have come up with? God has accomplished what we could not and brought us salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord! Praise God for His great mercy to us!

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."                
The words of this verse are from Jesus as he spoke to His disciples right before He was taken into Heaven. In context, this verse is speaking of being witnesses for Christ, but it's clear that we will only be able to do that effectively if we're empowered by the Spirit. God was able to empower the believers in Acts to be witnesses for Him in the face of vehement opposition. That same power exists for us today. The same power that enabled the apostles and disciples to spread the Gospel from Jerusalem all over the world--long before radio, television, and the Internet were available--is there for us to do the same things. We don't have to fear because He is with us.                  

Yet, it is still a difficult task and we must submit to His leading, for His ways are not our ways.                  

In Zechariah 4:6 it says "Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."                  
       
We can try very hard in our own might and power, and still not get anywhere. But when our actions and words are done in submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that is when we will see the results we hope to see. Sometimes the best thing is to stop striving and wait for God. Do what you know to do, obey God's Word, and sometimes at the most unlikely moment, the answer arrives.

When we submit to Him, we can make great headway in all areas of our lives.

Matthew 9:36
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Compassion is an emotion that moves us toward others. The word comes from the Latin compati, meaning “to suffer with.” True compassion does not remain distant or detached. It draws us near to those who are hurting and stirs us to care for them.

Jesus is compassionate. As John Calvin observed, “Christ put on our feelings as well as our flesh.” He did not merely appear to experience human emotion; He truly experienced it. Again and again in the Gospels, Christ’s compassion moved Him to heal the sick, restore the broken, and care for those in need.

Yet Jesus’ compassion reached deeper than physical or emotional relief. While He cared for bodily suffering, He also saw the greater need beneath it: the spiritual condition of the human heart.

Consider the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof (Matthew 9:1-8). Before addressing the man’s inability to walk, Jesus spoke the greater word: “Your sins are forgiven.” To those watching, this must have seemed strange. Surely the man had come to be healed. But Christ knew that the deepest need before Him was not the man’s legs, but his soul.

As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, may we grow in Christlike compassion. May we see the visible needs around us and respond with kindness and care. But may we also see what Christ saw: people harassed and helpless, sheep without a shepherd, in need of the Good Shepherd Himself.

Read Psalm 90.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Psalm 90:1-2 ESV

Everlasting to everlasting. The thought of the being with no beginning and no end spirals our minds doesn’t it? Yet this is the very nature of God! He who was and is and will always be! It is constantly part of the anthem of praise sung by the angels and the people of God throughout forever! That song is never exhausted because there is no end to the praiseworthy nature of God!

We cannot help to contemplate our own frailty in the presence of the Almighty. The Psalmist considers how fleeting we are vanishing in an instant. It should keep us humble and it should contrast our hope in the Lord!

God is eternal, and therefore our hope is eternal. He is our refuge! How often do we find ourselves distraught as the people and structures around us crumble! Why? Because we had put upon them trust and certainty beyond their nature. Only the Lord God is eternal and worthy of this trust and praise!

Let us turn to God in praise this season as we prepare our hearts for Easter.

Romans 8:14
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
 
        Being led by the Spirit is similar to "walking with God," which is an active participation. Being led is more of a passive action, a submissive dependence on the Holy Spirit. Believers are often referred to as sheep. Sheep are led by their shepherd. They know the sound of the shepherd's voice, and the sheep follow him wherever he goes. In John 10:27 Jesus said His sheep know His voice and follow Him. Only the "sons of God" will follow Jesus wherever He goes.

        Galatians 5:16 says "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
 
        In this verse we move from the more passive "being led" by the Spirit, to the active "walking." As we walk with the Spirit, we will not seek out sin. Indeed, the only consistent way to overcome the sinful desires of our human nature is to live step-by-step in the Spirit. When we walk each moment under the Holy Spirit's control, we're assured of an absolute victory over the desires of our sinful nature.              

John 6:38
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

Jesus is obedient.

Obedience is a word that makes many uncomfortable. It can sound like control, oppression, or loss of freedom. Yet obedience itself is not the problem. What parent wants disobedient children? What employer wants disobedient workers? What citizen wants law enforcers who ignore the law?

Ultimately, obedience depends on who is being obeyed. For the Christian, our highest concern is obedience to God (Acts 5:29). And if we want to see perfect obedience, we look to Christ — who submitted His will, His life, and His death to the Father.

When Christ obeyed, He submitted His will to the Father. Christ was no renegade. He did nothing independently. Everything He did flowed from the Father’s will. His obedience was not mere compliance but loving alignment. In the Garden He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Should we not also seek such alignment with the heart of God?

When Christ obeyed, He fulfilled the Law perfectly. Obedience is more than avoiding sin; it is active righteousness. Jesus did not merely refrain from evil — every thought, word, and deed was in harmony with the Father’s will. Where Adam failed, Christ prevailed. Where we stumble, Christ stands.

When Christ obeyed, He endured the cross willingly. His obedience led to suffering and death, yet He did not turn back. “For the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). The joy was accomplishing the Father’s will — redeeming His people.

This is our hope: Christ’s obedience is not merely an example, it is our substitution. Where we have resisted, He has submitted. Where we break the law, He fulfilled it. Where we deserve death, He endured it. We do not obey to earn God’s favor. In Christ, we already have it. We obey because redemption is finished — and because His will is good.

Let us obey, then, with gratitude and joy.

Psalm 115:3
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

Daniel 4:34-35
“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'”

True sovereignty involves both the right or authority to rule and the power to exercise that right. When we proclaim God to be sovereign over all, we are proclaiming these two things simultaneously!

God is the creator of all things, He is the one true god! There is none who is His equal, and there are none who can contest His rule! Indeed He is the one true sovereign over all because He alone has the one existence which is not contingent on another. Just as God owes no one for His existence, He owes no one for His authority! All other legitimate authorities (and there are legitimate authorities) we encounter are delegated from God. But God draws His authority from no other, no vote or will of man, and no conquest or usurpation. Authority belongs to Him alone.

Not only is God’s authority His own but by His might and majesty He exercises His will upon the earth! So the Psalmist rejoices that the Lord does what He pleases because that is the right and power of God! Even Nebuchadnezzar, who was perhaps the most powerful King who ever lived realized eventually that He was nothing compared to the Lord God.
For the believer who has trusted in Christ as Lord, it is an immense comfort to know that the Jesus who had redeemed you is the Jesus who is Sovereign over all! The good shepherd is the sovereign King! When we are told all things will be worked together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28), we can rest in that because God is sovereign. He has the right and the ability to make it so.

Let us turn to Christ the Sovereign King! Let us trust Him and serve Him! Rejoice because Jesus the redeemer is Jesus the ruler of all!

John 16:8 
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment."
       
Have you ever felt guilty for doing or saying something wrong? I know I have. That prick of your conscience comes from the Holy Spirit, which was sent into the world on the day of Pentecost, and is quite capable of letting us know that we're on a path that is not in alignment with God's will for us. The Spirit "convicts" us, then we have a choice to make. Do we repent (change direction), or do we continue on a path of sin?    
     
King David is a perfect example of someone who was convicted by the Holy Spirit for sin. He had taken another man's wife, and then had the man sent to the front lines of battle, knowing that he would die there, all to cover up his sin. David was ultimately confronted by the prophet Nathan for his sin. And David had a choice to make. The results of that choice are detailed in Psalm 51, which David wrote.
       
Psalm 51      
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
          Have mercy on me, O God,    
according to your steadfast love;    
according to your abundant mercy    
blot out my transgressions.    
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,    
and cleanse me from my sin!                  
            For I know my transgressions,    
and my sin is ever before me.    
Against you, you only, have I sinned    
and done what is evil in your sight,    
so that you may be justified in your words    
and blameless in your judgment.    
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,    
and in sin did my mother conceive me.    
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,    
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.                  
            Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;    
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.    
Let me hear joy and gladness;    
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.    
Hide your face from my sins,    
and blot out all my iniquities.    
Create in me a clean heart, O God,    
and renew a right spirit within me.    
Cast me not away from your presence,    
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.    
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,    
and uphold me with a willing spirit.                  
            Then I will teach transgressors your ways,    
and sinners will return to you.    
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,    
O God of my salvation,    
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.    
O Lord, open my lips,    
and my mouth will declare your praise.    
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;    
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.    
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;    
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.                  
            Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;    
build up the walls of Jerusalem;    
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,    
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;    
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
                 
        Our sins may not always be as dramatic as David's sin in this situation, but they are no less destructive. Our path out of sin's destruction is laid out by David in this psalm. May we all have the wisdom and grace from God to choose the path of repentance when the Holy Spirit comes and convicts us of sin.

Philippians 2:5–11
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Jesus is God. Few statements are more profound (or more unsettling to modern ears) than this: the man, Jesus of Nazareth, is the supreme Lord of the universe. Yet this same Jesus was also truly man. As the Chalcedonian Creed confesses, He is “truly God and truly man… like us in all respects, apart from sin.” Jesus is God. Jesus is man. Glory to God.

Another striking, though more welcome to modern sensibilities, truth about Christ is this: Jesus is humble. But this is no soft humility of mere temperament, it is the humility of God Himself who condescended to save sinners.

Biblical humility is not self-deprecation or weakness. It is a truthful, sober understanding of oneself before the Lord. For Christ—who is the Lord—humility meant the voluntary veiling of His divine glory (not the surrender of His divinity) in the weakness of human flesh. If anyone could claim visible glory, it was Him. Yet He “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

Unlike our first parents, who grasped at equality with God, Christ (who truly possessed equality with God) laid aside His glory and became like us. Why? Not from selfish ambition, but from love. He looked not to His own interests, but to ours. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. The Lord of Life, beaten and broken, His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

And yet we hesitate to serve. We resist lowering ourselves. We bristle at what feels beneath us. During these weeks, may we look to Christ’s humility and ask Him to shape ours. May we consider others more significant than ourselves. May we willingly serve. And may our small acts of obedience reflect the great humility of our Savior.

Isaiah 6:1-5

1 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!””6 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for./”

What does it mean to say God is ‘Holy’? We use the word regularly in song to praise the Lord, and the angels call out perpetually to one another proclaiming it! To be ‘holy’ in it’s simplest understanding is to be set apart and pure. The Lord is the pinnacle of what it is to be holy.

Indeed this is the picture we see of the LORD here in Isaiah. He is apart, He is beyond anything and everything! He is far above the earth, just the tail end of his garments overflows the temple! Not only that but the burning radiance of His purity leaves the prophet humbled and undone! This is the LORD of hosts in whom is pure perfection! Truly none of us measure anything by compare!

The scene is referenced again in Revelation 4 and the same song is echoed forth into eternity “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!”
 
Have you considered the Holiness of God is so grand in scope that we cannot praise it enough? Even given all of eternity we will never cease to find reason to sing these words! Holy Holy Holy! So pure and apart is the Lord and yet fearsomely near that we along with the prophet should cry out ‘Woe is me!” How can we a sinful people stand before this Holy God? Only because of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross! He is the burning coal of atonement that makes us clean.

As we prepare our hearts for celebrating Easter let us come in awe before our Holy God, knowing is is only because of the price paid by Christ that we can stand before Him at all!

The third verse of "Silent Night" continues to marvel at the birth of the Savior of the world:

Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!

This song verse starts with the bold declaration that Jesus is the son of God, which was an incredibly controversial statement during Bible times. Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah that Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 said God would raise up:

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen." Notice how Moses says we should "listen" to Him, not ignore Him. Jesus truly is "love's pure light."

A verse that I love and that is often overlooked is Proverbs 30:4, which states:

"Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely you know!"

This verse asks us questions to which the only answer can be God, and the final question is "what is his son's name?" "Silent Night" answers this question with the only answer there can be: Jesus!

If we need further proof as to who the son of God is, we need look no further than Matthew 16:15-17:

"He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."

Jesus was the "dawn of redeeming grace" and "Lord, at thy birth," perfectly summarized in Colossians 1:13-20:

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

No matter the state of our lives or the world around us, we can have peace and joy knowing that Jesus has redeemed us and that He is truly Lord over all things. We can rest knowing our eternal future is secure and that nothing can take us out of His hands. The joy of His birth gives us a hope that no one can ever steal from us because we have been transferred out of darkness into His kingdom forever.

Merry Christmas!

If you remember from Part 1, this beautiful carol—when sung in Latin—forms a backward acrostic that spells the phrase “ERO CRAS,” meaning “Tomorrow, I come.” That short line captures the answer to the longing that runs through the whole hymn. Each verse names Christ with a different title, and each title unfolds a facet of who He is—and why His coming matters.

5. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appears.

Each verse of this hymn proclaims deep truths about the Son of God, but few do so as directly as this one. “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” What a staggering promise.

Ever since our first parents were driven from the Garden because of sin, humanity has lived in exile—separated from our Lord and Creator. Then Christ came: God in the flesh. The distance was not merely shortened; it was crossed. God did not send help from far away—He came near. More than that, He shared our human nature.

The depths of this mystery are almost impossible to put into words:

the Infinite clothing Himself in finiteness;
the Creator of the stars living under their light;
the One who never grows weary, sleeping in His mother’s arms.

And He took on our humanity for a purpose: to save. He came “to ransom,” entering our condition so that “through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death.” (Hebrews 2:14) He came to rescue us from what we could never escape on our own.

That rescue language fits the story of Israel, too. In Israel’s history, exile shows up most clearly in two great chapters: Egypt and Babylon. In both, God’s people groaned under bondage and loss, and in both, God heard—and God acted. The carol borrows that ache and makes it personal: before Christ came to us, we were captives too. Our souls mourn in exile, enslaved to sin, longing for deliverance. Christ came to redeem His people then, and Christ came to redeem His people now—and Christ will come again to set all things right.

And here’s the wonder at the heart of Emmanuel: when Christ took on humanity, He did not dilute His divinity. Jesus is fully human and fully divine, united in one glorious person. He laid aside divine privileges, but He never stopped being God. Distinct from the Father and the Spirit, He shares with them the one divine nature—one God in three persons. He did not replace His divinity with humanity; He added humanity to Himself so that God could truly be “with us,” and so that we could be brought back to Him.

And this is why the hidden acrostic, “Ero cras—tomorrow, I come,” is so fitting. The carol gives language to our longing, but it doesn’t leave us there. It points us to the One who has already come—God with us—to ransom His people, and it trains our hearts to wait for His coming again. Advent is not merely sentimental nostalgia, no, it builds in us sturdy hope. We look back and remember that the Son of God appeared, we look around and confess that we still feel the ache of exile, and we look ahead with confidence: Emmanuel who drew near once will not remain distant forever. Tomorrow, I come. And when He does, every exile ends.

The second verse of "Silent Night" marvels at the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world:

Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born

Luke 2:8-14 tells us of the shepherds who were told the good news of Jesus' birth:
"8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

God chose to reveal the good news first to shepherds, who were not high-society types but considered quite lowly in the culture of the day. Yahweh did not choose to reveal the birth of the Messiah to kings, the priesthood, or the wealthy and accomplished. He chose those who were looked down upon and often times despised by those around them. He chose shepherds because they had to lead and protect their flock from wolves and thieves, just like Jesus comes to shepherd us through the trials of this life.  

Consider 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."

Many of us are not wealthy and powerful; we're not wealthy CEOs, famous actresses, powerful political leaders. And even regular secular people consider believers to be fools. But guess what? Even as Jesus shamed the wise in His day and defeated Satan on the cross through His death and resurrection, so are we chosen to shame the wise and strong of our day through our faith in Christ.

We can sing "Christ the Savior is born!" with great joy and hope, knowing that whatever trials and tribulations come our way, God is with us, and ultimately the little baby Jesus, meek and mild as a lamb, is coming back one day soon as the Lion of Judah to put down His enemies and establish His kingdom of peace on the entire earth.  

Christmas reminds us that we have great things to look forward to, not just presents under the Christmas tree, but an eternal kingdom of peace where righteousness rules, where good is called good and evil evil, and not the other way around.

We've gone through 4 verses of the beautiful hymn, O Come O Come Emmanuel (Part 1, Part 2). Let’s continue working through the next two verses.

5. “O Come, Thou Day Spiring, come and cheer,”
Our spirits by Thine Advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. 

The word “Oriens” means “rising” and often refers to the “morning star,” the bright star that appears just before the sun rises. After the darkness of a long night, the appearance of the morning star brings hope and light, driving away the darkness off night and heralds the new day. Jesus refers to Himself as the “bring and morning star” in Revelation 22:16. In a deeper sense, Jesus brings us hope and He is the “light of the world” (John 8:12), driving away the darkness and heralding the dawning of the new day. Zechariah, father of Jesus’ cousin John, prophesied that his son would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways” and, “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 1:78-79).

I’m reminded of Samwise in Two Towers:

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”

May Christ shine out all the clearer for you this Advent.


6. “O come, Desire of Nations, bind”
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid every strife and quarrel cease
And fill the while world with heaven’s peace.

I find this stanza so interesting because the English is very different from the Latin. In Latin, the direct translation is “ Come, come, King of the peoples! Come, Redeemer of all, That you may save your servants Who are conscious of sin.” This very simple idea, that Christ is King of the Nations, Redeemer of all, is still quite controversial when taken less “spiritually,” and more radically true. Jesus is KING of the NATIONS. It reminds me of Psalm 2:

“Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Not only is He King, He is REDEEMER. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13). He has rescued us from the curse of sin and death, taking its punishment upon Himself, paying the heavy price for all who believe. Praise God that our Redeemer came and is coming again!  

The English version is certainly beautiful, but the Latin version hits on some themes we desperately need to hear in our day. This Advent, may you trust in the Redeemer King, Jesus, who came to set us free from sin and death, and rescues all His people from darkness into His glorious light!

"Silent Night" is a well-loved and favorite Christmas hymn. It was written by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The church's organ was broken that night, so the song was sung to guitar. From there, the song spread across Europe, and during a Christmas truce in 1914 during World War 1, soldiers from both sides stopped fighting and sang the famous song together.

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace

The first verse points us to the virgin birth, which had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier in Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

The world around us laughs at the idea of a virgin birth, and through earthly eyes, yes, this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Not only can God give the virgin Mary a baby, but that baby is "Immanuel," which means "God with us." This is the most exciting news of all, that God was willing to come down from heaven to earth in human form and dwell with us.

The first verse paints a beautiful picture of peace, concluding with "Sleep in heavenly peace." We can picture the baby Jesus sleeping peacefully with his mother, perhaps with Joseph nearby looking on in awe at what it all might mean. But I also think it allows us, all of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, that we too can sleep in peace. Outside us, the world may rage in controversy, foolishness, and sin, but no matter what is happening, we sleep in peace knowing that our eternal future is secure in his hands. We can be at peace knowing what Jesus said in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."  

And that is good news indeed!

Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise us the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Phil 2:5-7

I doubt I could recommend reading the book of Philippians enough. This hymn hits upon one of my favorite passages of the book directing our attention to the incredible humility of Jesus Christ. He lays His glory to the side taking instead the form of a servant. Have you considered the love of Christ from this perspective, the humiliation He embraced and endured to accomplish your redemption?

Why was Christ born in Bethlehem all those years ago? He is named Jesus because He will save His people from their sin. He is born to conquer death. He is born to raise and resurrect. He is born that we might be born again! (John 3) He came down to lift us up.

My prayer for all of us this Advent season the joy of this hymn in the depths of our hearts. That we would join the anthem of the skies, the angel’s song! That we would be overcome with the good news of Christmas as were the shepherds who heard that original angelic proclamation!

Slow down this season! Pray and Listen!

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.

All glory and honor to Jesus Christ! He was born into the flesh by the very power of God most High, given to be the Prince of Peace! Praise Him for this divine act of mercy and redemption!

The hymn pulls from Malachi 4 where the prophet speaks of the coming day of the LORD. The burning day of judgment would seem ill suited for our Christmas exultations but there is a word of hope and mercy for those who trust the LORD. “But for those who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 4:2-3)

Light, Life, and healing come to those who fear the name of the LORD, who hope in the living God. All these promises are yes in Christ, and for those who receive them they bring joy like the leaping baby calf.

The world may feel dark and dreary in our days, oppressive and crushing at every turn. Yet as we turn our hearts toward Advent, not only the birth of Christ but His return, we remember the fate of God’s people is deliverance from the wicked of the world. Justice will be complete, and the heat of God’s wrath will consume the enemies of God.

So too would we perish except for the great mercy of God secured by Christ’s death on the cross. Because of this great mercy when the Sun of righteousness rises it will not burn us in judgment but it will heal us in grace.
Pray and turn to the Lord Jesus this season, embracing His healing warmth and light! Be filled with the joy of our salvation in Christ our King! He will return again for His people!