Life Ministries

“Do You Know What I Know?”
Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 

    “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”…. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.”

Scripture – John 1:1-18

    The Christmas story really begins with one Old Testament prophecy after another of a promised Savior; a coming King; the Messiah; who would redeem his people and reconcile them unto God the Father. The centerpiece, so to speak, of all these prophecies is Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 which was written nearly 600 years before Jesus birth. That would be like someone giving a prophecy in the year 1407 that would we would see fulfilled today!  In fact, there was a prophecy, a promise given even longer ago that that; 30 some years after Jesus birth that could very well be fulfilled right now, today, at any given moment; and that is Christ’s return!  “Do you know what I know?”

    Writing under divine influence, Isaiah was able to see across the centuries, and give us an amazingly accurate picture of the Savior’s birth. Even though he may not have known it at the time, the details of this prophecy were fulfilled too precisely for the connection to be dismissed as chance or coincidence.
    At Christmas time we tend to focus on the infancy of Christ, and it is the story of his birth, but the greater truth is his Deity. Even more astonishing than the Christ child born in the manger of Bethlehem, is the fact that this promised baby was the omnipotent creator of heaven and earth! He, in fact was almighty God in the flesh! John calls him the “Word”…“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!” Is it any wonder then, that his coming would dramatically, and forever alter human history? More than a baby…More than a man…More than a teacher or preacher… More than a prophet or a great leader of men… and my question for you concerning Jesus today is “Do you know what I know?”
    God’s Word, from beginning to end, is all about Jesus and God’s plan for mankind, but let’s just look at John 1: 2 – “He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
    When Jesus said “the Father and I are one” John understood. When Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” John understood. When Jesus said “I am the light of the world” John understood; and he wrote “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” I think John knew and understood more about Jesus than we give him credit for. I think this is one reason why John was closer to Jesus than the other disciples. I think this is why John was the only disciple mentioned at the Cross, as he stood there with Mary.
    “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” Some other translations read “The light shines in the dark, but the dark has never extinguished it.” Oh, they have tried to extinguish the light for centuries, ever since Jesus was born. In the story, King Herod tries by ordering that all male Jewish children under the age of two years are to be killed! That was the beginning…Today, they have taken prayer out of schools, the Ten Commandments off the walls, and even tried to take “under God” out of our pledge of allegiance! “The darkness has never extinguished the light,” and they never will!  Isaish said “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” which looks beyond the first Christmas to a time in the still prophetic future, when Christ shall reign over all the earth, and every knee will bow and every heart confess!” And, the kingdoms and nations, and governments will all be subject to the rule of Christ the King!  Zechariah 14:9 – “The Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name shall be the only name!”
    Verse 6 and 7 - “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John”…not John the writer of the Gospel words, but John the Baptist. “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.” Those of us who have made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ, are called to be witnesses. The shepherds in the story went from the manger in Bethlehem to be witnesses that “what they heard and what they saw was true”…and it says that the “people were amazed at what the shepherds said.” God wants us to witness to the world the wonderful, “good news of great joy” every day, everywhere, to everyone we know, not just at Christmas time.
    In verse 14 and 16 John says “we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace we and truth”…”From the fullness of his grace we all have received one blessing after another.” Have you ever noticed that verse before? “From the fullness of his grace we all have received one blessing after another!” It begins with the greatest blessing of God’s grace, and that is the promise of eternal life. But, it doesn’t end there. The blessings come one after another when you have Jesus in your heart as Savior and Lord. He said “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly”… Life, real, full, blessed, here and now; as well as eternal life that we can’t even comprehend neither the enormity of nor the blessings of! “No eye hath seen, no ear hath heard, no mind can conceive, what God has prepared for those who love him!”
    So, you see, the Christmas story goes far deeper, and far beyond just seeing and hearing, it is something we must know! 
    Though born a babe in a lowly manger, he was and is the “Alpha and the Omega” the beginning and the end. He knows and sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning…He who is timeless, chose to step into time and live as we live…and die as we die…in order that he might be – as scripture says - “the perfecter of our faith.”
    In verse 18 John says “no one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known”…There is no greater purpose of Christmas than for us to truly understand and know this one who lay in the manger of Bethlehem. Who he was, why he came, why he died, and why he will come again… “Do you know what I know?”