Dear Weekly Readers!
God’s Peace!
We are now moving onward into the Advent season in the
Christian calendar. Perhaps on Sunday we
will hear of John the Baptist and his message to the world to prepare for the
coming of the Lord! Are we prepared for
our Lord to come? Have we repented? Do we live in daily repentance? Do we seek God’s face and will in our lives,
or are we following or chasing after the worldly possessions and goods? Do we seek after those things that satisfy
not, or are we pursuing the Lord and seeking to learn of Him? Are we looking to partake of the Bread of
Life and the Living Water? Let us
ponder these things during this season leading up to His birth!
Please enjoy another article by Pastor Elmer Y.
The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined… For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:2, 6
PROPHET ISAIAH WAS CALLED BY God at a time in history
when the nation had experienced great prosperity and affluence but things were
not going well for them. There was indifference, violence, corruption, fraud,
abuses of power and immorality. They were worshipping idols and had forsaken
the true God. The people walked in darkness.
It was time for God to reveal Himself to His creatures. He
gives us hope for we have a gracious and loving Father who wants to draw us to
Himself! This hope is found in the Christmas Child, the Savior of the world. Apostle
Matthew reminds us of Isaiah's words when he says, The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to
them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to
preach, and to say, Repent: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:16-17)
The words of Isaiah written over 700 years before the birth of
Christ had now come true. God never fails to fulfill His promises. God's
timetable is not like ours but His Word and promises are sure for He is
everlasting truth. But when the
fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
The Father in heaven seeks us. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him. (John 6:44) The Father by His grace reveals the
light to penetrate our souls, and leads us to repentance. Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(1 John 4:10)
The heavenly Father revealed the birth of the Savior to the
shepherds in Bethlehem and it was the Father in heaven who led the wise men to
the Christ Child by the bright star. When the light was revealed to them they believed
and obeyed and they started on their journey to the Christ Child. When we are
indifferent and do not see our need for a Savior, we are in darkness and blind
in our trespasses and sins. This Light must come to us also.
When this Light is revealed to us, we see the holiness of
God and our sinfulness as Isaiah did when God called him. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of
the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth,
and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken
away, and thy sin purged.
(Isaiah 6:5-7) We come to know that we cannot redeem ourselves
from our sins. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
When we are reconciled to God, this Light comes to live
within us. He leads us into all truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) We become children that desire to do
the will of God and shun evil.
The shepherds and the wise men rejoiced and glorified God
when they found the Christ Child. When we possess the greatest Christmas gift
ever given, the Lord Jesus Christ, we too can rejoice and praise God. We must
be willing to share the good news and be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. (1 Peter
3:15)
Isaiah gives five titles to this Child:
• His name shall be called Wonderful. He is all in all. He keeps His church in His
care. Not even the gates of hell can prevail against Him (Matthew 16:18).
• He is called Counselor. Truth comes from Him. His
Word is truth. Do we lack wisdom? Ask Him!
• He is called the Mighty God. Jesus Christ is God, who
was victorious over Satan, death and the world. He is God with us! Jesus said,
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18)."
• He is called the Everlasting Father. He protects us
and preserves us. He will not fail us, nor forsake us. He is the Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and end, the first and last. He intercedes for us before
the Father.
• He is the Prince of Peace. He came to reconcile the
world to God, to turn people from darkness to His Light, from the power of
Satan unto God. He gives us peace through the forgiveness of sins.
These five names teach us that Jesus Christ is all in all and
we can trust Him no matter what we face. He came as a Baby in the manger so we
would not be afraid to draw near to Him. He leads us to the Father, for He is
one with the Father (John 10:30)!
THE WORLD IN IGNORANCE MAY try to remove all mention of
Christ from Christmas, but the world will never succeed in destroying His power
and the wonderful message of the forgiveness of sins in the name and blood of
Jesus. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus truly changed the world. He
is truly the King of Kings! The day will come when at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
Perhaps many are confused and fearful of what is happening
in the world around us, along with our personal trials. However, we can rejoice
and praise God as we celebrate this Christmas season, secure in the knowledge that
God is still on His throne and will see us through whatever the new year may
bring. ~
Pastor Elmer Yliniemi
Wolf Lake, Minnesota
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