[Christ Our Rock] Too Good NOT to be True (Dec 08)
Christ Our Rock Bible Church
"Already in awe over his chance to represent the people in the Holy of Holies, Zechariah had considered himself to be a blessed man to step through the curtain into God's very presence. He was so concerned with avoiding disrespect in his duties that it never occurred to him God might honor him with a personal messenger. Gabriel's appearance was shocking enough, but the message he delivered left Zechariah trembling. Not only would he and Elizabeth bear a son in impossibly old age, but that son would set in motion the central act in God's plan to make things right with the world.
"For me, the choice had been clear. Gabriel's message was too good NOT to be true.I wondered what had been so hard for…Zechariah that Gabriel had taken his voice. I asked. His weathered features squinted in response. He sighed, shrugged, and shook his head. He…scribbled his answer—'I guess this old oak needed to be quiet for a while." Yes, I think that just may be the point! The season of Advent must be a time to settle into the Word and the will of God, and just soak in His incredible plan for our salvation. We often speak of certain offers being too good to be true, but this is most certainly too good NOT be true! Praise God—the offspring of the elderly couple would indeed be, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight." (Mt. 3:3) He would be the one to "set in motion" the plan of God! Elizabeth saw the big picture when she told Mary concerning her offspring. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." (Luke 1:42-45)
Praise God—it's not all in the future any more—even the angels would proclaim it to the shepherds—"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) This will even be recognized in the very last of days—"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Rev. 22:16) Since this "offspring" is our focus right now, let me show you it's "roots." It comes from the Greek "genos," referring to being "kin" to, or being from the stock or lineage. In fact, it's "root" word is "ginomai"—the primary verb, to cause to be. In other words, "is." That's right—Jesus is!
A correlative term to this "offspring" is that this Jesus is the "seed." Genesis 3:15 makes clear that the coming Savior would be the "seed of a woman." But He would also be identified as the "seed of Abraham," as well as the "seed of David." As the seed and son of Abraham, Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant child of promise, originally embodying the miraculous birth of Isaac. Paul affirms that, "Jesus Christ our Lord…was made of the seed of David according to the flesh," (Romans 1:3) and that as "the seed of David He was raised from the dead…""…the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32b,33)So, as you can see, this offspring, or seed, actually holds the secret and sustenance of life itself. In fact, the very first mention of "seed" in the Bible renders to us an amazing clue as to its significance. Promised in Genesis 1:11, we see it come to pass in the very next verse—"And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." (vs. 12) Yes, the seed was in itself!
(2 Tim. 2:8) As this seed, He is the fulfillment of many prophecies focusing on royalty and sovereignty. The angel Gabriel even promised this to Mary—
Praise God—if life is in the seed—and, of course, it is—true life is in Christ! But, as we know that a seed needs to be buried in the earth to produce life, we must also know that Jesus applied that very same truth to Himself—"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."(John 12:24)So, you see, this does not just speak of any seed or seeds—there is but one eternal life-giving seed—"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."born to die—for you and for me!
(Galatians 3:16) Everything points to Jesus—the Holy Seed. He alone is our satisfying substance. He was
And wait till you see what kind of life that produces! Isaiah tells us clearly that through His agonizing suffering and death, "…He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied…" (53:10,11) Imagine—He shall see His seed!!! Praise God—this whole thing is too good NOT to be true! His supreme sacrifice was the condition to bring us into the family of God. Otherwise, we were estranged from the Father due to our sin, but now He has paid the price. He became the seed of the woman for the express purpose of bringing all that are born of man and woman into a parent-child relationship through His finished work on the Cross and the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit—IF they will want it, and surrender to it! Are you not totally overwhelmed by the prospect of being born-again, and thereby, being a "seed" of Christ?—"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9) And once He is in us, He sees within us the suffering of His own soul, and is satisfied. I think that one of the most powerful examples of this divine satisfaction was at the Cross—His dying promise to the dying repentant thief, "…Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) As Herbert Lockyer once put it, "The refreshment after travail, because of the travail, was already present to the sufferer's consciousness." In fact, the Bible clearly states that both the travail and the refreshment were in His consciousness since before the beginning of time!
Yes, there is no doubt—it is all too good not to be true! During this Christmas season, we can all have a tendency to get so busy and so consumed by the activities, that we lose touch with the reason for the season. God has set in motion the central act in His plan to make things right with the world. Lest it all be lost—or at the very least, overshadowed—by the events of the holidays, let us remember the original pronunciation of that word is "holy days." I think it is about time that the old oaks—all of us—be quiet and let God be God! As the Psalmist put it—"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (46:10)
Yes, to cease from our own works—our own ideas and strength. We need to stop interpreting Scripture through the lens of our own circumstances, shaping everything God says to fit us according to what makes sense to us. Rather, we must desire for Scripture to interpret our experiences—there will be some very difficult times ahead in many different ways, and we must let God's Holy Word, and not our understanding, be our guide. Remember—Scripture is not open to "private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20) Find your peace and security in Him alone—He is! He is the sovereign God of the Universe and beyond—He alone is in total control. He alone can give us the big picture. He is returning soon. Will the Seed of the woman, Abraham, and David, see His seed—you and me—living His life, and all to His glory? Will He see it this Christmas? It is too good NOT to be true!!!
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Posted By Christ Our Rock Bible Church to Christ Our Rock at 12/01/2008 01:00:00 PM