Stepping in the Light

“And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.” Luke 6:17-19

Jesus went up into a mountain and had spent the entire night in prayer. In the morning, He chose twelve from the disciples who were following Him and called them apostles. When they came down from the mountain, a multitude had gathered there to hear Him preach, and many among them had come in hopes that they would be healed. As Jesus began healing people and casting out evil spirits, the crowd pressed close to Him. They wanted to touch Jesus because they believed that just a touch would be enough to heal them. Jesus’ power and His compassion were displayed that day as the people crowded closer to Him. The Bible tells us of times when not all of the sick people who came to hear Jesus were healed, but on this occasion we see that He healed them all. Was it because of their faith? Was it because they put forth the effort to try to get close to Jesus and touch Him? Was it because Jesus had spent the night in prayer?  It seems that this is an example of how God wants us to believe that He can solve our problems and meet our needs. Are you reaching out to touch Him today?

“But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:30-32

Everyone is capable of displaying self-righteous tendencies from time to time. For the scribes and Pharisees, self-righteousness was the very heart of their understanding of religion. The goal was to be as good as you could be and make sure that as many people as possible were aware of your righteous living. At first glance, this seems logical to a person who has a desire to be known as an upstanding person. However, a self-righteous attitude flies in the face of a Holy God. Jesus often stressed the importance of humility and taking personal responsibility for our sin. The scribes and Pharisees wanted to know why Jesus spent time with people who were living obviously sinful lives. Jesus let them know that those who understand that they are sinners are the only ones who are willing to come to God for help. Jesus was not saying that there were some people who did not need to be saved, but rather that some people are not willing to recognize their need to be saved. Jesus knew that the Pharisees were just as sinful as the publicans, but the Pharisees were not willing to admit their sin. Jesus is still calling for sinners today. He is seeking for those who are sick of their spiritual condition and are willing to call on Him for salvation and forgiveness.

“And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.” Judges 7:13-15

Gideon was less than confident about his ability to lead and his chances of victory in the battle against the Midianites. He asked the angel that appeared to him for a sign that their conversation was real. He put out a fleece two nights in a row asking for a sign from God that they would win. The Lord had Gideon send most of the people home after the test of how they drank from the brook. God knew that Gideon was afraid to lead the remaining 300 men against such a vast army, so He sent him down to spy on the host of the Midianites during the night. While Gideon was there, he overheard a conversation that completely convinced him that God had sent him and that they would ultimately prevail. God is never uncertain when it comes to accomplishing His will and He is totally capable of helping us see the direction that He desires for us to take.

“And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? Will ye save him? He that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.” Judges 6:31-32

An angel appeared to Gideon and told him that he was chosen to lead his people against the Midianites who had invaded their land and greatly oppressed them. Gideon lacked confidence, but he reluctantly agreed to organize the resistance against the enemy forces. The Lord spoke to Gideon that night and told him to tear down the altar of Baal and cut down the grove that was by it. Gideon took some of his father’s servants and did exactly as God had told him. He then built an altar to the Lord and made a sacrifice on it. In the morning, when the men of the city had seen what had been done to the place where they worshipped their false gods, they demanded that Gideon be put to death. But Gideon’s father, Joash, came to his defense with this argument: if Baal is really a god, let him defend himself.  The reason the people were being oppressed by the Midianites was that they had turned to false gods. When Gideon took a stand for the Lord, he caused quite a stir amongst those who worshipped Baal. Our desire to avoid hurting people’s feelings is understandable, but you cannot stand for God without standing against the devil.

“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.” Judges 2:10-13

God chose the people of Israel. He promised Abraham that He would make a great nation of him and that through this nation all the people of the world would be blessed. God’s hand is clearly seen as the history of Israel unfolds. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wandered as strangers in a land that was not their own. God used Joseph to spare his family during the famine, but they remained in slavery in Egypt until the Lord sent Moses to lead them out. The Israelites saw the plagues in Egypt, walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, and ate manna from heaven every day. They crossed the Jordan River and conquered the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. But soon after the people who experienced all of these things firsthand were gone, the Israelites quickly turned to other gods and began to worship them. The lesson here is that we need to constantly remind ourselves and the people around us of the goodness of God and the great things that He has done.

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22

The baptism of Jesus is significant for several reasons. Jesus submitted Himself to baptism as an example to all of us (Matthew 3:15). Baptism pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:1-5). It demonstrates a desire to follow a new path (Acts 8:36-38). Perhaps more importantly, we are given a clear glimpse of the Trinity. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in a bodily shape like a dove, and the voice of God the Father was heard from heaven. The people who were present saw Jesus (God the Son), they saw the shape of the dove (the Holy Spirit), and they heard the voice of God the Father all at the same time. The voice they heard said, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Our Heavenly Father wanted us to know Who Jesus was and that He was pleased with what Jesus was getting ready to do. Over the next three-and-a-half years, Jesus travelled about preaching to the multitudes, teaching His disciples, and healing the sick. All the while, Christ was preparing for the completion of His mission here on earth to die for the sins of the world. God the Father was perfectly pleased with the work of His Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2:52

I am amazed when I stop to ponder the life that our Lord lived here on earth and how different it must have been from His experience in eternity past. According to John chapter one, Jesus Christ was the active member of the Godhead in creation. “All things were made by Him,” (John 1:3). He had all power, He was perfect, and He knew everything; yet He chose to come to this earth as a baby Who would have to learn how to walk and talk like everyone else does. He became hungry; He grew weary. The text above tells us that Jesus grew in four specific areas: wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with man. Jesus’ body grew each day at the rate of any normal human being. As that was happening, He was also learning. He chose to limit Himself to the mind in the human body that He possessed, so He needed to learn to read and write like any other young child. He also increased in favor with man. He learned how to interact with others and became an increasingly likable person. The more Jesus grew, the more He pleased God the Father because it was exactly what He needed to do to fulfill His mission on earth.

It is difficult to understand how the Son of God could experience personal growth, but this truth is an excellent example for all of us as Christians. If we want to please our Heavenly Father, we need to grow in the same way that He did.

“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79

Zacharias was an elderly priest who had served the Lord faithfully all his life. God sent an angel to tell Zacharias that he and his wife were going to have a son who would go before the promised Messiah to prepare the hearts of the people. Zacharias asked for a sign that this was really going to come to pass and the angel told him that he would be unable to speak until the child was born. Undoubtedly, the next nine months were difficult for Zacharias, but when their son was born, God gave Zacharias the ability to speak again. Zacharias began to prophesy about the amazing things that God was doing. The people had waited so long for the Messiah. They had focused so much on the prophecies about Christ’s millennial kingdom that they were only looking for someone who would be a great military leader. However, at the end of Zacharias’ prophecy, he said that the Christ would “guide our feet into the way of peace.” Jesus came so that we could experience peace with God. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The only way that we can ever know the way of peace is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:13-14

Five kings of the Amorites joined together to make war against the Israelites. This was a mighty force, but God spoke to Joshua and told him not to be afraid. Joshua and the Israelite army marched through the night and launched a surprise attack against this vast army. Caught off guard, the enemy soldiers began to retreat. As the Amorites ran from the Israelites, God rained down giant hailstones on the Amorite host. More Amorites were killed by the hailstones than by the Israelite soldiers. The battle lasted all day, and as the sun began to go down, Joshua perceived that the opportunity to completely defeat the entire Amorite army was slipping away. The Israelites were winning, but they needed more time. Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still in the sky, and God answered his prayer. The Lord gave Joshua an additional day’s worth of sunlight to pursue the Amorites. “The Lord fought for Israel.” God had promised that He would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, and He was doing exactly as He said. The Bible is filled with promises for believers. It is encouraging to see that God always keeps His Word.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37

When we say that something is impossible, we mean that it cannot be done. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the message that she would be the one to bear the promised Messiah. Mary was willing to do what God wanted her to do, but she wondered how it could be true. She said to the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Humanly speaking, what the angel said was impossible. Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elisabeth who had been barren was now expecting a child in her old age. Then the angel said, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Gabriel was explaining to Mary that God was already doing things that no one thought possible, and that she needed to believe that He would do as promised. He is the God of the impossible.

We have to believe that God can do the impossible in order to be saved. We are sinners with no hope of ever ridding ourselves of our sin; but Jesus did the impossible by coming to this earth, living a sinless life, dying on the cross to pay for our sins, and rising again from the grave to show that He had the power to free us from our sins. It requires faith to believe that God can do the impossible.

God not only wants us to understand that He can do anything, He wants us to believe that He will do exactly as He has promised in His Word.