Category: Devotions

MONDAY October 14^th

 

We come today to look at the second event in the life of Jesus that we need to consider before he arrived at the ‘synagogue moment’ in Luke 4 which I have been leading up to and it is found in the same chapter. Luke 4 and in verses 1-13, but we will use for today just verses 1-2.

 

‘And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.’

 

‘And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit . . . was led by the Spirit’.

 

In our previous devotion we considered that the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove and ‘rested’ upon Jesus. But here today in our text we see that the Holy Spirit was IN Jesus, for he was full of the Holy Spirit, and he was led by the Holy Spirit.

 

Now, remember that Jesus was God in the flesh, so why did he need the Holy Spirit? Well, he needed the Holy Spirit in his humanity. He had laid aside as we sing in a chorus, his majesty, he had humbled himself, to become a man, and as a man he needed the help of and the power of the Holy Spirit. In his humanity Jesus would become tired, hungry, and he was as we see about to be tempted. But he was going to enter this time of temptation equipped with the Holy Spirit’s help and power.

 

We will look at the three temptations over the next few devotions, but will skip over them for now to see what Luke continues to record in verse 18 of the same chapter, ‘And Jesus returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to Galilee . . .’

 

It was essential for Jesus to be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit to fulfil the mission he was about to embark on. We will see this when we come to the first statement Jesus makes as he stands up in the synagogue later in this same chapter, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to. . .’ And as we see later it was a requirement for the disciples as they were going to carry out the commission given them to go into all the world and to make disciples, for Jesus tells them to wait first till they had been endued or clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

As the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit has been given to us so we can also be empowered and equipped to fulfil whatever it is that God requires each of us to be involved in has we seek to live for him and serve him daily.

 

It leads me to end this devotion with my theme text for this year, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts’, Zechariah 4:6.

FRIDAY October 11^th

 

Luke 3:21-22

‘Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”’

 

The first thing that Jesus needed to do was to be baptized in the Jordan river, but I say ‘needed’ carefully, for the baptism that was taking place by the man known as John the Baptist was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. And Jesus being sinless, had no need of repentance. But what he needed to do, was to identify himself with the people. In Matthews account Jesus says to John that it was fitting for him to fulfil all righteousness. He in being presented to the people wanted to show to them that he was willing, although it wasn’t necessary for himself to fulfil that which was required by them.

 

But the part of the verses that I want to draw our attention to is what followed immediately after Jesus had been baptized by John.

 

From Luke as above, ‘. . . the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”’

 

Matthew’s record 3:16-17 says this ‘the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

Mark 1:10–11 reads as ‘. . . immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”’

 

If ever there are verses that help us to see the doctrine of the trinity which we considered back a week or so as we commenced these devotions it is these. The people who witnessed the baptism, would have heard the voice of God the Father, they would have seen the Holy Spirit has he descended and rested on Jesus like a dove, and they would have heard the declaration that was made, that Jesus was the ‘beloved Son’ in whom God the Father was pleased.

 

Now, God was pleased with Jesus in every way, but specifically here, can I suggest that he was pleased that his Son had willingly identified himself with those around him by submitting to the baptism.

 

Baptism is one of the two ordinances that the Protestant arm of the Church believes and practise as being important to the Church, the other being the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, communion.

 

We follow through with both ordinances in obedience to the instruction of Jesus.

Regarding water baptism, in the commission that he gave to his disciples, he told them to ‘Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’, see here is the unity of the three persons of the Godhead again, the trinitarian baptism formula.

 

Regarding communion, the instruction that Jesus gave was as noted by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11, ‘to do this’ (that is break bread together and to drink of the cup together) ‘in remembrance of me’ and in doing it we are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.

 

Have you in coming to faith been obedient to the ordinance of water baptism? And let’s be faithful as believers (for it is only those who have come to faith in Christ who should participate in Communion) in coming on a regular basis to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.

THURSDAY October 10^th

 

We are going to jump today a few years from Jesus being a twelve-year-old boy in the temple, to being a man of aprox’30 years of age found in the synagogues.

 

That is 18 years later from Luke 2:41-50, and we read of this in Luke 4:14-15, ‘And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

 

Now, I have missed out some crucial verses that come before this, but we will turn to them over the next devotion or two, but we see here the words ‘a report about him went out through all the surrounding country’ it then continues ‘And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all’.

 

The One who confounded the rulers back in the temple 18 years previously had spent some time in the carpentry business, his earthly father being a carpenter, but as he worked with his hands, (imagine how special it would have been to have some of the furniture in your home that Jesus had made), he would also have grown as we saw in the previous devotion ‘in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man’ (Luke 2:52), until it came to the point where he was ready to be released into the public ministry which God by the power of the Holy Spirit had been preparing him for.

 

See, sometimes we think that as a man because Jesus was God in the flesh that he was somehow so extraordinarily special (and he was of course) that he didn’t need to learn, grow and develop, but he did, because he had to be as we read in Hebrews subject to the same limitations as we, and undergo the same temptations as we so that he having survived and overcome these things would also be able to give the succour, strength and support to us as we when we come to faith in him would need. This is what the Hebrew writer says: ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15), but we need to also read what it continues to say ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (v16). Feeling powerless and helpless today as you read this devotion? Then draw near to the throne of grace, the Saviour is waiting for you.

 

 

Jesus was as real as a man as you and I are, (yet he without sin) and he lived in such a way that he has left us an incredible example to follow.

 

Now, back in the temple at 12 years of age, he amazed those who heard him, but as he spoke to his parents and told them that he must be about his Father’s business, it says that they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them (Luke 2:50).

 

But now, as we come to the verses today, they were going to see what it was all about, exactly what he meant, and not only his parents, but also those who lived in the locality. This baby born in a stable, who confounded the rulers in the temple, was about to embark on a three-year long mission which was to be like nothing else that had ever been before and has never been since. But first there was a couple of things that needed to take place and then we will return to see Jesus in a synagogue again. He needed to go through the water of baptism and then he needed to go through the wilderness experience.

 

WEDNESDAY October 9^th

 

Well, it seems as if Christmas as come early as I have been sharing these devotions around the birth of Jesus, but why shouldn’t we celebrate his first arrival all year around! But today we are going to advance just a little with some more verses from Luke 2, firstly verse 40 and then verse 52

 

‘And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.’

 

‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man.’

 

As much as we love to celebrate the good news that this baby had been born two-thousand years ago in the little town of Bethlehem, we also celebrate that he didn’t remain as a baby but as with all other babies he began to grow and to develop into manhood. He had come with a specific mission, that was to be the Saviour of the world, but at this point I want to add something else into the ring, he was going to become the Man who would be our representative in heaven. But to do so, he would need to move from being a baby to a man.

 

These two verses tell us that he did grow up, he did mature, he became strong, was filled with wisdom and increased in stature and the favour of God was upon him. There is something about what we read about Jesus here that should also be a picture of what should happen to each one of us as we are born again by the Spirit of God. We cannot and must not remain as babes, we need to mature, grow in spiritual stature, be filled with wisdom, become spiritually strong and we can also know the favour of God upon us.

 

Now, sandwiched in between these two verses is another verse which I want to highlight as well concerning Jesus and it is verse 49. It is linked to the account when Jesus at 12 years of age had gone to the temple with his parents, afterward they began the journey home and after a day’s journey Mary and Joseph had realised that Jesus was not with them, and after searching three days later they found him in the temple. We know the story, and after they had enquired of him as to what he was doing he answered ‘“Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” I actually much prefer the KJV here (Norman cheers), ‘How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?’

 

Jesus knew that what mattered more than anything else, even as a young lad was to be doing this Father’s business, that is fulfilling the will of God. What an example Jesus is to each one of us, as we begin our Christian journey, and as we continue our Christian journey, no matter how long we have been on it, no matter what we would consider to be our level of maturity, that the priority should be to be going about our heavenly Father’s business.

TUESDAY October 8^th

 

Luke 2:38

‘And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.’

 

I have remained in Luke chapter 2, because as I have been preparing these devotions, there is a recurring them, well, two themes which I will mention.

The first is the theme of joy, which I touched on in a devotion last week.

 

The birth of Jesus brought joy! The angel had said to the shepherds, ‘I bring you good news of great joy’. Not just casual joy but GREAT joy! Imagine the joy in the stable, imagine the joy on the hillside, it was joy that led to praise and glory to God. It was joy that captured the hearts of the individuals.

 

Imagine the joy that would have suddenly erupted in the heart of Simeon when he finally saw the child Jesus. I haven’t mentioned the wise men which we read of in Matthew 2:10, but this is what it says, ‘When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy’ Why? Because it had led them to the One who alone could give real joy, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Did you know that the Bible also gives the account of an unborn baby leaping for joy! Yes, it was when Mary had received the news that she was going to have her baby and she went to tell her cousin Elizabeth who was also expecting a baby, and as Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby leaped in her womb, she exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ She continues to say, ‘the baby in my womb leaped for joy’.

 

The same scripture, in Luke 1:46-47 continues to tell us that Mary burst into song, singing ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.’  Well, if you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart. We who have come to know Jesus should be leaping for joy!

 

Then we have the lady called Anna in our verses today, it doesn’t mention the word joy, but it is evident, for the very fact that she was in the temple at the same time as Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Simeon. In fact, it says she lived in the temple day and night worshipping God with fasting. But this day was a special day, she also had seen Jesus, and it says that she thanked God and began to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Seeing Jesus had gripped her with such joy that she could not help but speak about him to others.

MONDAY October 7^th

 

Luke 2:29-32

‘“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”’

 

Imagine that you had been brought up in a Jewish home, had been instructed from the torah as God had instructed back in the time of Moses, ‘And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise’, Deuteronomy 6:6–7.

 

You would have also learnt what was contained in the Psalms and the books of the prophets, there is no doubt that you would have grown up waiting with eager anticipation for the One who had been promised, the One who was to be the Messiah.

 

Today’s verses reveal to us a man who had been such a person, but now, he was getting on in years, and like everyone else he had been patiently waiting for the consolation of Israel.

 

But he waited in a different way, because the scripture tells us that the Holy Sprit had revealed to this man, whose name was Simeon, that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ!

 

Imagine him waking up every morning and thinking to himself, ‘I wonder if today is going to be the day’, and he waited and waited, until one day as he was in the temple, maybe the door creaked as it opened, and as he looked, in walked Mary and Joseph with a child, to do for him according to the custom. And by the Spirit, Simeon immediately knew who this young child was, and immediately blessed God saying ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation. . .’ He had finally seen the One who was to come, not just as the Messiah but also as the means of salvation for the world.

 

Well, for us, we are waiting for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, now, we do not know when he is coming again, but are we waiting like Simeon with eager anticipation? Maybe you are reading this devotion, and you have never accepted Jesus as your Saviour, well, allow this devotion to be a word that is to warn you that Jesus is coming again, this time not to die, but to take to himself all who have placed their faith and trust in him. Everyone else will be left behind. Make yourself ready, by coming to believe on him and to accept him.

FRIDAY October 4^th

 

Well, we need to continue our incredible story, by peeping into and looking at the scenes that happened firstly in and then around a little town in Bethlehem.

 

The little bundle of joy that Mary cradled in her arms was God in the flesh! The One who created all things is now cooing, the One who dispelled darkness and said, ‘Let there be light’, was now being carefully cared for under the light of an oil lamp in a stable, the One who had enjoyed fellowship in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit in eternity past, was now bringing delight to Mary and Joseph, what an incredible scene.

 

But a few miles away there were some shepherds tending their flock, when suddenly the dark sky was lit up, and Luke recounts for us in Luke 2, ‘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. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.’

 

The joy that would have filled the hearts of Mary and Joseph was not only for them, but for the shepherds, and not only them as well, but as the angel said, ‘good news of great joy that will be for all the people’, and why, because this baby was to be the Saviour, and we have some more names for him, ‘who is Christ the Lord.’

 

I love the part of this narrative that says, ‘When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.’ In this are just seven words that I love ‘And they went with haste and found’, what did they find, yes, Mary and Joseph, but more importantly they found Jesus! Oh, that men and women today would make haste to find Jesus! But, then what did they do?

 

Well, it is in verse 17 ‘And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.’ They told others about Jesus! Yes, they had seen him, and they wanted others to know all about it, that that night a Saviour had been born.

 

And we who have seen Jesus spiritually, we who have come to know him and accept him as our personal Saviour, need to be as excited as the shepherds were, so that we too will make it known to others that a Saviour has been born, a Saviour has been given and his name is Jesus.

 

A couple of final thought from the scenes around Bethlehem, it continues to say that ‘the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.’ They went with hearts full of praise, glorifying God as they had discovered that what they had been told by the angels was real, true.

 

And we who have come to a saving faith have discovered that the redemption story is true, exactly as it says in the word of God, let’s be a God glorifying and a God praising people. With our lives and from our lips.

 

Then the account continues to say that ‘at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.’  Yes, whatever names Mary and Joseph would have liked to call their baby, they were put aside, what was of the utmost importance was obedience to what the angel had told them, and they called him Jesus.

THURSDAY October 3^rd

 

Imagine as a parent, or should I say as an expectant parent being told by someone else what name you are to give to the baby when he or she arrives! I don’t think that Elaine and I would have been happy if someone else told us what we were to call them. We wanted to choose the names, and we wanted to use names which we liked. Altogether with our six children we have used 14 names, some are family names, but generally names which together we liked.

 

Well, the scenario I have started with happened to a woman who suddenly discovered she was going to have a child, and straightaway she was told what name he was to be given. Her name was Mary, and she was betrothed to a man called Joseph, and at first it was an embarrassment to them because they were not yet legally together as a man and wife and the scripture says they had not yet come together and yet she was pregnant. How on earth did it happen? Well God sent an angel to explain it all, and I take up the story from Josephs encounter and one of the key verses being in Matthew 1:20 as the angel appeared to Joseph saying, ‘Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’. I guess that took a load off the mind of Joseph, even though he may not have fully understood it all.

 

But then another bombshell. ‘Joseph’ (I am exaggerating the point to make it) ‘Don’t even start to think about choosing a name! It has already been chosen’. ‘She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.’ But then a third bombshell for it continues, this is the reason why ‘for he will save his people from their sins’.

 

In other words, choosing a name is out of your hands, it has already been decided, his name will be a name that describes exactly why he has been born, Jesus, to be the Saviour of the world. But, then in the following verses we are told that it all took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘A virgin will conceive and bear a Son’ and he was to have another name as well, Immanuel (or Emmanuel) which means ‘God with us.’ We are back again to John chapter one, The Word, who is God, became flesh and dwelt among men.

 

I have often joked about Mary and Joseph going to register his birth, the question being asked, ‘What is his name?’ and Mary and Joseph looking at each other and thinking, ‘Where do we start’, then turning to the registrar and saying, ‘How much time do you have, or more importantly how much space is there to write the names down’ and then begin to reel off, ‘Jesus, Immanuel, Mighty God, Everlasting Father . . . .’ Then imagine having to answer the question, ‘Who is the father?’

 

But let’s just jump ahead 33 years, imagine Mary having to go and to register his death! What did he do? And she would go through all the amazing things that Jesus had done, ‘He was a carpenter, then he was a preacher, oh and he healed lots of people, and he did some amazing miracles’, and the list would continue. But this is the best part, imagine a day or so later Mary having to run into the registrar’s office, out of breath and full of excitement, ‘You remember me registering the death of Jesus?’ ‘Yes’, comes the reply. ‘Well, scrap the certificate, rip it up and throw it away’, ‘Why?’ ‘Well, he is alive again’.

 

The story of this baby who was to be born and given the name Jesus is incredible and we will continue.

WEDNESDAY October 2^nd

 

Well, the Old Testament era came to an end and a period of what is called silence followed for about 400 years and then we arrive at approximately 3BC and Paul tells us what happened, ‘But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.’ (Galatians 4:4)

 

The birth that had been planned before the foundation of the world and prophesied 700 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah took place. The child was born, and the son was given. And John records for us why, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’, (3:16)

 

The One who existed throughout eternity past in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the one through whom and for whom all things were created, the one who upheld all things by the word of his power, had left the glory of heaven, and had been placed in the womb of a virgin called Mary, to be born in a stable in the town of Bethlehem, and was laid as a babe in a manger. We have already considered some of the verses in John chapter 1, and John after introducing Jesus to us as the Word in verse one, continues in verse 14 to say, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’

 

And he grew up from being a baby, then from being a child into maturity and manhood (Luke 2:40, 52) for the purpose of dying, dying for your sin and my sin, dying as our substitute, dying to take upon himself the wrath of God which we deserved, taking on himself  the punishment for our sin which we deserved, and why, because the eternal God as Father loved us, the Son of God loved us and they have loved us with an everlasting love.

 

That is why taking us right back to where I started this series of devotions that I can say the words ‘Jesus, the very thought of thee with sweetness fills my breast’.

 

I was a sinner deserving of eternal punishment, yet Jesus to my rescue came, my soul in mercy to reclaim. I was a sinner not deserving of love, certainly not deserving of forgiveness, but Jesus was willing to leave his Fathers glory and to die such an awful death that I might be forgiven and set free, that you might be forgiven and set free.

It was such an incredible plan that has turned into an incredible story, yet the more I learn the more there seems to be to learn because it so incredible. Is this your testimony?

 

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus’, ‘Oh how sweet to trust in Jesus, yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus, I’m so glad I learned to trust thee, precious Jesus, Saviour, friend; and I know that thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end.

TUESDAY October 1^st

 

Isaiah 7:14

‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’

 

To move forward from my thoughts concerning Jesus before he came to Bethlehem, we move on to consider some of the Old Testament scriptures that promised, predicted or prophesied that he would come into the world. Again, think about how incredible this was going to be, that God would come into this world as a man.

 

And what is more, his conception and birth would be unique for never had a baby been born which hadn’t involved the union of a man and a woman, that is a birth that did not involve the seed of the man, just the egg of the woman. But with God all things are possible. That is exactly what the angel Gabriel said to Mary when the news of her impending pregnancy was announced to her in Luke 1:37.

 

Now the scripture I have used as our text is not the only OT prophecy, for we are familiar also with the verses a little later in Isaiah 9:6 that say ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given’ it continues to list what he would be called, ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace’.

 

These two verses from Isaiah confirm to us again the deity of the Lord Jesus for in the first his name was to be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’ and in the second, he was to be given other names which can only be linked to deity, such as Mighty God and Everlasting Father.

 

We cannot go through all the verses, but there are those verses that predict where he would be born, where he would live, what he would do and even the details concerning how he would suffer and die. And it was all for the purpose of becoming the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.

 

So, throughout the Old Testament period, God was at work, first with individuals, then with the nation of Israel, and it was all leading up to the moment when this promised child would be born, and the promised son would be given. And this child, this son would become our wonderful Saviour, Jesus who we have come to love and to know, the one whose name is the sweetest name.

Now, before we move forward, we need to understand why Jesus needed to come, and I know these devotions are primarily for those who already know, but because they are also found on-line, for any that might wonder what this is all about, it is because way back in the beginning when Adam and Eve were created, they disobeyed God and sin came into the world. As a result, we are all born as sinners and we are all under the judgement of death, not just physical death, but spiritual death. But God out of his great love and his incredible mercy was willing to put a plan into action whereby we could know our sins to be forgiven and the verdict of death be taken from off us, and it would all come about through his plan of redemption, a plan which involved sending Jesus into the world to die in our place and then as we come to believe on him, we will be forgiven and made right with God again. You can read more of this incredible story in the Bible, and I suggest as a good starting point to read the gospel according to John for more information.