Promise Keeper--November 6, 2011

WOW! It is hard to believe that it is November and some semblance of fall weather has actually shown up in the Brazos Valley. We have enjoyed some gorgeous weather in recent days and we are even beginning to see some fall colors--along with the browns of trees dead from the drought. As November commences, our thoughts naturally turn to Thanksgiving and then, to the Holiday Season! In our Sunday School Class, we got a jump on the Holiday Season by studying lessons during the past three weeks that actually come from the Christmas Story in the Bible. The focus of the Christmas Story that we have been studying is a little different from the focus of Christmas Stories to which most of us have been exposed in the past. These past few weeks, we have been looking at the genealogy of Jesus as presented by the apostle Matthew. Matthew himself was an outcast--a tax collector, one of the lowest of the lowest in the heirarchy of Jewish social circles. As such, many people were amazed when Jesus called this lowly, despised tax collector to follow Him. Not only did He call Matthew to follow Him, but He actually went to Matthew's home and dined with Matthew and other associates who were likely as low on the social ladder as Matthew himself. Jesus' disciples must have wondered if their leader knew what He was doing? They must have asked themselves how Jesus could invite such a degenerate to be part of His inner group? Here was a guy who paid the Roman government for the authority to take money from the Jewish citizenry virtually at his own discretion! It was almost like legalized theft. Now, Jesus was inviting him into the inner circle? What could He be thinking?

For that reason, Andy Stanley suggests that Matthew must have taken special comfort in underscoring the unlikely, undesireable, and undeserving characters whom God chose to play important roles in bringing His Son into this world. In this week's lesson, Andy Stanley points to a character that is most closely related to the name of Jesus in the long list of contributors to the linneage of Jesus. This individual caused 85 priests to be murdered! He ran around on his wife! He fathered a child out of wedlock and then took extraordinary steps to cover his sin, leading to the death of one of the king's most loyal and committed warriors!

This week, the Christmas Story focuses on the role of David, a man described in the Bible as "a man after God's own heart." Yet, we see in this week's lesson that David was a sinner in every sense of the word, a failure as a leader, failure as a father, failure as a friend, and failure as a husband! Yet, God uses David to accomplish His Great and Wonderful Plan for the salvation of all men! Indeed, we see in 2 Samuel 7:8 that God actually promises David that He will make his name great--like the name of the greatest men on earth. God made this unconditional promise to David and he was and is faithful to deliver on His promise. Even though David sinned and his sin was great, God was willing to forgive David. David suffered the consequences of his sin, but God was willing to forgive and still honored his promise to David.

When God makes a promise, He keeps His promise! Matthew was about to tell the story of an unconditional promise sealed with blood. God would keep his promise to mankind just as He kept His promise to David. Every Christmas for the rest of your life, when you hear the "town of David," I hope you are reminded of the promise God made to David and the promise God made to you! God promised peace! The only way to have peace with God is for Him to remove sin. Jesus came to remove your sin. You can't have the Promise of Christmas until the obstacle of peace (sin) has been removed. The unconditional promise of God is that you can have peace with God. The Promise of Christmas, Peace comes when we finally embrace the Promise of the GIFT--forgiveness of sin--obstacle removed. The Promise of Christmas is Peace for all mankind. Silent Night! O, Holy Night when Christ was born!