Blessed Are the Self-Controlled

 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” — Matthew 5:5

My heart has been heavy for our nation these past few weeks. Like you, I couldn’t believe my eyes as I saw rioters flooding into the U.S. Capitol building. And my heart sank as I learned that five people had been killed in the melee. I turned to my wife, Christine, and said, “I wish that Martin Luther King, Jr. could have been on the steps of the Capitol.”

At a time when our nation was divided, Dr. King had a God-given ability to bring people together —peacefully—to bring about change. That’s what he was doing in April 1968 when he traveled to Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King was there to help organize a peaceful march to protest the mistreatment of sanitation workers. But the following day, as he waited on the balcony of his motel for his driver to pick him up, he was assassinated. What a loss!

In our day, when so many Americans are angry, bitter and striking out at each other, we desperately need followers of Christ who, like MLK, are strong enough to stand for truth but self-controlled enough to do it peacefully. Our nation needs followers of Christ who are meek. 

In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ’s third beatitude is “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (v5). So much of what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount is upside down, topsy-turvy—180 degrees from conventional wisdom. This third beatitude is no exception.

There are just two problems with it. The first problem is that most people confuse meekness with weakness. So, they don’t want anything to do with it. The second problem is that when people find out what meekness really means … they still want nothing to do with it.

So, what does it mean to be meek? The Greek word used here for meek is “praeis,” which can be translated a few different ways. Synonyms include gentle, self-controlled, tame, submissive, kind-hearted and sweet-spirited. In Jesus’ day, the Greeks used the word meek to describe a horse that had been broken. Even though the horse was bigger, stronger, and in some cases smarter than its rider, it was gentle. It was self-controlled. It was tame. It was submissive. It was kind-hearted and sweet-spirited, allowing its rider to lead it wherever he or she wanted to go. So, here’s the simplest definition of meek than I can give you: Meekness is power under control. 

Now, we like to see meekness in horses. And we certainly want to see it in our pets and our kids. But honestly, most of us don’t want to see meekness in ourselves, because our sinful nature equates meekness with weakness. In our sinful pride we don’t WANT to be gentle to those who are rude to us. We don’t WANT to be self-controlled when everyone around us is losing control. We don’t WANT to be tame, because we’ve come to believe that tame people don’t get anywhere in life. We don’t WANT to be submissive, because conventional wisdom has taught us to be assertive, to take charge, to let everyone know who we are and why they should get the heck out of our way.

And we sure don’t celebrate meekness in our culture. Think about the action movies we watch. When was the last time that you saw a movie where the hero was taken advantage of and mistreated, and the big buildup in the movie was the moment the hero stormed the enemy fortress and was gentle and kind to his foes? NO WAY! We don’t want to see a movie like that. Instead, we celebrate when John Wick, James Bond and John Rambo blow the bad guys to smithereens, making them pay for what they did. We cheer when little Kevin McAllister makes the burglars pay for breaking into his house in "Home Alone." We don't celebrate meekness in our culture. We celebrate payback. We celebrate revenge. We celebrate karma.

How different this is from what Jesus teaches. Jesus teaches gentleness instead of aggressiveness; self-control instead of losing control; submission instead of dominance. Jesus teaches us to be tame instead of reckless. Jesus teaches us to be meek. And most people, including many Christians, say, “Thanks, but no thanks! Count me out!” Because in our culture, being gentle, submissive and tame seems completely backwards. It boggles our minds to think that something good could actually come from gentle submission.

But in Christ’s kingdom, something good DOES come from it. In fact, it’s one of the very best things: The meek will inherit the earth. And because of that meekness, the price of our sin was paid. As Jesus hung on the cross, thousands of angels could have been dispatched at his command to obliterate every enemy he had. But he kept his mouth shut. Why? Because the strongest man who ever walked this earth was meek. His power was under control. Jesus Christ chose to be gentle to those who nailed him to a cross. He chose to be submissive to His Father in heaven. He chose to be self-controlled, tame and kind-hearted to those who spat in his face.

And he calls you and me to do the same. There’s a big difference between a weak person and a meek person. A weak person can’t do anything. A meek person has the strength and skill to wipe the floor with his enemies—but he chooses not to. Jesus calls you and me to CHOOSE NOT TO. Not to assert our dominance over others. Not to be unkind to others. Not to retaliate against others. Not to treat others as badly as they treat us … but to humbly, gently, mercifully treat them the way Jesus would treat them.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” With these words Jesus Christ calls us to be gentle and self-controlled. So, let’s get to it, so that we can experience the awesome blessings of God right here on earth.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our in-person worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on the Impact Christian Church YouTube channel or Facebook page. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Who Wants to Be Poor?

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

— Matthew 5:3

Ask any Christian what the most important verse in the Bible is, and more often than not they’ll answer, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That verse beautifully summarizes the fact that we can never EARN our salvation. Salvation is a gift from God. And the key to receiving that gift is faith. We must believe—truly believe—in Jesus.

But somewhere along the way, many Christians have bought into the crazy idea that Christianity is ONLY about holding the right beliefs. As long as I believe right, I will be right with God. As long as I believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God, as long as I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, I can call myself a “good Christian.”

But there’s just one problem with this notion: It’s not true. Jesus never taught us that Christianity is only a matter of BELIEVING right. Christianity is also a matter of DOING right. We are not just believers in Jesus Christ. We are believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  And nowhere is that made more clear than in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

The first type of teaching Jesus uses in this great sermon are known as the Beatitudes, which we find in Matthew 5:3-12. The word “beatitude” is taken from the Latin word “beatitudo”, which means “blessed are.” Many pastors and Bible teachers translate this word simply as “happy.” But “happy” is far too narrow a translation. “Blessed” means so much more than happy. Years ago, one of my Bible college professors, Knofel Staton, did an in-depth study of this word “blessed,” and he learned that it means two things beyond “happy”:

1: Congratulations. In his Beatitudes, Jesus isn’t just saying that those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn and those who are merciful will be happy. He is also saying “Congratulations are in order for my followers who are poor in spirit and those who mourn.”

2: Buoyed up. Jesus is also saying, “In this sinful world we live in—no matter what hardships or insults come your way—the world will never be able to sink your faith or drown your relationship with Christ. God will see to it that you will always bounce back to surface. You are buoyed up in Christ. Neither this world nor the armies of hell can sink a faithful follower of Christ.”

Let’s focus on the first Beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 3). Someone once asked the evangelist Billy Graham: Why doesn’t Jesus tell us to be rich in spirit instead of telling us to be poor in spirit? Reverend Graham answered: “If you put the word ‘humble’ in place of the word ‘poor,’ you will understand what [Jesus] meant. We must be humble in our spirits. In other words, when we come to God, we must realize our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).” So, “poor in spirit” means humble in spirit and empty in spirit.

If I am serious about being in Christ’s heavenly kingdom, I must begin by confessing that by myself, I can’t ever get there. By myself I will never get to heaven. By myself I can never be right with God. By myself I can never ever be saved. If you don’t fall in line with this truth, you CAN’T be blessed by God.  So, if you can’t live out this first beatitude, there’s no point moving on to the other seven.

Some of us come to Christ with notions of our own righteousness. This first beatitude knocks us off our high horse. Some of us come to Christ thinking we’ll impress Him with our religious heritage: “I grew up in a good Catholic home.” “I was baptized as a baby and confirmed as a teenager.” “My wife and I were married in the church.” But this beatitude makes it clear, not only that our religious upbringing doesn’t impress God, but that it actually turns Him off when we hold it up like some sort of trophy. If you puff out your chest and brag to God about making it onto the religious honor roll, Jesus Christ will flunk you out of class. Religious pride is repulsive to Him. But He is drawn to spiritual poverty.

At the heart of this first beatitude is a humble recognition of my weakness and God’s strength, an understanding that I offer God nothing yet God offers me everything. Spiritual poverty is attractive to Jesus because it’s honest, it’s real, and—most importantly—it gives Him plenty of room to come in and fill us with more of God. The biggest problem with being a religious snob is that we’re so full of ourselves, there’s no room left for Christ. But when we are spiritually humble, spiritually empty, there is plenty of room for Jesus to come in and fill us with Himself. So, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by saying, “Follow me humbly, or you won’t follow me at all.”

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our in-person worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

For Such a Time As This

 “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

— Esther 4:14

There’s a story about a dairy farmer who went to buy a new pickup truck. He had seen an ad in the paper for a great deal on a new truck, so he decided to trade in his old clunker. He went to the dealership, chose a pickup and was ready to write the check for the full amount. But the salesman said, “Wait, I haven’t given you the final price yet.” Farmer John asked, “Isn’t it the price I saw in the paper?” The salesman said, “No, that’s for the base model. All the options cost extra.” So, after the options were added, the farmer reluctantly wrote a check for $2,000 more than he had planned to pay, and he drove off the lot in his new pick-up.

A few months later the car salesman called Farmer John because he wanted to buy a cow. The farmer assured the car salesman he had several good milk cows for sale for $500. The salesman drove out, selected a cow and took out his checkbook. But Farmer John said, “Wait. I haven’t given you the final price yet.” Then he handed the salesman a bill that read: “Basic cow, $500. Two-tone exterior, $45. Milk storage compartment, $60. Four handy spigots at $10 each, $40. Leather upholstery, $125. Automatic rear fly swatter, $38. Natural fertilizer attachment, $185. Grand total … $1,233.”

Now, I’d like to ask you an interesting question: If you were a cow on Farmer John’s dairy farm, what kind of cow would you be? Think about it. Many Christians have a low view of themselves. They believe that if they were a cow, they would be a base model. Sadly, some Christians see themselves as an ugly cow—not good for much. On the other hand, other Christians believe that if they were a cow, they would be the top-of-the-line limited edition, with all the cowbells and whistles. So, if you were a cow, would you be a base model or the top-of-the-line, limited edition? The truth is, you’d be somewhere in the middle. God did not design you as a base model. And although you ARE a limited edition, you’re not God’s greatest gift to the world either. That distinct honor has been given to Jesus Christ.                                                           

As we forge ahead in this New Year, I believe God wants to transform the way we view ourselves. I believe that He is calling some of us to stop thinking so little of ourselves and step up to our God-given calling. And I believe that He will be knocking some of us off our high horses, calling us to roll up our sleeves and get to work for Him. For an idea of what God wants for us, here are some insights from God’s word.

#1: God placed you at this time and place for a reason. You might wonder how on earth you ended up in the Victor Valley. You may even think that you being in the High Desert is a mistake. But it’s no mistake. God brought you here. Acts 17:26 tells us, “From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” This verse reveals that God determined long ago both the time and place where you would live. You might think that you were born in the wrong century or in the wrong decade. But it’s no mistake that you are the age you are, living here today in the year 2021. God chose the perfect time and place for you to live.

#2: God has important work for you to do between here and heaven. Acts 13:36 reads, “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.” David was born in Bethlehem in the 11th century B.C., because that’s the exact time and place God wanted David to be born. And God gave him a clear purpose to carry out in his own generation. God called David to slay Goliath, so David obediently slew Goliath. God called David to lead Israel in her battles and lead the people to follow God. So David obediently led Israel in her battles and led them to follow God. Before David died and left this earth, he served God’s purpose in his own generation. The same should be said of you. After all, you are not a stock cow. You have some custom upgrades. You have a unique personality, distinct experiences, and a particular set of skills that are perfectly suited for doing WHAT God has called you to do, WHERE He has called you to do it. And make no mistake about it: God has called you to do something that is important and meaningful.

#3: Everything you’ve learned and endured up to now has prepared you to serve Christ courageously in 2021. When Esther was queen of Persia nearly 500 years before Christ was born, a wicked advisor tricked her husband the king into signing an edict ordering that every Jew in the kingdom was to be killed. Her cousin Mordecai told her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy for her people. Esther was hesitant, because she could be put to death for even approaching the king without an invitation. Mordecai famously responded: “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Esther needed to realize that everything she had learned, experienced and endured up to that point had prepared her for that pivotal moment. She was not in Persia by accident. She was not beautiful by accident. She was not queen by accident. God had done ALL of it to prepare her to serve God’s purpose in her own generation.

God’s general purpose is the same for all of us. He has called all of us to trust Him, to love Him and to serve Him. But what is God’s specific will for your life in 2021? Ask Him. Go to Him in prayer and say, “Lord, I believe that You placed me here at this time and place for a reason. You placed me here for such a time as this. So, please show me what Your purpose is for me today, and give me the courage to say what You want me to say and do what You want me to do.” And this I can say with certainly: All that we’ve learned and experienced and endured in 2020 has prepared us for even greater impact in 2021. So, let’s serve God’s purpose in our own generation.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our online service Sunday at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Peace on Earth in 2021

 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” – John 14:27

The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom.” It’s one of the most important words to the Jewish people. For centuries, Jews have greeted each other with the one-word greeting, “Shalom!” To the orthodox Jew, “shalom” is used both as a “hello” and a “goodbye.” But it means so much more than “hello” and “goodbye.” Shalom is most often translated into English as “peace” or “harmony.” But shalom literally means “wholeness.” In Joshua 8:31, we’re told that Joshua made an altar out of “shalom” stones—meaning stones that were uncut. They were completely whole.

So, if shalom refers to wholeness, what exactly is a Jewish man wishing his neighbor when he wishes him “shalom”? He is wishing him wholeness in his health, wholeness in his marriage and wholeness in his walk with God. Ever since the Garden of Eden, human beings have been breaking things. Thinking back, have you broken something valuable this past year? It may have been a cellphone or a collar bone. Some of us broke our cars this year. And at some point, most of us broke our budgets this year.

We are very good at breaking things—including our relationships. At some time or another, most of us have broken relationships with our neighbors, friends or family members. To say it another way: We have broken “shalom” with our neighbors, with our friends, and with our family members.  But worst of all: Every single one of us has broken shalom with God. And the Bible is clear that the punishment for breaking shalom with God is death. As we’re told in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.”

But because of God’s amazing grace through Christ, we don’t have to pay the price of eternal brokenness and punishment. As our all-wise Wonderful Counselor, Jesus had the perfect plan to bring us shalom with God. He decided to trade his reward for our punishment. And as our all-powerful Mighty God, Jesus had the strength to resist every temptation so that he could be a perfect substitute sacrifice for our sins. And as our all-loving Everlasting Father, Jesus loved us enough to endure the pain and humiliation of the cross until our debt was fully paid.

Because of what Jesus did for us, you and I can have peace with God. We broke our relationship with God, but Jesus came to earth to offer us shalom. Jesus traded His SHALOM with God for our BROKENNESS. When the angels shouted in the Bethlehem sky, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men on whom His favor rests,” they were talking about wholeness. They wanted people to know that Jesus offers us shalom in our broken relationships with other people. But most of all, they wanted us to know that Jesus offers us shalom in our broken relationship with God. Jesus came to put back together what you and I had broken into a million pieces. As Jesus told his disciples in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

Nowadays most people seem to think that peace comes from good counseling sessions, self-help books or from putting the right guy in the White House. All of these things have their place, but none of them brings true, lasting shalom. No psychologist can bring wholeness to a broken marriage. Joel Osteen’s best book can’t make a person whole. And neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden can bring true and lasting wholeness to our fractured nation. Only Jesus Christ can. Only the Prince of Peace can completely heal a broken marriage, mend a broken soul, and bring true harmony to our fractured nation.

To those of us who are willing to accept it, the word of God is clear: Jesus IS the Prince of Peace; Jesus is the only one who offers true, lasting wholeness. He is the only one who can restore the relationships that you and I have broken. And he specializes in bringing peace to our broken relationship with God.

Honestly, 2020 has been a really hard year. Covid has been devastating. Seeing cities across America being looted and burned has been heart-wrenching. The presidential election was excruciating. Our kids’ schools have closed, many of us have lost our jobs, and many of us have lost friends and family this year. Other family and friends have been diagnosed with cancer.

But regardless of how depressing this past year has been, you can experience true peace in 2021—because Jesus IS the Prince of Peace. He is smart enough, strong enough and loving enough to bring wholeness to your life. Regardless of what’s broken in your life and how it got that way, I urge you to give Jesus Christ your broken pieces this New Year. He is the only one who can make you whole. That’s why he came to earth in the first place. He is ready and willing to be your Wonderful Counselor, your Mighty God, your Everlasting Father, and your Prince of Peace. And He’s just a prayer away.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our in-person worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Jesus Is Mighty God

  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  – Isaiah 9:6

Wow! That was fast, wasn’t it? If any part of 2020 could be considered short, it was the Christmas season. I hope you were able to bask in the enjoyment of the Christmas lights, the music, the movies, the gifts. All of those things are a fun part of the season, and they were much needed this year. But most of all, I hope that Christ was at the center of your Christmas celebration.

While Christmas 2020 is on the books, the Christ of Christmas is eternal. So, I’d like to spend just a little more time contemplating the nature of Jesus, foretold in Isaiah 9:6: our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The second title of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, “Mighty God,” highlights Jesus’ power.

“Mighty” is a translation of the Hebrew word “Gibbor,” which is defined as “strength; power; hero; warrior.” Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is El Gibbor: the God of Strength, the God of Power, God our Hero, and God our Warrior. Do you need strength in your life? Do you need a hero to deliver you? Do you need a warrior to help you fight and win your battles? Jesus is your man, because Jesus is El Gibbor—Mighty God. The New Testament confirms that Jesus is, in fact, the mighty, all-powerful God who created the universe. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). And “all things were created by him and for him…and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

So, how should you and I respond to our Mighty God, Jesus Christ?

1. You should TRUST our Mighty God. It’s not enough to just believe in Jesus Christ. You have to trust in him. After all, Satan believes in Jesus, but he refuses to trust in Jesus. As a consequence, he will never experience the power of Jesus’ goodness and grace. Jesus Christ isn’t just wise enough to give you the solutions to your problems; he is strong enough to carry out those solutions. He is strong enough to deliver you from your problems, strong enough to heal you from your diseases, and strong enough to save you from your sins. So, trust him. Jesus Christ is mighty to save.

2. You should LOVE our Mighty God. When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22:36, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the [Old Testament] Law?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” And how exactly do we do that? Well, remember that love is not an emotion, although it includes emotions. Love is a choice. Love is a decision. Love is an action. We choose to love Jesus Christ by spending time in his word and in prayer every day. And the number-one way we can show our love to Jesus Christ is by obeying Jesus Christ. We must do what he says. Jesus tells us plainly in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

3. You should SERVE our Mighty God. One of the greatest Christians in the New Testament was the Apostle Paul. He was a great leader in the Church. But more than anything else, he just wanted to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. He wanted at the end of his life to hear Jesus speak to him those six glorious words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Paul understood that Jesus came to earth as a baby not to be served, but to SERVE. And Paul urges us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as a servant. As he wrote in Philippians 2:5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant … he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Jesus Christ was born here on earth to be the lowest of the low, to be the servant of servants, because he loved us and wanted to set an example of how we should humbly serve each other. But make no mistake about it: Jesus Christ is our Mighty, All-powerful God. He is our God Warrior. He is our God Hero.

There is no obstacle in your life too big for Him to move. There is no disease in your body that is too advanced for Him to cure. And there is no sin in your life that is too sinful for Him to forgive. As you trust, love and serve him, you can stand and say with the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). What a Mighty God we serve!

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our online worship service tomorrow at 10 a.m. at greaterimpact.cc, on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church), or on Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

 

Wonderful Counselor

 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  – Isaiah 9:6

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. And honestly, this year I need Christmas more than ever. I plan to savor every minute of this special season. How about you? I think it would do everyone good to soak it all in. Walk or drive through your neighborhood and look at all the Christmas lights. Listen to Christmas music. Watch some uplifting Christmas movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Elf.” Bake some Christmas cookies … and bring some to me. Enjoy this Christmas season to the fullest!

But most importantly, keep Christ at the center of your Christmas celebration. Read the Christmas story from Matthew 2 and Luke 2. Talk with others about why we celebrate Christmas. Be a blessing to people around you who are feeling sad or alone. Being a Secret Santa is fun, but God has called you to bring Jesus to those who are hurting.

2020 has been filled with doom and gloom. But God has a plan—a good plan to prosper us and not to harm us, a plan to give us hope and a future. He has a plan to head off the doom and gloom. And that plan was foretold in Isaiah 9, written some 700 years before Christ was born.  God promised His people: “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…. in the future He will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (vs. 1-2).

And what’s most amazing of all is who God tells us will carry out His plan: not a massive army, a league of nations or a great political leader. God’s amazing plan rests in the hands … of a child. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (v. 6). This promised child would be a king unlike any other king who ever lived, a lord unlike any other lord who ever ruled. This child would be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Let’s take a few minutes to wrap our minds around this first kingly title of Jesus in verse 6: Wonderful Counselor. What does this title mean? The word “wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6 is a translation of the Hebrew word “pele,” which is defined as  “a phenomenon lying outside the realm of human explanation; that which is separated from the normal course of events; a miracle, a marvel, something extraordinary, incomprehensible, inexplicable.”

I really like what GotQuestions.org has to say about the wonder of Jesus: “Jesus demonstrated His wonderfulness in various ways when He was on the earth, beginning with His conception in the womb of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). He showed He is the ‘wonderful’ One in His power to heal (Matthew 4:23) … His perfect life (Hebrews 4:15), and His resurrection from the dead (Mark 16:6). Jesus taught many wonderful things that are counterintuitive to the human mind: ‘Blessed are those who mourn’ (Matthew 5:4). ‘Rejoice and be glad’ in persecution (Matthew 5:11–12). ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you’ (Luke 6:27). Jesus’ kind of wonderful is awe-inspiring and superior to any other kind, for He is perfect in every way (Matt. 5:48).”

Next, “counselor” is a translation of the Hebrew word “yoez,” which means “to advise, counsel, devise, purpose.” In ancient Israel, a counselor was portrayed as a wise king, Solomon, who gave guidance to his people. But Jesus’ counsel is in a category of its own. His wisdom and his counsel are “a phenomenon lying outside the realm of human explanation” -- “a miracle, a marvel, extraordinary, incomprehensible, inexplicable.”

Jesus knows you better than anyone else, because he alone created you. Jesus understands you better than anyone else, because he alone knows every thought in your mind and every motive in your heart. Jesus cares about you more than anyone else, because his love for you is perfect. And he understands the unique circumstances and people around you better than anyone else, because as the all-knowing Son of God, in him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” So, he is the first one you should go to with your questions. He is the first one you should go to with your problems. And he is the first one you should go to with your depression, anxiety, fears, failures, and your sin. 

Jesus Christ came to earth on Christmas morning to be your Wonderful Counselor. No question is too hard for him to answer. No problem is too big for him to handle. No family drama is too dramatic for him to deal with. No soul is too lost for him to save. There is only ONE Wonderful Counselor, and His name is Jesus. So, go to him this Christmas season.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for this Sunday's worship service, online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook. And we hope you’ll join us for our online Christmas Eve candlelighting service, Dec. 24^th at 8 p.m.

The Peace of Christmas

 “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” 
– Isaiah 53:5b

A wise man once gave a young, discouraged coworker this advice: “The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you’ve started." So the young man went home and took his mentor’s advice. The next day at work the man asked his young friend if he felt more at peace, and he responded, “You have no idea! I went home and looked around the house to see all the things I had started but hadn’t finished. And before I left this morning, I finished off a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white, some cheesecake, a box of chocolates, and the rest of my Prozac. I totally feel at peace!”

Well, that’s not REAL peace, is it? Let’s take a look at the REAL peace that Jesus offers us at Christmas. A marvelous prophecy about Jesus is recorded in Isaiah 53:5, where God tells His people, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Think about these powerful words for a moment: “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom”--one of the most important words to the Jewish people. For centuries, orthodox Jews have greeted each other with the one-word greeting “Shalom!” To the orthodox Jew, “Shalom!” is used both for a “Hello!” and a “Goodbye!” But it means so much more. Shalom is most often translated into English as “peace” or “harmony.” But shalom more literally means “wholeness.”

So, when a Jewish man wishes his neighbor “shalom,” he is wishing him wholeness—in his health, in his marriage and in his walk with God. And when God tells us in Isaiah 53:5 that “the punishment that brought us shalom was upon Jesus,” He is telling us that because of our sin, our relationship with God was shattered into a million pieces. Our relationship with God was hopelessly broken. And because our broken relationship was absolutely, 100% our fault, we rightly deserved to be punished.

The wages of sin is death. But because of God’s amazing grace through Christ, we don’t have to experience eternal brokenness and punishment. Because Jesus never sinned, he didn’t deserve any punishment and his relationship with God was perfectly whole. Jesus traded us his reward for our punishment, and his shalom with God for our brokenness. Is there any doubt that Jesus got the short end of the stick on that trade?

When the angels shouted in the Bethlehem sky, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14), they were talking about wholeness. Yes, they wanted us to know that Jesus offers us peace with God! Yes, they wanted us to know that Jesus offers us harmony with God! But perhaps most of all they wanted us to know that Jesus offers us wholeness with God. Jesus had come into the world to put back together what we had irreparably broken.

But I find it interesting that Jesus, at times, gives a mixed message about the shalom that he brought to mankind. In John 14:27 Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” But then he says in Matthew 10:34-36, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”

Well, that doesn’t sound very peaceful, does it? But think about it. When it comes to true peace, the world doesn’t get it. The world thinks that peace comes on the heels of anti-bullying campaigns and by eliminating politically incorrect words from our vocabulary and reducing greenhouse gases. And this Christmas season, many seem to think we’ll have more peace if we stop singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and stop watching “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”!

None of these things can bring true, lasting shalom. Anti-bullying campaigns can’t make a person whole. Stricter emissions standards cannot make a person whole. Only Jesus Christ can make a person whole. That’s the truth. But the problem is, many of our family members and coworkers and neighbors don’t want to hear the truth. So, when we embrace the shalom of Jesus Christ and receive peace with God and peace with others, many unbelievers around us will say, “Thanks, but no thanks! I want nothing to do with you or your Jesus.”

The Prince of Peace came to bring wholeness, but to those who reject Him, he actually ends up bringing division. The Good News of Jesus Christ is rightly called the Gospel of peace. But the Gospel of peace—when it is bitterly rejected—becomes more like a gospel of war. The gospel of peace does not bring peace to those who harden their hearts.

But to those who are willing to accept it, the word of God is clear: Jesus IS the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the only One who offers true, lasting peace—peace and wholeness within our own broken lives, peace and wholeness within our relationship with others, and peace and wholeness in our relationship with God.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.