When we think about Jesus and Christmas, we normally think about the baby in the manger. But the image the Bible gives us is one of a conquering king. Jesus came to conquer our enemy, Satan, but he came to conquer our deepest problem: the darkness in our hearts, sin. We once lived in darkness, oppression, and rebellion, but Isaiah 9:1-7 gets us ready for the Triumphant King who has come to conquer the darkness of our lives to give us light and freedom.

We like to plan. But, oftentimes, our planning reflects a desire to be in control of our lives rather than giving control to God. This is the exact spot King Ahaz finds himself in Isaiah 7. Israel and Aram have come against him, and rather than asking the Lord for his help, he has already made plans to go to Assyria for help. It's in Ahaz's example and Isaiah's prophetic sign that we see our sinful rebellion requires Christ to be the present and sovereign king.

Paul's admonition in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 still remains today: Give thanks in every circumstance. But the question before us is how? In Psalm 107, we see the answer is the corporate recognition of God's faithful acts throughout the lives of his people in every circumstance. No matter our circumstances, we must give thanks because God satisfies us with his acts of faithful love, seen preeminently in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We live in a world filled with injustice. From small slights against our character to systems of injustice, our fallen world is filled with brokenness. But as we see in the example of David in Psalm 7, amid injustice, chaos, and persecution, we should give thanks and sing to God.

How do we give thanks when things go wrong? More than that, how do we give thanks when things go wrong because of our sin? Psalm 79 addresses these very issues. With Jerusalem in ruins and the people lamenting their sin, we see that thankful hearts are born in disastrous times when we seek the glory of God.

Uncertainty is a common problem for mankind. Whether we are waiting for a medical test to come back or we are in a situation outside of our control, uncertainty stirs up fear and grief, causing us to draw away from God, not near to him. Whether we are in uncertain circumstances or not, the call is still the same: give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 56 offers a stunning vision of how uncertainty must drive us to faith and thanksgiving in our trustworthy God.

Nobody expected a resurrection. At least, that's what the women didn't expect as they went to anoint Jesus' body in the tomb. But what they found when they arrived changed everything. Jesus kept every promise. The resurrection proved that the ransom for many was accepted. And now, the resurrection dispels doubt, disbelief, and denial that Jesus is Lord.

Sometimes it can be easy for us to overlook the severity of punishments. But in Mark 15:21-47, one cannot overlook the severity of the punishment Jesus took on our behalf. All of Mark has been building to this moment where the Son of God will give his life as a ransom for many. It's in the punishment, death, and burial of Jesus that our freedom, life, and reward are secured.

Many people assume they can sit on the fence when it comes to Jesus. But Mark 15:1-20 shows us that there is no such thing as a fence-sitter. You either embrace or reject Jesus as King. In the final prelude to the cross, Jesus must be rejected by four different groups in our place so we can be reconciled to God.

Jesus stands on the precipice of his crucifixion, but he must first endure the denial from his closest disciple: Peter. Denial of Jesus is often masqueraded as deconstruction in our culture, but its end is the way of sorrow. Thankfully, Peter's denial was carried by Jesus on the cross. Because of this, we can boldly proclaim Jesus as the Messiah because he is the undeniable Messiah.