The Lord Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection established His kingdom, sent forth His ministers and is not victoriously gathering God’s elect from all the nations of the world. Isaiah saw this great work of the last days seven centuries before Christ came. He encouraged the Lord’s people of his age with this prophecy. We should be encouraged in its fulfilment.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the subject of all the scripture and the message of redemption and salvation is clearly seen in Isaiah’s prophecy by those to whom the gospel is revealed. Isaiah tells us the Lord God has a remnant people chosen by grace whose sins shall be purely purged and who will be washed and made clean in the blood of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord our Shepherd. David knew this and writes beautifully and preciously of his personal relationship with the Lord Jesus his Shepherd. What better way to begin our New Year than being reminded, ‘The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want’ and shall be, ‘all the days of my life’.

The Lord Jesus Christ was announced by the angel with these words, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’. The gospel takes away our fear. It brings good tidings of great joy because our Saviour, Christ the Lord is born.

The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world in ‘the fulness of time’. That is, He came when God had prepared all the circumstances for His manifestation. The people, the places, the timing and the events of Christ’s birth were not left to chance but purposefully organised so that everything promised, prophesied and appertaining to Christ’s birth would be exactly as God had planned.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s coming was promised and prophesied. The Old Testament believers had lots of knowledge about the Messiah’s coming and many glorious aspects of Christ revealed to them concerning His nature, character, work and accomplishments. Our Saviour’s name ‘shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’.

The world had not long been created when Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command. The result was not the blessedness man hoped for but shame, guilt and expulsion from the presence and fellowship of God. Yet, even in the very process of declaiming sin and bringing judgment our Lord God gave mankind hope by pointing forward to a Seed who would destroy the works of the devil. It pleased the Lord that our Redeemer be bruised, yet our Saviour in turn has by His suffering bruised that old serpent’s head and destroyed the works of the devil.

At the Saviour’s ascension we are told Christ was received up into heaven, that is, He was received with praise, glory and worship as the victor returned from the fight. As believers we look forward to the day we shall be caught up by Him, ever to dwell with Him, our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Our Saviour’s great commission to His disciples was that they preach the gospel to every creature. It was the gospel for free, sovereign grace that must be preached. The message of particular redemption, complete forgiveness and justifying righteousness for God’s people by the death of Jesus Christ. That is the gospel. Nothing else will do. May the Lord give us boldness to continue to preach the same gospel to our generation that the Apostles preached to theirs.

20 November 2022

Our Saviour’s Resurrection Day visits totalled five and each of them was designed to help, support, encourage and comfort His people for the challenges they faced. Being visited by the risen Christ is a privilege granted exclusively to the Lord’s elect and a gift discovered by faith each time the gospel is preached to the heart of a child of God.