We carefully monitor the grown of infants and toddlers by watching for markers for physical and mental development. In the same way - we can monitor our spiritual growth! This morning, we are going to look at a passage that gives us three important things new believers (and even believers who've been around for a while) can monitor to check our spiritual growth.

As Paul writes this letter to Colossae, he is imprisoned in Rome. He himself had never visited Colossae; the church was planted by people he had discipled. The letter comes to encourage this young church to grow in their faith which is the overall point of Paul's letter.

God's Word calls on the whole church to clothe itself in humility toward one another. Part of the beauty of the church is the varying levels of spiritual maturity we find in the body of Christ. It is such a blessing to find those we can learn from, but in order to learn from them we have to place ourselves under them and be teachable enough to learn - we must humble ourselves.

Isaiah wrote over 700 years before our Lord came to fulfill the words of prophecy. In his writing we find first the idea that Jesus would be given to provide for the needs of the world in general and the people of God in particular. What must have been amazing to those who heard Isaiah's prophecy was that this deliverer would come as a child!

Let's conspire to bring about a different take on Christmas this year.

Zechariah Chapter 14 describes the second coming of Christ and the personal, present 1000 year reign of Christ on earth after His return. God's enemies will be destroyed, God's people will be delivered. The Lord will hold dominion over the whole earth and everything will be dedicated to Him.

God invites us all to become His people and to make Him our God. The path that many follow awaya from God plays out and never delivers what we had hoped. God fills the vacuum that exists in oour heart and we only find our fulfillment in Him.

Chapter 11 of Zechariah spoke of a terrible time for Israel as the people of God when they will foolishly follow the wrong shepherd. But God is not through with His people even after they show such foolish behavior. Chapter 12 returns us to the hope of the people of God - not because of their failthfulness - but because of God's! The chapter starts with a reminder of who God is - the creator of everything above us, below us, and in us - and worthy of our faith and trust. He will see to faithfully bringing to pass all that He has promised.

After the rebuilding of the temple, God would send the good shepherd mentioned in the tenth chapter. Israel will ultimately receive Him as their good shepherd, but that will be at His second advent-not His first. When Jesus offered Himself as the King of Israel, the leaders (their shepherds) rejected Him and crucified Him to protect their greed and desire for power and influence. But that would be taken away in short order. After Jesus' crucifiction in 33 AD, Titus invaded Jerusalem and utterly destroyed it in 70 AD. As a result of this national departure from God and His Shepherd, God was no longer protecting His people. While Israel rejected the true Messiah, they will, at a time in the future, initally follow the foolish shepherd - the one who stands against the truth of God-the Antichrist. Prophetically, we know that Israel will initially respond to the Antichrist during his ascent to power. Daniel prophesided that the coming beast would make and then break a covenant with Israel during a period which we know as the Great Tribulation. God Himself will see to the overthrow of this foolish shepherd and the true Messiah will reign justly after he is vanquished.