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THE
HEAVENLY VISITOR
By: Pastor
Max Solbrekken |
"And
his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and
prophesied, saying blessed by the Lord God of Israel; for He
hath visited and redeemed His people." (Luke 1:67-68)
Christmas
is always a blessed time for our family. I will always have
fond memories of my childhood and so many Christmases since.
And now that all our children are grown and have families of
their own, this glorious tradition continues!
A
special joy and goodness accompanies this time of the year, as
we spend extra time with friends and loved ones, attend Church
and meditate on God's grace which brought Jesus Christ into
our world.
It’s
common knowledge that December 25 is not the actual date of
Christ’s birth! That 'Blessed Morn' when God came down in
human flesh to redeem us from death, and reconcile us to God.
The exact date is not important. The truth is that He did come
and His birth, life, death and resurrection are all glorious
realities!
The
word "Christmas" is taken from the words ‘Christ’
and ‘mass’ (a holy day or feast), a festival celebrating
the birth of Jesus Christ. When I think about Christ's birth
and the great truths that surrounded that event - together
with the significance and the results of His coming - the
exact date and the name by which it is called, pale into
insignificance!
THE
FORERUNNER OF THE LORD
Jewish
prophets had foretold the Messiah’s First Advent. The
faithful in Israel had long awaited His coming. In the
fullness of time, He arrived on the scene as promised!
His
forerunner was the prophet John the Baptist! His parents
received two great miracles of healing, in order for John to
be born.
The
Bible says: "Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and
gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
“For
he shall be great in the sight of the Lord...And he shall go
before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to
the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for
the Lord."
Then
Zacharias asked: "Whereby shall I know this; for I am an
old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel
answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew
thee these GLAD TIDINGS. And, behold thou shalt be dumb, and
not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be
performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be
fulfilled in their season". (Luke 1:11-20)
Since
Zacharias did not fully believe the words of the angel, he
became dumb for nine months. Immediately after John’s birth,
his tongue was loosed and he prophesied saying, "Blessed
be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed
His people". (Luke 1:67-68)
BLESSED
BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL!
Zacharias
was filled with the Holy Ghost, declaring "Blessed be the
Lord God of Israel". I join the heavenly choir and the
multitude of blood washed saints who have gone to their
eternal reward, together with millions still on earth, saying,
"Blessed be the Lord!"
I
also join King David in blessing and praising the Lord:
"Bless the Lord, Oh my soul: and all that is within me,
bless His Holy Name. Bless the Lord, Oh my soul and forget not
all His benefits; Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who
healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender
mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that
thy youth is renewed like the eagle's". (Ps. 103:1-5)
We
have so much to praise and thank the Lord for. His mercy and
love endureth forever! The Psalmist was constantly praising
and blessing God for His goodness and mercy. Many people have
forgotten the benefits of Golgotha, but the Psalmist didn't.
He rejoiced in God’s blessings of forgiveness, healing and
protection!
King
David declares: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His
praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make
her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be
glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name
together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me
from all my fears". (Ps. 34:1-4)
THEY
WERE CONTINUALLY BLESSING AND PRAISING GOD
"And
He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His
hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed
them, He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And
they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.
Amen.”
We
should all emulate the Early Church in praising and blessing
God, for He is worthy!
Zacharias
called the Lord "Blessed" for He hath visited and
redeemed His people! The Bible says "...and the people
which shall be created shall praise the Lord". (Ps.
102:18) Here is why we should praise God more often: "For
He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary: from
heaven did the Lord behold the earth; to hear the groaning of
the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to
death". (Ps. 102:19-20)
It
is impossible not to praise God, when you consider all the
great things He has done for us. He is constantly “looking
out” for us in order to meet our needs, protect, heal and
bless us! Hallelujah!
THE
WHOLE MULTITUDE BEGAN TO REJOICE AND PRAISE GOD WITH A LOUD
VOICE
Some
people ridicule us for praising God audibly in our church
services. They feel that is not proper. The only answer I have
is Jesus’ reply to His critics: "Ye do err: not knowing
the Scriptures, nor the power of God". (Matt. 22:29)
Believers
who are well versed in the Scriptures do not make such foolish
statements, since the Bible abounds with accounts of joyous
and enthusiastic praise unto God. And those who have
experienced God's grace and seen His power demonstrated, will
be more exuberant in their praise to Christ than those who are
only professors!
Jesus
declared that those who "have been forgiven much will
love much". (Luke 7:47) He was annoyed that only one
of the ten lepers which He had cleansed returned to give
thanks and praise to God!
Many
people have failed to experience God's miracles since they do
not believe in His power. Therefore, they have nothing to
praise God for. We, who have experienced God's power, however,
have much to praise Him for!
FOR
HE HATH VISITED AND REDEEMED HIS PEOPLE
WHAT
A VISIT THAT WAS! When Heaven kissed the earth; when Divinity
came into contact with Humanity; when He who was perfect and
Holy came to change the imperfect and unholy! He who was rich
became poor so that we might be made rich! (2 Cor. 8:9)
WHAT
A VISIT THAT WAS, when God came down to save sinners,
heal the sick, change the course of human lives, mend that
which was broken and make us all new! (1 John 3:8)
WHAT
A VISIT THAT WAS, when God's only Son came to earth to redeem
Adam's fallen race, to meet the demands of Divine Justice and
to sacrifice Himself so that we might have life!
WHAT
A VISIT! OH, WHAT A VISIT THAT WAS! (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Who
can fully articulate the blessings of God toward those who
accept His unspeakable gift, who turn to Him in humility and
brokenness? Words cannot express the peace of mind,
tranquility of soul and joy of heart that floods the very
being of those who accept this message for themselves,
appropriate His promises and believe the Word of God!
The
miracle of restored health and strength, the goodness, mercy,
patience and gentleness that comes to those who accept the
Prince of Peace into their lives and allow Him to work out His
will in them, is beyond human understanding!
No
other message could ever be as joyous as that of the HEAVENLY
VISITOR, Who came from Glory to redeem fallen man; to buy back
from Satan's control the very souls and lives of the lost,
hopeless and unregenerate!
No
other message could ever be as important as that of Christ's
redeeming work on the cross! The Good News of God's Salvation
for confused, bewildered and deceived mankind, is the ultimate
of message and most sublime of all truths! The Bible tells us
to "shout it from the housetops", which
translates: "Let everyone know". (Matt. 10:27)
DON'T
HIDE YOUR LIGHT OR COVER IT UP, BUT LET IT SHINE! LET PEOPLE
KNOW THAT JESUS LIVES ON THE INSIDE! LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT
JESUS IS ALIVE AND WILLING TO DELIVER THEM FROM EVERY SIN,
TORMENT, OPPRESSION AND FEAR!
Jesus
said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel
to every creature." (Mark 16:15) The word gospel
means the 'good news'. The Good News is that Jesus came
to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10) The Good News is
that "Whosoever will call upon the Name of the Lord
shall be saved", (Acts 1:21) and that Jesus invites: "Come
unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest". (Matt. 11:28)
These
words of Jesus is very good news: "Him that cometh to
Me I shall in no wise cast out". (John 6:37)
NO
OTHER MESSAGE IS AS URGENT!
The
Bible says, "The king's business requires haste"
(1 Sam. 21:8) and Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of
lords. (Rev. 19:16)
Jesus
said, "Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then
cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and
look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And
he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may
rejoice together." (John 4:35-36)
Again
Jesus declared, "I must work the works of Him that
sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can
work". (John 9:4)
HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE APPROPRIATE GOD'S PROMISES FOR
OURSELVES AND ALLOW HIM TO MOVE IN OUR LIVES AS HE WISHES, SO
WE CAN BECOME EFFECTIVE AS WITNESSES TO A LOST, NEEDY, SICK
AND CONFUSED WORLD!
We
must go forth with the message of God's great love, mercy and
peace. Let us not slacken off in proclaiming to the unreached
masses that Jesus Christ came into this world to "seek
and to save that which was lost"!
It
is imperative that we ‘lift up’ the bloodstained banner of
the Cross, knowing that there is only one way to Heaven and
that Jesus Christ is that way. May we constantly remind
ourselves: "Only one life, it will soon be past - only
what's done for Christ will last".
I
am praying for you and your family at this beautiful time of
the year. Please pray for Donna and myself, our
family and staff, to be more effective in reaching
multitudes with the gospel of Christ, through our radio
programs, printed materials and crusades across Canada and
abroad!
My
prayer is that we will all be fully awake, alert and
aggressively building His Kingdom, when He returns!
by Andale
Max Solbrekken World Missions @copyright 2000
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