The Newborn King

We could not leave or study of a new life and love in Jesus without making mention of the newborn king. All the gospels record the birth of Jesus, the long awaited king of the Jews, the beloved Prince of Peace. It was a new night and a new day for Israel and the world and change the lives of billions forever.

Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:2

There were those who had hoped and prayed for this day, though they may have expected Him to reign even then as a literal king. Anna the prophetess, and Simeon who was promised the he would not die until he had seen. And there were those who were worried, especially, Herod, who was visited by the magi, they had come to worship the newborn King. He told them to return after they had found Him following the star, but they did not, because Herod wanted to kill Him.

We often thing of them coming just as He was born, but I could not give you an actual age and I don’t think we know exactly how long they stayed in Bethlehem or how long their journey was. The wise men were educated with the heavens in the science of  astronomy, in the sense that God used it as a calendar, but were likely familiar with astrology and the star was the brightest ever, the very glory of God, pleased with His Son.

They brought gifts, expensive ones, fit for a newborn King, and they worshiped Him and left and went home another way. Herod’s decree went out and he ordered the killing of all the boys born up to two years old. The angel warned Joseph and he took them and fled to Egypt un Herod was dead, tat leaves us with a chunk of time unaccounted for in the life of Jesus.

The next thing we know is that He was teaching the sages, lost from his mother at twelve. Most likely, He grew in stature and wisdom, as the Bible says, but He was safe and had a home, did the things normal children do. He would have been taught by Mary, and carpentered with Joseph, but most importantly the Spirit was with Him and He was becoming who He was intended to be.

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.  Matthew 27:11

Should  you have any doubts about Him, being born the newborn King, there have been artifacts found in Israel that confirm that Caiaphas was a real person and we know Pilate was a ruler in that day.

The Bible suggests three wise men, as to the number of gifts. Tradition says they are Melichor, king of Persia, who reunited to celebrate with the other magi in 54, A.D. , already old with a long, white, beard, when he visited Jesus, he died at 116 on January 1st, 55 A.D. Caspar or Gaspar, He could have been actually King Gondophares, from India, with Gaspar meaning treasurer being a title, gave Him frankincense, representing his divinity,  the third Balthazar, a black man of African descent, with a beard, who brought the myrrh, that was a symbol of His death, His humanity.  He supposedly died at 112, four days after Melichor.

Jesus night have disappointed many by not attempting to defeat roman rule, instead he chose to die for the sins of the world, and that world did not understand that His kingdom was not of this world but a heavenly one. The newborn King was prophesied from the beginning, the star is mentioned in Numbers 24:17, He is afar off, Jeremiah 23:5 sees Him even farther ahead, and Isaiah 9:6, gives us a list of His names, I love Wonderful and Prince of Peace.

The newborn King, King of Kings, King of the Jews and all others, He will reign forever on the the throne.

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Renewed Youth

I confess, I have always looked younger than my age. When you are twenty four and get handed a children’s menu, it is annoying. To be shuffled off and not paid attention to, family still sees you in your youth. When the lady at the makeup counter doesn’t believe you are thirty five, then you are fifty and someone runs to get her husband to guess my age, it is amusing.

I will be sixty on December 5, 2021, forever young. ( I spent it in the hospital. ) I have always thought of myself sort of frozen in time or better yet, the Lord. Do I have beauty secret? Well, I have always used Oil of Olay, but that isn’t it. Let’s look at how the Lord renews youth. But first, some of the definitions.

To make new or as if new again; make young, fresh, or strong again; bring back…to impart renewed energy and strength, to regain or restore physical or mental vigor.

I have always been partial to Psalm 103. https://biblehub.com/esv/psalms/103.htm

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good ( things )
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 1-5

His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s. He returns to the days of his youth. Job 33:25

So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.  You used to behave like them as you lived among them.  But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene speech, and all such sins.  Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old nature with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is being renewed in full knowledge, consistent with the image of the one who created it. Colossians 3:5-10

What we say and how we live has a large affect on our health, mind and hearts, all need to be renewed. And we see how sin has a role in ruining not only looks but souls. Under the law certain people were unclean, yet Jesus fulfilling it touched and healed all sorts of diseases, even leprosy and the hemorrhaging woman was another. He can forgive, heal, restore and renew anyone or anything, impossible in not in God’s vocabulary.

And you will also recall how Naaman was sent to bathe in the Jordan River seven times. So there has been a lot of renewal if you did through the Bible, even those like Mary Magdalene or the madman in the tombs being demon possessed and then in his right mind.

I have found that entering His rest, renews.

I have discovered that His peace heals.

I know the good I say and think about creates fruit.

Pray with me today, Father, I an so in need of renewal today, not a vain desire but to sine for you, fill my spirit with yours, fresh and new daily/ Let me enter the rest you offer, sleep the sleep of the beloved, and immerse me in your peace. that I may have the mind of Christ and be renewed moment by moment that I may walk and even run, and not be weary. In His name.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might He increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

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New Birth

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

And of course, Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus at night. As a ruler of the Jews, he decided it was better not to be seen by his peers. Jesus told him he had to be born again, and he wants to know how that can be not understanding the Spirit. And it is not like regression therapy.

The Spirit. however, moves over you, as you believe He is the Son of God and died for your sins and ask forgiveness of them, and confess it aloud, you are born again or your spirit is. And you begin to study and grow in grace, He wants us to keep childlike faith but also grow up in Him, and not being childish but mature.

Each of us has a measure of faith and the Spirit, at the time of salvation and there are gifts that the Spirit gives as He sees fit. There is the baptism of fire, or of the Spirit, that Jesus will also give you. I recommend studying 1 Corinthians 12,13, and 14, and praying before asking for the gift, it is powerful and you need to use the gift of tongues  regularly.

We have a new birth in Him and can receive the Spirit, just like He did. The very Son of God came to be born as a baby, grew into a manhood and received the Spirit.  He died having experienced everything we go through and more being sinless and all God, and yet man. For our sake, he endured it and we inherited eternal life, that life is in heaven to be revealed but that life within us is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, in His Spirit and available to us whatever measure we can walk in, He deserves our love and trust.

None of us would see heaven without being born again, and Jesus is the only way. God promised in Hebrew early in Genesis, that He would nail His own hand, it is encoded there and Jesus is about to be revealed even more in His return, are you ready, do you understand the new birth.

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New And Old

Old and new, it might make you think of the wedding poem or even retro, I love old Victorian house and how they are restored. We have been talking about the new things God is doing. And the butterflies representing new life in Him, a new creation and even resurrection.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17, we have talked about a new heaven and earth and I just had to go over this verse.

For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17

While Ecclesiastes reminds us not to focus or even consider the good old days, and even Jesus, warns about not looking back, we can enjoy our good memories and appreciate old things, remember records? Poodle skirts? ice cream socials. Those are good things to remember.

What about a new heaven and earth? He is going to do it or has He already begun from the time we are saved as we grow in grace. Is heaven on earth even possible? I would say yes, but it takes a close relationship with Him.

Let’s think about that deep thought a moment in the story of Joseph. While some see him as arrogant, I don’t, he just knew he was loved as Rachel’s son. He endured older brothers, maybe, he should not have shared what God was showing him but it came true. Joseph was hated and ridiculed, he is a type of Christ.

The coat of many colors represented a rainbow, in my opinion, the covenant of God’s peace, and the many nations of people Jesus would reach. I think that is why the brothers bloodied it and lied to Jacob after selling him, talk a bout a bunch of Judases.

You know the story and I recommend watching the Paul Mercurio movie. It is worth every minute of the almost four hours. Joseph was sold into slavery, then to Potiphar, accuse of rape, imprisoned though his owner knew he was not that kind of man. But God was with him the whole time and prosper him and even the Pharoah would take notice and promote him.

By the time he was governor, and had to sons and beautiful wife, he commented that God had caused him to forget. Even with his brothers showing up, he was able to forgive knowing God had given him a new life and he had helped many not to starve.

God has a way of making us forget our captivity, if you will. The time we were lost, oppressed and under pressure from the peers and the world. He can make you a new world even before heaven, but you have to be able to take your thoughts captive and rely on Him.

But one day, for sure, we will not remember the old life, ways and nothing that has ever hurt us. Heaven is a place of His peace, like no other and He left it for us as a gift in John 14:27, I always say I live into he book of John because there is so much love in it. 

Just now, I thought I must be living in Isaiah too, not only what Jesus did in Isaiah 53, but the prophetic, and it is coming, and the former things, the bad things, won’t even come to mind. And that is a time to look forward to, old is gone and there is only new.

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New But Hidden

 

You have heard ( these things foretold ); look at all this ( that has been fulfilled ). And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you ( specific ) new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. Isaiah 48:6 Amplified

I seldom use the Amplified Bible, it gives a lot of definitions and I usually seperate them out . But it work here as to explaining Isaiah, as he tells the people that they have heard his prophecies and seen then come to pass. He even asks them to declare it, that God is doing something new, and even hidden things which you haven’t known.

Now, Isaiah was a prophet and he didn’t run around without clothes, fisherman and obviously other laborers were wearing a sort of loin cloth, kind of like a man working without a shirt, He made prophetic statements under two kings and possibly for as long as sixty four years. Though some think he did not write the entire book, it is clear that the Spirit moved on him to prophesy including the birth of Jesus and His names, 9:6 and His violent sacrifice and death at the hands of cruel men, even burial in a tomb given to Him. So, you see, the prophets were accurate.

His wife was also a prophetess, and when she did God did not allow him to mourn her, there were still things He wanted to do in his life. Mourning and grief, can keep you from hearing Him, and while it is normal, it can take the form of a tormenting spirit over time.

So Isaiah was telling Israel that God was doing new things and they had seen His words come to pass. Indeed, He would do new things and even more so by sending Jesus. God had hidden a lot of the plan of redemption from many because a lot of people would have followed the enemy instead. How blessed we are to have the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and constant companion and comforter.

While the enemy will blind the eyes of the unbelieving and sinners, and to an extent believers if they are not receptive to something the Spirit would teach them, God also has kept new things hidden and safe for us, and He will make them beautiful in His time. Let’s look at few new and hidden verses and be grateful for His blessings as we close out our series.

It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Job 28:21

For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. Jeremiah 16:7

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. Daniel 22:2

Everything is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. Matthew 10:26

I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. Ephesians 3:9

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. Colossians 1:24-26

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13

I am so glad we are safe, hidden in Him, in the secret place of the Most High God, who know and reveals His wisdom and plans, and sometimes, keeps them hidden.

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