Today's Service was not recorded due to its unique Nature. As a result, Pastor Rick has just included the outline below:
The Prophet
My name is Isaiah. Many years before the birth of Jesus the Christ, I prophesied many things about Him though I did not know Him then. Once I stood before the King Ahaz and spoke the Word of the Lord: “7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” I had no idea at the time how incredible were these words!
Later I prophesied to my countrymen, “9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined… 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
What glorious words of hope! In my time Israel was falling like a star from the heavens. Great wickedness was all around. Great was the coming judgement of God. Yet, in the midst of these times and circumstances, God gave marvelous glimpses of hope! 700 years later, the fulfillment of these prophecies would come to pass in the midst of hard times for our nation under the heel of Rome as it once again approached destruction. There again in my beloved nation which was full of corrupt religion and facing impending doom, the glorious light of God shined as a baby was born to a virgin fulfilling my words from so long before.
That baby grew to manhood without sin and eventually fulfilled other words I prophesied: “53:1 ¶ Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
(KJV)”
As He gave His life in intercession on the cross, He opened the way of redemption to us. Three days after he died, he raised to life again and a few weeks later ascended back into Heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father ever making intercession for you. Now the hope about which I prophesied has come to pass and is even now held before you. Once again the world is in chaos with wickedness all around. Once again the world faces imminent doom. But the light I prophesied about so long ago, fulfilled in Christ Jesus, is still the hope for all mankind. There is no other. No man can come to the Father except by Him! No man has any hope of redemption or eternal life without Him! Have you opened your heart to the hope of the prophets? Does He live in you?
Pause for a Prayer.
Now I want to reinforce what I have said with these children here:
KIDZONE – Decorating Christmas Trees
Why do we decorate Christmas trees? Well, some people trace the origins of the Christmas Tree back across many centuries to various times and places. Some people associate it with very negative or bad ideas. However, in our modern era, the Christmas Tree has become almost empty of symbolism and meaning and for most people is just another object associated with the holiday. That alone is reason enough for its existence.
However, here at WLF we like to take every opportunity we can to redeem things and to imbue them with meaning. We also like to do things that reinforce truth in our minds and the minds of our children. So that is what we are going to do with our Christmas Trees this year.
Let’s talk about the symbolism of some of the elements we have before us.
The Evergreen – The evergreen tree is a symbol of growth, health, and life. It is constantly green amid even the harshest winter. It is to us a symbol of “Eternal Life that comes from God through the gift of his Son, Jesus, Christ our Lord (John 3:16). Additionally, we think of the manger (possibly made of wood) and the cross (definitely made of wood) as two objects made from trees that were used in the greatest love story ever told.
The Lights – The lights represent so many things that we see around Christmas time. What are some of those? The star? The Bright Angels? Jesus Himself: There are three Scriptures that reference this:
John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 8:12 – Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Stars – I have here some stars. What do these represent? Yes! The Star of Bethlehem and the bright and morning star, Jesus!
Matthew 2:9 – When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
2Pe 1:19 – We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
The Candy Canes – There are legends about the candy cane that you can research on your own, but today we use them to symbolize several things:
What is the shape of a candy cane? Like a shepherd’s crook – with which he could steer or rescue sheep. Psalm 23:1-4 & John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Also the shape is like a “J” which stands for Jesus! – Matthew 1:21 - And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Underneath it is white like snow. God said through the prophet Isaiah, “1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Then the red stripes represent how Jesus was scourged or whipped before his crucifixion and represent the blood He shed for us. Isaiah 53:5-6 - 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Crosses – These ornaments represent the reason Jesus came at Christmas. He was born to die. He was born to give his life as a ransom for sinful mankind.
Matthew 20:27-28 – “27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
The Nails – With nails Jesus was attached to the cross. How do we know this? We know from the remarks of Thomas recorded in John 20:25, The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. With these nails we represent the agony He was born to carry for us.
The Rocks – What can these rocks represent? Well they can represent some of the teaching of Jesus: Matthew 7 where he tells us about the wise man who built his house on the solid foundation of rock. It can speak of Jesus Himself about whom the Apostle Paul wrote, “Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” But most of all for us it represents the end of the Easter story that gives meaning to Christmas. Jesus was buried in a tomb made of ___. Across the entrance was placed a heavy ___. When the women came early on the first day of the week to anoint his body they found the ___ had been rolled away! (Luke 23:53 & Luke 24:1-3)
The Empty Egg – This is an Easter Egg. That’s a strange thing to see at Christmas – especially on a Christmas Tree! Why would we put an Easter Egg on the Christmas Tree? What’s inside this Easter Egg? NOTHING! What does that make you think of? Yes! The Empty Tomb!
Luke 24: 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Don’t you think that is what Christmas is all about? That is the reason we celebrate His birth, remember His death, and rejoice in His resurrection! Because all of this means we serve the Living God and His Son our Risen Lord Jesus, the promised Messiah! It also means that since He kept His promise to rise again, He will also keep His promise to give us eternal life if we believe on Him and He will come again to receive us unto Himself just as He promised He would! This is our glorious hope the hope of the resurrection in Christ! In his powerful opening statement to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “16 [I] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
On this first Sunday of Advent – the Day of Prophets & Hope, I hope you have been reminded that God is our Good Father Who Keeps His Promises as we talked about last week; Who fulfills His prophetic Word and Gave us the Greatest Gift in all of History in His Son Jesus. As we have decorated these Christmas Trees today, I hope the symbolism we have included helps you to think all Christmas Season about the real meaning for the season.
