The Sign

The Sign

The following two portions of scripture are of course very familiar to the Christian world and even the non-religious world as well. They often form the backdrop of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Isaiah 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.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Each of these verses portray the miraculous birth of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied of a virgin birth for Jesus 700 years before NT Matthew records the same prophecy as affirmed by an Angel of the Lord.

In Matthew 12 and 16, Mark 8 and again in Luke 11, the Pharisees and Sadducees appealed to Jesus to offer them a Sign that he was indeed the one sent from Heaven. Little did these self righteous religious Jews realize that they had missed a “Special Sign” conveyed by Almighty God to his prophets centuries earlier!

But there is another Biblical reference to a special “Sign” concerning another prophecy about the birth of a Son of Israel. 

Prophecy of a Special Sign

Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

The “virgin birth” of Jesus represents the victorious fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 prophecy concerning the battle between the “seed of the Woman” and the “seed of the serpent.”

God utilized the “virgin birth” to became a human being in order to bring salvation to the world. It is the story of the greatest gift ever given! And the “sign of the virgin birth” was a Sign to Israel and indeed the whole world, that God had totally won the “seed war,” that had resulted from Satan’s “War in Heaven!”

The “virgin birth” of Jesus was a significant Sign in and of itself, but Luke is referencing another very special “Sign!”

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

This, the most amazing and miraculous birth of all time, was heralded by angels, who spoke to a select group of men who provided sacrifical lambs for the Temple sacrifices. Little did they know that they were being told that the One just born was THE Lamb of God!

Bethlehem

Why had the angels come to this particular group of shepherds? Because, these shepherds near Bethlehem were quite special. They were tending lambs destined for Temple sacrifice. 

As it turns out, the very location of these shepherds was quite near the place where Christ was born. It also marks the site of an ancient prophecy; the amazing prophecy of  the birth of the Lamb of God; in Bethlehem!

Why had Joseph and Mary come all the way from their hometown of Nazareth, when she was in the late stages of her pregnancy? 

It was not only Herod the Great, who was alarmed by the rumors of a king born in Bethlehem, but also Herod’s masters back in Rome! Matthew records that Herod was alarmed by men from the East, seeking the newborn king of Israel. Unquestionably, the presence of stately men from Persia would not only alarm Herod, but also Caesar! Thus all of Jerusalem would have been on edge!

Because their registration was decreed by the bureaucrats of the Roman Empire. The genealogies of both Joseph and Mary were both came out of the line of Judah. Joseph’s ancestry, the royal genealogy of Jesus listed  in Matthew, descended through King David, himself. 

Bethlehem, the city of David, was the place where the Roman magistrates had located themselves for the Roman census to receive those who were of the tribe of Judah.

Mary’s genealogy, recorded by Luke, served to provide the legal genealogy of Jesus official right to rule over the House of David. 

Thus, the census mandate of Romes Caesar Augustus was in essence a declaration that the entire Empire be forced to register at designated locations, was not intended so much for taxation, but rather for the purpose of identifying any claimant among the Jews to a legal authority to rule in territories under Roman dominion!

Mary, the was a descendant of David, had the right of primogeniture and kingship for her offspring. Luke’s account (in verse 4), says this very thing. The young couple this came to the City of David, Bethlehem, to register as members of the royal tribe of Judah.

Therefore, Caesar Augustus; seeking to enforce the regal appointment of Herod the Great as the “King of the Jews” sought to intercept any contenders to a royal throne in Judah; thus unwittingly making “Bethlehem” ground zero in the ages old “seed war.”

The Tower of the Flock

This particular location was a landmark in God’s overall providential plans! Micah the prophet had centuries earlier picked up on the magnificent symbolism and foreordained plan of God to use the “Shepherd fields” of Bethlehem to bring to the world the long awaited “seed of the Woman” and of course his own sacrificial Lamb! 

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2).

Ephratah denotes “fruitfulness.” Bethlehem means house of bread. Speaking in context about Bethlehem, the prophet Micah lays out the distant future in a prophecy of the coming Kingdom. He refers to that time period as “the last days.” Then, he goes on to say the following:

Micah 4:6-8 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7. And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.”

Herein from Micah, we have a prophecy that describes a mysterious location, and a strange edifice, a “Shepherds watchtower,” that is presented as a significant “Sign” to understanding the birth of the Messiah. 

Micah wrote these words in the 8th century, BC, long before Israel’s captivity in Babylon, and the later scattering of Israel. And also of special note is that verses 9-13 describe Israel’s long “time of travail,” as a woman with child, in the world, but foretells of a regathering of a remnant of Jews into the ancient homeland in the Last Days; resulting in the reign of Zions true King; the one to be born in Bethlehem!

Thus, we discover that the strange, but very unique “Shepherds watchtower” that sat overlooking the flocks of Bethlehem was in fact a centerpiece of an ancient drama. In fact, it is said that this Tower was still in existence in the days when a young shepherd boy named David watched over his flocks in the same fields.

From the days of Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, even to the present, God’s will has traced out an immense plan. That plan centered upon Jesus Christ, the most important person in all history, the Son of the Living God; and whose destiny it was to be born in Bethlehem Ephratah!

Shepherds Tower of Eder

Back in Genesis chapter 35, God directed Jacob to travel with Rachel from Bethel down to a place called Bethlehem. Before reaching Bethlehem, Rachel travailing in childbirth died, with Jacob burying her in Ephratah, a “Shepherds field” just outside Bethlehem!

Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

20. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

21. And Jacob (Israel) journeyed and spread his tent beyond the Tower of Eder!

In Hebrew, the term “tower of Edar” is migdal eder. Its literal meaning of this title is “tower of the flock.” It is quite likely the very place where Christ was actually born, as described by Luke’s Christmas story. 

The Big Sign

This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep ground far, far beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, being prepped for sacrifice, in nearby Jerusalem.

It was these “special lambs” that routinely were wrapped in “swaddling bands” for the sake of protection from bruises or injury to be shipped on up to the Temple Mount for sacrifice!

At a precise moment in the timeline of human history, and in the City of David, Bethlehem, the Lamb of God came to the House of Bread at the Tower of the Flock!

In fact, the prophecies of Micah and Luke foretell of the Lamb of God, not only being born in Bethlehem Ephratah, but laid in rock hewn lambs manger, and wrapped in the typical swaddling bands of prospective sacrificial lambs to be sent up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, only five miles to the north 

Is it not amazing how the very location mentioned here by Micah the prophet for the birth of Israel’s Messiah was marked out for the future fulfillment of prophecy; and was predicated upon the promises Almighty God made way back in Genesis? 

Focus on the Bible

December 29, 2021

by: Darrell G. Young

Herod The Great vs Jesus

Herod the Great vs Jesus

Herod the Great was a ruthless despot that had arose to power in Israel in the decades just prior to the birth of Jesus. He became described as “Great” not because of his contributions to society, but because of the great atrocities he committed. He could well be considered Satan’s henchman for those times.

Nevertheless, during the climax of Herod’s evil reign, God moved to bring his only Son into the family of man. 

Matthew 1:1-3 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Herod I came to be known as “Herod the Great” and was also commissioned by the Roman Senate as the “King of Jews” in the year 37BC. He ruled the province of Judea for about 40 years until his gruesome death only 4 years after the birth of Jesus.

Herod the Great, as he came to be called was born in 72BC. Therefore he was about 72 years old in the year that Jesus was born. 

Herod was the son of an Edomite family that maintained a special status with the Roman Emperors. Herod’s father, a descendant of Esau, was a very close associate of Julius Caesar. Herod’s ancestors had long used marriage arrangements between Edomites and Jews to infiltrate the Hasmonean base of power in Judea. 

Then in 63BC, Rome, with covert Edomite assistance conquered Judea and Galilee and evicted the Hasmoneans from power, and cultivated a political relationship with Herod’s Father. 

Finally, Herod the Great, being about age 25 joined forces with Roman General Pompey to take full control of Judea and Jerusalem in a three year long war campaign against the Jewish Hasmoneans in 37BC. 

After the Roman occupation began, “Herod the Great”became “Rome’s Man” in Israel. He became notorious for executions, covert political operations, murders, torture of any suspected rivals and intense gruesome public displays of cruelty of the death for suspected enemies! He killed his own sons and wives whenever he suspected any plots against his kingly power! 

In summation, the “Herod” that was King of Judea in the years of Jesus birth and early childhood was a raving madman. Even the elite Emperors of Rome, Mark Antony and Caesar Augustus among them marveled at the crazed butchery of Herod the Great. 

So, when Matthew affirms that Herod was “troubled” when “wise men” from the East had penetrated his contentious borders on his Persian perimeter, “all of Jerusalem was likewise troubled.” 

Indeed, the whole city was on high alarm since they all knew Herod would violently execute anybody even remotely linked to any talk of a “new King of Israel.”

Ten Points About Herod’s Plot Against Jesus

Point 1-Satan utilized Herod’s demonic lunacy to attempt to destroy the new born “Son of God.” 

Point 2-Satan did not foreknow where Jesus would be born, or when. In fact, Herod’s evil attempt to kill Jesus was at least two years behind in his Satanic plot. 

Point 3-Herod, in his maniacal wrath, plotted to kill all babies under two years of age in Bethlehem and also in it’s local vicinity. This “slaughter of the innocents” (verse 16) is typical of the venom of Satan towards babies and it even continues to this day in the form of abortion! The number of babies killed in Bethlehem on that night probably was only a couple dozen, but Herod also extended his slaughter to the towns near the site that the chief priests had told him about (Matt. 2:4) causing great fear throughout Judea and ending up killing up to perhaps 100-200 babies. 

Point 4-Herod privately interrogated the Wise Men from the East, faking a personal genuine interest in this recent miracle birth. Jesus had already been born by the time of the Wise Mens visit and had already grown into a young toddler. 

Point 5-The “Wise Men” had first seen the wondrous star in the East! They likely first witnessed it somewhere in Persia. Their trip to pay homage to a “new king in Israel” took a lot of logistical preparation. Their journey required a sizable camel caravan complete with guards, food, tents, as well as the large amount of gifts that they were delivering. The trip alone might have taken several months, as it would require an overland trip of about 1200 miles, thus accounting for the fact that Jesus was no longer a mere babe in a lowly manger, but actually a toddler (young child-Matt. 2;11) living within a house.

Point 6-The “Wise Men” from the East had likely followed the prophecies of the prophet Daniel, and estimated that the time for the birth of the long awaited Messiah was nigh at hand. The typical Persian citizen would have cared nothing for Israel, or any birth of any future king of Israel! 

Point 7-The amazing star that the wise men followed was truly amazing. It is not likely that it was a cosmological star. This “star” performed unorthodox maneuvers on the horizon. First, it guided the wise men in a westerly direction, the direction of the setting Sun. Secondly, it had to appear very low on the topographical horizon for the wise men to detect an intriguing motion. Third, this star could change directions and courses, while appearing at times and disappearing at other times. Finally, in verse nine, the scripture used the words; “and lo, the star which appeared in the East” went before them in a different direction. The word “lo” utilized here even indicates the surprise and excitement that the wise men sensed at that secondary sighting; perhaps because of a totally different horizontal trajectory away from Jerusalem!

Point 8-God warned the wise men of Herod’s evil scheme and advised them to journey back towards Persia by an entirely different route than they had initially approached. The changes in their behavior and travel pattens served to frustrate and anger Herod even more. (God often uses the course of events in this world to frustrate Satan’s schemes.)

Point 9-The Lord warned Joseph in a dream of Herod’s intensified anger and zeal in verse 13 to “seek out” Jesus to destroy him. The usage of the word “seek” portrays the fact that Herod was actually performing an all-out covert effort of Satanic proportions to destroy the “seed of the Woman.” (Genesis 3:15)

Point 10-The Lord directed Joseph to take Mary their young son down into Egypt. In Egypt, Jesus was safely out of the realm of Herod’s dominion. While Young Jesus was secured by God down in Egypt, Herod met his unseemly death just 4 years after Jesus birth. 

Upon hearing of “Herod the Great’s” death, Joseph retuned his family again into Israel. Joseph then decided to resettle his family in Nazareth! And as Luke records (2:52) young Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God! Thank God for it all! And someday, when he returns, Jesus will be the King of Kings!

Focus on the Bible

December 22, 2021

by: Darrell G. Young

Tornadoes! What is Wrong with the Weather?

Tornadoes! What is Wrong with the Weather?

Tornadoes have struck across five southern states in the past week. Several deadly Pre-Christmas tornadoes have badly impacted my home state of Kentucky, in the dead of night.

Thus far, 77 people have lost their lives. The town of Mayfield, Ky hit by an F-5 tornado was essentially destroyed. Many other of our Kentucky communities were devastated as well. 

Yet, within the chaos of all this destruction, people are really coming together, helping their brothers, and thanking God that they have survived a close brush with death.  

It is always amazing to me, that when people are confronted with disaster, they finally turn to a God they’ve never fully acknowledged.

I noted one man who said: “I’ve never ever prayed in my life, but when the tornado hit, I began to pray to God to save my life!”

These terrifying unseasonable “whirlwinds” of death and destruction have caused many to ask: “what is wrong with our weather and why in the world does Almighty God allow such calamities?”

Tornadoes in the Bible

It may surprise you to know that tornadoes and hurricanes are mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrew word “suphah” appears 15 times in the OT and is a direct reference to tornadoes! Suphah is translated as a great “whirlwind,” and these mighty whirlwinds have been common in our world for the last 4,000 years.

The Bible even offers us a basic course in how tornadoes are formed.

Job 37:9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: (suphah) and cold out of the north.

In fact, the righteous servant of God, Job saw his sons and daughters killed by a great “Whirlwind” (tornado) that destroyed their house. 

Job 1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead;

In the tragic “whirlwind” event that took Job’s family, it was clearly Satan that manipulated the weather systems to bring that calamity upon Job, and his household. 

From this Job narrative, we can glean the fact that God does sometimes either permit or relax his controls of the “natural world forces,” thereby enabling Satan the power to bring about chaos in our natural world.

On December 10, 2021; the perfect weather conditions combined themselves to foment the unleashing of these terrible “Whirlwinds” upon our land. 

“Whirlwinds” be they tornadoes, hurricanes or other vortex type wind storms are simply the common result of the mixing of divergent air temperatures and air streams, particularly at the times of seasonal changes. 

Yet, the seeming increasing number of natural disasters and terrible storms have many people wondering, who controls the weather, God or Satan? 

It is particularly distressing to me that natural disasters are often termed, by men as “acts of God,” while no thankfulness is ever given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of safe and peaceful weather. 

God is in control of all things, including the weather. Yet, through His providence, God provides for and protects His children, but He also permits Satan, demons, and powers of the air to exercise their limited capacity to commit acts of evil, and wickedness. These same beings are ultimately fully responsible for any and all disasters and tragedies they cause.

The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together. In fact, we’re it not for the constraining power of God, our universe  and world would totally collapse from the evil designs of Satan. (Colossians 1:16) 

Could God prevent natural disasters? Yes, Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather for bad? Sometimes he does! He has on occasion used the dynamics of the earths physical laws for both blessings and for judgment! Can Satan manipulate the weather? Yes, Sometimes he can, but only if God permits it.

The Natural Order

God created the entire universe, including the physical laws of nature. And the world that God created in the Beginning, was in all aspects, environmentally, meteorologically, agriculturally, in every way; a Good world. 

Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

The pre-flood world that God created was a world without rain, hail, wind-storms, floods, temperature extremes, earthquakes, and all such natural disasters that we today are subjected to. (Genesis 2:5)

In fact, it wasn’t until after the great flood of of Noah that our natural physical world, it’s topography and its climate were drastically changed. 

 

The great flood of Noah resulted in dramatic changes in everything about our world. From continental fractures, mountain upheavals, a tilting of the earth, the ice age, volcanoes, to monstrous rain and wind storms, the Earth’s climate was changed from a tranquil place to one wholly subjected to disturbances in the laws of nature!

The World Then vs. The World Now

II Peter 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Here in II Peter, we find a stark contrasting piece of information about the “world before the flood” compared to the “world after the flood.” 

The world that “Then Was” was a closer semblance of the paradise that God created originally. The Edenic fall of man brought sin into mankind’s life, and it resulted in the loss of agricultural productivity, but the Earth still retained the physical protocols of its design.

Ever since the flood of Noah, the world that “then was” even became accursed resulting in the world that “Now Is.” The entire world today is only functioning only partially as God originally designed for it to do. The world that “Now Is” endures many types of natural earthly calamities! And it all stems from the consequences of curses that fell upon Man’s involvement in Sin! 

And we are all subjected to these “Natural” curses on our world! Whereas Satan may be the original cause of it all, still, all who live in this present world have to endure this world as it is. 

In fact, Jesus reiterated the fact the natural laws of this world affect the just and unjust alike. It is of special note that in the context of this fact that Jesus instructed us to love our neighbor as ourselves! And this is just what we are witnessing in Western Kentucky right now!

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on the whole of creation; including, not only the Earth’s weather, but also the worlds animals.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

The whole world pains to be delivered from the evil effects of sin! So now we cycle back to our original two questions at the start of this article:

1-What is wrong with our weather? 

Answer: Our weather and our even climate is operating from a dysfunctional malady in the original design of the Earth! Today, it is out of sync with its Creator! 

2-Might God be trying to get our attention by permitting chaos in Earth’s weather events?

Answer: There are only two existent possible scenarios relative as to why the prevalence of whirlwinds, hurricanes, floods, etc. seem to overwhelm us today. In one case, Satan is seeking to destroy our lives and cause us to blame God for the catastrophe’s in life. In the second case, either God is using Satan’s evil for Divine judgment or he is using these evils to get our attention, and hopefully cause us to look to him as our only Hope in this fallen and calamitous world!

Focus on the Bible

December 17, 2021

by: Darrell G. Young

The Land of the Living

The Land of the Living

Psalms 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

The phrase “the land of the living” is referred to 15 times in the Bible. Fourteen of those quotes are directly related to the “Promised Land.” But here in Psalms 116, the phrasing refers to a much different place! 

Where then is the real “Land of the Living?” It’s name alone sounds like a very wonderful place! Wouldn’t it be nice to live in “the land of the Living?”

This old world is not the true “Land of the Living!” Death has universally reigned in our world since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. This evil infested old world has ever since been a “land of the Dying!”

The chapter of Psalms 116 is a major part of the Jewish Hallel. It is the famous lyrical ode that Jesus Christ himself led the Disciples in singing on that fateful “Passover” night 2000 years ago, as he led them out to the Mount of Olives. (See Matthew 26:30)

As they made their way out of Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane, undoubtedly the explicit words of this song echoed the reality of Jesus purpose for coming to the world. 

Pay close attention to the words in these verses from Psalms 116 and think about Jesus reciting them as he headed to the Garden to pray about his imminent sacrifice on the Cross.

Verse 1: I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

Verse 2: Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

Here we have a scene of one praying to God seeking sustenance and has received vital help from the Lord; just as Jesus was about to do while his Disciples kept watch. 

Then in verse three, we see a shift in the scene, a preview of the dilemma that we all face here today, in the “Land of the Dying!”

Verse 3: The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Verse three reflects the fate that we are all under as sinners. “The soul that sinneth shall die.” Thus death is the ultimate fate of all human beings. And beyond death, Hell is the appointed destiny of all sinners. And that horrible prospect should cause trouble and sorrow for everyone’s mind!

But verses four through eight offers a very good reason for hope, to all of us, that reside here in the “Land of the Dying.”

Verse 4: Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

Verse 5: Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Verse 7: Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Verse 8: For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

These verses highlight the purpose of Jesus mission to this world on his first visitation. They point to the fact that God is the author of “Grace” and his mercy is extended to all mankind. 

The subject in this chapter called upon the Lord for help and found not only Grace, but also discovered rest for his soul! Verse six reveals that afore he was simple and lowly and could not salvage his own soul. Thus he foresaw that death and hell were his fate.

As Jesus sang this words as he trod out to the garden to pray, he was consumed with a loving desire to rescue dying mankind from the “land of the Dying” and make available the possibility of man to enter into the real “Land of the Living,” Heaven!

Therefore, after reciting the Hallel song, and praying to his Father, even asking his Father if it were possible to let this ordained “Cup of Salvation” pass from him; he nevertheless resolved himself to doing his Father’s Will. 

Verse 13: I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

In verses 17, 18 and 19, Jesus literally quotes the traditional praises of the “God of Grace” and submits to the foreordained sacrifice that God’s love offering for mankind would perform. He even repeats the actions of the Lamb of God enacting this sacrifice in front of all the people in Jerusalem! 

Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord indeed! 

Because of the Lords sacrifice; we can all have rest for our souls, knowing that when we leave this Land of the Dying; we can arrive in the “Land of the Living”!

Psalms 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Focus on the Bible

December 15, 2021

by: Darrell G. Young

Loving The Unlovely

Love For the Unlovely

It is easy to love someone who possesses a lovable appeal, or is physically attractive. Our Modern humanistic society glamorizes the personas of various cultural types of idols, thus presenting our minds with a plethora of images supposedly worthy of being loved by us.

From beauty contests to bodybuilding, and rock stars to movie stars, we are constantly bombarded with visages to love and emulate. We tend to love all these icons whom we admire and adore. 

On the flip side, we are conditioned by society to dismiss and frown on those who don’t measure up to the cultures love-image model. 

The Unconditional Love of God

Whereas the world has a conditional standard of who should be worthy to be loved, Almighty God possesses a much different type of Love. 

God’s love for mankind, as described in the Bible, is clearly unconditional in that His love is expressed toward the objects of His love despite their disposition toward Him.

God loves because it is His nature to love; and his love moved Him into taking the most benevolent action of love on the behalf of those he loved, the sacrifice of his only begotten Son! 

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, (unlovely) Christ died for us.

I John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

As Unlovable as We Were

Despite the hostility and enmity we have toward God (for which God would be perfectly just to utterly destroy us), God revealed His love toward us in the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the propitiation (the appeasement of God’s righteous wrath) for our sins. God did not wait for us to better ourselves, or try to make ourselves more lovable, as a precondition of atoning for our sin.

God’s divine rescue, based on his unconditional love, resulted in a gracious act of self-sacrifice. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for those that he loves.” (John 15:13) 

It is important to note that God’s love is a love that God himself has initiated! That is precisely what makes it unconditional. If God’s love were conditional, then we would have to do something to earn or merit it. 

In other words, apart from God “initiating” his unconditional act of Love towards us, we would of necessity have to “improve our loveliness” to ever merit the Love of God! 

But that is not the biblical message. The biblical message of the gospel is that God, motivated only by his great love, acted unconditionally to save sinful men from their “unlovable status.”

From Unlovable to Lovable

Ephesians chapter two documents how unlovable sinful men can be renewed by the “transforming” power of the love of God into “lovable” creatures, only made possible by the workmanship of God, that he creates through the quickening spirit of Jesus Christ! 

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in his mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Oh What a wonderful thought, to realize that God Loved me, even when I was Unlovable!

God’s Message to the Unlovely 

Point # 1 The Gospel message tells us that no matter how “unlovable” or “unlovely” we may be, or think we are, God still loves us! 

Point # 2 God is the original initiator of Love! Before we ever even existed, God loved us!

Point # 3 To love the world and the things of this world is tantamount to never realizing the love of God. (I John 2:15) 

Focus on the Bible

by: Darrell G. Young

November 26, 2021