Category Archives: Cross (of Jesus Christ)

Advent Reading for December 20, 2023 | “A Wise Visit to the King” from Matthew 2:1-12

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”   3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “’And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, the rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Matthew 2:1-12

“A Wise Visit to the King”

In the Gospel of Matthew, the account of the magi seeking the newborn King stands as a beacon of divine guidance amidst human intentions and deceit. The journey of the magi epitomizes the yearning within humanity for deeper significance and truth. Led by a celestial phenomenon—a guiding star—they embarked on a pilgrimage, seeking the birth of the prophesied King of the Jews. Yet, even within their noble quest, shadows of deceit loomed. 

King Herod, masking his wicked intentions, manipulated the magi, seeking to exploit their mission for his own selfish gains. This contrast underscores the importance of discernment—a call relevant in our times, where authentic pursuit of truth can be clouded by deceptive motives and personal agendas. Herod’s malicious intent, masked by a false desire to worship, is revealed as he schemes to eliminate any perceived threat to his rule. 

Bethlehem, the small town renowned as the birthplace of King David, becomes clear to be the prophesied site of the birth of the Messiah. Micah 5:2 is evoked as a direct prophecy fulfilled by Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. This convergence of prophecy and reality underscores the divine orchestration of events, pointing towards Jesus’s role as the promised Messiah.

While the Magi seek to worship the newborn King, they present gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—symbols that not only denote Jesus’s royalty and divinity but also foreshadow elements of His life, death, and purpose (Matthew 2:11). Gold, an emblem of kingship and divinity, prefigures Jesus’s royal lineage as the Son of God. Frankincense, used in sacred worship, symbolizes His sacrificial mission and holy nature. Myrrh, a substance associated with embalming and bitterness, prophetically hints at Jesus’s future suffering, death, and burial (Mark 15:23).

The unfolding narrative takes a darker turn as Herod, threatened by the mere existence of this prophesied King, devises a plan to murder Him. The holy family flees to Egypt, finding refuge there until Herod’s death. This flight mirrors the providential movements that underscore Jesus’s pivotal role in fulfilling divine prophecy and promises.

Fast-forwarding in Jesus’s life, His ministry leads to the events of His death, burial, and resurrection—the core elements that define Christian faith. The journey that began in Bethlehem culminates in Jerusalem, where Jesus willingly submits to the cross (Mark 15:22-24).

It ties to Jesus’s crucifixion—His ultimate act of love and sacrifice for humanity. His burial, marked by His descent from the cross and entombment, sets the stage for the awe-inspiring reality of His resurrection. In Jesus’s resurrection, the significance of Bethlehem intertwines with His ultimate victory over death, providing believers with hope, assurance, and salvation. His journey from Bethlehem to the cross, from crucifixion to resurrection, encapsulates the essence of God’s redemptive plan for humanity, inviting all to embrace the life-transforming truth of Christ’s sacrificial love and triumphant resurrection.

Reflection Questions:

  1. The gifts from the Magi – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – symbolically foreshadow various aspects of Jesus’s life, death, and purpose. How do these gifts deepen our understanding of Jesus’s identity and mission?
  2. How does Jesus’s sacrificial love and triumph over death offer believers hope and assurance in their lives?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming)
  2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming)
  3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)

Advent Reading for December 18, 2023 | “Christmas Unveiling Easter’s Promise” from Luke 2:25-35

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon Him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to Your Word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”

          33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:25-35

“Christmas Unveiling Easter’s Promise”

Cradling a newborn often leaves us grasping for words, yet, when Simeon embraced the infant Jesus in the temple, his words resounded with prophetic gravity. Simeon anticipated the fulfillment of God’s promise in this child, recognizing Jesus as the Savior not just for the Jewish nation but for the entire world (Luke 2:30-32).

Alongside this divine hope, Simeon foresaw a somber shadow of suffering. Amidst proclaiming salvation, he hinted at the division Jesus would bring, revealing the depths of people’s hearts. He tenderly forewarned Mary of the anguish she would endure because of her son’s destiny (Luke 2:34-35) – which reminds me of Good Friday and Easter

While Easter might not be the typical focus of Christmas, understanding the significance of Easter unlocks the very heart of Christmas itself. Simeon, with profound insight, pointed forward to the significance of Good Friday while welcoming the baby central to the Christmas narrative. His words connected the humble manger to the redemptive work accomplished on the rugged cross.

Christianity isn’t a moral code for self-improvement but the proclamation of Christ’s finished work. It isn’t about our merit but about God’s mighty ability to rescue, redeem, and restore. Much like the relief felt after settling a bill, God stamped “PAID” against our sins through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. The events that pierced Mary’s soul culminated in God’s unmistakable declaration: Jesus conquered death and paid the debt for all sinners (Luke 24:1-7).

Luke’s Gospel serves as a masterful bridge, connecting the Christmas story with Easter’s triumphant climax. Jesus, in his life and death, fulfilled Simeon’s prophecies—reaching out to the marginalized, facing opposition, and ultimately redeeming sinners through the sacrifice of the cross, all fueled by an unparalleled love for humanity.

Jesus, the embodiment of divine love, sacrificed himself for sinners like Simeon, Mary, Zechariah, the shepherds, and each of us—extending redemption despite our flaws and showcasing an immeasurable depth of love. This truth is the resounding heartbeat of Christmas, leading to the profound grace and unfathomable hope found in the resurrection of Easter.

Reflection Questions:

  1. Reflecting on Simeon’s anticipation of Jesus connecting Christmas to Easter, how does this deepen your appreciation for the entire Story of Christ?
  2. In what ways does Jesus’s sacrificial death resonate the idea of a fully paid debt, and how does this understanding impact the way you view God’s grace and forgiveness?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming)
  2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming)
  3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)

Songs for Sunday, December 17, 2023 @ Christ Community Church

Tomorrow is Sunday, and I’m excited!

I love Christmas, but over recent years, I have grown to especially love Advent at Christ Community. It’s not about lighting the candles or tradition or, well, anything I can really put into words. It’s just been special – and is special.

Tomorrow, our Advent focus will be on Joy and Love.

In thinking of joy, it seems that this season – festivities and the hustle-and-bustle nature of our calendars – really shows how much people seek after joy amid life’s challenges. This is a season for some where joy seems to be out of place, or at least out of reach. It never will be in reach if we only seek joy here on earth.

Jesus’s birth was heralded by an angel army choir as “good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10) to a group who understood difficult circumstances. I mean, not many of us will be camped out on a hillside working with a bunch of dumb sheep this Christmas. But this is exactly who Jesus came for – people like those shepherds, in fact those specific shepherds: people who need Him, sinners in need of a Savior. Amid our flaws and sins, the good news of great joy stands – a Savior born to rescue sinners from sin and death was born that day in Bethlehem, and even though He died on the cross to save us from our sins (Romans 5:8), He is alive and on His throne today (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)! That’s good news – of great joy!

In our world that seems to be plunging more and more quickly into the darkness, we sometimes let that joy be eclipsed. But just as the moon (that looks big to us but is infinitesimally smaller than our sun) cannot completely block out the light of our sun, darkness cannot block out the Light – Jesus. One thing that helps that Light shine so brightly is the power of His love. Just as darkness cannot withstand the flame of a single candle, the hatred and darkness of sin cannot stand in the light of His love (1 John 1:5).

The love of God in Christ offers hope amid chaos! And that love is truly a gift, epitomized by John 3:16, showing that God loved the world in such a way that He gave His only Son. The good news that brings great joy is that there is a Savior for sinners. God became flesh to live the life we cannot live (sinless) and die the death due our sin in our place (Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21). And anyone – all people – who confess Him as Lord and believe in Him shall be saved (Romans 10:9, 13) – those shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

If you seek joy and love from the glitz and glamour of the lights and presents around a Christmas tree, you will come up empty. No amount of gifts and trappings found on earth can satisfy – none can save. But Jesus can. He wants to save. So, amid the hustle and the bustle and the gifts and the goings, remember the gift of Christ – the Son of God offered for our salvation. May our hearts rejoice in His presence more than in presents. For Emmanuel – God with us – dispels the darkness, saves souls, produces joy, and freely gives of His love!

And if you need someone to talk to or to just listen to you or pray with you, we at Christ Community would love to point you to the One who can meet your needs. We would love to point you to Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).

Won’t you gather with us and make much of Him?

Here are our Scriptures & songs:

Advent Reading | JOY

  • Scripture | Luke 2:8-12 —

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Advent Reading | LOVE

  • Scripture | Romans 5:1-8 —

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming)
  2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming)
  3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Advent Reading for December 7, 2023 | “Unlikely Lineage: Sin and Redemption in Jesus’s Family Tree” from Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
          2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
          And David was the father of Soloman by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,  8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
          12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
          17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:1-17

“Unlikely Lineage: Sin and Redemption in Jesus’s Family Tree”
by Keith Harris

Once upon a time, there was a great King. He was foretold of old to be a great hero who would come from His faraway country to win back His lost love. His story is one of romance as He left His palace to rescue His Bride. His lineage hailed back to other…great…well, um….

One of the things I love about God’s Word is how it does not fall into the temptation to pretty things up or rewrite/remix them to be more acceptable. Yes, Jesus is the great King – the King of kings who was prophesied for centuries to come from heaven and rescue His people. Yes, Jesus’s Story is one of romance where He left His throne on high and traded it for a lowly manger in a tumble-down stable. But His lineage? It was not filled with kings and queens, although there are a few sprinkled in toward the middle. It was not filled with great heroes with tragic flaws; well, the tragic flaws are many. No, Jesus’s family tree was filled with regular old sinners with real sin and problems – people like me and you.

This Bible study will look at some women emphasized in Jesus’s family tree in Matthew who point us to Jesus in very specific ways. We do not have time to go fully into their stories today, so I will give you the cross-reference so you can check it out directly from Scripture.

The first woman is Tamar (v. 3), and her story is found in Genesis 38. Tamar was Judah’s – as in lion of the tribe of Judah, the original – daughter-in-law. She was originally married to Judah’s oldest son Er until “the Lord put him to death” because Er was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” (Genesis 38:7). In those days, when the elder son died, it was the role of his younger brother to take his place and father children in his name. This fell to second-born son, Onan, but Onan was more sinful and selfish than his big brother, doing what was “wicked in the sight of the Lord” and being “put…to death, also” (Genesis 38:10). Poor Tamar. Her only hope at bearing children would fall on Judah’s youngest son Shelah. But Judah lied and had no intention of continuing with Tamar. What did she do? She decided to be wicked herself. She tricked Judah and tempted him. How did he respond but by being wicked himself? Judah and Tamar committed sin together that is so heinous that I won’t write on it here. So, why would they be included in Jesus’s official lineage – in the Bible no less?

The second woman is Rahab (v. 5), and her story is found throughout the Bible in Joshua 2:1-21, 6:17, 6:22-25; Hebrews 11:31; and James 2:25. Rahab wasn’t one of God’s chosen people, and before the Hebrew spies came to her house in Jordan, she was known for her sinful profession, a profession that, like Tamar isn’t something I am writing down here. Yet she had faith in the God she had heard of because of the mighty work He had done with His people. She kept the Hebrew spies safe by hiding them from her own people. She sided with the Lord. Despite her people and her own history, God rescued her by letting her put a scarlet cord in her window to mark her safe. But what about that earlier profession? Why would someone like her be included in Jesus’s official lineage – in the Bible no less?

The third woman is actually somewhat related to Rahab – she ended up marrying Rahab’s son Boaz. Her name is Ruth, and her story is told in the book of the Bible bearing her name. Like her mother-in-law, she wasn’t one of God’s chosen people. She was from the land of Moab (a people group started by a whole bunch of mess way back in Genesis 19:30-37). Her husband Mahlon came to Moab with his family during a famine in Israel, seeking help from their own strength and ingenuity rather than from the Lord. While they were in Moab, her father-in-law, husband, and brother-in-law all died. She alone decided to go back to Israel with her mother-in-law Naomi. God blessed her while she was there and took care of Ruth and Naomi. Eventually, she – not one of God’s chosen people – would be blessed to marry Boaz, Rahab’s son. This story has a happy ending, especially considering Ruth would be David’s great-grandmother, but doesn’t King Jesus deserve a more presentable bloodline?

The fourth woman isn’t even called by her name, but how she is listed tells the sadness and sin surrounding her: “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah” (v. 6, 2 Samuel 11:1-25). King David is heralded as a hero but mainly for his worship of the Lord. He is also known as a sinner. Yes, the man who slew Goliath and wrote a good chunk of the psalms committed some of the most heinous sins: murder and adultery. David saw “the wife of Uriah”, a woman named Bathsheba, and decided that he wanted to make her his. His decisions led to a child between them. Rather than owning up and confessing his sin – to the Lord, to his wives, to Uriah, to Israel, David undertook a massive cover-up that ended in his arranging Uriah’s murder. He stole a man’s wife. He took a man’s life. It looks good to have a man who killed a giant who worshiped the Lord in your lineage, but why associate King Jesus with the wickedness of King David (and the same or worse from many of the kings listed after him in the family tree)?

In short, there are answers to those questions. Why would the Bible recognize all those sins and sinners in Jesus’s lineage? They all really happened. Sin happens. All people “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us – not a single person in the history or future of the world – deserve to be in Jesus’s lineage, but faith in God – trusting in His work and His steadfast love and kindness – is woven through that lineage, marking like a scarlet cord those who are saved by trusting in Him. Looking at their sin and faith in Him reminds us that none of us are worthy of saving. But that is why He came. Jesus Himself said that He came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). And how did He come to seek and to save? Christmas. The incarnation of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). He came to earth to provide a way for people like Tamar, Rahab, David, you, and me to be saved – by grace through faith in Him alone.

So, as you gather with family and friends and notice some rough looking fruit in your family tree – or whether you notice the same by looking in your own mirror, realize that Jesus is more than the reason for the season – He came to seek and save sinners like you and me. Won’t you ask Him to save you?

Reflection Questions:

  1. By God including Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and David in Jesus’s family line, how do you see God’s grace and mercy at work despite their sins? How can that remind us of God’s redemption?
  2. Consider the phrase Jesus used in Luke 19:10, that He came “to seek and save the lost”. How does that impact you personally?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming)
  2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming)
  3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)

Advent Reading for December 5, 2023 | “An Old Testament Portrait of Christ” from Isaiah 53:1-6

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
and no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned – every one – to His own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:1-6

“An Old Testament Portrait of Christ”
by Robert Morman

I remember going to various churches when I was in my teens, and it was always there. That one framed picture of Jesus. You know the one. I have jokingly called it the Swedish-Pageant-Sash Jesus. He is there with blue eyes and flowing hair. His robes are white, and he wears either a red or blue sash that goes from his shoulder across his chest and around his side. He looks like he is either in a pageant or in a commercial for some hair product. He looks amazing – almost heavenly. There is usually one other picture in most churches – Jesus on the cross. It is a sanitized picture of the crucifixion. It is usually Jesus nailed to the cross looking to Heaven. For the most part, he looks normal and in good physical condition, but when we read the words of Isaiah 53, we see a completely different Jesus described.

           Verse 2 says, “He [Jesus] had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” Appearance wise, there was nothing that stood out about Jesus. In His time, He would look exactly like most normal working class or even poor people in that area of the world. He wouldn’t have stood out in the marketplace. Isaiah 53 doesn’t stop there with Jesus. This is a prophecy about what would occur to the Messiah. He is called “a man of sorrows” and one “acquainted with grief”, so well acquainted with grief that it is recorded that He sweat drops of blood in the garden because of what He knew was going to occur to Him. He carried our sins. Verse 4 says it best, “he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Every sin was on Him. A sinless Savior feeling the weight of an eternity of sin. That is tremendous grief and sorrow. 

          Verse 5 foretells what would occur to him. “He was pierced for our transgressions.” From the flogging to the crown of thorns, to the nails, to the spear in his side, every piercing was caused by us. “He was crushed for our iniquities.” Jesus most likely would have fallen as he carried the crossbeam he would soon be nailed to. This piece of the device of torment and death would have fallen on him. Depending on the source, the beam would have weighed 75-125 lbs. Imagine falling multiple times with that weight on you, then getting up and doing it again. All of this combined with the beating Jesus would have received and his lack of sleep, food, and water would have made Him look almost inhuman in appearance. But why? Why would this occur? Verse 6,” The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Christ was sent to die because of what we have done. Every sin, big and small, was laid on Him by the Father. Jesus was mangled and marred for us at the will of the Father. This should drive us to adore Jesus more and more.

To close, let’s read the lyrics of the hymn “O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded”[i]:

“In thy most bitter passion
My heart to share doth cry.
With thee for my salvation
Upon the cross to die.
Ah, keep my heart thus moved
To stand thy cross beneath,
To mourn thee, well-beloved,
Yet thank thee for thy death.”

Reflection Questions:

  1. How do vv. 2-6 describe Jesus different than the pictures you are used to seeing of Him?
  2. How does reading through these verses in Isaiah 53 help us understand why Jesus came to earth and why He died for our sins on the cross?

"Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Before the Throne of God Above" from Revelation 4 (The KING is Coming)
  2. " Lukewarm Yet Not Without Hope: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Laodicea" (The KING is Coming)
  3. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)

[i]            F. L. Cross and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 670.

Songs for Sunday, July 24, 2022 @ Christ Community Church

Here are our Scriptures and songs:

  • Scripture | John 3:16-21 —

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

  • Scripture | Galatians 2:20 —

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

  • Scripture | Philippians 2:5-11 —

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If you have not been gathering, consider gathering with your church family again. We have a 10:00 Bible study where Jamie Harrison is walking us through the book of Revelation. If you are at-risk, this Bible study would be perfect for you so you can spread out (and even dip out the side door before the 11:00 worship gathering begins).