Wednesday, December 4

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord … and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge …

… The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. … The infant will play near the cobra’s den and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. … 
Isaiah 11:1-9

I have an odd question for you to ponder. Are you tired of this world? I am. Injustice, war, and hateful rhetoric fills our airways and everyday life. Humanity seems to be accelerating towards self destruction with each passing year. Who is driving this bus?

Have you noticed:

• The attacks on Israel by multiple nations?
• Common sense values being replaced by blatant immorality?
• AI now prepares sermons and offers to “correct pronouns” in our Bible?

How will this end? The arrogance of man refutes our Maker, but without Him, we will surely crash. We know this to be true, yet close our eyes through the hairpin turns, and hang on.

Out of the chaos, we hear the words of Isaiah. He paints a word picture of the anticipated Messiah, both in His Advent and in His Glorious Appearing at the end of the Great Tribulation.

He came first as a humble servant, the Son of God who provided a way of escape from our inevitable crash by taking our punishment on the cross. With this perfect gift, He forgives and establishes us.

His second arrival, however, will be different. With absolute authority, He will rightly judge this world and its inhabitants. He wears the mantle of the Holy Spirit for wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will carry the government on His shoulders ushering in one thousand years of peace.

Oh, the misguidance of mankind! God is perceived to be obsolete in this impudent world, but His strong hand remains at the helm. When this world exasperates itself in rebellion, we will see Him, not as a baby, but a Mighty Warrior, setting in order what is amiss. All will bow and declare Him Lord.

This Christmas season, I encourage you to look at these end times with fresh eyes knowing that when things look bleak, it is a sure sign of His return.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Pastor Sandy McElfresh,
White Stone Methodist Church