Holy Spirit is within us as believers. It was crucial for our protection and guidance that God send Him to us after His resurrection.
Faith: if I hadn’t believed it, I never would have seen it. Pastor Mitch Price
In the manner we believe we can receive!
Jesus fulfilled all the prophesies concerning Himself as the coming Messiah in the Old Testament.
Jesus the Son of God, the Creator of the universe, came as a man and tasted death for every human being. Because of this He has made us partakers of His resurrection. Israel in the Old Testament was given material blessings in their obedience. In the age of grace we are blessed with all spiritual blessing in Jesus. We are not tied to the material but to our heavenly rewards in Christ.
One reason we don't have peace is that we have forgotten that we belong to one another. Mother Teresa
We all know feeling lost. Or, untethered, or in the midst of life disagreeable, or circumstances unfriendly, or grief all-encompassing.
And it is real. And easy to focus only there, on the lost part. Forgetting that we are on this journey together.
It is why every Sabbath Moment embraces Ram Dass’ reminder, “We're all just walking each other home.”
And so grateful for those in my life who have said, “Take my hand, we’ll find our way together.”
So. Let us begin here: we need a paradigm shift from solutions (or requiring a fix), to the healing power of presence.
Of course, we wonder if we have what it takes. As if hand holding and presence is a gift given to the special anointed few.
Presence does not distinguish.
Or judge.
Presence just is.
Or mostly… presence makes space for healing and restoration and grounding.
And I do know this: presence is surely not easy in a world where we have to be "on." Or in a world that worships at the altar of the supelative. Sabbath Moments
We are so quick to judge the quality of our lives and the reliability of God based on individual events rather than on the eventual good God is working together. We must know that just like the master baker has reasons to allow the flour and eggs in right measure into the recipe, Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), will do the same with dry times and hard times in our lives.
We can sit with and tend to all that still needs to be healed and at the same time laugh, plan for great things ahead, and declare this a glorious day.
Let's embrace the mix of all that's worthy of celebration while fully allowing sorrow to add what it brings as well, knowing we can trust Jesus' recipe of purpose in both the pain and the joy. Lysa TerKeurst First5
God loves all people groups and equips us to be his voice. He teaches us the vocabulary of distant lands, the dialect of the discouraged neighbor, the vernacular of the lonely heart, and the idiom of the young student. God outfits his followers to cross cultures and touch hearts.
Pentecost makes this promise: if you are in Christ, God’s Spirit will speak through you. Let God unshell you. Galatians 6:4 (MSG) says, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.”
Discover your language. With whom do you feel most fluent? For whom do you feel most compassion? Amazing what happens when we get out of our shells. Max Lucado
Matthew 2:13–15
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” The New King James Version
As in Matthew 1:20, Matthew clearly identifies the messenger here. It recalls the Israelites’ time in Egypt. This situation also reflects Jeroboam’s flight into Egypt when Solomon wished to kill him (1 Kings 11:40). God promised Jeroboam kingship; when Solomon died, Jeroboam returned from Egypt and became king. The ordinary expectations of the Messiah would not have included fleeing into Egypt, but Matthew presents even this as fulfilling prophecy. He sees an analogy between Israel—the children of God (Exodus 4:23)—and Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus emerged from Egypt just as Israel had during the exodus (Exodus 9–14). In addition, the rulers in both narratives order the slaughter of infants (Exodus 1:22; Matthew 2:16). Jesus’ Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy Table Quoted from Hosea 11:1, where it refers to the historic events of the exodus. Matthew uses typology in applying this this text—which originally referred to God’s corporate people, Israel—to Jesus, God’s Messiah. Faithlife Study Bible
This is the second fulfillment of prophecy recorded in chapter 2. The first, is a direct fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy about the birthplace of Jesus; this is a typological fulfillment. The prophecy quoted here refers to the nation of Israel as God’s son coming out of Egypt in the Exodus. Jesus is the genuine Son of God, and, as Israel’s Messiah, is the true Israel therefore, He gives fuller meaning to the prophecy of Hos. 11:1. The NKJV Study Bible
Matthew 2:22–23
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” The New King James Version
When Herod died, his kingdom was parceled out to his three sons: Archelaus, who ruled over Judea where Bethlehem was; Antipas, who became tetrarch of Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Idumea; and Philip, who was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis (Luke 3:1). Like his father, Archelaus was violent and cruel. The Romans tolerated his savagery for ten years and finally deposed him in a.d. 6. after a Jewish delegation took their protest to Rome. Joseph, aware of Herod Archelaus’s reputation and guided by God in a dream, turned north to Galilee. Nazareth was the location of the Roman garrison in northern Galilee. Those who lived there were suspected of compromise with the enemy. The NKJV Study Bible
Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
Matthew 2:19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Matthew 2:12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
Luke 2:39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
John 1:45–46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
Matthew 2:12–13 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
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