Oak Hill Baptist Church

Is the Christ of Christmas present in Ukraine?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “Out of the depths I call to you Lord! Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help.” Psalm 130:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Is the Christ of Christmas present in Ukraine?”

This morning, as we enter into the final week of advent, concluding with our Christmas celebration on Sunday (Christmas morning), I’m thinking about our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. So much of the country has been devasted by the Russian invasion and the missiles that rain down on them almost every day. Entire towns have been reduced to rubble; vital infrastructure, such as electricity and water and bridges and roads, has been destroyed; an entire nation is mourning the senseless deaths of tens of thousands of innocents; and countless more are suffering the trauma of having been brutalized by Russian soldiers.

We see the evidence of the pain and suffering every day on the television news, in the newspapers, and on the internet. Some (such as short-term missionaries) have actually been in Ukraine to render humanitarian aid and have therefore seen the misery firsthand.

You and I probably haven’t actually been there, but have you seen the recent documentary produced by the Billy Graham Association, “Ukraine: Finding God in Crisis”? If you haven’t, I encourage you to watch it. I’ve posted a link to it at the end of this devotional (it’s a long link). Just copy and paste the entire thing in your browser. The program is one hour long, but you will find it well worth your time. Even if you don’t watch the entire documentary right now, I encourage you to take a few moments this morning, as part of this devotional, to dip into it and get a feel for the horror those poor people are living through.

So, what about Christmas? How do they celebrate Christmas in such a horrible situation? Is the Christ of Christmas even present in Ukraine this year? Could they pray Psalm 130:1 (above) and expect God to hear and answer? We will spend some time in the days to come considering the answer to that question. In the meantime, please watch the video – at least a few minutes of it. It will answer the question of what God can, and will, and is doing in the midst of such a terrible situation. Is the Christ of Christmas present in Ukraine? Yes. Yes, He is.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbillygraham.org%2Fvideo%2Fukraine-finding-god-in-crisis%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2A7Mgbvei7vCK2SxUOJ4UZtlvWPSNRX4KnrWkDZ6BIicnvnBW50B1QKR0&h=AT3YBjfCI8MCaHSkKeY5E49TcYjXk-rn6ocfcPzqIbHUtiRBivwU4-G0TLaSb0VEPU3dp2baknKUQ1TQd05JKonJJiDvG-DXUpuhpGVJlJ15kvx_S8ThD-2S95k-KOJ7S8gmpiTUJazADwCOeQ&__tn__=%2CmH-R&c%5B0%5D=AT23eWnl-ZI3wit4hof506smzWAvnTgZCiXGRhKe5cOyZB3YNxAU4mW_6X3BcsyIb2xSzUjoHepeMenaLru9OHsVr8_9OKGGefzh30tp1nymgOF27fHThAt1DV7HpD0A6oyn59gB8kWai5-mBRaJE5DyC19MRtBG_SsVdgIEEuZl7d8mOg9rhrSmmtIm-ZSc5ZNTxHLQmxnnng

A good Jesus in a bad world

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A good Jesus in a bad world”

This morning I want to continue exploring the Biblical metaphor of darkness and light. The world is engulfed in spiritual darkness, but Jesus came to shine spiritual light into that darkness. Yes, the world is bad, but Jesus is good, and the good Jesus came into the bad world to make things better by chasing away the darkness. “I have overcome the world”, He said in John 16:33.

The god of this age (Satan) has used the darkness to blind the minds of unbelievers, leaving them lost and confused. However, the brilliant light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ dispels that darkness, allowing people to see God’s truth. But also, for believers, seeing the world as it appears in the light of Christ allows us to see the good in the world. There really is beauty and goodness and righteousness present in the world. I’m therefore convinced that Christians should not be pessimists. We should be realists, but also optimists. We should acknowledge the reality of the darkness, and all the evil that occurs in the darkness, but we must also declare that there is much good, and the light reveals it.

The good that exists in the world is often obscured in the shadows because of the pervading darkness, but that’s where Christians come in. The good Jesus is present in this bad world through you and me. Maybe they can’t see Jesus, but they can see you. And therefore, they should be able to see the light of spiritual truth shining in and through you. The light of Christ should be shining through us.

The world is often bad. But Jesus is always good. Let the bad world see the good Jesus in you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Live in the land of light

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Live in the land of light”

We’re not quite done considering the Biblical metaphor of light and darkness. There’s more that needs to be said about it. The truth that Jesus is the light of the world and that He came to shine spiritual light that chases away spiritual darkness is too important a point to rush past.

In 1 Peter 2:9 the apostle reminds us that we have been called out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. Satan is the Prince of Darkness – the prince of this world. His darkness pervades this world like a thick fog in a back alley on a cold dark night. You can’t see a thing and you’re chilled to the bone.

But Jesus calls you out of the darkness. Like a policeman with a powerful flashlight entering that dark alley and calling your name, Jesus comes to guide you out of that darkness and leads you into the light. Picture a broad avenue with blazing streetlights and stores and shops and restaurants all lit up, with lots safe and happy people on the sidewalks talking and laughing and having a good time. The contrast with the dark and dangerous alley is stark.

People are afraid in the darkness – and rightly so. But people feel safe and secure in the light. Jesus calls people out of the darkness and into the light. It’s one of the reasons for the incarnation – it’s why He came.

As a follower of Christ, you live in the land of light. But many people all around you are lost in the dark. And whether they will admit it or not, they are confused, lonely, and scared. But they don’t have to remain in the dark. Jesus is that policeman with the powerful flashlight. He’s the one who will lead them out of the darkness and into the light. As Peter said, Jesus calls us out of that hideous darkness and into His marvelous light.

This is what Christmas is all about. It’s what we’re celebrating and it’s what the lights of Christmas remind us of. Jesus is the light and He leads us to live in the land of light. I encourage you to tell others that joyful news today.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

The Promise is for Everyone

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness … For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:2; 6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The Promise is for Everyone”

I’m a dispensationalist and I suspect you are too. Dispensationalism is a theological term that maintains that over the course of human history God has progressively revealed Himself to humans in greater and more obvious ways.

At one time, His presence was evident primarily only through creation. But then in the times of Abraham and Lot God started to get personal with a few special people. Then in the times of Moses He went even further and began communicating with an entire nation of people through spokesmen, signs, miracles, and even the written word. In the days of Jesus, He was actually physically present among us in a human body. Then on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to live in the hearts of the followers of Jesus, and that’s where we are today.

The incarnation of Jesus brought the world into an entirely new dispensation, or era, of human history. God would now begin to interact with the human race in a way that was personal and revealing far beyond anything He had ever done previously in history. It’s a promise He had made almost immediately after sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), and it’s one He repeated numerous times, in many ways, and through multiple spokespersons all throughout the Old Testament, right up until the time of the incarnation.

But here’s the thing: The Promise was for everyone. It wasn’t just for the Jews. When Isaiah said in Isaiah 9:6 a child will be born “for us”, he was referring to the human race. Jesus is for everyone. That’s why in John 3:16 John told us that God so loved “the world” that He sent His only Son …”

Going back to our devotion from yesterday regarding Jesus being the light of the world, people all around you are stumbling in spiritual darkness. They are confused, lost, hurting, and struggling. They need to know about Jesus. They need to experience the light in the darkness that we talked about yesterday. Jesus came for such people. The promise of the Messiah is for them.

Christmas is the perfect time to share Jesus with others. The promise is for everyone. I encourage you to talk to someone about Jesus today.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Light in the darkness

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” Isaiah 9:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Light in the darkness”

Alaska is a beautiful place. I’ve been there and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Someday I want to go back. However, despite the natural beauty of the land, Alaska is also a place of stark and even dangerous contrasts. It is known as both the land of light and the land of darkness. Because it is located so far north, Alaska spends the summers in perpetual light, and the winters in deep, deep darkness. Winter darkness can extend for twenty hours per day, with only a dim grey the other times.

Those long winters spent in gloomy darkness produce feelings of isolation, fear, and depression for many people. The suicide rate among members of the military stationed in Alaska almost doubles during the winter months. The summer months however (when I was there), have the opposite effect. Living in perpetual light lifts people’s spirits and results in Alaska being thought of as a beautiful place, and it is a major tourist destination.

What’s true of natural light and darkness is also true of spiritual light and darkness. People trapped in spiritual darkness are distraught and miserable. Spiritual darkness is heavy and gloomy. It produces despair and hopelessness. But as Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:2, the coming Messiah would bring spiritual light into the world. And sure enough, once He was here Jesus declared Himself to be that spiritual light that the world had been longing for (John 8:12).

An entirely new degree of spiritual light entered the world through the physical presence of Jesus, and then through the spiritual presence of the Holy Spirit living in the hearts of the followers of Jesus after Him. God’s presence in the world, through His Son and then through His Spirit, offers us a degree of spiritual light that simply did not exist in the world before the incarnation of Christ.

One of the reasons we celebrate Christmas is to refocus us on the reality of the presence of God with us – first physically in the person of the Son of God, and then spiritually through the Spirit of God in our hearts. The lights of Christmas should serve to remind us of the spiritual light that chases away the darkness and brings vison, perspective, hope and healing.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Are you missing Christmas?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Are you missing Christmas?”

This past week I committed what is sometimes considered a “foo-poo” (faux pas) for a Pastor. A faux pas can be something that is considered embarrassing or tasteless in a social situation, but it can also be an action that is considered by some to be inappropriate or flat out wrong. My pastoral foo-poo was that I cancelled some church activities for last weekend (I know, I know, you’re gasping in astonished disappointment, but hear me out).

Christmas is always the busiest time of the year. There are decorations to hang, gifts to purchase, cards to send, parties to go to – and that’s just the short list. We’re all busy. Maybe too busy. Last weekend, on the schedule at Oak Hill Baptist, there was a men’s pancake breakfast; a Christmas party for disadvantaged children at a Christian camp we partner with; help a church family move into a new house; a surprise birthday party for someone; Sunday school and worship on Sunday morning; the annual church Christmas party after the service; a Christmas concert in the afternoon; and the Sunday evening Bible study after that. All over the course of just two days!

Whew! Too much! That’s ten pounds of stuff in a five-pound bag. We were splitting the seams! So, I cancelled the men’s breakfast and the Sunday evening Bible study (I make no excuses and I offer no apologies. And honestly, our folks were fine with it. I think they were even glad I did it).

In the Christmas story depicted in Luke chapter two, we find Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem to participate in the mandatory census. The entire nation would have been traveling at that time, all of them headed to their ancestral homes, as ordered by Caesar Augustus. That’s why there was no room of them in the inn, and that’s why Jesus ended up being born in a manger instead of in a hotel room.

If you read the story, you find that there would have been crowds of people milling about in that town as Jesus was being born, but the only ones who noticed and appreciated what was happening were the shepherds. Everyone else missed it, even though it was happening right there where they were. Why? Why did they miss it? Were they a bunch of pagans immersed in sinful debauchery? Probably not. Most of them were observant Jews who loved God and did their best to live good lives. But still, they missed the birth of Jesus! Why did that happen? Probably because they were busy and distracted and therefore weren’t paying much attention. They missed the first Christmas because they were too busy with other concerns and activities.

Let that not be true of us. Let’s not get so busy with Christmas, that we miss Christmas. It’s okay, even good, to cancel a few things so you can truly savor and enjoy the ones that truly matter. My question for you this morning is, “How busy are you?” Are you so busy celebrating Christmas, that you just might be missing Christmas?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Are you seeing Him?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “…we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Are you seeing Him?”

I love the story Max Lucado tells in the introduction to his book, “God Came Near”. Bob Edens was blind. For fifty-one years he couldn’t see a thing. His was a dark world which he navigated by touch and sound. But then, he could see. Modern medical science discovered that Bob’s condition could be repaired, and a skilled surgeon was able to perform a complicated operation that gave him sight.

Bob was overwhelmed to suddenly be able to see things that had been around him all the time but which He hadn’t been able to see before. He said he was amazed to discover that yellow was so yellow, and that red was so vibrant. He was in awe of the moon and the stars in the night sky. He was fascinated by sunrises and sunsets, and by the vapor trail left by a jet plane streaking across the sky. He said, “I’m amazed at how wonderful everything is.”

But as Max pointed out, Bob Edens isn’t the only one who has spent a lifetime near something without seeing it. So have all of us. We’ve spent a lifetime in the presence of God without really seeing Him. And what a wonder it would be if our eyes were suddenly opened, if we could in fact see His glory, His splendor, the wonder of all that is God.

But wait, as we learned in yesterday’s devotional, to some degree God has made that possible. That is what the incarnation is all about and this is why, as we learned yesterday, if we want to know God, we have to study Jesus – because Jesus is God in a human body.

Our problem is that when we read the Gospels most of us aren’t really doing so with the intent of seeing God. Too often we approach our reading as an intellectual exercise rather than as a moment of eye-opening revelation. We’re taking in information and increasing our Biblical knowledge, but without realizing that we’re actually seeing the person of God right there on the pages of the Bible.

In 2 Peter 1:16 Peter declared the he and the others had been eyewitnesses to His majesty. They saw God in Jesus. We can as well. If we will approach the Gospels in that way, we’ll discover that the veil separating the physical from the spiritual is pulled back a little bit, and we are able to see God. There He is, right there on the page, pictured for us in a way we can easily relate to. Are you seeing Him?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

If you want to know God, study Jesus

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “He is the image of the invisible God …” Colossians 1:15 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “If you want to know God, study Jesus”

The Amplified Bible is a specialized translation of the Bible which uses all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek words. That sometimes makes for awkward and wordy sentence structure in English, but it does provide the full range of meaning from the original languages. Colossians 1:15 in the Amplified Bible reads, “He is the exact living image (the essential manifestation) of the unseen God (the visible representation of the invisible) …”

In yesterday’s devotional I noted that one of the reasons for the incarnation, one of the reasons God came to us and lived among us, as one of us, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, was because that’s how we could most easily relate to Him. Remember the lesson from Henry Blackaby in the Experiencing God Bible study, “One of the greatest truths in all of Scripture is that God wants to be known by His people.”

God wants us to know Him. He wants us to understand what He is like and He wants us to be in a close and comfortable relationship with Him. We are to be in awe of Him, that’s true. And we are to worship Him in all of His majesty, that’s true too. But over and over again in Scripture He expresses His tender love for us, and His concern for us, and His great mercy and compassion towards us. He even teaches us to think of Him as our “Abba”, which is an Aramaic word of endearment used between a child and a father. It essentially means “Papa” or “Daddy”. God wants us to be on those familiar terms with Him.

But it’s hard to relate to Him in that way if we think of Him just as a spirit. So, He showed Himself to us in a way that we can easily relate to. He showed Himself to us in the human body of Jesus. In Colossians 1:15 Paul tells us that Jesus is “the exact” representation of the Father. So, if you want to know what the Father is like, watch and listen to Jesus. Hear His words of love. Watch His acts of compassion. See His tears for the lost and hurting. Observe as He patiently and lovingly draws people to Himself. That’s God revealing Himself and His nature to us through the physical person of Jesus of Nazareth.

It has often and correctly been said, “If you want to know God, study Jesus, because Jesus is God.” That’s what we get when we study the Gospels, and that’s why the reality of the incarnation is so important.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

God wants to be known

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God …” Exodus 6:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God wants to be known”

I’ve mentioned before that one of the most helpful and transformative studies I have ever participated in occurred early in my life as Christian and it was “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry Blackaby. Over the last thirty years or so, I’ve gone back to that study multiple times. In fact, for my personal Bible study time in 2023 I will be working through “The Experiencing God Study Bible”. Every chapter of both the Old and New Testaments is filled with lots of commentary notes, sidebars, insights, and life lessons taken from the original Experiencing God Bible study (I was so eager to get started that I’ve cheated and begun it a month early).

One statement from that original study which captured my attention and then my heart was this: “One of the greatest truths in all of Scripture is that God wants to be known by His people.” I was intrigued by the thought that God “wants” to be known by me, and that He has gone to incredible lengths to make Himself known to me. I have now spent more than thirty years since then getting to know Him.

The words we read in Exodus 6:7, were spoken by God to and about the nation of Israel. He was about to deliver them from captivity in Egypt and He would then go to progressively greater and greater lengths to reveal Himself to them, so that they could know Him and have a deep relationship with Him. God did that for them, but He also did it for Himself. Remember, God wants to be known by His people.

That was true for them back then and it’s just as true for us today. God wants you to know Him. That’s so true that He initiated the relationship by reaching out to you, wooing you, and drawing you to Himself.

God’s desire for us to know Him and to be in a deep and intimate relationship with Him is so strong, that it’s one of the reasons for the incarnation. God came to us in the person of Jesus first and foremost to rescue us from our sins, that’s true. But He also came in the person of Jesus as part of His ongoing efforts to make Himself known to us, and it is through the person of Jesus that we can most easily relate to Him. We’ll explore that important truth in greater detail in the days to come.

One of the greatest truths in the Bible is that God wants to be known by us. The question is, do you want to know Him as much as He wants to be known by you?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

It was a real incarnation

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The awesome reality of the presence of God”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It was a real incarnation”

Right now, on Sunday nights at Oak Hill Baptist Church, our winter Bible study series is “Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God” by Max Lucado. It’s a DVD-based study that includes video clips, Bible study, and discussion groups. Each session examines a different promise from God and how that promise can become a foundation stone upon which we build a strong life of faith.

One of the promises we have examined and discussed is that we have a high priest (Jesus) who understands us because He was one of us. For a short time, God entered into our world in a human body and actually lived among us, as one of us. He experienced life exactly as any other human being would experience it. At different times He was a fetus in the womb, then a helpless infant, then a toddler, adolescent, teenager, and adult man. He got hungry and thirsty. He was alternately tired and well-rested. He had moments of great joy and others of great anguish. He rejoiced and He mourned, He laughed and He cried, He felt good and He felt pain. He also experienced great temptations.

For thirty-three years God was physically in the world in the body of a human being in the person of Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth. Theologians call this “the incarnation”. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God took on what He did not previously possess – a human nature. He was still fully God but He was also fully human. For the time He was in that human body He voluntarily chose not to use or rely on His divine attributes and power. Those attributes and that power still existed (God cannot stop being God), but with the exception of those times that He used His power to perform miracles, He lived a fully human existence along with us. It was a real, full, complete, incarnation.

This truth has huge implications for us. The obvious one being that His birth led to His death, which led to His resurrection, and that made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. But there’s even more to it than that.

We’ll explore the implications of the incarnation in much greater detail in the days to come. For now, this morning, I encourage you to spend some time in prayer considering the great truth that God loves you so much, that He left heaven and came to earth to rescue you so He can one day bring you to heaven.

God bless,
Pastor Jim