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This year December happened to have 5 Sundays, and each of them we have talked about the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
What will 2018 be like for you?
This year December happened to have 5 Sundays, and each of them we have talked about the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
On December 3rd we talked about the fact that we were created to worship God, and lost that worship when Adam sinned.
It’s as unimaginable as it is true – Adam and Eve hid from their Creator.
God came looking for them.
Every one of Adam’s descendants, you and me included, have hidden from God as well, and He continues to come looking for us.
On December 10th we talked about the prophetic preparations for the Savior.
Sin has continued to devastate mankind; we’ve all been overwhelmed by its violence and impact.
One of the most terrible effects of sin is to numb us to its power and presence, like a malaria-infected mosquito that numbs the place where it bites.
So the Holy Spirit forces us to see our sin, so that we would long for a Savior.
On December 17th (COB had it’s children’s program, but at One Hope Fellowship) we talked about Mary and Joseph, and the way the Triune God chose to bring the Savior through them.
The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and the power of the Most High God overshadowed her, and the Son of God became a human being in her womb.
Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, but he was chosen to be Mary’s husband and Jesus’ stepfather.
We don’t have a theoretical Savior but one made of flesh and blood, who saves us from real sin.
And on December 24th we talked about the fulfillment of God’s promise: unto us was born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Jesus is Savior; He saves sinners from the power, presence, and penalty of their sin.
Jesus is Christ; He is the Anointed One of God, the one God sent to be our Savior.
And Jesus is Lord, our King, the Sovereign God, who has the final say in all things.
Because Jesus is Savior, Christ, and Lord, His salvation is perfect, our hope in Him is assured, and nothing will prevent Him from achieving His perfect will for each and every one of His people.
So, now what?
Is that all?
No, not at all.
Jesus didn’t stay a baby in a manger.
Jesus didn’t stay an itinerant preacher in the wilderness.
Jesus didn’t stay the suffering Savior on the cross.
Jesus didn’t stay confined to His tomb, neatly wrapped in a burial shroud.
He rose in victory and majesty, glorified, eternally God and Man.
He ascended to heaven, and rules on high.
Let’s bring these weeks to a close this morning by talking about our lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Great Confession
Let’s turn to :
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
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This statement is known as the shema, which is the Hebrew word for hear.
This is the first creed that we find in Scripture, and it was given to us by God Himself.
There is One God, and He is LORD – Yahweh.
Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is One.
What does it mean that God is One?
First, it means that He alone is God.
There are no other gods.
The universe is a monotheistic place.
The reason idolatry is such a great sin is that it is not simply choosing one god (or many gods) over another, but choosing NO god over the One True God.
Idolatry is not only a betrayal; it’s an insult.
It not only says, “I want a god other than Yahweh,” but “I prefer NO god at all to the God Who Is.”
Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
He alone is God, and we are accountable to Him whether we like it or not.
Second, it means that He alone is OUR God.
It is not ego that makes God demand our worship.
It is truth.
If it is a fact that Yahweh alone is God – and it IS a fact – and if it is a fact that there are no other gods – and it IS a fact – then worshiping and honoring Yahweh as God is not a matter of opinion, but of truth.
And not only is it a fact that Yahweh is the only God, it is also a fact that He has always chosen people for His own glory.
He chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He chosen the descendants of Jacob, the nation Israel.
In Christ He chooses people for His own out of every tongue, tribe, nation, and kindred.
Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
HIS choice of us makes Him OUR God.
And third, it means that unity is His essential nature.
The word translated one is often used in the Old Testament to describe a single grouping of things, as when Adam and Eve were described as being one flesh (), or when humanity is described as one people ().
The Law of God in Israel was one Law for the Jew and Gentile alike ().
Many people make up one family or one tribe.
Yahweh is one, the only God, but He has revealed Himself to be Triune.
There is One God.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Each is God.
All three are God.
One God, Three Persons.
While one here does not establish the doctrine of the Trinity, it does provide a basis for the Trinity as it is later revealed.
Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
While one here is not proof of the Trinity, it certainly provides an early foundation for the Trinity.
So, Yahweh is Lord.
He is One.
He alone is God.
He is OUR only God.
He is unified in His nature and attributes.
The Great Response
How then are we to behave toward Yahweh, the One True God? tells us:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
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There is the great commandment in verse 5. We are commanded to love the LORD our God – Yahweh our God – with all our heart and soul and might.
You might think that love would not be the first response to God’s sovereignty and authority.
Fear comes to mind; the Bible tells us to fear the Lord our God.
Worship certainly comes to mind, as does honor, obey, and submit to Him.
But love stands out here, especially since it means to have a strong sense of affection and loyalty.
This isn’t love as a code word for slavish obedience.
This is the love that Abraham had for his son, Isaac.
It’s the love that Rebekah had for her son, Jacob.
It’s the love that Jacob had for Rachel.
Our LORD, Yahweh, commands us to long for Him and delight in Him and adore Him and be happy and pleased with Him.
The very words used in verse 5 show that our love for God is to be as singular and exclusive as His own nature.
We are to love Him with all our heart.
In the Bible the heart is the core of the person.
The biblical heart includes emotion and affection, but is far more.
The heart is also where we think, where we decide, and where we will.
The heart is where personality and character reside.
The heart is our nature.
My heart is who I am; it is me.
To love the LORD your God with all your heart is to love Him with everything you are.
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