The Dayspring From On High Hath Visited Us to Give Light to Them That Sit in Darkness - Part 1139

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel -- for He hath visited and redeemed His people. The dayspring from on high hath visited to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. Indeed, God was manifest in the flesh. He was in the world and the world was made by Him but the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not.

One Lord, One faith, One baptism. In the beginning, God.

Everywhere around us, we see those who want to reject Jesus, the Head of His Church, the Chief cornerstone. We want to take away His standing as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. The King of kings and Lord of lords.

In fact, the modern day religious culture wants to turn the Lord God of Israel into a tri-une God, a trinity of three persons because to believe in One Lord these same religious would have to accept Jesus the Christ who shed His holy blood on the cross for you and I.

But similar to the apostles time, these do not want to hear the name of Jesus. They would rather worship an "unknown God" than accept His Word as the ultimate truth. The same Word that was in the beginning with God and was God. Those apostles whom the Lord God Himself has made able ministers of the new testament. Jesus through the Holy Ghost giving the commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen.

"And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else; and My people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit ... and I will show wonders in the heavens and the in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." (Joel 2:27-32; Acts 2:16-21)

How does Peter (standing with the eleven) reconcile Joel's prophecy on the day of Pentecost? He says:

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know --- HIM --- being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." (Acts 2:22-24)

Him -- Jesus! No other than the dayspring that has been in the midst. No other than the same Lord God who created the world who loved us enough to come into this world to redeem us. "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses ... therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:32-36)

This is why the first 3,000 repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:37-42)

Buried with Christ. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

"Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6:3-6)

"For we preach not ourselves -- but Christ Jesus the Lord -- and ourselves your servants for Jesus's sake, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (II Corinthians 4:5-6)

As believers in Jesus the Christ, we need to stop believing what the god of this world would have us believe and begin believing in our Lord God and Saviour Jesus. Why? Because there is no other who can save us from our sins.

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS for He shall save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"Neither is there any name under heaven whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

The apostles knew this to be the truth, and were willing to lose their lives to ensure that we knew the same God as they. His name is Jesus. "Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all, Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21)

Stand in the offering plate.