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Rachel’s Tears (Shadows of Bethlehem #2) (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

The hallmark of Christmas is joy. Ear to ear grins. Hot chocolate mustaches. Gleeful shouts as presents are unwrapped. But your joy, true joy, is given to you by the grief of the Man of sorrows. The story of Christ’s birth, which brought glad tidings and peace on earth, is swiftly followed by a grisly tale of the ravenous wolf of sin.

THE TEXT

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Matthew 2:16-18

TYRANNICAL BRUTES

The slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem is staggering. Herod stands in a long line of brutes who use their throne to slaughter the innocent. Pharaoh killed the Hebrew infants. Saul deputized Doeg (an Edomite like Herod) slaughtered the priests in Nob for helping David. Nebuchadnezzar starved the Jews of Jerusalem (during the two year siege, circa 587BC), and then as he marched them off to exile he brutally slaughtered many of them (Cf. Lam. 2:19-22, Ps 137:8-9, 2 Ki. 25:20-21).

The thing which set Herod off was the wise men refusing to cooperate with his design to destroy the Christ-child. Herod had been informed that Bethlehem was prophesied to be the birthplace of the new davidic king (Micah 5:2), and he knew that the star had appeared less than two years before, implying the baby was no older than that. Caesar Augustus is said to have stated that he’d rather be one of Herod’s swine than one of his sons. Herod’s brutality was well-known. But in the slaughter of Bethlehem’s sons, his wicked wrath is put on full and gruesome display.

Adam & Eve submitted to the Serpent, and reduced mankind to the level of brute. The first tyrant bludgeoned his brother. Man’s depravity always leads to murder. It leads to devouring others. The coming of Christ the King is good news, and this is put in stark relief when contrasted with the reign of Man in bondage to sin and Satan. Herod is the City of Man. He is a mirror held up to us to see the depravity of the human heart. But in Christ, the Kingdom of God has come upon us

WEEPING EXILES

Matthew tells us that this slaughter was a fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15, “Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.”

When the Babylonians took the Jews into exile, they released Jeremiah at Ramah: “Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon (Jer 40:1).” Jeremiah then is taken down to Egypt by a remnant of Jewish leaders (Jer. 42-43). Meanwhile, Jerusalem’s young men in particular were being cruelly slaughtered at Riblah (Jer. 52:27). There are echoes of Jeremiah in the story of Joseph whisking his wife and son down to Egypt (in fulfillment of another prophecy, Cf. Mt. 2:15), while Herod’s henchmen slaughter Bethlehem’s boys.

This is the context for Jeremiah’s prophecy. His prophecy had a two-fold fulfillment; first in the events that shortly followed his prophecy. But these events themselves become a type of the slaughter of Bethlehem’s sons. Both Nebuchadnezzar & Herod are non-davidic kings slaughtering the sons of Israel. A theme we’ll revisit in a future sermon. For now, it suits our purpose to simply make mention of it.

Though Israel dwells in the land the Lord promised her, it is clear that they are still in exile, still under siege, still in need of the deliverance of the Messiah. Bethlehem’s mothers mourned once more, for their sons were cut down, and would not grow up like plants around their tables (Ps. 144:12). The deuteronomic blessings were not to be found. Only the curses. They sowed in tears once more (Ps. 126). Ramah once more heard cries of grief & untimely death.

BENONI

Jeremiah’s mention of Rachel takes us further back into the story of redemption: “And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day (Gen. 35:16-20).”

As Rachel was expiring from childbirth she named her son Benoni: son of my sorrows. And then Jacob’s cherished wife dies. Jacob had worked under Laban’s tyrannical demands for fourteen years in order to claim Rachel as his bride. She’d been barren for long years before bringing forth his beloved son Joseph. And now his bride perished in anguished sorrow. Jacob buried her in Bethlehem (Ramah is relatively nearby to Bethlehem). Rachel had prayed, “Give me children or I die” and it was in bringing forth her second son that she died. This baby boy was both a son of sorrow and a son of his father’s right hand.

One other thread is worth tracing here. Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin, but instead of reigning at Yahweh’s right hand, he becomes a son of grief, while David becomes a true son of the right hand (Ps. 110:1). The Benjamites were famous slingers, but when a giant threatens Israel and her Benjamite king, a funny thing that happens. David (of Judah) deftly wields the sling to kill Goliath. David is a better Benjamite than Saul.

Herod is the king of the Jews who slaughters and devours his people, akin to Saul. Meanwhile, Jesus is, of course, a new David, a son of David come to lay down His life and give Himself as food for His people.

NEW COVENANT GLORY

Rachel’s weeping gives birth to a Son of the right hand. This world is full of sorrows, but the coming of Christ was the death knell for all sorrow and all suffering. The misery of God’s people was great. Their weeping was heard afar off. But now a Savior had been born in Bethlehem. He would take all their griefs and sorrows upon & unto Himself. All the tears which all of God’s people have sown, will turn into shouts of joy.

Jeremiah not only describes Rachel’s weeping over the death of Judah, he invites her to dry her tears (Jer. 31:16), comforting her with a revelation of new life. New life through a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34). But this new covenant would be bought with innocent blood. Jesus, the only son who survived Herod’s slaughter of Bethlehem’s boys, would still be slaughtered by another Herod. So He would, in all ways, be acquainted with our grief, share in our suffering, and die as one of us.

Weeping may endure for the night. But the morning brings joy. And now, in Christ, the eternal day has dawned. David’s throne is filled. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. The sun of righteousness arises, with healing in His wings. This is the comfort for your every sorrow. This is the grace for all your sins. This is the Good News of Great Joy which is for all people. Christ is born in Bethlehem.

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A Theology of Stuff (Advent Grab Bag #2) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

One of the more puzzling lines in the Definition of Chalcedon is where it says, “as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the virgin, the God-bearer.” What does it mean to confess that Mary is the “God-bearer?” We should note that this title is carefully qualified by the phrase “as regards his manhood,” which comes immediately after in the original Greek. But there is a very important point being underlined about the personal nature of our salvation. The One born in Bethlehem is the Logos/the eternal Word of the Father who embraced His creation for us men and for our salvation. 

The Text: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made…” (Jn. 1:1-14)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

“In the beginning” intentionally echoes Genesis 1, but the word “arxe” also means “preeminence, first, chief, principle, power,” and it’s immediately obvious that this “arxe” refers to something even “before” the beginning of Genesis 1, when the Word was with God and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1). That Word of God was in the beginning of Creation also, and that same Word made all things (Jn. 1:2-3). He is the source of all life and light, and He is the kind of light that darkness cannot comprehend or approach at all (Jn. 1:4-5, cf. Js. 1:17, 1 Tim. 6:16). 

John was sent from God as a witness of that Light, the true Light who gives light and life to all men (Jn. 1:6-9). He was in the world and made manifest by His creation but unrecognized because of sin (Jn. 1:10, cf. Rom. 1:19-20). So He came to His own, but even His own people rejected Him (Jn. 1:11). But to those who received Him and believed in Him, He made them sons of God by the power of God (Jn. 1:12-13). And this was accomplished by the Word becoming flesh to reveal the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14). 

CHRISTOLOGY AS SOTERIOLOGY

Donald Fairbairn has pointed out that in the early church the focus on the Trinity and Christology was not unrelated to soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). For example, since Christ is the “only begotten of the Father,” salvation means being born again not of blood or the will of man but by the power of God (Jn. 1:12-14). What Christ has by nature in the Godhead (Eternal Son), He has become man in order to share with us in salvation (sons by adoption). As John Piper has put it, “God is the gospel.”

And we see this particularly highlighted in John: “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me” (Jn. 6:57). “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:15). “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me… And will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter… the Spirit of truth… at that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (Jn. 14:11, 16-17, 20). Who was born of Mary? The Eternal Son, the Word who is God. As the hymn says, “Christ our God to earth descendeth.” Why does this matter? Because the very same life that Christ shares with the Father by nature, He came to share with His people by His Spirit. 

UNION WITH CHRIST

The Definition of Chalcedon is clear that the divine and human natures come together in Christ “without confusion,” and so the Creator-creature distinction remains fixed. But precisely because Christ holds those natures together “without division, without separation,” by the power of the Spirit, that same Spirit is able to unite us in fellowship with the Father in Christ. This is no mysticism or merging of natures; this is a true covenant union in Christ. This is the power by which mere fallen creatures, become children of God, born not of blood nor the will of man, but the will of God, which is all grace. This is why the New Testament talks so much about our salvation “in Christ” (Rom. 6, Eph. 1, Col. 2, etc.).

APPLICATIONS

The Goodness of Stuff: Christmas celebrates God’s union with His creation. The Word who made all things became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. How did we behold the glory of the Father? In the flesh of Jesus Christ, in the stuff that He made. Christ made all things and made us to make things and enjoy all things as part of our enjoyment of Him. Sin distorts this, causing us to suppress God’s glory in creation and to idolize creation, but the answer is not to disdain creation or ignore it. The answer is to see every bit of creation as a burning bush, where we may see His glory and taste and see His goodness and worship Him. 

So Christmas rightly celebrates the stuff that Christ made and the stuff He came to restore to its rightful glory. All of creation groans with the weight of our sin, but the heavens still declare the glory of God. And so we make our houses sparkle like the heavens with lights. And if Christ has given us bread and wine to remember Him and feed on Him and enjoy His life, all food has been given to enjoy as His gifts: steak and fudge and wine and eggnog and gifts. But think of all these gifts as tokens of the infinitely greater Giver.  

Fellowship with the Father: Mary was an ordinary woman of extraordinary faith, and as such, she pictures what Christ intends to do by His Spirit. He intends to live in us, to share true fellowship with us: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 Jn. 1:3-4). This jyful fellowship is only maintained by confession of sin and the cleansing blood of Christ (1 Jn. 1:7-9). 

Christ is re-making a race of men and women, who are more masculine, more feminine, more truly human: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). The center of this glory is in the Word read and preached, but it is that same Word that created all things and shines in all He has made. So see Him there, know Him, and love Him more.

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Dumbstruck (Shadows of Bethlehem #1) (CCD)

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INTRODUCTION

The incarnation of Christ was indeed the most wonderful of God’s wondrous works. But it was the most unsurprising surprise. God’s hand had guided the story of redemption to this culmination. Like a lovely symphony the OT introduces certain motifs, which are picked up and expanded in the Incarnation of Christ. So, it would be wise for us to listen to those themes from the OT that anticipated the events surrounding Christ’s birth in order to better sing the Gospel song.

THE TEXT

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. … Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied.

Luke 1:5-22, 57-67

THE DUMBSTRUCK PROPHET

Zacharias’ loss of speech is usually interpreted one-dimensionally. It is seen simply as a judgment on his lack of faith. But I think to stop there with interpreting his story is to miss the bigger picture being painted. This is not the first time that God has used this sort of miracle. If we look to some of the other instances where a man of God was struck dumb we get a fuller picture of the story of Zacharias.

Moses

Some commentators an instance of Moses being dumbstruck in the strange episode when the Lord comes against Moses for not having circumcised his son (Ex 4). His wife quickly does the deed, satisfying the Lord’s anger. While this might be a display of the flexibility of some commentators, this episode is followed by Aaron arriving to be Moses’ spokesman. Moses is mute in his interactions with Pharaoh. God’s judgement upon hardened Pharaoh is displayed in a prophet who uses others to speak on his behalf.

Ezekiel

More explicitly there are several instances in Ezekiel’s ministry where he’s left dumbstruck. When he is first called to ministry by receiving a vision of God’s glory, he’s left speechless for seven days (Ez. 3:15). The Lord then tells him: “And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house (Eze 3:26).” Later on in the book of Ezekiel we have this statement from the Lord: “In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD (Eze 24:27).” So, this sign of a prophet being struck silent and then his tongue being loosed would be a recognizable sign to the house Israel. The closing & opening indicates two things. First, the prophet being struck silent is a warning to the house of Israel that the Word of the Lord is withheld from them because of their rebellion. Second, the loosing of the prophet’s tongue compels them to acknowledge their God and return to faithfulness.

Daniel

When an angel appeared to Daniel (after his three week period of fasting and prayer) we read this: And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb (Dan 10:15). Daniel is then strengthened when “one like the appearance of a man” touched him (Dan. 10:19), and Daniel is hailed as a man greatly beloved (Dan. 10:20). At the end of the book of Daniel he is told: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased (Dan 12:4). The angelic messenger, Gabriel, that meets Zacharias draws us back to the story of Daniel’s visions (8:16, 9:21). When this sort of thing happened in the OT it demonstrated that God was making ready to answer His people’s prayers for deliverance and overthrow wicked nations.

Zacharias becomes a symbol of the entire prophetic tradition. God seals and unseals His Word as He sees fit. The hiding of His Word is a judgement. But God’s favor is found when He lets loose His Word.

THE PROPHET & THE SON OF MAN

God calls Ezekiel “Son of Man” ninety times, and this becomes a favorite title for Jesus in the Gospels. It also comes up in Daniel’s awesome vision of the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13, Cf. Ps. 80:17). In regards to Ezekiel, most commentators take it to be a term of humility. This is a half picture though. God summons Ezekiel to unfurl His mysterious & dark purposes to an apostate people; this term is humbling, but not because of its lowliness but because of its loftiness. 

This Son of Man is calling Israel back to faithfulness, to take up the dominion of the earth by faith in Yahweh’s promises. In other words, Jesus is the “one like the Son of Man” described in Daniel, taking up judgement upon the world, and he is the True Prophet (likened to Ezekiel) summoning us to the New Humanity which His Kingdom is inaugurating. This also explains all the cherubic imagery throughout Ezekiel; the administration of angels is coming to a close as God will send a Man to be the mediator between mankind and Yahweh. Zacharias becomes a clear sign that the prophetic ministry is being resumed, and this means that the Son of Man shall soon be raised up to replace the angelic mediation with an eternal Mediator.

HIS NAME IS JOHN

We should also take a longer look at what was going on with why the name John was selected for this Lord’s forerunner. We’re told that the friends & relatives were surprised at Elizabeth informing them that the boy’s name was John (vv59-62). This name was not a family name, and so they were perplexed by this selection. However, once Zacharias writes down the name John His tongue is loosed.

But why John? His name means “Yahweh is Gracious” or “Yahweh has shown favor”. The Hebrew word for favor is (chen). Luke is wanting his audience to see that God has not forgotten His promise of setting His favor on Israel. Though there has been prophetic silence (symbolized by Zacharias’ own silence), God has not forgotten them. Indeed God has remembered His covenant promise to be unto them a gracious God. Zacharias’ name means “God has remembered”. Remembered what? To be gracious. To show favor. 

This whole passage puts us in mind of the first of the great OT prophets: Samuel. His mother’s name, Hannah, is the feminine form of the same root word for gracious/favor found in John’s name.

God did not forget the barrenness of Hannah, and now we see Him remembering the barrenness of Elizabeth. The profound glory of all this is that when God shows His favor (chen) He does so by making His Word abundant. With Hannah, the text explicitly tells us that the word of the Lord was rare in those days (1 Sam. 3:1), and so God raised up the prophet Samuel. But now, in the fullness of time, God brings the prophetic office to a great crescendo in this father and son duo. Yahweh has remembered to be gracious, and now He brings to us the Word made flesh.

THE PROPHETS BLADE

The Lord promised that before the coming of Messiah a prophetic messenger would come to clear the way for the Prince to come into His kingdom. The prophetic ministry was used by God to do spiritual surgery. Imagine you have a splinter go so deep that you can’t easily grab it to remove it with just your fingers. You could just leave it alone, and adjust to life with it in your skin, hoping it just goes away. But the prophetic ministry was given to God’s people in order to point out the deep sin in our hearts. The only way to remove the tumor is to pierce the skin, harm the surrounding flesh, blood, and bone. But this is the only way to save the life.

In the story of John’s birth, the clear imagery for us is to see that the prophetic ministry had not passed away, but was coming to its greatest crescendo. Zacharias is a sort of OT prophet (Lk. 1:67), who raises up the greatest prophet Israel had ever known (Mt. 11:11), who himself gave way, in due time, to the final Prophet: Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:30).

All the words of the OT prophets from Moses down to John were Christ’s Words. He speaks to us in the preaching of His Word. Christ is speaking to you now in His prophetic ministry of preaching. He warns that rebellious people will be given dumbstruck prophets.

He calls you to humble yourself and heed his call to cast aside the chains that have tangled you up. The prophet calls to you to prepare Him room.

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The Demise of the Water-Spewing Christmas Dragon (Troy)

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Sermon Text – Revelation 12

THE WELCOMING PARTY

Having heard the Christmas story many times, it stirs up familiar images in our mind’s eye. The Lord Jesus is welcomed into the world by his mother and father. A young couple, just getting started, stare down at the baby boy wrapped in swaddling clothes. They smile with delight and have all of the normal reactions that come with being a first time parent, “He has your nose. Look at all that hair.” But in addition to the delight one experiences in taking the child in, finally being able to see after nine months what this kid looks like, they have other thoughts to contend with, thoughts that none of us as parents have ever had to deal with, thoughts like, “What is to become of this child? I hold the messiah in my hands. I am a virgin mother. The angel said to me, ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And it is my job to raise Him. God help me.”

 

SATAN’S PLAN THWARTED

First, regarding the derailment of Satan’s plan, we must ask, “Who is this regal woman, clothed with the sun, standing atop the moon, with a crown of twelve stars?” Like so many other images in the book of Revelation, this is a reference to an Old Testament passage. In Genesis 37, Joseph fell asleep, enveloped in the multi-colored cloak made special for him by his father Israel. He dreams of the sun, the moon, and eleven stars all bowing to him in reverence. The dream was prophetic, foretelling of a time when his mother and father, and his eleven brothers would all bow down to him. So on the surface, this woman would appear to represent the nation of Israel. With lineage spanning back to Jacob (who had his name changed to Israel) she is the chosen one to bring the messiah into the world.

But similar to the world of dreams, images in the book of Revelation present themselves in this wispy, ethereal manner. The apostle John uses creative license.

 

SATAN DEFEATED

Secondly, not only is Satan’s plan thwarted, but he is defeated. Do you believe that there is a connection between our physical world and the spiritual world? When I speak to Mormons, there are certain subjects that make them a bit squeamish. The quickest way to get them to change the subject is to ask them if God the Father lives on a planet circled by a star named Kolob. But we as Christians must not only recognize some of the more esoteric doctrines (like angels) but we must affirm them. The Christmas story is full of them. Gabriel informs Mary about the virgin birth. An angel tells Joseph, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” We have a whole host of angels revealed to the shepherds. Another angel warns them about Herod’s plan to kill the baby Jesus so they escape to Egypt. Angels are peppered throughout scripture including our passage for this morning. So a few quick observations. First, they seem to know about our thought life. How did the angel know that Joseph had plans to divorce Mary? Either this is a benefit of existing in the spiritual realm, or I think more likely the omniscient God informs them of things. Secondly, their angelic actions have repercussions in the real world. If the angels didn’t reveal themselves to the shepherds, then they wouldn’t be a part of the nativity. Seems simple enough. So the question is, this war that takes place in heaven between Michael and Lucifer, how are we to take it?

 

SATAN ENRAGED

Similar to Hercules in Greek mythology, Irish mythology has a warrior hero called Cú Chulainn. Armed with a spear he is known for his terrifying battle frenzy called Riastrad. When Cú Chulainn is mortally wounded he enters a mode called Geasa which is a berserker state. When Geasa manifests itself, he becomes incredibly strong and is able to fight for days without tiring. He becomes fearless and is able to kill his enemies without mercy. But it also drives him to the brink of madness. In the end, Geasa is his undoing, as he ultimately succumbs to his wounds. Satan is like a mortally wounded animal. He is rabid, but his time is short. And so he uses what strength remains to harass the saints. But his pursuit ends in failure once again.

 

THE ALREADY AND THE NOT YET

There is a theological concept called “The Already and the Not Yet.” In one way, we already have peace. In one way, the war is already over. Jesus Christ secured victory for us on the cross. There are different nations represented in this room right now and you all walk by the light of Jesus. Yes, there’s sin in our midst, but we forgive each other, because Christ forgave us. This day you said to your family, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” And so in one sense, we are already enjoying the New Jerusalem. But there are some things that are not yet. We still struggle with sin and with temptation; we forget that we are dead to sin and alive to God. Satan prowls around with a chain around his neck, and there are more people out there who still need the gospel. The enraged snake would like nothing more to get another chance at that infant, to devour the young child. But one day, the “not yet,” will be “the now.” And when that day comes, the infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. Amen.

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