On This Wise
God says on this wise,
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 1:18
We all know this story and have heard how the Holy Spirit over shadowed Mary and she became pregnant with Jesus. What is fascinating to me is that we seldom stop to really meditate upon what actually happened and grasp the true significance of it.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, which in those days was a binding agreement, and she was not considered a single girl any longer. Moreover, virginity was still a very sacred thing. Yet, God impregnated a woman promised to another man and then said the following,
“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:20,21
God does not do ungodly things
Stopping to think about these events, one could make the case that God’s actions were…uh…ungodly. Of course, being God, His actions could not be un-biblical or even sinful. If that is the case, I believe that we must consider why these things could and did take place.
Normally, in ancient Israel, a woman found with child in a similar situation would be stoned. This is why Joseph considered breaking off the marriage quietly so that she would not be punished. However, God said to that Joseph should not fear to take her to wife even though she was with child. Fact of the matter was that, in this situation, the normal rules did not apply simply because God said so.
Do you really believe God is sovereign?
In Christianity today we say that God is sovereign, but our doctrine declares He is not. We are taught that there are actually things God cannot do. People say that, because if He took such actions, He would violate His own word. Since, logically, God cannot break His own law, even though we don’t say it, we limit God to what we understand. However, in the example of the birth of Jesus Christ God steps in, does the unthinkable, and calls it holy. This indicates that there must be something we do not understand or grasp about God.
God will not be limited
This is a very central truth that we must try to grasp:
“God cannot and will not be limited to our understanding of His word.”
Every time we say God cannot do something and then He does, it is our understanding which was flawed. The Holy Spirit is supreme, and we must modify our beliefs to accept Him on His own terms. All too often our doctrine limits what we will accept. If the Holy Spirit does something outside our doctrinal box we reject Him, sometimes calling what He does of Satan.
Stop to consider what it took to be holy men of God
We talk glibly about the deeds that God did through the great men of the Bible, but rarely stop to consider what it must have been like to actually live such events. Furthermore, what was it like for the people who saw them perform these God led missions? Many of these heroes of faith, were they to come in our generation, would be called heretics. In an effort to systematize and analyze the scriptures, we have not left enough room for God to be God.
The Bible is a record of firsts
The Bible is a record of firsts. There was a first time God breathed the breath of life into Adam. A first time God destroyed all that held the breath of life through a flood. A first time God confused the languages of the world. Moreover, a first time God’s people spake with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. The first time God told Abraham, the father of our faith, to sacrifice his only son. A first time God commanded His only son to die in our place on the cross of Calvary. In fact, one of the most common characteristics of God is that whatever He does is unique.
God does it His way
So it was with the virgin birth. The way in which God choose to bring forth His only begotten Son had all the ear marks of His former miracles. A child was born from a woman who had never known a man, another first. A man was told to marry and women with child, another first. The king of kings was born in a manger among barnyard animals; you guessed it, another first!
Is God still the same today? Do not the scriptures state this very fact in the book of Malachi,
“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
Malachi 3:6
Get ready for another first
What if our Father chooses to do another first in our day? Does our belief system allow enough room for God to be and do as He pleases? Or do we only pay lip service the concept of a sovereign God? Does God still get to be God in our lives? Will we accept what He does just because of who He is? This central question becomes more and more important to us as we approach the coming events.
I desire to know God for who He truly is. Recognizing that my concepts about my Father are still childlike, I look forward to knowing Him more as I mature. I embrace the fact that my understanding will change as I experience Him.
Here is a truth if you can receive it:
“Even those intimately acquainted with God barely see the fringes of who He truly is.
God’s people are not being prepared to navigate the deep waters that we are entering. We are not being taught to allow God to be God. Mostly, our doctrine is derived from what God did hundreds and not what He is saying today. Thus His people are unaware and ill prepared to receive Him. Many will stumble and fall if He comes in a manor they have not been conditioned to receive.
A new and wonderful revelation
Brethren, the Holy Spirit is moving, and with Him is coming a new and wonderful revelation of who God is. We are on the cusp of a third reformation. Those who will embrace His Spirit will soar on eagle’s wings; while those who refuse His visitation will persecute it and do their best to destroy this holy thing. It is up to us, as watchmen on the wall, to obey God and declare what is surely coming. If we neglect to do so we fail our brethren as the seers of this generation.