O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Isaiah 9:6-7

 

This is Namma for Christ with the two hundred sixty-first inspirational message dated Thursday, December 21st, 2023. The title of this message is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Isaiah 9:6-7”.

The first five words of this message’s title are also the words of the title of the below anointed song/video, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as performed by “for KING and COUNTRY”.

The below passage of scripture (that accompanies this message) is from the sixth and seventh verses of the ninth chapter of Isaiah:

Isaiah 9:6-7

New King James Version - (NKJV)

⁶ For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

 

 

The title of this message includes the words – “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” – which is the “title” of the late Dr. Charles Stanley’s “In Touch” Daily Devotional for (Dec. 18^th, 2023) – which I have included below (Dr. Charles Stanley passed away on 4/18/23). Dr. Charles Stanley was the founder of the “In Touch” daily devotional. Those who work on behalf of this daily devotional are continuing its publication - as it ministers to readers around the world. I recently read the below message and wanted to share this message in “Namma for Christ”.

 

 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

  Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:23

 

      AT CHRISTMASTIME, we sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, a hymn that includes ancient chants known as the “O Antiphons”. (An antiphon is a phrase or verse from Scripture, often from the Psalms, historically sung during worship.) In 6^th-century worship, each “O” was followed by a messianic title: Emmanuel, Root of Jesse, Dayspring, Key of David, Lord of Might, Desire of Nations. These names for the Savior remind us that in Jesus, God fulfilled the hopes of His people. And we can observe His faithfulness both historically and in the present, with hope for the future.

      The hymn hinges on the name Emmanuel (or Immanuel), meaning “God with us” (see Matt. 1:23 below)

Matthew 1:23

New King James Version - (NKJV)

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

As John says, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (see John 1:14 below).

John 1:14

New King James Version - (NKJV)

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

Jesus is not merely a good teacher or prophet – He is God Incarnate, the wisdom of God in human form. That truth is the foundation of our hope.

      As we try to embody Jesus’ teachings, our prayer should be to walk as His wise followers in the world (see Ephesians 5:15 below).

Ephesians 5:15

New King James Version - (NKJV)

 ¹⁵ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise

 

That means living faithfully in a kingdom that is both here now and still to come. We also pray that our Emmanuel will draw many
people – “from every tribe, language,… and nation” (see Revelation 5:9 below) – to Himself, until the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God’s glory (see Habakkuk 2:14 and Psalm 72:19 below).

Revelation 5:9

New King James Version - (NKJV)

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

 

“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

 

 

 

Habakkuk 2:14

New King James Version - (NKJV)

¹⁴ For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.

 

Psalm 72:19

New King James Version - (NKJV)

¹⁹ And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

 

I pray that you have enjoyed the above message and I pray that you will enjoy the accompanied song.

 

Please enjoy the below song/video, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as performed by “for KING and COUNTRY” performed with power and anointing.

 

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

 (If you can't see the below video: Please scroll down to the end - Under the rectangular box labeled "Home" - please click "View web version". You will automatically be taken to the top of the message - please scroll down to the "end" of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video.)

 

BE BLESSED!

 

Hold On – 2nd Cor. 4:7 – His Strength in Our Weakness

 

This is Namma for Christ with the two hundred sixtieth inspirational message dated Thursday, December 7^th, 2023. The title of this message is “Hold On – 2^nd Cor. 4:7 – His Strength in Our Weakness”. The first two words of the title of this message are also the first two words of the below song/video by Christian artist “Katy Nichole”, entitled – “Hold On”.  The scripture for this message is found in the seventh verse of the fourth chapter of 2^nd Corinthians – as found in the New Testament book as written by the Apostle Paul.

2^nd Corinthians 4:7

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

 

Recently, I read my church school lesson (on December 6th, 2023) as found in the lesson book from the “Echoes Church School Publications” and the lesson’s title was - "His Strength in Our Weakness".  Immediately, this caught my attention, because this “title” reminded me of one of my favorite verses – 2^nd Corinthians 12:9 (see below):

2^nd Corinthians 12:9

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

  When I was a child attending Church School, one of the most familiar Bible stories I remember learning was that of – “David and Goliath”.  Upon reading my upcoming church school lesson – I found that it, too, was based on the story of “David and Goliath”. The scripture text of the lesson was taken from the Old testament scripture of 1^st Samuel 17:31-37, 1^st Samuel 17:45 and 1^st Samuel 17:48-50. Below are the passages of the lesson’s scripture (New King James Version):

1^st Samuel 17

³¹ Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. ³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.

Below is the text of the church school lesson book’s message entitled:

 

“His Strength in Our Weakness”

 

In the story of David (the shepherd boy), his reliance on God stands out. He relied fully on God’s strength and power. David didn’t let his youth or lack of armor and weapons stop him. Our weakness is never God’s weakness. His strength can carry us through even the most impossible-looking situations. David used what he had at hand and trusted that God would use it for His glory. That is, we, like David, are weak that we might be a vessel, a “treasure in jars of clay” (2^nd Cor. 4:7 see above verse), to display God’s strength and power to deliver those who call on Him.

We see David’s dependence on God in his thoughts, words and actions. More than once in this scene he refers to the living Lord, the God of Israel. His trust and confidence in God’s strength began during his shepherding experience, as he delivered sheep from the mouths of their enemies.

David had many days and nights to practice with his slingshot and also to grow in relationship with God. Based on his experiences, he made a connection that God would help him defeat this enemy of the Israelites. He told anyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn’t!) that God would win the battle. He had complete confidence in the Lord’s strength and ability to defeat Goliath. David’s goal was not only victory, but that God would be glorified.

In God’s Strength

David placed his faith in God’s strength, not his own. He was not matched physically for Goliath – but God was. When we face the Goliaths in our lives, we need to remember that God is bigger than any problem we have. He will give us the strength, through the Holy Spirit, to forge ahead in faith to whatever He wants us to do, whatever Goliath that He wants us to overcome.

 

I pray that this message may encourage someone else reading this. We ALL may go through difficult times (during our lives), but don’t get discouraged – GOD is with us! The battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. See the below verse from 1^st Samuel 17:47a –

“The Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s…”

 

Also, REMEMBER 1^st John 4:4 says - 

1^st John 4:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

 

Please enjoy the below inspirational song/video (with lyrics) by Christian artist “Katy Nichole”, entitled “Hold On” – sung with power and anointing.

(I do not own the rights to this song).

 

(If you can't see the below video: Please scroll down to the end - Under the rectangular box labeled "Home" - please click "View web version". You will automatically be taken to the top of the message - please scroll down to the "end" of the message to view the video. Please press play to enjoy the song/video.)

 

BE BLESSED!