Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

"Preach The Word"

Text: Isaiah 53:5 reads, " But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

This time of the year is the favorite of many people. We enjoy hearing the Christmas carols, and relish the thoughts of gathering our families together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. All of us enjoy erecting and decorating the Christmas tree for all to see. It is also a time when we eat more than we do at any other time of the year, maybe other than Thanksgiving.

I would imagine that more candy is sold at Christmas time and Halloween than any other time of the year. As far back as I can remember, there is one piece of candy that is very special to me and that is the candy cane.

As I study my Bible I discover than many things have a special significance.

For instance, there are the numbers of the Bible.

#1—is God’s number which is God’s number, excluding all other numbers and is independent of all other numbers.

#2----is the number of difference. There are two classes of people, those in Christ and those outside of Christ. Also there are two Adams. From the first came death, through the second Adam (Christ) there is life.

#3—is the number of the Trinity. There are three persons in the God head, Father, Son and Holy Ghost----three members of the divine perfection.

#4--is the number of creation and has special reference to the earth.

#5– is the number of God’s grace.

#6—is the number of man and speaks of human incompleteness.

#7– is the number of fulness, perfection and completeness.

#8 —is the number of resurrection.

#9-- is the number of finality and judgment.

#10– is the number of completeness and perfection in divine order.

#11– is the number of disorder and imperfection.

#12– is the number of governmental perfection or rule.

#13–is the number of rebellion and apostacy.

#17- is the number of spiritual perfection or perfection of spiritual order.

#40– is the number of testing and trial.

#50– is the number of salvation.

The study of numbers and what they represent is an interesting study.

Typeology is also an interesting study. A type is a pointed illustration of some Scriptural truth. The following are some of the most outstanding types of the Bible:

1. Passover lamb in Egypt is a type of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7).

2. The brazen serpent is a type of Christ (Jn. 3:14,15).

3. The two birds having to do with the cleansing of the leper are typical of the death and resurrection of Christ.

4. Jacob’s ladder is a type of Christ (Gen.28). It is through Christ that God comes down to man and man goes up to God.

5. Manna is a type of Christ (Ex. 16).

6. Jonah is a type of Christ (Matt. 12:40 ).

7. The Cities of Refuge (Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan) are types of Christ. (Josh. 20:1-6).

On and one we could go showing these shadows which picture the substance, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is the anti-type of all the types.

I feel that the Lord today would have me to take the simple candy cane and make some spiritual comparisons that will be a blessing to you.

One of the best ways to witness is through the simple little candy cane. With it we can illustrate the message of the Gospel and use it as an object lesson of what we are trying to get across.

Many times Jesus used object lessons as he taught the people. One instance was when he was trying to instruct people about the needlessness and the senselessness of worry. There Christ referred to the birds , probably pointed to one perched on a limb.. Jesus reminded the disciples that the little bird does not harvest crops nor store food in barns, and yet God feeds them.

Christ also spoke in Matthew 6:28 about lilies. They do not toil nor spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory were not arrayed as beautifully as the flower. I believe Jesus pointed over as some lilies and gave a spiritual lesson.

Today I am going to use the candy cane to teach some spiritual lessons about Christ and the incarnation that we need to know.

If you will notice, the candy cane is not usually straight. The top of it crooks or kind of makes a half- circle.

What a picture of man who is crooked from the day he is born. Psalm 58:3 says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." That certainly would include all of us.

Even the little baby lies. It screams like it is about to die when all it may have is a little hunger pain. Children are born from the womb speaking lies. You do not have to teach children to lie–they do that naturally. You must teach them to tell the truth.

Psalm 51:5 reminds us, " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

Rom. 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

The reason all men need a Savior is because all men are

born sinners. Not just a few of us are born sinners, we are all born in sin. We are "dead in trespasses and sins."

People are sinners by nature. It is our natural tendencies to do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do.

Until a person realizes he or she is a sinner, they cannot be and will not be saved by God’s wonderful grace.

Inside every person born of Adam’s race is what we call the "sin principle" or the "sin nature."

The sin nature constantly works at controlling your life. Only God can break the shackles of sin which has man bound.

Why are the streets full of immorality, illegal drugs, alcohol, and wrong of every kind? Why are there rapes, beatings, robberies, murders, stealing, cheating and many other undesirable things? It is because of man’s sin.

It is not the things that we do which bring about eternal separation from God, it is what we do not do, and that is "believe" in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Unbelief and the rejection of Christ is what sends people to the lake of fire and eternal judgment.

I am glad I am not in the "doomed" crowd but in the "delivered " ones due to the mercy and grace of God.

I do not care how crooked you maybe, how sinful you may be, God can save you and straighten you out. When Jesus comes in you can walk right, talk right, and think right. What a change Jesus makes in the life which looks to Him!!!!

The change is drastic, noticeable, and wonderful.

Who were the first to hear about the birth of Jesus Christ?

It was those shepherds that were abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

I feel that I should remind you of three things about the shepherds who were in the field that night the birth of Christ was announced.

Shepherds were generally considered unclean.

If you recall, when the sons of Jacob went to Egypt, they were not allowed to dwell near the Egyptians, because those in Egypt considered shepherds to be unclean.

Note:

When God called out a delivered for the children of Israel in Egypt, God went after Moses and called him, a simple shepherd, to go and deliver the people of Israel from the iron-hand of Pharoah.  In fact, David was a shepherd when God called him to be the king of Israel. (1 Sam.16:11).

GOD TAKES THE FOOLISH THINGS OF THIS WORLD AND CONFOUNDS THE WISE THROUGH THEM.........

Not many wise or many noble are called...(1 Cor.1:26).

I am glad God comes to those who are considered "low-class" to others. When I could not come to where He was, He came to me.

1. They looked after the sheep.

2. They looked at the glory (the glory of the Lord shone round about them).

3. They looked at the angel who spoke...."Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people....for unto you is born this day.......and this shall be a sign unto you...Ye shall find the babe..............

4. They looked at the heavenly host. What a thrill that must have been to have seen a multitude of heavenly beings filling the sky all around.

5. They went looking for Jesus. One of them said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us"(Lk. 2:15).

Ps. 23:1 says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

The earthly shepherd guards life that already exists; he cannot create life. Christ, the Great, Good and Chief Shepherd, can give life, for He created all forms of life in the very beginning.

I am glad we have a shepherd along the pathway of life, because often we do not know the way. Constantly, we stand in need of divine protection.

The Candy Cane can speak of sin-

The Candy Cane can speak of shepherds-

Our test verse says, Isa.53:5 reads, " But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

The candy cane is quite attractive because of its red stripe that encircles the cane. By the way, the stripe is red. Red is the blood color or the redemption color. Thank God for the Blood of God’s darling Lamb- the Lord Jesus Christ.

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God said in Ex. 12:3, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." To be saved from the death of the first-born,

the people were to take blood, strike it above the door and on the two side posts, and then when the death angel would pass over, the first-born would not die.

Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

1 Peter 1:18, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Revelation 1:5, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

There are three things I want to emphasize about the blood of Jesus:

"Costly...to be held in high esteem or regard."

1 Pet. 1:19- "Precious blood."

There is wonder working power in the blood.

Old song says,"There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood, of the Lamb, there is power, power, wonder-working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.  It can change the life of the harlot, the drunkard, the dope addict, the murderer, the thief, the gambler, etc.

Hebrews 9:12 says, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

The Candy Cane can speak of sin-

The Candy Cane can speak of shepherds-

The Candy Cane Can Speak of Sacrifice.

White in the Bible speaks to us of righteousness.

White is the "pure" color. If we are saved, we have a message to share with those around us.

A. Sins Become White

Isaiah 1:18 declares, "0 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Revelation 3:4, "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." We focus a great deal on multi-colors in this life. Heaven will be a place where all are dressed in white.

All of us were born unrighteous. Our self righteousness is nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God. How much is a "filthy rag" worth? Little or nothing.

Philippians 3:9 says, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

2 Corinthians 5:21 states, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

That word "made" is also in the" passive voice "in the Greek New Testament. That means the becoming is not produced by man, but he is acted upon by someone or something above and beyond himself.

Our righteousness we have as believers is an "imputed" righteousness. To "impute" means to attribute or ascribe.

Divine righteousness was imputed when we believed on the Son of God.

If you turn it upside down, you have a "J". That letter stands for the Lord Jesus Christ. That is his personal name that means "Savior."

He is also:

Messiah

Christ

Jesus Christ

Christ Jesus

Son of Man

Son of God

Seed of David

Savior

Lamb of God

Lord of Lords

God

Son of the Highest

Only Begotten Son of God

Chief Shepherd and Bishop

Master

Blessed and Only Potentate

King of Kings

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

Chief Cornerstone

Head of the Church

Our Peace

The Reconciler

A sweet-smelling savor

Lover of the church

Sanctifier of the Church

Lord of the Church

Image of God

God’s unspeakable gift

Maker of all things

Spiritual Rock

Head of every man

Firstfruits of them that slept

The last Adam

The Lord from Heaven

Our Victor

Our Rewarder

The Foundation

Our Sanctification

Our Righteousness

A Stumbling block to the Jews

The Wisdom of God

The Power of God

Redemption

AND SO MUCH MORE THAT TIME WOULD NOT AFFORD US TO TELL YOU.

Salvation is about Jesus Christ. He is our life!

Psalm 34:8 ."O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

The candy can is sweet. He is sweet to the believer.

The Candy Cane can speak of sin-

The Candy Cane can speak of shepherds-

The Candy Cane Can Speak of Sacrifice.

The Candy Cane Can Speaks of Sharing

The Candy Cane Can Speak of The Savior

The Candy Cane Can Speak of Sweetness

Sermon From Dr. Tom Walker

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