The Christmas season has begun, and that means lots of Christmas music on the radio. Any time I hear something on a regular basis it can lose it’s meaning. This happens to me a lot with Christmas music, but when I choose to listen to the words I sing I hear something wonderful.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel paints a good picture of Israel longing for a promised Redeemer. Each verse speaks of God’s people needing a savior:
“ransom captive Israel”
“free thine own from Satan’s tyranny”
“from depths of hell thy people save”
And in between each verse the chorus exclaims with hope the promise of God to send that savior:
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
Israel longed for a savior and God promised one. In Isaiah 7, God tells the king of Judah “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel means God is with us. God’s promised savior was to be with his people.
In Matthew and Luke we can read about the birth of that promised savior, of Immanuel, God with us.
The verses of this song remind me of my need and longing for a savior. I’m reminded of my need to be ransomed from the captivity of sin and to be saved from the depths of hell. Then the chorus comes, and I can celebrate knowing that Jesus did come and he has saved me. And on December 25 I can celebrate the birth of Jesus, the promised savior. And I can celebrate the faithfulness of God, who promised a savior and fulfilled that promise in Jesus.
Pay attention to the lyrics of the Christmas songs you hear this season and you will hear of the great love God has for you.
This is a rap song by Shai Linne, from his new album Storiez! (The words to the song are at the bottom.)
Here are the lyrics:
It’s the greatest story ever told.
A God pursues foes whose hearts turned cold.
The greatest story ever told.
Restoring all that the enemy stole.
The greatest story ever told.
The glory of Christ is the goal, behold.
The greatest story ever told.
It’s the greatest.
Alright check it: let’s go back in time, brethren. Divine lessons always keep your mind guessing. The glory of the Triune God is what I’m stressing. The origin of humankind was fine. Blessings were plenteous. God is amazingly generous. Crazy benefits in a state of innocence. God told the man what he could taste was limited. Not long after came our nemesis in Genesis. He scammed well, man fell, damned to hell. The whole human race—he represented it. Fooled by the serpent, man through his work, woman through birth—even the earth ruled by the curses. But instead of a wake immediately. God said her Seed would be the One to crush the head of the snake. Yo, wait what is this? Whoa, a gracious gift! In Jehovah’s faithfulness He clothed their nakedness. This was so they would know their Savior’s kiss and bliss. But first, many growing pains exist suffering in the worst form, ugly deeds. Eve’s firstborn seed made his brother bleed. Indeed things got progressively worse. Every section of the earth is been affected by the curse. And though God’s judgments against sin were gory, praise the Lord! It’s not the end of the story.
Next scene: man’s sin was extreme. God gets steamed, man gets creamed. The Lord is so Holy that He drowned them in the water. Fire in the valley of slaughter – Sodom and Gomorrah. But at the same time, He’s so gracious and patient that from one man He created a whole nation. Eventually enslaved by the mentally depraved, they cried out to the only One with the strength that He could save. He brought them out with signs and wonders – satisfied their hunger. Then He appeared on Mount Sinai in thunder. Where He laid down the law for God-ruled government. Commonly referred to as the Mosaic covenant. Sin was imputed. So for man to know he’s unrighteous, God instituted animal sacrifices. This was to show our constant need for atonement. And when it came to sin, the Lord would never condone it. And when His people disobeyed and went astray, He raised up prophets and kings to lead them in the way. But they would get foul with their idolatry—wet and wild prophecy—send them into exile. To take their punishment like a grown man. Then with His own hand He placed them back in their homeland. And while in their forefather’s land they dwelt, they awaited the arrival of Emmanuel.
After 400 silent years filled with sighs and tears. In Bethlehem the Messiah appears. God in the flesh—Second Person of the Trinity. At thirty begins His earthly ministry. Baffling cats with accurate, exact facts and back-to-back miraculous acts. A stumbling block to the self righteous. But the humbled—His flock, said “There’s no one else like this.” He came from heaven to awake the numb. Demonstrated His power over nature, son. A foretaste of the Kingdom and the age to come. But the reason He came was to pay the sum for the depths of our wickedness, our wretched sinfulness. Bless His magnificence! He is perfect and innocent. Yet He was wrecked and His death. He predicted it. Next He was stretched, paid a debt that was infinite. He said that He finished it. Resurrected so the elect would be the recipients of its benefits. Through faith and penitence we get to be intimate. His grace is heaven sent, it never diminishes. Now the Holy Spirit indwelling is the evidence for heaven’s future residents who truly represent Jesus, the Author, Producer, Director, and Star of a story that will never, ever end!
(I saw this on JT’s blog, and just had to post it here.)
It is that time… time to start shopping for Christmas presents. Maybe this year we can show people that we love them by pointing them to what Christmas is all about: Loving Jesus! We can do this by buying some Bible-saturated, God-glorifying, Christ-exalting books by John Piper. Check out the Christmas Sale at Desiring God!