DECEMBER – FIRSTFRUITS – FIRSTBORN
1. ISAIAH 9:6-7 “For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the govern-
ment shall be upon His shoulder. These will be His royal titles: ‘WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, the MIGHTY GOD, the EVERLASTING FATHER, the PRINCE OF PEACE.’ His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of His father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations of the world.” LB
Jesus Christ is introduced by His Father in Heaven many generations before His actual arrival in the flesh on the earth. The prophets spoke eloquently about a Mighty Savior coming to free us from our sin and separation from God. The arrival of Messiah, the Anointed One, the Hope of all nations, was the fulfillment of God’s Word.
2. Matthew 1:1, 16-17 “ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,
the son of Abraham: And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” NKJV
Jesus’ lineage can be traced back to Adam and Eve in Eden. His roots go all the way back to the beginning. There is documented evidence throughout history that lead us to the assurance that the account of Jesus Christ is a reality, not a fabrication. God had cast the mold from the beginning to rescue a fallen and desperate creation.
3. Luke 1:30-33 “ But the angel assured her, ‘Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a
surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a Son and call His Name Jesus. He will be great, be called Son of the Highest. The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever – no end, ever, to His Kingdom.’” MSG
Many hundreds of years before this God had promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through his seed. The prophets had spoken many times of a Savior coming to bless the people of the earth. Now an angel comes to Mary to announce that God’s promise would be arriving in a few short months and she had been chosen to be the carrier of the Son of God. Immanuel, God with us, was the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 and Genesis 12:3. We can absolutely trust the Word of the Lord.
4. Luke 2:10-11 “ But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you
the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem!’” LB
The most amazing event since creation happened that night in a small, insignificant town called Bethlehem. The Redeemer – King was born of a virgin woman. Christ be-came flesh and blood. The Son of God came to earth in the fullness of time. God’s plan for man’s forgiveness was activated. In a place designated for animals, among a simple people of no reputation, the Sacrificial Lamb came down from heaven. This event, greatly celebrated in heaven, went mostly unnoticed among mortal men. But for those whose hearts were close to Father God, the burning hope they had clung to was finally answered. Their lives exploded with praises as the Mighty Savior was revealed!
5. Matthew 1:20-21 “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’”
God the Father Himself named His Son. Jesus means “Savior,” or “God saves.” The Hebrew prophets of old called Him Emmanuel, meaning, “God is with us.” He is also called Christ, or “The Anointed One.” This Firstborn Son of God is also the “Alpha and Omega,” or the Beginning and the End. He is Eternal. For us on earth He is our “Chief Shepherd,” as well as our “Chief Cornerstone.” We can safely build our lives on Him and trust Him to protect us as well as guide us safely along the pathways of life.
6. 1 Corinthians 15:45-48 “ We follow this sequence in Scripture: The first Adam re-
ceived life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual – a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. The First man was made out of the earth, and the people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly.” MSG
The first Adam was made out of dust in the garden of Eden. He became a sinner when he failed to respect and obey God’s Word. Therefore all people on this earth are born sinners, born with the earthly nature. Jesus is called the Second Adam, and was born, not of the earth, but of heaven. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Because He obeyed God’s Word we can receive His spiritual life and join the heavenly family too.
7. John 1:1-2 “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” NIV
Jesus is part of the Trinity, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Therefore He was present at creation and fulfilled an active role in it. Jesus is called the Word. God had the plan of creation in His mind, Jesus the Word spoke the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, the Helper, worked the Word into existence. Together, They created all things. Then God saw the need for man to be saved from his sin, Jesus came to earth as a man to speak the Word of forgiveness, while the Holy Spirit does the work of regeneration to bring light into darkness. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this year, let us also pray the Word of God for all people to see Him as their Savior.
8. John 10:10-11 “ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” NIV
We do have a ruthless enemy who works only to make life miserable. Satan is his name. Jesus Christ has offered Himself to us as a Protector, a Healer, a Forgiver, and a Provider of the promises of God to His own family. His family includes all who have come to Jesus with repentance in their hearts, accepted the offering of His shed blood as a sacrifice for their sins, and received the gift of forgiveness. The Good Shepherd has taken responsibility to care for His flock and continually pour out an abundance of spiritual and physical life on us. Now our commitment as disciples of Christ is to love, honor, and obey Him, so His life will flow to us and through us to a life-starved world.
9. John 9:4-5 “ We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent Me here,
working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” MSG
Jesus is a worker. While on the earth He worked. His work was to give hope and life to people. He delivered them from the darkness that sin had spawned, by bringing light into every situation. Christ healed the sick, delivered people from demons, taught the Word of the Scriptures, and restored them to having a relationship with God. As He now lives in us, it is our continuing work to bring the light into every dark place the Lord directs us to. There is plenty of Christ-Light within us. Our energies are to be directed into opportunities of service that would glorify God. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will work through us to confirm that the Light of the World still shines on earth.
10. Hebrews 12:1-2 “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of
witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Protector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” NIV
Jesus was the Word. He is the Author of all things. All faith stems from the Son of God. He came to the earth by faith to offer Himself as a sacrificial Lamb for our sins. That act of faith and obedience earned Him the right to be seated at God’s right hand. Jesus saw this end as He endured the shame of the cross, and received a joy that gave Him strength to persevere. Let this same joy give you strength to run your race on earth.
11. John 6:33-35 “ For the Bread of Life is He who comes down from heaven and gives
life to the world. Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”
Jesus had been doing miracles among the people as He moved about the area teach-ing the Word. A great multitude had been fed from the seed of two small fish and five little barley loaves. The people loved it. They wanted more of this free bread. So Jesus began to teach them that there is something much more valuable and lasting than the physical bread for the stomach. They needed to partake of the life of Jesus that would give them eternal life. We need to come to Him and believe in Him. That is our mission. That is our ministry. That is our Bread from Heaven. Only that will satisfy our soul.
12. Luke 4:40-41 “ Now when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with
various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”
The devils recognized who Jesus was and what would be the result of people submit-ting to His ministry. Demons knew His name and His power. It is such a shame that many people today have access to the Word of God and rub shoulders with the people of God, but don’t know the reality of Jesus the Son of God. The devils didn’t ignore Him, but humans try to. The devils shouted out His Name but people won’t. Jesus comman-ded them to be quiet, but I think He would be blessed if our words would honor Him.
13. Isaiah 55:3-4 “ Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and
I will make an everlasting covenant with you – the sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a Leader and Commander for the people.”
Isaiah the prophet is speaking about Jesus the Messiah. He is referring to the time when all those who would submit to the Word of the Lord would be given a New Covenant with God. Christ came to earth to establish and ratify this covenant with all believers. He would lead His church, the believers, into the pathway of righteousness and truth. He would be able to command His own soldiers all the way to victory in the battles against the forces of darkness. There would be no turning back to the old ways, the powerless days, the empty life without God in charge and hope far away.
14. John 14:6-7 “ Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’” NIV
Jesus gave a command to His disciples to love one another, as this would be the evidence to observers that they followed Him. Then He stated that if they really saw who He was they had also seen who His Father was. The Son was one with the Father. The words Jesus spoke were God’s words. The actions Jesus performed were the acts of God in Heaven. If we have faith in Jesus we also have faith in God. When we go to heaven we go to the Father and the Son. Once we are born again we are one with Christ and our Father. Therefore we need to have the character and disciplines of a son of God. Our life should reflect who Jesus is and our acts should look like His works.
15. John 14:27-28 “ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” NIV
When Isaiah prophesied Jesus’ birth, he named Him the Prince of Peace. Jesus pro-mised to leave us His kind of peace – which translates into quietness, rest, and pros-perity. The word “Prince” means governor, ruler, keeper, captain, or steward. There is a very powerful promise given us in what Jesus said in John 14. The earth is mostly beset by fear and in agony for lack of real peace, or in trying to gain a worldly kind of peace. Most of us are still trying to gain peace through our experience, intelligence, self-effort, or accumulation of material assets. Until we come under the stewardship or rule of our Prince we will be troubled and afraid. Whole nations are in panic today. Millions are on the verge of tears daily. May they come to the Prince of Peace and receive from Him.
16. 1 Peter 1:19-20 “ God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to
heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver, as you well know. But He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him for this purpose long before the world began, but only recently was He brought into public view, in these last days, as a blessing for you.” LB
Under the Old Covenant the sins of the people were covered as they sacrificed animals to the Lord. The blood that was applied on the altar was accepted by God as a payment of life for the death sin brought. Yet, God always had in mind to send His Son as the Lamb who would give His blood as the final sacrifice for man’s sin. No wonder there was joy in heaven that day when Christ was born to fulfill His destiny and give us ours.
17. John 15:5-6 “ I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in
Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Old Testament prophets referred to the Israelites as the “Vine of God.” But Jesus point-ed out that the Jews failed to bear fruit. Here He claims the image for Himself, and declares that we will bear abundantly if we only remain knit to Him. Our goal then is to practice abiding, or becoming intimate through dwelling together with Jesus. If we en-counter Him only as a periodic visitor in our relationship, our spiritual life will wither and we will definitely remain unfruitful. Abiding in the Vine is what will qualify us to be called disciples of Jesus, enable us to bear much fruit, and glorify our Father in heaven.
18. Zephaniah 3:17 “ The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He
will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born and His Name would be called Mighty God. Here Zephaniah declares Jesus to be the Mighty One who would come among us to bring salvation, thus giving Him great joy; even moving Him to sing over us. Some-times it is difficult to picture the Son of God who created all things in heaven and earth as One who cares about and actually participates in singing over us personally. This Mighty One can feel joy and is not hesitant about expressing it. He will powerfully love till we are peaceful and quiet within. His song will become our song. His love will be-come our love. And His might will rise up within us to make us mighty in Him.
19. John 4:25-26 “ The woman said, ‘Well, at least I know that the Messiah will come –
the One they call Christ – and when He does, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus told her, ‘I am the Messiah.’” LB
Jesus was having an encounter with a Samaritan woman at a place called Jacob’s well. This was unusual, as Jews customarily despised Samaritans and wouldn’t even speak to them. It is interesting that this woman had a hope in her heart that the Messiah was coming and He would explain things, possibly even the attitudes people had towards Samaritans. What a shocking, but blessed revelation she received that day – Messiah was here! The Anointed One Himself had accepted her, asked her for water, and offered instruction on true worship. Messiah had revealed that worship was not about a place or a culture, but about Truth and a heart that was right with God.
20. John 4:41-42 “ And many more believed because of His own Word. Then they said
to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’”
Jesus came to a city in Samaria called Sychar. His goal was to reach the people there with His Word of hope. He never advertised, planned a big crusade, spent a lot of mo-ney, or arrived with a trained team. In fact His disciples had gone into the city to buy food for their lunch. Jesus made a personal contact with a woman God had directed Him to, because He knew she would be open to the Word He had for her and she cared enough about her people to share the Messiah with them. Many people in the city were introduced to Jesus when this “outcast” accepted His prophetic Word as Truth. Sharing the Savior of the world is not as difficult or complicated as we may think it is.
21. Colossians 1:17-18 “ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
And He is the Head of the body, the church; He is the Beginning and the Firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. NIV
Christ is the Creator. He was there in the beginning. Before the world, before people, before the church, He was there. Jesus keeps all of creation together. Jesus gives order to all things, including the church. He is Supreme. How blessed we are to have Jesus as Lord over the body we are part of; the universal body of believers, as well as the local church. How easy it should be for Christians to submit to and live for our Savior. He is so competent. He cannot fail. He will walk with us right through our earthly journey into eternity. He has chosen to be a faithful Guide for us. Why should we ever question anything He says or balk at obeying the smallest of His commands?
22. Hebrews 4:14, 16 “ Therefore, since we have a Great High Priest who has gone
through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” NIV
Because Jesus is the Great High Priest who has saved us, we can trust Him to be available to us and to keep His Word to us. He is there in heaven to continually repre-sent us to God, bringing our needs and petitions before the great throne. Jesus is in touch with the reality of our lives – the weaknesses and temptations we face daily – and is willing to get involved so we may embrace His delivering power to be overcomers. But we do need to hold firmly to the faith we have in Jesus, confidently speak the Words of Scripture, and humbly approach God to receive His mercy and help for our needs.
23. Matthew 4:23-24 “ Jesus traveled all through Galilee teaching in the Jewish syna-
gogues everywhere, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven. And he healed every kind of sickness and disease. The reports of His miracles spread far beyond the borders of Galilee so that sick folk were soon coming to be healed from as far away as Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by demons, or were insane, or paralyzed, He healed them all. LB
Jesus is the Healer sent from heaven to us. Healing is part of the Good News. Healing is for the Jews. It is also for all other people, as we see Jesus went everywhere healing everybody. There is healing for every kind of disease. The Bible says so. Some say since Jesus is no longer here on earth, healing is no longer the same. In that case, since Jesus isn’t among us, maybe salvation is no longer available. I don’t believe it!
24. 1 Timothy 2:4-6 “ He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to
get to know the Truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us – Jesus, who offered Himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free.” MSG
A mediator is someone who is a go-between, like a lawyer would be an assigned one who would represent an accused person before a court of law. The Son is appointed by the Father to defend us or plead our cause before God. So Jesus is bringing up the fact that He himself paid the penalty for our sins so God could judge us to be free from the penalty we deserve. We need to Give our Advocate something He can use on our be-half. This is called repentance for our sins. When we truly repent and receive the gift of forgiveness, our High Priest Jesus has authority in court to keep us free from penalty.
25. Luke 2:13-15 “ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” NIV
What an incredible day! What a celebration to announce! A King is born! All heaven was rejoicing! An amazing angel is sent with the joyful news to earth. And whom does he target as the chosen first recipients of the earth-shattering news? Shepherds! Humble shepherds out in the field, doing their work. Shepherds watching over their flocks in the night. The news? A Heavenly Shepherd is born; come to watch over us in our need.
26. 1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers,
not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, has a great responsibility to give good, strong leader-ship to His flock on earth. He willingly serves as the overseer of the church. He maintains the integrity of God’s Word without compromise. Likewise, all appointed pastors in the Christian churches have the same assignment to take care of the flock entrusted to them. It is not to be only for money, or for dishonest gain. There should be an eagerness in leading people, and a willingness to feed them the Word of God.
27. Micah 5:2 “ O Bethlehem Ephrathath, you are but a small Judean village, yet you
will be the birthplace of My King who is alive from everlasting ages past.” LB
Micah was a prophet to Israel in the turbulent times about 700 years before Christ. His ministry coincided with that of Isaiah and this prophecy about the coming of a King to rule God’s people was similar to Isaiah’s words. It was probably misunderstood, espe-cially in timing, but nevertheless came to pass in the fullness of time. Here again we see the humility of God, to have His Son be born in a small, insignificant village in a country dominated by Godless people. No person today can say in truth that he is born too lowly to identify with Jesus. His parents were travelers with no place to lodge for the night; no room for them in the house, much less a special room for a newborn baby – a king wrapped in cloths used for the newborn sheep and laid in a feed trough. How humble!
28. Romans 1:2-4 “ This Good News was promised long ago by God’s prophets in the
Old Testament. It is the Good News about His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who came as a human baby, born into King David’s royal family line; and by being raised from the dead He was proved to be the Mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God Himself.” LB
Paul is writing a letter of encouragement to the believers in Rome. The life of Christ the Savior had already made it’s impact through anointed missionaries into places where the message was not particularly welcome. But in the same way the Son of God was powerful and anointed, the message of the Son was anointed and powerful. As Jesus’ life bore fruit, so the message of life bore fruit. By the same Spirit that raised Christ up from the dead, men and women were raised up from their deadness to serve the King.
29. Hebrews 5:8-9 “ And even though Jesus was God’s Son, He had to learn from
experience what it was like to obey, when obeying meant suffering. It was after He had proved Himself perfect in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of Salvation to all those who obey Him.” LB
Jesus had offered up loud cries and tears to His Father with His petitions, to, if at all possible, be spared the shame and agony of suffering as a condemned criminal to a death on the cross. It was not fair to an innocent man. Yet He willingly obeyed the will of His Father. The need for redemption of mankind was the sacrifice of an unblemished Lamb. There was no other acceptable lamb in sight. How often do we try to escape from the will of God when it requires obedience in something we do not prefer? How could we ever rule and reign with Christ if we have not yet learned obedience to God?
30. Isaiah 59:20-21 “ The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of
their sins, declares the Lord. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord. ‘My Spirit who is on you, and My Words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever.’” NIV
What a wonderful promise was given by God through Isaiah the prophet. Not only would the Redeemer come to save all those who were willing to repent of their sins, but a New Covenant was prepared for those receiving the Savior. The Holy Spirit was going to come on us permanently and be available to all generations in the same way the Word of God was made available to all. The Holy Spirit would enable everyone to understand the Word, to obey the Word, and to walk in the Light to keep covenant with God.
31. Isaiah 60:1-3 “ Arise, My people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For
the glory of the Lord is streaming from you. Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you.” LB
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. As we receive His life we also receive His Light. We cannot hide the Light and glorify God. The Light was meant to shine in the dark-ness. All the world is in darkness; all the people without Christ are in darkness as black as night. There is no hope, no life for them apart from coming to the Light. We must arise and shine, because we have the light. For this very purpose the Son of God came into the world, to be the Light for us. It is the glory of God on us. It is a powerful light. It shines for people who are far away from God to see. Nations will see it. Kings will see it. It is not our own light but the glory of the Lord. Arise, so the world will see and come.