Although we may think that the biggest news events in the world have all occurred in the last generation, all of them seem to pale into insignificance in the light of the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ. If you have ever dared to imagine a news event that could possibly overshadow the landing of the first man on the moon, then God’s announcement that He was about to set foot on earth certainly fits into that category.

Of course, if modern advertising agencies had been given the brief for this event they would have bombarded us with constant thirty-second promotions on TV and plastered posters on  billboards all around the world. The newspapers would have run feature ads and radio talk back hosts would have discussed it for weeks.

However, when God sent His Son as the savior of the world, the Bible records it in a most understated way. As Luke tells the story, it takes place in the most unlikely circumstances. One scholar wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “the story of the Virgin Birth is about an astounding happening taking place in a ‘nobody’, in a ‘nothing town’, in the middle of nowhere.”

Why would someone make such an observation? The answer to that question is found in the fact that the angel Gabriel made a special appearance to a thirteen or fourteen year old girl called Mary in a town called Nazareth. Not only was Mary very young by our standards, but she came from an entirely forgettable location. Nazareth is hardly known in pre-Christian writings. The only reason we even know about it is because Jesus grew up there. It was a rundown, half-way stop between the ports of Tyre and Sidon, and Nathaniel wasn’t kidding when he said to Phillip, “Nazareth? Can anything good come out of that hole?” Nazareth was hardly a blue-ribbon Jewish electorate, having been overrun by Gentiles and Romans in previous centuries.  Martin Luther understood Luke’s point in mentioning Mary and Nazareth when he said, “God might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out the high priest’s daughter who was fair and rich… But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.”

Why does Luke focus on the fact that Mary was a common girl in an unknown town?  Surely his point is that God comes to needy sinners – people who know that they are weak and have nothing to boast about. Neither Mary nor Nazareth had anything to commend them. Yet Nazareth was a place where needy people lived, and God, in his infinite wisdom, sent Jesus to such a place to confound the wisdom of this world.

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Have you ever felt locked into a situation over which you have no real control – a health problem, a broken relationship or a financial setback? Have you ever felt that you have been thrust into less than ideal circumstances and that somehow your usefulness to God has been compromised?

If you have, you are not alone. This has been a common experience for many of the leading figures in the Bible. Take Joseph, for example. He was kidnapped, sold into slavery, forced to work for foreigners in Egypt, falsely accused of sexual assault and unjustly imprisoned. It is hard to imagine more trying circumstances. And yet he bore a faithful witness to God despite all his sufferings.

The same is also true for Ezekiel and Daniel. As young men – perhaps even boys – they were torn from family and friends, uprooted from their homes and taken as captives to Babylon. While Ezekiel lived as a refugee among his people, Daniel was forced to live and work in an oppressive setting where his every waking and sleeping moment was carefully monitored. How would we react in similar circumstances? Would we have given up living? Would we have lost our faith in God? Well, neither Joseph, nor Ezekiel, nor Daniel did. Instead, they entrusted their souls to God and continued to do good.

Interestingly, we see that Paul reacted similarly when he was imprisoned for almost 5 years from the time he left Jerusalem until the time of his trial in Rome. During this period, he survived several assassination attempts, a shipwreck and 3 months of deprivation on the island of Malta. Nevertheless, despite his limitations he always found ways to serve the Lord and preach the Word. Rather than being downcast by his situation, Paul saw his problem as an opportunity to advance the Gospel in a different way. In other words, he realised that whether he was free or not, he could always do good works.

I don’t know what circumstances you find yourself in at this precise moment, but I do know this – whatever our circumstances – whether we are rich or poor, strong or weak, healthy or sick, we can always do the will of God and witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The aim of life is not personal success, wealth or happiness. If it was, Paul would have been a miserable man, but he was nothing of the kind. On the contrary, he was confident, optimistic and full of hope because he knew that, despite his sufferings, he could always glorify God and advance the work of the Kingdom by engaging in good works.

Sometimes, even when we are doing the will of God, we may pass through dreadful and unnerving experiences. This certainly happened to Paul on many occasions, one of which was when his ship was wrecked at sea. So, what are we to make of these kinds of sufferings in the Christian life? Are they a sign of God’s displeasure, or do they have some deeper purpose?

Writing to the Christians in Corinth, Paul says that some of the ‘close calls’ that he had experienced in life were not so much signs that he was out of step with God; rather, they served a deeper purpose by reminding him of the danger of self-reliance. He says that these experiences taught him that he must not rely on himself but on God who raises the dead.

Interestingly, in none of Paul’s letters do we find anything that might lead us to think that Paul was ever tempted to revert to a sense of self-sufficiency where he trusted in his own strength and works. Anyone who reads his letters to the Galatians and Romans is left with the impression that Paul would have been the last man in danger of trusting in himself. Yet here, as he writes to the Corinthians, he says that such a tendency lurks in us all. And he points out that sometimes God places us in situations of tremendous stress to remind us of how easily we revert to self-reliance.

The problem we face is two-fold. First, self-reliance is the default position of every one of us since the fall. This means that there is a natural tendency in us always to trust in ourselves. And second, self-reliance and self-sufficiency are qualities that people have always admired.

Nevertheless, God finds an attitude of self-reliance offensive. Indeed, He says through the prophet Jeremiah that self-sufficient people are under a curse: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.” In God’s eyes at least, self-reliance or self-sufficiency is idolatry because it has the effect of putting ourselves in the place of God.

The Scripture is quite clear that, “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth”. In other words we should not look for ultimate help or support anywhere else other than God. Why? Because trusting in God is essential for salvation and determines our future and destiny. Faith is the most important thing about us, which explains why God is so concerned to perfect it.

(2 Timothy 1:7)

Here Paul reminds us of the Spirit’s ministry to believers when we are facing threats and personal crises. He tells us that God gives us courage, concern for others and self-control despite our deepest fears.

God’s solution to our growing fears is to empower us by the Holy Spirit. In other words, despite our emotional turmoil, God can strengthen us to face our deepest anxieties. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we will not experience conflicting emotions or escape times of extraordinary stress. Christians don’t have immunity from the unpleasant emotions of fear and foreboding. For instance Elijah, in his physically exhausted state, became terrified at the threats of Ahab and Jezebel. John the Baptist seems to have been confused and disorientated after Herod threw him into jail. Even Jesus was “deeply distressed and troubled” in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33).

During these challenging and unsettling moments, God assures us that we will have spiritual strength to face our deepest anxieties. He gives us a spirit of love so that we do not become completely self-absorbed and unconcerned about others. His gift of power enables us to see things in a positive light and to look for solutions in a seemingly hopeless situation. He gives us a sound mind so that we can think logically and sensibly as we come to terms with the crisis we are facing.

Remember, this promise does not mean that we will never face daunting situations. What it does guarantee is that when we need help, God will give us courage to confront our deepest fears. He will give us a positive spirit, the capacity to forget ourselves and to help others, and a sound mind to think through our problems and work out good solutions.

This means that we do not have to run away from our difficulties. This is the typical reaction of unbelievers. When Paul was staring death in the face during the shipwreck (Acts 27), the sailors were so overwhelmed by fear that they decided to leave the ship and take a lifeboat. Driven by their anxieties, they decided to jump the ship of their present circumstances, desert those who needed them and find an easy way out. People often want to run away from their difficulties by finding a “lifeboat” that they think will save them from their problems.

However Paul says that we do not need to run from our fears. We can stand and face them. How? By trusting in God’s promise to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we have courage, common sense and self-control as we confront the crisis.

In the account of the shipwreck in Acts 27, which involved the apostle Paul and 275 others, we learn that God sometimes puts believers through trials for the sake of others. We read that the storm had such a powerful effect on the crew that, “they gave up all hope of being saved.”

But “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” and so it was here. When these men gave up all hope of survival, God thrust Paul forward. In the Greek, the words are literally, “he stood forth”, that is, he stood out among them with a different attitude and point of view. This is Luke’s way of reminding us that sometimes God’s plan requires that Christians pass through life’s storms for the sake of others who are unsaved.

It is clear in this story that Paul is on a ship, carrying criminals and other prisoners, as well as some fairly rough seamen, to bring about their salvation. From this specific incident, we learn that God often puts believers in places that they wouldn’t ordinarily choose, but nonetheless are for the blessing of others.

Now such a teaching runs counter to prosperity theology, which says that if you are in the will of God you can expect a trouble-free life. However, Paul reminds us in several places that Christians not only carry the life of Jesus but also experience his trials in their own mortal bodies. This means that when we face suffering, one of the reasons may be for the salvation of others.

If this seems strange to us, we should ask the question, why was Christ on earth? Was it not for the sake of sinners? Why does He eat with sinners? Why does He touch lepers? Why does He go into a cemetery and meet with a deranged man? None of these are pleasant encounters. Indeed, they are jarring – even shocking. But Christ came as a Great Physician to heal the sick and preach the Gospel to needy people. And He wants us to be partakers of his life and ministry by dying to ourselves and involving ourselves in costly service, which is why Paul found himself on board this ship in a storm at sea.

It is for the sake of other that God often puts Christians in life’s storms. When others have abandoned all hope of being saved, it is good to have a Christian nearby who can bring hope and blessing into their lives through sharing the Gospel.

One of the most important things that we learn in the book of Acts is that God’s people frequently run into tremendous difficulties in doing God’s work. While many Christians believe that life should be plain sailing, the Bible tells us otherwise. It reminds us of the important principle that we must expect suffering and adversity at the precise moment that we are doing God’s will.

Take Paul’s journey to Rome, for instance. While the idea first arose in his own mind, we also discover in Acts 23:11 that the Lord appeared to him personally and told him that it was also His plan for Paul to go to Rome. Again, in Acts 27:24, we read that the Lord sent an angel to Paul to confirm the message.

Nevertheless, as Paul set out on his journey, he encountered huge obstacles from the moment he set sail. First, he experienced unfavourable winds. Next, he found himself in the midst of a hurricane. While it was crystal clear that God wanted him to preach the Gospel in Rome, he struggled at every stage of his journey.

The difficulties that Paul experienced on his trip to Rome remind us that many of the setbacks that we experience in life actually arise as a result of our obedience to God. Paul’s troubled sea voyage reminds us of another story in the Gospels, where the disciples found themselves in a life-threatening storm in the middle of the night. We are told in Mark 6:45 ff that Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and sail across the Sea of Galilee. Although the disciples were reluctant to go, Jesus insisted. Then in the middle of the night, they encountered a gale force wind in the middle of the sea. They were terrified – and all as a result of obeying Jesus.

The story of Paul’s sea voyage and the troubles that the disciples experienced on Galilee should remind us that Christians are not exempt from suffering simply because they are obeying Jesus. If you submit your life to Christ, then you are not promised immunity from troubles. Indeed, seeking to serve Christ may actually open the door to a life of trial.

These two accounts of Paul striking trouble at sea and the disciples running into danger on Galilee remind us that following Christ does not give us an insurance policy against suffering. God does not promise that if we obey Him that we will get a magic carpet ride through life. He does promise us, however, that we will at last receive the kingdom, albeit through many tribulations (Acts 14:22).

One of the most important duties belonging to the church is to preserve and re-tell the stories of the suffering of God’s saints. The writer to the Hebrews put it plainly: “We must not be sluggish, but must imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” One of the saints whose sufferings should be of particular interest to us is the apostle Paul.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that suffering was central to his life, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again” (11:23). How did Paul face such suffering? He told the Ephesians that every event in life, including suffering, must be read through the prism that “God works all things after the counsel of his will” (1:11) He also told the Christians in Rome that, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him” (8:28).

Now not everyone agrees with Paul’s understanding of suffering. William Barclay, a liberal theologian, is adamantly opposed to Paul’s view. In A Spiritual Autobiography, he says, “I believe that pain and suffering are never the will of God for his children… I cannot conceive that such things are God’s will under any circumstances.”

Is Barclay right? Is Paul wrong or even deluded? As we think of suffering in the life of a Christian, we need to remember an important discovery that Martin Luther made in 1518 at the Heidelberg Disputation. It was in the midst of this controversy that Luther pointed out a very important concept in the New Testament known as “the theology of the cross.” Essentially, this truth reminds us that God comes and reveals Himself to us, not in circumstances of triumph, prosperity or success, but precisely in those moments of our lives where we feel abandoned, lost and wounded – in a manner similar to Jesus’ sufferings on the cross. It is in the midst of our trials and sufferings where God is most active in accomplishing His will.

Although the crucifixion of Jesus was a sickening and offensive sight, the Gospel writers tell us it was in this gruesome setting that God saved His people. It was in the agony and desolation of Calvary that God brought redemption and blessing to the world. And Paul tells us that it was through his own sufferings for Christ that God’s plan to bring eternal life to the nations was accomplished. Suffering serves an important role in the Christian life.

In the final woe that Isaiah pronounces upon Israel he reminds us that the power and perversion of sin is present, not only in the common people, but in the intellectual, political and social elites. Sin affects not only the criminals and outcasts of society, but it reaches into the hearts of kings, judges and business leaders – the rulers and professionals of a nation. It’s not just the “Average Joe” who is a sinner – it’s society’s best and brightest as well.

When Isaiah refers to those who are wise and clever, it seems that he is referring to people that pride themselves on their intelligence and superior intellects.  And when he mentions those who, “acquit the guilty for a bribe and deny justice to the innocent,” it is clear that he is thinking about the judiciary. In other words, God condemns the privileged classes in this final woe.  While they may congratulate themselves on their higher intelligence and status, Isaiah points out that sin has corrupted the very thing in which they love to boast – their intellectual capacity. True, they may have graduated with first class honours and university medals, but sin has rendered their best thoughts suspect and left them intellectually incapable of knowing right from wrong.

Isaiah’s observations are as true today as they were in 700 BC. In recent years we’ve seen prominent lawyers, judges and even a former Attorney General attempting to pervert the course of justice. We have had a corrupt chief magistrate, a Supreme Court judge involved in pedophilia, a senior prosecutor caught red handed with child pornography, barristers charged with fraud and even a High Court judge arraigned on the charge of attempting to influence a criminal trial. All of this is proof that even the brightest people are sinners and fall under the condemnation of God.

The problem is that we find it hard to grasp that someone can be highly intelligent, knowledgeable, and yet be a fool in God’s eyes.  In a few months, Lisa Nowak, a decorated Captain in the US Navy will stand trial in Florida for attempted murder and kidnapping. Married with three children, holding several postgraduate degrees in science and space engineering, she was an astronaut on the space shuttle Discovery, yet this brilliant woman became involved in a love triangle and it is alleged she decided to kidnap and kill her rival. As brilliant as she was, it did not stop her sinning and that’s the point that Isaiah makes about everyone who claims to be wise in their own eyes.

Art Linkletter, the famous Canadian American broadcaster once saw a small boy scrawling on a piece of paper, “What are you drawing?” he asked. The boy replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”  Linkletter said to him, “You can’t do that because nobody knows what God is like.” “They will when I’m finished,” the little boy said.

Why do we have this tendency to redraw God according to our own imaginations? One of the main reasons is that we want to believe that God is not a judge who has been offended by the way we live, but a servant who is waiting for opportunities to affirm our dignity. In other words, God exists for us. Robert Schuller captures this sentiment perfectly when he says, “What we need is a theology of salvation that begins and ends with a recognition of every person’s hunger for glory.”

In Isaiah’s day, there were many people in the church who believed that God’s role was to provide them with unconditional acceptance. They were uncomfortable with a God who confronted them and challenged their sin. Instead, they thought that it was God’s job to affirm them and make them feel comfortable in the lifestyles that they had chosen.

This same tendency is at work in church today. The vast majority of people want to be in control of their own lives; they don’t want to be constrained by God’s demands. This explains why so many people have now become practical atheists. They understand the truth that, “If there is no God, then everything is permissible.”

In his famous book, The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky spells out the logical consequences of practical atheism. In the story, one of the brothers in the Karamazov family contemplates murdering his abusive father. One of the excuses that he devises is if that God no longer exists then we can do whatever we like without fear of eternal consequences. If God is the source and basis of morality, then to disprove God is to dispose of morality as well.

Now Dostoyevsky was a Christian, not an atheist, but he knew the moral consequences of rejecting the God of the Bible and it seems that the Israelites knew the force of this argument as well. This explains why they were keen to use it to justify their actions. This serves to remind us that for the most part people who dismiss the God of Scripture don’t have logical reasons for doing so. It would be truer to say that they have an agenda for wanting him out of their lives.