The Bible is unlike any other book.  It has a power, a supernatural power that no other book has, to change lives.  That is why it is called the Holy Bible. The reason it has the power to change lives is because it is the Word of God. The Word of God is the most powerful thing in the universe.  The Bible says this in Psalm 33:6 “The Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created.  He breathed the word and all the stars were born.” That’s power! God’s power is available to you through his word! Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life!” (John 6:63).  God’s word is not mere words. It’s ALIVE!  Hebrews 4:12 says it like this “The Word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Bible says the Word of God can change things that you cannot change on your own. There are seven ways God’s Word can change my life:

HOW DOES GOD’S WORD CHANGE ME?
 

1. IT RECREATES MY LIFE

 
“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…” James 1:18 (NIV)
 
      “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.”  1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)
                                   

2. IT ERADICATES MY GUILT

 
“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” Eph.  5:25-26 (NIV)
 
      “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”       John 15:3 (NIV)
 

3. IT ACTIVATES MY FAITH

 
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.”  Romans 10:17 (NIV)
 

4. IT STIMULATES MY GROWTH

 
“I commit you to God and to the Word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”        Acts 20:32 (NIV)
 
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 
2 Tim. 3:16-17 (NIV)
 

5. IT ILLUMINATES MY MIND

 
“Understanding your Word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.”  Psalm 119:130 (CEV)
 
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
 

6. IT ELEVATES MY MOOD

 
     “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so
      that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures
      we might have hope.”  Rom. 15:4 (NIV)
 
“You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.”  Psalm 119:114 (MSG)
 

7. IT LIBERATES MY POTENTIAL

 
“If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”  John 8:31-32 (NAS)
 
HOW DO I GAIN THESE BENEFITS?
 

   
INTRODUCTION:  Jesus lived a profound but simple life.  John 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples on the night before his death.  In this prayer, Jesus reveals that he fulfilled the purposes that God had given to him.  We too can live the simple life of Jesus by following the same principles.  Jesus lived his whole life as an act of worship.  As he lived his life, Jesus shared his faith with others. He also called people to follow him and become his disciples.
He developed friendships with his followers and made sure they were safe. Jesus lived a life of service for others.  We too must offer our lives in service for him. 
 
“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified”
                                                                        (John 17:18-19).
 
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
 
WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE AS JESUS SERVED.
 
*The praises of Palm Sunday were an acknowledgement of the SERVING MINISTRY of Jesus.  Jesus had performed the SIGNS of the coming KINGDOM. "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!" (Mark 11:9-10).
 
*Jesus SENT his followers on the same MISSION from the Father that he had. “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).
 
*What is our mission? SERVE others in Jesus’ name.  “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” (Matthew 20:28).
 
WE ARE CALLED TO SACRIFICE AS JESUS SACRIFICED.
 
*Jesus sanctified his life for the BENEFIT of others and to FULFILL God’s purposes.  Sanctify means “to set aside for SACRED purposes. “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:19).
 
*Jesus’ sacred purpose was to be a SACRIFICE for many.  “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
 
Jesus GAVE his LIFE on the cross on Good Friday so that we might have the FORGIVENESS of sins and receive ETERNAL life. ^“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
 
*Jesus sanctified himself to fulfill God’s purposes so that we too may SACRIFICE ourselves for his purposes. What does that look like?
 
            -Use your POSSESSIONS to help others.  “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).
 
            -Practice genuine LOVE toward others.  “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother”
                                                                        (1 John 4:19-21).
 
            -Live a life of PURITY toward God and PEACE toward others.  ^“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).
 
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship)
 
Jesus calls us to serve and sacrifice in his name. Are you?

   
INTRODUCTION:  Jesus lived a profound but simple life.  John 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples on the night before his death.  In this prayer, Jesus reveals that he fulfilled the purposes that God had given to him.  We too can live the simple life of Jesus by following the same principles.  Jesus lived his whole life as an act of worship.  As he lived his life, Jesus shared his faith with others. He also called people to follow him and become his disciples.
He developed friendships with his followers and made sure they were safe. Fellowship builds on a relationship with Jesus.
 
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
(John 17: 11-13).
 
THE FELLOWSHIP STANDS ON THE NAME OF JESUS.
 
The basis of our fellowship is a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ”(1 Corinthians 3:11).
 
“You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone  (Ephesians 2:19-20).
 
Salvation  and baptism are in the name of Jesus.  “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”(John 20:31).

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
 
Our lifestyle is lived in the name of Jesus.  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
 
“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23).
 
JESUS SUSTAINS THE FELLOWSHIP.
 
Jesus promises us His presence, encouragement and protection.
 
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
 
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
 
‘But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one’(2 Thessalonians 3:3).
 
‘For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus”( Romans 15:4-5).
 
THE FELLOWSHIP  SHARES THE JOY OF JESUS.
 
Jesus: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).
 
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
 
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22).
 
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

   
INTRODUCTION:  Jesus lived a profound but simple life.  John 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples on the night before his death.  In this prayer, Jesus reveals that he fulfilled the purposes that God had given to him.  We too can live on purpose like Jesus by following the same principles.  Jesus lived his whole life as an act of worship.  As he lived his life, Jesus shared his faith with others. He also called people to follow him and become his disciples.  John 17: 6-17 tells how he did it. Discipleship means becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.  What does that look like?
 
A DISCIPLE IS Devoted TO Christ AND HIS Word.
 
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17:6-9).
 
*Disciples accept Christ and his teaching.  “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6: 66-68).
 
A DISCIPLE Rejects Wordliness AND THE Devil.
 
^“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” (John 17:14-15).
 
*Disciples follow Jesus.  Disciples are in the world but not of the world. 
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
 
*Disciples hate evil.  Disciples know that they are in a spiritual
battle against the devil.  “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin…” (1 John 3:7-9).
 
A DISCIPLE IS Transformed BY GOD’S Truth.
 
^“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
 
*The Greek word for “sanctify” is hagiazo (set apart for sacred use or to make holy). 
 
*Followers of Jesus experience life change.  God’s word shapes them to think and act like Jesus.
 
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12: 1-2).
 
Are you a follower of Christ?  Examine yourself:
 
-Do your habits and thoughts conform to the life and teachings of Christ?
-Are your decisions based upon prayerful consideration of what God’s Word teaches?
-Is your lifestyle and schedule any different than your neighbors?
-Does the way you budget and spend your money uplift Jesus?
-Are you actively seeking to advance the Kingdom of God?

   
INTRODUCTION:  Jesus lived a profound but purposeful life.  John 17 records the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples on the night before his death.  In this prayer, Jesus reveals that he fulfilled the purposes that God had given to him.  We too can live the simple life of Jesus by following the same principles.  Jesus’ whole life was an act of worship, our number one purpose in life.  As he lived his life, Jesus shared his faith with others.  John 17: 1-6 tells how he practiced evangelism on purpose.
 
JESUS SHOWED WHO GOD WAS BY THE WAY HE LIVED.
 
He had a mission.  Jesus “lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him’” (1-2 ESV).
 
He had a message.  “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (3).
 
He had a method. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word” (6).
 
Jesus was an evangelist.  You are an evangelist too.  “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5).
 
WHAT IS EVANGELISM?  HOW CAN WE SHARE OUR FAITH LIKE JESUS DID?
 
PRE - EVANGELISM.
 
Definition:  Acts of kindness and service that show God cares.
 
“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
 
We must take care of those around us and show God’s love.
And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians…And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world…So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:26-30).
 
PUBLIC EVANGELISM.
 
Definition: The gospel is shared with a large group in a public place (church meetings, crusades, street preaching).
 
Jesus taught in the Temple. “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (Jn 7:37).
 
Jesus taught large crowds outside. “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them” (Mark 2:13).
 
We need to bring people to church to hear the gospel and we need to support ministries that reach large crowds.
 
PERSONAL EVANGELISM.
 
Definition:  We must share our personal testimony with everyone we can.
 
Jesus shared his faith privately as well as publicly.
 
*To the rich young ruler he said: “Come follow me” (Luke 18:18ff).
*To Nicodemus he said: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
*To the woman at the well he said: “I am He (Messiah)” (John 4:26).
 
Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
 
Paul’s method of giving a personal testimony (Acts 26):
           
My life before Christ.
How I met Christ.
My life after Christ changed my life.       

THE MISSION 2016: Love the Word, Live the Word

PURPOSE:    Maturity in Character and Witness

VERSE:           “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity” (Romans 12:2 Phillips).

MOTTO:        Love the Word, Live the Word

OBJECTIVE:  To shape the mind and character of God’s people to represent Christ Jesus well.

Goals:           
Love the Word

• through daily encounters with God in prayer and Bible Study
• through weekly encounters with God and His people in small group Bible study and fellowship
• through weekly encounters with God’s people, Word, and Spirit in worship
• through monthly memorization of encouraging Scripture verses

Live the Word

• through regular attendance and support of God’s church (magnification)
• through service using the gifts of the Holy Spirit (ministry)
• through mission service at home and abroad (mission)
• through sharing the Good News with our neighbors in word and deed (maturity)
• through fellowship with other Christians in small groups and personal relationships (membership)

Action Plans:

• Participate in the 40 Days in the Word campaign

• Increase Bible Study and worship attendance 10%
• Evangelism training and intentional outreach events
• Mission trip to Zambia
• Increase funding for the International Learning Center and the Food Ministry
• Revamp the budget to become purpose-driven
• Provide leadership training for our leaders
• Restructure our children and youth ministry
• Change pew Bibles from NIV to ESV

   
INTRODUCTION: New Year’s resolutions are easily made and soon forgotten, but every Christian should set spiritual goals that lead to a closer relationship with God.  It is better to set goals and make some progress than to not set goals and achieve nothing. The Apostle Paul said, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Have you set some goals for your spiritual life in 2016?  Let me suggest a few life goals that the prophet Isaiah discovered in Isaiah 6.
 
GET A CLEAR VISION (6:1-5).
 
*Get a clear vision…
 

• Of God - “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory” (1-4).
 

• Of yourself - “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…” (5).

 

• Of God’s Kingdom work – “my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (5).

 
LIVE WITH AN UNBURDENED CONSCIENCE (6:6-7).
 
*Live a life that gives you…
 

• Freedom from guilt – “your guilt is taken away…” (7).

 
Our past sins are washed away: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9).
 

• Freedom from sin – “your sin atoned for” (7).

 
Our present sins are forgiven: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).
 

• Permission to serve - Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (6-7).

 
Our future is secure – “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:  If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).
 
FIND A PLACE OF SERVICE (6:8-12).
 
*You will need to
 

• Find a church to minister through- Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (8).

 

• Find your ministry - He said, “Go and tell this people” (9-10).

 

• Serve for life - Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” (11-12).

 
 
What spiritual goals will you set for 2016?

   
INTRODUCTION: Isaiah foretold specific details about the birth of Jesus many centuries before Jesus was born. We have seen that Jesus fulfilled the words of prophecy as Immanuel and King. Isaiah also proclaimed that Jesus would be the suffering servant. Jesus “poured out his life unto death…for he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Is. 53:12). Jesus would become the Savior of his people and of all who believe. Christmas is about God’s gift of salvation to every one of us.
 
THE CHRISTMAS STORY (Luke 2:1-20).
 
*Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem. Mary bore a son (1-4). The angels announced it (8-14). The shepherds witnessed it (9-18). God confirmed it (19-20).
 
*What is the meaning of Christmas? A savior has been born! What kind of savior was he?
 
THE CHRISTMAS SAVIOR (Isaiah 53:1-12).
 
*He was a man of suffering and sorrow: He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain (3).
 
*He willingly gave his life for us and took the punishment for our sins that we deserved. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (5).
 
*Why did he have to do this? We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
 each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all (6).
 
*He was killed and buried in a rich man’s tomb. For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth (8-9).
 
*But death would not hold him. He would rise from the grave and become the living Savior and Lord of all who trust in him. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities (10-11).
 
*Jesus became Savior through personal sacrifice for you and me.
 
THE CHRISTMAS SACRIFICE (Philippians 2:5-11).
 
*Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to become a common child. God broke into human history to offer us the gift of salvation!
 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (5-7).
 
*Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by voluntarily dying for you and me so we could be set free from sin and pride. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (8).
 
*Because Jesus humbled himself in sacrifice, God exalted him as Savior and Lord. The Christmas story is about a Savior who died for you and me and now invites us to receive his gift of forgiveness and salvation. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place  and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father (9-11).

   
INTRODUCTION: What do you look for in a leader? Who do we want to lead us in America? Since 2016 is an election year, what characteristics will you look for in a presidential candidate? What traits would make you vote for him or her? Isaiah looked at the political situation in his day and concluded that it looked bleak. The northern kingdom had been defeated and taken captive. His own king refused to trust God and was making alliances with a foreign nation. God revealed to Isaiah that one day a king in the line of David would rule the nation and restore peace and justice. A king of wisdom, power and enduring life will bring eternal peace. We find these promises in Isaiah 9:1-7.
 
LIGHT WILL OVERCOME THE DARKNESS (1-5).
 
*Israel was conquered by Assyria and the land ravaged and subdued. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan (Is. 9:1).
 
*God would bring light to the region and rescue his people and the nations. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Is.9:2).
 
A KINGDOM OF JUSTICE AND PEACE WILL COME (6-7).
 
*A male child would be born to rule God’s people and government. He is a gift from God. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).
 
*The child’s names describe his character and mark the traits of a good leader. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

• Wonderful Counselor – a wise leader with a workable plan.
• Mighty God – divine commander in chief who works the plan.
• Everlasting Father – provides eternal care and compassion
• Prince of Peace – he is a man of peace and establishes peace.

 
*His kingdom will establish justice, righteousness and peace and will last forever. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever (Isaiah 9:7).
 
THE PROMISED KING WAS BORN IN A HUMBLE STABLE.
 
*The angel told Mary that her male child would be a king. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33).
 
*The Wise Men searched for the newborn King of the Jews. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2).
 
*The territory described by Isaiah is the area Jesus grew up in and conducted much of his ministry. He brought light to a spiritually dark land.  Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit...He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue (Luke 4:14-16).
 
*Jesus established an eternal spiritual kingdom through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. The Apostle John saw a vision of the glorified Jesus on his throne: And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
 
Jesus is the promised king with an eternal kingdom.