The Madness of Unforgiveness: Remember God’s Amazing Grace
Release Date: 03/27/2025
Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, Power in a Name
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Philippians 2:10-11 says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There is power in the name of Jesus. Wonder-working power. Even at conception, his name caused John to leap in his mother’s womb and Elizabeth to be filled with the Spirit. His mere presence on the earth, even in utero, began to have a profound impact on the world. After Jesus was born. What happened next? Today we will finish by looking at Luke 2:21. It says, “And...
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Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, Mary Treasured and Pondered
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Did you know Jesus is alive? Not just in the Christmas story, but today and forevermore! As we continue to study the birth of Jesus, the most compelling reality of the Christmas story is that the same wonder and glory that came with his birth is still available to us today. His birth unlocked an eternal promise. Jesus’s birth impacted all of history and all of eternity. The first coming of Jesus was a foretaste of his second coming. As we read Luke 2:1-21, we should swell with anticipation in our hearts for our soon and coming King! Today, we are going to look at Luke...
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Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, Glory to God in the Highest
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to be registered for taxes. While there, Jesus was born in a smelly manger instead of a nice inn. The God of all creation chose to enter the world in the most humble of states. Jesus is the main character at the cradle. His birth was the catalyst to draw every other character to the cradle. So what happens next in the story? Let’s look at Luke 2:8-14 to see who were the first characters at the cradle following Jesus’s birth. Verse 8 says that the shepherds were “out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Suddenly,...
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Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, God in Human Flesh
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick When Caesar Augustus gave a decree mandating everyone to be registered for taxes, Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem began. Remember as you read the Christmas story that there was not one aspect that was outside of God’s control or plan. In fact, every moment was a part of his plan. The twists and turns, the ups and downs – all of them point to our great need for redemption through Jesus. While in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth. Let’s look at Luke 2:5-7, where God, through Jesus, entered the world. The main character of the entire story! For being...
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Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, The Main Character
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we are going to look specifically at the birth of Jesus and the important role that the shepherds and angels played as characters at the cradle. However, before we look at some more of these secondary characters, we must first STOP and look at the main character. Jesus is the main event. He IS the ultimate character at the cradle, around whom God’s entire story is written. He is the pinnacle of all creation, the peak of all prophecies, and the climax of the story! Join me today as we look at Luke 2:1-4. Did you know that everything in human history is under...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, Light to the World
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Zechariah concluded his prophecy in verse 79 by proclaiming that John the Baptist would “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” John the Baptist would proclaim a message that would give light to the shadow of death, which is often people’s greatest fear. But this light would also guide our feet to the way of peace. So we don’t misstep, trip, or fall! As we discussed yesterday, God gives us the sunrise every morning, simply because of his grace. The sun gives us light for the day. In the same way,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, A Message of Repentance
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Zechariah’s prophecy gives strong gospel implications to the importance and need for repentance. Luke 1:77-78 says that John, in preparing the way for the Lord, would “give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high…” Zechariah knew that John’s life’s mission would be to point to Jesus. John the Baptist would bring a message of repentance before people even heard Jesus’s message. His words would prime the hearts of people to receive the Word (John...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, God Sent John
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are present throughout the biblical narrative. Much like in Genesis 1, where the Trinity is present during creation, the same holds true with these characters at the cradle. The Bible tells us that many of these characters at the cradle were specifically marked with the Holy Spirit during their encounters with the Christ child. The Spirit “came upon” Mary (Luke 1:35). Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she first met Jesus in the womb of her cousin, Mary (Luke 1:41). And then in verse 67, Zechariah is filled with the...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, About What?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick We are looking at the characters at the cradle, the people who found their lives intersecting with the life of Jesus, with divine precision. Each person carried a unique role and responsibility and stewarded his or her place in history with great purpose. Zechariah was one of those characters. In spite of his initial unbelief, which left him deaf and mute for a season, he allowed his time in silence to shape him and refine him for what was to come with the birth of John. Once Zechariah’s speech was restored, he was filled with the Spirit and began to prophesy. About what,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, Speech Restored
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we cover Zechariah’s prophecy found in Luke 1:67-79. This passage is powerful and full of revelation and insight. If you remember where we have been, Zechariah’s words come on the heels of Elizabeth’s prophetic exclamation in verse 42, Mary’s song of praise in verses 46-56, and the birth of John in verses 57-66. Zechariah is coming off his nine months of silence. Because he expressed words of doubt and unbelief when the angel Gabriel had told him that he would finally have a son named John, Zechariah was rendered mute and deaf. By the time John arrived,...
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Today, let’s walk through another good exercise that should help us understand more about forgiveness. Read Romans 5.
Whenever I read the first part of Romans 5, I am immediately struck by the insurmountable grace of God. It truly is amazing. There is nothing like it in the entire world. We have peace and access to a hope in God that we never would have otherwise experienced (Romans 5:1-2). While we were still walking in sin and bound by folly, Jesus chose to die for us (Romans 5:8).
Look at some of the words used by Paul to describe us in our pre-Christ condition in Titus 3:3. Foolish. Disobedient. Easily led astray. So unlike God in every way. Now look at how Romans 5 describes us before Christ. Ungodly. Sinners. Enemies. Rebels. Without Jesus, we are truly weak!
We were ungodly. John 8:44 says this of humanity before meeting Jesus, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Our innate desires before Jesus are to quest after Satan’s ways, not God’s.
We were sinners. Do you know what the word sinner means? It means “missing the mark.” When an archer would shoot an arrow at a target and miss it completely, the onlookers would call, “Sin!” God did have an original intent for all of us, a desired bullseye he wanted all of humanity to have. But we are the ones who have completely missed the mark. Way off course!
We were enemies. Think on this one for a while. A synonym for enemies is rebels. We have led a revolt against the one who gave us everything. God gave us our lives. He gave us provision, possessions, fun, laughter, and vision for productive and fulfilling lives. But we rejected his rule. We wanted life on our own terms.
But God. While we were ungodly, sinners, rebels, and enemies of God, he STILL pursued us. He STILL left heaven to come to us and die on the cross. He pursued us in the ultimate rescue mission that has marked mankind forever!
God didn’t wait for perfection before he expressed grace. Think about this. Now think about the person who has hurt you. Can you give to others the same kind of grace that you’ve received from Jesus? That’s the essence of Romans 5.
That’s the heart of Jesus’s gospel of grace.