Thine is the Kingdom (Destination: Bethlehem, Day 8)

Our position in Christ, because of what He has done through His coming to earth, His death, and resurrection, is that we are now part of a heavenly Kingdom, placed here on earth for His special
purpose. 1st Peter 2 says:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul...

We are called to be unique - we are not to conform to the world, but as Romans 12 says, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Our knowledge of and successful operation in God's Word can serve to set us apart.  Our values are not of this world, our hope does not come from this world.  Our sufficiency does not come from what the world has to tell us, but from what Christ has done in our hearts and what He tells us about ourselves in His Word.  That's who we are, that's who He has made us...

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Our 4-week Christmas Advent-ure, with the theme, "Destination: Bethlehem," makes stop number 8 today, in a significant place along the journey - Jerusalem, home of Ahaz, the King of Judah.  Ahaz was not the most famous of the kings over God's people, but perhaps the words spoken to him by a certain prophet might be considered the definitive Messianic prophecies.

So, let's go to Isaiah chapter 7, as Isaiah addressed Ahaz.

The setting is found in verse 1:
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it.

Isaiah brought the word of the Lord saying the attack would not stand, and the Lord called Ahaz to seek Him:

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."
12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!"
13 Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Later, Isaiah spoke these words about this Messiah to come in chapter 9:

2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

The promise of the Messiah came in the midst of darkness surrounding Israel.  The prophet continued, and beginning in verse 6, we see:
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

This was a prophetic opportunity to demonstrate to Ahaz, the King of Judah, who ultimately would reign over God's people - the Messiah, whom we know as Jesus.  His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom.  The prayer concludes with the familiar words: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

That's the message of The Lord's Prayer, which was given by Jesus as an example.  The Church of England put together a 60-second advertisement to be shown prior to the start of the new Star Wars movie all across the UK. According to the BBC, it features the Christian prayer being recited or sung by a variety of people, including refugees, a grieving son, weightlifters at a gym, a sheep farmer, a gospel choir and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.

However, as the BBC reports, even though it was passed by the British Board of Film Classification and given a "U" certificate, as well as receiving clearance from the Cinema Advertising Authority, the Digital Cinema Media agency, which handles British film advertising for the major cinema chains, Odeon, Cineworld and Vue, refused to show the ad because it believed it would risk upsetting or offending audiences.

In a statement, the agency said it had a policy of not accepting political or religious advertising content in its cinemas.

The Church of England, through a spokesperson, has said it is "disappointed and bewildered" by the refusal of the ad, calling the decision "plain silly" and warned it could have a "chilling" effect on free speech. Welby responded by saying that he found the decision "extraordinary". He said, "This advert is about as offensive as a carol service or church service on Christmas Day."

You can view the ad at www.justpray.uk.

Even one of the leading stars of the Star Wars franchise, Carrie Fisher, criticized the decision. Breitbart quotes from a Daily Mail report.  Fisher said, "I have no idea why they would do that." She reportedly said, "Offended? No. People should get a life," adding, "I don’t think it is offensive to have a “power of prayer” advert before Star Wars."

The prophecy of Isaiah, and the words of Jesus in the Lord's Prayer can serve to remind us that we are citizens of a Kingdom not of this world.  Isaiah wrote about this coming King, and Jesus demonstrated that He was, and is, the coming King.   And, as we rejoice in his first Advent, as He came to earth, fulfilling all that was written about Him, including the words of Isaiah, we rejoice in what will come, as Jesus returns to earth to establish His Kingdom.

So, we look beyond the darkness and the degradation of this world - we await that Kingdom.  But, there are spiritual implications for us this day.  Because we are not of this world - in fact, 1st Peter calls us "sojourners and pilgrims" - then we are called to a unique and different lifestyle.  We are a peculiar people, the Bible says.  So, our lifestyles are to reflect that we belong to God, that we serve Him and desire to please Him in our hearts and in our actions.  

King Ahaz and the people over whom he ruled were surrounded by enemies - can you identify with that?  But, in the midst of it all, the Lord spoke through Isaiah to call the King to seek Him.  Not only can our own hearts can be encouraged by the presence of Immanuel - God with us - but we can also be voices of light and hope in the darkness.