Daniel 2 (Genesis 41): Dreaming of Heaven - Rock on!

 Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 17 January 2026, by Major Michael 

 

A few hundred years before Daniel and in a different country, Joseph had a similar experience to his. I find it interesting that Joseph interprets his dream in Egypt just before Israel (Israel is Joseph’s dad) becomes a country in the narrative (a few hundred years in chronology) and Daniel interprets his dream in Babylon (607 BCE) just before Israel/Judah ceases to exist as a country (586 BCE). These dreams are like book ends for the existence, the story of the country of Israel/Judah.

 

Reading from Gensis 41:14-36 (NIV):

14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

 

Now, it is important to note before we compare these dreams that, though there were Judeans, Samaritans and others during the Roman Empire a few hundred years later, the nation of Israel/Judah, after the Babylonian conquest, had already ceased to be an independent country– never to rise again (with the possible exception of the time of the Maccabees) until Christ returns with the New Jerusalem at the eschaton. The country that calls itself Israel today is NOT the ancient Israelites. Today’s Israelis are predominately Eastern Europeans who set up their apartheid regime in 1948, the same year as the Western Europeans set up their apartheid regime in South Africa. These stories of Joseph and Daniel really are book ends on the life of the country of Israel.

 

In Genesis 41, you will notice that Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream was that in the good / prosperous times he, and by extension, we should save from our excess for when lean times follow. But more than that – just like all the people’s land and possessions belonged to Pharaoh, so too all the land in the world really belongs to God. The Bible is clear about this especially in Leviticus 25 (among other places) where Israel is reminded to honour the sabbatical years and the Year of Jubilee. Sabbatical years were years when the land was supposed to rest like the people were supposed to rest on Sabbath days. And Years of Jubilee were when debts were to be forgiven; and slaves and indentured servants were to be set free. Pharaoh's dream can be seen as, in part, laying out the blueprint for the foundation of the Kingdom of God. It shows us what God’s Dominion looks like: everything belongs to YHWH; we forgive one another, and the captives are set free.

 

That Pharaoh’s dream is about more than just saving wisely for a rainy day can be shown by Luke in his gospel (Lk 12:13-21). He recounts Jesus’ parable of the man who saved for his retirement and then had his life demanded of him before he could access the savings. Israel, likewise, like us, and like Adam and Eve, was supposed to care for the land and the people. Because they didn’t, they were removed from the land (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:20-21). This was a warning that Israel was given from the very beginning – even before they were a country and their failure to love God, the land, and their neighbour; led to God taking their promised land and giving it to someone else. This brings us to our passage today. Daniel Chapter 2.

 

When asked to tell Nebuchadnezzar what his dream was, the Chaldeans answered, Verse 11, “What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” This is neat: the Chaldeans were correct. Only Jesus, the True God, can reveal this meaning and only Jesus, the True God, did live among men! (and He’s coming back!)

 

Daniel also shares this gospel; he says, Verses 27-28, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.”

 

But first, Verses 14-23, before Daniel has this conversation with the king, he steps out in faith, speaks to the guard, and then speaks to the king, and then he prays. He goes to his house and tells his friends about what is needed and they pray. They pray for mercy and during the night God gives Daniel a vision of the dream and the interpretation. Daniel thanks and praises God and asks the captain of the guard to stop the executions of the wise men and take him to the king. They give Glory to God and Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream and what it means. Verses 37-38, “Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.”

 

This is reminiscent, reflective of how God had given Pharaoh charge over Egypt and the land Israel occupied. This is reflective of how Israel was to care for the land they were promised. This is reflective of how the Amorites were responsible for that land prior to Israel and it notes in the text that Nebuchadnezzar is now (in his day) responsible for the land; It is also reflective of how Adam and Eve were given the land to care for but it was taken away from them for their disobedience / unfaithfulness; and it was later taken from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Israelites, and it will be taken from Nebuchadnezzar's successors as well.

 

There will come a time though, when, Verse 44: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” We know what the Kingdom - like the Mountain in the dream - is that will endure forever, never be destroyed or given to another people. That is the Kingdom of God. Isaiah 9: 6-7 speaks of this Kingdom and, the rock its ruler:

“For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end."

 

We celebrated Christmas less than a month ago, the purpose of which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus the King and look forward to the full realization of His Kingdom! His birth was the rock being cut from the mountain. The mountain, His Kingdom will never end and there will always be peace! When Jesus returns with the New Jerusalem at the eschaton this will all be complete. And until that time, as His citizens, we need to keep serving our King.

 

Like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, the Amorites, Jacob, and Adam and Eve were all supposed to do: we need to take care of the earth, everything, and everyone in it; we need to forgive debts and others and  we need to neither hoard nor sell God’s possessions for a profit but rather share with everyone in need all that God has given us stewardship over.

 

My friends, this is what we, like our foreparents, are called to do, and my friends this is what you, each of you here, with your individual, collective, and corporate ministries have been doing very well; and this my friends is what I pray we will be faithful to do until that day when the mountain in the king’s dream has finally reached its full height and the Rock of our Salvation, the True King of Kings, returns with the new Jerusalem to rule over us forever and ever. Amen.

 

Let us pray

 

 

 

New Life's Resolutions! (Ephesians 4:1-32)

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries by Major Michael Ramsay, 07 January 24 and 04 January 26

 

This is the 2026 version, to view the 2024 version, click here: 

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-years-resolutions-ephesians-41-23.html

 

We had New Year’s when we were away. New Year’s is often a time of reviews or quizzes. Today I have a Bible memory quiz for us. I am going to read or recite a verse, and you tell me the reference. Let’s see how we do:

1.     For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jn 3:16)

2.     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

3.     But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

4.     For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

5.     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

6.     The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Ps 23:1)

7.     In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (Ephesians 4:26)

 

I picked the Ephesians 4:26 verse because we used to talk about it almost every week in Sunday prayer meeting. it is one of Reinhard’s favourite verses. Does anyone have favourite verses? If so, call them out now…

 

Thursday was New Year’s Day. This is often a time of resolutions. Did anyone make any resolutions? I had one friend who said that they would give up drinking for January – and then they thought about it a while and declared that they would give up drinking on Wednesdays in January. This year I resolve to keep up my daily Bible readings (as I have done for many years) and exercises – mostly stretches. The older I get the more I need to stretch. I was injured during covid and walked with a limp for well over a year and it was through my exercises that God made it so that I could walk without a limp again. It is the same with exercising our spiritual disciplines - like prayer and study. They strengthen us so that we do not get injured spiritually, eternally. These are some of my (not new) resolutions.

 

If you are looking for some resolutions for the New Year or your life in general, Paul in Chapter 4 of Ephesians has some good suggestions. He says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Therefore let us resolve to, Ephesians 4:2-3, “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Let us:

1.     Be completely humble and gentle (4:2a);

2.     be patient, bearing with one another in love (4:2b);

3.     Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (v.3).

 

These are three very good resolutions. The first one is to be humble and gentle. We know what it means to be gentle. It means to speak calmly and quietly. It means to not use aggressive language such as ‘You Statements’; we know what those are, right? …Things like ‘You did this” or ‘You said that’ or even ‘you always say this’ or ‘you never do that’; often such statements can be accompanied by finger pointing or other non-gentle, non-verbal accessories. A gentle person also doesn’t interrupt people. Sometimes excited, even well-meaning people can do violence to others by cutting them off mid-sentence. Paul says we should resolve instead to be gentle with one another.

 

Paul says we should be humble. Humility helps us be gentle. When we are humble, we don’t come across as if we always have the right answer – we may actually have the right answer, but we don’t come across as if the other person’s perspective doesn’t matter. A humble person will often let the other person speak, validate their opinion, before sharing her own wisdom in an affirming rather than a demeaning or arrogant manner. Paul says, be completely humble and gentle with one another.

 

Paul also exhorts us to resolve to be patient with each other, bearing with one another in love. Sometimes this means we let someone finish talking and not cut them off just because we think we know what they are saying. Sometimes it means that we let someone complete a task, even if they are not as proficient at it as we are. You know how it feels when every time you try something it seems like it is not good enough – they either take over from you or criticize you. Paul says, ‘don’t do that’, 4:2b: rather be patient, bearing with one another in love.

 

Ephesians 4:3: ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’ This is important. Many times we argue about things that are adiaphoron, matters of spiritual indifference. It is really important to understand that whatever deep-seated matter we are arguing about: sports, politics, religion, theology, whether its pronounced tomato or tomato... as Christians we need to not be distracted by these things. It is really important, however, that we stick together on the matters of significant importance such as salvation for here and now and forever, and the rest we can work out in gentle conversation and study as we make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

·       Ephesians 4:21-24: “when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

4:21-24 is a great New Year’s and New Life verse – now is a great time to put on a new self as we are all created to be like God him/themself. Paul suggests some more resolutions too:

·       Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.

·       Ephesians 4:26&27: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

·       Ephesians 4:28: Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

·       Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

·       Ephesians 4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Ephesians 4:25: Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body. This is a good resolution for us all. Speak truthfully to each other. Don’t share a rumour. Don’t gossip. Don’t share wrong information. Don’t guess. This can actually be a temptation. I know that I have overheard many conversations where a person, well-meaning even, says something just straight up wrong. Paul tells us to resolve to slow down when we are chatting with one another and make sure that what we are saying is true. Put off all falsehood.

 

Paul also says, Verse 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”, Verse 27, “do not give the devil a foothold.” Alan often remembers this verse. Rheinhart used to remind us of this all the time in prayer meeting. How long have he and Christa been married? 70+ years? Rheinhart tells us that one secret to a good marriage – and probably any relationship is to not let the sun so down while you are still angry. Resolve to settle your dispute or at least calm down before the sun goes down. If you don’t, by morning you may find that things have already been blown far out of proportion – or worse – you may find that the issue never gets resolved. In that case it will nibble away at you forever or until you get divorced. Really, in your anger, don’t sin and don’t go to bed while you are still angry at anyone.

 

Paul also says that, Verse 28, anyone who has been stealing must resolve to steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands so they have something to share. I find this interesting. He not only says that we should resolve not to steal; we should also resolve to make something useful to share with others. I think that is important. It is not just that we shouldn’t take something from someone; that isn’t it. We should actually go out of our way to make something for someone else. This does two things – one it gives purpose to the one who had nothing to do but steal and two, it helps out someone else who themselves can then do something useful for others. We all have agency – take it from no one. I encourage us to always contribute and to help others to contribute.

 

Paul says we should resolve to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths - only what is helpful for building up others. When we are chatting with one another, let us encourage one another, even when in disagreement, pointing out the value and benefit of each other and encouraging one another to continue to use their gifts to help out each other.

 

Let us resolve this year and always to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Verse 31, let us get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. And 32, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Forgiveness my friends is a key to so much in life. It is when we fail to forgive that we can be consumed by bitterness, rage, and anger which can lead to brawling, slander, malice and all the rest. Paul asks us to be kind and compassionate instead and it is only through forgiveness that we can do this.

 

We know what forgiveness is, right? Forgiveness is NOT something that we do for or to anyone else. I often hear people say, I can’t possibly forgive him or her for this terrible thing they did. Whether you forgive something or not has absolutely nothing to do with the person who hurt you. Also, protecting yourself, others, or themselves, from the person has nothing to do with forgiveness. Forgiveness is a state of heart and a state of mind. You can forgive someone and still protect everyone involved. We do need to remember though that when someone does something awful to us – lying, stealing, anything – they do that thing once. When we refuse to forgive, we hurt ourselves with that very same pain each and every time we fail to forgive. A person does violence to you once – you do violence to yourself each and every time you fail to forgive. Whether you forgive someone or not has nothing to do with them at all. Failing to forgive someone is like being so mad at someone for hitting you on the head that you hit yourself on the head over and over again until they have learned their lesson – the only one you are guaranteed to be hurt is yourself. Paul says, don’t do that. Instead, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Ephesians 4 has some great New Life resolutions for us: be humble, gentle, patient, honest, and unified in the Spirit; don’t sin even when angry; don’t steal; speak nicely to each other, get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. My friends, let us resolve to encourage one another in this way, not only in the new year but also in our new lives forever; let us resolve to love one another.

 

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

www.facebook.com/salvogesis

Isaiah 6:1-3, 9:6-7, 11:1-9: Isaiah and the Messiah on Christmas.

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 25 December 2025 by Major Michael Ramsay

 

This has been a busy Christmas season – as are all Christmas seasons at The Salvation Army, We have had a few rookies this year- Dave, our Community Resources Director (food bank and Christmas Hampers) was brand new and so was Adam, our Kettle Coordinator, and others. Karyn, our intake worker, has had some serious health issues. The team did great pitching in, helping each other out. The need was up this year, like it seems to be every year and, of course, we have had a lot of other things to deal with this year as well

 

The beginning of the Christmas Season seemed a little bit like a Hallmark Christmas movie with all the drama involved: the Temporary Use Permit was a real show. We were led to believe that the area would be re-zoned and that the renewing the TUP was just ‘a matter of marching’, as the expression says.

 

Of course, we now know that that wasn’t true. Like on a Christmas special, it appeared that there was at least one ‘evil’ city councilor who was working against us and it seems like the CAO may have even been involved. It seemed like they were trying to shut down the shelter before Christmas! No Shelter, no soup kitchen, no funding, no Christmas for those in need in our community!

 

At one City Hall meeting, the ‘evil’ councilor even threatened a disabled man in the audience – both verbally and physically (possibly even assaulting him!)

 

On another day, one Sunday before church, a gentleman in a wheelchair was waiting between the two front doors. He had his hoodie up so the security cameras couldn’t see him. I approached, he handed me an envelope, and greeted me with “Happy Day of the Dead”, which it was, and rolled away. In that envelope was a lot of information implicating the ‘evil’ councillor, and possibly even an organization that he’s part of.

 

Just before the final council meeting a request was made that the vulnerable people in the room be protected because of all this. We didn’t know whether the ‘evil’ city councilor or the CAO would be allowed to attend the final council meeting- they were. The stage was set.

 

We had one more showdown at city hall to find out if we would be allowed to continue to care for the vulnerable and provide a sober solution to those struggling with addiction, to see if we could still feed the hungry, and shelter those with no homes. There was one more show down in front of council.

 

On this day, the room was packed. It was just like a Christmas special. People from all walks of life filled the room to support the most vulnerable and The Salvation Army Shelter. Person after person spoke – businessperson, homeless person, people who have been helped by the Bread of Life, people whose family have been saved through the Bread of Life. People who have been saved at the Army – both in the here and now and for eternity.

 

The ‘evil overlord’ (in the eyes of some) of the ‘evil’ councilor even showed up with his minion to supervise the proceedings. Person after person spoke of the work that the Lord has been doing through so many people at the Bread of Life. One and then another – some homeless, some who ate there everyday, some who have never been inside city council before.

 

Still there was drama – the evil councilor and another councilor tried every trick they could think of. At the end of the day, Mayor Minions, and Councilors Deb Haggard, Charlse Mealy, Cindy Solda all stepped up to the plate and Christmas was saved and the Mayor gave a great Christmas speech – people cheered. It was a great Christmas movie.

Within a week the CAO resigned as well.

I think this all sounds like a Christmas movie.

 

Christmas is about the birth of Christ, God coming into the world as creation as well as creator. God made this whole world perfectly; at the beginning of it all, humanity however went astray and was not good to itself, let alone the rest of God’s creation that we are supposed to care for. God then says ‘we’re going to fix things’ and sends His Son for that purpose. Christmas. Jesus is born, and as Susan said on Sunday, he is referred to as ‘Emmanuel’ which means ‘God with us’ and Jesus in his life shows us what life looks like when God is with us: the blind receive sight, the lame are healed, the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed. When Jesus’ is around, that is what happens. That is what happens in part at the Bread of Life; that is what happens, in part at TSA; that is what happens, in part, in all your ministries here. When Emmanuel, God is with us, this is what happens. The Prophet Isaiah further tells us what happens at and because of Christmas. Isaiah 9:6&7:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 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.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.

 

This reign of  justice and righteousness started on Christmas Day and it continues on forever. And You are and can be a part of it. Isaiah 11:1-9:

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

 

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

 

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

 

This reign of Jesus began on Christmas Day and it continues on forever. And You are and can be a part of it. And Isiah 61:1-3, which Jesus read from in synagogue just before they tried to stone him:

1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of joy instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.

 

On Christmas we remember that Jesus was born and laid in a manger, a feeding trough, surrounded by animals, shepherds, and his young parents; we remember on Christmas Day that Jesus was and is the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the poor and everyone else. Isaiah tells us that when the Messiah comes all of these problems in our world will end: there will be no more blindness, no more sick, no more sorrow. His incarnation was the beginning of the beginning of all this. All this happened in his presence. All this happens when he is around

 

Adent is about waiting both for Jesus to be born and for Him to return. And we know that when Jesus comes back there will be no more poverty, no more illness, no more abuse, no more sorrow, no more death, no more dying, no more homeless, no more hunger. This is the day we are celebrating on Christmas.

 

When Jesus was born, it was the beginning of His kingdom to come. We know too that, as his citizens, we are to do as our master does… so on this day when we are celebrating his incarnation, his birth, and as we are awaiting his ultimate appearance; the conclusion of all, we will do these same things.

 

These things, you, my friends, this Christmas, and all year round have been faithfully doing and I know that you, we will continue to do all this until his return: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter those without shelter and love those who are not experiencing love. This, my friends, is what the Kingdom of God that Jesus ushered in looks like, and as you let the Lord do these things through you and as you invite others to join you, you are showing yourselves as citizens of heaven.

 

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus who is and will always be:

6 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

 

Let us pray.

 

 

Matthew 1:1-11: Are You The One To Come Or Should We Expect Someone Else?

Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on December 16, 2007. Presented to the Swift Current Corps on July 11, 2010 & Jan 25/15. Presented to Alberni Valley Ministries on December 22, 2019 and December 14, 2025 By Major (Captain) Michael Ramsay

 

This is the 2025 version – to view the earlier versions, click here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/12/are-you-one-to-come-or-should-we-expect.html

 

The original presentation began with a quiz: the congregations were shown pictures of famous people that are readily recognisable and asked to identify them and at the end they were also shown a decades old picture of myself: the latter they weren’t able to successfully identify.

 

I remember - about the time these pictures were taken – I was a janitor; I worked nights for a big janitorial company. They have many buildings all over the city and I worked for this company since before I ever went to university so when I did go back to school, they were kind enough to work around my schedule.

 

They made me a ‘floater’: now a floater is a very important position because we are given the keys and alarm codes to banks and other businesses all over the city and our shifts often end late at night or early in the morning so one doesn’t want just anybody walking around some of these buildings (for security reasons) in the middle of the night.

 

I remember one night. I’m on ‘floater’ duty. I have four buildings to clean. The first one, I have a staff working with me and I am given the unpleasant job of letting one of them go and that doesn’t go over so well. My second building takes me twice as long to clean as it should and when I get to my third building, it is well passed midnight and I have never been in this building before and I can’t find the light switch anywhere. As a result, I am late turning off the alarm and it goes off: it is loud. So while it is still ringing and the place is still dark I run and trip over a desk trying to turn it off and then the phone rings (the alarm company always calls to see why an alarm is going off) so I’m off and running again and this time it is in the other direction -still in the dark - to find the phone before I miss the call and the alarm company phones the police. I get to the phone just in time but not before crashing into another desk in the pitch black and yelling out some words that – don’t worry – I won’t repeat here.

 

I finally get this alarm mess sorted out but by now my leg that I have hurt twice is killing me as I am limping around the whole building still looking for the light switch in the pitch black. I am very lost in a maze of cubicles and I really can’t see anything and I am not feeling too happy at all when I hear something.

 

I hear something growl. I hear something growl and bark loudly. This is not good. So what do I do? I yell. I yell quite loudly as I hit the floor. Peering up I can see a couple of police dogs and a police officer staring down at me. I can tell you – I don’t know if you have ever encountered an angry police dog but that was one of the scariest moments of my life.

 

What happened was when I spoke with the security company on the phone – remember I was just a spare, not the regular cleaner – my name wasn’t on the list of people who were approved to be in the building and instead of calling the company I worked for, like they are supposed to do, they called the police and so I almost got seriously hurt by a police dog.

 

Even though I told them my name they didn’t really know who I was.

 

This is not entirely unlike our story here today. Look at Matthew 11:2-3: “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

 

John knows Jesus - just like the alarm company knew my name from our phone conversation – John knows Jesus, just like we know who many of those people whose pictures flashed on the screen at the beginning of the sermon are but here, it seems, John, like the alarm company with me and like many of us with those famous people, John is not entirely certain who exactly Jesus is.

 

Now I don’t know if you remember, John is Jesus’ cousin. Not only that. Jesus’ mom and John’s mom are fairly close. Remember from Luke chapter one, that when Mary finds out she is going to have a baby; she gets ready and hurries to meet Elisabeth and when Elisabeth hears that Mary is going to have a baby –the baby in her stomach – John the Baptist – leaps, it says. John and Jesus are family but still in the passage before us today John asks, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

 

And not only that, John is actually the one who baptises Jesus. These two know each other in this way but still John asks, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

 

Not only do they know each other. Do you remember the interchange between the two of them when Jesus comes to be baptised? John says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? (Matt 3:14).” John obviously knows Jesus and he obviously knows something about Jesus, even before and right at the beginning of Jesus ministry but now, now for some reason, John asks of him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

 

But there is even more: remember the heavens open up and God declares, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matt 3:16)” and still John, who is there at the time asks, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

 

Well this is interesting then – if John knows Jesus so well, who, other than the Messiah, the expectant King, could John be expecting?

 

Could John be expecting that Jesus is Elijah?[1] Some theorists have posited that John may have thought Jesus was Elijah; certainly other people did (cf. Matt 17:10-12; Mark 6:15, 8:28; Luke 9:19). After all – even though Jesus claimed that John was Elijah later in this very chapter we are looking at here today, in 11:14 (cf. also 9:11-13; Luke 1:17), John himself at one point denies that very claim (John 1:21). So if here John does not realise that he himself is fulfilling the role of Elijah and if he does not realise that Jesus is the Christ, he could have thought Jesus was Elijah – maybe.

 

Maybe John was just asking this questions for others and he really knew the answer all along. This was a popular view of the Reformers evidently– an unlikely view given the context of the passage, I would think– but maybe?[2]

 

He could be a prophet (Jeremiah; cf. Matt. 16:14)– much like John himself– only greater. If John saw the dove at Jesus’ baptism he may even recognise that, yes, Jesus is God’s son but maybe he just doesn’t know what that means? After all aren’t we all the children of God? Weren’t angels in the Genesis account sometimes referred to as ‘sons of God’ (Gen 6:2-4)? So then what does it mean to be the ‘Son of God’ and who, who is Jesus? Is he the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?

 

This is an important question for us today then too: Who is Jesus? The most educated, religious people of Jesus day, the Pharisees and Sadducees did not accept him as the Messiah, the Christ, the King to come, and in our story today John the Baptist, someone who knows Jesus even before he is born, someone who is his cousin, someone who baptises him, someone who teaches the same message of ‘repent for the Kingdom is near’ (cf. Matthew 3-4), someone as close to Jesus as John asks the question, are you the one to come, or should we expect someone else? Well, is Jesus the one to come or should we expect someone else; who do we say Jesus is?

 

A good man? - I have heard people say that. An imaginary figure? - I have heard that too –this one is rather silly though since we have much better evidence for Jesus as Christ than we do for Julius Caesar as Roman Emperor or the even the very existence of Socrates.

 

Was Jesus just a prophet as some suggest? Was he a mere man? Was he only a voice calling from the wilderness? Much of the world today would say that he was some kind of the prophet.

 

Could he just have been a religious teacher from a minor Roman province who developed a cult following that continued to grow for well – thousands of years now – there are more Christians in the world than ever before and, of course, the Bible is the world’s best-selling book. But all that aside, could he be just a dead teacher?

 

These are all answers with which people today answer the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ Is he the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?

 

I think this is important because it changes everything doesn’t it? If Jesus is our Lord; if he is our king and his kingdom is at hand; if he is our wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting father and prince of peace (Isa 9:6) – then we need to submit to his authority don’t we? So who is this Jesus?

 

Matthew answers this question right in our text today. He does it in a couple of different ways. First, he does actually call him the Christ / Messiah (same word, different language) in Verse 2 and even more than that, look at how Matthew records Jesus’ response to the question, ‘are you the one to come?’

 

He says, verses 4-6, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Jesus is drawing John’s attention to the glory of the Kingdom of the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 35:5-6 and 42:18.

 

Here, listen to part of Isaiah 35, where the Christ’s Kingdom is described:

 

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendour of our God.

 

And more, look at verse 5, HERE IT IS. It says that in the Messianic Kingdom to come, “… the eyes of the blind be opened (just like it says is happening now in our passage in Matthew) and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. - And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.

 

Isn’t this great?! And Isaiah 42 is much the same: this is what Jesus is answering to John’s question. John asks, are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? And Jesus answer gives John tangible evidence that indeed this Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of the Christ, the Messiah is being established now; it is here. Just like John and Jesus proclaim – it is now at hand.

 

Who is Jesus? He is this Messiah. He is this Christ. This kingdom is being established and the wondrous aspects of it are available now. This is what Jesus lets John know and he reveals it in His own way in His own time. It reminds me of a story I read once in the Expository Times.[3]

 

James V, the King of Scotland used to go around the country dressed like everyone else: a common person. That is because he wanted to meet the everyday people of the country not just the rich and powerful. He wanted to see how the normal people lived.

 

One day he was dressed in very old clothes and was going by a place known as Cramond Brig, when he is attacked by robbers who don’t know who he is. There is a fierce struggle and he is nearly overcome when, at just the right moment, a poor farm worker - Jock Howieson - hears the commotion comes to the disguised king’s aid.

 

Now Jock, the poor labourer, who works on this portion of the King’s land, known as Cramond Brig, now Jock unawares takes the undercover king home and gives him a dinner of broth and Jock - as the king is recouping – naturally asks the man who he is.

 

The King responds, ‘I’m a good man of Edinburgh.’

 

‘And where do you live in that city and where do you work?’

 

‘Well,’ says James, ‘I live at the palace and I work there too.’

 

‘The palace, is it? I’d like to see the palace; if I could see the King, I’d tell him a thing or two…’

 

‘About what?’ asks the man.

 

‘I’d tell him that I should own this land that I am on. I work it every day and he never comes here & gets his hands dirty working this land’

 

‘You’re right enough’, says the man. You come tomorrow to the palace at Holy Rood and I’ll show you around. Come at two.’

 

So the next day at two o’clock, Jock Howieson, is washed, dressed and at the palace to meet his new friend at the back door. The good man, whom Jock had saved the day before, shows him around the kitchen, the dining room, the bedrooms – the whole place. Then, at last, the two of them come to the great rooms of the State.

 

‘Do you want to see the King?’ the man asks Jock.

 

‘Oh yes indeed’, says Jock, ‘I do. I do want to see the King.’

 

So they enter the great hall and as they come in, men bow and ladies curtsey. It is really quite a thing to see.

 

So Jock whispers to his friend, ‘How will I know who the king is?’

 

‘He’s the only one who keeps his hat on’

 

Jock says, ‘But… there’s only us two with our hats…’ and Jock immediately takes off his hat as he realises that James is indeed the King of Scotland.

 

And so it is with us today. Jesus is King. He is walking around with each of us showing us his domain here on earth and just waiting for us to take off our hats as we realise that indeed Jesus is the one to come and he has arrived (and he’s coming back too, soon!)

 

Appeal: If there are any of us here today who have not taken off our hats and lain them before the Lord, I invite you to come up front here to the mercy seat and do just that – acknowledge the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord.

 

------------

http://www.sheepspeak.com/

[1] Cf. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/IV. Book Version: 4.0.2. re: Schweitzer.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Margaret Forrester. The Expository Times. Vol. 119 Number I Pages 47-48.