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.

 

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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.

 

Isaiah 11:1-10: In that Day.

Presented to Corps 614 Regent Park on the second Sunday of Advent 04 Dec 2016 and TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 07 December 2025, by Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

 

This is the 2025 version; to see the 2016 version click here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2016/12/isaiah-111-10-on-that-day.html

 

In our world today we are subservient to politico-socio-economic systems where one person becomes rich as over 25 000 children die each day due to poverty. Most get rich just by their investments or inheritance; some people become millionaires for appearing on a screen or playing sports while many others cannot afford to feed and clothe themselves. In the United States, pornography revenue is more than all money made from professional football, baseball and basketball combined. The money spent on one professional team alone would feed and clothe the world. This is our world today. But…

 

ISAIAH 11:1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

 

ON THAT DAY… From a stump – an albeit dead tree – that has been chopped down, burned down, rotted out or otherwise destroyed, from this stump a shoot, new life will Spring up.

Isaiah says this shoot will come from the stump of Jesse; who is Jesse? (King David’s father) Who was King David? David was one of only 2 or 3 kings of a unified Israel.

 

David was the first king of Judah. Every other king of Judah claimed to be descended from David. They walked away from God and as they did, they were carried into captivity. The nation and the people, it seemed, were finished. The Kingdom of Judah, like Israel, eventually rotted out and became like a burned out, chopped down stump. It is from this stump that new life will spring. It is a descendant of David who will rule not only Israel but also the whole world. Who is this descendant of David who will rule the whole world? Jesus.[1] ON THAT DAY…

 

11:2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

 

11:3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

 

What does it mean that he has knowledge of the fear of the LORD and that his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD? Why does he delight in fear? What does that mean?

The phrase ‘fear of the LORD’ can describe dread (Deut 1:29), being terrified (Jonah 1:10), standing in awe (1 Kings 3:28), or having reverence (Lev 19:3). With the Lord as the object, this phrase captures both aspects of shrinking back in fear and of drawing close in awe. It is not a trembling dread that paralyzes action, but neither is it a polite reverence (Plaut, p. 32).[2]

Strong’s dictionary and concordance define this ‘fear’ as ‘moral reverence’ acknowledging that the phrase encompasses more than that – it can refer to a sense of moral dread or even of an exceeding moral fearfulness.[3] What does this mean? What is the difference between this reverent, moral fearfulness that leads to knowledge or wisdom and the fearful, panic-stricken, timid phobia that leads to cowering? What is this fear of the Lord?

 

Are we familiar with the word ‘deference’? Deference means respect. People often have a certain amount of deference (respect) for our uniforms. I have had many people alter their language and try not to swear in my presence because of my uniform: it represents my office as a representative of God. Even non-believers tend to offer this token of deference to The Salvation Army uniform. Even more than the uniform, I have seen people show deference, a healthy respect in courtrooms when they are in front of the judge. This kind of thing is what Isaiah is talking about when he says Jesus will delight in the fear of the LORD. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:3 His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;

 

What does it mean that he shall not judge by what he sees or hears? Isn’t that how we are supposed to make judgements - by what we see or hear? What is a better way to judge?

 

11:4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

 

Jesus is the great equalizer. The Bible tells us over and over again around the birth of Jesus and the reign of God, those that serve the world will be deposed when the systems of the world are overthrown. Capitalism will be overthrown. Presidents will be overturned and presidential elections will end. Corrupt politicians will cease to exist. No more will we live in a world where bankers, athletes, actors, investors, and others live high on the hog while over 25 000 children die every day due to poverty. Jesus makes decisions based on righteousness rather than by what he sees and hears: he kills the wicked and provides equity for the meek. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

 

Faithfulness will be his underwear. (Do you get new underwear -or pjs- for Christmas? This is good underwear) Not only will Jesus rule the world with righteousness. Faithfulness will guard what is near and dear to him. Jesus, the leader who pulls down the powerful and raises up the powerless. Jesus will not turn on those who endorsed and worked for him. How many times have people elected leaders in this country and other nations who they thought would be their champions, only to see those politicians seemingly betray the people who voted for them and act in bad faith. Jesus is not like that. Jesus will not betray the poor, the widow, the immigrant, the victimized, the marginalized. Jesus will not betray us. The high and mighty people of today – as they serve our current socio-politico-economic systems - will be brought low. And those who have been brought low by our world’s leaders will be lifted up by Jesus. You can count on that – faithfulness is the belt around his loins. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

 

Lamb is a good meal even for a wolf. The wolf will live with the lamb instead of eating his food. Goat is great food even for a leopard but instead of eating his meal, the leopard will lie down with the kid. The same with veal; the same with the baby calf and the lion and the fatling; and a little child will lead them. Instead of being killed – even to eat – the prey will have nothing to fear of the predator; let alone powerless people from Superpowers. In a country that serves God people will not kill each other. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

 

Predators will no longer be a threat to traditional prey. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

 

Babies will not be attacked by animals and animals will not be provoked by toddlers. You have seen a dog or a cat that is good with babies and toddlers: how they let a child carry them around and do all kinds of things to them. All animals, all creation, all of us will have that same patience when Jesus returns to claim his crown that he was crowned with upon his own death and resurrection. ON THAT DAY…

 

11:9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

 

We know what is God’s holy mountain? It’s Mount Zion. It is the mountain where Solomon’s, Zerubabbel’s, and Herod’s temple’s were built. It is in Jerusalem. It is the mountain where the Dome on the Rock currently stands. It is the mountain where God spared the life of Isaac, as he was about to be offered up to the Lord as a sacrifice. Zion, for many years, was where some people even thought that God himself lived. God says when the Messiah’s kingdom is fully realized no one will hurt or destroy on His holy mountain. This can mean two things:

1.     there will be no hunting there – but this mountain, long before Isaiah lived even, is right in a large urban centre; it is not prime hunting grounds; so it probably means,

2.     that as God’s seat of power, when Jesus ultimately claims his throne no one in authority will ever hurt anyone again. No more will politicians or their handlers exploit the rest. No more will governments wage war or the powerful take advantage of the poor and the powerless.

 

11:10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

 

Advent is about waiting. We remember waiting for the birth of our saviour millennia ago as we eagerly await his return now. And when He returns what a day that of rejoicing that will be. When Jesus comes back, we will no longer be subservient to these brutal politico-socio-economic systems we are today. (The Lord has already provided more than enough resources for the whole world to be fed and clothed many times over.) These systems of oppression will end. The rulers of this world will be brought low. The Presidents, Prime Ministers, money people, and other rulers of our age who oversee all of this will be brought down. This will come to an end. Isaiah promises that. Jesus fulfills that.

 

When Jesus comes back there will be no more elections. There will be no more ignorance. There will be no more wars. There will be no more death. There will be no more tears. When Jesus comes back, everything will be okay. I have to believe this. He promises it will be okay and that is what Isaiah is telling us today: everything will be okay on that day.

.

And I will add to that the truth that as you serve Jesus, as we follow him instead of the others - politicians, money people and powerful people and their systems - as we serve Jesus instead, here and now; even while there is so much death, dishonesty, pain and suffering all around us and so much pain even within us, Jesus promises that he will comfort us in the midst of all the very real struggles of this world as indeed we look forward to the day when he will return; when he will wipe all of the injustice aside and God alone will rule over us forever more with His righteousness and His faithfulness. In Advent, this is the day we are waiting for – that day.

.

Let us pray

www.sheepspeak.com

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[1] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Acts 15:1-19 - The Chihuahua Barks Again. Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Salvation Army, 09 September 2007 and Swift Current, 26 May 2013. On-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2007/09/acts-151-19-chihuahua-barks-again.html

[2] Cf. Allen P. Ross, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Proverbs/Exposition of Proverbs/I. Introduction to the Book of Proverbs (1:1-7)/C. Motto: The Fear of the Lord (1:7), Book Version: 4.0.2

[3] Yirah, in The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words. (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1966), p. 395. Cf. also Cf. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. ‘5374: yir’ah’ (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1995), p.59.

 

Matthew 24:36-51 (Revelation 22:7-21): He is Coming Soon!

Presented to the Swift Current Corps, 27 June 2010

and TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 30 November 2025

By Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

This is the 2025 version, to view the 2010 version, click here: 

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/06/matthew-2436-51-revelation-227-21-he-is.html

 

I remember watching a YouTube video with my older children when they were just little. There is this duck. He walks up to a lemonade stand and he asks the boy there, “Excuse me sir, do you have any grapes?” The boy says, “No” and the duck goes away. Twenty minutes later the duck comes back. He walks up to the lemonade stand and he asks the boy there, “Excuse me sir, do you have any grapes?” The boy says, “No” and the duck goes away. Twenty minutes later the duck comes back. He walks up to the lemonade stand and he asks the boy there, “Excuse me sir, do you have any grapes?” The boy who is getting a little agitated now says, “No and if you ask me again I will tape your beak closed and then tape you to a tree”; the duck goes away. Fifteen minutes later the duck walks up to the lemonade stand again and he asks the boy there, “Excuse me sir, do you have any… tape?” The boy says, “no” and the duck says, “Do you have any grapes?”

 

My children saw this on a YouTube. just loved it and retold this joke over and over again.

 

Speaking of children, about this same time (more than 15 years ago), Susan was pregnant and we were waiting for our third child, Baby Heather, to make an appearance. Heather was taking her time arriving. Mom was understandably getting a little bit impatient. Baby Heather was more than 2 weeks late and everyday was a day closer and everyday we knew that baby was coming very soon…. We didn’t know exactly when but we knew she had to come and we were ready. Our bags were packed and in the car. I kept the camera and phone list by my side. My parents, Grandma and Boppa, came to town just before baby’s first due date to help look after the children when baby arrives. We knew baby Heather was coming soon, sooner than ever before…but baby Heather just wasn’t here yet. We thought a doctor said that baby was coming on June 16th, but the 16th came and went and baby Heather hadn’t come yet. We saw a doctor had written that the baby was coming on June 17th, but June 17th came and went and baby Heather hadn’t come yet. I thought the ultrasound technician said Baby was coming on June 20th or the 21st; Susan thought they said the 22^nd - but June 20th came and went and the 21st came and went and the 22nd came and went and Baby Heather hadn’t come yet. We were prepared for the baby many days before all those dates, in between all those dates, and after those dates. We knew the baby was coming soon but Baby Heather hadn’t come yet.

 

Revelation 3:11, Jesus says, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” But Jesus hasn’t come (back) yet. Revelation 22:7, Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” But Jesus hasn’t come (back) yet. Revelation 22:12, Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” But Jesus hasn’t come (back) yet. And Revelation 22:20, “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” But Jesus hasn’t come (back) yet.

The people in the first years after Jesus rose from the grave – when the early church was formed - expected him to come back soon, any minute, but Jesus hasn’t come back yet. The people in the first decades after Jesus rose from the grave – when most of our New Testament was written - expected him to come soon, any minute but Jesus hasn’t come back yet (cf. Luke 17:26-27).[2] The people in the first centuries after Jesus rose from the grave – when most of our church fathers lived - expected him to come soon, any minute but Jesus hasn’t come back yet.[3] The people through the first millennium after Jesus rose from the dead – when the church continued to spread through North Africa, Europe and Asia - expected him to come soon, any minute but Jesus still hasn’t come back yet. The people through the second millennium after Jesus rose from the dead – when the church experienced its Renaissance and Reformation - expected him to come soon, any minute but Jesus still hasn’t come back yet. And now we are into the third millennium…and still Jesus hasn’t come yet.

 

The longer we waited for Baby Heather to come the more we could have kept to our regular schedule and stopped be ready. When we were waiting for Baby Heather to come, we were living in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. I was asked to speak at a Salvation Army conference at Beaver Creek Camp in Saskatoon – but I couldn’t be away when Baby came. I was also asked to lead an Emergency Disaster Services team in Maple Creek. They needed someone who had experience. I was needed I was told, but if I went I risked missing out on Baby Heather’s arrival; so, I decided to stay near home – still ready, watching and waiting for Baby. I was still working of course, fulfilling my duties in this post-modern age of laptops and smartphones, but I remained in town, minutes away, waiting, ready for Baby Heather to arrive.

 

Similarly relating to our Lord Jesus, Matthew 24:42-51 that we read from earlier, records (cf. also Luke 12:42-46):

 

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Let us look a little closer at this story. What is it about? It is about the fact that Jesus is coming soon now and we – even more than doctors and ultrasound technicians - we really don’t know when Jesus is coming but we need to be ready because, like Heather was, Jesus is coming (Matthew 24:26, 25:13; Mark 13:32; Luke 12:39-40, 46). He is coming like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:34) and we should be ready (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3, 16:5). This is important. We know this is important for a couple of reasons - not the least of which is the fact that Matthew records for us that Jesus says this is important and he repeatedly makes this very point in a number of stories placed back to back to back here in the text.[5] This story of being ready for Jesus to come because he will come like a thief in the night is in the context of a number of similar parables about Jesus’ immanent return.[6]

 

Matthew 25:1-13 compares Jesus’ immanent return to bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom and the whole wedding celebration to begin (cf. Luke 14:16-24).[7] This is a big deal. It is the party of the year and no one wants to miss it and their ticket in, in this case, is to be prepared by having oil in their lamps when the groom returns. There were those who started waiting but they weren’t prepared to wait quite long enough and then the bridegroom shows up when they have already gone to do something other than wait for him so they don’t get to celebrate with the groom upon his arrival. They weren’t prepared and, like an out-of-town father when his baby is born, they missed their opportunity to greet him (cf. Heb. 3:7–4:13).[8]

 

There is also the so-called, ‘Parable of the Talents’, Matthew 25:18-30 (cf. Luke 19:11-26).[9] Remember that story about waiting and being prepared, about being ready? An employer, a master divides his investment portfolio between his employees, giving them responsibility for it. He gives his servants, his slaves some money, some talents, to be in charge of while he is away. He tells them to take care of his talents. Two of the three servants do just this and thus they are ready for their master’s return. The third – he is thrown into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:31). He is not faithful with a little when the master was away so how can he be trusted with the treasures of heaven when the Lord returns (Matthew 25:21,23, 30)? He was not prepared for his Lord’s coming.

 

And we all know the parable of ‘The Sheep and the Goats’ (Matthew 25:31-46). Here, when the Son of Man comes, he divides the nations on his right and his left. Those who are prepared to reap the benefits of his Kingdom took care of the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick and the prisoners while they were waiting for Him. They were prepared and, to them, He said ‘take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’ and he said ‘well done my good and faithful servant’. However there were those who did not do this and as such they were not ready to meet their maker and they did not celebrate at his return (Cf. Exodus 23:6,11, Lev. 19:10,15, 23:22, 27:8, Deut. 15:7, 15:11, 24:12-15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms 22:26, 34:6, 35:10, 82:3, Ezekiel 16:49, 18:12, 22:29, Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 8:4-6, Isaiah 3:14, 15, 10:2, 11:4, 26:6, 32:7, 41:17, 58:7, 61:1; Zechariah 7:10). He still came but they did not celebrate. They were cast aside. They were not prepared for his return so they miss out on the blessings of the coming of his kingdom.

 

It is like with Baby Heather. When the first due date came and went, we could have taken the camera out of the baby bag and put it where it usually belongs; when the next anticipated due date came, we could have taken the baby clothes, Susan’s magazines, and toiletries out of the baby bag. When the next day came and went, we could have taken the very baby bag itself, in which we held everything in anticipation of baby’s arrival, and filled it with various work or play related items instead so that we were no longer prepared. If we did all of this it wouldn’t have stopped Baby Heather from coming. We just wouldn’t be prepared for baby’s arrival and even if I was looking for everything that we had unpacked and I couldn’t find what I needed in time to be there, baby still would have come at the pre-appointed time, I just may have missed out on that moment. Also if I was in Maple Creek or Saskatoon when baby came, I would have missed the occasion or if baby had come early, a few days before the due date instead of over 2 weeks after the due date, my parents wouldn’t have been a part of it. They would have missed out on her arrival. Baby was coming whether we were ready for her or not and if we weren’t ready we would miss out.

 

In our spiritual life and our everyday life today, are we ready for Jesus’ return? We don’t want to miss out! Are we ready for him? Are our spiritual bags still packed? Or have we in the weeks, months and years since we started following our Lord, have we been slowly unpacking our heavenly baby bags? Do we still have our Bibles that we read daily (hard copy or online) in there or did we put them back on the shelves because Jesus hasn’t come just yet? He’s still coming. How about our incessant, fervent prayers: do we still prayer daily or have we put them away until we feel we need them? How about our offering of food, clothing, and love to the least, the lost, and the last: are we still doing this; is this still w in our spiritual baby bags or have we filed these away somewhere; leaving us unprepared for the immanent arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ who is coming soon?

 

Jesus is coming soon. What about all of us here today? If Jesus comes like an overdue baby tonight, are we ready? Today, are our bags packed with our prayers, Bible study, and love and service for our neighbour? Are we ready to meet him? As sure as Baby Heather eventually came, at just the right time, Jesus is indeed coming at just the right time - very soon. So when he does, let’s make sure we are ready? When he shows up like a thief in the night let’s ensure we are prepared, when he comes like a bridegroom, let’s ensure we have spiritual oil for our lamps like the bridesmaids; Let’s keep investing the talents God is entrusting us with so we are fully prepared when he returns; Jesus is coming soon. We know this, so let’s all be prepared to meet him so that when he does return, he will indeed greet us with, ‘take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’ - and ‘well done my good and faithful servant’

 

Jesus is coming very soon, whether we are ready or not so let’s be ready!

 

Let us Pray

 

www.sheepspeak.com

 

 

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[1] Bryant Oden ( Music) and Forrest Whaley (Animation) ‘The Duck - Hey! Got Any Grape's ?’, available on-line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hiimc8u5P4

[2] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Know Press, 1993), p.281.

[3] Volume 120 of The Expository Times has a good series of articles on the church fathers. See for ex. Judith L. Kovacs ‘Clement of Alexandria’ in The Expository Times, Vol. 120, No. 6 (March 2009), pp. 261-271

[4] Information about the team and their mission is on-line at: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html#1586402264514679316

[5] Cf. R.T. France, ‘Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary’, Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 342. Endurance is a prominent apocalyptic theme (cf. e.g. Dan. 12:12–13).

[6] Cf. Michael Ramsay, 'Jesus use of Parabolic and Metaphorical Methods to Affect the Listeners of the Parable of the Wicked Tenants', Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2006). Available on-line at http://sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm

[7] Luke includes the parable of the Marriage feast – the third of Matthew’s three (Matt. 22:1-14) - in an entirely separate setting (Luke 14:16-24); it is not mentioned at all in the account of Mark and neither Mark nor Luke mention the parable of the two sons (Matt 21:28-32).

[8] Cf. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28. (WBC 33B: Dallas, Texas: Word Books, 1995), 612.

[9] There are several commonalities in the parable’s contextual setting. It is recorded after the triumphal entry when the people proclaim ‘Hosanna’ or ‘blessed be the king’ and that Jesus is the ‘Son of David’ (Matthew 21:10-11, Mark 11:9-10, Luke 19:38); the clearing of the temple (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-46); and Mathew and Mark’s account of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-26; cf. Mark 11:12-14, 20-22).