The Coming of Our Lord in 2010
As we celebrate and remember the coming of our Lord into this world, to redeem it as its Prince of Peace, we do so against the backdrop of war and rumours of wars, of portending calamities and crises. It has ever been so, yet it will not always be the case. For the Prince of Peace has not only come, He has risen and been invested by God the Father with authority to rule over all the nations of the earth. All His enemies are being put under His feet. Peace, His peace, is gradually, ineluctably, coming.
The peace of Christ does not come in a vacuum; it does not come from above as an alien imposition. It comes incarnationally. It comes from the inside out. It comes from within as sinful men, women, and children hear the Gospel of God's mercy and grace to them in Christ, and believe. United by faith to Christ, by the Spirit, they are dead to the old life of sin, of pride, vainglory, anger, selfishness, wranglings, disputations and quarrelling. They have risen with Christ and are alive in His love, joy, peace, gentleness, longsuffering, and peacemaking.
As the number of Christian families grows, Christian communities eventually emerge, then towns, then regions, then nations. The peace of Christ comes from within, where sin is quenched and righteousness breaks forth. The Kingdom of God comes from within in the human heart then moves relentlessly and unquenchably outward, changing everything. The yoke of Christ is light because the heart is made light; it is easy because the heart no longer rails against its Lord.
Thus, we assess the Kingdom not by its empirical manifestations in 2009th year of our Lord. We assess the Kingdom by faith. Not by what it is now, but by what it will become as gradually and carefully, all His enemies are placed under His feet. As we look around, we do not see all His enemies subdued--in fact their brassy trumpets boastfully bray in many places--but we do see Jesus, crowned with glory and honour at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, we know the future. We know not only what is happening, but what is going to happen. We look forward to the 2010th year of our Lord with great joy and hope.
For we know that this coming year, thousands upon thousands, myriads upon myriads of men and women around the world will come to faith, having been born again by the Spirit of God. No man can stop or prevent this. They will weep the bitter tears as over a first born's death; they, looking for the first time upon Him whom they have pierced, will be broken. But their mourning will be turned to shouts of joy as they understand and believe for the first time that His blood and death atoned for them, and His righteousness stands for them, and that, therefore, God has overlooked their sin. Because they now believe in Christ, He is not ashamed to call them His very own, much-loved brethren.
And we know that this year myriads of children will be born into Christian homes, and sealed with the marks of His covenant. They will never know a time when they were not loved and cherished by all the adults around them. Grace will dwell in their families, and their houses will be houses of healing. Their days will be filled with smiles, and laughter, and joy. Whilst they will soon realise that there dwells within them a dark beast of sin, they will also be taught to call upon Him for mercy and deliverance every day of their lives. The homes into which they have been born will be to them the very means of grace to bring them to faith and repentance.
There will also be an inexhaustible army of labourers and servants of the Lord--in Christian schools, in hospitals, in ministries of mercy and solace, being the very healing and serving hands of Christ Himself in a needy world. There will be faithful Christians serving in police forces, armies, courts, magistracies, bringing light and salt to a deceitful and desperately wicked world. How wonderful it is to be living in these days.
We eagerly anticipate the 2010th year of our Lord. These are in truth the years of Jubilee. Maranatha. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
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