One of my favorite Bible stories is found in 1 Kings 18:17-40 when Elijah stood as the lone prophet against a staggering 450 pagan prophets (verse 22). The story begins when Elijah challenges king Ahab and his prophets to a test. This would determine whether Baal or the God of Elijah was the true and living God. The test involved taking two bulls, cutting them up, and laying each on their own altar. The prophets of Baal would pray to their god and Eljiah would pray to his. Whichever deity consumed the sacrificial bull would be declared the true God.

The prophets of Baal called to their god all morning and into the afternoon (verse 26). They were desperate for a response. Despite their pleading shouts and gruesome display of violence upon themselves, “there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:29 ESV). The god of the pagans was powerless, for he was no god at all.
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It was now Elijah’s turn. Before going to the Lord in prayer he has his bull doused with water three times. Elijah had certainty that God would act. Not even a sopping wet sacrifice could stop what was about to transpire. In contrast to the dramatic display just put forth by the prophets of Baal, Elijah offers up a humble prayer to the Lord. He trusts that God will hear him and respond.

How did God respond? Fire came down from heaven, consuming the bull along with the entire altar. Elijah trusted that God would respond, and He did with a miraculous display of fire from heaven. He alone was the true God!
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I think many of us would confess that we don’t think about these biblical stories as often as we should, if at all. Let’s try to change that. This world is filled with paganism, secularism, atheism, and countless other false demonic religions and worldviews. As you encounter these, remember that it was our God who answered Elijah’s prayer and reigned down fire from heaven. Our God is living, active, and hears our prayers. He alone is the true God and worthy of our obedience and worship.

We recently celebrated Christmas, a time when we give special consideration to the grand miracle of the incarnation. There are countless reasons to celebrate this great event, not only during Christmastime but every single moment. God graciously took on flesh and came to earth as a humble baby in the town of Bethlehem. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on a Roman cross as the self-sacrificial Lamb of God, and rose again on the third day. This was all part of God's merciful plan to save unworthy sinners.

In the incarnation, we also have a display of God's flawless record of covenantal faithfulness. Let's take a journey from the Gospels all the way back to 2 Samuel where we read about God's covenant with David. In 2 Samuel 7:16, God speaks to David through Nathan the prophet. "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever’”" (ESV). God promises David that his kingdom would last into eternity. This kingdom wouldn't look like other earthly kingdoms that eventually fade away with the passing of time. This kingdom would last into eternity through King Jesus, the Davidic King par excellence.

Let's remember the covenantal faithfulness of our God in the sending of an eternal and perfect Davidic King. God was faithful in the past and will continue to be so today and into eternity. The Christian can trust with unwavering confidence in the perfect, unchanging, and faithful Word of God.

This week's blog post is a lightly edited transcript of my Christmas Eve message. I hope you find this encouraging! Next week, we'll continue our journey through the 66 books of the Bible by looking at the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel.

I believe the Christmas story is true because...

1. It's historically accurate
We have over five thousand Greek New Testament manuscripts of various lengths. Despite being written by multiple authors over a period of about 1500 years, there is incredible unity and consistency in the message of all 66 books. I firmly believe that when read properly, there's not a single contradiction in Scripture. Lastly, Luke was a careful historian himself. He tells us of the great care that he took in the opening verses of his gospel (1:1-4). This was shortly before giving us the account of Jesus' birth, which includes geographical and historical references and descriptions of eyewitness accounts of the event. Luke's account of the Christmas story also harmonizes with that of Matthew's, who tells us of the visit from the Magi, Herod's plot to kill the infant children, and the holy family's flight to Egypt. The Christmas story is true because of the historical accuracy of Luke and the entire Bible.

2. It's in fulfillment of prophecy
The book of Isaiah was written 700 years before the birth of Christ. But in Isaiah 7:14 we see something remarkable as we read about the virgin birth of Immanuel (God with us). We also read of his prophesied birth in Bethlehem in Micah 5:2. The Christmas story is true because it fulfilled prophecy.

3. The Bible tells me so
This may seem circular to some, but one reason I believe the Bible is true is because the Bible tells me that it's the Word of God and free of error. As God's final Word, there's no higher authority upon which to base the truthfulness of Scripture. So I believe the Christmas story because the Bible tells me it's true.

4. The name of Christ is spoken around the world
Even the secular world sings of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season. They watch movies that do the same, decorate their homes with nativity scenes, and say the name of Christ every time they say merry Christmas. Of course, this doesn't mean that they're submitting to or acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord. But there is a sense of irony in the air as even unbelievers unintentionally lend credibility to the truthfulness of the Christmas story. If Jesus never existed or was simply a decent man who lived in the first century, why do we still sing and declare His name today, two thousand years later?

5. It brings intuitive hope
During Christmas time, there seems to be a unique sense of hope in the world. Of course, people enjoy shopping, gift-giving, Christmas music, hot cocoa, and gingerbread cookies. But I think there's something more. During the Christmas season, unbelievers are brought into contact with Christians and churches that exalt the name of Christ in an especially prominent way as we celebrate the incarnation.

6. The story is unique
It's about a God who saves helpless sinners in an extraordinary way. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem and was found by a group of shepherds lying in a manger, a feeding trough of all things. This was the unexpected way in which God brought the King of Kings into this world. This was the plan of an all-powerful, perfectly wise God and not a fiction created by man.

7. Lives are changed forever
If you're unfamiliar with the rest of the story of Jesus, it goes like this. He grew up, lived a sinless life, died on a Roman cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Those who believe in Jesus, trusting in Him alone for their salvation, are given eternal life and become a new person in Christ. I think we all know people whose transformed lives stand as a witness to the truthfulness of the Word of God, which includes the Christmas story.

8. We need it to be
If the Christmas story isn't true, then we have no lasting hope and no salvation. All of creation tells you there is a Creator, and your conscience tells you that you've sinned against Him. Everyone is without excuse and in need of a savior. Thankfully, this savior did come in the person of Jesus in the most unexpected of ways two thousand years ago. So the last reason the Christmas story is true is because we need it to be to have lasting hope, peace, and eternal life.

The book of 1 Samuel begins the story of the kings of Israel, starting with a man named Saul. Saul's ascendancy to the throne began with the people of Israel's misplaced desire for a king. We read about their sinful motives in 1 Samuel 8:4-5, which tells us that "all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations”" (ESV). Up until this point, the people had been ruled by the Judges, who served as protectorates of the people from invading enemies. Despite being warned by Samuel of the burdens a king would place on them, they were persistent in their desire to have a king so that they could be like the surrounding nations.

A few chapters later, Samuel tells us that because of their desire for a king, Israel was rejecting their God as King. "But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands” (1 Samuel 10:19). Lots were then cast and Saul was chosen from the tribe of Benjamin to be king over Israel. As we continue reading we see that Saul would eventually be rejected by God and replaced by David, the one from whom an eternal Davidic King would come.

When we consider this narrative, what exactly was the sin of the people in demanding a king? I don't think it was merely the desire for a king in and of itself that was misplaced, since God Himself desired to give the people a Davidic king from whom Jesus Christ would come. Rather, I think it was the motive behind the desire for a king that made the people's demand particularly misplaced and sinful. Notice how Israel didn't ask for a king in order to better serve God and obey His law, but they asked for a king in order to be like the nations they saw around them. Rather than being a holy and set apart people of God, they wanted to look like everyone else. As a result, they rejected God as their king because of their desire to fit in with the unbelieving world.

It's unfortunate that we often see something similar taking place within Christian circles today. Many people claim the name of Christ and even attend Sunday morning worship, but when their lives are examined they look no different than the world around them. Outside of the church building they live like, sound like, and think like everyone else. We even see this in many evangelical churches themselves as the priority shifts from glorifying God with true worship to catering to the desires of the world. Biblical preaching is replaced with motivational speeches and stand up comedy, and sincere worship is replaced with high-budget concerts designed to elicit emotional responses from the "audience." It seems like many churches care more about what's culturally cool than what a biblical church ought to look like. In an attempt to look like the world around them they throw away those things that are truly pleasing to God.

As Christians, let's remember that we are citizens of the kingdom of Christ, not the kingdom of this world. Let's live consistently with who we are as blood-bought children of God and as Saints who are set apart for the purpose of serving and worshiping Him.

The Bible is filled with examples of faithful and courageous women. One such woman went by the name of Ruth. She was a Moabite who married a man named Mahlon who had traveled with his family from Bethlehem into Moab. Eventually, Mahlon along with his father and brother died, leaving Ruth and her sister-in-law Orpah alone with their mother-in-law Naomi. After Orpah leaves to return home to her people, Ruth is likewise encouraged to return back home. But Ruth has other plans as we read about in ​Ruth 1:16–17.

What a beautiful picture of Ruth's commitment to Naomi even though it would mean traveling to a foreign land to a people she'd never met all while being husbandless and childless. But her commitment to her mother-in-law didn't go unnoticed by God. He providentially gave Ruth a husband named Boaz and a son named Obed, who would be king David's grandfather. What a blessing this was which up until that point had been one of the darkest moments in these women's lives.

I think this story has a lot to teach us about patiently waiting on the Lord and trusting in God's plan rather than our own. This can be hard to do. Rather than patiently seeking guidance from God through His Word, prayer, and the counsel of fellow believers, we often spring into action without even considering whether it's what God wants for us. When we act this way, it's often out of discontentment as we try to increase the things that supposedly make us happy and decrease those things that don't as fast as and in any way we can.

But let's take a different approach to life. Let's ground our joy in the unchanging source of all joy, God Himself, instead of the changing circumstances and fleeting things of this world. As we do so, let's be faithful in whatever situation and season of life we find ourselves in, knowing that God has placed us there for a purpose and will bless our faithfulness to His calling just as He blessed Ruth for her faithfulness to Naomi. Ruth could have attempted to chart her own destiny by returning to Moab to find a husband. But she didn't. She waited patiently, committed herself to serving Naomi's God, and found herself richly blessed because of it, all in ways she never could have expected.