GOG - 19 - 272 - Lessons From A Prophet’s Testimony
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LESSONS
yÜÉÅ t Prophet’s
TESTIMONY Pastor Charles Omofomah 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” Matthew 2:1-8
The Scripture above tells us about one of the major events that took place during the birth of Jesus. The wise men followed the star to Jerusalem in search of the King that was born so that they could worship Him. Their quest caused a lot of turmoil in Bethlehem, precisely, and this made Herod to seek for answers from the chief priests and scribes. They told him that a prophet had, indeed, prophesied that a King would be born in Bethlehem. In this article, we are going to learn some lessons from the testimony of the prophet that declared the birth of Jesus.
Jesus: The Source of Real Praise 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Matthew 2:6
From the verse above, we can see that Jesus was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in Judah, and Judah means praise. This tells me that there is no real praise outside of Jesus. You can give God genuine praise because of Jesus. Also, Bethlehem means the City of Bread. This means that Jesus came so that you can give genuine praise, and when you continue in the attitude of praise, bread or food will never lack in your life. You can be assured that no matter what is happening around you, no matter the condition or economy of the country, you can give real praise and you know in that praise, there is abundance for you because in the land of praise, there is always abundance. So, you can give praise because you know that Jesus has come for the salvation of the world. Jesus is the King of the whole universe, the Master of all, and because He has come, you can give real and quality praise. You should not allow any situation or circumstance to stop you from giving praise. Before Jesus Christ came, man was not saved but now man is saved and man has been reconciled to God. As a result of man’s reconciliation to God, you, the believer, have intimacy with the One Who you can call your
Father and you can praise Him. As long as you can praise Him, know that there will always be abundance.
Jesus: The Shepherd-Ruler 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Matthew 2:6
The Bible says that a Ruler will come out of Bethlehem and He shall rule His people. Another translation says that a Governor shall come from Bethlehem, which is the land of abundance or the land of bread. The Bible also says that the Governor or the Ruler shall shepherd His people. The most interesting part of this Scripture is that it tells us the nature of His rule towards His people. Jesus is a Ruler but He is not going to rule His people like the earthly rulers who have ruled on earth at one time or the other. Jesus is going to rule His people by shepherding them. He is not going to hit your head with every mistake that you make; He is not going to give up on you for every little or big thing that you do wrong. No! He is going to rule you like a shepherd. The meaning of the word “shepherd” is the same word used for pastor, which is poeme, also meaning a shepherd. That is how He is going to rule you. He may rule the world with a rod of iron but He is going to rule you like a shepherd. For the Bible says that the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd, so, you shall not want
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GOG - 19 - 272 - Lessons From A Prophet’s Testimony
www.thecarpenterschurch.org
(Psalm 23:1). The Bible also says, “He makes me
has been taken away. So, as you renew your
how to take care of you. With affection, He
to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside
mind with the Word of God, you can see all
will lead you and with compassion, He will
the still waters” (Psalm 23:2). This shows that
that belongs to you and you can partake of
guide you in the way that you should go. He
He will give you peace because He is your
them. God does not want you to be in lack.
is your everlasting Father and He came from
peace (Ephesians 2:14). He will make sure
Everything that was said about Jesus, either in
the land of abundance.
nothing is missing and nothing is broken in
the place He was born, the things that were
your life. That is why He came and that is the
said about Him have their significance. He
kind of Shepherd that He is. He is not going to
was born in the land of plenty or abundance
take you to an open dry place, to the
so that in Him you can live in abundance. You
wilderness; He is going to make you lie down
don’t have to be in lack anymore. One way to
in green pasture where you have everything in
lay hold on the things that He has given to
abundance. Think of anything that you want,
you is through your praise because there is
that is where He is going to make you lie
abundance in Judah, the Land of Praise. Your
down. He is going to rule you like a Shepherd.
Shepherd is here and you don’t have to lack
Sometimes, you may walk through the valley
anymore. When you think of Christmas, think
of the shadow of death but you are only
of the Man Who came to provide abundance
walking through because the greatest Shepherd
for you. That is why He said that He came that
of all is with you.
you may have life and you may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
you, but I am limited because as a human being I do not have the means to do so. However, with Jesus nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). He will not only wish them for you, He will bring them to pass for you.
Jesus: What His Names Mean To You
Isaiah 9:6
Wonderful, He is also Counselor. The word
overtake you. All you need to do is to give
“counselor” means the one who gives advice,
Him praise because in praise there is
guidance, or purpose. He is here to give you
abundance of bread and plenty.
purpose. He is your Shepherd, so, He leads, guides and advises you. He also gives you purpose in life. The Bible also calls Him the mighty God. In fact, that word “mighty” as used in Isaiah 9:6, apart from meaning a strong man, a valiant man, a powerful man, also means a tyrant. However, Jesus is not a tyrant to you; rather, He is a tyrant to everything that stands against you.
genuine praise from your heart and you can
I really love this next name: He is the
have everything in abundance and your life
everlasting Father. The Bible didn’t say He is
will not remain the same again. Jesus is the
an everlasting God, no. It says that He is the
One Who gave you life and puts praise in your
everlasting Father! He passes from one
mouth. He came from the land of abundance;
generation to the other. He spans from one
so, your life does not need to remain the same
generation to the other. If you are wondering,
again.
“What will happen to me in five years time?”
God that the veil that once covered your eyes
through with you yet. He is still gathering up the pieces until you reach the very best that He has for you. What makes Christmas is the Man that was born. It is not the day or the year but the Man. the same again ever since that Man was born. He is Jesus. He is your big Brother, Jesus. He is
your Shepherd Who is shepherding you, and
abundance will follow you, pursue you and
Lack is sometimes caused by ignorance. Thank
your life but you should know that God is not
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His name is Wonderful. He is not only
With the coming of Christ, you can give
material or financial things may be missing in
He is the greatest Man is an understatement.
Are you expecting wonders in your life? Then,
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Matthew 2:6
in your life. Sometimes, a few things, maybe
is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
when you learn the principles of God’s Word,
Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler
Him that nothing is missing, nothing is broken
your guide; He is your Governor. To say that
that Jesus is from the land of abundance and
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of
He will make sure that as you co-operate with
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son
So, when you think of Christmas remember
Jesus: The Source Of Your Abundance
that nothing is missing and nothing is broken.
The course of this world has never remained
As a human, I may think the best for you. I might want to bring all the goodies of life to
He is also the Prince of peace who makes sure
When you think about Christmas, think about you will give Him praise. As you do so, you will enjoy abundant life.
Merry Christmas!
Remember that He is the everlasting Father. If you are worried about the future, know that He is the everlasting Father and He knows
The Carpenterʼs Ministry: All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other, without the prior permission of the above.