I will wish everyone a Happy New Year. 2018  A.D. , which stands for anno Domini, which means "in the year of the Lord," or as some would say, "in the year of our Lord."  As I have previously stated, some would now write 2018 C.E., for Common Era.  Time is still divided by one event in history, the birth of Christ, no matter whether people attempt to change the designation of that event or not.  The Jewish calender does not acknowledge the fact of the birth of Jesus as the birth of the Messiah, so there is no division in their calendar, so it would seem that those who do not want to acknowledge the birth of Christ would just follow the Jewish calender.  Even if they don't want to do that, then they could interpret it as the Lord, and not our Lord. The only thing separating C.E. , or Common Era, from B.C.E., Before Common Era, is the same event that separates B.C., Before Christ, from A.D., and that is the birth of Jesus, the Christ.  Nothing else makes it a common era.  Even when writing A.D., which we usually do not even add, there is a difference between the Lord and our Lord.  Whether Jesus is just the Lord or our Lord makes all the difference.  The fact of the birth of Christ cannot be denied, but for many, He is not their Lord, no matter the designation written after the date.  For the birth of Jesus to really have meaning, He must be our Lord, and if He is such, then we will always be living in the year of our Lord, no matter what people write after the date.  So, as followers of Christ, what we do in His year should be directed by Him.  I know it is the time to make resolutions, most of which are soon forgotten, but we as His followers need to resolve to make it Christ's year in fact and not just in statement alone.  Every year since the birth of Christ has been a year of the Lord in fact, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.  We need to follow what Christ calls us to do, everyday of this new year.  We must be a witness for Christ in the lost world.  Even as those of the world attempt to remove any reference to Christ from everything, we as His followers must make sure that we proclaim Him in all that we do.  If we can do that, any other resolution will be unimportant in comparison.  Yes, there are things that we can do that make life better in this world, relating simply to the material or physical aspects of life, but only those things that we do for Christ, our Lord if we are His followers, will really have lasting value.  So, may we as followers of Christ make 2018 truly be a year of our Lord. 

Job 38:25 says, Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;  God is asking Job what are basically rhetorical questions.  If Job was going to question God, then Job would have needed to be the one who did these things.  Like Job, we cannot take credit for any part of creation and therefore have no right to question God.  Verse twenty-six continues, To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;  Throughout the remainder of the chapter, God continues to ask Job if he could sustain the workings of the world.  Job had been very vocal in his complaint against God, so God was clearly reminding Job that he was not the one to set the world in order.  God does not need people to make it rain.  Rain falls in the wilderness where there are no people.  Verse twenty seven says, To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?  God asks if Job can cause rain to fall so that the tender plants will spring up.  God controls both the rain and the plant.  Verse twenty-eight asks, Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?  Then verse twenty-nine continues, Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?  We watch the weather forecast today, where people use all their scientific methods to tell us what the weather is going to do, but even if the forecast is correct, we cannot take credit for the rain or the temperature.  Verse thirty says, The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.  God continues to remind Job that He, and not Job or anyone else, is in control of the weather.  Verse thirty-one asks, Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?  In verse thirty-two God continues, Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?  God asked if Job if he could take credit for not only there order of the earth, but of the universe as well.  Verse thirty three asks, Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?   Scientists today may feel that they know how the universe works, yet they continue to find things that are new to them, though they are well known to God.  Verse thirty-four asks, Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?  Then verse thirty-five continues, Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?  It would be wonderful if we could control the weather.  Crops would never fail and we could put our wildfires, for example.  Though we cannot do this, we should be content to put our faith in God no matter what happens.  In verse thirty-six God asks, Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?  Then continuing in verse thirty-seven, Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,  I believe that God was reminding Job that what wisdom and understanding he had of the world came from God.  We will never be wise enough to explain all the ways of the universe, but we can know the God Who created and sustains it all.  Verse thirty-eight asks, When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?   Again, this was just a question of controlling the rain.  Verse thirty-nine asks, Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,  Verse forty continues, When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?  When verse forty-one concludes, Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.  People may have the ability to destroy the animals, and to a certain extent we may be able to sustain a species, but it is God Who sustains them on a daily basis.  Imagine if we had to provide food for all the animals and birds.  We need only thank and praise the God Who does.

Job 38:16 says, Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?  God continues to ask Job if he thought he had the power and ability that God did.  I believe that if we are going to question God's right to act in the world that we need to know more and be more powerful than He is.  Otherwise, we need to accept that as God's followers He will never bring harm to us.  This is what God was addressing with Job.  Verse seventeen asks, Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?  Only God has power over death.  As followers of Christ, we may know that we have everlasting life, but we certainly do not understand everything that happens between our death and resurrection.  God alone can bring resurrection to anyone.  Job should have been content knowing this instead of questioning God, and so should we.  Verse eighteen asks, Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.  In Job's day, they certainly did not know the breadth of the earth.  Today, with satellites we may say that we can answer that question, but we cannot claim to know everything there is to know about the earth.  We can never understood all the ways that the world works, much less the universe.  We can never go anywhere that God isn't already there.   Verse nineteen asks, Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,  Though we may understand that the day is going to be light and the night is going to be dark, where do the light and darkness come from?  We can answer that the light comes from the sun and the light at night from the moon, but where did they come from and what causes them to be separated in such a precise manner?  I believe that God was reminding Job that he knew that God alone had this power, and that therefore Job had no right to question or doubt God.  Neither do we today.  Verse twenty says, That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?  God asked Job if he knew the boundaries of the heavens.  The universe has been hurtling through space since creation and has never reached an end.  We may speak of going to Mars, but that is but a tiny step in the vastness of the universe.  Verse twenty-one asks,  Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?  God continues to question Job about his ability to understand everything in creation.  God asked if Job was there at the beginning of time or if he had lived long enough to explain creation.  As followers of Christ, the first thing we must acknowledge iris our limited understanding.  Verse twenty-two asks, Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,  We may not view snow, or hail especially, to be a treasure, but we also can not control them.  Verse twenty-three states, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?  Then verse twenty-four asks, By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?  God does indeed have power over the elements, and does part the night and day.  If God were to choose to destroy the world, He has it within His ability to do so.  God was reminding Job of God's power and of Job's need to just rely on God no matter what.

Job 38:1 says, Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,  Job was wanting an answer from God, and his friends really hadn't provided it.  Now, God Himself was answering Job from out of a whirlwind.  Though God could have spoken quietly to Job, I believe that He spoke this way so that all those around Job would know that He was the One speaking.  Verse two asks, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  I believe that God was speaking first to Job, and then to God Job's friends.  When we are suffering in life, who are we to question God or attempt to give Him council.  We need to continue to live by faith.  Verse three says, Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.  I believe that we today might say that God told Job to man up.  God said to Job that He would demand of him.  God has every right to place a demand of obedience and faithfulness on His followers, and also a right to expect us to answer Him.  Verse four asks, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  God asked Job where he was when God created the earth.  God challenged Job to tell Him how the world was made if he knew.  People today who do not believe in God have theories about the formation, because they would never use Creation, of the world, but we as followers of Christ can never question that God created everything from nothing.  Verse five asks, Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  God asked Job if God did not design the world, and the universe as well, then who did.  Even those who propose a cosmic accident as having been the origin of the world have to start with the existence of something and cannot explain the order of the universe.  In verse six God asks, Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;  I believe that God was asking Job who keeps the world suspended in space if God doesn't.  Even if we attempt to explain this as the law of nature, where does that law come from. Verse seven says, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  God was still asking Job where he was when God hung the stars in heaven and the angels rejoiced.  If Job, or anyone, should question God's sovereignty, then we should know more and be more powerful than He is.  Verse eight asks, Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?  God was the One Who divided the land and the seas, and God asked Job if God didn't do this, who did.  All these questions point back to the glory of God.  Verse nine says, When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingb and forit,   What makes the earth different from any other planet is its atmosphere, and God asked where this came from if not from Him.  Then, verse ten states,  And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,  God says that He set boundaries on the seas.  Verse eleven says, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?  This is a continuation of God's declaration that He controls the seas and limits their expanse.  If we are to question God, then we should be able to explain the way the universe works without Him.  Verse twelve asks, Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;  God asked Job if he had created day and night.  Once more, we cannot explain nor control the universe, but God knows all its mysteries and sustains it all by His power.  Verse thirteen says, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?  God could indeed shake all the wicked out of the world, but He chooses to give them a way to redemption instead.  Verse fourteen says, It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. When verse fifteen states, And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.  I believe that God was saying that the fate of the wicked who will not turn to Him in repentance is already sealed.  No matter how strong they may think they are, their high regard for themselves will be broken.

Job 37:14 says, Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.  Elihu once more asks Job to consider the wondrous works of God.  If we are feeling deserted by God today, one of the things we need to do is to consider the wondrous works of God, and I believe most importantly His wondrous work of salvation.  Nothing that happens in the world can take God's salvation from us.  Verse fifteen asks, Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?  Though Elihu was speaking to Job and those around him, the question is just as relevant to us today.  Like Job, we cannot claim to understand everything about how God works in the world.  Verse sixteen asks, Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?  Those forecasting the weather today have computer models of what the weather is going to do, and they are very often wrong.  Elihu reminded Job that God knew what was going to happen whether He was the direct cause or just allowed it to happen.  Verse seventeen then asks, How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?  I believe that Elihu was asking if he still believed that God was the One Who brought him comfort when it came.  If we reach the point of only blaming God for bad things that happen in life and forget the good, then we are not being good witnesses for Him.  Verse eighteen asks, Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?  I believe that these questions were asked to cause Job to do what Elihu had said, and that was to stop and consider.  We today, especially when things are going badly, need to stop and consider all that God has done for us. We need to be secure and content in God's love for us.  We can never be more powerful than God.  Verse nineteen says, Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. We often do not even know what to say to God, but as His followers, He will give us the words.  Darkness, or evil, gets between God and us, but when He forgives us, the barrier is removed.  Verse twenty says, Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.  Elihu said that what he had said was unworthy of being heard by God.  Elihu had done well in his speech about God, but he knew that he was unworthy.  Verse twenty-one says, And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.  Elihu said that the bright light, God Himself, that had been hidden was about to be revealed to them clearly.  I believe that when God speaks, or reveals Himself to people, that there can never be any doubt that He is the One at work.  Verse twenty-two says, Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.  Elihu was almost finished speaking, because he saw the coming majesty of God revealed.  All the clouds of confusion would be swept away. When we are suffering or in doubt, we need to listen for the clear word of God, waiting patiently in faith.  Verse twenty-three says, Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.  As Elihu told those listening to him, we cannot find out God on our own.  God reveals Himself to all people at some point in their life, but they can never find God from their own ability.  We find God only in faith as He reveals Himself to us.  In verse twenty-four Elihu concludes, Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.  Elihu finished by saying that people should fear, or live in awe of the Holy Majesty of God.  We have nothing to say, no matter how wise we are, that will ever add anything to Who God is.

Job 37:1 says, At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.  Elihu was speaking about the power of God.  Elihu said that God's power, and magnificence, made his made his heart tremble.  We need that same feeling of awe in the presence of God today.  I believe that at times we act as though God is somehow limited in the world today.  Because of all the evil around us we act as though God has become almost powerless.  Verse two says, Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.  Elihu was asking Job to not just hear the voice of God, but to listen with understanding.  It is not enough to acknowledge God's work in the world with an impersonal attitude.  We must hear God as He speaks to us individually through the Holy Spirit.  Only when we have that personal relationship can we begin to fully understand God.  Verse three states, He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.  Elihu said that God doesn't just appear to a select few, but He declares Himself so the whole world can see Him.  Verse four says, After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.  Though at times God may speak as a still, small voice, at others He shakes the earth with His voice. We need to remember that God, by His voice, spoke all things into existence.  If God is speaking to us today, no matter how He is doing it, we must listen and heed His voice. Verse five says, God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.  Elihu said that God is at work in ways that we cannot even comprehend.  Job felt deserted by God, but this was in no way true. We cannot allow events in life to cause us to question God.  Verse six says, For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.  Once more, Elihu was stating that God is in control of His world.  Nothing is ever going to take God by surprise, nor will anything ever overpower Him.  Whether the moisture of the heavens falls as rain or snow, God is still the One behind them.  Verse seven says, He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.  Elihu said that when weather conditions become too extreme, whether from rain or snow, people are sealed off from their work.  Verse eight states, Then the beasts go into dens, and remain inside their places.  Elihu said even the beasts, or the animals, were affected by this server weather.  The next four verses speak of God's control of the weather.   Verse nine says, Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.  Then verse ten, By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.  So far, Elihu says that God can control whirlwinds, cold winds, frost, and rain.  Verse eleven continues, Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:  Finally verse twelve concludes, And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.  I personally do not believe that every weather event is a result of God's direct action, just as Job's suffering was not a result of the direct action of God.  Still, God does indeed have it in His power to control every aspect of not only the weather, but the entire universe.  Verse thirteen says, He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.  Elihu said that God could use the weather for correcting people or simply for sustaining the earth.  Once more, we simply have to acknowledge that God is in control no matter what happens.

Today, we will look at some events that occurred shortly after the birth of Jesus.  Luke 2:15 says, And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  The shepherds were in agreement after the angels went back into heaven.  They said that they would go to Bethlehem and see this thing that had come to pass, which God had made known to them.  The angels had told them what had happened, but they wanted to see it for themselves.  We might have a multitude of angels proclaiming the truth about Christ to us today, but it would not bring us the promised salvation without seeing Jesus for ourselves, or having that personal encounter in other words.  The shepherds could have said that what they had seen was impressive and simply gone on their way, but instead they put going to see the truth about Jesus ahead of everything else.  We need to be the same way, putting Jesus first, especially at Christmas time.  Too often, Christ gets lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas.  Verse sixteen says, And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  We are not told exactly how far the shepherds had to travel, but are told that they came as quickly as they could.  No matter how far a person may be spiritually from God, once hearing the good news of Christ, he or she should make haste to come to Him.  God will call all people to Him, but it is up to each individual to respond to that call, and there is never a good reason to delay.  The shepherds could have said that the announcement of the birth of Jesus was interesting or even exciting, but that they were too busy with too many responsibilities to let it affect them very much, but they didn't.  They took action, and so should we when we encounter Christ.  Verse seventeen says,  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  When the shepherds found Jesus, the told everyone about what they had seen and heard.  When we meet Jesus in a personal relationship, we need to make known what we know about Him.  The shepherds did not just see Jesus and go away quietly.  They had good news to share, and so do we.  Usually, today the day after Christmas is a day to return to our normal lives, but we should be even more ready to share the gospel of Christ.  Verse eighteen says, And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  What the shepherds told those that they encountered got people to thinking about Christ.  What we as followers of Christ tell people today should at least get them to thinking about Christ.  Verse nineteen says, But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.  I cannot imagine all the thoughts that were going through Mary's mind.  She had been told that she would give birth to the Messiah, and the shepherds confirmed that this was what had happened.  Though some would make Mary almost a god, she was but a young woman who had something miraculous happen in her life.  I believe that as she kept all these things in her heart that she most likely had many questions about her ability to be fulfill her calling.  If we are followers of Christ today, He has called us for a purpose, and we may at times question our ability to carry out our calling.  At these times, we need to keep our relationship to Christ at the center of our thoughts.  Verse twenty says, And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.  The shepherds returned to work, but they were changed.  They were glorifying and praising God for all they had seen.  The day after Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, we as His followers should glorify and praise God for what He did for the world when He sent Christ to live and die to redeem us.  Though we should do this every day, we should especially do so at Christmas time, so that Christ is not forgotten as we celebrate His birth.