Third Sunday after the Epiphany – Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

God has kept His promise. Christ has come. Let us rejoice in Him.

The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given... .’ The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord’. Jesus Christ is our great Saviour. He is our ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6: Luke 2:11).

Jesus Christ has brought to us a great salvation. Through faith in Him, we enter God’s heavenly and eternal ‘Kingdom’ (Isaiah 9:7: Luke 1:30-33). This is ‘Good News of great joy’- for ‘all the people’, for ‘all generations’.

Let us rejoice in the Lord, as Mary, the mother of Jesus, did - ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour... for the Mighty One has done great things for me... .’ Let us join with the angels in saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest...’ (Luke 2:10; 1:46-50; 2:14).

Worship the Lord, wait on Him and walk with Him.

God’s love for us inspires our loyalty to Him: ‘Your love is ever before me, and I will walk continually in Your truth’ (Psalm 26:3).

Loyalty to the Lord involves worshipping Him and walking with Him (Psalm 26:11-12).

Walking with God is not easy. There are ‘enemies round about’ us (Psalms 26:4-5, 9-10; 27:2-3, 6 ,11-12). What are we to do? We are to worship God: ‘One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the House of the Lord…’ (Psalm 27:4).

What are we doing when we gather in the Lord’s House for worship? This is what we are doing - ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage’ (Psalm 27:14).

Where does our strength come from? It comes from God: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation… The Lord is the stronghold of my life’. Strong in Him, we say, ‘My heart will not fear … I will be confident’ (Psalm 27:1, 3).

How are we to worship the Lord, wait on the Lord and walk with Him?

* “The Word of the Cross … is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

I knew a man called John Mutch. He said to me, “Think much of the blood”. I called this the “much” (or “Mutch”) theology.

Let your faith be centred on “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23) and, strengthened with the joy of the Lord, you will grow strong in a life of worshipping God, waiting on Him and walking with Him.

* Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

Any progress we make in following Christ and becoming fishers of men is based on this – a deep awareness of this: we have been redeemed ... with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

- Let our worship be filled with heartfelt gratitude for the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

- Let our waiting on God be centred on Christ crucified and filled with a growing confidence in the Father’s love, so wonderfully revealed to us in the Cross of Christ: He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not give us all things with Him? (Romans 8:32); If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:14).

- Let our walking with God be filled the joy which comes from knowing that Christ is our Saviour. We walk in the Spirit when we say, from the heart, God forbid that I should glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:16; 6:14).