God's names help us get to know him better. Matt Maher's Christmas song, "He Shall Reign Forevermore," points us to an area of Scripture that reveals four powerful names of Jesus. It is at Christmastime we are reminded, "To us, a child is born." Let's get to know Him better through his names. In this episode I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - our Bible Interaction Tool Exercises this week are: Consulting an outside resource Reading in context Completing a word study Following the cross-references The 30 Day Music Challenge - ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE HERE Getting really good at reading, studying, and understanding Scripture so I'm prepared for quality life application Soaking in Isaiah 9:1-7 inspired by our song Exploring Christ's kingdom, government, and eternal reign in Scripture He will reign forever and ever - Revelation 11:15 Parables of what the kingdom of heaven is like Wheat and weeds growing together until sorted out at the harvest - Matthew 13:24-30 A huge tree growing from a small start - Matthew 13:31-32 Like yeast, a little bit, growing from within permeates the entire loaf - Matthew 13:33 A hidden treasure worth selling everything for - Matthew 13:44 A jewel of inestimable value - Matthew 13:45 A fishing net catching good and bad fish to be sorted out later - Matthew 13:47-50 Filled with teachers who bring out new and old gems of truth - Matthew 13:52 A forgiving king who expect those who have been forgiven a great debt to "pay it forward" - Matthew 18:23-25 The vineyard workers who are last receive the same blessing/payment as those who are first - Matthew 20:1-16 The wedding feast where all are invited, but few responded - Matthew 22:2-14 A bridegroom who may return at any time and we must be ready - Matthew 25:1-13 The servants who invested what the Lord had given them and were entrusted with more - Matthew 25:14-30 JD Greear's book "Searching for Christmas: What if There's More to the Story Than You Thought" - Amazon Link JD reading his short book for free on his podcast - Spotify Link Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor, instructs and guides us with authority so great it is beyond our understanding God's ways are higher - Isaiah 55:8 What we can know of God is just the fringe - Job 26:14 Jesus understands what we're going through - Hebrews 4:15 Jesus is our Mighty God -- our El Gibbor Scanning the 159 times "gibbor" is used in Scripture to discover when it is applied to God - BibleHub.com Following the cross-reference to Psalm 45 Recognizing that our Everlasting Father is the PERFECT Father He's engaged and full of love - Psalm 103:8 His love is sacrificial - John 3:16 He loves lavishly - 1 John 3:1 His love rejoices over us with singing - Zephaniah 3:17 A little gem hidden in Zephaniah 3:17 that is uncovered by our study this week Understanding more about Biblical peace to better understand how Jesus is our Prince of Peace - BibleProject.com How Jesus makes everything whole - Ephesians 3:12-14 I just want to be really good at reading, studying, and understanding God's Word so that I know my conclusions (or the conclusions of pastors and teachers I sit under) are rooted in truth and understanding. Trust me, when that happens, the application is all the richer. Additional Resources Lyrics and chords - EssentialWorship.com Story behind the song "He Shall Reign Forevermore" - YouTube Video Chris Tomlin sharing "He Shall Reign Forevermore" in the New Song Cafe - WorshipTogether.com Weekly Challenge Read all about the promised Christ child in Isaiah 9. Meditate on the names given to Jesus in this text. Consider the significance of what we learn about Him through these names. Try exploring one of His titles further in Hebrew through an online resource. Chase down a few cross-references -- you never know where they may lead. Respond to God's lavish love by placing your faith in our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Everlasting Father, our Prince of Peace.