PURE HUMILITY!!!!!!!—PURE EXULTATION!!!!!!!
In four days, the world will celebrate Christmas. Think about it for a moment—The ENTIRE world will celebrate this holiday, this most HOLY—DAY! The birth of a baby, born in a stable, a baby whose tiny body was placed into a manger—a sign from heaven that HE (this baby who has been born) was the Savior of the world. We sing of His birth. We honor His birth. We celebrate His birth. We know the truth: God sent His only Son! We know the truth because the Holy Scriptures proclaimed this truth from the beginning of time. We know the truth, and we raise our voices as we sing:
“Hark!
The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn king;
Peace on earth
And Mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
—Charles Wesley
Jesus—a common name during the time period when God sent His only Son into the world.
Jesus—a Greek name derived from the Hebrew name Joshua.
Jesus—a name that means “the LORD is salvation.”
Jesus—a name above all names.
Jesus—a baby born into the world.
Jesus—a birth celebrated above all births.
JESUS—WITH A CHILD, GOD HAS SPOKEN!
JESUS—the incarnation of God!
JESUS—OUR REDEEMER!
JESUS—the Son of God sent to save people from their sins!
JESUS—PURE JOY HAS COME TO THE WORLD!
JESUS—CHRIST HAS COME!
JESUS—the ONLY WAY to God!
JESUS—HE is ALL we need!
“And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
(Luke 2: 10-12 NASB)
And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
- We look at the star of David, and we remember.
- We read about the wise men from the east; yes, we read, and we remember this Christmas season.
- We see how the wise men had studied astronomy for decades of years, seeking the heavens for this ONE star, for this ONE who would point the way to God!
- We read how they came (many days after HIS birth), how they came seeking to find the child who had come to earth, how they came seeking the King of Kings, and how they knew This Child was the long-awaited Messiah!
- We study God’s Holy Word, and we recall the HUMILITY with which God sent His Salvation to the world.
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
(Philippians 2: 5-8 NASB)
who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”
PURE HUMILITY!!!!!!!
- We see the manger & We see the cross—juxtaposed, standing apart in time but standing side-by-side, revealing the ONLY WAY to know God.
- We see the manger and we see Jesus!
- We see the cross and we see Jesus!
- Fully God!
- Fully man!
- God Incarnate who has come to the world, to us, so we might come to believe & be saved!
- We see and maybe we will choose to believe in the Son of God.
- But maybe we see and don’t choose to believe in Jesus.
Still the TRUTH remains the TRUTH—whether we choose to believe or to not believe.
JESUS CAME TO EARTH AS A BABY TO PROVIDE THE ONLY WAY TO GOD!
JESUS CAME TO EARTH AND LIVED AS A SON OF MAN TO PROVIDE THE ONLY WAY TO GOD!
PURE EXULTATION!!!!!!!
“For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
(Philippians 2: 9-11 NASB)
so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In four days, the world will celebrate Christmas. Think about it for a moment—The ENTIRE world will celebrate this holiday, this most HOLY—DAY!
This sign: a baby lying in a manger.
This sign: a baby born of God!
We sing songs celebrating His birth.
We set aside time to honor His birth.
We gather to celebrate His birth.
We know the truth!
God sent His only Son!
The Messiah!
JESUS!
The name above ALL names!
He came!
He will come again!
We know the truth because the Holy Scriptures proclaimed this truth from the beginning of time.
We know the truth. &
We raise our voices. &
We shout praises to the KING of Kings & LORD of Lords.
We raise our voices as we sing—
“The hands that hold the stars says, “You are—don’t you know—
You’ve got a soul worth saving”
don’t you know—
don’t you know—
You’re still a high worth chasing”. . .
Love reaching down . . .
Worth the rescue, every time . . .
Hope someday you realize . . .
The hands that bear the scars says, “You are—don’t you know—
You’re still a high worth chasing
You’ve got a soul worth saving.”
“Soul Worth Saving” by Apollo LTD