Christmas Contemplations 3

It has been said that the historic Jesus misled his followers, learning the prophecies of Scripture and going about “fulfilling” them.

That is wrong…for so many reasons.

Unless He was the Word Made Flesh (John 1:14), He couldn’t determine to whom or where He would be born.

The Wise Men were scholars who studied the prophecies and traveled far in order to worship Him.

If just anyone, Jesus would have had nothing to do with the dream Joseph had that caused them to flee to Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod. The king’s edict to kill the baby boys two and younger was also a fulfillment of prophecy.

As a young child, Jesus would have had no influence on the fact that they settled in Nazareth when they returned.

These are just a few of the prophesies the historic Jesus fulfilled. They are recorded in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew.

As we progress through this study, we will find many more evidences that Jesus is who the Bible reveals Him to be.

Have a blessed Christmas season and a New Year overflowing with wonder.

 

 

 

Christmas Contemplations 1

Thank you for stopping by. From now until the end of the year, I hope to add two posts per week.

Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year, especially for followers of Jesus. But we too must be careful not to get caught up in all the busyness. It helps if we focus our attention on the One who came to earth approximately 2,000 years ago.

I would like to consider what the Gospel of Matthew says about His coming.

The first seventeen verses of chapter one are a genealogy that begins with Abraham. Because the book was originally written to the Hebrew people, Matthew knew how important it was to trace back Jesus’ ancestry to the father of their faith. Jesus is referred to as “the son of David.”

However, I believe the Bible is to be taken literally when it says Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. It was the fulfillment of the prophecy that says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” As you likely know, Immanuel means “God with us.”

So, about that busyness…We shop. We attend parties and family gatherings. We are even extra busy at church. For some, it is a difficult time. You may be lonely. You may be missing loved ones. You may be all too aware that you are not in a financial position to purchase the gifts you’d love to give.

Whether we’re running here and there or wishing the whole thing would just be over, the Scriptures reveal many amazing truths that should cause us to take a breathe and marvel at His plan.

Thank You, Lord, that You came to earth. Thank You that You were – and are – the fulfillment of countless prophecies. May we be still this Christmas season and marvel anew at the truths revealed in Your Word.

Incarnate

Incarnate means “embodied in flesh.”

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (NIV). This is one of those “basics” of the Christian faith that should make us stop short, quieten our minds, and truly marvel.

Remember what verse 1 says? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (NIV).

We cannot fully understand or explain the incarnation. It is one of those things we have to take by faith, but when we do, it blows us away.

People wish God would make Himself known. Come to them. Reveal His character, His will, His love. He did – approximately 2,000 years ago.

Because of His grace, those of us who did not live then, have the Scriptures. We can learn about Him in its pages. It is absolutely indispensable. Otherwise, we’d always live in confusion, believing others’ perceptions of Him or our own changing ideas.

And thankfully, our experience need not be limited to an intellectual one. Before Jesus’ went back to Heaven after His resurrection, He informed His followers that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who would lead and guide them.

Jesus Christ no longer walks among us, but the Spirit is still making Him known to this day. By reading the Bible, accepting God’s gift of eternal life, and heeding His Spirit’s direction, we can get to know Him, the One who came as God Incarnate.

Creator

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3 ESV).

As I mentioned last time, God is the Word. What I didn’t go on to say is that Jesus Christ is the Word and Jesus Christ is God. It is all woven together beautifully throughout the Scriptures, but especially in the Gospel of John. This same Jesus Christ is the creator of all that exists.

I once heard a macrobiologist and a microbiologist interviewed. Wow! Wow! Wow!

The universe is unimaginably immense. Jesus made that.

An individual cell is unimaginably complex. Jesus made that.

There are plants and creatures on Earth we haven’t even found yet. Jesus made those.

And the mysteries of the universe? We haven’t even scratched the surface. Jesus made those too.

We rush from Point A to Point B, most of us never considering the wonders all around us…and the wonders within.

It warrants study. It warrants awe. And to know that Jesus created mankind, knowing how far we’d stray from His ways, knowing He’d have to come to earth to live as a man, die as a thief, and rise as the God He is to redeem us, should stop us in our tracks. He looked down the annals of history and said, “They’re worth it.” Now that is truly awesome!