Everybody just loves that little baby Jesus. He's so cute. So adorable. so harmless. STOP! False impressions of the Saviour stem from our misconception of who He is , why He came and His subsequent return in glory.
Who is He?
John tells us" the Word became flesh and dwelt upon us. Some may say, who does that mean? The term "the Word conveys the notion of divine self-expression or speech and has a rich OT background. God's Word is effective: God speaks, and things come into being (Gen. 1:3, 9; Ps. 33:6; 107:20; Isa. 55:10–11), and by speech he relates personally to his people.(ESV study Bible).
16th century reformer and theologial John Calvin said, "God, in so speaking, lisps with us as nurses are wont to do with little children" (Institutes, 1.13.1). O how precious is the baby talk of God. It is not like grass that withers or flowers that fades. It abides forever (Isaiah 40:8). (John Piper Desiring God) The Bible is God's own baby talk to His chosen children.
Human language is precious. It sets us off from the animals. It makes our most sophisticated scientific discoveries and our deepest emotions sharable. Above all, God chose to reveal himself to us through human language in the Bible. (Desiring God)
"1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. "
Right after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and believed the lie and all humanity fell into a life of sin that leads to death, the prophet Moses wrote, " 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. " This defeat is implied by the serpent's being bruised in the head, which is more serious than the offspring of Eve being bruised in the heel. Pointing forward to the defeat of the serpent by a future descendant of the woman. The serpent is viewed as more than a mere snake, something which the narrative itself implies, given the serpent's ability to speak and the vile things he says. While the present chapter does not explicitly identify the serpent with Satan, such an identification is a legitimate inference and is clearly what the apostle John has in view in Rev. 12:9 and 20:2." (ESV Study Bible)
The prophet Jeremiah spoke and Baruch wrote down his words 15 ‘ In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.... And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.(Jeremiah 33) John speaks of Him in his first letter when he writes "1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
The prophet Isaiah likewise proclaimed 1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11) [fulfilled in Jesus The Christ] 6 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,1 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt 3]
In contrast to the way in which all other human beings live in rebellion against God, the coming Messiah will be the ideal in his human faithfulness, finding deep joy in living before God in reverence. The reason that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7) is that the moral life begins with reverence and humility before the Maker and Redeemer. The idea of a quest for knowledge sets biblical wisdom in the broad context of the ancient Near Eastern quest for truth, and this verse also validates such a quest as legitimate and good. At the same time, it distinguishes the biblical pursuit of knowledge and wisdom from those of the surrounding cultures, for it asserts that submission to the Lord is foundational to the attainment of real understanding [Ps 111:10.] (ESV Study Bible)
Isaiah speaks of the Messiah's suffering, His death and His victory over death in Chapter 53 of His book.
Micah tells us where He is to be born
2 “ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)
Zechariah speaks of His return in victory over a rebellious world.
"The day of the LORD is coming....in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west....Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You."
John speaks of His coming as this mighty warrior to exact vengence on the rebellious. To execute judgement and righteousness. (Jeremiah 33)
1 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had[e] a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 4 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,[f] followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.
Remember at Christmas that little babe depicted in that manger is the one to whom God has committed all judgement. He will be the one to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. Or ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: I never knew you."
Where will you stand on that day? Do you know the real Christ child. Or the child of your own imagination? Which is nothing more than an idol created to sooth and comfort your own evil heart.
Child in the manger, Infant of Mary
Outcast and stranger, Lord of all
Child who inherits
All our transgressions
All our demerits on Him fall
Once the most holy
Child of salvation
Genlty and lowly,lived below
Now as our glorios Mighty Redeemer
See Him victorios
O'er each foe
Prophets foretold Him
Infant of wonder
Angels behold Him On His throne
Worthy our Savior
Of all our praises
Happy forever
Are His own
And the Lord God said "this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. hear Him.
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