Tag Archives: Jesus

A Seed Must Fall

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wheatTruly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24 ESV)  I’ve heard that verse a couple of times this weekend, so it was fresh in mind when I started reading the Exodus this morning.  Let’s first put it in its proper context.

Nearly half of John’s Gospel deals with the events of the Passion week.  The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is recorded at the beginning of chapter 12, and this verse is spoken by Jesus in reference to his hour having come.  A seed must fall into the ground and die just as Jesus must go down into the earth by being placed in the grave.  John 12:24 is an illustration of how Jesus must die and be buried in order to rise again with new life.  By being obedient to the Father’s will, Jesus will produce much fruit for the Kingdom.  God speaks aloud in verse 27 and says that he has gloried Jesus’ name and will glorify it again. Continue reading →

God is On My Side

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jer 29“God is on my side.”  Consider for a moment the arrogance of that statement.  We’ve all said it, and probably didn’t mean to infer anything by it.  But the implication is that we have a position, a plan for victory, and that God chooses to support our position.  The truth is, we don’t even have a side.

Of all the children in a large family, Joseph was the favorite of his father Jacob.  (As in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also known as Israel.)  Joseph was also favored by God.  When his brothers plotted to kill him, a band of merchants just happened by and one suggested there was no profit in killing him but he could be sold as a slave.  That would get rid of him and they could make a little something on the side.  Joseph was carried down to Egypt, which was of course all part of God’s plan.  Perhaps that traveling merchant caravan didn’t just “happen by” after all. Continue reading →

God Loves You. God Hates Sin.

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jesus-in-the-manger

If you want to know how much God loves you, look in the manger.

jesus_cross

If you want to know how much God hates sin, look at the cross. Continue reading →

He Became Poor

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jesus-in-the-mangerFor you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
-2 Corinthians 8:9

He became poor.  He didn’t loose his riches, nor were they taken from him.  Philippians 2 says he humbled himself and took the from of a servant.  Jesus said in John 10 that no one takes his life, but that he has the authority to lay it down and take it up again.

He became poor.  He became small, weak, tired, hungry, thirsty, despised and rejected by men.  He was laid in a manger the night he was born and in a grave the night he died.  Why?  Because only he could.  Neither the Law, nor sacrifices, nor good works could make us righteous.  On our own, we could never have clawed our way out.  We were guilty, condemned, lost and… hopeless.  I have often said that when we could not come to God, he came to us.  C.S. Lewis said “The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God.”

God is in the manger.  And that is the best gift ever.

Merry Christmas!

For Jews and Gentiles

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JehoshuaA couple of weeks ago, our Sunday School lesson focused on how the first Christmas was for a Jewish audience.  Joseph and Mary, the inhabitants of Bethlehem, and the shepherds who visited on the night of Jesus’ birth were all Jews.  Jesus came first to his own people, knowing he would be rejected, all to fulfill God’s plan.

This week we looked at Christ’s birth for Gentiles.  Consider these words of Simeon, who met Jesus at his dedication at the Jerusalem temple:

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
(Luke 2:29-32 ESV)

It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Christ in his lifetime.  Notice that when Jesus was only weeks old, Simeon recognized he was both light for the Gentiles and the glory of Israel.  Sometimes we get this funny idea, even if we don’t put it into words, that throughout the Bible God sort of rolls with the punches.  Sometimes we make it up as we go along, but that doesn’t mean God does the same.  He didn’t come up with the plan of salvation after Israel failed to keep the Law.  And offering salvation to the Gentiles was not some sort of plan B when the Jews rejected Jesus.

God knew all along, and the birth, life and death of Jesus were all part of his great plan.  The birth of the Christ is good news for all mankind.

God is in the Manger

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nativity, liveHave you ever seen a live nativity?  Instead of plastic figures of shepherds and wise men, a live nativity scene has actors in costume, and for an hour or two each evening you can drive by and see them.  The shepherds bow and worship, the magi present their gifts, perhaps Mary rocks her baby in her arms, or else Mary and Joseph simply admire him.  It’s unlikely, even at a live nativity, that they have an actual newborn present.  The “baby Jesus” might be a toddler, or even an infant, but you wouldn’t want to keep a real baby out in the cold for very long.  Even a live nativity scene will often use a doll, or even just pretend there is a babe wrapped up in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger.

Contrast that scene with the night Jesus was born.

Continue reading →

Here with Us

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Joy Williams Here with Us, scenes from The Nativity Story

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UPDATE: This is still one of my Christmas favorites. This year I did a full write up on what’s going on in this video:

https://themasterstable.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/here-with-us-2/

Mary Did You Know?

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UPDATE: Mary Did You Know was written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene.  I stand corrected; read the comments below.

Mary Did You Know was originally written by Mark Lowry in 1984.  Lowry is best know for being a comedian, and practically made a career out of making fun of Bill Gather.  Michael English was the first artist to release it on his debut album in 1992.

Here is Mary Did You Know performed by Mark Lowry, with scenes from the Jesus film.  

*The video description spells his name incorrectly; Lowry not Lowery is correct.

If you prefer Michael English:  Continue reading →

Happy Monday

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hap mon, king size…

Yeah, it’s Monday.  But look on the bright side, it’s the first Monday in December.  Also the first week of Advent.  And if you’re SBC, this is the week of prayer for International Missions.  Most of us will get some kind of break in another couple of weeks, and this is truly the most wonderful time of year. Continue reading →

Christians and Santa Claus

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I opened the floor for comments on Santa and got them.  I didn’t go out looking for it, but ran across this sermon outline.  If you’re looking for a scriptural basis that Santa is from Satan, well there it is.  And now for my bit.

Christmas – It’s worth noting to begin with that not all Christians celebrate Christmas.  The Christ mass is Roman Catholic in origin, which is enough to cause some Protestants to avoid it.  Eastern Orthodoxy originally celebrated the day in January, and few countries using the Julian calendar (such as Ethiopia and Russia) still do.  Many of the traditions are clearly not Christian, and some speculate (the history is uncertain) that the December 25th date corresponds to the winter solstice and pagan celebrations.  Tree decorating really was a pagan element that Christians “borrowed” for their own celebration.  The argument can also be made that there is no scriptural command to celebrate Christ’s birth.  Jesus said “This do in remembrance of me” at the Last Supper, but after his birth is recorded in the Gospels there is really no further mention of it.  Only two Gospels record the birth of Christ, Matthew and Luke, but all four record his death, burial and resurrection.  The incarnation is fundamental to Christian theology, but celebrating Jesus’ birth is not. Continue reading →