Born in a Manger - God?

God, born in a manger?

I don’t suppose anyone can ever fathom what it means for God to be born in a manger. How does one explain the Almighty stooping to become a tiny infant? Our minds cannot begin to understand what was involved in God becoming a man. We will never comprehend why He who was infinitely rich would become poor, assume a human nature, and enter into a world He knew would reject Him and kill Him.

Nor can anyone explain how God could become a baby. Yet He did. Without forsaking His divine nature or diminishing His deity in any sense, He was born into our world as a tiny infant. How can both things be true?

Humanity and Deity

For nearly two thousand years, debate has been raging about who Jesus really is. Some say He is one of many gods, a created being, a high angel, a good teacher, a prophet, and so on. The common thread of all such theories is that they make Jesus less than God.

But let the Bible speak for itself. John’s gospel begins with a clear statement that Jesus is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made,” John 1. 1-3. Who is “the Word” spoken of in these verses? John 1. 14 removes any doubt: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.

The biblical evidence is overwhelming that this child in the manger was the incarnation of God. For one thing, He was omniscient (knew all things). John 2. 24-25 says that, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Nathanael was shocked to discover that Jesus knew all about him before they ever met. It was enough to persuade him that Jesus was the Messiah, John 1. 48-50. John 4 describes Jesus’ meeting with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He knew everything about her, John 4. 17-19, 29, which was to shock her to the core of her being.

Jesus also did the works of God, saying, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves,” John 14. 11. Jesus’ works are convincing proof that He is God. He began His miraculous ministry with a simple act—He created wine at a wedding in Cana, John 2. 1-11. Only God can create. Moreover, He healed people who were hopelessly ill. He gave a blind man eyes. He opened ears that had never heard. He restored withered limbs. He created enough fish and bread to feed thousands. He raised the dead simply by a command.

This child was God

Why would God become a man and be born in such a lowly manner and let men treat Him the way they did?

“It was the Father’s good pleasure . . . through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19-20). He did it to make peace between God and humanity. All of us have sinned, and we sin repeatedly: “There is none righteous, not even one,” Rom. 3.10. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom. 3. 23. God hates sin and must respond with His wrath. He is a righteous judge who “is angry with the wicked every day,”  Ps. 7.11. Humanity reacts with more hatred, rebellion, or indifference toward God: “There is no fear of God before their eyes,” Rom. 3. 18. The only possible response of a holy God to our sin is more than we can bear, for “the wages of sin is death,” Rom. 6. 23.

Only Jesus, because He alone is both God and man, could ever resolve the conflict. He takes the hand of a repentant, yielding sinner and the outstretched hand of a holy yet loving God, and He joins the two. He can forgive our sins, reconcile us to God, and thus make “peace through the blood of His cross,” Col. 1. 20. And God is not reluctant for that to occur; rather it is the very reason He sent Christ into the world.

God is justifiably angry with our sin. Yet He loves us enough that He gave His own Son to live on earth, die on a cross, suffering the full weight of God’s wrath, which should have been our lot. He paid the penalty for sin and can bring peace between us and God. It could not have been done any other way.

Will you hear the voice of God in His word, the Bible and trust His Son, Jesus, for salvation. My prayer is that you will.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

Christmas Complaints - The Top Four

The Top Four Complaints this Christmas 

(to get full benefit from this blog you would be best to either have a bible to look at or go click on the Bible verse links)

What do you find most frustrating about Christmas?

Without sounding like a Dickensian Scrooge this is my list:

1. The excess consumption of food;
2. The spending of money you don't have;
3. The endless wrapping of things which will in seconds be opened and the paper binned - if you are frugal and economical you could reuse the paper!;
4. The receipt of presents that you don't really need.

I think I am quite a contented person. My Christmas present list is usually non- existent and when asked I struggle to think of things I really need. Maybe this is because I am so well look after that I have very little need of anything. This is most likely true!

The whole idea of being content poses questions that we would be wise to ask regularly

Am I satisfied with my life?

Is there meaning in my life that is bigger that merely maintaining my existence?

The bible suggests that we were not placed on this planet for our own pleasure! We are actually most satisfied when living life in the way God designed. Focusing on self is not the best way although it is our natural bias. Isaiah 43:21 and Revelation 4:11, in the bible, state these principles.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the best example of the right way to live. In fact He was the only person ever to live who lived up to the exacting and high standards of God as defined in the Bible, see Exodus 20 for the detail. In the biblical letter to the Hebrews Jesus is described as 'holy... and undefiled'. BUT in addition to this He lived for the glory of his Father, read John 17:4, and for the good of the people He came into contact with, see Acts 10:38.

I think that you may agree that none of us can hope to reach the standards of perfection that are required of us in the bible. None of us live lives like Jesus did! That puts us in a difficult situation. The bible not only defines the unrelenting standard but it spells out the consequences of falling short of it. One of the most searching statements of the bible is 'for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God' add to this the consequence of sinning (wrongdoing) - 'the wages of sin is death' and the situation becomes impossible.

This is when the offer of forgiveness comes to the surface. God in the bible describes in numerous passages His intention to provide a solution, usually called salvation. One clear statement of truth is this 'Christ died for our sins'. In addition to this we read 'Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that might bring us to God'. In other words the death and resurrection (coming to life again) of Jesus satisfies the legal case against us for all our shortcomings.

How then do we benefit from such a provision? Is it automatic? Do I have to do something to enjoy it? The answer to both questions is no! The only requirement in the word of God is that we recognise and feel the need of forgiveness. When we get to the point were we see our danger and our inability to resolve the issue ourselves then we must turn to God. Leaving everything else behind we need to admit to God our need and cry to Him asking for mercy. The action on our part is 'believe on the Lord Jesus Christ'. That means trust Him, rest on Him and rely on Him as Saviour. The guaranteed response is 'you shall be saved'. Now this will sound crazy to you unless you are already a believer. If not pray and ask God to reveal your need of salvation to you. Your part is to simply believe what God says He will do when you call upon His name.

Finally for those who trust Jesus Christ, as Lord and Saviour, he gives us power to live differently. This is another subject but if you are interested email me (stepcar61@gmail.com) and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

How much did you spend this Christmas?

During the Christmas season, vast amounts of money pass through the high street banks. This world is all about money. Making it, keeping it and spending it. And in order to get it, you usually have to work.

Shortly before His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection, the Lord Jesus talked to His disciples about trading in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 25.14-30). He compared Himself to a businessman who gave varying amounts of money to people to look after while He was away. He wanted them to use the money to do business i.e. to trade. The word trade actually means to 'work or toil'. The Lord gave His servants resources to work with and He expected a 100% growth rate! The servant given five talents made five more, and the servant given two talents made two more. The Lord commended them for their faithfulness and gave them proportionate responsibility in His heavenly kingdom.

But there was a third servant who the Lord draws our attention to. He dug a hole and put his talent into the ground and on the Lord's return, presented it back to Him, untouched. His excuse was that the Lord was hard, austere and oppressive. That lazy servant got a stern rebuke and was cast out into outer darkness. At the very least he should have put the money in the bank to gain interest, let alone worked with it to make it multiply to full advantage. So, the Lord took the money given to the lazy servant and gave it instead, to the servant who had worked the hardest. He knew that it would then be used to full effect.

Serving the Lord begins when a person gets saved, when a person is born again and is filled with His Spirit (Eph. 1.13). An account is instantly opened in the ‘Bank of Heaven’ and the Christian starts the work of investing in heaven’s currency. It is hard work and the rewards are not measured in the currency of this world - money and material things. Instead the Lord Jesus expects us to make full use of the gifts and resources He gives us to show to others His love, like He showed God's love to us. That involves getting to know God as your Father, and behaving in this world like the Lord Jesus did. He did not seek high status even though He is the King of Kings (Rev. 19.6). Instead, in humility and godly fear, He served others, ministering to their needs and in purity of thought and action, demonstrating the principles of God's heavenly Kingdom. It is not possible to be made redundant from that job, or to be underpaid. And the rewards far surpass anything that can be accumulated in this world and are eternal (not left behind at the gates of death as the treasures of this world are). God promises to call all those who are born again His Sons (Rom. 8.15), not just his servants. He gives them eternal life immediately and promises the splendour of heaven in the future. In addition He rewards their faithful service with 'crowns of righteousness' (2 Tim. 4.8) and positions of authority in His future worldwide administration.  It is not possible to serve two masters; it is either the true God or the god of this world i.e. the devil (Matthew 6.24). 

Why not make 2016 the time when you choose to serve the Lord and invest in wealth that lasts forever? 

Written for FTMP by a guest blogger. 

For more information, videos, podcast visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk 

Have you any room for Jesus?

I wonder if you have ever thought about how popular Jesus was in his day. The impression we get at times is that he was loved by everyone right up until his rejection by the Jewish authorities, his prosecution by the Roman authorities and his ultimate death of crucifixion.

From the early days of his time on earth the Lord Jesus was excluded and rejected. There is quite a considerable period (from age 12-30) where we have very little information about the behaviour and activities of the Lord Jesus but we do have the commentary of God, the Father, when he publicly spoke from heaven (which was a very unusual thing to do) and said the he was delighted with His Son. This indicated that though there is scant information about these eighteen years there is nothing in that period (or any other period for that matter) that displeased His Father, God.

Let me discuss with you his exclusions - some specific examples relate to Bethlehem, Nazareth, Gadara and Jerusalem.

Bethlehem - even before the Lord Jesus was born he was excluded. Mary and Joseph had travelled ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The scriptures record that Mary's pregnancy came to full term, she brought forth her firstborn son, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.....because their was no room for them in the inn. Why - no room? Was it just too busy? Was it something about Mary and her pregnant condition? We are not told but we know that there was no room. Excluded!

Nazareth - you should read story for yourself; this is found in Luke 4.16-30. Jesus returns to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. To live all of your life in one place is getting more unusual in the modern world but it was very normal for many years. They would have known Jesus well in Nazareth. I sometimes wonder if they had many unanswered questions about him for he was unique and special in so many ways. He had always gone to the Synagogue and so going on this particular Sabbath day was not unusual. He rises to read, his reading grips the attention of the congregation and they sit spellbound hanging on to his every word. What we know now is that this was the author giving a reading of his book at a private sitting, no wonder they listened so well. When the reading is completed he makes a statement 'today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears'. What is he saying? He is claiming that the bible was written about him and that he is fulfilling it before their eyes. They can't get their heads round it. Is not this Joseph's son we hear them reply. I will not recount the rest of the incident but the end of the story is this. The people are angry with Jesus, they rise as one man and expel him from Nazareth with the intention of either killing him or physically hurting him. Excluded!

Gadara - The rejection and exclusion of the Lord Jesus this time is not because of what he claimed but because of what he did. Read about in Mark 5. The Lord arrives in the region of Gadara. He meets a man who can only be described as out of his mind. He is demon possessed, naked, lives in a graveyard, excluded from society and a danger to his community. To keep the story short - he is healed by the Lord Jesus. When the people from the local town come out to see what is going on they find the previously wild man - sitting, clothed and in His right mind. You would think that they would love the Lord Jesus. They can sleep easy again, things can get back to normal...but. They discover that 2000 pigs had been destroyed in the process of healing the man. They had lost money over this man's healing and they were not happy so they beg the Lord Jesus to leave their region. Excluded!

Jerusalem - It was in this city where he should have been enthroned as King of Israel that he was finally rejected. The current leadership deemed him a threat to their power and position and they could not risk the consequences of ignoring him. If you read John 11.50 they make it sound quite a prudent move when they state that 'one man should die for the people...that the whole nation perish not'. This statement was truer than they ever imagined. The Lord Jesus would not only die to save a nation but to save a world of men and women in need of his rescue plan of salvation. The plans of the rulers all came together when the general public were persuaded to reject the Lord Jesus and demand his execution (John.19.15). He was condemned to the death of the cross. Excluded!

So how about you and I? Will we continue to exclude Him. If we do he will be forced to exclude us on the day of judgement (Matt.25.41) and consign us to eternal punishment for not only breaking God's law but refusing his great salvation (Heb.2.3). When he comes in judgement on the world there will be no place to hide, no room for us (Rev.6.14-17). 

The good news is He still saves those who call out for salvation (Romans.10.13). An acknowledgement of our sin and resting on the Lord Jesus for salvation is all that is required for you to know the blessing of God's forgiveness and salvation.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.