TerryLema

“As we think of the babe in the manger this Christmas season, we must always do so in sight of the cross.”  I wrote that yesterday, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  The manger and the cross are linked by one sinless life lived by the Son of God amid all the temptations and assaults of the enemy. The Scripture is clear that Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” [Heb 4:15 NKJV]

The Scripture is also clear that the plan of salvation was determined before the world was ever formed … before Adam had ever sinned.  [1 Peter 1:20]

Philippians 2:5-11 gives not only the sequence of events, but all the things that are an integral part of what we speak of as “the cross.” The cross of Christ began with the plan between God and the Son before time. Then in the fullness of time – the perfect time – God’s Son came to earth through the womb of a virgin. He lived that absolutely sinless life among us.

“The cross” includes the agony in Gethsemane, when Jesus said He was sorrowed to the point of death and yet set His will through obedience. It included the crown of thorns, the beatings, the stripes upon His back, the nails, the crucifixion, being forsaken by God, and His death. It included the tomb and Glory to God, it included the Resurrection!

“The Cross” included His ascension into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession to all who come to Him through “The Cross.” And it will all culminate when every knee will bow (in heaven, on earth, and under the earth) and “every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!”

So when we speak of the cross, we need to remember the total picture, and not just those few hours on a Friday so many centuries ago. We are still in the midst of the work of “The Cross.” Praise His Glorious Name.

I have a hymnal called “Hymns of Glorious Praise.”  The Table of Contents for that hymnal tells me it is laid out by theme.  The first section is worship.  “O, Worship the King” all glorious above, and gratefully sing His Power and His love. (Franz Joseph Hayden, 1732-1809)

Right after the worship section in this hymnal come the songs of the Incarnation, songs of Christmas.   Yet too soon, following the Christmas songs come songs of the cross.

It was for the cross that Christ came.  It was for the cross that He abandoned all the rights and privileges of His divine nature and came to earth as a babe.  It was for the cross that He took upon Himself the sins of this world and surrendered Himself to death, even a death on a cross.  [Philippians 2]

And the cross was for us.  To fully appreciate the babe born in the manager, we must always do so in sight of the cross.  If Jesus was only a great teacher, a good man, or a prophet, celebrating his birth would not be much different than celebrating the birth of other good teachers and good men.

But Jesus was not just a great teacher, a good man, and a prophet. He was and is and always will be God the Son, and He came to Bethlehem that wondrous night for a single purpose, to reconcile man and God.  That reconciliation meant the giving of his very life’s blood on a heathen cross, the one true spotless sacrifice offered for the sins of men.

Both the star over the stable and the cross on the hill cast shadows that stretch through all eternity to remind us of what our salvation cost our God.

“Hark the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’

Joyful all ye nations rise.  Join the triumph of the skies.

With the angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Hark, the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king!’”

The night was dark.  The flocks were bedded down.  The shepherds gathered around the small fire and talked softly.  They were tired from the long, hard work of the day, yet they remained vigilant at night.  It was in the dark of the night that predators prowled.  The shepherds were always on duty, ever watchful, ever alert for even the softest sound of danger.

Suddenly, the sky was on fire with a brilliant light and an unearthly being appeared before them.  Light shown all around them.  They were used to danger, but this strange sight frightened them.  Then a voice boomed across the sky bringing comfort.  “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manager.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel and began praising God.  “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  [Luke2:8-20]

The most glorious announcement of all time came first not to kings or the prominent but to shepherds alone in the night keeping watch over their flocks.  And this king, born that night in Bethlehem and attested to by heavenly hosts would one day call Himself a Shepherd, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”  And in the giving of that life, God and sinners would be reconciled. There need be no more war between men and God, no more great gulf created by sin and death.  The Everlasting Peace was born that night in Bethlehem.

“Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled . . . Hark, the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king!’”

I turn 71 years old today, whether I want to or not, whether I like it or not! We can fight the aging process, but in the end, it’s going to win.  I remember reading a sign once that asked the question: How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

That sign annoyed me when I first saw it, it still annoys me.  I know how old I am.  My body reminds me every day.  All I must do is pass a mirror or catch a glimpse of my reflection in a window.  I am reminded also when I climb out of bed with most of the same aches and pains I went to bed with – or sometimes even with new ones like my recently arrived stiff neck.  Sometimes I feel ancient.

But other times I feel like a child.  Christmas, hearing the carols, seeing the nativity scenes, watching the snow fall.  I know this is going to sound strange, but when we sing the song “Days of Elijah” I want to jump just like the Marines do in that video.  Of course, I don’t jump anymore, my knees have forgotten how … but I still want to!

I also know that deep inside me, in the part of me that really counts, I am now and will eternally be a child of God.  The calendar that counts the years cannot change that. The body that refuses to jump when told cannot change it either!

1 John 3:1:  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! [NIV]

*Here’s the link to the Marine’s singing Days of Elijah – wait for the jump part [There’s no God like Jehovah] and see if you don’t also want to join them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MtdyRDy4fU

Don’t you just love laughing with old friends … or with new ones! I love laughter. I love laughing so hard my ears and stomach muscles ache. There are some old skits from WKRP which make me laugh so hard I shed tears (especially the thanksgiving turkey bombing one).

What got me laughing today was a rather skewed (probably) view of Elizabeth in Luke 1.  When Mary came to visit, Elizabeth called her blessed for three reasons … Mary was blessed among women.  Mary was blessed for the child she would bear.  Mary was blessed for believing that what the Lord spoke to her would be accomplished.  [Luke 1:39-45]

What got me laughing was my take on that meeting and Elizabeth’s last blessing of Mary for “believing what the Lord spoke to her”.  I had just read the Song of Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband.  Zacharias unfortunately did not believe what the Lord spoke and the consequences of that unbelief was that he was mute for nine months until John was born.  In my imagination I could hear Elizabeth say to Mary … blessed are you for believing what the Lord spoke … all the while thinking … unlike this man of mine who didn’t and now sits over there unable to speak.

 I’m not sure that is what Elizabeth really thought but it is what I would have thought!  I wonder if it is something Elizabeth and Mary discussed in the months they were together … all the while Zacharias was looking on sheepishly quiet.  We need to remember that the people in the Bible were real people, with thoughts and emotions just like us.  They are not superheroes, they are people empowered by the Spirit of God, just like us.

We can learn from Mary’s example of faith and obedience what to do, and learn from Zacharias’ example of unbelief what not to do.

You cannot think of Christmas without thinking of Mary.  Mary is often misunderstood, idolized by some, ignored by others.  Yet Mary has much to teach us.  Mary teaches us of the blessedness that comes from obedience.  When Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she was blessed among women and would be the mother of God’s Son, her response was simple.  “Be it done to me according to your (God’s) word.”  [Luke 1:38]

Later in Jesus’ ministry when someone shouted to Him from the crowd, “Blessed is the womb that bore You,” His response was simply, “rather, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.”  [Luke 11:28]

Jesus wasn’t downplaying Mary’s role, but rather pointing out that the way of blessedness for her is the way of blessedness for all of us … be it done to me according to God’s Word.  In other words, obedience.

Jesus Himself would cry out similar words as He agonized in Gethsemane before his arrest and crucifixion, “Father, not my will but Yours.”  And let’s understand that being obedient and blessed doesn’t mean we escape all unpleasantness.  Mary would be gossiped about most of her life I imagine as “that woman who became pregnant before marriage.” She would also stand and watch her son publicly humiliated and executed.  Jesus’ obedience led to the cross.

Obedience doesn’t always mean escaping difficulties, but it does mean we are saturated with blessings from God that accompany us through every and all.

The computer I use at work had been slowing down and freezing up. On Friday, it was determined that the hard drive was dying and needed to be replaced.  While the technicians were working to try to save it, I heard them use several words and phrases that gave me pause. Re-boot. Disk scan. Corrupt data. Re-image. My immediate reaction was to apply those terms to my/our spiritual life.

Re-boot: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” We need to stop on occasion and re-boot (start over) our lives through repentance. [Rev 3:19 NIV]

Disk scan: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me.” It’s a breathtaking act to ask God to reveal to you what is in your own heart. But how wonderful to allow Him to do so that He may remove anything that is displeasing to Him. [Ps 139:23-24 NKJV]

Corrupt data: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  The god of this world is always filling our minds with corrupt data to try to lead us away from Father God.  We need to renew our minds through God’s Word so that we can know His will. [Rom 12:2 NIV]

Re-image. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” God’s will for our life is to be conformed to the image of His Son. God’s will is the same for all of us, to look like Jesus. The path He takes each one down to accomplish that purpose in us will be different for each, but the goal is the same–to re-image us to look like His Dear Son. [Rom 8:29 NKJV]

What joy!

As I prepare for my December messages, I’ve been thinking of that first Christmas night and how silent it was.  There was no royal herald racing through town announcing that a king had been born.  The bells did not ring. Trumpets did not blast.  No one cried out from the rooftops.  People were in their beds. Bethlehem was quiet, sleeping on in the darkness.

 While everyone slept the seismic event that would change this world forever was happening in a place that protected animals from the elements.  A young girl was giving birth to the Light of the World.  God’s Dawn was breaking forth, pushing back the darkness.  The shadow of death that blanketed this world would soon bow to the Dayspring from on high. Even though no one noticed, nothing would ever be the same.

Isaiah had prophesied of the light:  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. Isa 9:2

Zacharias repeated that prophecy shortly before Jesus’ birth:  The Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

All was silent.  All was quiet.  Except for a few shepherds, no one was aware of what was happening.  The Dayspring, the Dawn, the Son-rise had come.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given.
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.

We learned Wednesday of the fall of another big television news ‘star’ because of sexual harassment and misbehavior. Even though I have never liked this news personality, I hate to see anyone’s sin publicly displayed. (I would not want mine to be shown to the world.) At the same time, there was a sense “what goes around, comes around” in that this personality has spent his career pointing to the sins of others and pontificating about them. Now his sins are scrolling across the bottom of the same television screens.

There is an Old Testament Scripture that reminds us that while our sins can be hidden from others, they cannot be hidden from the view of the Lord.  In Numbers 32, Moses was approached by the Reubenites and Gadites as they camped alongside the Jordan River before crossing over into the Promised Land. They liked the pasturelands there and wanted to stay on that side of the river. Moses confronted them about abandoning the other tribes in their conquest of the Promised Land. The Reubenites and Gadites assured Moses that they would go with the other tribes and help them claim their portion also.  Moses accepted their promise and responded, “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” [V 23 NIV]

Ah, what a devastating thought. But thankfully, throughout Scripture God has promised mercy and grace, forgiveness and righteousness for those who love Him and who come to Him through His Son’s cross.  In Micah 7:19, He promised to “hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”  In Isaiah 1:18, He said that “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”  There is a song by Matt Redmond that says it this way, “every accusation, all our condemnation, silenced at the cross.” (Link to the full song below)

Let us pray that those whose sins “have found them out,” now find the free salvation offered in Christ Jesus.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=tightropetb&p=there+is+no+one+like+our+god+%2Cmatt+Redmond#id=52&vid=b5c72f93e4cb6ec202fb86ba12596990&action=click

One of the things I do at work now is run basic public records reports on different individuals.  Mainly, they are things like judgments, liens, foreclosures.  Sometimes there are notes about criminal records without any details. Occasionally something catches my eye. Last week I came across this notation “Criminal: violation of the basic rule.” It was an Oregon violation.

That, of course, peaked my interest.  What does Oregon consider as a “violation of the basic rule.”  It turns out the unabbreviated notation is “violation of the basic speed rule” and pertains to driving faster than the conditions warrant.

After learning what Oregon considers a violation of the basic rule, I figured I should find what God considers a violation of the basic rule.  That was an easy one. God gave the basic rule in Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” [NIV]

Then He followed that in Leviticus 19:18 with: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  [NIV]

Jesus also reminded us of these in Matthew 22 and Mark 12. We have all violated God’s basic rule (the only exception is Jesus, God’s Dear Son). We’ve never loved God with all our heart, soul and strength. And we’ve done a pretty poor job of loving our neighbors to the same measure we love ourselves.  Our heavenly records look pretty much like that man’s Oregon record: “Criminal: Violation of God’s Basic Rule.”

Thankfully, our criminal record has been wiped clean, for “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [Rom 5:8 NIV]

Thank you, Father, for the great love you have given us in Christ Jesus. For taking us from being criminals and bringing us into Your family as Your children. Amen.