The Plans of God In A Stable

 

 

 

The great plan of man's redemption was drawn up by God through the glory of a stable in Bethlehem, not the palace of a King. The Lord's humility and beginnings in poverty and not riches are hope to all who, though they have little of this earth's monetary wealth, have eternal wealth if they have placed their faith and trust in the One, born in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem, but who would wind up His earthly life hanging from a tree on Calvary's blood-soaked hills. In Jesus we shall see how both as the Son of God in heaven, and as man upon earth, He took the place of entire subordination, and gave God the honor and the glory which is due to Him- And what He taught so often was made true to Himself: "He that humbles him: shall be exalted." As it is written, "He humbled Himself, therefore God highly exalted Him." That is the message of the manager, the plans of God in a stable for ALL who would hear what the Spirit says to the church in these last days.

 

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Luke 2:6-10 - And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. [7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. [8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

When it came time for God's Son Jesus Christ to dwell on the earth, it was not the potentates, the rich, the kings or the high ranking government officials that the Heavenly Father chose to reveal this grand even to. No one found the way to the baby Jesus without direct intervention and revelation from the Holy Spirit then, and no one finds their way to Him today without the same revelation and intervention by the Spirit of God! Who could have foreseen that an elderly priest at the end of his ministry and his barren wife would have probably the most significant role to play in earth's greatest visitation? That's why God had to send the angel Gabriel to Zechariah and Elisabeth. Even with the majestic Gabriel standing before him, Zechariah could not have believe the message that a special son would be given to him in his old age. It just wasn't possible for an old woman to have a child!

Zechariah made the mistake of asking Gabriel for a sign because when he did, Gabriel told him he would be struck mute until the birth of his son, who would be none less than John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah.

Luke 1:5-25
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. [6] And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. [7] And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. [8] And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, [9] According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. [10] And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. [11] And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12] And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name John. [14] And thou shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. [15] For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. [16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. [17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. [18] And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. [19] And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. [20] And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. [21] And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. [22] And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. [23] And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. [24] And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, [25] Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
 

Although Zechariah was a godly man, he became an unwitting symbol of religion's response to Christ from the days when He was born to this very day - those who reject the power of the Holy Ghost and His power of revelatory truth concerning Christ will always be dumbfounded and filled with unbelief, even in the presence of overwhelming supernatural evidence!

 

If it was not possible for an old woman to have a baby, how about a teenage virgin conceiving a son without a man's help? This was Gabriel's next message to Zechariah, whose heart had to jump ten million extra seconds a minute when Gabriel revealed the part of this prophecy that would be hard for National Israel to receive then and they have not received it as a nation yet today - that a human womb was to become the first home on earth for the Saviour of the World. All of the fullness of God was to be compressed in the womb of a teenager named Mary, whose virginity was questioned by the religious and had it not been for the obedience of Joseph to a heavenly dream, she could have and probably would have been stoned to death. Who could have imagined or thought that God would bring His only Son into the world in such a manner and then on top of that have Him be born in a manger amongst cattle in a lowly barn.

 

Mary believed that which Gabriel told her as she cried, "for NOTHING is impossible with God," a motto that would under gird the ministry of Jesus later and the entire New Testament church.

 

Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
 

Even though nothing was impossible with God, no one and I mean NO one guessed or could have ever imagined how The Father intended to send His Son to the earth. No one found the way to the baby Jesus without direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Zechariah knew what was about to happen because the angel Gabriel told him; Mary knew her womb would become His first home on earth because of Gabriel's announcement. Elizabeth had to be filled with the Holy Ghost in order to recognize Mary was carrying the Lord Jesus. Joseph had to be told in a dream or he would have divorced Mary. The shepherds found their way to the child through an angelic announcement, and the Magi were guided to him by a star. Simeon and Anna, a very humble prophet and prophetess, were guided and moved by the Holy Ghost to recognize Him and speak prophetically of His mission to earth. Yet, the significance of the manager and plans that God laid forth in the stable was not so much who WAS present, but who was NOT present nor cared about His birth.

 

The Manger Was Found Only By Divine Revelation

 

Luke 2:8-10 - And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 

The religious scholars of the day never made it to the manger; the religious hierarchy of Israel never made it to the manager; the elite among Rome's political figures never made it; the social crowd that was so busy doing good to others never made it to the manger where the only GOOD that man would ever know existed and birthed;  the Pharisees never made it to the manger; the Sadducees never made it to the manger; the well-educated and well-off financially never made it to the manger; the religious intelligentsia never made it to the manager; yet ALL those who did set a pattern early for all to see that NO ONE WOULD OR COULD OR EVER WILL FIND THEIR WAY TO JESUS WITHOUT DIRECT, SUPERNATURAL REVELATION AND POWER FROM THE HOLY GHOST! Religious scholarship, human intelligence, political power, and social influence are ALL insufficient guides yet these are the guides through which the modern church world today seeks to bring men to the Saviour!
 

Let the reader get this plainly in their mind. This divine pattern at the Lord's birth shows us too that even knowledge of the Bible in itself is an insufficient guide to Jesus. Many know "about" Christ by reading the Bible without a doubt. Some churches major in Bible reading programs that they think will bring men into direct intimacy with Christ - they will not outside the revelatory power of the Holy Ghost! Think about this. The Old Testament had prophesied the major events surrounding the birth of the Messiah; Matthew pointed out that Isaiah had prophesied the Messiah would be born of a virgin. The religious leaders knew Micah had prophesied the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The Old Covenant was clear that the Messiah would be persecuted. Matthew reminded his readers that the Old Covenant, properly understood, prophesied that the Messiah would be called out of Egypt just as Israel had been called out of Egypt at the time of Moses. All of these things were CRYSTAL clear to the readers of the Old Covenant, of which the Pharisees and Sadducees were the greatest students of Scripture one could ever meet during these times of Messiah's entrance into this world. YET NONE OF THIS MADE THEM BELIEVE THAT WHICH WAS TAKING PLACE WAS THE BIRTH OF THE SON OF GOD. THEY REJECTED ALL THAT THEY READ AND NEVER MADE IT TO THE MANGER TO VIEW THE GLORIOUS PLANS THAT GOD HAD LAID BEFORE THEM IN A STABLE AND IN A MANGER!

 

The Old Covenant never said which virgin, where, or at what time. No one could understand the APPLICATION of these prophecies without supernatural guidance. Even though the scribes knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, that knowledge proved ultimately worthless to them because it was not illumined by the Holy Ghost. The revelatory ministry of the Holy Ghost surrounding the Birth of Christ demonstrates to us today that we are UTTERLY dependent on the same revelatory power of the Holy Ghost  - the VOICE OF GOD, which comes to us through the voice of the Holy Ghost to find and recognize JESUS! Everyone who got to the crib of Christ Jesus had to be guided by something or someone greater than just their own personal knowledge of Scripture.

 

Let what this writer just wrote sink in friend and sink in good and deep within your spirit. Don't gloss over that and feel that is not relevant to the time we live in for it is VERY relevant to the rampant unbelief of the church world today. We no longer have just One Covenant but TWO covenants of scripture written for us now to know the Son of God and yet MILLIONS still don't believe in the power of His Spirit! If Jesus came back in the flesh today as He did 2,000 years ago the modern church world would reject Him just as quick as religious Israel did of old if not quicker and worse. To be frank our rejection of Him today waxes WORSE because today we stagger in unbelief in the face of the LIGHT of having not only the Old Covenant portrait of Christ - but having the NEW COVENANT promises of Who He Is and What He Came to do as well which many set aside for a man-made salvation or works and humanism wrapped up in religious wrappers. I saw a book the other day "the 'Search' for Significance," which made me pause a minute and shake my head knowing that man's only source to find his significance is the cross of Christ and the infilling power and grace of the Holy Ghost! Man can search all he wants for 'significance' in this sin-cursed world if he likes but his search will end in hell itself unless man finds himself kneeling as a sinner at the foot of the Cross in repentance and asking Jesus Christ to change his heart and life through the work of the Holy Ghost!

 

The church world today seeks to portray the manger to the world as a historical fact instead of a living message of hope, salvation and deliverance to the oppressed of Satan! The Holy Ghost through John declared that 'the testimony of Jesus is the SPIRIT of prophecy.' JESUS IS THE PROPHETIC MESSAGE OF THE CHURCH. He IS the Word of God, not just the subject of written pages in a book as so many have made Him out to be in the Bible. He warned Israel while on earth that they "searched the scriptures," looking for eternal life but they would never come to HIM that they might find life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

John 5:39 - Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. [40] And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Every prophetic word, every prophetic message, every Bible lesson we teach, every message we preach, every song we sing, every altar call we give, every thing we do, say, utter, proclaim or prophesy in the church of the Living God should be ABOUT CHRIST and Him Crucified!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus and the Cross, which will embody the message of His resurrection, is our message. Our message is NOT the Purpose Driven Life, how big our church can get through our man-made church growth and John Maxwell leadership seminars, how blessed those who come to our church are because of how great a place it is (If your pastor is having to tell people what a great church you have chances are neighbor you don't have such a great church!), how many formulas we can put together to find great riches. GOD HELP US. NO! None of that is our message. Our message is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - the message of the manger is the message of the CROSS! We preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED! We preach Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost, Jesus delivers and Jesus is coming again. Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost, Jesus delivers and Jesus is coming again! I want to write it again because HE is worth writing about again - a MILLION times again and that would still not be enough to ring His praises and glorious power:  Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus delivers, Jesus baptizes in the Holy Ghost and Jesus is coming again. Glory to God!

 

For Him to be our message though, He must FIRST be in our hearts and not just in our minds through the power of the Holy Ghost! And that my friend is the rub of the church - HE is NOT in our hearts but outside our doors "knocking," waiting to come in and sup with us and we with Him. The powerful, the educated, the rich, the affluent of Israel's day and those in Rome looked for the coming Messiah to be born into royalty; He was born into poverty sore. They looked for Him to be born with a grand entrance and announcement; the only announcement of His birth came to lowly shepherds watching flocks in the fields by night by angelic visitation. So many "look" for Jesus by reading the Bible which in itself is not a bad thing but when that search takes us away from Jesus Himself, then the Bible as weird as this may sound has become an idol instead of a staff and ROD to lead us to the Living Waters only Jesus Christ can give those who believe and trust in HIM!

 

True Living Water can only come out "of the innermost being," which is in essence the HEARTS of men, not their minds. The scribes read and read and read every prophetic announcement concerning Christ's entrance into this world and they missed HIM! Israel would later have Him stand in their midst as a nation and declare, "I am the Son of God who has come to save you from your sins," and they refused to believe Him. The modern church world today clamors and clamors and clamors some more after everything and everyone else BUT Jesus which is the result of the ever growing apostasy that is sweeping the hearts of millions into hell itself. Until Jesus is allowed to once again walk among the candlesticks of the New Covenant church and not pushed outside the door, we will continue to be blind to the plans of God that were laid out so long ago in a stable in Bethlehem.

 

Rev. 3:17-22
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [21] To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. [22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.


The Manger Is A Message Of The Humility Of Our Lord

 

Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

James 4:6-9
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. [7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. [9] Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

 

Luke 22:27
For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Another major message from the manager is the message of humility and a rebuke to the arrogance and pride of the modern church world finds itself steeped in as we near the end of the church age. The God who "lives in a high and holy place," is utterly humble and made his first home on earth the womb of a young woman. He made his second home a stable - not the nice, warm manger scenes you see at Christmastime, but a crude, first-century, Palestinian stable filled with steaming piles of animal manure. The Light of the World entered Bethlehem in the dark of night. The Word of God became a speechless infant; the One destined to clothe a heavenly army in clean, white linen was wrapped in coarse strips of cloth. The Bread of Life was laid in the feeding trough of an animal. No one expected something like this of God, thus most did not accept it. No one then and most today cannot accept or imagine the fact that the Creator of all the universe would stoop so low, and become so humble, to identify with the human race He came to redeem.

God's humility is both a blessing and a very great problem for us today. A blessing, because his humility leads Him to fellowship with people as low as we are. A problem, because it is this same humility that leads him to come to us in ways that make it easy for us to reject him! As this writer heard someone say many years ago, "God offends the minds of men many many times to test the motives of their heart!" The Pharisees could not imagine how God would enter the world in a stable, a manger, or that He would allow His Son to be born with the stigma of illegitimacy hanging over him. When the residents of Jesus' hometown referred to him as "Mary's son." they were probably implying he was illegitimate. The normal custom would have been to refer to him as "Joseph's Son." This was most intentional and increased as Jesus neared the end of His earthly sojourn to face death on the Cross to die for Israel's sins. While spewing their venom of unbelief and hatred at Him when He declared to Israel's religious He was their Messiah,  the religious leaders of Jerusalem also explicitly accused him of being "illegitimate," screaming, "we be not born of fornication."

Mark 6:3
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

John 8:41
Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Our Lord was basically called a "bastard," son by those He both created and those He came to save. He came unto His own and His OWN received Him not! He was despised and rejected by men; we esteemed Him not; stricken, smitten of God; He was led as a sheep or lamb to the slaughter by the motives and hearts of wicked men who on the surface were the most religious and upright of Israel's society. Neighbor, I have a hard time writing this for the tears right now. He was rejected by so many but to those who see Him and RECEIVE HIM they become more than mere human paupers in the throws of Satan- they become SONS OF GOD. GLORY TO GOD! GLORY TO GOD. GLORY TO GOD!

John 1:11 - 15 - He came unto his own, and his own received him not. [12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word was made 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. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Isaiah 53:1-12
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. [8] He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. [9] And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  [10] Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Hear me neighbor: This stigma caused all but TWO WORSHIPPERS the day Jesus as an eight-year old infant was brought to the temple to pass the little baby by without notice; but this child was the ONE who would one day redeem not just National Israel, but the entire world

Luke 2:21-38
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [22] And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; [23] (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) [24] And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. [25] And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. [26] And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. [27] And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, [28] Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, [29] Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: [30] For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, [31] Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; [32] A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. [33] And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. [34] And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; [35] (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. [36] And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; [37] And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. [38] And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

It is God's greatest GIFT to humanity yet humanity spurns this gift and curses it. God SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE, HE GAVE, HE GAVE, HE GAVE, HE GAVE, HE GAVE!

John 3:16a - For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son....

This relevancy of the manner in which Jesus was born frequently escapes the church. The first two chapters of Matthew and Luke are not just nice stories given to make us feel warm and sentimental once a year at Christmas. The birth of Christ in a manger shows us something of the very character of God and how He relates to his fallen creation. His highest purposes and plans were not birthed in a palace but in a stable, a manger; and His highest purposes TODAY are not being birthed through the writings of the Purpose Driven Life or any other such foolishness but in the stables and mangers of humble hearts all over this world!!!

God is so humble He never minded the shame of the stable or the stigma of illegitimacy. His preference among the sons of men has ALWAYS been towards those lowly, afflicted and humble! I've said this many times in our weekly Bible studies, but "God cannot help you if you're good!" Man's "goodness," is an affront to God and offensive in His nostrils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He resists the proud but gives GRACE to the humble, i.e. those who recognize their utter hopelessness without HIM!

1 Peter 5:5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Psalm 138:6
Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
 

The humble will always share the shame of the stable, the stigma of the Lord's heritage and the OFFENSE of His Cross! The message of the manger is the message of the CROSS and that message ALWAYS has and always WILL carry an offense!

Galatians 5:11
And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

If we preach any other message than Christ and Him Crucified, we are bastardizing the gospel of Christ and it is offensive to God even though it may be acceptable to the world. If we preach the cross, it will be offensive to the world but ACCEPTABLE and PLEASING to God! Those who grasp the humility of the message of the manger are those who will be the FIRST to hear the voice of God!

We Must Have The Mind of Christ To Comprehend The Message of the Manger

Philip. 2:1-30
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, [2] Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. [4] Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. [5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This which the Holy Spirit states in Philippians through Paul refers to what theologians call the "kenosis," or "self-emptying" of Christ. The term "kenosis," comes from a Greek word, "kenoo," which means to "divest," or "to empty." In relation to Christ and what took place in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago, instead of asserting His rights to the expression of the Essence of His Deity, which He always was, our Lord Jesus Christ became human flesh in the form of a baby. By doing so, He waived His rights to that expression so that we as fallen sons of Adam would be saved! He became Man, entering into a new State of Being, but Him becoming Man did not exclude His position or Deity; while in becoming Man He laid aside the "expression of Deity," but never lost "possession," of Deity (WUEST). That is the message of the manger! Those who come to Christ and partake of the glory and power of His resurrection find themselves partaking and embracing His mind which is forever one of the opposite of selfishness - but one of self-emptying! When we are born again we WAIVE ALL OUR RIGHTS to our own lives from the moment we accept His call to the Cross! Child of God, if you're truly saved today - YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is a message sorely lacking in this modern self-soaked church world atmosphere of today.

The gospel has turned into a freak show of SELF and DEMANDS from sinful humanity to a Holy God in the name of "spiritual authority." Neighbor, the ONLY authority we have as believers is because of what JESUS CHRIST purchased for us 2,000 years ago at the Cross and that authority is not given to the church to wave back in the face of God and tell Him what HE ought to be doing for us!! Instead that authority is to wage war on Satan's kingdom and preach this mighty gospel to set captives free, break the powers of darkness and see men come to Christ before it is eternally too late! SELF has become the new god of the modern church world today and those afflicted by its malady will NEVER see or comprehend the message of the manger!

The Apostle John saw this glory incarnated in flesh and declared we have "BEHELD" this wondrous miracle of God - the WORD becoming FLESH and DWELLING among sinful men!

1 John 1:1-5
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; [2] (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) [3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
[5] This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

John 1:14 - And the Word was made 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.  [15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. [16] And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John's Gospel gives us further insight to the inner humble life of our Lord which is laid open to us today to follow and embrace! Jesus speaks frequently of His relation to the Father, of the motives by which He is guided, of His consciousness of the power and spirit in which He acts and though the word "humble," does not occur in John's Gospel, no other place in Scripture do we see so clearly His humility displayed in all of its glory and beauty!!!!!!!!!!! John said those who saw it "BEHELD HIS GLORY," which was full of grace and truth. The child which laid in the manger of Bethlehem was the same one that became the GLORY as of the only BEGOTTEN of the Father!

Andrew Murray, the great revivalist and writer wrote centuries ago:

"We have already said that this grace is in truth nothing but that simple consent of the creature to let God be all, in virtue of which it surrenders itself to His working alone. In Jesus we shall see how both as the Son of God in heaven, and as man upon earth, He took the place of entire subordination, and gave God the honor and the glory which is due to Him- And what He taught so often was made true to Himself: "He that humbles himself: shall be exalted." As it is written, 'He humbled Himself, therefore God highly exalted Him.'"

Listen to the words in which our Lord speaks of His relation to the Father, and how unceasingly He uses the words not, and nothing, of Himself. The "not I," in which Paul expresses his relation to Christ, is the very spirit of what Christ says of His relation the Father.

These words open to us the deepest roots of Christ's life and work but were never more evident that at His beginnings here on Earth in the stables of Bethlehem's manager. They tell us how it was that the Almighty God was able to work His mighty redemptive work through Him from the second He was born till the moment He cried "IT IS FINISHED!" They show what Christ counted the state of heart which became Him as the Son of the Father. The manger teaches us what the essential nature and life was and is of that redemption which Christ accomplished and now communicates to us through His Word and the power of His Precious Spirit.

It is this: He was nothing, that God might be all. He resigned Himself with His will and His powers entirely for the Father to work in Him. Of His own power, His own will, and His own glory, of His whole mission with all His works and His teaching, of all this He said, "It is not I; I am nothing; I have given Myself to the Father to work; I am nothing, the Father is all."

This life of entire self-abnegation, of absolute submission and dependence upon the Father's will, Christ found to be one of perfect peace and joy. He lost nothing by giving all to God. God honored His trust, and did all for Him, and then exalted Him to His own right hand in glory. And because Christ had thus humbled Himself before God, and God was ever before Him, He found it possible to humble Himself before men too, and to be the Servant of all. His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow Him to do in Him what He pleased, whatever men around might say of Him, or do to Him.

It is in this state of mind, in this spirit and disposition, that the redemption of Christ portrayed in the humble beginnings of a manger in Bethlehem has its virtue and efficacy. It is to bring us to this disposition that we are made partakers of Christ and this is the true self-denial to which our Saviour calls us, the acknowledgment that self has nothing good in it, except as an empty vessel which God must fill, and that its claim to be or do anything may not for a moment be allowed. It is in this, above and before everything, in which the conformity to Jesus consists, the being and doing nothing of ourselves, that God may be all.

Here we have the root and nature of true humility. It is because this is not understood or sought after, that our humility is so superficial and so feeble. We must learn of Jesus, how He is meek and lowly of heart.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The message of the manager is it is God who worketh all in all, that our place is to yield to Him in perfect resignation and dependence, in full consent to be and to do nothing of ourselves. This is the life Christ came to reveal and to impart-a life to God that came through death to sin and self.  The root of all virtue and grace, of all faith and acceptable worship, is that we know that we have nothing but what we receive, and bow in deepest humility to wait upon God for it. To state it again: His highest purposes and plans were not birthed in a palace but in a stable, a manger; and His highest purposes TODAY are not being birthed through the writings of the Purpose Driven Life or any other such foolishness but in the stables and mangers of humble hearts all over this world!!!

Jesus came as the Servant of God for the men whom God made and loved, yet who now found themselves in the dark oblivion of sin, an oblivion man could not and still can not today get himself out of!

As a natural consequence, He counted Himself the Servant of men, that through Him God might do His work of love. He never for a moment thought of seeking His honor, or asserting His power to vindicate Himself. His whole spirit was that of a life yielded to God to work in. It is not until we embrace the humility of the manager, that we will understand in full Jesus and the very essence of His redemptive work on our behalf! If we are to have any part of Him, we must embrace the manger and in essence embrace His Cross. That is why we preach "Christ Crucified," for the message of the cross is the very demand that sets men free today from the power of sin and self and sets them on course for heaven and not hell.

Man cannot get to God except he come through Christ; man cannot get to Christ unless man comes through the means of the Cross! Christ is the source, the Cross the means, the Holy Ghost the instrument and person of power working through the Word, through which and upon which our FAITH becomes the key. When we anchor our faith in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross, the Holy Spirit can THEN do HIS work in our hearts and lives and manifest the message of the manger - humility, revelation and self-less devotion to Christ - in a powerful and graceful way!

Matthew 10:34-42 - Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. [35] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [36] And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. [37] He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. [38] And he that takes not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. [39] He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.  [40] He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me. [41] He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. [42] And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
 

Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

As we close today, let me ask you - do you know the Christ of the manger? In knowing Him you know the Christ of the Cross for they are one and the same. For the child of God who proclaims they know Him, i ask you today - have you been clothed with His humility and embraced the powers of His sufferings? Are you denying yourself daily, taking up the cross and following hard after HIM! If not, there is no greater call or upon your heart and life today through the words of this journal. Allow the Holy Ghost to change you and bring you back to the foot of the World's redeemer who so wants to reveal Himself to you today.

Backslider, it's getting late and His call beckons you to make that decision to come home QUICKLY and without delay. TODAY is the day of Salvation; not tomorrow, not next week, but TODAY!

 

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