- araratchurch
- Dec 15, 2022
- 2 min read
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7 NKJV
For the next two days we will be looking at the same portion of scripture we have considered the last two days.
Here, we are in the part of the story where it is time for the promise to be revealed, as our Lord took His first breath as one of us.
As we have discussed, the humility of the King of glory making His fleshly entrance in a manger, is beyond my personal comprehension. Imagine, the first scents into His precious nostrils were of lowly animals!
Along with this unimaginable scene, let’s take a step back and look at the fact that the promise of God was not prevented by adverse circumstances. Indeed, you will find throughout the Bible—as is often true in our own lives—that adversity can actually be the womb for God’s promises.
Look at the classic example of Abraham and Sarah. They had been given a promise, but with the passage of time, it seemed that the fulfillment became less and less likely. Oh, but that’s only how it is in the “natural.”
“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.”
Romans 4:18-19 NLT
I like how Hebrews puts Sarah‘s assurance of her promise even in the face of adversity:
“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
Hebrews 11:11 NKJV
The fulfillment of God’s promises is not dependent on perfect circumstances; but rather, it is dependent on the perfect faithfulness of He who has promised.
There was no room in the inn, so a very tired couple had to deliver their firstborn son in a manger. But none of the scents, sounds, or other adversities kept He Who was promised for centuries, He Who was personally promised to Mary and Joseph, from making His entrance into time, changing everything forever.
For today meditate on the fact that God’s promises are often realized in the midst of adversity. Be assured of the fact that God’s promises don’t check with your circumstances to determine whether they can be fulfilled. This also applies to the fact that it doesn’t matter what anybody says, or how it looks in the world, Jesus will come again, just as He said He would.
Finally, remember, the promises of God haven’t come into your adversity to die; on the contrary, perhaps that is where they will be born!
Peace to you.
- araratchurch
- Dec 14, 2022
- 2 min read
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7 NKJV
I want to break down a couple more points from our opening scripture reference from yesterday. Today we consider the portion of the scripture referencing the fact that Mary brought forth her “firstborn son.”
In Jewish culture the firstborn (generally a son) had a privileged position and a larger portion of the inheritance. With that, he also had the additional responsibility of caring for his mother and unmarried sisters in the case where the father was incapacitated (in which case he would take care of both parents) or deceased.
“He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation.”
Colossians 1:15 AMP
Our Lord, as our older Brother and Firstborn of the Father, has authority over us all. But, He also took on the responsibility to make a way for us to be reinstated into fellowship with the Father; He takes care of us all.
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Romans 8:29 NKJV
Additionally, Jesus became the Firstborn from the dead so that we could also be raised from death to eternal life. We know that Jesus was not the first to be raised from being dead per se as He raised people from the dead in His earthly ministry. And, in the Old Testament we see multiple cases of people being raised from the dead. However, none of those people (raised from the dead) were raised to eternal life; they had to again experience death at some point. But— Jesus being raised from the dead—did so to never die again.
“and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.”
Revelation 1:5 NLT
For today meditate on what it means for Jesus to be the Firstborn of the Father. What responsibilities and authority does He assume for us?
Additionally, consider the soon coming of Jesus Christ for those who are His. We will be raised from a body of death to eternal life in a glorified body, never to face death again!
Peace to you.
- araratchurch
- Dec 12, 2022
- 2 min read
“So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:6-7 NKJV
Because we have only our imagination along with whatever depictions we have seen of the birth of Christ, we might suppose a much more “sterile” or glamorous scene than was that of His actual birth. The fact was that our Lord was born in a stable among the animals and whatever “accoutrement” accompanied them.
Mary was a very young woman and was giving birth to her first child after having traveled a long arduous journey. Imagine how tired she must’ve been, and maybe even scared, not knowing what to expect.
Now, as common as this scene probably was, the uncommon aspect of it was that the God of the universe was entering time in a flesh vehicle through the matrix of a young virgin girl.
Bear in mind, accompanying the birth of our Lord was no team of heavenly servants sent to make sure He was cared for properly. No, the Lord completely committed Himself into flesh where He would be subject to the care of His earthly parents.
The act of He through Whom all things were made condescending into the form of mortal man is honestly beyond my comprehension. But how thankful and grateful I am that He did so.
For today meditate on what it means that the King of Glory humbled Himself to become one of us, so that we might be exalted to a heavenly position with Him.
Additionally, consider how we should be willing to humble ourselves given what humiliation the Lord endured for us!
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV
Yes, the time had come when all the prophetic voices concerning the Messiah’s coming would find their mate in a little town called Bethlehem.
Indeed, He came down so that we can go up; and soon and very soon, we will do just that!
Peace to you.