The Manger and the Cross

[mattfivefour]

A couple of years ago I sent out Christmas cards with the following picture on them:



Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any of them for sale since. And that is a shame, because—although the world (and much of the Church) has done it—we can never separate His birth from His death, the manger from the Cross.

Have you ever been struck by the details Luke gives in his detailed account of Christ's birth? That the Glory of the Lord shone only among the people in the fields? That the angelic choirs sang only to them? Search the scriptures as you will, but the fields where the shepherds lay is the only place in which there was light and in which the angels sang in exultation that the Lord of Glory had come down to earth, fashioned as a man, to complete the work of the Father (as Jesus said He had come to do in John 4:34)? Nowhere can you find an account of light in the stable where He was born. Nowhere will you find a description of God's glory displayed there. Nowhere is there any hint that angelic choirs appeared there to exalt Him. Nowhere is any special manifestation at all ever described as surrounding that manger.

I always wondered at that. Here was the King of Glory, lying in the straw of a dark and inglorious stable while out in the fields the shepherds were shown the very glory of the Lord. But then one day I came to the realization of why that was. And the realization overawed me. It is this: there was no record of light and celebration in the stable because the shadow of the Cross loomed over that manger. Jesus came to die, the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus did not come to show us how to live a perfect life, though He most certainly did that. He did not come to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse lepers, though He definitely did that. He did not come to give us the greatest teaching ever given, though without doubt He did that. And He did not come to show us the very nature and character of God, though He most clearly did that. No, the main purpose Jesus came ... was to die. The innocent Lamb ... without spot of wrinkle ... to once and for all take away the sin of the World ... that all who would believe Him ... and believe in Him ... and humble themselves to receive the gift ... would be given a spiritual rebirth ... given the gift of the Holy Spirit living within them ... and given eternal life in Heaven with God Himself. Hallelujah!

Let us all remember the Cross this Christmas ... for the Cross is what gives this day its true meaning.

[readytogo]

Beautifully expressed!

[Shonsu]

Amen!

[Meg]

As much glory and victory as was and is accomplished at the Cross, the greatest triumph of all was in the Resurrection. Yes Jesus Christ came to die on the Cross, but He rose from the dead in absolute triumph! When He rose, He also raised the rest of us with Him, He came to give life. I think this is why we celebrate His birth in the middle of winter, when all is so stark and barren; in the midst of such temporary stillness, we celebrate the greatest birth of all time, the emergence of life in an environment of death! That is what makes me rejoice, that is what overcomes the nihilism in my own heart and encourages me to embrace life, Amen!

[OnceWasLost]

A couple of years ago I sent out Christmas cards with the following picture on them:



Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any of them for sale since. And that is a shame, because—although the world (and much of the Church) has done it—we can never separate His birth from His death, the manger from the Cross.

Have you ever been struck by the details Luke gives in his detailed account of Christ's birth? That the Glory of the Lord shone only among the people in the fields? That the angelic choirs sang only to them? Search the scriptures as you will, but the fields where the shepherds lay is the only place in which there was light and in which the angels sang in exultation that the Lord of Glory had come down to earth, fashioned as a man, to complete the work of the Father (as Jesus said He had come to do in John 4:34)? Nowhere can you find an account of light in the stable where He was born. Nowhere will you find a description of God's glory displayed there. Nowhere is there any hint that angelic choirs appeared there to exalt Him. Nowhere is any special manifestation at all ever described as surrounding that manger.

I always wondered at that. Here was the King of Glory, lying in the straw of a dark and inglorious stable while out in the fields the shepherds were shown the very glory of the Lord. But then one day I came to the realization of why that was. And the realization overawed me. It is this: there was no record of light and celebration in the stable because the shadow of the Cross loomed over that manger. Jesus came to die, the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus did not come to show us how to live a perfect life, though He most certainly did that. He did not come to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse lepers, though He definitely did that. He did not come to give us the greatest teaching ever given, though without doubt He did that. And He did not come to show us the very nature and character of God, though He most clearly did that. No, the main purpose Jesus came ... was to die. The innocent Lamb ... without spot of wrinkle ... to once and for all take away the sin of the World ... that all who would believe Him ... and believe in Him ... and humble themselves to receive the gift ... would be given a spiritual rebirth ... given the gift of the Holy Spirit living within them ... and given eternal life in Heaven with God Himself. Hallelujah!

Let us all remember the Cross this Christmas ... for the Cross is what gives this day its true meaning.

You and Simeon are on to something here.

Luke 2

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Indeed the Man born only for the purpose of dying.

[livin_in_the_Son]

Excellent post!

[OnceWasLost]

Looky, looky!

His Undying Love Christmas Cards (38996)

[mattfivefour]

Looky, looky!

His Undying Love Christmas Cards (38996)

Thank you so much for finding these cards, bro! I'll order some.

[mattfivefour]

As much glory and victory as was and is accomplished at the Cross, the greatest triumph of all was in the Resurrection. Yes Jesus Christ came to die on the Cross, but He rose from the dead in absolute triumph! When He rose, He also raised the rest of us with Him, He came to give life. I think this is why we celebrate His birth in the middle of winter, when all is so stark and barren; in the midst of such temporary stillness, we celebrate the greatest birth of all time, the emergence of life in an environment of death! That is what makes me rejoice, that is what overcomes the nihilism in my own heart and encourages me to embrace life, Amen!

Respectfully, sis, the Resurrection was not the triumph— it was the evidence, the PROOF to us, of the triumph. The victory was in His death. And it is that death that should be our focus for everything we have comes because of it. That is why Paul spoke of determining not to know anything but Christ and Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). Now hang in with me for a moment for some grammar because it is revealing of what Paul was saying.

The word "determined" in this verse is ἔκρινά (ekrina, pronounced ek-ree-NAH) and is the aorist middle of the verb krino which means "to judge, to determine, to come to a careful and firm decision as would a judge". Because it is in the aorist tense (a tense we do not have in English) it is what grammarians would call a punctiliar action—an action at a specific point in time—but with ongoing results that extend into the future. The thought is that Paul made the determination but it was not a one-time thing: he will always maintain that determination. Now, it is also in the middle voice (a "voice" we do not have in English either—we only have active and passive) which makes it difficult to translate but carries the idea that the action he took had its effect upon himself. In other words, Paul is saying that he "determined within and upon himself". In English the closest we can come to formally translating the verb is as a past tense with a reflexive pronoun: in other words "I (Paul) determined within myself". But to include the fullness of the idea we would need to render this verse as "I (Paul) determined within myself—a determination that will always exist in me—not to know anything among you if it is not Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Indeed, earlier in this epistle Paul advised us the subject of ALL of his preaching to the Jews and the Gentiles— "Jesus Christ crucified". (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Paul did not preach the resurrected Christ though he definitely affirmed Him to be resurrected and spoke of the assurances that His Resurrection gave us. He did not make the resurrected Christ his primary message, not because the resurrection is not important but because it was Christ's death that set us free. And when the Father raised Him from the dead, which demonstrated that He the Father accepted the sacrifice of His Son, then we were in position raised with Him as well. But it all stemmed from the triumph of the Cross. We are a blood-bought Church! And now, dwelling within each of us who has repented, accepted Christ's sacrifice, and determined to follow Him, is the Person of the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us so that we are not left as orphans on this earth (John 14:18) and so that we may a) have the power to follow God; b) be able to understand His Word; c) be able to serve Him as we should; d) have our nature and behavior gradually transformed into the nature and behavior of Christ; and e) consciously possess within ourselves the guarantee that ALL God has promised is as good as ours NOW, even though we will not fully possess it all until we enter His Presence in eternity. God is the author of ALL those five things, and it is only as we daily seek to abide in Christ that these things are made real in our lives ... for without Him we can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

Now please do not think that I am negating the Resurrection. Not at all! The two go hand in hand. The Cross without the Resurrection would be incomplete, not in its accomplishment but in its assurance for us. The Resurrection on its own would be nothing for others have been resurrected in the Bible. No, the Resurrection of Christ gains its importance because it affirms, it evidences, the victory He won at Calvary.

I stress this point of the Cross because it is the most important event in Christianity and the least understood by the modern Church. Remember, Jesus is the source of everything; the Cross is the means by which it is made available to us; and the Holy Spirit is the agent of applying in us the fullness of the victory Christ won at the Cross. The Holy Spirit does NOTHING outside of the finished work of Christ on the Cross. And so, as we daily reckon we are dead with Christ and thus have been raised to newness of life, the Holy Spirit can work within us. Our faith MUST be in Jesus Christ and what He did at Calvary. We need look nowhere outside of that for victory in our lives, or for any blessings or answers we hope to receive from God. Anything—and everything—He gives us is only possible because Christ died for us, the perfect sacrifice.

I pray this helps. Please forgive the weakness of my ability to explain this beautiful truth of God, this dividing point, this fulcrum upon which the entire plan of God hinged. I fear I have not done it justice. If anybody is still confused by it, please let me know and I will try to answer better.

[ANY MINUTE]

mattfivefour,
Awesome thread. Thanks for the excellent teaching.

I think you are correct in stating that the Cross is the most important and least understood (or taught) in the modern church. Jesus came to die. The perfect, blameless sacrifice. Die, so we could live, and not have to be forever seperated from God because of that horrible transgression against Him known as sin. Jesus dying was the only way and that victory took place at the Cross.

Over the last couple of years, I've really had pressed upon me the need to understand more of Christ and Him crucified, the very foundation of our faith and what our salvation is dependant upon. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think it is crucial to understand the atonement that took place at the Cross to really understand what it means to 'believe' in the Lord Jesus Christ. I know we are saved by grace through faith. Gods Grace hung on the Cross and suffered the horrible, undiscribable punishment for sin that this wretched sinner deserves. My gratitude to Him can never be enough, only my faith is what He desires and requires to gain eternal life. Faith in Jesus Christ and His Finished work at the Cross!

Sorry to side track the thread. Just wanted to say thanks for the lesson and sharing the wisdom that God has given you.

[Elijah's Mantle]

I cant prove it you all
but I believe the Holy spirit rested on this thread
what a awesome special present

[Meg]

I was just talking over this issue with Robert, and he helped me to get it straight. Robert said that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was a 2 part victory. Part 1 overcame sin and part 2 overcame death. Since I had to fight harder to overcome suicidal tendencies, I tend to focus on the victory over death. But His victory over sin has enormous impact as well, so one cannot be deemed more important than the other. Thanks Robert

[mikhen7]

A couple of years ago I sent out Christmas cards with the following picture on them:



Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any of them for sale since. And that is a shame, because—although the world (and much of the Church) has done it—we can never separate His birth from His death, the manger from the Cross.

Have you ever been struck by the details Luke gives in his detailed account of Christ's birth? That the Glory of the Lord shone only among the people in the fields? That the angelic choirs sang only to them? Search the scriptures as you will, but the fields where the shepherds lay is the only place in which there was light and in which the angels sang in exultation that the Lord of Glory had come down to earth, fashioned as a man, to complete the work of the Father (as Jesus said He had come to do in John 4:34)? Nowhere can you find an account of light in the stable where He was born. Nowhere will you find a description of God's glory displayed there. Nowhere is there any hint that angelic choirs appeared there to exalt Him. Nowhere is any special manifestation at all ever described as surrounding that manger.

I always wondered at that. Here was the King of Glory, lying in the straw of a dark and inglorious stable while out in the fields the shepherds were shown the very glory of the Lord. But then one day I came to the realization of why that was. And the realization overawed me. It is this: there was no record of light and celebration in the stable because the shadow of the Cross loomed over that manger. Jesus came to die, the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus did not come to show us how to live a perfect life, though He most certainly did that. He did not come to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse lepers, though He definitely did that. He did not come to give us the greatest teaching ever given, though without doubt He did that. And He did not come to show us the very nature and character of God, though He most clearly did that. No, the main purpose Jesus came ... was to die. The innocent Lamb ... without spot of wrinkle ... to once and for all take away the sin of the World ... that all who would believe Him ... and believe in Him ... and humble themselves to receive the gift ... would be given a spiritual rebirth ... given the gift of the Holy Spirit living within them ... and given eternal life in Heaven with God Himself. Hallelujah!

Let us all remember the Cross this Christmas ... for the Cross is what gives this day its true meaning.

Matt this is good. As I read it I simply thought of the angels shining their light and proclaiming the glory of the gift to the shepherds because they are representative of us. They were consider unclean, unholy and the lowest of the low to the Jewish rabbi's, yet that is who we are in our own holiness without God. The angels proclaimed the gift to the Shepherds because it was unnecessary to proclaim the gift to the gift!

Keep 'em coming Bro!

[Hannah]

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING Lyrics ***

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"