The Baby Was God

Simeon took him (the baby) in his arms and praised God, saying: Sovereign Lord…my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:28 Could you have enjoyed knowing the value of that baby as the warm little bundle lay in your arms? As we gather with our families and friends for Christmas the power and value of this baby is still very much alive. Nothing has ever happened on this earth that compares to the incarnation that took place over 2000 years ago. All the people who ever walked on the earth needed what this baby was bringing to earth. When Isaiah spoke of this baby he said “they will call him Immanuel” which means, God with us. Our Creator had come to live on this earth among His own creation.

THE BABY WAS A REAL PERSON

How amazing that this tiny new life contained the ability to control events that would shape every human life for all eternity. Talk about your over achievers. The remarkable life that this baby faced contained events that can hardly be believed. Some people even question whether Jesus really did the things recorded in history. Of course we know that the baby was God. As we celebrate the birth of this child we might consider some of the things that his life means to us. All the Scriptures confirm that God became flesh. Paul said plainly, for in Jesus Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Col 2:9 and John said, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:14. John was a good friend of Jesus and at the end of his long life he still talked about the amazing man he knew personally.

JESUS HAS THE ABILITY TO GIVE US A NEW LIFE

Today if we want to be saved it is necessary for us to know God personally. This is one of the things that the baby Jesus made possible for us. When we accept this human baby as God it is the beginning of our intimate knowledge of the Father. The life of Jesus, which we should know by heart, is a genuine introduction to the Almighty. Jesus told Philip one day, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9 In other words, if we want to know God personally we must learn everything we can about the life of Jesus. The life that the Christmas child would grow into demonstrated the way to enter and live in eternity. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 It would be fantastic if every person in the world had a basic awareness of the existence that Jesus is offering them.

THIS HUMAN WAS THE EXACT LIKENESS OF GOD

When Jesus said that Philip had seen the Father, he did not mean physically because God is a spirit and has no body. Therefore, we may see the Father as clearly, or even better, if we know God through the Spirit. A person knowing the gospel knows God’s glory. Scripture says the gospel is the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:4b The word “image” denotes a likeness between two individuals. A spiritual likeness is what Jesus had with the Father and today we struggle while being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. It must have been exciting to watch the child as He grew into a man who would give up His life to rescue us from the evil one. No one else would have suffered His difficult life just to give us an opportunity to live forever in Heaven.

SEVERELY TESTED IN EARTHLY LIVING

The Christmas child was born to a life of suffering. As human beings we want every child to find a happy life. It upsets some people to think about any child that is born into a life of hurting. Jesus had heart aches all His life for people he loved. There were many insults from people of both high and low standing. He healed the sick until he was worn completely out but it was never enough to satisfy the people. The ground he slept on must have seemed as hard as rock sometimes. His disciples were slow to understand the Gospel message. Paul who also suffered tells us that; Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Heb 2:18 God would certainly have spared his Son if there was any other way to save sinful humans. Everything that happened as this child grew was absolutely necessary.

HIS SINCERE PRAYERS HELPED HIM MAKE IT

During the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears…he learned obedience from what he suffered. Heb 5: 7,8 God was learning what it is like to be a righteous human on this earth. Many people have asked why he cared that much. Maybe we will never know the exact answer. What a brave child this was that endured the challenges of His 33 years on earth. Even at the age of twelve Jesus said “I must be about my Father’s business”. We know that Jesus suffered for identity with humans and ultimately for our redemption and we are called to suffer in return that we might identify with Him. Jesus prayed many petitions on our behalf but he also asked God to relieve him during distress. These heartfelt prayers show us what a serious life this child was facing.

PERFECTION MADE HIM QUALIFIED

There is…one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. 1 Tim 2:5,6. The baby Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, has truly gone where no man has gone before. Today he sits beside his Father waiting for the day we will join Him.

Power Unlimited

     This is the mysterious story of how we came from the Almighty. Before time existed, God released some of his creation power on our behalf. He converted this mighty burst of energy into the mass contained in our universe. Miraculously, all of the elements in this mass were formed with different weights and properties. The most abundant element in creation is hydrogen which is a very light substance. Science has taught us that with heat and pressure we can compress the mass (elements) and great power is produced. As lighter elements join together and become a heavier mass the extra energy is released into freedom. This process is called “fusion” which makes possible our hydrogen bombs. It is interesting that the power God used to construct our world can be reversed and used to destroy mankind.

The astonishing thing is that God has given the same Spirit, who is the agent of the power of the universe, the ability to live inside a Christian. Most people are unaware that the additional power of God is available to them through the Spirit. With or without this extra power our spirit is going to live forever. People who ignore the Spirit of Power will live in eternal torment. However, the few that walk together with God’s Spirit will receive the power to live in eternal bliss. There are people that hope their life force will be extinguished when they die. This is impossible. Einstein made us aware that energy and mass may be mutually convertible but nothing can be created or destroyed in this universe. When a human dies they simply move into the spiritual world. Our spirit will never cease to exist.

People, in their unbelief, like to think that our Lord died in weakness. The truth is that Jesus was the most powerful man to ever walk the earth.  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, Heb 9:14 (ASV) The Savior was strong enough to live a perfect life in this evil world and then through the power of the Spirit offer himself as our perfect sacrifice. Look at the power Jesus has always had, all things have been created through him(Jesus), and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fullness dwell; 20 and through him(Christ) to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; Col 1:16-20

     In the Scriptures we find the word “through” many times. This word points out where the power for some undertaking is coming from. The power of God’s Son was evident before He became a man. However, as a man Jesus set aside his power and placed his faith in the power that God sends “through” the Spirit. When Gods will is activated, it proceeds through an intermediate. This power allows the intermediate to cause the right result. People who are allowed to receive the Spirit of God inside of them can access unlimited power. Of course, this power is to fulfill the will of God. Most people don’t believe Jesus was serious when he said we could move a mountain. This task would hardly strain the power of God.
     Great power is available to any Christian who allows the outpouring of the Spirit through their faith. The American church, for the most part, has been taught that the manifestations of God through people must not be a part of their life. There are leaders in the Church who even say that tongues, healings and miracles are from the Devil. This unbelief in the abilities of God will be an issue on judgment day. Naturally, the result today is that the Church and its people have become weak and we have only a “form of Godliness.” The fact that the organized Church is operating only in the power of men, is not the end of Christianity. Individuals still have the right to allow the Spirit to work through them. God calls these people his remnant.
     The remnant is the people that follow the will of God. The Church has reduced the work of God down to a simple process in order to appeal to the masses. This great deception has obscured the true nature of our redemption. Peter spoke of three parts to our salvation in his great sermon and the Church has adopted only one for its theme. He said “All of you must turn to God and change the way you think and act”. Our Church allows believers to continue their lives in the same way they have always lived, other than conforming to certain obvious codes. Next Peter preached “each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins will be forgiven.” This is the one that believers today like because they feel that they don’t have to do anything themselves. The third part of this verse says “Then you will receive the Holy Spirit”. Acts 2:38
       The Church has failed to notice the word “then”. After the first two parts of salvation are adhered to THEN the Holy Spirit can begin to direct the Christian life in a believer. For some reason people think they have no part in their salvation. The truth is that we have a very important part to play. We must allow and facilitate the working of God in our life both now and forever. Yes, unlimited power is available to each Christian but have we made ourselves ready for such a position? Are we ready for the power needed to raise us from this earth and carry us to the next world?