Jesus, The Supreme Example

He Humbled Himself . . .

In his Theology text, Millard Erickson gives a simple diagram of the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus. I recently created my version of it for some sermon notes. This resume of Jesus is powerfully presented in Philippians 2:1-11, where we are told that the kind of self-giving attitude that we see in Christ's incarnation should be ours (v. 5). Among the amazing truths found in this passage is one that always leaves me shaking my head in amazement. When I look at the side of the diagram that depicts God the Son's humiliation I see that He is the one who initiates the actions. He didn't regard the privileges of Deity as something to be selfishly held to. He emptied Himself. He humbled Himself. He obeyed. Yet on the other side of the diagram, He is the one Who is acted upon. God (the Father by implication) exalted Him. God gave Him a name above every name. At the crisis moment of His humiliation, we don't see Jesus strutting around like an over-confident, spoiled child who knows that it will work out. No, He prays, "If it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me" (Matthew 26:39). "Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed" (John 17:5). He trusts.There isasenses--out there beyond my ability to grasp--in which the situation was out of control for the Son of God, but He did what He tells us to do, "Seek first the Kingdom of God . . ." (Matthew 6:33). So, the God of the universe prays. He prays a prayer, not unlike one that will be offered by millions of children today. "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep." There is more to this Christmas story than we know or understand. STTA (Something To Think About).

CHRIST'S DEATH GIVES LIFE

Something To Think About Jesus' Death:

A week ago we remembered the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.  All around the world people remember the death of people, especially people we love.  There are cemeteries all over the world.  It is common for churches in Europe and North America to be surrounded by graves.  The Pyramids one of the wonders of the world and the Taj Mahal are among the many edifices and monuments erected “In memory of.”  I’m not a particularly sentimental guy, but I have several objects that I keep because they remind me of someone who was important to me in life. Remembering the death of the Lord is different, though.  Surely His life was inspirational and exemplary, but the Bible says that something remarkable was accomplished by His death. Romans 5:8 & 1 Thessalonians 5:10 says “Christ died for us.” Hebrews 2:14-15says that the death of Christ “render[ed] powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [and made] . . . free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”  In heaven the Lord is worshipped because He “purchased for God with [His] blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). It is a bigger topic than this daily-thought format can handle, but the fact is that Jesus death accomplished something, it changed and changes lives, and will lead to the renewal of all creation.  Read more about it here and here. The short version is Christ’s death brings life. It’s STTA. Find information about how Christ's death can change your life here.

God's Son

Something To Think About God's Son:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) For the first several years of church history theologians wrestled with the truth they saw in scripture, about Jesus Christ.  One of His names. Emmanuel, means God with us.   When the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary, predicting Jesus' birth, he said, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High," and, "the holy Child shall be called the Son of God"  (Luke 1).  Jesus, Himself, did such a good job of claiming Divinity that the religious leaders of His day were prepared to stone Him.  He said, "if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”  When He said, "I am He." literally, "I am."  He was equating Himself with God, using Judaism's most revered name for Diety (Exodus 3:13-15).  Here are Jesus concluding words, and His opponents reaction, from John 8,  a Theologically rich chapter.    “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:58–59, NASB95).  As these early church leaders wrestled with these, and other Scriptural statements about Jesus, and laid them down side-by-side with the clearly presented truth that Jesus was fully human, they scratched their heads in holy wonder. The bottom line is that God did not send someone to save us.  God came Himself.  It's Something to Think About.. (The theme of today's STTA was also part of yesterday's article.) Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.

Profoundly Mundane:

Something to Think About for December 24, 2014:

Something To Think About, Simplcity:

I often start my day, doing what I'm doing now, in the predawn on Christmas Eve.  I look for something that jogs the mind--the unexpected twist--or something cute--the kind of thing that brings an "aww," especially from the ladies--or the holy grail, something profound.  I'm not even sure how to adequately define profundity.  It has to do with great power and wisdom being packed into a few words.  The Book of Proverbs is packed with the profound.  To hijack Judge Potter Stewart's words.  "I know [profundity] when I see it."  This is what I mostly see:   Most of Life is not profound. The word mundane was invented to describe the day-to-day process that we call life. Some two Millennia ago the life into which God the Son enteredwas mundane, profoundly mundane.  Jesus' home was not one where daily existence could be taken for granted.  Later, when He taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."  He spoke not only from the perfect knowledge of Divinity--pray this way, because in the grand scheme of the universe this is what you should say--but from an understanding that came from human experience.  Joseph, and almost surely Jesus, after Joseph's death, knew the daily concern for making sure that there was food for the family.  I think Jesus had prayed that prayer on occasions when the cupboard was bare.  When He spoke of going the extra mile, rendering to Caesar his due, turning the other cheek, and being ready to forgive, profound as those concepts are, we need to remember that all of these virtues had been practiced thousands of times in the very mundane setting of a home and small business that had to deal with unreasonable people in a land controlled by foreigners. In describing the incarnation, here and here, the Bible presents no "wink,wink" version of God becoming man.  He was, and continues to be, in heaven, human.  As I think about the totality of that "emptying" (Philippians 2) of Himself, I find great encouragement to come to Him.  That is a point that is powerfully made in Hebrews 2 and 4. Jesus did not just come and visit the high-points of human existence.  At the end of most of His of His 12,000 or so days, the answer to the universal question was, "Not much." On Christmas Eve 2015, that's profound. It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know.  covingtonbiblechurch.com