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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Thinking on Christmas from the cross to the throne

Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

As we continue reflecting on the meaning and purpose of Christmas, we will continue surveying the books of the Bible in our effort to see Christ.  The Gospels portray Christ, and in Acts we find Christ preached. 

As we come into the various letters written by the apostles to different churches, letters which we call "epistles, we discover that Christ is being explained.  In those letters we find statements concerning the true meaning of Christmas.

In Romans He is God over all, forever praised, and is born, touching His humanity, from the seed of David.  In 1 Corinthians He is my sanctifier and in 2 Corinthians the glory of God is revealed on His face. (2 Corinthians 4:6).  In Galatians he came in the fulness of time to redeem those under the bondage to the condemnation of the Law.  Ephesians tells us of God's eternal decree to send the Son to purchase salvation.  Philippians reveals that God became man and Colossians unfolds for us that Jesus Christ, in his full humanity, is the fulness of the Godhead bodily - since He shares in the same undivided Deity as God the Fathjer and God the Holy Spirit.

1 and 2 Thessalonians emphasize His soon return.  1 Timothy 3:15-16 speak about God in human flesh, coming to this earth.  Titus reveals Him as our great God and Savior and Philemon pictures Him as our forgiveness.  Hebrews details Him coming from eternity into time, prasing God for the body, the womb of Mary into which He would enter and take upon himself a human nature.  (Hebrews 10:4-5).  James tells us that He is God with no variation of shadow or turning.  1 Peter reveals Him to be the spotless Savior and 2 Peter shows Him returning in the glory of His Father.

In 1 John He is the endurance of salvation and in 2 and 3 John He is the believer's health of salvation.  Jude tells us that He has promised to preserve all true Christians until the end.  Revelation, that great book at the end, shows us that He is King of Kings and Lord or Lords.

In His first coming he came as unknown, in His second coming He will be known by all.  At Christmas He came as a weak, frail baby and in His second coming He will come as the Omnipotent Ruler of all.  In His first coming He came to redeem and in His second coming He will come to reign.  In His first coming everyone question who He was and in His second coming all will conclude that no one has ever been like Him. 

Truly Christmas is shadowed by the cross, however it points us to the time when Christ will come again, showing Himself to be the One who sits upon the throne.