The Rock, the Cradle, and the Cross

The Rock

Rock / Foundation / stability

1 John 2:17 ESV

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Matthew 7:24 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Building on the rock means conforming, repenting, and necessarily fruit bearing.

Remember, that Jesus’ teaching is heart first and foundationally

So even what is outward good fruit, if not based in faith leads to the denial at judgment.

Romans 14:23 ESV

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Matthew 7:23 ESV

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

All who are awakened to their own sin are so awakened for the purpose of being saved from hearing those dreadful and eternal words of condemnation: I never knew you.

The Cradle

Matthew 1:20–21 ESV

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Why? Why was He in a manger? Why was God born a man?

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

Jesus is not only Savior, He is Prophet, Priest, and King, but also He is Emmanuel!

The Cross

It was necessary

Substitutionary life leading to a substitutionary death;

You cannot have the Nativity without Calvary

Revelation 1:8 ESV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Matthew 16:21 ESV

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

His sacrifice was necessary because of our sin

Romans 5:6 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

The early church began celebrating the Feast of the Nativity early on because it is the beginning of the gospel.

There are false prophets, of which we are to be wary, but all who are born again believe the gospel, and build a life based on the person, work, and teaching of Jesus, our rock and foundation.

Jesus was truly born of the virgin Mary; fulfilling prophecy and the message of the angel

The reason He entered this life so lowly was to be our substitute; our savior; our Emmanuel.