God With Us!

Luke 2:8–20 NKJV

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Matthew 1:18–24 (NKJV)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, God in the Manger.From the Tegel prison in 1943, Bonhoeffer writes: “Life in a prison cell may well be compared to Advent: one waits, hopes, and does this, that, or the other—things that are really of no consequence—the door is shut, and can only be opened from the outside.”

This is the True Christmas Story!

The Door to Our Freedom can only be Opened from the Outside!

Phil 2.7 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

“Made Himself of no reputation” is from the Greek word kenosis which means “empty, or to make empty.” One commentary indicates this means “that Christ left his position, rank, and privilege.”

(NLT) “…he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (NCV) “…But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant.” (WEY) “…He stripped Himself of His glory, and took on Him the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.” (MSG) “…he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!” (AMPC) “But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.”

“The word [kenosis] does not mean He emptied Himself of His deity, but rather He emptied himself of the display of His deity for personal gain.”

Greek scholar, Ralph Earle, writes: “The correct translation is: ‘He emptied himself.” Of what? All orthodox theologians are agreed that it does not mean that He emptied himself of His divine nature. Rather, it was His heavenly glory—‘The glory which I had with thee before the world was’ (John 17:5).”

We are to have this same mind...

Philippians 2:5 TPT

And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.

Bonhoeffer also writes: “Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that he takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly…. God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.”

Jesus was born in a stable, in a town considered least of all places.

Historically it had about 500 residents

Like saying the Son of God will be born in Wheeler, MI.

Because of that all can come to Him, the lowly outcast Shepherd and Wealthiest Kings of the East

Bonhoeffer- “Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”

God’s plan of redemption in thirty-eight words?

Word Spoken Universe Created Man Fell Seed Promised Covenant Established Prophets Foresaw Virgin Conceived Baby Born Angels Sang Shepherds Saw Kings Knelt Word Displayed Sin Cancelled Death Defeated Christ Reigns Hope Fulfilled Forgiveness Extended Hearts New Eternity Bright

-Call for Salvation