Majesty!

It’s hard for us to imagine a King being born in the rough crude surroundings of the Bethlehem manger. Yet when we read the accounts in Matthew and Luke about the beginnings of the life of Jesus, we are amazed. Majesty in a manger?
The Doubting World
The world around us today has become more and more questioning about anything that speaks of religion or faith. The movies and the media of our ‘progressive’ world who want to push their own agenda of doubt and skepticism want the world to know that there are many valid reasons why we should not believe the Christmas story. They doubt the possibility of a virgin birth of the messiah. They want the whole event to be just another tale or allegory. They plant their seeds of doubt into our society on a regular basis. Some of those seeds of doubt are even planted by those who call themselves ‘Christians.’ Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong is a leader in this kind of spiritual ‘reformation.’ As one of their chief theologians, his acceptance of homosexuality as a lifestyle rather than his recognition of it as sin has turned the Episcopal church upside down. Here’s what he says about what Christians need to believe today. “The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense. The virgin birth, understood as literal biology, makes Christ's divinity, as traditionally understood, impossible. The miracle stories of the New Testament can no longer be interpreted in a post-Newtonian world as supernatural events performed by an incarnate deity. The view of the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world is a barbarian idea based on primitive concepts of God and must be dismissed.” As a ‘Christian’ he has taught an entire generation to doubt the reality of the supernatural, the validity of the Bible as our spiritual foundation, and the consequences of sin. While he calls the sacrifice of the cross ‘barbarian’, in reality, his ‘new’ thinking is not new at all, going back to the barbarian days of man before the flood, when sin ruled mankind causing God to regret creation enough to destroy most of it in a global flood. When carnal man tries to figure out a supernatural God, using his finite mind, he becomes a barbarian! God will out-think him any day! There must be faith! Faith is more than thinking and trying to figure it all out with our minds. It takes genuine faith to trust that what God has promised in His Word is valid and true. It takes faith to believe that God had a plan from the beginning of time to save mankind from himself, and from the sin he is so entangled within. It takes faith to accept that God is really who He says He is, that He sent us his only Son, to die for us, to prepare a way for us to be with Him for eternity. Thinking minds can trivialize the entire concept of God, faith, miracles, and messiah. But if their logical minds have thought just one concept wrongly, they are in serious trouble and God is really God. They can doubt and question every faith concept in the Bible, but if they are wrong (and they are) and God is Almighty God (and He is), then they will still face Him on their day of accounting. Judgment faces both the saint and the sinner. No one is exempt. It will be an astounding day for the Bishop Spong and all those he influenced to doubt. They will meet His Majesty!
Why did Jesus come?
He came because he chose to love us in spite of our sin. (John 3:16) He came because the Father planned it that way. (Gen 3:15) He came because He was completely obedient. (Phil 2:8) He came because He loved his creation. (1 John 4:10) He came because He is King. (Rev. 19:16) He came because there was no other way to redeem mankind. (Gal 4:4-6) Those that recognize Him for who He is….He blesses. His covenant blessing is for all those who are part of His family.
David called Him “Majesty”
When King David became the reigning king over all Israel, he knew who was really the King over all—-not himself, but the God who made him. “Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 Because David recognized who was really in charge, God blessed his reign as long as David sought the Lord. The moment David began to do his own thinking, and making his own choices, David got into trouble. It is just the same today. The moment we begin to rely on ourselves, on our own abilities, our own thoughts, our own choices, and we fail to seek God, we soon fall into the carnal patterns of doubt, skepticism, greed, and pride. But when we stop dead in our tracks and realize our mistake, and turn once again to God, He forgives us and restores us once again. When we see him as “Majesty”….we see Him as King. He is the One in charge! We are His humble and obedient servants. We deserve nothing and He has given us everything.
There are some truths to the questioning minds of the world, who see Christians making mistakes, walking in sin, living lives of prejudice and compromise...for we are not perfect by any means. Mistakes have been made. Sometimes we even interpret the Word incorrectly. But one thing I know for certain—Jesus is not a myth, fairy tale or legend. He is God incarnate...in the flesh. He is Redeemer. He is Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Counselor, King of Kings, and He is coming again. I don’t need to know when or how, or if it is going to be pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation or post-tribulation. The important thing is that we are ready for that moment when the clouds part and every eye shall see Him in all his glory and splendor—Majesty!
Somehow I think we will see him in a similar way that John the Revelator saw Him on Patmos. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last….And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead Rev 1:10-17 His Majestic presence will be more than our human minds can grasp. When we enter the presence of an earthly king or queen, there is a protocol to follow. One must dress for the occasion. One must learn how to address the royalty, how to speak with respect, and how to converse intelligently. True, you could try to enter the royal chambers in street clothes and act just as you normally do at home. But the guards would pick you out of the crowd in an instant. You would be ‘tossed out on your ear’ before the royalty would ever see you.
We will be presented before His Awesome Majesty. Are you wearing your royal garments? Are you prepared to meet Him? You must get ready. He is not the tiny baby in the manger anymore. He is Majesty! You must have “clean hands and a pure heart” (James 4:8). You must have your robe of righteousness (Is 61:10). Even as a child, the Kings from the east brought Him gold and other precious things. What will you bring Him? All He ever wanted was YOU!
This Christmas, take a moment and come before His Majesty and tell Him you are His… that you want nothing more than to recognize Him for who He really is. Remember He is more than just a baby in a manger, more than a stranger far away in distant Israel, more than a fabled concoction of men’s minds. He is the Almighty One, the Majesty on high! Christmas is not Christmas without Christ at the center of it all. Give Him the best gift you can give. Give yourself. Then go visit Him at his house….and give as He gave to you! Let Him turn your world upside down so you can see things from His point of view. Open your Bible and read the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke. Take the time to talk to Him...and don’t forget to call Him by his name… “Majesty!”
J. Johnson

Wishing you all a blessed and Christ Filled Christmas!
David & Joyce Johnson

A Wondrous Gift

She was just a child herself, yet a woman, but to all appearances, just a young girl. She was pregnant with her first child, not even married. It was an unforgivable condition to be in… engaged but pregnant. Mary must have been an unusual teenager. In her culture, she could have been stoned to death for what appeared to all to be sin. Yet, she willingly told the visiting angel sent from God “"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38) She made a choice...and the rest is history! One young girls choice has changed the destiny of the world.
The result of her choice was the provision of a wondrous gift, a new covenant….a new intimacy with God…a new relationship with the Almighty. It brought heaven down into this miserable and sinful world. A ray of light shined into the darkness that has beamed across continents into time changing lives for eternity. Mary’s choice allowed the Son of God to be born in the flesh, to be a tiny infant in a fragile world. Wrapped in swaddling grave clothes, He lay in a manger, a stone trough filled with hay, vulnerable to whatever life brought. Mary had no idea what the future would hold for her or for her newborn Son. The brief years of childhood would long be cherished in her heart as every mother does. But soon, the joys of childhood would turn to wonder as she watched her child become independent of her care as He remained at the temple astounding the religious minds of the day. We know very little of his childhood years, or his teenage life. We do know that very early He became focused on His purpose and destiny.
What if….
A tiny baby born to a mere girl, changed our world for eternity. When I think of the impact His life has had on this world, I wonder what our world would have been like if He had never come. What if life had just continued… the temple and the holy city in Roman hands… laws and rules… circumcision… sacrifices… old covenant ways complicated by religious laws added by the religious leaders, Sadducees and Pharisees. In just a few short years, the temple would have been destroyed by the Roman government. The impact of the Jewish world was in decline. Secular philosophies influenced by the Greek and Roman world were on the rise. We never would have known the freedom of a democracy based on the Christian teachings found in 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Women’s rights and freedoms would have not developed but for the teachings of Jesus Christ. The new moral standards set by Jesus who taught his followers to love each other and love their enemies, turned mankind from a vicious destructive way of life to one of tolerance, patience and peace.
Without Jesus, there never would have been a renaissance or reformation. Pilgrims would have never ventured to America for spiritual freedom. There would be no celebrations such as Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas, or even Halloween (originally Hallowed Evening). We would not know the meaning of the term “salvation.” Forgiveness of sin would not be possible for Non-Jewish people. Our cultures would have become a mix of Judaism, Greek mythology, Roman law, and who knows what culture would have developed in time. Islam would not exist as it is based on a mixture of Judaism and Christianity. Four billion Christians and Muslims would have a different religion. “Foxes’ Book of Martyrs” would have empty pages. There would be no “Pilgrims Progress.” Great works of art would not have been sculpted or painted. Science would not have developed as many of its greatest minds were Christians who prayed and asked God for wisdom (Pascal, Pasteur, Newton) Nations such as the United States would not have been founded on Christian ideals and principles. Cathedrals and churches would not dot the landscapes of every major city in the world. There would be no such thing as a pope, a pastor, a deacon, a bishop, or an apostle. We would not understand the meaning of such words as apocalypse, rapture, evangelical, or even justification. Denominations such as Roman Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and Pentecostal would not exist. Their influence on the world would never have happened.
I can hardly imagine what the United States and Canada would be like without Christ and Christianity. Sometimes we as believers wonder if we are making a difference in our world. Just as Jesus made a difference, so does every believer who stands for what he believes.
What now…
He did come.. He did change this world. He did make a difference, and because He did, we have an awesome responsibility to carry forward what He began. We have good news to tell those who have not heard. We have a message of hope for a world lost in hopelessness and despair. Because of Him, we can say with confidence, like Paul, “ for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (1 Timothy 2:12). While millions around the world reach out to idols of wood and stone, spin cylinders of prayer, wave flags, burn incense and pray to icons and dead men and women, we have a certainty, a knowing, a confidence that our Savior who came as a baby, grew to be a man, and died, only to live again, that He hears today and answers our prayers, heals our bodies, prepares us for eternity and loves us all even if we sin.
Can we do anything less than share His love with others this Christmas? Can we for a moment lay aside our selfishness and greed, our materialism and humanism and choose intentionally to reach out to someone else who has no hope? Is Christ truly the center of your Christmas celebration? Do you see the needs of others around you? Have you gone out of your way to help someone as Christ would have done? This Christmas, determine to give to the ministry of your choice, as if you were giving it to Jesus Himself. He gave up the glory of heaven for us. Can we give up the glitz and grandeur of this world for Him? Somehow, I don’t think the two realms are comparable.
What a gift…!
We take our precious finances and select a gift for our loved ones, wrap it in tissue paper, decorated with pretty ribbons and foil, and then put it under the tree for Christmas morning. We think we have done something grand! Yet if the truth was known, too often we gripe and complain and recycle unwanted gifts and do just enough to get by the season, hoping no one will notice our stingy hearts. Meanwhile, God sent us the perfect gift, one size fits all, the kind that heals every broken heart, and fills every empty life to overflowing. He gives us Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, Hope….. And we leave His gift under the tree, still wrapped, still waiting to be received. We are not sure what to do with Him. If we open it, we might feel obligated… to change our habits, go to church, guard our tongues, to give our tithes, and go out of our way. If we pretend we did not get His gift… then perhaps we can go on doing things the same old way.
Christmas is about change. God sent His wondrous gift to change us, to give to us, to heal us, to love us...even though we feel unlovable. The gift never changes yet the gift changes us forever if we will just open the gift and receive Him. He is the perfect gift—the one that heals sick bodies, frees those in bondages of addiction, fills those who are lonely, lifts those who are depressed. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come (Luke 4:18,19 NLT) Let’s take the wondrous gift, open it, and give it again to someone in need! His wondrous gift never stops giving!
J. Johnson