Have you seen or heard about the
Christmas ABC book? Each letter of the alphabet connects with the Biblical
story in a little rhyme. For instance, A is for Angel; an angel was the first
to tell that Christ had come on earth to dwell. D is for Donkey; a donkey
followed Joseph’s track and carried Mary on his back.
Some of them are a stretch, like O is for Oxen; ox and donkey’s wondered why so many people knelt nearby. All in all, it’s a great book to help children know the ABC’s of Christmas.
2 Corinthians 8:9 says “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” This verse gives us the ABC’s of Christmas and sums up the great truth behind our Savior’s birth.
A) He was rich. Rich in His person – He is the eternal son of God who has always existed. (Isaiah 9:6) Rich in His position – He sits on the throne of the universe. Rich in His power. (Colossians 1:16-17) Rich in His possessions. If you take the 10 most powerful rulers who ever ruled, the 10 wisest men, the 10 mightiest generals who ever went into battle, the 10 strongest athletes, the 10 most memorizing orators, or political leaders or any other 10 greatest men left on earth, calculated their accumulated wealth, power, influence, skill, genius, wisdom, insight and ability – whatever the vast sum comes to, Jesus had more in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3) No one comes close.
Some of them are a stretch, like O is for Oxen; ox and donkey’s wondered why so many people knelt nearby. All in all, it’s a great book to help children know the ABC’s of Christmas.
2 Corinthians 8:9 says “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” This verse gives us the ABC’s of Christmas and sums up the great truth behind our Savior’s birth.
A) He was rich. Rich in His person – He is the eternal son of God who has always existed. (Isaiah 9:6) Rich in His position – He sits on the throne of the universe. Rich in His power. (Colossians 1:16-17) Rich in His possessions. If you take the 10 most powerful rulers who ever ruled, the 10 wisest men, the 10 mightiest generals who ever went into battle, the 10 strongest athletes, the 10 most memorizing orators, or political leaders or any other 10 greatest men left on earth, calculated their accumulated wealth, power, influence, skill, genius, wisdom, insight and ability – whatever the vast sum comes to, Jesus had more in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3) No one comes close.
B) He became poor. What does that
mean? He was rich in eternity. He became poor in time. He left heaven to be
born in a manger (that is, a feeding trough), live in a remote village in a
foreign province and join a despised race.
Notice a very important thing in 2 Corinthians 8:9: the verb says He became poor, not He was made poor. He voluntarily gave
up the riches of heaven for the poverty of earth. He did this of His own free
will, something we would not do. The richest person in the universe, of His own
free will, became poorer than the poor. This is called the incarnation – God
became flesh. (John 1:1,14) God entered the human race in the form of a man.
C) That we might become rich. Here is the purpose of Christmas. He came so that we who were poor might become rich. How does that happen? Grace. All the grace of God is available to me by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Think of it. All the riches, all the power, all the prestige of His good name are mine. You might say, “I don’t deserve that.” Indeed, you don’t. That’s the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I deserved it, I wouldn’t need Jesus. But through my association with Jesus Christ, suddenly, I am a rich man.
This concept is called imputation. He takes my sin and I take His righteousness. I don’t earn it, it is imputed to me. It is credited to my account the moment I trust in Jesus as my Savior.
There you have it. The ABC’s of Christmas. There is only one question to ask: Have you placed your trust in Him and what He did for you? (Born to die in the place of your sin and was raised from the dead).
Merry Christmas!
C) That we might become rich. Here is the purpose of Christmas. He came so that we who were poor might become rich. How does that happen? Grace. All the grace of God is available to me by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ.
Think of it. All the riches, all the power, all the prestige of His good name are mine. You might say, “I don’t deserve that.” Indeed, you don’t. That’s the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I deserved it, I wouldn’t need Jesus. But through my association with Jesus Christ, suddenly, I am a rich man.
This concept is called imputation. He takes my sin and I take His righteousness. I don’t earn it, it is imputed to me. It is credited to my account the moment I trust in Jesus as my Savior.
There you have it. The ABC’s of Christmas. There is only one question to ask: Have you placed your trust in Him and what He did for you? (Born to die in the place of your sin and was raised from the dead).
Merry Christmas!
Freshly Bru’d will be on vacation until January 7, 2015.
P.S. Don’t miss Sunday services. We will look at how to get along with relatives and people that are difficult without robbing us of keeping Christ in Christmas. Don’t forget your sack of groceries to give to Lincoln’s Food Distribution Center – Just leave it by your car as you come to church.
