Dr. Bill Bouknight
Christmas is finally here. In the minds of children it has taken forever. For them the last few weeks have moved as slowly as butter in a new frigidaire.
This morning they discovered at least some of the items under the tree about which they wrote to Santa some weeks ago. I love children's letters to Santa and collect some of the more interesting ones. Several of my favorites are these: "Dear Santa, I tried to be good this year, but it just didn't work out." Sounds like a Methodist child. "Dear Santa, this girl in my class, Janie Martin, is bad. She likes to pick on boys. Don't bring her nothin'." Funny how our haloes don't sit exactly straight even at Christmas.
This morning let's step back from the Christmas presents, the family reunions, the feasting and merry-making long enough to ask a vital question: Who was this baby Jesus and what was the significance of his birth?
Perhaps the place to begin is with his names. In biblical times names were extremely significant. They were not just given because parents liked the sound or because grandfather had that name. To know the name of a person was in a sense to understand that person, to have a key to his or her identity.
By contrast, names are not nearly so significant today. Babies are named for football players, movie stars, politicians, and 'poets. There was a Baptist preacher down in Georgia with a strange first name. He was the 12th child in the McBride family. By the time he came along, the parents had exhausted all the biblical names they liked. The baby was about a week old before he had a name. His mother found his name in a strange way. One day she received a congratulatory card from a friend. On the back was a beautiful poem. She was so touched by the words that she decided to name her child after the man who wrote that poem. So that baby, future Baptist preacher, became Anonymous McBride.
Our scripture lesson for today tells us that the baby Jesus were not named by Mary and Joseph. His names came straight from God, transmitted by angelic messengers. Those names were: Jesus and Emmanuel. Let's look at each of them.
First, in verse 21, we read: "You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus is the Greek form of a familiar Jewish name "Joshua." Joshua means literally "Jehovah is salvation."
It is important that Jesus' very name highlights the most important mission of his life: to save us from sin and reconcile us to God. Jesus was the only baby in history born for the purpose of dying. Across his manger fell the shadow of the cross.
Sin is not a fashionable word and hasn't been for a long time.
Over twenty years ago Dr. Karl Menninger wrote his important book, "Whatever Became of Sin?" The word is still not politically correct. On television and in the movies you will hear every crudity and profanity ever uttered but you will not likely hear the word "sin" used seriously. Yet, the Bible says that sin is the fundamental problem of planet earth, and Jesus' primary mission was to provide a cure.
Our basic problem is not that we are under-educated or malnourished or abused or discriminated against. Our basic problem is not that our parents loved one of our siblings more than us or that we were allowed to suck our thumbs.
Our basic problem is sin. We are sinful to the core. We are naturally prone to rebel against God. In our natural state we are egocentric and self-centered. Unless there is an intervention, an encounter with God through Jesus Christ, sin will increasingly dominate us and we will spend eternity in hell.
Paul Tournier, the great Swiss psychiatrist, says "Behind all personal problems there lies sin." Think about the problems frustrating our world today. Bosnia with its ethnic cleansing is an abomination. What causes the Muslims and Serbs to hate each other? The answer is sin.
Lots of Americans have concluded that the Bible's guidelines about sex--abstinence before marriage and fidelity during marriage-- are too restrictive and old-fashioned. Many persons are doing their own thing. The results in terms of disease, abortion, divorce and heartbreak are staggering and tragic. The root cause is sin.
Here in America we have a health care crisis. Many people do not have health care. Others cannot change jobs or they will lose their protection. In this prosperous land, that is a sin. We could resolve that problem tomorrow if it were not for greed. Greed is another expression of sin.
Washington, D.C. is caught up in a great tax-cut debate, each political party trying to outdo the other in a search for votes. The 1996 presidential campaign is already underway. Our sin is that we care more about our own tax bill than we do about fairness. We care more about our own tax bill than about the fiscal health of the country our grandchildren will inherit.
We are rearing in America a small percentage of teenagers who are dangerous. Many of them were born into poverty in single- parent households. They were barely fed and clothed; no one bothered to teach them about God or values or ethics. And so, they emerge into the teen years---hostile, street-wise, and conscience- less. What was the sin? Abuse and Neglect. Who will pay for it? All of us.
Is there a way to cure all that sin? Jesus is the only way. When he offered his life as a sacrifice for sin on Calvary's cross, he bore the penalty for our sin. When he arose from the dead three days later, God announced that if any person appropriates that sacrifice by faith, then the barrier between that person and God is broken down. God takes up residence in that believer and makes a new person out of him or her. That person becomes a reconciler in society, a distributor of God's grace. And when that person dies, he goes immediately to his eternal residence in heaven, sponsored by Jesus.
Dr. Dennis Kinlaw of Asbury Seminary relates the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac to Jesus. You may remember that Abraham was commanded to offer his precious young son Isaac as a sacrifice. So, in almost a superhuman demonstration of obedience, he beloved son to the very mountain that today dominates Jerusalem-- the Temple Mount. "Who will provide a ram for the sacrifice?" Isaac asked innocently. God provided a ram in the bush, saving Issac's life. Then, says Dr. Kinlaw, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, said to the first person of the Trinity, the Father, "Father, we are going to come back to this mountain again one day, aren't we?" 3000 years later, on that same hill, the Second person of the Trinity, the Son, became the eternal sacrifice who takes away the sin of the world.
"You are to name him Jesus," said the angel,"for he will save his people from their sins."
There is a second name or title that God gave us for his holy child: Emmanuel.
Emmanuel which means 'God is with us.’ This is the only place in the New Testament where we find the word "Emmanuel." But isn't it interesting that Matthew ends his gospel with Jesus uttering the words that mean Emmanuel: "Lo, I am with you always." Ours is the only religion on earth that declares that God became a human being and lived on this earth. Most other religions claim that God is so high and lifted up, so insulated and aloof, that he would not condescend to besmirch himself with the filth and commonness of earth. But our Bible declares that "The Word (meaning Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us."
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here."
You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walked, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted. He was Emmanuel which means "God is with us."
When our hearts are broken because someone we trusted let us down, our Lord has been there; Jesus' best friends deserted him in his moment of greatest need. When death snatches from us someone more precious than our own life, our Lord has been there; Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. When we are tempted so severely that we almost tremble under the force of the Evil One, our Lord has been there; Jesus spent a terrible forty days continually badgered by the Devil.
When life makes no sense and we can't find God anywhere, our Lord has been there; Jesus cried out in agony from a cross, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" We can never say truthfully, "God doesn't understand." Jesus was God in human form. He trudged our toughest roads. He tasted life's bitterest dregs. He paid history's highest rent for the dubious privilege of living. He was and is and always will be Emmanuel, God with us.
Now, put the two names together and get a more complete understanding of the Christ-child of Bethlehem. He is Jesus, the bearer of salvation, the one sent to save us from our sins. And he is also Emmanuel, God with us, that one who comforts us in all distress, who shares our every burden, who will never fail us or forsake us. He is Jesus! He is Emmanuel!
I have a dear friend in Nashville by the name of Wallace Chappell. He is a prince of preachers. One of his favorite stories is about a small boy who went to a pet shot. "Mister," he said to the owner, "I want to buy that puppy." The owner's eyes followed the boy's finger to a little crippled puppy all by himself. "Son," replied, "that pup is worthless. We're going to have him put to sleep in the next few days." But the boy protested, "I've saved my money just to buy that one puppy. I have been looking at him in the window every day. He's the only one I want." Once again the owner explained the problem--the dog was crippled--the dog was worthless--the dog would be put to sleep. The small boy then reached down with two little hands and pulled up his trousers. The man observed two little legs enclosed in braces. "Mister," he said, "You don't know what love can do!"
Jesus Emmanuel has worn our braces and died for our sins. Now with grateful hearts let us enthrone him as Savior and Lord.
Christmas is finally here. In the minds of children it has taken forever. For them the last few weeks have moved as slowly as butter in a new frigidaire.
This morning they discovered at least some of the items under the tree about which they wrote to Santa some weeks ago. I love children's letters to Santa and collect some of the more interesting ones. Several of my favorites are these: "Dear Santa, I tried to be good this year, but it just didn't work out." Sounds like a Methodist child. "Dear Santa, this girl in my class, Janie Martin, is bad. She likes to pick on boys. Don't bring her nothin'." Funny how our haloes don't sit exactly straight even at Christmas.
This morning let's step back from the Christmas presents, the family reunions, the feasting and merry-making long enough to ask a vital question: Who was this baby Jesus and what was the significance of his birth?
Perhaps the place to begin is with his names. In biblical times names were extremely significant. They were not just given because parents liked the sound or because grandfather had that name. To know the name of a person was in a sense to understand that person, to have a key to his or her identity.
By contrast, names are not nearly so significant today. Babies are named for football players, movie stars, politicians, and 'poets. There was a Baptist preacher down in Georgia with a strange first name. He was the 12th child in the McBride family. By the time he came along, the parents had exhausted all the biblical names they liked. The baby was about a week old before he had a name. His mother found his name in a strange way. One day she received a congratulatory card from a friend. On the back was a beautiful poem. She was so touched by the words that she decided to name her child after the man who wrote that poem. So that baby, future Baptist preacher, became Anonymous McBride.
Our scripture lesson for today tells us that the baby Jesus were not named by Mary and Joseph. His names came straight from God, transmitted by angelic messengers. Those names were: Jesus and Emmanuel. Let's look at each of them.
First, in verse 21, we read: "You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus is the Greek form of a familiar Jewish name "Joshua." Joshua means literally "Jehovah is salvation."
It is important that Jesus' very name highlights the most important mission of his life: to save us from sin and reconcile us to God. Jesus was the only baby in history born for the purpose of dying. Across his manger fell the shadow of the cross.
Sin is not a fashionable word and hasn't been for a long time.
Over twenty years ago Dr. Karl Menninger wrote his important book, "Whatever Became of Sin?" The word is still not politically correct. On television and in the movies you will hear every crudity and profanity ever uttered but you will not likely hear the word "sin" used seriously. Yet, the Bible says that sin is the fundamental problem of planet earth, and Jesus' primary mission was to provide a cure.
Our basic problem is not that we are under-educated or malnourished or abused or discriminated against. Our basic problem is not that our parents loved one of our siblings more than us or that we were allowed to suck our thumbs.
Our basic problem is sin. We are sinful to the core. We are naturally prone to rebel against God. In our natural state we are egocentric and self-centered. Unless there is an intervention, an encounter with God through Jesus Christ, sin will increasingly dominate us and we will spend eternity in hell.
Paul Tournier, the great Swiss psychiatrist, says "Behind all personal problems there lies sin." Think about the problems frustrating our world today. Bosnia with its ethnic cleansing is an abomination. What causes the Muslims and Serbs to hate each other? The answer is sin.
Lots of Americans have concluded that the Bible's guidelines about sex--abstinence before marriage and fidelity during marriage-- are too restrictive and old-fashioned. Many persons are doing their own thing. The results in terms of disease, abortion, divorce and heartbreak are staggering and tragic. The root cause is sin.
Here in America we have a health care crisis. Many people do not have health care. Others cannot change jobs or they will lose their protection. In this prosperous land, that is a sin. We could resolve that problem tomorrow if it were not for greed. Greed is another expression of sin.
Washington, D.C. is caught up in a great tax-cut debate, each political party trying to outdo the other in a search for votes. The 1996 presidential campaign is already underway. Our sin is that we care more about our own tax bill than we do about fairness. We care more about our own tax bill than about the fiscal health of the country our grandchildren will inherit.
We are rearing in America a small percentage of teenagers who are dangerous. Many of them were born into poverty in single- parent households. They were barely fed and clothed; no one bothered to teach them about God or values or ethics. And so, they emerge into the teen years---hostile, street-wise, and conscience- less. What was the sin? Abuse and Neglect. Who will pay for it? All of us.
Is there a way to cure all that sin? Jesus is the only way. When he offered his life as a sacrifice for sin on Calvary's cross, he bore the penalty for our sin. When he arose from the dead three days later, God announced that if any person appropriates that sacrifice by faith, then the barrier between that person and God is broken down. God takes up residence in that believer and makes a new person out of him or her. That person becomes a reconciler in society, a distributor of God's grace. And when that person dies, he goes immediately to his eternal residence in heaven, sponsored by Jesus.
Dr. Dennis Kinlaw of Asbury Seminary relates the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac to Jesus. You may remember that Abraham was commanded to offer his precious young son Isaac as a sacrifice. So, in almost a superhuman demonstration of obedience, he beloved son to the very mountain that today dominates Jerusalem-- the Temple Mount. "Who will provide a ram for the sacrifice?" Isaac asked innocently. God provided a ram in the bush, saving Issac's life. Then, says Dr. Kinlaw, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, said to the first person of the Trinity, the Father, "Father, we are going to come back to this mountain again one day, aren't we?" 3000 years later, on that same hill, the Second person of the Trinity, the Son, became the eternal sacrifice who takes away the sin of the world.
"You are to name him Jesus," said the angel,"for he will save his people from their sins."
There is a second name or title that God gave us for his holy child: Emmanuel.
Emmanuel which means 'God is with us.’ This is the only place in the New Testament where we find the word "Emmanuel." But isn't it interesting that Matthew ends his gospel with Jesus uttering the words that mean Emmanuel: "Lo, I am with you always." Ours is the only religion on earth that declares that God became a human being and lived on this earth. Most other religions claim that God is so high and lifted up, so insulated and aloof, that he would not condescend to besmirch himself with the filth and commonness of earth. But our Bible declares that "The Word (meaning Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us."
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here."
You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walked, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted. He was Emmanuel which means "God is with us."
When our hearts are broken because someone we trusted let us down, our Lord has been there; Jesus' best friends deserted him in his moment of greatest need. When death snatches from us someone more precious than our own life, our Lord has been there; Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. When we are tempted so severely that we almost tremble under the force of the Evil One, our Lord has been there; Jesus spent a terrible forty days continually badgered by the Devil.
When life makes no sense and we can't find God anywhere, our Lord has been there; Jesus cried out in agony from a cross, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" We can never say truthfully, "God doesn't understand." Jesus was God in human form. He trudged our toughest roads. He tasted life's bitterest dregs. He paid history's highest rent for the dubious privilege of living. He was and is and always will be Emmanuel, God with us.
Now, put the two names together and get a more complete understanding of the Christ-child of Bethlehem. He is Jesus, the bearer of salvation, the one sent to save us from our sins. And he is also Emmanuel, God with us, that one who comforts us in all distress, who shares our every burden, who will never fail us or forsake us. He is Jesus! He is Emmanuel!
I have a dear friend in Nashville by the name of Wallace Chappell. He is a prince of preachers. One of his favorite stories is about a small boy who went to a pet shot. "Mister," he said to the owner, "I want to buy that puppy." The owner's eyes followed the boy's finger to a little crippled puppy all by himself. "Son," replied, "that pup is worthless. We're going to have him put to sleep in the next few days." But the boy protested, "I've saved my money just to buy that one puppy. I have been looking at him in the window every day. He's the only one I want." Once again the owner explained the problem--the dog was crippled--the dog was worthless--the dog would be put to sleep. The small boy then reached down with two little hands and pulled up his trousers. The man observed two little legs enclosed in braces. "Mister," he said, "You don't know what love can do!"
Jesus Emmanuel has worn our braces and died for our sins. Now with grateful hearts let us enthrone him as Savior and Lord.
