The Basis or Cause

Luke 2:14 - Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Lord God, this is a day to worship and celebrate the anniversary of Your birth. Just as Mary and Joseph and the prophets of old were waiting for Your arrival, so we await Your next one. 

In the stores you can find signs and posters that say "Believe." I never fail to question what someone who buys one of these is believing in. Do we believe in Santa? Do we believe in people? In ourselves? In government? I believe in Jesus and the miracle of His birth and all He has done for us. His whole life was a miracle. What does believe mean? It is the basis or cause for some belief, action, fact, event. Well, I think that just about says it all about Christ, life to death. The fact: God came down from His throne to earth. The event: the birth of Christ, God's only Son, and God incarnate. The belief: That Jesus is our Savior; He says that as the I AM He is all the things He has told us about and He will do all He has told us He would. The action: Receiving Him.

Jesus came to this earth, leaving a very comfortable, holy place at the right hand of His Father seated next to Him on His throne. He wore garments of fine linen and the colors of a King. He chose to leave that dignified spot to come down to earth, to be born a typical birth by an ordinary woman into a simple family, one without claim to fame, without rights and privileges in the world...yet they were chosen by God. He was born in lowly conditions and placed in a stone feeding trough filled with hay. This, a God who loves us so much and never slumbers nor sleeps, was sleeping in a stable. Glory to God in the highest....

He stepped down from Heaven to become our Emmanuel, God with us. God with us. He is here. He can be in our lives if we so choose Him. It's nearly impossible to imagine all the events of his birth, life and death. That's why we have that thing called faith. It takes faith to believe. Faith in something we have not seen and cannot comprehend. Faith of a child who believes everything an adult says...just because.

Jesus came to this earth with a very life-changing purpose. To live among us in the squaller and filth of a people who had and have turned their backs on Him, who were and are separated from Him at their own birth and who need Someone who can return them to their Father, to be their Savior.

We are all dead in our sins until that day comes into our lives. Until we can speak the words to the Lord that we want to receive Him, no sprinkling in baptism as a child, no thinking we know Jesus when we haven't given much thought about Him, no just assuming that because God says He loves all people or that all people are basically good, will anyone go to Heaven. We are a sinful people. Period.

What would have been the point at all in Jesus' birth, life and death if what I wrote above was true? Why did He have to leave His throne to live among us? Why did He have to be rejected and scorned? Why did He have to be subjected to the worldly ways, being tempted, but never succumbing to temptation. Why did He have to die a horrible death? There had to be a reason. We were that reason and He was our reason. And we celebrate the birth of that reason...

His birth has allowed access to the Father, as did His death. His ministry was to show Himself to the people so they might follow Him. Why do we struggle with that sometimes? We need to understand this: Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God (Luke 12:8). Is that right? We must confess Him first before men before He will confess us? What does that mean? There's a powerful statement there. Just because we say we are Christian doesn't make us one. Do we stumble over the word Jesus and feel more comfortable with the name God? Isn't the name God just a bit safer...less convicting? Oh, how the name of Jesus spoken out loud convicts. 

Jesus came to earth so that man would know Him, so man would confess Him. Without that confession...to God, not to anyone else because no man on this earth, no matter how holy he might appear to be can save us...we are still separated from Him. It is a personal decision between God and each person. No other way. Jesus is the Way. It must be done with words not from our heads but from our hearts. And the words must be to Jesus. Confession must be words...a true confession of faith...not some prayer we've learned in church to recite, but our words to Him.

Jesus, I confess You as the Son of God who came to this earth to live and die for my sins. I confess that I am a sinner (of both great and small things) and in need of a Savior. You alone are that Savior and I am confessing my need for You in my life. I confess that I fail daily without Your help. I confess that I have placed my trust in the worldly things believing they would get me through life when in actuality they only lead to death. I confess that even though I confess all these things I'm still a sinner and it is only by Your grace that I am received and saved by You. I confess that it will be a lifetime of giving up and letting go. Lord, I need You. Will You come into my life and make me whole...bridge that gap between You and me. Take away the separation. Empty me of me and fill me to overflowing with what You have for me that I might be able to share with others.

I confess that that's a pretty detailed prayer! Confession might be no more than Help me, Jesus. He knows your every need. It will encompass all in the above prayer and more...to suit that need. Even if your mind can't comprehend just what it is you require and all you can pray is Help me, He will know and start His work. Better yet, you will know, you will sense His presence, you will realize the miracle that has taken place in you. God's glory will be revealed.

Christmas is a time of believing. Jesus was a miracle. Everything about Him was prophesied. God the Father knew from the beginning of time what He would have to do to save us all. Just about every chapter in the Old Testament shows us a glimpse of and a type of Jesus and what sacrifice was. He sacrificed His life, we sacrifice ours. 

Hallelujah for all that God has promised us. Hallelujah for the true Christmas. Hallelujah!

What an amazing thing it would be for our personal spiritual rebirth to fall on the same day Christ was born. Mine did not fall on this day, but there's no reason why yours can't. All you need do is choose to believe and confess those beliefs. 

Philippians 2:11 - and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.