How Old Was Jesus When He Was Born?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger…” Luke 2:7. “And great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh” 1 Timothy 3:16.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I love 1 Timothy 3:16, “…God was manifest in the flesh.” You may not understand that. The apostle Paul said, “I don’t understand it.” Great is the mystery. God stepped out of Heaven and came to this earth through the portals of a virgin’s womb.

Jesus did not have His beginning at Bethlehem. When the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word,” it’s not talking about a start but a state. There never was a time when Jesus was not. There never will be a time when Jesus is not. A billion years from now, He will still be God. He is God from everlasting to everlasting.

When Jesus was born, He was older than His mother and as old His Father because He was the Son from Heaven. Jesus did not begin in a manger. He came to earth and was manifest in a manger.

This little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes was the great, eternal, uncreated, self-existing Word made flesh. The little baby in Luke 2 is the mighty God of Genesis 1. He is the One who made it all. Before Him “there was nothing that is made.” That little baby lying in the straw with dimpled feet is the One who swung planets into space. The little baby boy playing with shavings in Joseph’s carpenter shop is God of very God. God manifested in the flesh.

ACTION POINT:

Ponder this truth today: What good is it to know history and the events of history and not know Jesus? For it is in Him we live and move and have our being. He is fully God, forever God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Was There A Virgin Birth?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’ Then said Mary unto the angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God…. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’” Luke 1:31-37

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are people who sneer at the idea of a virgin birth. “Ha!” they say, “How could this happen?” The angel said to Mary, “With God nothing shall be impossible.”

Do you believe that? If you have trouble with the virgin birth, your real trouble is with God. Be reasonable. If God could make the first man without a father or mother, don’t you think He could bring His Son into this world in a virgin birth?

If you don’t believe in the virgin birth, you have some character problems.

• The character of Mary. If Mary had a child out of wedlock, then Mary was an impure woman.
• The character of Jesus. If Jesus had not been born of a virgin, he would have been the son of Adam, and in Adam all die. Jesus Christ would have had the same human proclivities you and I have, who are by nature the children of wrath.
• The character of the Word of God is flawed, because the Word of God clearly, plainly teaches it.

ACTION POINT:
Your salvation is inextricably interwoven with the virgin birth. No virgin birth, no deity. No deity, no sinless life. No sinless life, no sacrificial death. No sacrificial death, no salvation. No salvation, you’re going to hell. Jesus came to earth that we might go to Heaven; born of a virgin that we might be born again. Thank God for the virgin birth..

Things We Take For Granted

You will have another day of life!!!

Your family will have another day of life!!!

Your health!

Your job!

You assume when you die, you will go to heaven! 

Don't you want to know for sure?

There is only one assurance for you to go to heaven when you die!!

Your belief in the death of Christ and His subsequent resurrection three days later!!!

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." - John 11:25-27

21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.

28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. - 1 Corinthians 15:21-28

You must believe that Christ alone grants salvation through the power given Him by Father God!!

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:3-6

His tomb is empty, there are no bones.

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate

63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.'

64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first."

65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can."

66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. - Matthew 27:62-66

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. - Matthew 28:1-6

Not so with other so called gods, they all have tombs, complete with bones, adorned with monuments to which people go to pray.

but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. - Daniel 5:23

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. - Revelation 9:20-21

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 

2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" 

3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 

5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 

6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 

7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 

8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. 

9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.  - Psalm 115:1-9

His Incredible Deep Love

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:17-19

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. - Colossians 2:9-10

7 "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? 

8 It is higher than heaven-what can you do? Deeper than Sheol-what can you know? 

9 Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.  - Job 11:7-9

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,

31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.

32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" 

35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" 

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. - Romans 11:29-36

2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 

3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. - Colossians 2:2-5

How can you know the depth of His love?

Read and study His word!!!

The Greatest Event In Human History

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Seven hundred years before the first Christmas, Isaiah dipped his pen in golden glory and wrote these words about the coming Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. “A child is born” speaks of His virgin birth. “A Son is given” speaks of His eternality—He has been the Son of God, with the Father, through the ages.

Some years ago—you may remember it—man first stepped onto the moon. The President of the United States said, “The planting of human feet upon the moon is the greatest event in human history.”

No, the greatest event in human history was when God came to Earth and planted His feet here. We call that the incarnation—Almighty God stepped out of Heaven, the ivory palaces, into this world of woe, and put His feet upon this earth. And that is the greatest event in human history!

ACTION POINT:

The first Christmas, God sent a package to earth, a gift of deity wrapped up in humanity. What a marvelous thing this is. It’s supernatural. Share this with someone you know today and never forget it: Jesus is God in human flesh.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Making Suffering Your Servant

BIBLE MEDITATION: 

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

How do you enlist suffering to make it your servant? 

First, you receive it as a gift from God. Job said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b). 

Second, rely on God’s grace, because with the gift comes His grace. 2 Corinthians 9:8 promises, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” God is going to be near you in a special way.

Finally, reflect on the glory of God. There is no greater Christian who ever lived than the Apostle Paul. His greatest motive in all he endured was the glory of God. His pain became a platform from which he declared the glory of God.

ACTION POINT:

Receive it as a gift. Rely upon God’s grace. Reflect upon God’s glory. Choose to glorify Him through it. 

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Satisfied Just Skimming the Surface?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A little boy fell out of bed and was crying. His mother came, picked him up, and said, “Honey, what’s wrong? How did you fall out of bed?” He said, “Well, I guess I went to sleep too close to where I got in.”

I think there are a lot of people who have done exactly that. They get into Christ and somehow they just seem to go to sleep right there. They say, “I’m saved and that’s it.” But friend, that’s not it. It’s just the beginning of a relationship that will last through all eternity.

ACTION POINT:
God wants to move you further into a knowledge of Himself. I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with the status quo of my life. I want to go deep into the heart of Jesus. I desire the same for you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers