THE CRADLE, THE CROSS, AND THE CROWN

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV)

This season is often referred to as Advent. The Word “advent,” is from a Latin word that means, “coming,” or “arrival.”  We look back to the first coming of Christ in the nativity and look ahead to the second coming of Christ in His glory. Isaiah the prophet looked down the tunnel of time and 700 years before the birth of Christ, predicted it. This passage brings us to the cradle, the cross, and the crown.

THE CRADLE. “For unto us a Child is born....”  This was Christ’s Conception. His conception was supernatural--a virgin mother who would give birth to the Son of God. Isaiah had first identified this child in 7:14 as Immanuel, God with us!  The Infinite became an infant.  The Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God. He stepped out of Heaven’s throne room and slept in Bethlehem’s stable.  He left the singing of seraphim for the bleating of sheep.  He laid aside the royal robes and was wrapped in swaddling cloths.  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor.8:9). Isaiah tells us more as he takes us from the cradle to:

THE CROSS, “Unto us a Son is given....”  This was Christ’s Crucifixion. Christmas and Calvary are inseparably linked by love.  The manger and the cross are bookends to the story of redemption. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Gal.4:4-5). Before Jesus will wear a crown of glory, He would wear a crown of thorns. Before His manifestation as the Lion of Judah, He will be the Lamb of God. Christmas is a time of gift-giving, and appropriately so, for God so loved the world that He have His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. The reason Christ came down from heaven was so He could pay the price for our sins.

But, Isaiah is not finished. He not only takes us to the cradle and the cross , but to THE CROWN, “And the government will be upon His shoulder.”  This is Christ’s Coronation.  He died, was buried, but the Lord of Life emerged conqueror of death and the grave!  He ascended and is at the Father’s right hand where He ever lives to intercede for us, and awaits the word to come in the clouds for His children.  A Christ-rejecting world will be judged and He shall reign forever and ever as King of kings and Lord of lords. When we receive Christ now, we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

There are immediate benefits. When Jesus reigns over us we experience HIS PERCEPTION from the guidance of the Wonderful Counselor. Those who heard Him teach were astonished and said,  “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46).  Oh, the wonder of His wisdom!

We are blessed by HIS POWER from the Mighty God.  Jesus was man, but more--fully God. You are going to face some challenges in life, but the Mighty God is with you!  He is more than sufficient.

We also have HIS PRESERVATION from the Everlasting Father who delivered us from death and made us part of His forever family. He is from everlasting to everlasting and gives us eternity.  Being born into the family of God makes God our Forever Father.

Finally, we have HIS PEACE from the Prince of Peace to calm our fears.  Now we can have peace with God, sinners reconciled to a Holy God because of Christ.  We can know the peace of God because of His presence with us.  One day, He is bringing real peace to earth!

Merry Christmas,

Dennis Thurman, Mission Strategist