The King Was Born In A Manger
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The Promised One had finally come but the world did not herald His appearing.
The angels of Heaven looked on with wonder but the world still carried on
without a care. The only people informed of this glorious event were humble
shepherds, who were in the field at night, tending their flocks. How appropriate
that the Great Shepherd of the sheep was first seen by the shepherds of lowly
Bethlehem. The shepherd was not considered to have an occupation of
prestige, nor is he highly esteemed by the world's eyes; yet God chose those
shepherds to witness the greatest Shepherd who would ever live. Shepherds
have always had a special place in the Bible. Abel was a shepherd; David was a
shepherd; Moses was a shepherd. How fitting it was for those shepherds to get
the first glimpse at the very One, who years later would say,
"I am the good
shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"
(John 10:11).  How
awesome that the shepherds were the first eye-witnesses to see the One, of
whom John the Baptist would later say,
"Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world."

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Yeshua! Jesus Christ-- the
Savior, the Lord, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, is also the King and
His Kingdom shall have no end.  Yet our Messiah-- the Lord of Glory-- was
born in a humble stable and laid in a manger.

Luke 2:7  
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and
laid him in a manger; because there was no room
for them in the inn.

Isaiah's prophecy, given seven centuries before, was now fulfilled:

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The long promised Child had come. The Seed of the woman was here:

Isaiah 9:6,7  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,
Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.

Micah's prophecy was fulfilled:

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The child who was cradled in a manger is the root and offspring of David--
The eternal Son of God-- the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder all of Heaven were
rejoicing that night when the Virgin-born Son of God had appeared, and the
Heavenly host, innumerable and mighty, led by an angel of the Lord, were
praising the God of infinite love, and said in Luke 2:14,
"Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

The Child in the manger is the eternal Word, by whom all things were made,
sinless and holy, without the slightest taint of sin in His human nature and
physical body, with which He had clothed Himself. He came to do the will of
Him who sent Him into the world. While the Father sent Him, He also came
of His own will. When still in the bosom of the Father, when the smoke of
sacrifices was risen from Israel's altars, He had said to the Father,
"Sacrifice
and offering thou wouldest not,
but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said
I, Lo, I
come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O
God.
" (Hebrews 10:5-7)

What did He come to do? What was the will of God? The Lord Jesus came to
glorify the Father among men! He came to finish the work the Father gave Him
to do!

After living in perfect holiness for thirty years, the life which in its fragrance
was known to God alone, He appeared in public to manifest God, His Father,
and to
finish the work He had come to do. Remember the announcement to
the shepherds in Bethlehem?
"For unto you is born this day in the city of
David
a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

The people beheld His mighty works of power, the credentials of His Deity and
Messiahship. The lepers were cleansed, the eyes of the blind opened, the
ears of the deaf unstopped, the tongues of the dumb loosed, the lame men
walked and the dead were raised back to life! The water was turned to wine,
the multitudes were fed, the winds and the waves obeyed the voice of Christ
Jesus.

We see Him walking in all the lovely holiness of the God-Man. What moral
glory is about Him and displayed in every step, in every word, and every
action! In meekness and charming lowliness, in kindness and patience He
walked among men. The Lord Jesus served in perfect devotion, never seeking
the glory of man, but His only aim was to glorify the Heavenly Father.

We read Jesus' words and His words witness to His own Deity, His eternal
relationship with the Father-- His oneness with Him...In Jerusalem, during the
Feast of Hanukkah, Jesus said,
"I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).

What the Father is in holiness and love is
made known by Christ Jesus. The
Lord invites men and women to come unto Him and promises rest. As the
friend of sinners, He ate and drank with them. He manifested His divine power
to forgive sins on earth. He gave and still gives the assurance and comfort,
"Go in peace. Thy sins are forgiven thee."

Even His own enemies witnessed, "Never a man spake like this man."
And His own disciple, the Apostle Peter said, "To whom shall we go? Thou
hast the words of eternal life."

Neither Christ's miracles, His moral glory, nor His words can ever be
fathomed. All is like Himself-- INEXHUASTIBLE! Yet great as this life
lived on earth was, it was not the goal of the manger. The Lord Jesus
Christ came for something infinitely higher. The goal of the manger was
the cross of Calvary. He was born to die! He was born to redeem fallen,
sinful man!

Let us stop! We are born to die because we have sinned. He was born to die
because
we have sinned. The Lord Jesus knew no sin, there was no taint
upon Him whatsoever. For this reason the cold hand of death had no
right to lay hold on Him.
Yet He was born to die, because the Father's will
was that He should be the substitute of sinners.
Jesus would take our place.
The wages of sin is death. The wage (or earnings) of every person who sins

i
s eternal separation from God but Christ, being the sacrificial Lamb-- took
our place upon the cross and paid our sin debt. The Lord Jesus came to give
His life a RANSOM for MANY. Of His life He spoke as follows:  John 10:18
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of my Father.

In the Messianic Psalm 22, we find that the Lord Jesus was called of God from
the womb. Of us, the Bible says that we are shapen in iniquity (Psalm 52:5)
even in our mother's womb but yet for Jesus, the Bible says that
He was holy.
In Luke 1:35, the angel said to Mary, "
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
."

The Lord Jesus speaks in Psalm 22:9,10  But thou art he that took me out
of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's
breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my
mother's belly.

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the
world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.

As a boy, He knew that He must be about His "Father's business." Our
blessed Lord Jesus saw the goal of Calvary on the Mount of Transfiguration,
when Moses and Elijah spoke with Him about what He must do. Many times,
the Lord Jesus spoke with His disciples about how He must die and be raised to
life.

When His Hour had come, the hour fixed before the foundation of the world,
our Lord went up to Jerusalem. Nothing could hinder Him. He knew what had
to be done to redeem fallen man-- He did not turn away but went as a lamb to
the slaughter. The Lord Jesus knew He would die for the sins of many and for
this cause came He into the world.

At Jesus' arrest,  Peter cut off the ear of one of the High Priest's servants and
the Lord Jesus healed the man instantly and what did Christ say to Peter?
Matthew 26:52-54 record our Lord's thoughts:  Then said Jesus unto him,
Put
up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish
with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he
shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then shall
the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

The Lord Jesus died the sinner's death. He finished the great work of
redemption.
He suffered the punishment upon the cross that should have been
ours. He redeemed us by His precious blood. He saved our souls and whoever
receives Him, receives eternal life. The baby laying in the manger...was to
become the Lamb of God...Christ Jesus the Lord who shed His precious blood
for our sins and became the Passover Lamb.

Mark 10:45  
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for many.

John 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but
the wrath of God abideth
on him.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son
to be the Saviour of the world.

The manger was just the beginning of the eternal Kingdom that shall never end.
Christ died for our sins upon the cross but His story does not end there. He
arose from the dead three days later-- having victory over the grave. And
because He lives, believers in Him shall live forever also. This, He promised.
The Lord Jesus is the eternal King, with an eternal kingdom-- and a glorious
inheritance awaits all who have put their trust in Him! Our Messiah is seated at
the right hand of the Heavenly Father, waiting until His enemies be made His
footstool. As sure as you read this, there is a glorious Kingdom coming, where
Christ Jesus will rule and reign forever! The manger was the beginning and an
eternal righteous kingdom is the future! Let us never forget what the angel,
Gabriel, said concerning our Lord:

Luke 1:32,33  
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 he
shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall
be no end.

Copyright ©2007  Cobblestone Road Ministries
Taken in part from AC Gaebelein's "The Goal of the Manger"

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If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, we invite
you to
click here and read why Christ died for our sins and why we must all
receive Him as our Savior. It is the
most important message you will ever
read!
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FURTHER READING:
The Geese In The Snowstorm - A Must-Read!
Star of Bethlehem and The Wise Men
Jesus - The King Of Glory
Are You Rapture Ready? Consider Who this Lord Is!
God Sent Us The Savior
JESUS THE GREAT "I AM" - Jesus Is God!
Proof that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah - from the Hebrew Scriptures
The Preaching Of Jesus Christ After - His Resurrection Concerning the Kingdom of God
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