Ancient Paths
Share
Christo-spiritual Enlightenment
TOPIC: THE MERCIFUL WHO ARE BLESSED (Final part)
TEXT: Matthew 5:7
Ministering: Rev Dr Effiong Ekong
Topic: THE MERCIFUL WHO ARE BLESSED
Text: MATTHEW 5:11
Ministering: Rev Dr Effiong Ekong
Due to some challenges our scheduled live broadcast is rescheduled to start at 8.00 pm (WAT) today. We are very for any inconvenience this might cause, and appreciate your understanding. Don't fail to tune in then. God bless you.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Peace be unto you, people of God. We are pleased to inform you that Ancient Paths will go live on Saturday 26/3/22. Time: 5.00 pm (WAT). God bless you as you tune in.
16/03/2022
23/01/2022
08/01/2022
MAKE YOUR HEART A MANGER
Scripture Text: Luke 2:1-20
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his betrothed wife, being large with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were greatly afraid. 10 And the angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign to you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.
INTRODUCTION
Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous New Year in advance to all followers of our Page. Special greetings to all who recently liked our Page. God bless you richly in Jesus Mighty Name. This article represents a slight modification of a sermon preached a few days ago. We hope it will bless the souls who make up our growing online audience.
Let us be thankful to God our Heavenly Father, for His manifold goodness that we have enjoyed throughout the year. Particularly, let us thank God for keeping us alive to see 2021 Christmas Day. It is our hope that He will lead us safely and peacefully into the new year 2022.
The Almighty God would have us take a closer look at the narrative of Messiah's birth. The story of Messiah's birth is presented at length by two Gospel writers, one a Jew (Matthew), the other a Gentile (Luke). I consider this appropriate in view of the fact that, as foretold by the Old Testament prophets, the Jewish Messiah would also be the world's Saviour and a Light to the Gentiles (Isa 42:6; 49:6; cf. Acts 13:47). That is why we will, in course of this message, seriously look into the three glorious titles that the Angel ascribes to Him (Luke 2:11).
We will consider the following points in this message:
1) Historical Setting of Messiah's Birth: Luke 2:1-3
2) The Actual Birth of the Messiah: Luke 2:4-7
3) The Angelic Announcement of Messiah's Birth to the Shepherds: Luke 2:8-12
4) The Gloria in Excelsis: Luke 2:13-14
5) The Shepherds' Visit to the Baby Messiah: Luke 2:15-20
I will conclude the message by urging us to open our hearts for the spiritual rebirth of the Messiah within us. This is informed by the wise words of the German spiritual theologian, Meister Eckhart: "The incarnation is meaningless unless it be repeatable in the souls of men."
HISTORICAL SETTING OF MESSIAH'S BIRTH - Luke 2:1-3
God Almighty is the Supreme Sovereign, the Eternal King, of the universe. He oversees and controls history. Paul, the illustrious apostle, was inspired to affirm that "He (Almighty God) has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings" (Acts 17:26). The prophet Daniel declared that "He (the Supreme Sovereign) changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" (Daniel 2:21). Again Paul asserted in his Epistle to the Galatian church that "when the fullness of the time has come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Galatias 4:4). Accordingly, as the opening of our text indicates, the advent of the Messiah, the Incarnation of the Eternal Word as the Son of the Most High, was well timed. This three-versed passage in Luke's narrative of Messiah's birth (Luke 2:1-3) is very significant in the sense that it situates the birth of the Son of God on earth in the context of datable secular history. Secular history records that Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome who reigned from 27BC to AD 14. He issued a decree, an imperial order, for universal or worldwide census. He ordered the census of the empire to serve as a basis for taxation. It is reported by historians that the decree was issued about 8BC, "but probably did not actually go into effect until a few years later. History also records that "P. Sulpicius Quirinius was made governor of Syria in AD 6, and took a census of Judea at that time. There is good evidence that he was twice governor of Syria, and that his first governorship was from 4 BC to AD 1."
Apart from placing the narrative of Messiah's birth in the context of secular history, Luke, inspired by the Eternal Spirit, had a divine reason for connecting the period of Caesar Augustus's reign with the time of Messiah's birth. One scholar notes that "the explicit naming of Caesar Augustus in Luke 2:1 is also of interest, for this refers to Octavius, recognized in antiquity as 'the divine saviour who has brought peace to the world'. That in this very context Jesus is presented as Saviour, Lord, the one through whom peace comes to the world (Luke 2:11, 14), can hardly be accidental . . . Though Caesar Augustus did not support his veneration as a god, 'he reasserted the divinity of his adopted father, Julius Caesar, and allowed himself to be called 'son of God,' paving the way for deification upon his death" It was fitting that the true Saviour of the world, the genuine and authentic Son of God, and the Prince and Author of authentic, absolute and everlasting Peace, should incarnate on earth when a mere mortal laid claim to, or was accorded, His divine titles, thus proving the claimant fake. True peace consists not only in the absence of social and international conflict but also in spiritual, moral, psychological, physical and social and economic wellbeing, harmony and tranquility undergirded by divine love present and operative in men. That is peace in the sense of the Bible, what is known in the Hebrew tongue as SHALOM.
THE ACTUAL BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH - Luke 2:4-7
What is Messiah's connection with David? See 2 Sam 7:1-17 about the Davidic Covenant. It is the reason Messiah is called "Son of David" (Mat 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15; 22:42; Luke 18:38-39; cf. Isa 9:7; 16:5; Jer 23:5; 33:15-17, 21-22). In fact, in endtime prophetic Scripture, the Messiah is simply called and known as David (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11). The Davidic Covenant promised David an everlasting dynasty. In the coming Messianic Kingdom, that promise will be fulfilled ultimately.
Where Jesus was born is noteworthy. He was born "in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." "Jesus was placed in a manger because a typical home in Palestine would have included space for animals. The family living space, often a single room, was either adjacent to or above an area where the animals were housed in order to secure them for the night and provide warmth in winter." "An ordinary Palestinian village home was a one-room house in which the animals were kept on a lower level (not in a stable), with the mangers set along the side of the family's living area. The manger was therefore part of an ordinary living room, and there is no basis in Luke's account for the sentimental idea that Jesus was born excluded from human society. Since Bethlehem was Joseph's ancestral home, we may assume that they were staying with relatives."
To the modern mind, the idea that there was no room available for them in the inn may suggest that there was no room for Mary and Joseph to lodge in a hotel or guest house. That is by no means the truth. "The Greek word traditionally translated 'inn' (katalyma) normally denotes a guest room in a private house (as in Luke 22:11); Luke uses a different word for a commercial inn in Luke 10:34, and it is questionable whether Bethlehem was a large enough settlement to have an 'inn' as such. A slightly more affluent village home might have an additional room for guests either alongside the main living room or built on the roof (2 Kings 4:10). Perhaps it was already occupied by other relatives who were in town for the census. So Jesus was born among the family in the living room."
Jesus' birth fulfilled the prophesies of Gen 3:15; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:31-35, etc.
THE ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF MESSIAH'S BIRTH TO THE SHEPHERDS - Luke 2:8-12
An angel of the LORD announced Messiah's birth. From His birth to His death, resurrection and ascension, angels attended Jesus. Even His second coming to our planet will be attended with even greater number of angels. The reason for this is explained in Hebrews 1:4-6, "The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs. For God never said to any of his angels, ' you are my Son; today I have become your Father.' Nor did God say about any angel, 'I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.' But when God was about to send his firstborn Son into the world, he said, 'all of God's angels must worship him'" (Good News Translation).
The Shekinah Glory accompanied the Angel to certify that he is YAHWEH'S special envoy. Most probably, it was Gabriel. Angels are beings of glory, beings of light. As reflectors or mirrors of the Creator's infinite Shekinah, they always appear dressed up in light that is often intimidating to earthlings, especially in a vision (see Luke 2:9; Acts 12:7-11; Hebrews 1:7; Revelation 18:1; 22:8-10).
He brought good tidings of GREAT JOY "which will be to all people." ALL PEOPLE includes the Israeli people, a people tired of rituals (sacrifices and offerings) to win divine approval and justification, and the peoples of all nations of the world who, through the teachings of the Persian prophet Zoroaster, looked for a Saviour. Incidentally, the wisemen from the East who visited the Baby Messiah were Zoroastrian priests. Jesus came not to found a religion but to save mankind from sin and its temporal and eternal consequences. It was indeed glad tidings of great joy. It is still so.
The child will be Saviour, Messiah, and Lord. These three titles of Jesus are significant. "Saviour" implies that He is the one appointed by God to pay the ultimate price (vicarious death) to honour and satisfy divine justice, secure forgiveness of sins for all humanity, and reconcile them to God so that may live forever. "Messiah" implies He is the one anointed by God to be King of Kings and Lord of lords, ruling the whole world from Jerusalem (the City of the great King, He is that King), sitting on David's throne. "Lord" implies His divinity, His unique oneness with the Supreme Sovereign of the universe (see Hebrews 1:8-13).
THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS - Luke 2:13-14
Gloria in Excelsis is Latin designation of the song of the Angelic Choir. The song reveals two things Messiah's birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection will produce in the life of believing men and women all over the world - the glorification of God on high, and peace on earth among true believers in the Messiah. The song reveals the truth that Messiah is not only for Israel but for all humanity (John 1:29). The peace that will heal the earth must be one accessible to all peoples on earth. That peace is accessed when one accepts Jesus as Saviour and Lord of his/her entire life. When that peace lives in the heart of everyone on the planet, men will stop killing one another. That day is coming. Lucifer and his demonic and human minions, the troubles of this world, cannot stop it. As the Hymn says, "Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run, his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more." HalleluYAH!
THE SHEPHERDS' VISIT TO THE BABY MESSIAH - Luke 2:15-20
According to the narrative of Luke and Matthew (Mat 2:1-12), two classes of human beings have always been led to believe in, or embrace, the Messiah. They are the truly wise/intelligent/thoughtful people, and the humble and poor people of this world.
The response of these men should be our response. If you will have and enjoy peace (the Shalom of YAHWEH) - spiritual peace and wellbeing, psychological peace and wellbeing, and social peace and harmony - get connected to the Baby in the Manger. Peace is one of our principal spiritual needs. True peace is found only by entering into spiritual union with God in the sphere of Jesus Christ (Mat 11:28-30; John 16:33).
CONCLUSION
The Baby Christ was born in a manger. Spiritually speaking, the Manger can be a symbol of the humble heart of man. Will you make your heart a Manger by letting Him save you from sin; by making Him your King, and adoring and obeying Him as your Lord? I strongly urge you to pray and do that today (2 Co 6:2; Heb 3:8, 15; 4:7; cf. Psa 95:8). Besides, still spiritually speaking, the Baby Messiah can be considered a symbolic representation of the soul in spiritual babyhood. So that the incarnation of Jesus in your heart today represents your spiritual rebirth, the beginning of your spiritual life, life of knowledge, union and communion with God your Maker.
The birth of the Messiah also represents or implies God's abandonment and termination of the Religion Approach to resolving the problem of man's alienation from God and the resultant moral bankruptcy. Religion was designed to bring man into awareness of his moral dislocation, but lacks the spiritual dynamic to heal man's soul of the sickness of sin (see Romans 3:20). That reality notwithstanding, men have, over the ages, used Religion to cover-up their flight from God. Religion focuses human mind on a system, on rituals and precise practices, which focus stirs within man (as an individual) effort to conform to its requirements without success (Rom 8:1-4). Messiah focuses the mind on a person to relate with. Messiah performs better than Religion in the sense that He connects the sinful man with God in an everlasting cordial and dynamic relationship. The sinful man feels forgiven, transformed within and reconciled to his Maker. Then he discovers or realizes the Fatherhood of God and starts addressing Him as such (see Romans 8:15-17). Let the reader judge for himself/herself which is better.
I heartily invite you to take advantage of this divine provision of ultimate solution to our spiritual and moral distance and alienation from God. Make your heart a Manger. Let the Messiah Baby be born in your heart today. Heed, respond to, and accept, His invitation and plea (Mat 11:28-30; Rev 3:20), and you will have a spiritually merry Christmas. God bless you.
24/11/2021
01/11/2021
16/10/2021
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.