Our King. (Hix)

Our King Dec. 9,07

Isaiah 9:6

A woman entered an ice-cream store on the Kansas City Plaza, and after

choosing which flavor cone she wanted, she looked up and found herself face to

face with Paul Newman, who was doing some filming in town. He smiled and said

hello, but her heart was pounding so hard that she could hardly speak.

She paid for her ice cream, left the shop, walked out into the plaza, and at

last realized her purchase was nowhere to be found. Going back into the store

to see if she could retrieve it, the woman ran into Newman again --this time

on his way out.

"Are you looking for your ice cream?" he asked, and when she nodded, he said,

"you put it in your purse with your change."

We all like babies, we adore babies, babies touch our hearts in a special way . . . but they are not necessarily awe-inspiring.

We do not see a baby as greater than we are.

Notice how Isaiah 9 describes the coming King.

And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

One of the frustrating things about state and federal leaders in our country is that they are always running for re-election.

Few will take a stand unless it is popular.

Policy is often determined by public opinion (electability) rather than right and wrong.

The Lord Jesus is not running for re-election. His term never ends.

He doesn’t have to play for votes.

He can rule with justice and do what is right without concern for public opinion.

The Lord Jesus was not just the Messiah and Mighty God while He roamed the earth. He is King forever.

(Phil. 2:6-8) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he

humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Hear what Paul is saying: Even though Jesus is God.

Even though all the power, privilege and honor of the office is His.

He set it aside. He did not stop being God . . .

He just refused to draw upon His privileges.

He could have called on angels to help . . .but He didn’t.

He could have struck his accusers down with a word . . . but He didn’t.

He refused what was rightfully His, so that He could become a human being.

But not only that . . . He WILLINGLY became a human who died a horrible death for the express purpose of giving His life as payment for our sin.

God gave Himself so that those who hated and rebelled against Him could find life!

What a staggering concept this is. How baffling that God would become a man to

reach out to us.

Steve Brown wrote,

While I was driving home the other day, I saw the ugliest car I have ever

seen. This car wasn’t just ugly--it was ugly on top of ugly. It had a large

gash on its side; one of the doors was held together with baling wire; and

several other body parts were almost completely rusted out. The car’s muffler

was so loose that with every bump, it hit the street sending sparks in every

direction. I couldn’t tell the original color of the car. The rust had eaten

away much of the paint, and so much of the car had been painted over with so

many different colors that any one of them (or none of them) could have been

the first coat. The most interesting thing about the car was the bumper

sticker: "THIS IS NOT AN ABANDONED CAR".

Even though the car looked horrible. Even though it looked worthless the owner

wanted to declare a simple truth . . . the car was His and He valued it.

Isn’t this what God has done for us at Christmas?

He takes those of us who are broken, rebellious, wounded and scared and places a banner on us that reads: "This is not an Abandoned, Forgotten, or Rejected Person".

In sending Christ to earth, God declared that we were valuable to Him.