DECEMBER 22 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE CROSS: BORN TO DIE By Wendell Calder Evangelist
For unto you this day...is born a Savior. (Luke 2:11)
Bethlehem was a stepping stone to Calvary. In the announcement of Christ’s birth, we also have that of His death—“a Savior is born.” The Son of God became the Son of Man that we could become the sons and daughters of God. The words of this gospel song* express it beautifully:
I should have been crucified I should have suffered and died; I should have hung on the cross in disgrace But Jesus, God’s Son, took my place.
Jesus’ entire life and ministry on earth were lived in anticipation of the cross. At the wedding in John 2:4, He said, “mine hour is not yet come,” and repeats it in John 7:6,8. In John 17:1, just hours before the cross, He states, “the hour has come.” This statement reveals the hour to be that of His death. The primary purpose of the events in Bethlehem was the sacrificial death at Calvary.
In I Peter 3:18 we have four features of His death:
1. A SINLESS DEATH—JUST ONE 2. A SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH—FOR THE UNJUST 3. A SACRIFICIAL DEATH—SUFFERED FOR SINS 4. A SUFFICIENT DEATH—ONCE
Now, as a result of His death, we have the privilege of experiencing the fruit of His death—that He might bring us to God. The only One who can take the hand of a Holy God and the hand of a guilty sinner in reconciliation is Jesus. He did it at the cross! However, we need to note the grave could not hold Him—He was made alive by the Spirit. He is alive! You can know Him personally by accepting Him and His payment for your sin. I call this decision the AAA PLAN:
1. ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER 2. ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS THE ONLY SAVIOR FROM SIN 3. ACCEPT HIM PERSONALLY INTO YOUR LIFE
*“I Should Have Been Crucified” by The Oak Ridge Boys
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