The fourth and final week of Advent begins tomorrow. This week’s verses from Angie Mosteller’s “How to Do an Advent Wreath” (available on her Celebrating Holidays website) are centered around “love and the presence of the Savior.”
(4.1) His Presence Among Us: Over 400 years before Jesus, Zechariah foretold how God would one day come and live with men. “‘Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you’” (Zechariah 2:10-11).
(4.2) His Presence as a Human: Jesus left the splendor of heaven to live on earth as a man. Therefore, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 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” (Philippians 2:5-7).
(4.3) His Presence Declared by an Angel: When Jesus entered the world, a heavenly angel reported the news to shepherds. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’” (Luke 2:8-11).
(4.4) His Presence Declared by the Heavens: Even the stars made known the presence of Jesus to Wise Men. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:1-2).
(4.5) His Presence Declared by Simeon: A righteous and devout man in Jerusalem named Simeon recognized the presence of the Savior. “Simeon took him [the infant Jesus] in his arms and praised God saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:28-32).
(4.6) His Presence Declared by Anna: The prophetess Anna recognized the presence of Jesus, the Redeemer. “There was also a prophetess, Anna. . . . She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Mary and Jospeh) at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
(4.7) His Presence Motivated by Love: God sent Jesus into the world because of his great love for us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).
You say Jesus left the splendor of heaven, but where do you get that from? Jesus was in the mind of God and in the Book of life like many others are already from the beginning in the Book of life, but do not exist yet, because they still have to be born.
Jesus being "in very nature God" or "existing in the form of god," doe snot say at all he was the God, like the other gods (angels, Paharoh, Moses, Apollo, Zeus) mentioned in the bible are also in the form of god but not the same person as the One and only One God of Abraham the Divine Creator, Who is a Spirit who can not be seen by man. Jesus was seen by many, also tempted, had to learn everything and did not know everything, though God can not be tempted and knows everything. God also can not die, but Jesus really died. The God also said about the man in the river Jordan, born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth, that he (Jesus) was His (God's) beloved son.And the God Who does not tell lies (according to the Scriptures which we take to be the Word of God) made it also clear at other moments that He (God) would send a man to the world to save the world.
Jesus was not the God coming down on the earth taking the "very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness”
“5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7 NAS)
The Greek "morphe" does not refer to essential nature". "Eidos" would convey that idea. the essential nature of a slave is the same as that of any other human being.
Jesus, like us made in the image of God, had the semblance and demeanour of the Father in heaven, mentally and morally.
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:3 NAS)
Jesus after he went to heaven did not take the place in of God, but came to sit next to Him to be a mediator between God and man. (A person can not be mediating between himself and sitting next to himself, claiming that he is greater or lower than himself.)
Posted by: Marcus Ampe | December 25, 2014 at 12:36 AM