Most pictorial depictions of the baby Jesus are that of an extremely precious and beautiful infant of near physical perfection. However, the true beauty of the Christ is better depicted in a scene from the end of His life, not the beginning. It is better seen in the beaten, battered, and bruised Jesus…the one barely recognizable as a man, then nailed to a cross to bleed and to die in our place…as the precious Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That is true beauty…the beauty of one born in the shadow of a cross.

Isaiah 53:4-7

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

1 Peter 2:24

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

“Never does a person see any beauty in Christ as a Savior, until they discover that they are a lost and ruined sinner.” ~ J.C. Ryle

The Lord bless you and keep you…

Pastor Dave

The VOD will return on Monday, December 27, Lord willing.