His Birth in Us 1983

Reading from Isaiah 55, verses 8 through 11. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing to which I send it. And when the word, going forth from the mouth of God, takes on human flesh, somehow invades the realm of the human race, still this word prospers in the thing to which God sends it, and accomplishes that which he purposes in ways that are higher than our ways, and thoughts that are higher than our thoughts.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. If we were in any way involved in the preparations for the visit of the living God to this world, in some visible form, if in some strange way we were put on the committee to prepare for the visitation of the unseen one to this planet, surely we would prepare a reception for a king. We'd build him a palace.

We'd invite all the leaders of nations to come and welcome the incarnation of God to this earth. There would be provision for the television crews, and the reporters, and all the world's best-known saints, of course, still living, would be given reserved seats for this occasion. If in some way the human race all over the earth were suddenly convinced that God is about to come, wouldn't there be a scramble? The preparations for such an occasion would make the Olympic Games look absolutely primitive, and the dignitaries of the churches would not be far behind the politicians falling over themselves, rolling out the red carpet.

And this is why it's so hard for us to really grasp what happened in Bethlehem. Because when God, in fact, chooses to in some way invade this earth and come into the human race and take on human flesh, he comes in the direct opposite from everything we would plan or imagine, not as a celebrity, but as the very opposite of a celebrity. He comes as a baby.

Not only as a fragile infant, but as an infant born in a cow barn, born in utter poverty. And this baby, this man, remains poor all his life. Poor, lowly of heart, meek, utterly simple.

No king ever invites him to his palace. No government ever sends ambassadors to pay its respects. He heals the sick, casts out demons, feeds the hungry, raises the dead, speaks words such as no human tongue has ever spoken, words such as no human ear has ever heard.

The demons know who he is. The wind and the waves obey him. But no human being has any conception of who this man is except those who are poor in spirit.

No man and no woman feels the power of the mighty word become flesh except those who are willing to do exactly what he did, who are willing to become babes. For unless you turn, he says, and become his children, you will in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven, because in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we have to find the door who is Jesus. And you can only find that door, he teaches, when you become poor in spirit, childlike, receptive, teachable, open to change.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. And for us to be able to get up into those high thoughts of God, and for us to truly enter into the ways of God, we have to do exactly what the incarnate word did. We have to go down.

We have to humble ourselves, empty ourselves of our glory, our presumed glory, and become babes. From John 14.22, Judas, not Judas Iscariot, the other Judas, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered him, If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. If we humble ourselves, love him enough, trust him enough to keep his word, this child that was born in Bethlehem is then born in us.

And everything this Jesus is at this moment before the Father, everything he is before the angels in heaven, everything he is before the demons, before the elements of the universe, he then becomes in us. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. When we humble ourselves and love him enough and trust him enough to keep his word, this baby is born then in us, he lives in us, and the government of our lives is put on his shoulders, and his name in us becomes Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

He becomes in us the Wonderful Counselor. If a man or woman loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, her, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

He makes his home with us as the Wonderful Counselor, counsels us with the counsel of heaven, guides us with the wisdom which is not our own, leads us in ways that are higher than our ways and in thoughts that are higher than our thoughts. Practically this means that the presence of the Lord in us begins to guide. And perhaps I'm inclined to do something foolish, to spend money on something I don't need to be spending money on when my children need to get better, or to do something that really gratifies my vanity.

And the Wonderful Counselor in me checks me, warns me. I go right ahead and do it. Now I feel convicted, I feel uneasy, and I find no peace until I repent of this and come back to him.

And gradually, if I'm willing, if I'm childlike, teachable, I am literally guided by the indwelling Christ into ways that are not my own. And as I do this, his word coming forth from my mouth does not return empty, but it accomplishes that which he purposes and prospers in the thing to which he sends it. When this child is born in us, he lives in us as the mighty God.

Wonderful Counselor, mighty God. If a man, woman, love me, they will keep my word and my Father will love them and we will come and make our home there. And he makes his home in us as the mighty God so that the might and the power and the strength that is in him perfects itself in our weakness.

And so now I'm no longer kicked around and pushed by my fear of men, my anxiety about tomorrow, my worries about what's going to happen to me. But now, in a way that is absolutely beyond my comprehension, I am given love, power, a sound mind. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and of a sound mind.

And the mighty God begins to move in us and live in us and direct us. And the chains of Satan are broken by us and the gates of death yield to our advance. Because the word of God in our mouths does not return to us void, but accomplishes that which he purposes and prospers in the thing to which he sends it.

When this child is born in us, the everlasting father lives within the temple of our bodies. Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father in here. If a man loves me, he will keep my words and my father will love him, love her, and we will come and make our home with him.

He makes his home in us as the everlasting father. When the Lord dwells in us, the father dwells in us. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. We're not just asking for the kingdom at the end of the age, we're asking for the kingdom of God to come and dwell in us. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so that we don't mess up all the time.

But the will of God is now done in us because the everlasting father dwells within. And he comforts us, encourages us, corrects us. When the everlasting father is given freedom to move in us, when we yield to his direction, then the lost sheep are brought home and the sick are healed and the discouraged are lifted up and all kinds of life and healing begin to flow from us because his word from our mouths does not return to us void, but accomplishes that which he purposes and fulfills, prospers in the thing to which he sent it.

When this child is born in us, he lives in us as the prince of peace. Wonderful counsel, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace in us. If a man loved me, he will keep my word.

My father will love him. We will come and make our home in her, in him. He makes his home in us as the prince of peace.

He says, peace be still to that storm raging inside our hearts. And suddenly there is a great calm. And through us, he begins to spread peace to others, and to other places.

He rebukes Satan, commands him to leave. Satan, the divider of the brethren, the accuser of the brethren, to leave the assembly. And Satan has no choice but to go.

And there is peace. Because his word going forth from our mouths does not return empty, but accomplishes that which he purposes and prospers in the thing to which he sent. For my thoughts are not your thoughts.

Neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts, and my ways higher than your ways. And to enter into those high ways of the living God, strangely enough, we have to go down.

We have to empty ourselves of ourselves. We have to descend to a place lower than we have ever been. Humble ourselves, become children.

Love him enough, trust him enough to act on the light he has given us and is giving us again now, right now, today. Then he will come and be born in us afresh. He will live in us and fulfill his purpose as the wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government and peace in us.

There will be no end. You want a Christmas present from God? Open your heart. He'll give you one.

He'll give you himself. Heavenly Father, we just praise and thank and worship you now for your kindness and your mercy, for your presence with us at this moment. Lord, you know how greatly all of us here need the encouragement to leave the comfort of ourselves and move out of ourselves into the uncertainty of you.

Lord, God, help us to do that today. Take away from us the fear of man, the fear of everything but you. Lord, we just open our hearts in whatever way we're able to receive the presence of the Spirit of your Son.

Thank you, Lord.