“CRADLE, CROSS, AND CROWN”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
It’s Christmas Eve! And on Christmas we just naturally think of Jesus, don’t we? We also think of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, the Star of Bethlehem, and angels praising God. But the fact is that Christmas is about Christ. Everything else is secondary, or at least everything else should be. After all, the whole Bible is about Jesus.

In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the Seed of the Woman.

In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.

In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.

In Numbers, He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.

In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet like Moses.

In Joshua, He is the Captain of our Salvation.

In Judges, He is our Judge and Lawgiver.

In Ruth, He is our Kinsman Redeemer.

In 1 and 2 Samuel, He is our Prophet from the Lord.

In 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, He is our Reigning King.

In Ezra, He is our Faithful Scribe.

In Nehemiah, He is our Rebuilder of Walls.

In Esther, He is our Mordecai.

In Job, He is our Ever-Living Redeemer.

In Psalms, He is our Shepherd.

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is the Wisdom of God.

In The Song of Solomon, He is our Loving Bridegroom.

In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace.

In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He is our Weeping Prophet.

In Ezekiel, He is the Son of Man.

In Daniel, He is the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven.

In Hosea, He is our Faithful Husband.

In Joel, He is our Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.

In Amos, He is our Burden-Bearer.

In Obadiah, He is our Mighty Savior.

In Jonah, He is our Forgiving God.

In Micah, He is our Messenger.

In Nahum, He is the Avenger of God’s Elect.

In Habakkuk, He is God’s Evangelist, crying out for revival.

In Zephaniah, He is our Restorer.

In Haggai, He is our Cleansing Fountain.

In Zechariah, He is the Son who would be pierced.

In Malachi, He is the Son of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.

In Matthew, He is the King of the Jews.

In Mark, He is the Humble Servant.

In Luke, He is the Son of Man.

In John, He is the Son of God.

In Acts, He is the Savior of the World.

In Romans, He is the Righteousness of God.

In 1 Corinthians, He is the First-fruits and the Last Adam

In 2 Corinthians, He is the Victorious One.

In Galatians, He is our Freedom.

In Ephesians, He is Head of the Church.

In Philippians, He is our Joy.

In Colossians, He is the Fulness of the Godhead.

In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, He is our Soon-Coming King.

In 1 Timothy, He is our Faith.

In 2 Timothy, He is our Stability.

In Philemon, He is our Benefactor and Friend.

In Titus, He is our Blessed Hope.

In Hebrews, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

In James, He is our Great Physician.

In 1 and 2 Peter, He is our Chief Shepherd.

In 1, 2, and 3 John, He is our Everlasting Love.

In Jude, He is God our Savior.

And in The Revelation, He is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The Baby whom we worship here this evening is all of these things and infinitely more.
He is Immanuel, our God with us. We praise Him. We honor Him. We glorify Him. And He is worthy to receive it all.

There is one particular passage in the NT that helps us to understand who Jesus really is, what He has done, and what God is going to do because of it. It is found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi and is known as the “kenosis.” It speaks of the eternality of Christ, and it is the definitive NT passage on the incarnation – when God became a man on that very first Christmas nearly two thousand years ago tonight.
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II. Text
Who is Jesus? How unique is He? There has never been anyone else like Him and there never will be. The Apostle John calls Jesus the Word of God and he tells us who He is.
John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That’s who Jesus is. He is God in human flesh. The world scoffs at that, denies it, and refuses to believe it. Even many who call themselves Christians argue about it and try to alter or cloud the reality of it, but none of that changes the truth, nor can it. Jesus is God.

What has He done? He has humbled Himself. That’s what the “kenosis” is really about. The word actually means “emptying.” Jesus voluntarily emptied Himself as one would pour water out of a pitcher. The result of that emptying was that Jesus became a man.

Why? He had to become a man because the Son of God cannot die, but the Son of Man can. And so He emptied Himself and became a man. He did this for the express purpose of dying for us. He said, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).” Jesus Christ was born to die.

What will God do because of Jesus humbling Himself? He will glorify Jesus forever. Jesus’ humanity, His identity, and His deity are what the “kenosis” is all about.
*Philippians 2:5-11
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.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In this remarkable passage we see a cradle, a cross, and a crown.
• The cradle represents Jesus’ humanity.
• The cross represents His identity.
• The crown represents His deity.

All three together tell us who Jesus is, what he has done, and what God will do because of it.
Luke 2:7
7 And (Mary) gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger…

*Philippians 2:6-7
6 …although He existed in the form of God, (He) 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.

Think of it! Almighty God allowed Himself to be brought into this world through normal human birth. Wouldn’t you expect God to come into this world with a roar, with a shout, with a trumpet, and with the whole earth and every eye seeing Him? Oh, wait a minute – that sounds like the Second Coming, doesn’t it?

But not the first! Jesus “…did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (and so He) emptied Himself…” He was born in a stable and placed in a feeding trough that doubled as His cradle. The cradle – His birth – was prophesied.
Isaiah 7:14
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.”

Luke 1:30-31
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

The cradle was prophesied but the cradle was also predictive. Wrapping Jesus in cloths (swaddling clothes) was a picture of His burial. Jesus’ birth clothes were also His death clothes. The cradle shows us Jesus’ humanity. He is truly the Son of Man.

The cross represents Jesus’ identity. When He took on the form of a bond-servant (a slave, if you will) He not only humbled Himself, but He identified Himself with the human race. The Creator literally became one of His own creations.
Just as God could not die, neither could He suffer the effects of sin. But of course, a man could suffer. And while Jesus had no sin, He certainly felt the effects of it. Just think of the cross and what happened there. The cradle was prophesied. So was the cross.
Isaiah 53:4-6
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.

This is what God the Father had always intended.
*Colossians 1:19-20a
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness (of deity) to dwell in Him,
20a and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross…

So while the cross was a place of suffering for Jesus, it was the place of salvation for us. This is why there is salvation in no one else and why it can be found nowhere else.

It is there, at the cross, where Jesus not only identified Himself but also humbled Him-self. If you think it was humbling for Jesus to be born as a man, can you imagine what must it have been like for Him to die as one?

Listen, it is in the cradle where Jesus identified Himself with us. But it is at the cross where we identify ourselves with Him. On Christmas we come to the cradle, but at some point in our lives each one of us must come to the cross!
• At the cradle, Philippians 2:7 tells that Jesus, “…emptied Himself, (and took on) the form of a bond-servant (dŏulŏs = slave)…”
• At the cross, Philippians 2:8 says that Jesus, “…humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…”
• And in Matthew 20:28, before Jesus goes to the cross, He says, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

So what is the outcome? What has God done and what will God do? The result of the “kenosis,” of Jesus emptying Himself and humbling Himself, is this –
*Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So the cradle emphasizes Jesus’ humanity and we see Him as the Son of Man. The cross emphasizes Jesus’ identity and we see Him as our suffering and sacrificial Savior. The crown emphasizes Jesus’ deity and confirms that He is Lord and the Son of God. Man, Savior, Lord, and God!
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III. Conclusion
This is the Baby whom we worship and whose birthday we celebrate here tonight. But when we see Him as He really is, He will not be a helpless baby wrapped in cloths lying in a feeding trough.
*Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems (crowns); and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself.
13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

We have seen Him in the cradle. We have seen Him on the cross. What a joy it will be to see Him wearing the crowns! The hymn writer got it right.

“Crown Him the Lord of heaven! One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him given from yonder glorious throne.
To Thee be endless praise, for Thou for us hast died.
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days adored and magnified.”

~ Pray ~