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A Swaddled Savior

November 11th, 2008 by Jeremy Sprouse

In Luke 2:12, the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds saying: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds went and found the Savior swaddled as the angels said. Swaddling is good for children when they are young. It helps them to feel secure and to sleep better. As the child grows, however, contined swaddling will restrict motor movements. It handicaps the child preventing them from coming to maturity. No one would want this for their child, yet many want this for Jesus. It seems people today would prefer to keep Jesus swaddled in their lives.
People today want a swaddled message. Many have itching ears (2 Timothy 4:1-4). They don’t want to hear homosexuality and abortion are wrong. They don’t want to hear there is one way, one truth, and one life (John 14:6). They don’t want to hear the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 27). All they want from religion is a good feeling—to feel their lives are better than the wicked people around them. God’s Word, however, declares there are sins that will keep us out of the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). If we swaddle Jesus, our religion may help soothe our consciences, but we will never be a part of God’s Kingdom.
People today want a swaddled commitment. Many don’t want to commit to coming to church (Hebrews 10:25). They don’t want to commit to giving their time, money, and service to God (cf. Romans 12:1-2). They have no real intention of taking up a cross. Jesus, however, insisted that real discipleship was costly; it takes a commitment. Those who try to get by with anything less cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:26-35). If we swaddle Jesus, our lives may be easier, but we will never be His disciples.
People today want a swaddled morality. Many want to hold to a form of godliness while denying its power (2 Timothy 3:1-5). They want to believe Jesus doesn’t make demands. They don’t want to change their lives. They don’t want to stop cheating on their taxes, stop speeding on the highway, or stop gossiping with their friends. They want to honor God with their lips, but leave their hearts far from Him (Mark 7:6). Our goal should be to eliminate sin from our lives (1 John 2:1) and become imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 11:1). If we swaddle Jesus, our sins may be acceptable to us, but we will never be Christ-like.
If we leave Jesus swaddled in our lives, all we have to do is admire Him. Jesus, however, did not remain swaddled. He grew up, died on a cross for our sins, and now demands we surrender our lives to Him. This requires much more, but it is the truth. If we try to get by with less, we are just deceiving ourselves.

The theme of this article was based on a sermon I heard taught by Don Canter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 9:29 am and is filed under Bulletin Articles.

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