Sarah Baughman's Blog, page 4

Above All Names: Immanuel

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Not only is His very birth a miraculous paradox, but by His name, Immanuel, Jesus is God with Us. He is this Immanuel, who comes to sojourn with us in our weakness and humility, who takes our sin upon Himself and makes full atonement for it. Not because there was anything in us to make us deserving of His sacrifice or even presence, but His love for us was — is! — so great that He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He rescued us on Calvary and still rescues us every day by His great love and compassion. Where do you see His rescue in your life? Even when it’s hard to see, we stand on truth – He is our Immanuel – God with us.

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Above All Names: Great High Priest

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In Judaic religious practice, the priest was the one who would make intercession for the people by performing the sacrifices of the offerings people brought to atone for their sins, acting as intercessor between the sinful person and Holy God. Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, where he performed an atoning sacrifice for the sins of Israel, again in that intercessory capacity. Adding “Great” to that title in reference to our Great High Priest indicates the all-encompassing nature of what He has done on our behalf. Not only has He interceded for us, but He did it with His own body, broken, and His own blood, outpoured. His sacrifice and His acting as Great High Priest, has bridged the chasm between sinful humans and Holy God. Celebrate this season knowing your sins are covered!

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Above All Names: Chief Cornerstone

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Jesus as Chief Cornerstone certainly gives us a solid mental image of the Truth that He alone is our firm foundation. He holds up the buildings that are our lives, our families, our purpose, our worth, and our souls. However, this passage reminds us that this Cornerstone, this Foundation was rejected by men, deemed not good enough, not worthwhile. We know differently, and when the world rejects Him, we stand in the knowledge that He does not reject us. We run to Him in His Word for sure footing, solid grounding on which to build in this world. Take a moment today to hold a stone in your hand and remember His faithfulness in the midst of this world full of rejection.

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Above All Names: Messiah + Christ

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John 1 manages to pack many names of Jesus into one small segment of Scripture – Word, Prophet, Son of God, Lamb of God, King of Israel, Son of Man – but maybe none were as meaningful to the 12 Jewish disciples gathered around Jesus as today’s title…Messiah, that is Christ. This beautiful title comes from the Hebrew mashiach meaning Anointed One. The disciples in the New Testament would have heard about this Anointed One, promised from the Father, from the lips of their parents, grandparents, and elders. The promise of this One sent by God Himself was passed down from generation to generation. The people of Israel had waited centuries for this Messiah. So you can see that this was a massive proclamation for Andrew to make to his brother –

We have found the Messiah!

Can you hear his excitement?

He’s Here!

We get to proclaim the same this today – He’s here!

He has found us. He is here.

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Above All Names: Bread of Life

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When we were in Spain this fall, I watched as sweet little old women walked along the sidewalks each morning, pushing bag carts to pick up large crusty loaves of fresh baked bread. They bought just enough bread for the family, for that day. Jesus is just enough. He is just what we need for this day. As the Bread of Life, that Baby Boy sustains us. He fills us. He satisfies us. We take in His Word, and that Bread gives us everything we need to understand what is before us. And even when it feels unsure and uncertain, He knows what we do not. He is enough. So we don’t have to be.

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Above All Names: King of Kings

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For those of us living in the United States or other countries without a king, some of the significance of this Name is lost on us. But the King of kings is a ruler who is over all others. There is no one who can overthrow Him. He will always emerge victorious, for the battle, and indeed the war, has already been won. When the devil, the world, and even our own sinfulness seems to press so strongly that we can’t continue to stand, we cling to the promise that He is with us, that He is victorious — and because His victory is on our behalf, we are victorious, too! When He was born a helpless baby, He set aside that royal title for our good, and after He rose victorious from the grave and ascended into heaven, He took it up again, never to set it aside. He is our King, and graciously and lovingly provides for every need.

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Above All Names: I Am

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As soon as the Jews heard Jesus’ reply, they knew He wasn’t playing around. He’d equated Himself with God, and rightly so…but their frame of reference couldn’t allow for a wandering Prophet who had nothing to recommend Him as a king, let alone God Himself. As we add decorations to make our houses look different, brighter during this time of year than they do any other time, and as we wrap gifts with bright, colorful paper, let’s remember that God, too, wrapped Himself in our human frailty and mortality, that He might earn our salvation, because of His great and unfailing love for us. He is the Greatest, the Brightest – the I AM.

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Above All Names: Faithful & True

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You and I have not seen Jesus in person. We have the great benefit of of the Spirit living and working in us until we see our Savior face to face. Today’s verse gives us a glimpse of when we will see Him riding in on that day when the devil will be completely stomped underfoot. The Titles Faithful and True connect to Christ’s judgement in righteousness. Jesus came as a baby boy in a manger, as Truth itself, because rightness matters. When life seems like evil is winning, we can lean on Faithful and True. Christ makes right our hearts and our lives in His death and resurrection. Evil and sorrow may last for the night, but just as the Bethlehem star appeared, Joy does come in the morning. It is promised to us in Christ Jesus. Be not dismayed, Faithfulness and Truth is at work!

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Above All Names: Son of God

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It’s one thing for shepherds to shout good news of a Savior come in a manger or a riff-raff crowd of disciples to say that they have found the Messiah. It’s another thing for a man named Jesus to identify Himself as the Son of God. God knows that sometimes people need it spelled out plainly, sometimes they need a bullhorn proclamation, a moment to take notice. In His Grace, God the Father delivers the message of just Who Jesus is, Himself, for us to read in His Word. Jesus as Son of God means One capable of saving. Son of God means great Sacrifice made by a Father to save a family. Son of God means Redemption has come, wrapped in love, for each of us.

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Above All Names: Alpha & Omega

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Jesus, with the Father and the Spirit, was there before the beginning of time and will be there when time as we know it closes and eternity becomes our absolute reality – forever in the best way we can’t even imagine! But Jesus Christ as Alpha and Omega reminds us that God isn’t just about eternity. He also values the middle. Alpha, is the beginning of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the end of the Greek alphabet, so it’s also a way of saying He is the A to Z. He is our A’s and our Z’s and every letter in between. Without Him, things lose their purpose, their meaning, because they lack the Writer of each word, each story. In Him, we see the letters of our days come together and Hope springs new!

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