“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21)
This verse, spoken by an angel in a dream to Joseph, comforted him when he didn’t know what to think about the Child that was in Mary’s womb. Today, many people don’t know what to think about Jesus the Christ Child, and their eternity depends upon it. Why did Jesus come from heaven to earth? To save us from our sins. Have you been saved from your sins?
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21)
Are you good enough to go to heaven? If you think you are, then you are probably scratching your head wondering why some fanatics are so caught up with Jesus- what’s the big fuss? Happy Holidays, Santa, Rudolf the Red nosed reindeer, sleigh bells, eggnog, caroling, white Christmas, a manger- why make such a big fuss about Jesus? Let’s see if you’re good enough to go to heaven by God’s standards, the Ten Commandments- listen to your conscience as we review a few of them- ask yourself if you’ve ever experienced guilt for…
- Lying
- Stealing (the value is insignificant) or desiring what belongs to another (envy, jealousy, covetousness- have you always been content with what you have- your position (career/education), your car, your spouse (or lack thereof), your house, your possessions?
- Hating, cussing at someone, or speaking evil of another person, either to their face or behind their back- Jesus called this murder of the heart.
- Using God’s name as a cuss word- that’s blasphemy
- Disobeying parents or authority figures
- Not putting God first in your life at all times- loving Him and obeying Him with all your heart, mind and strength.
How did you do on the test? The Bible says if you’ve broken one, you’ve broken them all- your conscience bears witness that you are a guilty sinner, a transgressor of God’s law, a rebel against God.
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21)
God sent us the Savior, ‘Immanuel’- God with us, born of the virgin as prophesied (Isa 7:14). God had a plan from the beginning (cf. Genesis 3:15) to send His Son to pay the price for sin as our substitute that only a perfect God could pay. He told us of this plan in the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament, 700 years before it unfolded. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, for He bore the sin of many.” (Isa 52:13-53:12)
God spoke in advance of Jesus’ birth through the prophet Isaiah: “Unto us a Child is born… He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:1-6). He brings us peace. God is holy and we are at war with God because of sin. He brought us peace through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. Balaam prophesied around 1400 B.C. about the Star of Jacob, “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num 24:17) Come, my dear friend, to the Savior and King who saves us from our sins! Come as the wise men came, following the star to Bethlehem, where Christ the King must be born per the Jewish scriptures, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth…He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this One shall be peace.” (Micah 5:1-5) Come, bow down and worship the Lord Jesus Christ and offer Him your life in gratitude for His indescribable gift of salvation to us. Come worship the King of Kings as the heavenly host did and be consumed by His glory.
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21)
Around 720 B.C. in the Jewish scriptures, Isaiah prophesied about John the Baptist, who would come as a forerunner to tell people that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming to earth, so get prepared, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness; ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’” (Isa 40:3) and John warned, “Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt 3:10) This Child came in meekness the first time to save those willing to repent; He will come in fury the second time to judge those who haven’t! To those who repent, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matt 3:11)- yes, He is willing to save us from our sins, and His refining fire through the Holy Spirit will lead us in repentance, working His righteousness into our lives. The Bible warns that there are many who call themselves followers of Christ who have not repented of their sins (Matt 7:15-27, Heb 10:26-31, 1 John 3:4-10). Their lives do not bear the marks of one who has been transformed by the power of the Lord Jesus, and if they continue till death in their rebellion, they will be burned as hypocrites in the unquenchable flames of hell with the devil. If you call yourself a Christian but haven’t born the fruit of a life transformed by Jesus, John the Baptist and Jesus have one message for you: repent and truly believe the gospel (Mark 1:15)- give your life over to Him as Savior and follow Him as your Lord (master) (Matt 16:24-26). Find your glory in life in Christ instead of in yourself and your sin. Ask yourself- do you truly want to be saved from your sin to glorify the Lord Jesus with your life? Do you hate your sin and desire to forsake it? The glorious promise of Jesus the Christ still stands:
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21)
Merry Christmas!