"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, ...according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4–7, ESV)
God's goodness and kindness toward us brought about the coming of Jesus into our world. God, our Savior, did this! He appeared and saved us according to His own mercy. You would have thought He would have shown up to punish us, but He came to save us! According to His great mercy, He came to give us what we did not deserve but needed: Love. To those who believe, the One born to die brought us the washing of regeneration. His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness and makes us new again—'born again' new! And with the help of His Holy Spirit, we are sanctified by His Word. Not only are we renewed by His Spirit, but we are also filled with the Spirit of God! There is more! And being justified by His grace and declared righteous, we become heirs to eternal life! That baby born in Bethlehem brought all of that to us. God's goodness and kindness are wonderfully rich towards us. Jesus took what He did not deserve for us to get what we didn't deserve! Look what the Lord has done!
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"And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home." (Luke 1:23, ESV)
God chose Zechariah and Elizabeth to be the parents of John the Baptist. Don't think for a moment that this was a random act of God. God saw something in Zechariah and Elizabeth that qualified them to raise up a forerunner who would announce Jesus, the Bridegroom God. "And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord." (Luke 1:6, ESV) It matters how we carry ourselves in this life. Zechariah and Elizabeth chose to live this way because they understood God and the things of His Kingdom. It was precious to them, desired by them, and lived out joyfully to Him. God was looking for people He could trust who would raise His prophet in the ways of God and with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. God was preparing them to be the preparers of the one sent to prepare the people of Israel for the coming Messiah. How would your life change if you committed to becoming a preparer of people for the coming of the Lord? How would your parenting or grand-parenting change if you knew you were being entrusted with raising up a preparer of people for the coming of the Lord? To accomplish this task, they lived righteously, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and were equipped with prophetic words to guide them. Maybe God wants you to be a preparer of preparers. "And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41, ESV). "And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied," (Luke 1:67, ESV). "and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15, ESV).
Luke obviously loves the Holy Spirit by the way he writes about Him! And he sees something interesting in the Christmas narrative—three times, Luke mentions people who are filled with the Holy Spirit in the first chapter of his Gospel. What is unique about this is that the Holy Spirit came upon people in the Old Testament, but here, Luke is recording that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. He also writes that his parents were filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, one must receive the Holy Spirit within themselves. Like a glass receives water, so are those filled with the Holy Spirit. Something big is happening, and Luke writes about it! I believe that Zechariah and Elizabeth were filled with the Holy Spirit to help prepare their son, John, for the mission he is called to and so that they might stay out of the way of John's destiny. I also believe that John was filled with the Holy Spirit due to the nature of his ministry, a forerunner of Christ! His message to repent needed Holy Spirit fire upon it so that Israel's heart would be turned back to God and prepared for the entrance of the Word, Jesus Christ. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means God with us). (Matthew 1:23, ESV)
What does 'God with us' mean? First, it was a prophetic word given to Ahaz in Isaiah 7:14. It is a word of great hope! 'God with you' is never a bad day! The Word creates expectation. Ahaz expects a son to be born! A man-child! A king! The mother of this child will have expectations! A righteous ruler excites the expectations of the people! Jesus, as the fulfillment of this scripture, creates wonder! Think of it and apply it to yourself... IMMANUEL! GOD WITH US!!! "God with us" means that the Creator became a creature (flesh and blood, like us) with us! That astounds me! Christmas is not about humanity's worth and goodness but about God's mind-blowing mercy towards us—the mercy that He would come and reveal Himself to us, die for us, and, on the third day, rise and save anyone who would believe in Him. He became poor so that we might be made rich. He became sin so that we might become righteous! 'God with us' means I get to know Him as He is! I get to know God! Jesus is with us, and He is here to save us! This means that God is knowable, and He wants us to know Him! "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15, NLT) I stand in awe! Immanuel, God with us! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, ESV)
The coming of Christ at Christmas is referred to by many as the Advent. Advent means coming. Christ came to earth because God loved us so much. It is the nature of God to love. When we make such a statement, we are saying that the nature of a thing is revealed by what it does. It is the nature of fire to burn, a lion to kill, and a tornado to destroy. But it is the nature of God to love! Because it is God's nature to love, He could not help but love us! It is who He is! God is love, so he gave that others might be helped, encouraged, saved, and strengthened. God was loving us by sending us His Son. Jesus was the gift given by God to us. If we receive that gift, we live and do not die spiritually. God, in loving us, says He knows us and that we are important! God has prepared a gift—His Son. A gift for all people! One way that God loves is by giving. He took pleasure in giving us His Son so that we might live because He would give His life for us. You may think you do not deserve such a gift. But it is not about deserving but about receiving what God freely gives. Jesus is God's gift to you. Just believe and say, "Yes!" "Thus says the Lord: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." (Jeremiah 31:15, ESV)
Having experienced the surprise visit by the wise men, Herod is now troubled and threatened that another King has been born. One called the King of the Jews. According to Luke 2:39, we also know that Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth after Mary's purification. "And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth." (Luke 2:39, ESV). According to the Word, we must assume that the wise men found Jesus in Nazareth, far from Bethlehem and Herod. Most scholars agree that Jesus would have been about two years old when the wise men came looking to worship Him. This explains why Herod killed all the male children of Bethlehem, two years old and younger, when the wise men did not report back to him. Satan's rage is always against the plan of God. And bitter weeping is the fruit of his actions. But let us find hope and remember that it was Jesus who said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10, ESV) Whatever heartbreak you may feel today, know that Jesus is your only answer and hope. Draw near to Him, and let Him draw near to you. "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world." (John 1:9, ESV)
I remember an old song we used to sing in college. "There is a Light at the end of the darkness, and it shines for all the world to see. It will shine on your heart if you will let it. I was so blind when it finally shined on me!" Yes! Glory to God! There is a Light that gives light to everyone. And it has come into the world! His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He brings light to all men so that all men can see and be drawn to Him. He comes to destroy the darkness in every man. It was Isaiah who said, "Those living in darkness have seen a great light." God is light! He is the true Light, and He has come into our world as the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing can extinguish or put out the Light! The darkness flees at the presence of the Light! You can shout right there! Jesus is called the Light of the World! The whole world was in darkness until He came! Jesus is also called the Word, and the Word is a light to my feet and a lamp to my path. Those who live in gross darkness and receive the revelation that the Word brings will be brilliantly saved! Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! The true Light has come into the world! Merry Christmas!!! “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10, ESV)
The cross brought Him down, but the Father brought Him up! Jesus truly humbled Himself to the cross and was brought low to the depths of Sheol. But the Father raised Him up! Death could not keep Him in the grave, and it will not keep in the grave those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ has tremendous advantages! You get your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You pass from death to life. You are given the new birth. You walk in new life. Old things pass away, and all things are made new. The old man is dead, and the new man is raised up with Christ Jesus! These are just a few of the advantages of being born again. For those who believe, Jesus is their Savior! Do you believe? Believers enjoy the benefits of having a Savior, for we are saved from sin. We are delivered from devils and healed from sicknesses. We have a future and hope. God is for us, not against us, because we believe in Jesus. Look! God sent His Son so that we might have life and have it abundantly! Why settle for less when God has given you the very best? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved! "but standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother ..." (John 19:25, ESV)
By the plan of God, Jesus was born to die for the sins of humanity. One can never separate the birth of Christ from the death of Christ. It is all part of one story: our redemption! Mary is one mother who has endured so many different things in life. The scary fulfillment of prophetic words like "you shall conceive a child having never known a man." What do you tell Joseph? How do you explain this to mom and dad? Not everyone is on board: What do you mean a sword will pierce my soul? (Luke 2:35). Mary watched her son begin ministry. She saw the miracles, the healings, and the amazement with which people stood before His words. She saw Him rejected, mocked, and accused. Her heart carried the weight of where her son's journey was going. And yet, being the mother of Jesus and a lover of God, she knew she had to stay out of God's way and not interfere. She was His mother, but He was God's Son! Now, on that most God-awful day, Mary stood by the cross. Tears falling down. Blood dripping down. Her heart breaking, and His heart broken. "Father, why have you forsaken me?" How is it that you can be so close to the cross and yet so alone? Mother and child, alone...separated by the cross. Yet in just a few days, the cross would be the thing that unites them. Draw me nearer to the cross, Lord Jesus. Jesus "emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-8, ESV)
Christmas is more than a celebration of the birth of Christ. I love the story of the baby in the manger. Who does not like babies? I love the story of the shepherds tending their flock and being visited by angels. I love that God chose Mary and Joseph and entrusted them to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Wisemen, Simeon, Anna, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the star are all wonderful parts of the story. But we can't forget that His birth makes our new birth possible. The One sent to give us life was to die! He humbled himself. He laid aside His glory, becoming a man who would die for the sins of the whole world. Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. He stooped to any measure that was needed to secure our salvation! That is love! He was obedient to the point of death. Obedience means that it was not a pleasurable thing that Jesus was doing. He knew it was what had to be done. Therefore, He despised the cross and endured its shame. And having laid down His life, God raised Him up, making our new birth possible! Thank you, Jesus! |
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