“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” – Luke 1:30-33

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a King. The Scriptures tell the story of three wise men from the East who came to Bethlehem bearing precious gifts for this new born king. When they found the baby, they fell to their knees and worshipped him.

Why did they come to Bethlehem? They had read the prophet Micah (5:2): “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel” [Matthew 2:6] In seeking this new born King, God had led these wise men to the manager and then God led them safely home. This was no accident or sabbatical detour for visiting scholars. God is intentional in making his way plain.

Why did they travel such a great distance to see a baby? In all of history there has never been born a king like this. Micah 5:2 adds this phrase which Matthew does not quote: “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” [ESV] The nature of the king and his kingdom is that they will last forever.

As you prepare for Christmas, remember that this is a celebration of worship; Jesus, the eternal king has come. In his coming he will shepherd his people into God’s eternal kingdom.

Jesus is the King of Kings who will reign forever. Hallelujah!

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us’.” – Matthew 1:22-23

Prophecy is a promise with details. It is not a prediction which is a hyped best guess. It is a promise that will, at the right time, come true. A true prophecy carries a full guarantee. In Matthew you find eleven times the phrase, “to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets”.

Jesus came to fulfill the promises of God given as prophecy through His prophets. Jesus’ coming was not a random act. It was a predicted, planned, procession into our world. This birth was an event that changed history forever.

Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate what God has done through Jesus. Do you understand what this means for you?

• I know it sounds important and I have it on my list, but I just have not had the time to…
• I want to examine all the options before I make any life changing decisions.  Eventually I will…
• I have never heard of God’s promises. Does it really say that?
• I like all that God has to offer me, but I have so many other things I am involved with…

Christmas is not an optional holiday. It is the day Jesus, the creator-King, entered history to save His people from their sins and to dwell with them for eternity. This is the fulfillment of what God has promised before the creation of time.

The journey of faith is the exploration of the meaning of Immanuel, “God with us”, every moment, every hour, and every day. This is a truth you will spend a lifetime gaining a deeper and deeper understanding of, until that day you will be with Jesus in glory.

…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son od David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.“ – Matthew 1:20(b)-22

Everybody has the disease. There is no one left untouched. The ramifications can be seen everywhere; there is no place, no event, and no optimized condition that is not radically affected. The full impact will not be known until we pass into another world.

Yet, everywhere you look there is either denial or aggressive attempts at a divine makeover.

Christmas is about God’s rescue of his people from this pervasive disease. God has sent His only son who was given the name “Jesus”, which means “Yahweh’s salvation”. The angel proclaims that the reason he is given the name Jesus is “because he will save his people from their sins.”

Note three thoughts in this phrase:

“He will save…” What God says he will do, he will do. Nothing in all of creation can keep this rescue from coming to pass. This is not a bail-out plan by elected officials.  There is no human contingency factor here. This is an action plan by the creator Himself who understands the depth of the problem far greater than we do. The rescue will happen for His people.

“His people…” are “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him.” [John 6:40]. They are the people that God, the Father has given to His son [John 17:2,6,9]. He has chosen His people before the creation of the world [Ephesians 1:4].

“…from their sins.” God’s people are those who know they are siners and act accordingly with repentance, humility, and mercy.

“Filled with tidings of boundless delight, Jesus, the Savior has come.”