COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

Proclamation:

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.  She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn ... Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, The Lord … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:4-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke’s account of the birth of Christ had been passed down to him by those who were the eyewitnesses to the events. (Luke 1:1-4) 

Application:

For a more complete account of the events surrounding the birth of Christ, one must read Matthew 1:18 to 2:21 and Luke 1:26 to 2:40.  AWAY IN A MANGER, The Christ Child was placed there after His birth on that SILENT NIGHT.  However, it was not a silent night for long for HARK, THE HERALD ANGELS SING songs of praise to The Lord.  Their message was JOY TO THE WORLD THE LORD IS COME.  They probably praised The Lord by singing HALLELUJAH, and if they didn't, we still should.  O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL, let us give thanks for THE FIRST NOEL, and let us all sing and shout HALLELUJAH as we celebrate and commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Christ.  A joyous and very MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you.  May The Good Lord bless each of you with good health and much happiness for the remainder of this year, and throughout all of next year, and for all of the future years to come.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS THE CHRIST FORETOLD

Proclamation:

“… God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you … You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called The Son of The Most High’ ... ‘How will this be, Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’  The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of The Most High will overshadow you.  So The Holy One to be born will be called The Son of God.’”  Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke’s account of the birth of Christ had been passed down to him by those who were the eyewitnesses to the events. (Luke 1:1-4)

Application:

This is what came to pass before and with the birth of Christ. (Luke 2:11)  This is what we are commemorating as we celebrate Christmas.  For a more complete account of the events surrounding the birth of Christ, one must read Matthew 1:18 to 2:21 and Luke 1:26 to 2:40.  The holiday which we call Christmas is a holy day and it means so much more to us than what most of the world celebrates.  Let us, as believers, celebrate the real reason for Christmas and let's share the real story behind the celebration.  For God was, and is, and will always be with us.  All hail Immanuel!!!

THE COMING OF JESUS THE CHRIST WAS PREDICTED

Proclamation:

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of The LORD will rest on him; The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The Spirit of counsel and of power, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of The LORD; and He will delight in the fear of The LORD … but with righteousness He will judge …"  Isaiah 11:1-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the prophet Isaiah under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Isaiah predicted the coming of Jesus, The Christ, more than 600 to 700 years before the birth of Christ.  Isaiah said that Jesus was to be born in the line of Jesse, King David's father.  He would possess The Spirit of The LORD and that He would be a righteous judge.  Isaiah had said earlier that Christ would be born (Isaiah 9:6-7) and that He would be the rightful heir to the throne of David.  He would rule and His rule would have no end.  He would be called by many names including “Mighty God” and the “Prince of Peace.”

Application:

The Bible contains numerous predictions of the coming of Christ.  This particular Old Testament prediction reveals the blood-line of Jesus, The Christ, and describes some of the attributes of God that He would possess.  He would have The Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel and might.  He would be all knowing and all powerful.  This coming holiday which we celebrate, is actually a “Holy Day” commemorating the birth of Christ, and it has much more significance than we give it today.  His conception by The Holy Spirit and His birth through a virgin were ordained by God so that He could save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:18-23)  Jesus was born to be the sacrificial Lamb who would pay the price for our sins and the sins of the world. (John 1:29)  However, only those of us who believe that He is The Son of God will be saved. (John 3:16)

MERRY CHRISTMAS Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." ... "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."  John 1:1-3 & 14 (NIV)
The Apostle John testified that Jesus was there from the beginning.  He made the heavens and the earth and everything therein.  Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be God.  He put on human flesh and dwelt among men.  This was made possible by the immaculate conception. (Luke 1:30-35)

We celebrate Christmas to commemorate the day that The Son of God was born of a virgin, after being conceived by an act of The Holy Spirit.  We celebrate the day that Jesus Christ clothed Himself in human flesh and lived among mankind.  The heavenly plan was for Him to be born, to live, to teach, to die, and to be raised up from the dead in order to provide us with a chance for salvation.  If we confess our sins and believe in Him, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  We thank God for making all of this possible.

The Coming Of Jesus Was Predicted

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of The LORD will rest on him; The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The Spirit of counsel and of power, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of The LORD; and He will delight in the fear of The LORD."  Isaiah 11:1-4 (NIV)

The prophet Isiah predicted the coming of Jesus Christ some 600 to 700 years before the birth of Christ.  He was to be born in the line of Jesse, King David's father.  He was to possess The Spirit of The LORD.  Isaiah said earlier that He would be born of a virgin, (Isaiah 9:6-7) and that He would be the rightful heir to the throne of David.

The Bible contains numerous predictions of the coming of Christ.  This particular Old Testament prediction reveals His blood-line and describes the attributes of God that He would possess.  This holy day that we celebrate, commemorating the birth of Christ, has much more significance than we give it today.  His conception by The Holy Spirit and His birth through a virgin was so that He could save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:20-23)  However, only those who believe will be saved. (John 3:16)

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 6

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

One of the reasons that He came to earth was to procure for His people a perfect peace. Jesus, The Christ, is the benevolent ruler of His people and His kingdom. Without Him we cannot have peace in our lives or in this world. And without Him we would not have access to the perpetual perfect peace throughout eternity.

Only through Christ are we able to wish for peace on earth and goodwill towards all men. Jesus is God incarnate. He was born to die for His people. His conception, birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were all unique and very special.

Without Christ in Christmas, it is not special.

Let us keep Christ in our celebration of His birth this Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a blessed day!!!

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 5

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father ..." Isaiah 9:6

The birth of Jesus was predicted by the prophet Isaiah more than 400 years beforehand. He even predicted what He would be called. 'The Everlasting Father' is a term that is difficult for me to completely understand.

I understand the word 'Everlasting'. God is unending. He had no beginning and He has no end. Before the beginning of time, He already was. And when this world comes to an end, He will continue to exist. I know that God is, God was, and God forever will be. While the concept of infinity is difficult to grasp, I understand it.

My problem is understanding what the prophet Isaiah meant when he applied the word 'Father' to God The Son. The Rev. Dr. John MacArthur suggests that "The Messiah will be a Father to His people eternally ... He will compassionately care for and discipline them." The Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson suggests that it "literally means 'Father of Eternity'. He alone is the source of eternal life." The Rev. Dr. Matthew Henry states "He is God, one with The Father, who is from everlasting to everlasting ... He is The Father of the world to come."

In keeping with these true Bible scholars let me say, Jesus, The Christ, 'The Everlasting Father', is a benevolent protector of His people past, present, and future throughout eternity.

Jesus Christ is special. Everything about Him is special, including His conception and birth which was predicted by the prophet Isaiah more than 400 years earlier.

Have a Merry Christmas. Please remember why we celebrate Christmas and let us keep Christ in our celebration of Christmas.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 4

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God ..." Isaiah 9:6

In a time when pagans worshipped a number of things that they called gods, the prophet Isaiah predicted the conception and birth of The Christ, 'The Mighty God', some 400 years before the event was to happen.

As opposed to the single focused, ineffectual, pagan gods, Isaiah prophesied about an all-powerful, all-knowing 'Mighty God'. Not only was He a powerful warrior, as mentioned in Ezekiel 38 & 39, but He could protect you, lead you, help you, keep you safe, provide for you, and fight your battles.

This 'Mighty God' can supply all of your needs and He is gracious enough to give some of your wants. Why would you worship, be a fanatic for, or get excited about something or someone who cannot do a thing for you.

Jesus, The Christ, is God. He is special and everything about Him is special, including His birth, which was predicted more than 400 years beforehand.

Have a Merry Christmas and remember to keep Christ in your Christmas celebrations.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 3

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor ..." Isaiah 9:6

When the prophet Isaiah predicted the birth of Jesus, The Christ, more than 400 years beforehand, he also predicted what He would be called. The first name he predicted that they would call Him was 'Immanuel', which I discussed yesterday.

The second name that He shall be called is 'Wonderful Counselor'. To appreciate why He is called 'Wonderful Counselor', you must understand that a counselor listens to you as you describe your situation or problem, then gives you advise. He is called 'Wonderful Counselor' because He not only listen to you, without interrupting, He gives you the best possible advise, guidance and directions, and He does things to help you out that you could not do for yourself.

Maybe you cannot appreciate this if you have never called upon Him. If you have never had to
call upon Him when you didn't know what to do, and all that you could say was, "Lord, have mercy." In the midnight hour, when things look their darkest, you can call upon Him. He is a Wonderful Counselor.

He is special. We celebrate everything about Him because He is special, including His birthday, which the prophet Isaiah predicted more than 400 years beforehand.

Have a Merry Christmas, but remember to keep Christ in you Christmas celebration.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 2

"... Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14


The prophet Isaiah not only predicted the birth of Jesus, The Christ, 400 or so years before it happened, he also predicted that a virgin would conceive Him.

Conception, the fertilization of the female egg, the ovum containing half of the necessary DNA, usually requires contact with the male sperm, to provide the second half of the DNA required to produce a fertilized egg (zygote).

In the case of the virgin Mary, a non sexually active female, there was no sperm DNA supplied from her husband-to-be, Joseph. Joseph did not 'know' Mary, physically, until after the birth of Christ, Matthew 1:25.

In this virgin conception, the 'male half' of the DNA was supplied by The Holy Spirit, Matthew 1:20 and Luke 1:34-35. Jesus is The Son of God. His conception and birth occurred, as predicted more that 400 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah.

The Birth of Christ Predicted

"... Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
More than 400 years before it happened, the prophet Isaiah predicted the 'immaculate conception' and the birth of Jesus, The Christ. He even predicted His name, Immanuel, which means "God with us".

The best that we can do today with the use of modern medical science is confirm that a woman is pregnant and 'predict' her delivery date, her EDC (estimated date of confinement), based upon her LMP (last menstrual period). But at best that 'prediction is eight to nine months before it happens, not 400 years.

God revealed this to Isaiah. God was with him then and God is with us now.