Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Luke 23:32-43
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. when they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
First and foremost I wish you a very happy and most enjoyable Christmas. I pray that this Christmas will be your best Christmas so far in Jesus mighty name.
Although dating to probably as early as a.d. 200, the feast of Christmas did not become widespread until the middle Ages. (From about 500 A.D. to about 1350 A.D.). It is said that when the purpose of a thing is not known abuse will set in. For that reason I believe we should understand the meaning and purpose of Christmas. Christmas is gotten from two words, Christ and Mass. CHRIST means the anointed, the sent one. MASS means celebration. Therefore Christmas is the celebration of Christ. The celebration of anointed one, the sent one. According to Isaiah 10:27, the anointing removes burden and destroys yokes. It would make sense to say Christmas is the celebration of the burden remover and the yoke destroyer.
Now that we know the meaning of Christmas, what is the purpose? According to the above Scripture in Matthew, Jesus came to save us from our sins and to bring us the abiding presence of God. After the fall of man, sin created a barrier between man and God so Jesus came to deal with sin issue and its consequence. And in the place of sin he brought the abiding presence of God to us. So every time you think of Christmas remember you have been saved from sin and its power. You now have dominion over sin. You now have the abiding presence of God through Christ.
I have heard many people say that Jesus is the reason for the season. But I disagree. I believe that Jesus is the creator of the season(Christmas) but we are the reason he created the season. He came to die for us. He came and gave us heaven on earth. He died that we might live. That is why the bible says in the Luke 2:14 – Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Jesus Christ brought us into favour with God. God is not mad at us. Our sins have been forgiven and we are now the righteousness of God in Him. Now that we have been saved from our sins and have the abiding presence of God, we are to spread the good news of the saving power of Christ. We have been saved to be saviours. HAPPY CELEBRATION OF THE REMOVER OF OUR SINS AND THE GIFT OF GOD’S ABIDING PRESENCE
For further Study
Luke 2
Personal declaration for the day
Glory to God, I am forgiven and I have God’s abiding presence.
Questions for you to reflect on
How much of your sins did Christ remove?
How much of forgiveness and God’s presence have you received?
Comments & Testimonials