Merry Christmas!
Have you ever experienced a birth of a child? Was it not amazing? Were you not filled with joy and hope? I will submit to you that one birth was more amazing, brought more joy, more hope, and brought more love and good than any other. Let us look at what God has taught me about this birth.
As we celebrate Christmas, the real reason I celebrate it is to remember one of the three most important days in all of history and they are all about something that happened to one person Jesus. So, as I celebrate the virgin birth of Jesus. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (ESV) Matthew 1:18 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (ESV) Luke 2:7 I have learned that it is important to understand that Jesus the Son of God was born as a fully human child yet still remained fully God. I cannot explain it as well as my pastor Troy Dobbs of Grace Church Eden Prairie did a few weeks ago but I will summarize it in this blog. You can hear or watch his full massage.
As Pastor Troy reminded me there are three significant truths about the birth of Jesus, the incarnation. They are:
- Jesus is like me. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (ESV)Part of the reason why it is important to me to understand that Jesus is like me is so that know that everything that I experience on earth Jesus experienced also. He was tempted like me. Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (ESV) He suffered like me. Hebrews 13:12 says, “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” (ESV) He had emotions like me. “Jesus wept.” (ESV) John 11:35 There are four other passages that tell us that Jesus wept. All these things and many more bring me hope because I know that Jesus understands me.
- Jesus is not like me. Hebrews 7:26-28 says, “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (ESV) Jesus is not like me because Jesus is without sin. He is eternally perfect. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) As I understand the significance of Jesus as my High Priest is that the sacrifices needed to cleanse me of my sins has been completed through Jesus. There is no other sacrifice needed.
- Jesus came to make us like Him. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (ESV) The desire of Jesus is that I might become like Him. When I accepted Jesus, His sacrifice for me removed all of my sin from me. In the eyes of God, the Father I am sinless because He looks through the lens of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ God’s only Begotten Son.
Because of these three reasons a special birth brings me eternal hope. You too can have eternal hope and there is never a better time to accept Jesus than at the celebration of His birth at Christmas time this year If you have not already accepted Jesus, I pray that you trust in the promises of God and accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.
So, join me celebrating one of the three most important days in history, the birth of Jesus Christ to the virgin Mary. Trust that Jesus is God Incarnate who came to take away your sins and mine. Understanding that Jesus is the only source of true hope. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here. You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here. eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google.
