As Christmas approaches each year we often talk about Joseph and Mary,
the town of Bethlehem, the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men from
the east. But I think all of us know that the central focus of the Christmas
story is Jesus! No one knows the actual date of the birth of Jesus, December
25th was an arbitrary date picked by early church fathers in order to
give us a specific date to celebrate. But there was a day … a night …
when Jesus was born into history. As I thought about Jesus entering our
world for the first time I was reminded of God’s messengers and what
they said about Him.
Luke 1:30-33
30 Then the angel said, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name JESUS.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and
the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
His kingdom there will be no end."
Matthew 1
20 "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.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name
JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and
they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God
with us."
The angel spoke for God and his first announcement to Mary was … “you
will bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus.” When the angel
spoke to Joseph he made a similar statement: “… you shall call His name
Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus. The Greek word is Iesous (ee-ay-sooce'). The Hebrew word is
Yehowshu`a (yeh-ho-shoo'-ah) which means: Jehovah-saves or Jehovah-frees. The
Greek name is translated as Jesus, but in the Old Testament Yehowshua is
translated as Joshua, the conquering leader of Israel when they entered the
Promised Land.
The angel’s first announcement to Mary, Joseph, and to us, is that
the One born of Mary was to be a conqueror! To Joseph it is revealed
that He would be the One who would conquer sin so those who would follow
Him would be delivered and set free from bondage! This baby born on Christmas
Day so long ago had a mission to accomplish and that was to provide freedom
from sin to those who would follow Him!
The angel said to call His name Jesus then he adds, “He will be great.” I want
you to know that all babies are “great” when they are born … but Jesus was
GREAT! His presence was huge, immense, enormous, vast, grand! What awesome
adjectives but none of them can seem to capture who Jesus is! He is GREATEST!
We often use the word “awesome” to describe a sunset, a piece of pie, or some
other experience. But Jesus alone is awesomely great! Greater than any other!
And He was born on Christmas Day!
To both Joseph and Mary, the angel was specific that the work done
in Mary’s womb was a work of the Holy Spirit. “… That which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit.” This was no ordinary birth! This was a
birth given by God in the physical body of woman born on this earth …
a miracle birth. The One born to Mary would have Jehovah God as His Father!
The work of bearing our sins in His body could only be done effectively
if He is God!
The deity of Jesus was emphasized to both Mary and Joseph. Mary was
told, “He … will be called the Son of the Highest.” Joseph was told,
“He shall be called Emmanuel, which means, ‘God with us.’” There was
no doubt in the angels presentation that Jesus was God, and He was about
to be born into this world as a baby! God with us!
To Mary the angel adds these words: “and the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the
house of Jacob
forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." He is Jesus the
Savior, His name is Great in the earth, He is God with us, and His kingdom
fulfills God’s promise to King David and His authority as King over all
the earth has no end! This Baby is born with all the authority of God
and is King over all! What a message the angel gave to Joseph and Mary!
But there is another announcement by the angel of the Lord. This announcement
was made to shepherds who were keeping their flocks out in the field.
Luke 2:10-14
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped
in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men!"
To a sin-sick world the announcement of God coming in the flesh was not an
announcement of doom and judgment … but it was a joyous announcement! “Behold
I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people!” In other
words, this is the best news you’ve ever heard! It’s better than striking
it rich, it’s better than falling in love, it’s better than moving into the
best house in the neighborhood with it being paid for, it’s better than the
best apple pie you’ve ever eaten … this is GOOD NEWS that bring GREAT JOY
and it is good news for EVERYONE!
You see … we all have the same need because we all have the same problem.
We were all born in sin and we are unable to deliver ourselves from the
bondage of that sin. Neither good works nor great sacrifice makes us
acceptable to God! Our sin has a strangle hold upon our lives. We are
all helplessly under the curse of sin unless someone else can set us
free! And up to this point no one had been able to set mankind free from
sin! Not until Jesus came! This is truly Great News which causes Great
Joy and it is available for Everyone!
To the Shepherds the baby is described as “A Savior who is Christ the
Lord.” He is announced as the Messiah! Every Jewish boy and girl had
been told of the prophecies of the deliverer who is to come, the Messiah!
The word “Christ” means He is the Anointed One. The One who has a special,
unique presence of God upon His life which will bring forth mighty miracles
and deliverance for those who follow Him!
And the sky was filled with angels who were rejoicing over
this great event! They were declaring … "Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace, goodwill toward men!" This was not only an event of
glad tidings for those who dwell on the earth, but all of heaven was
rejoicing that this day had come! The angels understood the significance
of Jesus’ arrival upon the earth. This was when God’s grace caused peace
and mercy to be given to mankind! This is the beginning of a miracle
on earth! God came to deliver mankind from sin and to set the captive
free!
All of this made a definite impact on Joseph and Mary. Listen to what
is said …
Luke 2:21
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child,
His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was
conceived in the womb.
They heard what the angel had said! They knew this was the Savior,
the Messiah, Emmanuel … and they called His name Jesus just as they had
been instructed by the angel.
This is what Christmas is all about. Jesus entering into our world
is Savior, Deliverer, and King of our life. The Messiah. This is where
joy and peace comes from! If you haven’t allowed Him to be the Lord of
your life … today is the day! Let Jesus be King!
Jesus Savior - Conqueror - His Name is Great – Born of the Holy Spirit
The Son of the Highest – Emmanuel: God with us - King over all the earth
A Savior who is Christ the Lord - The Messiah! - The Anointed One.
This is GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY for EVERYONE!
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