Christmas-Luke 1- Mary Did You Know?

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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. Luke 1:26-29

Around Chrstmas time you usually hear the song “Mary did you know”? Well in the scriptures we are reading today, Mary did know because the angel Gabrielle told her. The virgin Mary was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. The incarnation of God becoming flesh is an amazing mystery to ponder. But God is now going to provide salvation by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world

Notice Mary’s reaction upon receiving this news, “she was troubled” imagine if you were just told you were going to give birth to the Son of God! You can only imagine the range of emotions going through Mary’s mind at this point. The Bible is clear, Mary was chosen and highly favored by God, what an amazing calling to receive by The Lord

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:30-33

The angel Gabriel revealed many things about the coming of the Messiah. First he revealed his name, the name is Jesus. For centuries the Jews could never mention the name of God in fear of breaking the commandment, now we know the name of God, and we can call out upon the name of Jesus! Next it’s revealed that He is the Son of God and the Son of David, wait what? How can Jesus be the Son of God and David? 

Son of David is in reference to the Messianic Kingship line that was foretold throughout the Bible, however many didn’t understand or realize that the Messiah would literally be God in the flesh (John 1:14) The last thing that is revealed is this Kingdom will be eternal, meaning the Kingdom of God is coming to Earth (Revelation 21, Isaiah 65) All this has been revealed by the angel Gabriel

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35

The obvious question , as stated by Mary, is “how can this be”? How can the virgin Mary give birth to the Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t physically conceived by a man, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, as he is God incarnate. It’s infallible for our human minds to try and comprehend this

The greatest message was delivered, Jesus is coming to save the world from sin and death, Amen!

Merry Christmas

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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

  • A child is born “ Luke 2:10 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
  • A Son is given “ John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
  • Governments will be on his shoulders “Revelations 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”
  • Wonderful Counselor “ John 14:16 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
  • Mighty God- John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
  • Everlasting Father Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
  • Prince of Peace John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This Christmas take the time to connect with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Reflect on all he has given you and your family already and bless his holy name.

From me and my family we wish you all a Merry CHRISTmas and God bless!

Isaiah 1- Lamb of God

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Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

The other day my 9 year old son asked me “Is Mary has a little lamb about Jesus”? While this is actually debated by people online, the contrast can’t be denied, in my opinion. The virgin Mary giving birth to the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose wool was white as snow, sinless to reconcile us back to our Father God. 

When we look at the nativity from a fresh perspective, one might wonder “Why was the son of God born in a stable”? How does any of this make sense? When we understand , Mary did have a Lamb, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins. The manger makes perfect sense for the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29)

Where I live, typically when we celebrate Christmas it’s winter and there is snow on the ground. As the old classic song goes “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”, snow is actually very fitting for Christmas time, why? Because Christ , the sinless lamb of God, came to save us from our sins. 

As the prophet Isaiah said “even though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow” God is going to cleanse us from our sins, how? Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and then rose on the 3rd day , defeating sin and death forever and justifying us before God our Father

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1 Peter 1:18-19

As the Apostle Peter tells us “we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, the lamb without blemish or spot” This is why Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation or God (John 14:6) because Christ is the only one who can pay the penalty for your sins. There is nobody else who could have went to the cross for your sins, there is nobody else who can have defeated sin and death on your behalf

The virgin Mary did have a little lamb, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was born for your salvation, come let us reason together, all glory to God, Amen!

Isaiah 11- Root of Jesse

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And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: Isaiah 11:1-3

We see a continual theme by the prophets, a branch of God is coming, we read this from Zachariah, Jeremiah, and here with Isaiah. A branch/shoot/rod shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse. What is this in reference to? Who is Jesse? He is the father of King David. The Messiah will fulfill the Kingship line anointed by God. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

The Messiah will not only be King, but the Spirit of God will rest upon him. God will become King in Christ Jesus. When Jesus taught or explained Torah, the religious leaders marveled. How can this man know Torah better than us? Because Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14) Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God who came not only to save us from our sins, but establish his throne and Gods eternal kingdom

We see in Revelation, a reference to the “7 Spirits of God” (Revelation 1:4-5, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 5:6) The prophet Isaiah explains these gifts of the Holy Spirit,spirit of Yahweh, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God. The number 7 is symbolic of completion, this encompasses who the Holy Spirit is and his attributes. 

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

The Messiah shall stand as a banner or sign for the people. Did Jesus Christ come to just save Israel? No, the prophet Isaiah explains “the Gentiles shall seek him” as God so loved the world, they he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16) Christ is a gift to the world , not just Israel. The King of all Kings, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron

When the Christ child was born in the manger, the Gentile wise men seeked and found him, and they glorified and worshiped the newborn King. Because Jesus Christ , the root of Jesse, came to save the world from the sins, Amen

Isaiah 61- Set Free

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Isaiah 61:1-2

The word Messiah or Christ means anointed one, the text is very clear that Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 4:21) The text also goes into more detail, what is the role of the Messiah. To preach good tidings or the good news (the gospel) The Christ brought the gospel to the world, the same gospel Jesus fulfilled by his death and resurrection (1 Cor. 15) The birth of Jesus Christ is good news for the entire world and worthy of all worship and praise!

Jesus said “If the son has set you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) As the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah will “proclaim liberty to the captives” From a worldy perspective this initial doesnt make sense, as the religious leaders told Jesus “we have never been slaves to anyone” (John 8:33) However as Paul said , you are either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18) The world is held captive to sin, and Christ has come to set us free!

Those who don’t understand their sinful nature or the wrath to come, can’t grasp the unspeakable gift of Christ coming to Earth. To proclaim the acceptable year of The Lord, which is Jublilee, when slaves are set free, this is why the coming of Christ is the acceptable year of God. The Son has set us free!

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:18-21

Jesus himself confirmed he is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy. You don’t need to read any commentary or have any pastor convince you Jesus is the Christ, Jesus told us himself. Jesus Christ is the living Word made flesh (John 1:1-14) Who has come to set us free from the bondages and sentence of our sins

This Christmas, proclaim the favorable year of The Lord, proclaim liberty, because Jesus Christ has come and set us free from the slavery of our sin, Amen!

Isaiah 40- Prepare The Way

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The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 40:3-5

This week is Christmas week, often this is a busy time where we are all preparing for the events to come. We are preparing a meal for our families and friends to come over and celebrate, we are preparing gifts to exchange with one another, we are preparing Church services and events to fellowship and worship the newborn King. Let’s not forget to prepare our hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophet Isaiah foretold about a voice that will be yelling in the wilderness to “Prepare the way for The Lord ” of course we know that Isaiah was speaking of John the Baptist. The one Jesus called “the greatest of all prophets”(Matthew 11:11) The one who preached a strong message of repentance and baptized people to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ

It’s also very interesting that Jesus’ deity is revealed here also, as the original Hebrew reads “Prepare the way for Yahweh” , John the Baptist is preparing for the coming of God in the flesh Jesus Christ. 

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins Mark 1:2-4

And it was confirmed in the New Testament, that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Isaiah. Therefore the Bible makes it very clear that Jesus is Lord and God (John 20:28) To deny the deity of Christ would to deny the prophecy of Isaiah and the testimony of John the Baptist. How are we to prepare for the coming of The Lord? By repentance of our sins

This Christmas season, it’s a good reminder for the Church to prepare the way for The Lord Jesus Christ. Prepare your hearts , to love The Lord God with all your mind, heart, and soul. Prepare your mind to be focused on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prepare your family to know about The Lord and all that he has done for us, Amen!

Isaiah 7- The Sign

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Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

During the time of Isaiah, Israel was continually at war with each other. Jersulem was once again under siege and it says “the heart of the people were moved as trees with the wind” The people were scared they were either going to get killed or taken prisoner. 

Then God told Isaiah to go see King Ahaz and tell him “Take heed and be quiet, do not fear” God was in complete control yet Ahaz was a pagan, he didn’t truly have faith in God, so he lived in fear that his life was coming to an end

God even challenged Ahaz to ask him for a sign. King Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, for fear of testing him. However it was also most likely due to hi unclean heart and guilty conscience, as it was documented the evil things Ahaz did, including sacrificing his own children to pagan gods (2 Kings 16:3, 2 Chronicles 28:3)

Therefore God himself declared he would give Israel a sign, the sign was a virgin will give birth to a son and his name is Immanuel.  Its amazing during Israel’s darkest moments, God gave them the good news of Jesus Christ coming to save the world of their sins

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 122-:23

The Apostle Matthew confirms this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The virgin is Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and given birth to the Messiah, The Lord Jesus. Matthew also emphasizes the title Emmanuel means God with us. Meaning God becoming a man (John 1:14, Isaiah 9:6) and dwelling among us. This is the sign, the baby in the manger, the Christ child, The Lord Jesus

The sign was promised by God, foretold 700 years before the birth of Christ in the manger. Jesus Christ is our sign, our hope, our victory, Immanuel, Amen!