STAND FAST IN THE LIBERTY BY WHICH CHRIST HAS MADE US FREE!
Why do we celebrate Christmas? We are celebrating in memory of the fact that Jesus Christ was born. Christmas is circling around the little baby in the crib, angles, shepherds, the history about Joseph and Mary. We read about the three wise men with wonderful gifts. Jesus was the Son of God. The entire humanity was separated from a direct contact with God because of the sin of Adam and Eve. God had talked to the prophets, but the common man couldn’t come to God directly. God had longed for a relationship with His children and that was the reason why Jesus came to this earth. He became the sacrifice that could wipe away the hindrances between man and heaven.
Mary had never been with a man and she was a pure virgin. Jesus was conceived and born by Mary. Both Joseph and Mary had a visitation of angles to confirm the fact that Jesus was conceived by The Holy Spirit. Joseph didn’t touch her before the birth, but he took care of her. I imagine that she was mobbed by many since very few believed that she got pregnant from The Holy Spirit.
We cannot read a lot of Bible-stories about Jesus before He turned 30 years of age. He was a carpenter and lived a fairly normal life. He was in ministry for three years before He was crucified and became the Savior of the world.
When Jesus was in ministry, He made signs and wonders. He healed the sick and cast out evil spirits. He was teaching in the synagogues and performed good deeds wherever He was. Multitudes of people followed Him. He was their hope. He has made an example of what we are supposed to do. You can read Mark 16.
The story about Christmas is not so interesting for me if I didn’t know the rest of His life. The little baby in the crib is sweet, but Jesus wouldn’t be the most important person in history if the story ended there. He is the only sinless person. He was a true human being and He was truly God. He was sent by God to become the Savior of the world. This was planned hundreds of years before. You can read Isaiah 9:6-8: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom. To order it and establish it with judgment and justice. From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Many looked upon Jesus as their new king, but Jesus acted as a humble servant and He knew the purpose of His coming. I will also write down Isaiah 53:4+5 “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed.”
Jesus came to set us free!
We read in Colossians 2:14-15 that Jesus wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. He nailed it to the cross. Just think if you were in debts and you couldn’t pay. Some people suffer their entire life because of this. I have heard about people being made clear of all their debts and they are extremely happy. Sacrifices were necessary in the Old Testament and they had different sacrifices for different sins. The High Priest went once a year into the most holy of the Temple to bear forth the sins of the people. Jesus cried out once and for all: “I have paid your debt. I have opened the closed road to heaven.”
It is a tragedy that so few people have received this as a truth. They haven’t understood that they can become totally free of sin. Some people do not understand that they are sinners. Others think that Christianity is a religion full of rules and regulations. I talked today with a young woman saying that she had been with Christians that always cried when they were praying and they always focused on their sins. They seemed to forget that Jesus had wiped out the sins when we confess them. (1.John 1:9) Jesus has made us righteous. People do not want to enter a religion, but to have a pure relationship with Jesus.
We read in Isaiah 53 that in His stripes we are healed. It has already taken place. That might be difficult to understand and believe when we get sick. It is true that we are sick, but the truth is that we are healed. What do we do? We treat the sickness till we believe the Word. I think we should talk to the symptoms in the name of Jesus and also recite the Word of God. Use the Word as medicine.
We read in Colossians 2 that Jesus disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle of them and then triumphing over them. We are on the victorious side and do not need to be slaves under the devils attacks.
JESUS, CONGRATULATIONS WITH YOUR BIRTHDAY AND THANK YOU FOR BECOMING OUR SAVIOR!
Mother Else