There are many who look at Christmas as a day of gifts and presents and sports and eating. But GOD created and spoke of what and WHO would and should be the center of our Christmas celebration. Gifts are fine but we need to stress the original reason for giving those gifts. Scripture is replete with verses pointing to the coming of the ONE WHOM we should be celebrating and I feel the need to show them to you. Scripture gives us prophecies 100's and 1000's of years before the " fullness of the time had come " for GOD to send forth HIS only begotten SON, born of a virgin, born under the law. Let us see some of them.
Genesis 3:15 " And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her SEED, HE shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise HIS heel. "
Galatians 4:4 " But when the fullness of the time had come, GOD sent forth HIS SON, born of a woman, born under the law. "
Numbers 24:17 " I see HIM, but not now; I behold HIM, but not near; a STAR shall come out of Jacob; a SCEPTER shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult. "
Matthew 1:2 " Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. "
Genesis 49:10 " The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to HIM shall be the obedience of the people. "
Luke 3:33 " ...the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah. "
Isaiah 9:7 " 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. "
Luke 1:32, 33 " 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. And HE will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of HIS kingdom there will be no end. "
Micah 5:2 " But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to ME the ONE to be RULER in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. "
Luke 2:4, 5, 7 " And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary , his betrothed wife, who was with child .... And she brought forth her firstborn SON, and wrapped HIM in swaddling cloths, and laid HIM in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. "
Daniel 9:25 " Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until MESSIAH the PRINCE, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. "
Luke 2:1, 2 " And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. "
Isaiah 7:14 " Therefore the LORD HIMSELF will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a SON, and shall call HIS name IMMANUEL. "
Luke 1:26, 27, 30, 31 " Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by GOD to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary .... Then the angel said to her, ' Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with GOD. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a SON, and shall call HIS name JESUS.' "
Jeremiah 31:15 " Thus says the LORD: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. "
Matthew 2:16-18 " Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the Wise Men, was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the Wise Men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: ' A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.' "
Hosea 11:1 " When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called MY SON. "
Matthew 2:14, 15 " When he arose, he took the young CHILD and HIS mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the LORD through the prophet, saying, 'Out of Egypt I called MY SON.' "
There are of course many other prophecies about the LORD but they pertain to HIS ministry and crucifixion which is not part of this study. Mary and Joseph were both in the line of David. JESUS will one day return and sit on the throne of David forever and of HIS reign there will be no end. Mary and Joseph were the human vessels that GOD used to bring HIS SON into this world in human form and to care for him. Joseph was given the responsibility of naming the boy CHILD as was the custom in those days and once JESUS was born, Mary and Joseph came together as husband and wife to have many children (Matthew 1:25).
Many times you hear the phrase, " JESUS is the reason for the season " and such a truer statement is rarely heard these days. So much of what we see surrounding Christmas has very little to do with the reason and miracle of HIS coming into this world. HE is the only BABY that was strictly born to die for the sins of ALL mankind. HE Is the only BABY born without a sin nature. HE is the only BABY every born that came out of the glories of Heaven and set aside HIS glory to come humbly to the foot of a Roman cross, scourged and mocked and beaten nearly to death; because of HIS great love for you and me.
If you have not yet taken time out of your busy schedule to think about WHO the CHRIST CHILD was and is; then stop and drop to your knees in humble adoration of the greatest CHILD ever born; the greatest SAVIOR WHO died and rose again for your sins; and the ONE and only GOD WHO loved you more than HIS OWN life and comfort. HE came and HE is the great I AM !
Your servant in CHRIST,
MERRY CHRISTMAS,
Julie
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