We are one week away from Christmas, and I have been thinking a lot today about the miracle of Christmas. Then I remembered that not too long ago I was made aware that there are actually people that, due to unusual circumstances (in this particular instance the person was deaf), do not know what Christmas is really all about. So, let's start at the beginning, the very beginning.
In the garden, Adam and Eve broke the one and only rule that God had given them. From that day forward mankind has been cursed with an inescapable sin nature. That sin nature separated us from God because we were no longer holy. The penalty for that sin is death and separation from God and an eternity in the flames of Hell. The only way to overcome that penalty is by the shedding of blood for sin. It is for that purpose that Jesus had to be born.
"So, what does all that have to do with Christmas?" Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. From the prophesies to the virgin birth, everything about His birth is miraculous.
There are several prophesies that address His lineage. Genesis 22: 18 declares that He will be a descendant of Abraham, Genesis 49: 10 declares that He will be born of the tribe of Judah, Numbers 24 :17 says that He will be a descendant of Jacob, Isaiah 11: 10 puts Him in the line of Jesse, Jeremiah 23: 5-6 shows that he is the heir to the throne of King David. All of these fulfillment's are shown in the book of Matthew 1: 1-16 where His lineage is traced from Abraham all the way through His earthly father, Joseph.
Micah 5: 2 indicates that He will be born in the town of Bethlehem. Isaiah 7: 14 declares that He will be born of a virgin and that His "name will be Immanuel". The name Immanuel means "God with us". Psalm 2: 7 and Proverbs 30: 4 tell that He will be the son of God; Luke 1: 32 and Matthew 3: 17 declare the fulfillment.
These are just some of the prophesies that were made and fulfilled. Jesus is the only man in history who has ever fulfilled every prophesy in the Old Testament. To see more, you can follow this link http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/messiah.html
The miracle goes far beyond the supernatural nature of His birth. It is in the fact that God himself loved His creation enough to come down to earth, take the form of a man, and knowing exactly what he would have to endure, did it anyway to pay the price for our sins so that we would have a way out of our deserved punishment.
Yes, I did say that Jesus is God. John 1: 1-3 reads "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made." This makes Jesus Himself the creator of the Universe.
The Deity of Christ was demonstrated many times throughout His life through the healing of diseases, the casting out of demons and raising the dead to life. The finale to all of this was when he suffered disfiguring abuse, allowed Himself to be crucified as a blood sacrifice for our sins, and then resurrected himself from the grave to overcome and defeat death to prove beyond doubt that He is God.
This is the miracle of Christmas. This is why we celebrate the birth of a baby born 2000 years ago.
In the garden, Adam and Eve broke the one and only rule that God had given them. From that day forward mankind has been cursed with an inescapable sin nature. That sin nature separated us from God because we were no longer holy. The penalty for that sin is death and separation from God and an eternity in the flames of Hell. The only way to overcome that penalty is by the shedding of blood for sin. It is for that purpose that Jesus had to be born.
"So, what does all that have to do with Christmas?" Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. From the prophesies to the virgin birth, everything about His birth is miraculous.
There are several prophesies that address His lineage. Genesis 22: 18 declares that He will be a descendant of Abraham, Genesis 49: 10 declares that He will be born of the tribe of Judah, Numbers 24 :17 says that He will be a descendant of Jacob, Isaiah 11: 10 puts Him in the line of Jesse, Jeremiah 23: 5-6 shows that he is the heir to the throne of King David. All of these fulfillment's are shown in the book of Matthew 1: 1-16 where His lineage is traced from Abraham all the way through His earthly father, Joseph.
Micah 5: 2 indicates that He will be born in the town of Bethlehem. Isaiah 7: 14 declares that He will be born of a virgin and that His "name will be Immanuel". The name Immanuel means "God with us". Psalm 2: 7 and Proverbs 30: 4 tell that He will be the son of God; Luke 1: 32 and Matthew 3: 17 declare the fulfillment.
These are just some of the prophesies that were made and fulfilled. Jesus is the only man in history who has ever fulfilled every prophesy in the Old Testament. To see more, you can follow this link http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/messiah.html
The miracle goes far beyond the supernatural nature of His birth. It is in the fact that God himself loved His creation enough to come down to earth, take the form of a man, and knowing exactly what he would have to endure, did it anyway to pay the price for our sins so that we would have a way out of our deserved punishment.
Yes, I did say that Jesus is God. John 1: 1-3 reads "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made." This makes Jesus Himself the creator of the Universe.
The Deity of Christ was demonstrated many times throughout His life through the healing of diseases, the casting out of demons and raising the dead to life. The finale to all of this was when he suffered disfiguring abuse, allowed Himself to be crucified as a blood sacrifice for our sins, and then resurrected himself from the grave to overcome and defeat death to prove beyond doubt that He is God.
This is the miracle of Christmas. This is why we celebrate the birth of a baby born 2000 years ago.
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