Within the Christmas account we find the solution to everything.
In these few verses ( Matthew 1:21–23) we find the beauty of the Christmas story. For it is not a mere story, fable or anything except the actual telling of a factual event in history. It is of course, the most famous and meaningful birth to ever take place.
It is the account of the birth of God’s incarnate Son―Jesus Christ.
It naturally follows that surrounding his birth would be the most outstanding of events to ever unfold.
We read in verse 21, “…he will save his people from their sins.” In these few words we find the solution to everything. In the word “sin,” we find one of the most misunderstood (and ignored) words of all words. For in that little “archaic” word we find the entirety of the human problem. It essentially means “missing the mark” and is manifest rebellion against God in the way we live and think. In this word we discover that sin is the wedge that separates man from God.
A wedge is merely something that separates one thing from another thing. It is usually a piece of metal driven into wood to separate it. Sin is the wedge that separates us from God.
Sin was, and is the ultimate wedge that has been driven into the human heart and must be dealt with and removed if we are to have a restored relationship with God. And that is the very purpose of Christ’s journey as the incarnate Son of the living God―to deal with that wedge of sin. His virgin birth was the first step toward that purpose, which leads Christ to the cross upon which he died in our place so that wedge of sin can be obliterated.
It is fascinating that within these verses we really have the gospel in its pure form. Christ, the incarnation of the Son, the second person of the trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
God does love the world so much he gave his Son to die on a cross, prophesied hundreds of years before these events would transpire just exactly as they did (Isaiah 7:14).
When one trusts in Christ alone for salvation and engages in the revolutionary transformation of the human heart and soul manifest in a life of repentance and grace, true Christmas has come and this wedge between the human soul and our Creator is powerfully cast away. The real human/divine relationship begins.
He is truly Emmanuel, God with us!
Have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas!
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1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 1:22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.”
Matthew 1:21–23 NET Bible
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We can come to know Christ through confession of our sins and repentance (turning away from sin). Let me encourage you to do this by talking to God through prayer. Here is an idea of how you might do that:
"Dear God, I believe your son Jesus Christ died in my place on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day following his death. I confess my sins, all of them, to you now with a humble heart. I repent of those sins and ask you to empower me with your Holy Spirit in overcoming further sin. Amen” If you prayed this or a similar prayer committing your life to Christ and becoming one of his followers, let me encourage you to find a good, Bible-believing church. If you live in the Weslaco/Rio Grand Valley area of Texas, let me invite you to the church I attend, Mid-Valley Assembly (www.midvalleyassembly.com). Begin talking to God in prayer and reading the Bible daily. A good way to begin to read the Bible is to start with the Book of John in the New Testament. Feel very free in connecting with me if you need any further help in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do this via the above email or facebook page or this web page. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mercy Road Ministries was founded and now led by Ben Bounds. Ben has pastored churches across Texas for over thirty years and is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He holds a BA in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God College and did graduate theological studies at the BMA Theological Seminary. Ben's first book, The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, was released on 12.08.2017 through Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It is available in paperback and hardback through your preferred bookseller (Mardels, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and paperback, hardback as well as ebook through online book retailers (www.christianbook.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.). Ben is the host of Staying in Bounds, an on-air Bible devotional broadcast multiple times daily on KWJV 103.7 FM Weslaco, TX which can also be heard worldwide online at www.kwjvthestar.com. Ben and his wife, Linda, together have four adult children and nine grandchildren. They live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Ben can be contacted for preaching engagements at benbounds695@gmail.com or 903.441.3279. Ben can also be contacted via his website @ www.benbounds.com, which is also his blog and contains more information about his ministry. Follow Ben @ https://www.facebook.com/mercyroadministries/ and this website www.benbounds.com.
©2018 by Ben Bounds
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