Jesus was born for you. Jesus, our Savior at birth.
This week we are reading a few longer passages of Scripture. Please do look them up.
Luke 1:1-4, we are reading eyewitness reports.
“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.” – Luke 1:26-38
In Luke 1:46-55 we hear Mary’s song of praise.
God’s promise to Abraham: “All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:2-3
We read about God’s word to Joseph, in Matthew 1:18-25. It included the confirmation that Mary’s pregnancy would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Isaiah 7:14
In Luke 2:1-20, we read the details of the amazing story of the birth of Jesus.
In these passages, we read the answer to the question, “Who was born?”
- “you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” – Luke 1:32-33
- “you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21
- “Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:23
- “The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today,” – Luke 2:11
Who? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior from sin, God with us, eternal victorious King.
Jesus described his purpose, that he “came to seek and save those who are lost.” – Luke 19:10
What did Jesus accomplish? Why does this matter?
“God, in his grace, feely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” – Romans 3:24
“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14
What should we do about this?
“Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” – Matthew 22:37-40
How does this work? What should exactly we do? How do we do this?
- Spend time with Jesus. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” – John 15:4
- Listen to Jesus. “my words remain in you,” – John 15:7
- Obey Jesus. “obey” – John 15:10
- Keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” – 1 John 5:20-21
- Stay in love. “Remain in my love,” – John 15:9
We welcome the anticipated arrival of Jesus here and now, on the day of His return, and at the time of His birth.
We respond by staying in a close personal relationship with Jesus (listening, obeying, loving).
This Advent series should bring the church closer to Jesus through a broader understanding of His identity, activity, and purpose.