Thought for the Morning
Matthew 1:23 ““Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”” which is translated,“”God with us””
“…she will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sin (Matt 1.21) This was the message given to Joseph by an angel, in a dream. This was to be a special birth for she was a “virgin”! This Jesus would save “His people from their sin”. Matthew reminds us of what the prophet Isaiah wrote some 700+ years before, a virgin would bear a Son and He shall be called “Immanuel, “God with us”. (Isaiah 7.14).
In the Scripture the word Immanuel is only used by the Prophet Isaiah, and here in Mathew. But Immanuel, this man Jesus would bring hope to a world that was burdened with sin. This Jesus had a lowly birth. When He was just a babe, He was held in His mother’s arms just like any child. He was brought up in the Jewish faith, the lowly son of a carpenter. We don’t know much about His first 30 years, He was knowledgeable in the Law and the Prophets. All we have is a glimpse of His last 3 years out this earth. He preached the Kingdom of God, He preached that we are to love one another, He preached that through Him there was salvation. He preached that for us to be saved He would be crucified on a Roman Cross and be raised from the dead on the third day!
Now 2000+ years later we are still celebrating His birth. But what has it become? It has become a time of commercial profits. It has become a time of parties, and special events, somewhat like those of the pagans. There are places in this world that celebrate Christmas time not even knowing who this Jesus is. It is a time of exchanging gifts but being unaware that the greatest gift is the Lord Jesus Himself. We don’t know if the Lord was even born on the 25th of December.
It is good for all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus to remember the day He came into this world. Think of that day on God’s calendar when He would send His beloved Son into this sin cursed world. Think about how his People refused to accept Him as their Messiah. Think about the love and Grace He showered on each of us. Think about how we can serve Him.
John 3:16 “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We have been given a great gift from God. Remember it during this special time. Just a thought for the mourning
Carl
