Luke 1:31,32 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.
32. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
As she carries the Holy infant, Mary, a virgin, knows that God is doing something pretty wonderful through her life. In spite of gossip, she will be the means by which the God of eternity enters human history.
She praises The Lord for His grace, because He chose to reveal Himself to the poor and humble.
I love the name of Jesus.
There's a name above all others
Wonderful to hear, bringing hope and cheer
It's the lovely name of Jesus
Evermore the same, what a lovely name
He'll return in clouds of glory
Saints of every race shall behold His face
With Him enter Heaven's city
Ever to proclaim, what a lovely name
Charles B. Wycuff
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The name "Jesus" means "Jehovah is Salvation".
This babe will grow up and die on a cruel cross. His blood sacrifice will be the only hope lost sinners have.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.
The Name of Jesus will be the only Name that will open the gates of Heaven, redeem the human soul from the bondage of sin, deliver lost men from the threat of Hell, and speak peace and hope to the downtrodden.
Why would God allow His beloved Son to die for lost people? Because He loves them. He loves you and wants you to believe on Him.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
By sending Jesus into this world through the womb of a virgin, God gave His Son a human body and a human nature, but He was born without sin. He lived without sin, and He died without sin. He gave His life as a pure, perfect sacrifice for fallen man.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Born Thy people to deliver
Born a Child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring
Charles Wesley
Some people believe the greatest miracle of Christ was the crucifixion; others the resurrection or His healings, feeding the multitude with loaves and fishes or the transfiguration.
These reveal His divine power, but His greatest miracle is the day He became a man and remained God.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.
When Jesus was conceived in the womb of a virgin, the plan of the ages moved out of eternity and into time. God robed Himself in human flesh and came into the world.
The Christmas message is that Jesus came to die for your sins to save you from hell. That's love. Then He rose from the grave and returned to Heaven.
For me, His greatest miracle is saving a sinner like me. Trust Him by faith to forgive your sins and you will forever be saved by His mighty power.
The quagmire of Mary's pregnancy began to unravel as an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example was minded to put her away privily.
20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of The Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Can you feel his relief when he awakes? God chose his Mary, a virgin, to bring the long-awaited Messiah into the world?
Perhaps he was awe struck as he realized the Son of God would live in his modest home, learn his trade, sit on his knee, and eat at his table.
The prophets said he would come to earth to be crucified, to redeem man from sin. He would rise in three days.
Wow! How do you raise the God-Child?
When God moved in time to send His Son Jesus into the world, He chose the perfect vessel when He chose Mary, a virgin.
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Suddenly, like a cruel slap in the face, Mary--his future bride--is pregnant and Joseph is not the father. His heart breaks. His dreams are shattered.
He doesn't know that God is working behind the scenes, hand-picking him to be the earthly caretaker of this child.
He'll soon learn that this is The Messiah, The Lamb of God, born to die on a cruel cross for the sins of mankind.
The Lord works out His will in our lives in ways we can't comprehend. His plans are always the best even when they deeply hurt us.
Life is full of adversity and adventure. Some times we can't tell one from the other. Our adversity may become a rejoicing adventure or an adventure become a regret.
Many talented and gifted people become failures because they give up when the going gets tough.
The Prophet Jeremiah became discouraged and wanted to quit. People mocked him for preaching in God's name.
Jeremiah 20:9 . . . . But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
He couldn't quit.
God's Word in us will build our faith, and He will strengthen us to keep us from quitting.
When we are discouraged, defeated, and weak, we are in a place where God can strengthen us.
2 Corinthians 12:9,10 My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . . for when I am weak, then am I strong.
