The tiny babe who in Bethlehem’s
manger lay was no ordinary child. Some people called Him the son of David.
Others called Him the son of Joseph. The scriptures call Him the son of David,
the son of Mary, the son of man, the Son of God. He whose name is Immanuel,
meaning God is with us, was born to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
This child was the promised Messiah - even Jesus the Christ, the Only Begotten
Son of God. For hundreds of years prophecies had foretold the birth of a
Messiah, and on that starry night in the city of David, the One who would
fulfill those prophecies was born in a humble stable with a manger as His
cradle.
In the Book of Mormon, in 3 Nephi 1:
13 we read, "Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the
time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow
come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that
which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets."
Whether by His own voice or
by the mouth of His holy prophets, God always fulfills His promises. In the
Grand Council in Heaven, our Heavenly Father promised to send a Savior who
would atone for our sins so that we could live with Him again. The Apostle John
testifies of this and tells us in his words as recorded in John 3:16-17, “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him
might be saved.”
How did Heavenly Father send
His Son to the earth? He sent Him as a newborn baby and He allowed Him to learn
and grow, just as we learn and grow. We learn in Luke 2:40 that “the child
grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was
upon him." Throughout His mortal life He did all things according to the
will of His Father who had sent Him. And because of His great love for us, He
would willingly give His life as a ransom for us by becoming sin's final
sacrifice. But, the Good News is that the story does not end there. Three days
later He triumphantly arose from the grave and lives forever more seated at the
right hand of God the Father. And because of His glorious resurrection, death
has been forever conquered, and we too shall be resurrected and live again.
What a wondrous blessing Jesus Christ is to mankind. Heavenly Father had
promised to send a Savior, and He kept His promise.
Before His humble birth in
Bethlehem, prophets of old taught about the Messiah who was soon to come, and
did indeed come. Let us take a brief look at some of the things that they
taught.
More than 700 years prior to
the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah, as recorded in Isaiah 7:14-15
prophesied that the Messiah was to be born of a virgin. We read,
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he
may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good."
The
prophet Micah, as recorded in Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah was to be
born in Bethlehem. We read, "But
thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,
yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;
whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
Among the ancient prophecies
we also learn of the lineage of Jesus Christ. We learn that the Messiah was to
be a descendant of Abraham. In Genesis 12:3 we read, ". . . .in thee shall
all families of the earth be blessed." The fulfillment of that prophecy is
found in the genealogical family tree recorded in Matthew 1:1, "The book
of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
Following the line of
Abraham, the Messiah was also to be a descendent of David. We read in Isaiah
9:7, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this." We find the fulfillment of that prophecy
in Luke 1:31-33:
31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
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:
33
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end.
We also learn of the purpose
of Jesus' birth. We read as recorded in the words of Isaiah the prophet in
Isaiah 61:1-3 these words:
1
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound;
2 To
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
3 To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that he might be glorified.
And in the New Testament in
the Gospel of Luke, in the fourth chapter and verses 16-21, we read about the
Savior in Nazareth:
16
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he
had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised,
19
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And
the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ears.
Brothers and Sisters, for
some, Christmas day is nothing more than another day to have another
celebration. It is a time to celebrate; however, we should be rejoicing in the
fact that two thousand years ago our loving Heavenly Father gave to the world
the greatest Christmas gift ever known to mankind. It was a very special gift,
wrapped in the Divine love of the Father Himself. That gift was His Only
Begotten Son – He who was born King – the Messiah – the Savior of the world –
the Redeemer and Lover of our souls – the Lord Jesus Christ. When asked,
"What is the true meaning of Christmas?" those are the things that we
should be willing to share with family, friends, and all those we come in
contact with this season.
Sadly, there are those who
doubt Him and say they don’t need Him. There are even those who will argue that
He was just a man. Yes, He was a man, but not just an ordinary man. He was both
God and man. He lived and walked among men, yet the life that He lived was not
an ordinary life. His life had a major impact on the entire world. No other
life can begin to compare to this One Solitary Life.
Down through the ages He has
been ridiculed, despised, and rejected and yet wise men still seek Him today.
Regardless of what men say about Him, it does not change the fact that He has
always been and always will be the Eternal Son of the Living God. One day, as
the Scriptures clearly teach us, at His name “every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father” (Philippians 2:11). He is the One about whom the universe revolves; in
whom the hopes and fears of all the years have found their joyous fulfillment.
O' Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord!
I leave these thoughts with you
humbly, in the name of Him whose name is indeed Wonderful, Counselor, the
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace - He who is the Light
and the Life of the world, even the Lord Jesus the Christ. Amen.
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