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And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call Him, Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the Lord, through the prophet, saying ‘Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated ‘God with us’ [Matthew 1:21-23]. He is Lord Jesus – who removes sin’s vile work in you, saves you, that you may find the true scope of your life, which is God Himself. And He is Immanuel – who remains with you that it may become true in your life, for the Father’s glory.
Therefore, Christmas is more than all the external trappings, when Christ has been born in you. It is knowing the answer to the reason why you are alive today. And it gives you the hope for a future, that will see its fulfillment, for He is alive, and is with you today.
False paths:
The world may offer many philosophies and paths to define the goal of your life, and it would invariably be about looking within yourself. But however intellectual you may be, trying to approach it in such a manner, will only reveal the sin principle at work in you that primarily seeks to satisfy its self. And so even in the apparent good that you attempt to accomplish, you will be able to recognize a tinge of selfishness or self agenda that is hidden underneath it all, one that cannot be overcome by mere human willpower. It is the power of sin. But, grace is more powerful. Grace is Christ. And, it is He who removes all that is in you, that causes you to miss out on the real purpose of your life.
False gods:
Money or worldly riches can easily become the god of your life, only to lead you astray from what can bring godliness and contentment that is of great gain to you. For when it comes to material wealth, the more you have, the more you will want, leaving within you a disenchantment with life, as it seems to be one of trouble and woe. But man’s chief end is to glorify God, by remaining in sweet communion with Him and enjoying His presence. And grace and truth that has come through Jesus Christ, the Living Word, reveals to you that amid world’s troubled waters, you can be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world [ John 16:33].
Start with God:
It involves God being your starting point, and for one all-important reason, In the beginning, was the Word; the Word was with God, the Word was God. He was at the beginning with God. All things were made through Him; without Him, nothing was made that was made [John 1:1-3]. And His Name is Jesus.
JESUS – the Way, the Truth, the Life:
It is He who can reveal the answer to the question that may be even now coming from the very core of your being – ‘Why am I alive now?’. It gains enhanced significance, at this point of time in the history of the world, when counting the number of deaths has become a daily occurrence. And it is the One who made you, fashioned you so uniquely for a specific reason, who alone can reveal it to you. Your parents desired a child, but the specifications of it were determined by the God of your parents. He is the God of generations. He has a plan for your parents, a plan for you, and a plan for your children. He is the One who knows the purpose for which you were born.
It is illustrated in the world around you, in the things that you use, in your practical day-to-day living. You will find that it is the creator or maker of a particular object, be it intricate or simple who knows how it needs to be used for it to be effective and productive. The microphone maker knows that the setting where it can be gainfully employed is in the hand of a speaker addressing an audience, not as a cooking aid in the kitchen! At a deeper level, it is how abuse can happen in any relationship. And, it is also true that when not employed in the original purpose of creation, it could be frustration and a sense of futility that defines a person’s life.
But Jesus can remove all the needless clutter that is distracting you, the sin that makes you miss the mark, to proceed to reveal to you the purpose of God in forming you. It happens as you draw near to Him, to receive Him as your personal Savior, to be born anew in Him. Without it, Christmas would be merely external festivities that leave you with a sense of quiet desperation, on the inside of you. Sin, therefore, needs to be dealt with.
Sin – a separation:
It can seem mysterious when you try to describe it, but the crux of sin is that it is a separation from God. And as a result of it there is double-mindedness or indecisiveness within an individual, in being unable to decipher and walk-in one’s calling and purpose in life. And it leads to separation or division within the members of a family unit, which ultimately affects the well-being and growth of the community or the society which is made up of individual families. Irreconcilable differences are how the break up of the family is described, and mere human therapy can in no way deal with the sin that lies at the root of it all. Sin causes division that only the truth of God’s word can overcome, for division and lack of oneness in any unit, or individual, is always an indication of the handiwork of the thief or the devil who comes only to steal, kill or destroy. It is why Christ needs to be in the picture of your life.
In JESUS – a reconciliation:
For, when you are connected to Christ in a relationship of intimacy, the truth of God’s word works in you to nullify the sting of sin. For the wages of sin is death, and eternal separation from God. But when in Christ, you have been born again, even in death, in the pain of bereavement, there is hope. Christ in you is the hope of glory, a glorious future, in which you are going to be reunited with the loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord. It has been said that grieving in the Lord, and not according to the world is when, it is not about getting over a painful loss, but going through it to emerge safely on the other side, knowing that even in the valley of darkness, the Lord is there with you. And there is also another dimension in which Christ being born in you transforms your life.
HE removes the wrong, to write HIS promises:
You could be resigned to a life of mediocrity or poverty, as your lot in life, owing to wrong words that have been spoken over you by kith and kin, and others in your circle even as you were growing up. Abusive words could have been imprinted in the tablet of your heart, preventing you from getting anywhere near to your godly destiny. But Lord Jesus removes every destructive, discouraging word, that could be pulling you down to the depths of despair even now. He is the Life-giver, who wipes the slate clean of every stain of sin to write upon it His precious promises, to give you a good future, For I know the plans I have towards you, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you a hope and a future [Jeremiah 29:11], is the promise of God that is yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. Thus the message of Christmas encompasses your entire life.
HE removes, and, HE remains:
His name is Jesus – He removes; He has forgiven all your sins, accomplishing all that is necessary on the Cross of Calvary.
And His Name is Immanuel – He remains:
He is with you now, that you may be faithful and fruitful, by appropriating in your life, all that has been accomplished on Calvary’s Cross. And, putting together the powerful truth – Jesus, your Redeemer, who has redeemed you from sin and satan, remains with you, ensuring that you remain redeemed! The One who saved you, who rescued you from the problem, is still with you, so that you may not get back into the same problem, but move forward instead, in accomplishing the purpose of God, for which you were born into this world. He is Immanuel or ‘God with us, and it is the truth that transforms the entire spectrum of your life in various beautiful ways.
1. Special – for He is Immanuel:
It is the wondrous message of Christmas. And, even in the Old Testament, where everything points to the coming of Jesus, and what He was going to accomplish, Moses acknowledges the deeper truth that flows out of God being with you. For, though he and the people of Israel stood on no man’s land, in the barren wilderness, he knew they were special, and also knew the reason for it, For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth [Exodus 33:16].
When Christ is born in you, not just this Christmas day, when we remember and celebrate the coming of the Savior, but every day of your life is special, and all because of one all-important factor – God is with you, and remains with you, no matter how challenging and difficult your life’s circumstance may be at present. Even the day when a child of God leaves the world is special, for God is still there with him. For, when you are absent in the body, you are present with the Lord, instantly, immediately, with no time of waiting in the transit lounge!
2. Godliness – for He is Immanuel:
Godliness becomes yours, as you live in the constant awareness of God always being with you. And godliness with contentment is great gain, declares the scriptures. When you know that you have only God and that God alone is enough, it can indeed bring contentment in you, which is of greatest gain to you. Losing loved ones in this harsh and cruel season of the pandemic has so emphatically brought home the truth that only One person remains with you and never leaves you, now and forever – He is Immanuel – the message of Christmas.
3. Not shaken – for He is Immanuel:
O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot [Psalm 16;5]. In the spiritual realm, God Himself is your majestic inheritance. It is what you inherit, what comes to you because of a relationship. And you have a blood relationship, for you can call God, ‘Abba Father’ when you are born again in Christ Jesus. It is a heritage that is yours in the physical realm, as described beautifully by the psalmist, The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; Surely I have a delightful inheritance [vs 6]. And even in the times of difficulties, the night seasons of life, which the last couple of years has been for everyone, it is by praising His goodness that you enjoy your inheritance, by hearing from Him that you may possess it, I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me even in the night seasons [vs 7]. And it all wonderfully connects to His Name, Immanuel.
For you can rejoice, find rest and hope, as you look unto Him, to know that, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken [vs 8]. Life’s events may have shaken you, but He is with you. And therefore, whatever your problem may be, as you and I walk amid various variants, it will not overwhelm you. As the apostle, Peter preached the very first sermon, on the Day of Pentecost, and the church was born, he stood on the assurance of the promise to say, He is at my right hand, so that I may not be shaken [Acts 2:25]. Yes, even in these troubled waters that refuse to die down completely, you and I can find round-the-clock security in One Name – Immanuel.
4. With Him forever – for He is Immanuel:
Even as the Lord Jesus ascended to the heavens, His promise to the disciples was that He would be with them, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age [Matthew 28:20]. And as you repented and were saved from your sins by Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been given to you as a pledge guaranteeing your full redemption, that you will be with Him forever. As Paul writes to the Ephesians, In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, for the praise of His glory [Ephesians 1:13,14].
Him being with you now is the guarantee that you will be with Him forever. On earth He lives in your house, you are His home; in heaven, you will live in His house forever. It would be a transition, a change of scenery that would be incomparably and immeasurably more glorious!
5. HE who is in you, greater – for HE is Immanuel! :
When you are a child of God, you are indeed one of His little children, and it is to you that the apostle John has given this wondrous assurance, You are of God, little children, and you have overcome them, Because, He who is in you is greater Than he that is in the world [1 John 4:4]. You serve a Risen Savior, who has conquered the grave, the sting of death that is sin. In Him, you have indeed overcome; and surely you will not be shaken – for He is JESUS our IMMANUEL! And the reason for His Name is the reason for our celebration on this glorious Christmas day!
O come let us adore Him, worship Christ the Lord, singing along with the choirs of angels, singing in exultation, ascribing glory to God, our Father, in the highest. And giving thanks unto Him, for giving Jesus, the Immanuel, God with us, who is living in you now, may you realize the truth that greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. May it be written in the tablet of your heart this day that you may know and walk in your true purpose of life. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
