New Year, New Light

 

“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.  If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10 (HCSB)

The light is here. He came over 2000 years ago to show the way to God. The Psalmist wrote, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path.” John pointed out to us that the Light of the World came to us. Why announce light? You have to, to those who are blind. Many grope in darkness. They are blinded by the god of this world. They don’t know they are blind, that is why we must announce to them that the Light has come.

“But as many as receive Him (Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name.”(John1:12)

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

A new year draws close, will you walk and live in the Light?

 

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The purposes of Christmas

 

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." Luke 2:9-12 (NKJV)

Three things are seen in the statement of the angel, the three purposes of Christmas.

Christmas is for celebration.

The angel said, “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus Christ and yet the guest of honor for this celebration is usually ignored at this time of year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

Christmas is for salvation.

“ For there is born to you … a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” God does not waste energy. If we did not need a Savior, He would not have sent one.

Jesus saves you from something.- sin and yourself

Jesus saves your for something.- being significant

Jesus saves you by something.- grace.

Christmas is for reconciliation.

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:14 (NKJV)

Jesus came at Christmas time to bring us three kinds of peace.

Peace with God.

The peace of God.

Peace with others.

You will never find any peace until the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus, reigns in your heart.

 

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Believing without doubting

 

Luke 1:34-38 (NKJV)

“Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible."
Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.”

Warren Wiersbe comments for us on this passage: Mary knew what would happen, but she did not know how it would happen. Her question in Luke 1:34 was not an evidence of unbelief; rather, it was an expression of faith. She believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance. How could a virgin give birth to a child?

First, Gabriel explained that this would be a miracle, the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Joseph, her betrothed, would not be the father of the child, even though Jesus would be legally identified as the son of Joseph. It's possible that some people thought Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph and that Jesus was "born of fornication". This was a part of the pain that Mary had to bear all her life.

Gabriel was careful to point out that the Baby would be a "holy thing" and would not share the sinful human nature of man. Jesus knew no sin, He did no sin), and He had no sin. His body was prepared for Him by the Spirit of God who "overshadowed" Mary. That word is applied to the presence of God in the holy of holies in the Jewish tabernacle and temple. Mary's womb became a holy of holies for the Son of God!

The angel ended his message by giving Mary a word of encouragement, a confirmation: her aged relative Elizabeth was with child, proving that "with God nothing shall be impossible." God gave a similar word to Abraham when He announced the birth of Isaac. That our God can do anything is the witness of many, including Job, Jeremiah, and even our Lord Jesus. Mary's believing response was to surrender herself to God as His willing servant. She experienced the grace of God and believed the Word of God, and therefore she could be used by the Spirit to accomplish the will of God. A "handmaid" was the lowest kind of female servant, which shows how much Mary trusted God. She belonged totally to the Lord, body, soul, and spirit.

What an example for us to follow.

 

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How God blesses those who wait on Him

 

^“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years. - Luke 1:5-7 (HCSB)

One thing saddened this godly couple; they were childless. Moreover, their case was hopeless. "Elisabeth was barren," Luke says, "and they both were now well stricken in years." Among the Jews, "the commencement of old age" occurred when a person became sixty-five. At seventy, he was said to have reached "hoary-headed age." After eighty, he was said to be "well stricken in years." In their barren old age, the godly couple often might have taken hope from Abraham and Sarah, from Manoah and his wife, and from vexed and anguished Hannah. We can picture Zachariah and Elizabeth musing on these Old Testament characters and fanning their slumbering hopes. "Perhaps God is saving us for something special. Perhaps He has an Isaac, a Samson, or a Samuel for us!"

Well, the answer would soon come in an amazing way. Gabriel showed up and told Zachariah that Elizabeth was to bear a child and not an ordinary child. He would be a forerunner of the Messiah. It was an overwhelming message, a message of great importance and one that seemed impossible because of their age. But God came through with a boy named John, who later became known as John the Baptist.

 

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