A Call To Look Unto Jesus???  A Word from THE WORD!!! #159

“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.

21 And she shall bring forth a son,

and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people

from their sins.

22 Now all this was done,

that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken of the Lord

by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child,

and shall bring forth a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel,

which being interpreted is,

God with us.”  Matthew 1:20-23

One of my sister’s favorite Bible phrases is, “and it came to pass”, and it always does!  Come—to pass—that is; for God is a faithful God, and HE sent Jesus to fulfill His promises of a Messiah who would call His people to salvation, redemption, and eternal life; to restore us to relationship, hope and the life with God that we lost in Eden!  Sin had separated us from God, and Jesus came to save us from that sin and the penalty of it—death!  He came to bring life to those who would come to Him in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for our sin!  The babe placed in a manger instead of on a throne, came to be the sacrifice for your sin and mine, and HE is waiting for you to respond to the call to come to HIM today, for today is all that we have, tomorrow may or may not be ours, yet Praise God, HE keeps HIS own and is conforming us into the image of HIS SON!

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work in you

will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6 

“In hope of eternal life,

which God,

that cannot lie,

promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2

For our hope of eternal life is IN JESUS and no other.

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am

the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.”  John 14:6

John also introduced Jesus, not from a manger bed, but from HIS existence before the foundation of the world!

“In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made

that was made.

4 In him was life;

and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness;

and the darkness comprehended it not.”  John 1:1-5

To me one of the saddest of all commentary in scripture is, “the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”!  Jesus came to save us, and we wouldn’t recognize who HE was; yet HE was, is and always has been the only way to God, but the question is a personal one, ‘What will YOU do with Jesus?’

You can receive and believe Jesus’ witness of who HE IS, or you can go your own way, and pay for your own sin, it’s your call!  But remember there is a test, and a soon coming one, I truly believe!  Are you ready.  Jesus’ own words say it better than I can.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have eternal life.

16 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.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil

hateth the light,

neither cometh to the light,

lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth

cometh to the light,

that his deeds may be made manifest,

that they are wrought in God.”  John 3:14-21

It’s not just the baby in the manger that we celebrate at this time of year, but it IS the work that HE was born to do—to die for your sin and mine, that we might have eternal life with HIM through that faith in HIS ‘substitutionary, atoning sacrifice’! He paid the price, but it can only be received through repentance and faith in HIS payment for our sin!

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things

which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things

which are before,

14 I press toward the mark

for the prize of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

All this because God loves you and me, but there is a debt due; I owed a debt I couldn’t pay except in death and hell, yet Jesus paid a debt HE didn’t owe so that we could have life and escape hell!  What will you do with HIS gift this Christmas?  Accept it?  Celebrate it?  Rejoice in God’s goodness, love, and peace?  Or reject it and suffer the consequences, for we are free to choose or reject Jesus, but the consequence has already been set.  It’s your choice, but choose wisely, there is a test (See Revelation 20:11-15)!

“For all have sinned,

and come short

of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth

to be a propitiation

through faith in his blood,

to declare his righteousness

for the remission of sins that are past,

through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time

his righteousness:

that he might be just,

and the justifier

of him which believeth in Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-26

“But now being made free from sin,

and become servants to God,

ye have your fruit unto holiness,

and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 6:22-23

So friends, my challenge to you is simply to invite you to answer HIS call to your heart.  If you haven’t been born again by the blood of Jesus, you can be today if you will but call on Jesus to save you in repentance of your sin, and faith in HIS payment for them!  If you are HIS, won’t you reevaluate your walk with HIM and commit anew and afresh to live Jesus before a lost and dying world, as well as those around you at home—they all need to see JESUS IN Christmas IN you and me!

“And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day

in the city of David

a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe

wrapped in swaddling clothes,

lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude

of the heavenly host praising God,

and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.”  Luke 2:10-14

Amen and Amen!!!