Welcome the King of Kings!
Christmas is all about the Advent of our King Jesus! It is not about the gifts we hurry up and buy to make everyone happy and feel guilty when we miss the one thing we may have forgotten. Let us never forget the greatest gift of God to mankind, the birth of our Savior and Lord!
Look at how many people awaited the Lord’s coming to the earth.
Prophet Micah’s Prophecy! Christmas brings the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy! 700 years before the birth of Jesus, Prophet Micah foretold His birth as the Ruler of Israel in Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Isaiah’s Prophecy! Christmas reveals the stature of King Jesus who had an ordinary beginning in Bethlehem! 700 years before the birth of the King Jesus, Prophet Isaiah prophesied His birth and His stature: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Christ the Child! Christ the Son!
Christ the Ruler!
His Eternal Titles – Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
There is NO END to the increase of His government!
It is true with Jesus’ rulership on the earth as well as His increase upon the life of anyone yielded to Him! As I open my heart to Jesus, the child that was born in Bethlehem is born in my heart. As I get to know Him, His stature increases in me as the Son of God! As He becomes the Lord of my life, I get to know Him in His eternal offices and all His titles! There is no stoppage to the increase of His government and His peace upon my life! My life is filled with peace!
Isaiah’s prophecy was also specific about the virgin birth of Jesus from 700 years ago: “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Mary and Joseph’s Obedience! Christmas reminds us of the submission and surrender of Mary and Joseph to God’s perfect will! We live in a time when many people do not bother to hear the Word of God. Some hear but they do not receive. Can you imagine the humiliation Mary subjected herself to when she heard the angelic announcement and yielded to his command? Here is the story: “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end’” (Luke 1:26-33).
Christmas reminds us of the obedience of a couple separated to the will of God! When God is on the scene, He does everything right! It was not Mary’s burden to disclose the angelic announcement to her betrothed husband, Jospeh. It was God’s and God sent the same angel to Joseph for his consent and cooperation. Joseph too yielded to God not minding the humiliation that would follow all his life: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just (upright) man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived (begotten) in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name (Savior) Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’” (Matthew 1:18-21).
The Wise Men from the East! Let us not forget that wise men and women beyond the four walls of the church are looking for and seeking King Jesus as the wise men from the East came to worship Him! “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:1-2). Let us find those wise leaders of the marketplace and lead them to King Jesus!
The Shepherds! Faithfulness is always rewarded! The very first announcement of the birth of the Lord Jesus came to the shepherds who were faithfully keeping a watch over their flock by night! “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:8-14). As we faithfully serve our God and worship the King as His shepherd, we will have the privilege to be revealed of God His goodwill and peace toward all men!
The Prophets Simeon and Anna! Prophets were revealed of the birth of Jesus, and they waited for Him. Two of them were Simeon and Anna who waited faithfully in the Temple! “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So, he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel’” (Luke 2:25-32).
“Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).
The story of Simeon and Anna is very significant in that they had a God-given purpose to see Christ as a baby before God took them home. Likewise, believers of divine purpose will never end their journey here on earth until their purpose is accomplished!
Not Everyone was on Board to Welcome the King! Herod rejected the King! “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’‘ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also’” (Matthew 2:3-8).
Herod inquired and found the Scripture that foretold the birth of the Messiah. It is not that he did not know but he knew and fought against it so vehemently that he killed thousands of innocent children under two years old.
Prophet Micah saw and foretold the birth of the King of Israel! Prophet Isaiah was specific that He would be born of a virgin and His stature would increase from a Child to a Man of God and a King, the King of Kings to whom all leaders would submit!
God fulfilled the prophecies by the obedience and surrender of an ordinary couple, a carpenter, and a very poor virgin!
The faithful shepherds were the first to receive the announcement!
The wise men of the east followed the star and did not miss worshipping the King!
Prophets Simeon and Anna who waited saw the Consolation of Israel and worshipped the King!
A wicked ruler, Herod, stood against the will of God and slaughtered many innocent babies and yet failed to kill Baby Jesus!
Let us welcome the King who was born in Bethlehem! Let Jesus increase in our lives in His full stature as a Ruler, King, and Lord!
Let us worship and adore Him!
Let us bow down before Him!
Let us not fight the will of God as Herod did!
Let us submit and surrender to Him as Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, and the prophets did!
Prayer “Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. I receive Your Precious and Invaluable Heavenly Gift, Jesus, into my life, Lord. Let the stature of Christ and His government increase abundantly in my life as I yield myself fully to Your Will. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”
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