TEXT: Matthew 1:18-25:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 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.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.
After preaching the Gospel every day for 367 days straight throughout the 2016 presidential campaign season, I am preaching the Gospel every day throughout the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term. If you think a new president being in office is the only thing needed to save America and ‘make America great again’, you are woefully deceived. The church must follow through and “keep the main thing the main thing: and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents, politicians, and people, but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey the Lord’s Great Commission which is to, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,’ and who have refused to obey God’s repeated commands to ‘pray without ceasing’ for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders.” So, we encourage you to pray for the new president, but not to get caught up in the political happenings like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get their hearts right with the Lord. And that is what this campaign is all about.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Acts 5:42 which says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the “Old, old story of Jesus and His love” — As another hymn says, “For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.” This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 24.
Charles J. Rolls said, “As a name, Jesus is more grandly honoured and more grievously hated, more acclaimed and more accused than any other. We find it imprinted over six hundred times on the pages of the four Gospels, and it is the most charming, consoling, comforting name by which our beloved Saviour is known.”
Growing up in the church as a child, I heard people talk about getting “saved” or “being saved.” I would always wonder, “Saved from what?” The answer to that question is found in how the angel described Jesus’ purpose to Joseph. After telling him that he should not hesitate to take Mary as his wife, the angel says that the Child she is carrying is “conceived of the Holy Ghost,” and that when this Child is born, “thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” What is the definition of sin? The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible defines sin as, “Evildoing seen in religious perspective, not only against humanity, society, others, or oneself, but against God.” Merriam-Webster defines sin as “an offense against religious or moral law, a transgression of the law of God, or a state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.”
What sins are we talking about? Let me help you: Lying, pride, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, rebelliousness, witchcraft, stealing, hypocrisy, and on and on we can go as any number of sins come from you wicked heart and nature.
Jesus came to save us from our sins. You might think you need to be saved from a bad relationship, from low self-esteem, from poverty, from a dead-end job, or from a dead-end life. But the number one thing all people need to be saved from is sin. And that is why Jesus came. Craig S. Keener says that, by describing Jesus as the bringer of salvation, “Matthew speaks of more than personal repentance; he evokes the Old Testament hope of the salvation of God’s people, including the justice and peace of God’s kingdom. For Matthew, and for us, salvation from sin cannot end with a prayer. Matthew promises salvation not only from sin’s penalty but also from its power. Christ’s followers are not merely heirs of his coming kingdom but servants of the King, committed to exemplifying the values of that future world in the midst of this present evil age.”
Continuing his description of the newborn Son of God, Matthew gives us another name that we know Him by. He quotes a passage from the prophet Isaiah which says, “They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Although Jesus was born as an infant as all other human beings are born, He was no less God. He was God come to live among man. Jesus’ presence in first century Palestine was a reflection of God’s presence with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God had always intended to be with His creation. But Adam and Eve’s sin made that impossible. Now, God was taking the initiative to restore that relationship. That is why He sent Jesus to be Immanuel, God with us.
Jesus did not just come to save us and then leave us to struggle on our own. He remains with us in every way we can possibly imagine. Adam Clarke said, “In what sense then, is Christ God with us? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation; God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, in the taking of communion, in the preaching of his word, in private prayer. And God with us through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with us to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in him, through all eternity.”
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you are right to feel as though God is distant from you. Because He is. But once you trust Jesus Christ as Saviour, then He becomes Immanuel, God with you, God who will never leave you nor forsake you.
Margaret Cagle wrote:
Emmanuel is another name for Jesus.
“God with us” is the meaning of the name.
Emmanuel is Jesus, God’s only Son,
And to this earth Christ Jesus came.
God, the Son was with us on the earth
To fulfill His Heavenly Father’s plan.
He was born on the earth so He could die
On a cruel cross for the sins of man.
Born of a virgin was God’s sign for us,
Conceived by the Holy Spirit was He.
Born in Bethlehem, the city of David,
The great Savior of men He would be.
I thank God and rejoice that Jesus came
To be born on the earth from Glory above.
Yes, God the Son was on earth with us.
It was all because of His great love.
Above all else, Jesus was born to save you from your sins and the punishment of sin. If you want the salvation He offers, here is how you can place your faith and trust in Him today:
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “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.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to GospelLightSociety.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Saitama Light News 