The Best Christmas Gift Ever

Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Have you received this free gift?  In Luke 2:16, the Bible says that the shepherds “came with haste” to see Christ at Bethlehem.  They must have been hastened by their knowledge that the message of the angel who visited them was perfectly consistent with all the Messianic prophesies of the Hebrew scriptures (our Old Testament).    It was possible for them to know that Christ was the prophesied Messiah – and it’s just as possible for us to know today!

Consider these "three P's" that help us indentify the true messiah. According to the Bible, the prophesied messiah would come (1) through specific parental lineage, (2) at a specific place and (3) at a specific point in time.  

 1.  The True Messiah has to have the right PARENTS.

 A. First, he had to be born of a woman

Prophesy:  (Genesis 3:15)  "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between  thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Fulfillment:  (Matthew 1:18) "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." 

 B.  He had to be a descendant of King David

Prophesy:  (Isaiah 11:1) "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and  a Branch shall grow out of his roots:"

Fulfillment:  (Matthew 1:1)  "The book of the  generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son Abraham."

Also see Revelation 22:16.   "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."

C.  The messiah’s birth had to be a miraculous, virgin birth!

Prophesy:  (Isaiah 7:14)  "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall  conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Fulfillment:  (Luke 1:34)  "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" 

2.  The true Messiah has to have the right PLACE of birth (Bethlehem)

Prophesy:  (Micah 5:2)  "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be  little among the thousands ofJudah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose  goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Fulfillment:  (Matthew 2:1) "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of  Herod the king, behold, there came  wise men from the east to Jerusalem,"

3.  The True Messiah had to born at the right POINT in time

In Daniel 9:25-27, the prophet predicted that 483 years would transpire between the call to rebuild  Jerusalem (after the Babylonian captivity) and the cutting off (or crucifixion) of the Messiah. That  prophesy yields a date of approximately AD 33 – which is consistent with the crucifixion of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

At the manager in Jerusalem, we see a Messiah who had the right parents, in the right place at the right time ... exactly as the Hebrew prophets had predicted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ fulfills all the Old Testament prophesies regarding the messiah.  

But… what about the PURPOSE?  Why did he come?

• Romans 3:23  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
• Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
• Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
• Romans 10:9-11  "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 with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
• Romans 10:13  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The wise men came to Christ “with haste.”  Isaiah – the same Hebrew prophet who predicted the virgin birth of Christ also wrote,   "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near"  (Isa. 55:6).  Do you know Christ as your personal savior?  If not, seek him with haste! Today is the right place and time to receive the One who came at the prophesied place and time!  Fall upon your knees and confess your sins. Turn away from sin (repent) and place your faith in Christ alone for forgiveness.   

"... unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."    Praise God that believers may look forward to the time that Christ will rule from Jerusalem.  "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6-7) 

This Christmas season, visit , 100 Middlebrook Ave., Trumbull, CT 06611. (203) 268-5104.  Attend Sunday worship service at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.  Attend Christmast Eve service at 7 p.m.; Christmas day service at 11 a.m.