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Shalom and a Blessed Christmas, In case you are wondering whether you have missed one message last weekend, don't worry, you did not. I was in Taipei from Dec. 17 - 20 on business and was too tied down with work. Thank and praise to the Lord for the strength to complete the work in that short period of time. And over the weekend, I was "busy" resting, soaking in the festivities and spending time with the family. In the Book of Matthew Matt 1: 18 - 23, we read of the visit to Joseph by the angel Gabriel telling him that Mary would become the mother of a baby boy by supernatural insemination by the Holy Spirit. The name that Joseph was to call the Son was "Jesus" which means "He saves" and "Immanuel" which means "God with us". Now what exactly was God's intention when He told Joseph to name His Son "Jesus"? What did He want to achieve through Jesus? What was it that is so complex or difficult that no one else can do except Jesus? Jesus was no ordinary person. In fact on the night that He was born, the whole night-sky was lit up and the angels in Heaven were rejoicing with songs of praise. The Father was so overjoyed that He threw in a new star (and astronomers say that a new Star was discovered in the constellation of Virgo in September 4 BC or there-abouts) for good measure and as a sign for the Magi to know the exact timing for the birth of the Promised One. And yet, the whole nation of Israel was so pre-occupied with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles that they missed out on the Person for whom the Feast was instituted. So crowded was the city of Jerusalem that some of the travelers had to stay in the cities outside and around Jerusalem and that was the reason why there was not a single room to spare for Mary to deliver her baby in Bethlehem, the City of David. In chapter 2 of the Book of Luke, we read that the angels
appeared to the shepherds out in the fields to tell them of the joyous
news that a Savior was born in the City of Bethlehem and that He can be
found in a manger and so the first visitors of Jesus were not the Magi
but ordinary shepherds and they did not bring any gifts, only their worship.
What a scene it must have been. The Magi saw the star on that first night
and they made preparations for their journey. It must have been a long
journey because by the time they arrived in Bethlehem, they visited the
boy Jesus in the house (Matthew 2: 11). Some Bible scholars believe that
the Magi (king-makers) were from Persia (present day Iran) and could have
been Jews left behind after the Exile (about 500BC to 430BC). They had
the scriptures and the teachings left behind by the prophet Daniel. All
they were waiting for was the sign in the Heavens telling them of the
exact timing for the birth of the Messiah. So when the Star Their presence in Jerusalem must have caused quite a stir. We do not know exactly how many persons were in the traveling party. All we know is that they brought three of the most expensive gifts found in those days - gold, frankincense and myrrh. Now these Magi's were not kings but were king-makers - they anoint new kings and so King Herod was greatly troubled when he realized who they were. And they must have caused a massive traffic jam in Bethlehem outside Joseph and Mary's house with all their camels. When Jesus was 40 days old, his parents brought Him to Jerusalem for the purification service for Mary. According to the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12), the woman who had just given birth must go through a purification service after a certain number of days - 40 days if she had given birth to a boy and 80 days if the baby was a girl. So Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem with a pair of turtle-doves. According to the law, the woman must bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a dove for a sin offering but Mary brought a pair of turtle doves which was the custom if the person was poor (Luke 2: 22 - 24).
Now, nearby in the Temple on that same day, there was a prophetess by the name of Anna (in Hebrew, it means "grace") and when she saw the baby Jesus, she gave thanks to the Lord and proclaimed to everyone the Messiah, and the hope He would bring (Luke 2: 36 - 28). Simeon ("hearing") heard the Lord and kept going
until he saw the Lord Jesus. He represented the Law and so the Law had
to make way for the Lord when He came. Jesus came to fulfill everything
that the Law required when He died on the Cross for sinners. The full
weight of the Law was placed on Him at the Cross and He bore the full
punishment for the sins of the whole world so that we are no longer guilty.
The price had been paid for, whether we like it or not. All that remains
is for us to accept His punishment on our behalf and to thank Him for
it. The Law was given to draw man to God. There is nothing sinful about
the Law. It was given to show man that on his own, he cannot reach God's
standard and that he needs a Savior to get him out of his sinful condition.
However, in order to keep the Law, man do all kinds of things to justify
himself. The apostle Paul called the Law a "school-master" training
the young the ways of life until the person reaches his maturity or as
Paul Anna, representing grace, broke forth and proclaimed to everyone within hearing range the good news that the Messiah had come and so we, who are born under grace, should do likewise. We are no longer under law but under grace. Jesus had redeemed us from the requirements of the law and given us a fresh start, a new life, a new eternal relationship with the Father. Joseph and Mary were not rich when Jesus was born and how do we know that? The sacrifice that they brought to the Temple for the purification service was that of the poor. If the person has the financial means, he will not want to sacrifice a dove in place of a lamb; no one simply offer an inferior sacrifice to God. However, Joseph and Mary did not remain poor for long. Jesus brought them new wealth, material blessings and even sponsored His own flight to Egypt to escape the slaughter of King Herod of all the infants below the age of two years. All of us, when we first give our lives to Jesus, are like Joseph and Mary, poor in spirits and some even lacking in physical blessings. But after some time being in His Presence, we will become blessed in all aspects. The Lord will cause blessings to come our way when we walk with Him and enjoy His Presence. Have you started your journey? What better time to do so than now at the threshold of the new year. Take a few moments and commitment your life to the One who holds the future and He will grant you all the blessings that He has prepared for you in His treasure house. God our Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great love
for all of us and for sending Jesus into this world to die for us. This will be even better than making new year resolutions because when you trust in the One who never fails, all His promises will become true for you. The Lord blesses and multiplies all that you put your hand
to do and keeps you from all dangers, harms and sicknesses, Shalom,
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