YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21 NKJV).

Mary is with child! This is absolutely holy ground, and we simply cannot grasp how this miracle took place, but praise God that it did take place! When God speaks, things happen because He is not limited by or dependent on the processes of nature, which He established.

She will bring forth a Son - Mary was not only a virgin, but she was betrothed to Joseph. Imagine Joseph’s initial thoughts upon discovering that his beloved bride to be was pregnant. To quiet his fears and give assurance that Mary was not unfaithful, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream with the explanation of Mary’s pregnancy. Mary had conceived not because she was unfaithful, she had conceived because she was faithful. Her faithfulness of course did not merit God’s favor, but God bestowed it as an act of grace on a faithful woman. So, Joseph was not be afraid of the potential social stigma that might come as a result of Mary’s pregnancy. God had things under control.

And you shall call His Name Jesus - Like His forerunner, John the Baptist, Jesus was named by God before His birth. Jesus is transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua. It means Jehovah saves or Jehovah is help or Jehovah is salvation. His name explains His ministry; it implies both help and deliverance. A time is coming when every knee will bow in surrender and worship to this name (Phil. 2:9-11).

He will save His people from their sins - This was the purpose for which the Lord Jesus was born! He did come not to destroy but to save (John 3:16-18). In context, His people refer to the Jews. However, all people need to be saved. However, His ministry. His help and deliverance do not begin with the defeat of external foes. Rather, He provides freedom from the power, guilt, and penalty of sin. Thus, the meaning of the name “Jesus” finds expression in the title Savior as applied to our Lord. He is our Savior.

For those who do not know Christ as Savior, may the Holy Spirit enable you to bow down in surrender, reverence and adoration to Him. This is what Christmas is all about. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2)!

(Adapted from Butler's Studies of the Savior)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The mission of the cross is hidden in the message of the cradle!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Bring forth

In Matt. 1:21 we read, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins!” (NKJV).

Bring forth is the Greek word tiktō (τίκτω = tik'-to). It means to bring forth, bear children, generate. In classic Greek tiktō was used with a variety of meanings: sometimes it was used of breeding animals, other times of begetting (by the father) or bearing (by the mother) children. In the Septuagint tiktō carried the same meaning as in classic Greek usage except that, when referring to children, it is normally used only of the mother. In the New Testament tiktō also expresses the same idea as the Septuagint. Here in Matt. 1:21 it is describing the woman’s role in childbearing. When the subject is female, it means to bear as in childbirth; with a male subject it means to bring forth. Interestingly, tiktō is never used of spiritual birth.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe” (1 Sam. 12:23 KJV).

Did You Know…

When the “magi” visited Christ, they visited Him in a house not a manger, and He was now about two years old. Note also that He is referred to as a “child” instead of a ‘baby’ (Matt. 2:11, 16).

Bible Quiz

Where did the angel tell Joseph to take the baby Jesus and Mary to escape from Herod?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: Where was Jesus when the wise men found Him? In a house (Matt. 2:11).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“WALL OF FIRE”

"For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst” (Zech. 2:5 NKJV).

1. Meaning – WALL OF FIRE speaks of God’s care and protection.

2. Insights – In context, Zechariah was informed that Jerusalem would be so populous that people would have to live outside the walls of the city. This must have been a strange message for the Israelites who saw large areas of Jerusalem still in ruins and unclaimed for rebuilding. The walls were still in disrepair and not rebuilt until Nehemiah came in 444 B.C. (Neh. 1-3). Safety was normally provided by residing inside the walls of the city. Here however, the people living outside the walls were also assured of safety since God in all His glory would reside among them. With a “wall of fire,” God would protect them. This should have reminded them of God’s care for them in times past.

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

What child Is This?

William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898) was born in Bristol, England. His father, a surgeon, had written a biography of the poet, Thomas Chatterton, which accounts for the middle name that he gave his son. It also reveals the affection for poetry which the father passed on to his son. As a young man, William moved to Glasgow, Scotland, where he pursued a career managing a marine insurance company. However, his true passion was poetry.

Dix fell seriously ill and was confined to his bed for an extended period of time. It was during this time of illness that William underwent a true spiritual crisis and spent much time in prayer and the reading of Christian literature. He came through the crisis as a true man of faith and devoted much of his later poetry to Christian themes. He wrote a number of hymns, at least three of which have survived to this day: “What Child Is This?” and the other two being “As with Gladness, Men of Old” and “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus.” “What Child Is This?” was derived from a longer poem, “The Manger Song.” It was first published in 1865 in Britain, and quickly became popular in the United States as well.

A Little Humor

Mary took her three-year-old son to church for the first time. Getting impatient while waiting for the Mass to start, he turned to his mother and asked, “What time does Jesus get here?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“To give meaning to Christmas, give Christ first place!”