God spoke to the ancestors through the prophets in different ways. After about 400 years of silence, He sent John the Baptist as a forerunner of Christ. His message was for all to repent and ask for forgiveness of sins. He condemned the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, taught them to live charitably, and informed the people about a future judgment by the coming Messiah.
Jesus, who is God’s Son, was born into the world. Angels announced His birth to men, with the news,” For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11-14).
In these last days, God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. According to scriptures, Jesus is the heir of all things, and through whom He created the world. He is the radiance and representation of the glory and essence of God. He sustains everything by His powerful Word, and after completing the mission of cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God (Majesty on high). He is far above the angels; he inherited a name superior to theirs. He is the Son of God. The Angels worship Him. His throne is forever and ever, the scepter of justice and righteousness.
He laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are equally His work. All will perish and be changed, but he remains the same forever. He tasted death for everyone to become the pioneer of salvation who will bring many of us as sons and daughters to glory, and calls us his brothers and sisters. He shared our humanity, and through his death, he broke the power of Satan, who holds the power of death, to free us from the captivity and slavery of the fear of death.
The old covenant had every high priest selected from the people to represent them before God, under the approval of God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest had to make a sin offering for himself too and the people because of weakness. While on earth, Jesus offered prayers and supplications sometimes with loud cries and tears to God, who was able to save him from death, and God heard him. He lived in obedience through all He suffered, even though He was God’s Son, and God exalted him for his devotion. God glorified him and designated him to become the high priest forever.
Jesus is the author of a new covenant.
He was made human and prevailed through suffering, having shared our humanity, tempted and became like us in every way. He succeeded and qualified as a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make atonement for all people’s sins. Having become our high priest once and for all, he is the captain of our salvation through his suffering. He wishes for all people not to harden their hearts in rebellion and rejection of His great sacrifice. He came into the world to suffer and later laid down His life to die on the cross. He shed his blood to make atonement for our salvation.
Today we are confident we have a great high priest in heaven, Jesus Christ, who understands and identifies with our weaknesses, tempted in every way, and without sin. He is on the right hand of the throne of God, making intercession on our behalf. Therefore, we can confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find favor whenever we need help.
The Lord keeps his open invitation for everyone to enter into His rest. Entering God’s rest involves total surrender, follow him through trust, obedience to His works, and the ways we learn from His Word. The Word of God is living; it can diffuse through our body, soul, and spirit; it molds and guides us to God’s ways. It convicts us of our desires and thoughts, as we live to be obedient to all we learn through its reading. Jesus was a pattern of obedience while on earth. These similar results of surrender to God help us to enter into God’s rest in our daily lives.
Having understood the love of God, sacrifice, and his resources available to fulfill his call as God’s children, we are to move on to maturity. We should endeavor not to go back and forth about repentance, faith in God, and the basic principles of born again. The Word challenges us to stop feeding on milk as babies and grow in faith, desiring solid food fit for the mature. Also, develop the ability to discern good from evil, and become teachers. Even, live to fulfill the hope of our calling unto the end, and inherit the promises. Since it is impossible for God to lie, we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Extracts from the book of Hebrews Chapter1- 7)
Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the throne of glory and mercy made room for us to have access to God and the mercy seat. We celebrate this season of his birth into the world. He was born to die and create access to God for us all. As many as have made Jesus their Lord and master enjoy this grace of salvation of the Almighty.
If anyone wants to understand how they get born again and gain access to the son, and secure eternal justification, please go through the previous blogs.
We all at Christmas celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Where would we be if Jesus had not been born?
You may connect to the song” O Holy Night” using the link below