JESUS IS COME! . . . This Christmas
‘Celebrating Christ Birth & His Cause – Commemorating God’s Love’
Luke 19:10 ‘‘For the Son of man IS COME to seek and to save THAT which was lost.’’
Matt 1:16-25 ‘’And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ . . . 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 . . . And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins . . . Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 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 . . . And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS’’
Romans 5:8 ‘‘But God commended his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’’
John 3:16-18 ‘‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’’
Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!! It’s Christmas again!!! I bring you kingdom special greetings in the precious name of our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ in whom we live, we move and we have our being. Amen! It beholds God in His grace to call you His people in which am empowered in this commission of the Gospel to pray and trust that you will find the good will to celebrate Christ and His cause on earth and to commemorate the love that the season brings – This Christmas!
Christmas 2009 Special Edition
Thanks to God for Christmas, for the smiles and hopes it brings and beams on peoples faces during this season. And it’s all because Christmas is not merely about the story of the nativity of Christ but the life of His person in us and the cause for which He was born. Looking through the windows of the various media in respect of the happenings in the world today – a time of mans ‘great’ invention and discovery, economic empowering of man, science and technology in various fields of life – none of them has given us either peace nor harmony but trauma in all human phases of existence. Today, killings and wars go on our streets, uncertainties in our nations, our world with political and economic instability, Climate technocrats predictions with uncertainties, family failures and breakdown, relationship unfaithfulness, generational and moral decadence, business, entrepreneur and career setbacks etc, just to name a few. All this being is in pursuit of answers to human needs and problems. Our world cries with great thirst and hunger, seeking for who will quench her yearnings, desires and aspirations. This is the reason that Christmas – a yearly celebrating of the birth of Christ and His cause on earth and commemorating of the God’s kind of Love – is vital to all mankind irrespective of religious beliefs, race, gender and generation.
Christmas may be sectioned in this wise on this special edition: ‘CHRIST’ – meaning the anointed One, the Messiah, the Saviour. ‘MAS’ or ‘MASS’ – is the yearly Celebration of the birth of Christ and His cause with the sharing of that grace and the benediction of the triune God expressed through their love to mankind as in 2Cor.13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen”
This Christmas – Christ Is Come!
Luke 19:10 ‘‘For the Son of man IS COME to seek and to save THAT which was lost.”
Matthew 5:6 ‘’ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Haggai 2:5-9 “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.’’
Revelation 5:9-10”And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
JESUS IS COME! . . . This Christmas. What does it really mean? This is to call to conscience in our sub-human consciousness that we intend to do this season. The reason for the season, that is, the significance and the purposes of God for which our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ came to earth is the same today as it has always been regardless changes or make-over to our gender, race, generation and ethical perspectives.
There is a strong thirst and hunger for justice, peaceful life, wholesome living, safe environment, stable economy, steadfast family, lively and healthy living and relationship, true freedom, awesome opportunity and prosperity etc. In every nation people cry out daily in the depth of their inner soul for a good and prosperous livelihood. The scriptures indicate that only in Christ Jesus shall the desire of all nations come to be. And Jesus in His birth as in His death came to meet that purpose and earnest desire.
This Christmas is another time and opportunity to take advantage of the season to reaffirm your faith and take a bold step to see that the cause of Christ on earth by His birth is truly realised in your personal life; your family, community and nation. Otherwise, this Christmas will as always go as it comes, nothing will change and the struggle will continue in place of absolute opportunity to have and enjoy to the fullness of the cause of Christ being born to us as in the holy writ.
That Christ is come this Christmas helps to remind us of three key points which I want you to come to know which are found in the scripture of Luke 19:10 ‘‘For the Son of man IS COME to seek and to save THAT which was lost.”
Christ is come . . . this Christmas to:
- To seek – To seek you from the dungeon and struggle and everything that has limited you in life and goodliness and has put you far from God and His blessings.
- To save – To save you from all sin, sickness, fears and setback in life. And from all the cohorts of satan and men and the world around you.
- THAT which was lost – To restore by the acts of redemption everything you have lost in Eden of Adam and live free of the guilt of life.
Beloved, this Christmas, as always in every Christmas, Jesus is come to give you the hope you long for, the peace you crave for, the life your earnestly will for and more importantly the love you pray to see come to reality in every phase of your life. The birth of Christ is come to bring forth a complete and total redemption for all mankind. A wholesome Redemption affecting your social, physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing even as Jesus experiences as in the holy write of
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ‘‘And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Luke 2:40, 52 ‘‘And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. . . And Jesus increased in wisdom (mentally) and stature (physically), and in favour with God (spiritually) and man (socially/emotionally).”
I pray that as you go through this Christmas special edition you will find enlightenment – Inspiration, Revelation and Empowerment – in your spirit, soul and body.
The Christ – In Humanity
1 John 4:1-3 ‘’Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world”
John 1:14 ‘’And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth’’
1 John 5:7-12 ‘’ For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life’’
1Timothy 3:16 ‘’And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory’’
As I skip through the various media communications – Newspapers and news channels on TV and radio; and make and receive phone calls, go through the world wide web – internet, drive though the streets in town – the jingling one hears is of the Christmas news and events. People of all nations are buying, selling, making or marking an event to make this Christmas worth celebrating.
However there are other opinions about Christmas, while some say Christmas is not important and is not worth any form of celebration, some say that it’s a heathen day, a pagan holiday while others indicate that December 25th is not the day on which Christ was born but in October, however with no date to it. According to some it is for pagans and satanic due to the glamorous events and activities that are now associated to this date especially with the financial indiscipline and indebtedness people entangle themselves with as a result of it.
May I say that just because the enemy perverts and distorts the meaning and essence of the celebration of Christmas, does not mean that we should let go of that which we believe is of God – that is, Christ was born for us all according to the scriptures. For me and every supposed spirit born child of God, what is vital in the whole scenario of indifference is that Christ was born in the flesh – humanity. The act of acknowledging this very fact and truth of God in the light of the Holy Scriptures makes the journey of the Christian FAITH meaningful to anyone that dares believe in Christ Jesus our saviour and Lord. Amen!
The scriptures as in 1 John 4:1 –3 and 1 John 5:7-12 say that any person or people who do not acclaim that Christ was born in the flesh (humanity) are the antichrist. Christ means – the Messiah, the Saviour, the anointed one, while ‘anti’ means – to be against. This indicates that such a person does not believe in Christ’s virgin and humanity birth and as such becomes an enemy of JEHOVAH God. It’s also proof that such a person or group of persons have undermined the record and prophesy spoken of God in time prior to Christ’s birth even as in the holy writ -1 John 5:9-12; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7. Such an individual or group, the Holy Scripture calls a fool – for the fool says in his heart there is no God. (Psalms 14:1; Isaiah 53:1)
Birth Of Christ
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‘’ (Matthew 1:23)
Micah 5:2 ‘’But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, 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. (Matt 2:6)
Gen. 49:10 ‘’The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be’’
To celebrate means to observe in a special way, to praise, honour, solemnise, worship and to make merriments of great joy.
Celebrating the birth of Christ is the most awesome event any creation of God should count a privilege to partake in – not only in this season of life but as a daily experience. When you come to know the cause and significance of His birth and what it has brought to you as an individual you will desire to have Him born in your heart and not just in the world or in a manger they say. You will be compelled to seek after Him, to worship, honour and celebrate him like the three wise men from the east according to the scriptures – Matt 2:1–12; Luke 2:1-20.
Let us celebrate him for he is born indeed; He is indeed born in our hearts and in our being. His birth is the rebirth of:
- Peace and goodwill toward men
- Hope for men.
- Salvation for all mankind
- Beauty for ashes
- Oil of joy for mourning
- Garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness
- A better covenant for men
- God’s forgiveness and righteousness for all mankind
- The birth of a true and genuine love
- Faith for the spirit of fear
- A new spirit and mindset of the kingdom of God and of the heaven
- A new identity with our creator God
- True knowledge, understanding and wisdom of our God
- True service and worship of God
- A majestic and awesome generation
- Restoration of true relationship and fellowship
- . . . and many more
The Cause – of Christ’s Birth
John 18:37 ‘’Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this CAUSE came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice’’
1John 3:8 ‘’He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this PURPOSE the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil’’
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’’
In Christmas season, people make that special journey to see their loved ones – friends and family. Some change their residential environment, move or buy a property, change a wardrobe, furniture, house curtains, and electronics and with some theirs is to make some outstanding decorations and paintings. Some might have gone to buy their first car or change for another, while some move to new cities or towns; others are making the best of a special tantalising meal after a long time. Promises and relationships are established or re-established with special love tokens; some are entering for the first time or relocating back to the Church after some absence and many, many other doings.
Only the heavens can explain or quantify to what extent money has exchanged hands and travels to meet the human demands. The groceries store and manufacturers have to put extra effort to meet the targets of human needs and wants which invariably had taken root of mans heart during this season. Unfortunately some may not have the economic power in terms of finance, yet they will do anything to see their wishes come to reality.
And as important as these cravings or uncontrollable desires are to meet some self set standards, they are incomparable with the true reason for the season – The CAUSE for which Christ came or was born into the world. The Holy writ indicates that Christ was born for these undermentioned causes:
- To save us from our sin (Matt. 1:21; Rom. 5:1-2; Acts 3:26; 4:12; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2:5; Isaiah 53:5-10)
- To restore a complete REDEMPTION to all mankind (Rev. 5:9-10; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 1:13-14)
- To seek and to save THAT which was lost (Luke 19:10)
- To give us eternal life (John 17:3; John 3:16; 1 John 5:11-12)
- To restore us to God’s kind of love (Rom. 5:8; John. 3:16-17; John 15:13)
- To restore us to God’s kind of peace (Eph. 2:14, John 14:27; Phil. 4:7)
- To destroy the works of satan against our life (Acts 10:38; 1John 3:8-9)
- To restore us to an abundant (overflowing) life (John 10:10; Jere. 29:11)
- To reconcile us to God (2Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 2:1-22)
- To give us true freedom and deliverance (Like 1:68-71; 4:18-19; Heb. 2:14-15; Col. 1:13-14)
- To redeem us from the curse and effect of the law and the fall of man (Gal.3:13-14; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Rev. 5:9-10)
- To restore us to a place of healing and health (Matt. 8:16-17; 3John 2; Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Pet. 2:24)
- To give us a true spirit of knowledge and understanding to life (John 17:3; 1John 5:18-20)
- To prosper us (3John 2; 2 Cor. 8:9; Matt. 6:33; John 10:10; Josh. 1:8)
- . . . and many much more
Commemorating Love – God’s Gift of Life
Romans. 5:8 ‘’But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’’
John 1:18 ‘’No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
John 3:16-17 “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’’
1 John 4:7-11”Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another’’
To commemorate is an act of remembrance and attributing honour and to keep alive the memory of the love of God towards us because of what Jesus has done. This Christmas – the annual or yearly celebration of the birth of Christ – can only be relevant and be of great virtue when God’s kind of love becomes our centre pace of life. In other words our celebration should not centre only on the food, wine and merriment. The main core heart-of-God why we celebrate Christ is to commemorate God’s LOVE that He has abundantly showered to the world. It is for this Love drive that Christ came into the world.
If there be any meaningful reason to celebrate, we must take out time from our comfort zone to demonstrate this great love for which we’ve been received and accepted in the beloved of God. When we lift the banners of this love in a genuine heart, we will end the bitterness of life without struggle, it will stop wars and killings on our streets, it will comfort the bereaved and strengthen the Orphans; it will end hunger and thirst in our neighbourhood and in the world today. In more ways than one, It will give clothing and shelter to the less-have or helpless; it will save the lives of children betrayed by their parents; It will stop the marital and relationship breakdowns and decadence. It will silence the terrorist and expose their hidings; it will keep at bay the networks of evil activities in our societies. It will silence the enemy of our generation. Gossip, betrayal, kidnappings and others will die a natural death. Love is the only spiritual silence and antidote that can keep our enemy at bay while we advance the Gospel of the Lord in our various activities of life.
Jesus was born with love and in love and he died for love. God is love and all who indeed celebrate His son – Lord Jesus Christ – must celebrate Him with a large heart of a true and genuine Love as also found in the following scriptures. 1 John 4:6-21 and 5:1-12.
Finally: The Mass – The Benediction
2 Corinth.13:14 ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen’
Beloved as wonderful as Christmas celebration is, be it known today that Christ is enthroned. He is no longer the:
- The babe in the manger
- The servant to death
- Neither the limited one nor the Christ on the Cross.
He is the God on the throne and everywhere at the same time, having dominion and authority over all thing, all flesh, all power and authority; He is the uncreated creator and reigns in majesty and dominion over all (Rev. 1:10-18; 19:16; Matt. 28:18; Phil 3:21). Let us enthrone him in our heart, crown Him King of kings and Lord of lords and establish His presence in a daily celebration and not just in another one year again.
I challenge and commend everyone who by virtue of grace have been ignited by the spirit of love to arise with faith and earnestly go and extend the good love of God in your hearts to others – that is the essence of a true living. You can begin from your home and the fire will spread to give hope to someone else near you.
I pray you have and enjoy a fabulous and great celebration of this Christmas and may God’s eternal love ever be your portion and prosper your goings during this season as you commemorate His love.
JESUS IS COME!
Dare to Celebrate Him & His Cause . . . Commemorate God’s Love In Him
In His World For His Glory,
Pst Chukie MORSI
MERRY CHRISTMAS and BLESSED YEAR 2010!