Christmas Message – He Will Save His People from Their Sins
24th December 2024
In Matthew 1:18-25 we read about the conception and birth of Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit. No man was involved. This meant that Jesus was without sin. The conception of Jesus was a divine act the likes of which had never been seen before.
Now put yourself in the shoes of Mary and Joseph. They knew that the conception of Jesus did not result from the two of them having sexual union. Yet Mary was pregnant. Furthermore, they were not married at conception. To outsiders it looked like Jesus was illegitimate. To those looking on, the only explanation was that Mary and Joseph must have had sex before they were married. Without the truth about what had really happened, this would have been a matter of great shame. Have you ever experienced shame? Shame is one of the effects of sin, but thank God that is not the end of the story.
The wonder of our God is that He speaks to us and reveals the truth. And in Matthew’s account of the conception of Jesus, He revealed to Joseph, the truth about how Jesus was conceived. Not only that, He told Joseph what to do in response to the truth. The Lord speaks the truth to us in various ways and on this occasion He did it through a dream. The truth that God revealed to Joseph in that dream was personal to him. But it wasn’t a new revelation; God had already revealed through the prophet Isaiah that a virgin was going to bear a divine son. In the dream, the Lord applied this revelation to Joseph. And so it is with us: He applies His eternal truths to us too.
After the Lord revealed the truth in the dream, Joseph obeyed Him, married Mary and Jesus was born. In the dream the Lord revealed the glorious reason why Mary would bear a Son named Jesus: “He will save His people from their sins”. At this time of year, you will hear all sorts of ideas about what Christmas is all about and most of them will be wrong. The real meaning of Christmas is that the Son of God was born of a virgin so that He would be able to save His people from their sin. As we enjoy all of the festive experiences, let’s not forget the real meaning of Christmas. Let’s give thanks to God for giving us a saviour and let’s share this Good News with all of those around us.
Peace be with you.
Mike and Suzanne Ashton