Great Joy

Scripture:  Luke 2:10-12 

Greetings “Fan”-tastic Passengers,

The first Christmas, was a very busy time of the year, in the little town of Bethlehem, as the decree of the census, ushered in people from all over the world, to register for taxation.  Besides being weary from their long journey, some families such as, Mary, who was about to give birth to her first-born son and Joseph her espoused husband, found it challenging, to secure appropriate logging, as by the time they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no more room in the Inn.  Nevertheless, in the midst of all this despair, a thrill of hope and joy, was born in Bethlehem that day, when the Angels said to the shepherds:  "...behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10).

Instantaneously, “…as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us” (Luke 2:15b).  Subsequently, in order to confirm their faith in the matter, God gave the shepherds a sign:  “…Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 10:12b):

A Sign of Humility
  • The sign - God graciously gave the shepherds a sign, which, upon them finding the babe, was to confirm to their heart, that:  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).  The sign was that, they were to go to the manger where they would:  “…find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12b)

On that first Christmas, everything concerning the birth of the Saviour, occurred in a very serene and awe-inspiring manner and went according to God’s plan.  For example:
  • The shepherds – Due to the humble manner in which Jesus Christ was born into the world, it is fitting that the first people who God invited to worship the child were shepherds.  Shepherds were most likely, not respected by devout Jews because, due to their occupation, they were not always able to attend Synagogue or keep the Law.  Nevertheless, today, humanity can be thankful to God, that, while everyone else was busy with matters concerning the imminent census, the lowly shepherds, who were faithfully keeping watch over their flocks, became the common laymen of the gospel.  Consequently, the shepherds displayed simplicity in their belief and preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, instead of debating the meaning of the angelic visitation or dismiss it as an illusion, they rushed into the hectic town, found and worshipped Jesus Christ, the newborn king and then:  “…they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:16-18)
  • The birth – The name of His mother “Mary” was a common name in that day, which means, “The Lord’s Beloved.” Shortly after her and Joseph arrived in town, the teenager gave birth to Jesus (Luke 2:6).  The swaddling clothes in which Jesus was wrapped, were not long strips of cloth, unique to His birth.  Instead, when He was born, Mary laid him in a manger made from wood or carved from stone.  This manager, if it were filled with the animals’ food, it would have made a comfortable bed for the child
  • The town – According to the prophet Micah, we learn that Bethlehem was the predicted birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2).  Subsequently, Herod’s theologians knew exactly where to find the new King.  At the time, the miniature town of Bethlehem, whose name means, “house of bread” only had a population of approximately 500-600 people.  This name of the town was significant, as Jesus later in His ministry, said:  “…I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35b)
  • The inn – During the time when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, it was customary for travelers to stay with family members, rather than in public hotels.  Nevertheless, due to the forthcoming census, there was an influx of people in Bethlehem and Joseph’s relatives, probably already had a full guest room
  • The word translated as “inn” in Luke 2:7 can mean “lodging place” or “guest chamber/guest room/dining room” (Mark 14:14).  Consequently, as an alternative lodging, the couple, might have stayed in the front or lower room of the home.  This is the room where the animals were typically brought in for the night.  In addition, it was also a common architectural design of the time, to see many of the first-century homes having mangers along the walls of that room.  On the other hand, if Luke did mean to indicate that they stayed in a public inn, then the couple was directed to one of the numerous caves around Bethlehem at the time.  Even to this day, these caves remain in Bethlehem and are used to shelter sheep and other cattle
  • The Wise Men or Magi - It is thought that, these wise men, were priests and astrologers from the Middle East, who, through the writings of Daniel, had probably learned of the Jewish Messiah, who was to be born in Bethlehem.  They traveled from the Middle East, perhaps from Persia or Babylonia, since word of the coming King had been known in that city since the time of Daniel (Dan.2).  The fact that God included pagan Gentiles in the advent of Christ, symbolizes the future reach of the gospel, “to all people” (Luke 2:10). Their strategic visit, also conveyed international and national attention, to the birth of Jesus   
  • The star – There are two schools of thought concerning the “star.”According to Scripture in Numbers 24:17 the Hebrews expected a star, as a sign of the birth of the Messiah.  Some believe the star, which the wise men saw in the east, was the Shekinah glory of God, similar to the pillar of fire which led the Israelites, through desert in the Old Testament
  • On the other hand, others believe the “star” holds a place in scientific history.  Therefore, using sophisticated software to simulate astronomical patterns, researchers have investigated the night sky around the birth of Jesus Christ. The ancients used the term “star” to refer to a number of celestial objects.  Therefore, the astronomers hypothesize that Bethlehem’s star may have been a conjunction of two or more planets, which to the naked eye would look like one bright star.  The “star” could even have seemed to pause over Bethlehem because relative to Earth’s motion, a planet can appear to halt
  • In any case, while a couple of scientific conjunctions surrounding the birth of Christ, fit the Biblical description of the “star,” in the Scriptural account of the same event, God in His wisdom, used the Gentile wise men to see and testify that:“…we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him”  (Matt.2:2b)
  • King Herod – As a result of Jesus’ birth, King Herod grew frightened and concerned for his job.Yes indeed, he thought that Jesus had come to usurp his authority and take the earthly kingdom away from him, by force (John 18:36).Therefore, he being desirous to preserve the throne at all cost, attempted to destroy Jesus.  Therefore, with a callous conscience and thinking little of the lives of the babies in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas, Herod ordered the deaths of all children under the age of two.   Consequently, his cruel acts plagued his conscience heavily and in his later years, he suffered serious psychological issues, such as paranoia, as he became fearful of assassination.  He eventually killed his wife, some of her family member, three of his sons, and many of his loyal subjects
The Reason for “Great Joy” born in Bethlehem

            The Fall of Man
  • The Scripture tells us about the creation of mankind, as it says: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen.2:7; Job 10:8-12)
  • The Lord God, then plants the Garden of Eden and in His sovereignty:“…took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Gen.2:15)
  • It is the Lord who orders the life of the man in the garden and subsequently, gave him his wife (Gen.2:16-25; Psa.31:15; Matt.19:6)
  • However, when Adam and Eve fell into sin, in the Garden of Eden,
  • Consequently, the life of every human being, as testified by King David, has been:“… (Gen.2:24; 3:16-19; Psa.51:5; Matt.19:4-6; Rom.5:19)
  • Therefore, in order to pay the ransom for their sin and deliver mankind, from the great depths, to which he had fallen; the world, for many centuries, lay in wait for a Redeemer, who would, as the Scripture says:“ (Gen.3; Matt.20:28; Heb.9:27-28)
The Enmity
  • Enmity - After causing Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command, in a curse which was pronounced upon the serpent, the Lord said:  “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen.3:15)
  • This enmity has led to a lifetime of constant war, between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, where in the world, we see:  “…the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing, the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psa.2:1-3).   The serpent will always wage war against God’s Church; but he will not prevail because the strength of the Church’s army, rest in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Captain of our Salvation (2 Cor.10:3-6; Eph.6:10-18; Heb.2:9-10; Rev.12:7)
  • Moreover, as Satan buffet the saints on every side, they in turn, resist him steadfastly in the faith and are assured of victory in the Lord, as:“2 Cor.12:7-9; 1 Pet.5:9-11
The Deliverer

Indeed, on the first Christmas, there was reason for, “Great Joy” in the very small town of Bethlehem that day, as Jesus Christ, was born to be the Saviour, who would deliver fallen man, from the power of Satan (Heb.10:7):
  • His Incarnation - Jesus Christ, whose genealogy is from the line of Seth, the son of Adam, is, “the seed of the woman” of which the Scripture foretold:   “shall bruise thy head” that is, the head of the serpent (Luke 3:1-38)
  • Jesus Christ was to be the seed of a woman but only of a virgin woman, for a very important reason. The reason is, so that, in order for Him to be:“…,” and not be tainted with the corruption of human nature (Phil.2:8a). Therefore, the Scripture says, He was:“sent forth,” ” made of a woman”
     
  • His Suffering - Jesus’ sufferings and death, pointed at Satan’s, “bruising his heel” that is, His human nature
  • Before Christ’s glorious victory, however, the woman’s Seed must, suffer in order to win the, “redeemed” from the serpent’s dominion (Isa.53:12; Luke 24:26, 46; 2 Cor.1:5-7; Col.1:24; 1 Pet.1:11)
  • The suffering Christ is victorious, at the Cross, as He won the victory over Satan, by providing an atonement for the, “redeemed” and will consummate it at His second coming (Col.2:13-15; 2 Thess.1:5-10)
  • Consequently, it was by His death, that Jesus destroyed:  “…him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb.2:14-15)
  • Christ’s Victory over Satan - Satan had trampled upon the woman, in the Garden of Eden, which caused her to sin against God.  Nevertheless, the seed of the woman, in the wisdom of God, would be raised up, in the fulness of time, and will avenge her quarrel with the enemy.  Therefore, her seed, like a conquering Roman general parading his vanquished and humiliated enemies, behind his chariot in the streets, by His triumphant, death and resurrection, spoiled all:   “…principalities and powers…” and, thereby, triumphed over Satan (Col.2:15).  That is, Jesus Christ, by bruising Satan’s head, destroyed all of his regimes and all of his powers, in a total overthrow of his kingdom and interest
  • Jesus Christ, in His earthly ministry, confounded Satan’s temptations, rescued many souls out of his hands, cast him out of the bodies of people, dispossessed the strong man armed, and divided his spoil
  • Presently, through the preaching of the gospel, many souls are still being rescued from the power of Satan, as they hear and receive the powerful and delivering, truth of the gospel
  • By the death of Jesus Christ, on the Cross at Calvary, He gave a fatal and incurable blow to the devil’s kingdom.This mortal and incurable blow to the devil’s kingdom, is a wound to the head of this beast, which can never be healed.Consequently, each time the gospel of Jesus Christ gets ground, in the human heart, the individual, through repentance and conversion, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, discovers, “Great Joy” as, Satan falls and is bound (Luke 10:18; Rev.29:2) 
  • It is by the grace of God, that the, “redeemed” while living in the world, are able to tread upon Satan under their feet, as his end is imminent, when he will be cast into the lake of fire (Psa.91:13; Rom.16:20; Rev.20:10)
Born to Give Mankind a Second Birth
  • Enmity against God - subsequent to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, everyone in the human race, before being renewed or regenerated by God’s Holy Spirit, has an anti-God hostility.  The natural person, therefore, regards God as an enemy (Rom.3:9-18; 8:7)
  • Mankind’s enmity against each other - due to the effects of sin in the Garden of Eden, love became absent from the heart of mankind, as family ties quickly became broken and reached the extreme of murder.  Subsequently, Cain killed Abel, his brother (Gen.4:8)
  • Reconciliation to God and man - through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, mankind can be reconciled to God and to each other.  Therefore, as God has forgiven mankind of his sins, he has received regeneration of his mind and heart; and is now able to be reconciled to his neighbour or brother.  Being reconciled to God, mankind can also find an enduring peace with God and his neighbour.  He also now has access to God’s presence, through Jesus Christ, “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb.10:20).  Consequently, the wall of partition, that is, the enmity, which existed between him and his neighbour, has also been removed (Matt.27:51; Rom.5:1, 10-11; 2 Cor.5:18-21; Eph.2:14-22; 4:32)
  • Jesus Christ was born:“…” to:“all people” (Luke 2:10-11).This is so that, as the long expected Messiah and LORD, He would eventually, go to the cross, as the substitute for mankind, and through the eternal Spirit, offer Himself, without spot to God for us all
  • Consequently, by the shedding of His precious blood, whosoever would come to Him for salvation, He would purge the conscience of every man and woman, born into the world; from dead works, to serve the living God, as they experience, the “new birth” and become:“ (Isa.9:6; John 3; Eph.2; Heb.9:14)

There is no doubt that, for diverse reasons, Christmas is a busy time of the year, for many individuals.  Nevertheless, amidst your busy schedule, I encourage you, to follow the example of the shepherds, as you come, “with haste” to the throne of God, seeking the Saviour and allow the miracle of this, “Great Joy” to abundantly overflow your soul.  Furthermore, as the Saviour of all mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ, at Christmas time and all other times, is worthy of adoration and worship.  He is worthy because the Apostle John clearly explains how He fulfilled the ultimate purpose, for which He was born into the world, as he says:  “…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” (Rev.5:9-10). 

Such an awesome deluge of, “Great Joy” which comes to thrill the heart of mankind, at Christmas!

Stay strong!  Stay encouraged!

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Your Conductor,
Joy
©Creed's Melody
'Positive Message: Diverse Cultures'

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