FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN…
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty
God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
(Please note: this is an important enough subject that God did not leave it open to subjective means of interpretation, but he left us a concrete road map, in the form of biblical prophecy, in order that we not miss Him; and mind you there is ONLY one person on the stage of history, who meets ALL of these prophetic requirements.)
(Who were the Magi, the Wise Men from the East? They were students of the Prophet Daniel, and his prophecy regarding the coming Messiah)
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The true meaning of Christmas involves the reconciliation between God and His much loved, howbeit estranged children, of all those who would by faith in God’s covenant, receive forgiveness for their sins, through the sacrifice and propitious work of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, when He offered up His life and died in our place, as our Passover Lamb, as a covering for our sins. No longer is there a need for us to sacrifice animals, as was required under the old covenant (which only provided a temporary covering and had to be repeated every year); but now after having had our sins laid on Him, we are now free to live for Him and also to serve Him forever… which is in fact the whole meaning of life… to serve and to worship God!
John 3 Born from Above 1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.” 3Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.” 4“How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?” 5-6Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit. 7-8“So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” 9Nicodemus asked, “What do you mean by this? How does this happen?” 10-12Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God? 13-15“No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life. 16-18“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. 19-21“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” The Bible, God’s Love letter to you…
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For all of you who read my blog, it is my prayer and hope for each of you this season, that on the day which we have set aside to celebrate the birth of our Messiah, who is also Saviour of the world, that it would mark a new beginning for each of you; that as we close out the year 2010, and as we begin anew the year 2011 that this new year will bring not only new beginnings, but also along with it that it would included a brighter, a blessed, and a more prosperous future, as we all start this new year with our priorities in order; and that means that God would once again rein supreme in the hearts and lives of His people, of each and every one of us, who have made Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (His name in Hebrew, meaning: Saviour, the Messiah) numero uno; and that He would rule in each of our lives; and direct each of us with His wisdom and light, by and through the precious Holy Spirit, who indwells the hearts of each one of us who has been born-again… as explained in the above verses of Scripture, by Yeshua to Nicodemus!
Make no mistake, but that this is the TRUE meaning of Christmas, that this message be announced to the world!
It is very important for each of us, whether or not we accept this message of the Gospel, and whether we conform and pattern our lives to follow Yeshua, as His disciples; because, as per the words of Yeshua, there is no other way unto the Father, and no one (and the Bible makes it very clear that NO ONE) can come to the Father, or even see the Kingdom of Heaven, unless, as Yeshua (Jesus–Saviour) says, we are born-again; and come by way of His Sacrifice and death on Calvary’s cross!
We mustn’t allow our intellect and pride get in the way, and we mustn’t get puffed up to the point we think that we because of our education and intellect are some how exempt from these requirements, because we aren’t!
Jesus made it very clear that unless we become as little children, in our childlike faith and trust, which we all had at one time, and unless we surrender our pride and humble ourselves before God, that we shall not ever experience the Kingdom of Heaven
And so for the benefit of all you intellectuals out there, you must understand that these are God’s requirements for reconciliation, because we ourselves could never make the cut or meet His requirements by ourselves (apart from our faith in Jesus); and that’s because ONLY Jesus lived a righteous life, that was without sin, and only He paid the price and met the requirements of the Father, with His own life; and thus it is of utmost importance that we each comply, and it’s not so important that we agree or even understand; but sufficient is it to know that there is NO other name under heaven whereby we may be saved… except through the name of Jesus!
After all, God is God, and He created us… and we did not create ourselves… and so with that said, please listen up and obey! Selah
It is also my prayer for those of you who have yet to make that decision, to accept Yeshua as your personal Lord and Saviour, and thereby recognize Him also as your Messiah, that you, this year during this season, that you along with us, would know the REAL meaning of Christmas.
I pray also that ALL of us who are His offspring, who are made in His image and after His likeness, that through the Holy Spirit (who has been given to each one who is born-again), that we each would come to know Him (Jesus) better (and also our Heavenly Father through Him, as was the plan); and that we each would become one with this ONE who gave us our life, who created us; and then paid the price to redeem us, by offering up His life on the cross of Calvary, in order to make us one with Him, and give us each the privilege of spending eternity with Him!
And with that, I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Happy New Year!
Shalom,
Skip Barland
SB SALT AND LIGHT MINISTRIES 