December 5, 2023
Topic: THE BIRTH OF JESUS: LESSON IN HUMILITY AND OBEDIENCE – The Love of God the Father
Text: Matthew 1: 18-25
Memory Verse: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 21 NIV)
The precarious state of humanity, life in the world and on earth in general is pitiable. Looking around us, as much joy and beauty we find is equally matched by as much ugliness, destruction, evil and crime. These are all the negative results and manifestations of man’s occupancy of the earth.
Man, the masterpiece created to have dominion on earth when in Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” However, man failed and after the cleansing through flood, God said of man again in Genesis 8: 21 “… even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done”.
Seeing how helpless, pitiable and unable to save ourselves in humility, the Creator was born as a baby in like manner to ordinary men to save us from our sins and He paid the price through his painful crucifixion and death to redeem us.
In I John 1:8-10 the bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us”.
Out of His great love for us, Jesus Christ subjected himself in humility and obedience to God the Father and came down to our level to redeem us in love. John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall nor perish but have eternal life”.
In Hebrews 2:5, we are cautioned “how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him”.
Consider this: Jesus came to pay the price for my sins, and I must be intentional to confess and avoid living in sin again. Have I accepted His love and given my life to the great shepherd of my soul?
Prayer: Precious Lord, help me in humility to confess my sins, commit my life to you and be found in you always.