Jesus' birth
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord – Luke 2.10 and 11
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich – 2 Corinthians 8.9
Example of humiliation
Some time ago there was a very rich family. They could buy whatever they wanted. All family members looked smart. The family didn’t need to worry about anything. They enjoyed life. The rich family helped the poor by giving them what they needed. One day one of the children of the rich family decided to leave his family to stay with the poor. He became one of them He became one of them.
Can you imagine someone leaving his rich family to become one with the poor? What a great humiliation!
The Bible tells us about Someone Who humiliated Himself: Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son. He left Heaven and was born on earth. The almighty King became a helpless Baby. The Owner of everything became an ordinary man. He humiliated Himself to make sinful people children of God. How amazing!
Before Jesus was born
The first part of the Bible is called Old Testament. It tells what happened before Jesus was born on earth. In the Bible we read that God created everything[1]. Everything He made was good. God also created Adam and Eve, the first people. They were God’s friends.
Satan, God’s enemy, didn’t like to see them happy. He wanted to destroy the relationship between God, people and the rest of creation. Satan said that God lied: people would not die but be like God if they ate from the tree, although God had forbidden it[2]. Adam and Eve both ate from the tree[3]. They disobeyed God. Disobedience is sin[4]. Sin defames God[5].
Everything changed when Adam and Eve disobeyed. Diseases, fights, death and all other problems are consequences of the sin Adam and Eve committed. The whole earth is cursed[6]. Another consequence of the first sin is a broken relationship between God and all people[7]. That is called spiritual poverty; everyone is a sinner: lost without God and failing to serve Him[8]. We deserve to be far from God in Hell forever.
Everything changed, but satan couldn’t win in God’s plan. Out of love God promised to send His Son Jesus to earth[9]. Jesus would conquer satan and sin. He would take away God’s curse for the sin of His people[10].
Jesus’ birth
Many years after the first sin God sent an angel to Mary[11]. The angel said to her that she would have a Child: Jesus. God the Holy Spirit would form a body for Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son. God the Father is the Father of Jesus.
Jesus was born in a stable[12]. There was no proper place for Him. Nobody knew that God’s Son was born on earth. God wanted other people to know that Jesus was born. He sent His angel to tell some shepherds that Jesus was born[13]. Shepherds were ordinary people, but yet they were the first ones to hear about Jesus’ birth. Jesus’ birth was good news. The angels sang about it:
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men[14]
The shepherds were filled with joy. They spread the good news to everyone. Wise men from the east came to see Jesus. They worshipped Him as their King[15]. They were also happy.
King Herod was not happy. He didn’t want Jesus to be King. He wanted to kill Jesus[16]. That didn’t happen, because God protected Jesus. God wanted Jesus to save people from being lost without God because of their sin[17].
Why is Jesus’ birth a tiding of great joy?
The Bible says that everyone is a sinner who fails to obey God[18]. Everyone is lost without God: we are spiritual poor. Sinners cannot enter Heaven unless their sins are taken away[19]. Whatever we try to remove our own sins, we fail[20]. We cannot cleanse ourselves from our sin. Nobody else can cleanse us from our sins. We need someone who is sinless and stronger than sin to take our sins away.
That sinless and strong Person is Jesus![21]
Jesus, God’s Son, has the power and is willing to cleanse us from our sins. He became man to die on a cross. By dying on the cross He set His sinful people free from their sin[22].
Jesus’ birth is a tiding of great joy because it shows us that God has made a way for sinners to be in a good relationship with Him again. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and men, because He is God and man[23].
Remembering Jesus’ birth every day
We remember Jesus’ birth every year at Christmas. However, we can remember His birth every day of the year. Here are some points to help you think about Jesus’ birth:
1. Jesus became man like us, although without sin[24]. He knows what it is to be hungry, sick or feel lonely. He is able and willing to help us in whatever we go through[25].
2. By being born on earth Jesus humiliated Himself[26]. We should also humiliate ourselves before God and others.
3. Because of Jesus sinners can become God’s children[27]. Jesus humiliated Himself to bring His people to glory in Heaven. We need to know Jesus as our personal Saviour[28].
4. If you know you are without God, ask Jesus to cleanse you from your sin. He is willing to save you[29]. Repent from your sin and depend on Him alone for His salvation[30].
5. If you know that Jesus has saved you from your sin, do whatever pleases Him. Read your Bible to learn more about Him. Spread the tidings of great joy. As a citizen of Heaven[31], glorify God always.
~
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed.
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child
He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall.
With the poor and meek and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.
~
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 – 1 John 4.9
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[1] Genesis 1 and 2, [2] Genesis 3.4-5, [3] Genesis 3.6, [4] Deuteronomy 28.45, [5] Psalm 10.13, [6] Genesis 3.14-19, [7] Isaiah 59.2, [8] Revelation 3.17, Matthew 18.11, Romans 3.10-18, [9] Genesis 3.15, [10] Galatians 3.13, [11] Luke 1.26-38, [12] Luke 2.7, [13] Luke 2.8-12, [14] Luke 2.14, [15] Matthew 2.9-12, [16] Matthew 2.16, [17] Matthew 1.21, Ezekiel 37.23, Hosea 13.14, Galatians 4.5, [18] Romans 3.23, [19] John 3.3, [20] Isaiah 64.6, [21] 1 Timothy 2.5. 1 Corinthians 1.30, [22] Hebrews 9.15, 1 John 1.2, [23] Acts 4.12, [24] 2 Corinthians 5.21, [25] Hebrews 4.15, [26] Philippians 2.4-8, [27] 1 Peter 3.18, [28] 1 John 5.12, [29] Isaiah 45.22, [30] Mark 1.15, [31] Philippians 3.20