It;s The Wonderful Old Story About Jesus

It’s the wonderful old story about Jesus

Matthew 1: 18-21

18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Notice the last verse of this text; “you shall call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Over 2000 years ago in the city of Bethlehem a historical event took place.

It was an event that would change the world.

In a modest little stable there was a baby born to a humble little couple from Nazareth.

But as we all know this little child was not just an ordinary baby.

Unknown to the crowd in Bethlehem that day, a savior had been born!

Hundreds of years earlier Micah gave a prophesy concerning this event;

Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall be come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Isaiah the prophet also foretold;

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (God with us)

Many Old Testament scriptures foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, who would be the savior of the world.

But Jesus was rejected by his own people.

John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

The scribes of that day even rejected him; men who should have had enough insight of the scriptures to know whom Jesus was.

Even though many miracles were performed by Jesus He was still rejected and looked upon as a blasphemer and a false prophet.

He was accused of having a devil (John 8:48) and being crazy (Mark 3:21).

They regarded Jesus as carried away by his religious enthusiasm.

They were so deeply rooted in their own religious Sacramental behavior; they could not recognize that the man who walked among them was their own redeemer.

Jesus exposed their hypocrisy and condemned their double-standards.

His words that he spoke among them made them uncomfortable and distressing, so they sought to get rid of this impious Jew.

In our world today Jesus has become an unwelcome nuisance. And even more than a nuisance, Jesus has become a threat to our godless and worldly society.

You must understand that most people today want to live the way they want to live. They don’t want anyone telling them how to live their lives.

They are offended that Jesus requires purity and holiness.

So they choose to ignore Jesus and His teachings. They think “out of sight, out of mind.”

They think if they can get Jesus out of the picture everything in this world would be better off.

You see Jesus was perfect. He lived a sinless life. He was and is holy. He knows our thoughts, our intentions, our hearts, and sees every sin.

Listen to this; in our society today it isn’t offensive to mention the names of all those false gods because they aren’t perfect. Those false religious leaders had faults and imperfections. So it is easier to compare themselves to them.

But Jesus is perfect, faultless, a perfect example for us to live by; and the world is offended!

They are offended by his words, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

They are offended by his words, Love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart….”

They are offended by his words in John 14:6; “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

You see we are living in a society that is preaching tolerance, open mindedness, lenience, and acceptance toward all religions.

They are telling us that Jesus is not the only way to God; and for us to say so is refusing to accept people and religions that are different.

We are being labeled as bigots, insensitive, and insufficiently aware of other people’s feelings about religion.

Therefore the teachings of Jesus Christ are a stumbling-block to the world today.

1 Peter 2:7-8