The Good News Of Christmas

The Good News of Christmas

Matthew 1:18-25

Good morning and Merry Christmas.

In this fallen desperate world in which we live, we could all use some Good News!

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" NKJV

When Jesus was born, the Gospel, which means good news, actually came to humankind, within a baby.

The best news ever given is that we can be saved from the punishment we deserve because of what Jesus did on the Cross.

Jesus came to the Earth He created so we could have forgiveness of sin, peace with God, and a new life by His sacrifice.

For the person who receives His gift of Salvation, there is no more shame or condemnation because our account has been wiped clean by the blood of Christ.

His Salvation would be good enough if the Good News stopped there, but it doesn’t, those who have Christ are also given peace.

If we surrender to Jesus, He will give us peace, rest for our souls, and set us free from the chains and sins that bind us.

Please open your Bibles this morning to Matthew 1.

This morning, we are going to look at a very well known passage however, if we are open to the LORD, He will speak.

Bible study tools said, “In the Old Testament, when God says, "I Am," it refers to God's name as Yahweh and signifies God's eternal nature, self-sufficiency, and dominion over all things”

Eternal nature: God's name "I Am" conveys his eternal nature, that he was, is, and will be. Self-sufficiency: God is self-sufficient and does not need anything from outside of himself.

Dominion: God's name "I Am" conveys his dominion over all things.

In Exodus 3:14, God says to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM”. Say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you'". " I Am " is used in the New Testament, where Jesus refers to himself as the I Am ".

In John 8:58, Jesus said, "Before Abraham was born, I Am". In this statement, Jesus equates Himself with God.”

Jesus called Himself “I Am” throughout the Book of John.

• I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51);

• I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12);

• I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9);

• I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14);

• I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25);

• I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6);

• I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5).

This name, “I AM WHO I AM”, is the name Yahweh which appears more than 160 times in the Book of Genesis alone.

The name Jesus means "Yahweh is salvation" and the word “Christ” comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning Anointed One, or Messiah.

Jesus Christ came to earth as our Salvation and the Anointed One. He is the Great I Am, who came to earth because we needed forgiveness of sin and a way to have Eternal Life.

I AM also means that God is "the becoming one"; God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need.

When we need the LORD to provide something, we can fill in the blank of our need and that is what the LORD will become for us as He supplies for our needs, as the Great I Am.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. NKJV

We can say, “I need a Savior, I need a redeemer, I need a healer, and the LORD becomes that for His Children”.

Jesus Christ came into the world to save lost sinners. So, as the “Great I am”, He became our Savior.

I. Immaculate Conception.

Read Matthew 1:18

C.S. Lewis said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God”.

At this time, Mary was pledged, or betrothed, to Joseph.

Oftentimes, in their culture, young children were pledged to one another in an arranged marriage by their parents.

Betrothal was official and binding similar to a marriage engagement, but it had a much deeper importance than our modern-day practice.

During a betrothal, the couple was known as husband and wife and a betrothal could only be broken by a divorce decree.

A betrothal typically lasted a year and then the Marriage celebration would happen.

So here, we find Mary betrothed to Joseph, pregnant before the marriage, while she was a virgin.

Okay, put yourself in Joseph’s shoes here for a minute…What impact would the discovery of Mary being pregnant have on you or others around her?