Dr. Matt Ayars has written a wonderful article found below. I believe it is vital to add that the Lord Jesus Christ was not only born to die as the propitiation for the sins of any and all who come to know Him, believe Him, take up His cross and follow Him, but the Lord Jesus Christ’s death as the Sacrificial Lamb of God to atone for the sins of men and women who believe on Him was only part of the story of the most important event to ever take place on this earth. The birth, life, teaching, death, burial, and then RESURRECTION from the dead, conquering death, fulfilling the promise of God, the Firstfruits revealing the promise of eternal life.

I pray at this time each of us pays much more attention to the REAL Christmas story, to the Scriptures and none gets entangled in the world accouterments and falseness, the worldly aspects this season, the REAL Christmas story has been turned into for most folks.

The joy of Jesus’ birth. The lineage. The promises, prophecy fulfilled, John the Baptist, Elizabeth and Mary, Simeon at the temple and not only the joy but the fulfillment of God’s Word which includes suffering, belief, making His Son, Jesus the priority in one’s life which would bring persecutions.

It’s all about Jesus. The whole Bible is about Jesus. And we need to become restored, washed in the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus foretold and revealed to us from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

Not permitting the world to enter in. Allowing only the Holy Spirit to enter in revealing the Gospel to us through the Word. Through and only through and about Jesus Christ the Lord.

Acknowledging our sin. That all fall short of the glory of God and all are sinners. Deserving nothing more than God’s wrath and eternal damnation — were it not for Jesus Christ the Lord.

None are good. None seek God. None seek righteousness.

It’s all about Jesus. And how, if we see Him, come to know Him, believe all about Him. Know He was fully man and also fully God. Know that Jesus existed always and will exist always, He has no beginning nor end. And He is a person of the Triune God.

The birth, the incarnation, the virgin birth through the lineage of Abraham and David, lowly, poor, turned away from birth the wonderful story of Christmas, of God in the form of Jesus coming to earth in such a way — but let’s not stop there or linger there. Let’s come to know the whole story as told to us, to anyone desiring the know the truth, believe the truth, follow and live the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Born to die, yes, also born to die and conquer death revealing the promise of eternal life to many witnesses after 3 days in the tomb, and for 40 days more before ascending to heaven right before many witnesses.

Believe. Believe in the birth. In the life. In the teachings. In the death and burial. In the 3 days in the tomb lying dead. In the resurrection on the third day.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Gospel. Then tell the Gospel to others. From the Scriptures. Adding nothing, removing nothing. Not fearful of the truth. Not afraid to speak of sin, of the need of repentance, of the power of the Spirit of God to renew, transform, regenerate dark, dead in sins unbelieving hearts to hearts of joy and gladness, hearts of service and love, hearts of seeking Him and coming to know Him better and better daily — through prayer, through the Word. Do not remove yourself from the Word.

Ken Pullen

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020

ACP — A Crooked Path

Born to Die

Monday, December 21, 2020

By Dr. Matt Ayars

Reprinted from American Family Association

The wise men gave Jesus the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each of these three gifts corresponds to aspects of Jesus’s identity and redemptive mission in the world. The gold is symbolic of Jesus’s royalty. Jesus wasn’t the King of an earthly empire, but the King of the cosmos. He is the one through whom and by whom all things were created (Colossians 1:6). He is the preeminent One; the Son of God. He is the Prince of Peace and King of kings. It is by his word that the universe is upheld (Hebrews 1:3).

The frankincense symbolizes that Jesus is a priest. Like Moses, Jesus is an intermediary between God and people. Like the priests who served in Solomon’s temple, Jesus makes a means to provide access to the throne-room of heaven. In Jesus, heaven and earth meet. Without Jesus, there’s no communion with the Father (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:56; 7:26).

The myrrh is a reminder that Jesus, while a king and priest, is also a suffering servant. Myrrh was used to embalm bodies for burial. When the wise men gave Jesus myrrh as a birthday present, it was the equivalent of giving a newborn baby the gift of a tombstone. Myrrh is a reminder that Jesus was born to die. Death was his mission. Jesus could have performed all the miracles in the world, but if he didn’t die in our place, the mission would have been a failure. In Jesus God came to die, so that we may live (John 3:16). Jesus was born to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:4–5).

One of the themes of Christmas is joy. Having four young children, I witness and share that childlike joy every single day, especially as Christmas approaches. As the house is filled with the smell of Christmas cookies, balsam and cedar, and Christmas music plays against the sound of kids’ laughter, each day is marked by the joy of the season.

No doubt, the source of that joy for the kids is the anticipation of presents. For the adults, oftentimes it’s the joy that comes with Christmas traditions and time with family and friends. There’s a deeper joy that comes with Christmas, however, that doesn’t go away once the holidays pass. It is the joy of knowing that Jesus died on our behalf. It is the joy of knowing that Jesus has overcome the world.

Famous missionary E. Stanley Jones says this:

Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Note, not “I will overcome the world,” but “have.” Everything I meet he has already met – in every situation I face a defeated foe. When sin and temptation and trials try to bully me, I quietly ask them to bend their necks. And when they do, I point out with joy: “I thought so; there is the footprint of the Son of God upon your neck.”

THIS is the joy of Christmas. This Christmas Eve remember that Jesus came so that in every situation we face a defeated foe. In this, we will find that joy that abides eternally.

(This was posted first on Dr. Ayars site HERE)