Luke 1:26-38, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
“Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
“Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
Rephrased, “In the sixth month, an angel named Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. A young woman by the name of Mary was engaged to a man from the house of David, whose name is Joseph. After entering, the angel proclaimed to Mary, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you – blessed are you among women!””
“But when she saw him, she was troubled at what he was saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
“Mary was startled when a mysterious angel appeared to her with a greeting she didn’t understand. He reassured her, telling her that she had found favor with God. She was filled with awe at the thought of being chosen by God yet filled with fear all the same. This was an unexpected turn of events for Mary that would forever change the course of history.”
“Astonishingly, you will soon have a Son, who you must name Jesus. He will be great and respected – being referred to as the Son of the Highest. On top of that, God Himself will grant Him the throne of His father David. He will rule over the house of Jacob for eternity, and His kingdom shall never come to an end.”
“Mary was startled and asked the angel, “How is this possible when I’ve never been with a man?”.
“The angel replied to her, saying, “the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would be with her. Consequently, this Holy One to be born will be called “The Son of God”. Miracles do happen and Elizabeth proves it. Considered to be barren, at a very old age she has conceived a child – an absolute marvel of God’s power! Nothing is impossible with Him!”
“Mary responded with a resounding faith, “Yes Lord, here I am – your humble servant. May your word be fulfilled.” With that, the angel left her alone.”
Jesus of Nazareth has been revered by billions of people all over the world for centuries on end. He is not just the Son of God but very much the Creator and Word in human form. Until today, Jesus remains exemplary in His perfection having been born sinless, shameless and blameless through the virgin birth sent from heaven by God to save and redeem mankind from sin and darkness.
Accompanied by His faithful disciples, He preached humility, compassion and taught them to love one another as brothers and sisters. While several were hesitant to recognize Him as The Messiah, they eventually followed His words closely leading up to His eventual crucifixion upon which He reinstated His power to rise again after three days – a phenomenon that could only be experienced by The Eternal One Himself – Jesus.
John 1:1-5,” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Rephrased, “In the beginning, the divine Word existed alongside God and was of similar essence to Him. He had a presence with the Almighty since the dawn of time. Everything we see in this world was created by Him and nothing would have existed without His presence. In Him was life, and that life shined its light on humanity. Even in the darkness, this light could not be put out as it could not be comprehended.”
Jesus Christ is the embodiment of life. His radiance can direct us away from the darkness and give us strength to keep going when things seem insurmountable. Even though we may not always understand it, His divine light will never be extinguished.
Jesus is the eternal one, born of a virgin, sent from Heaven the only Son of God. He was sinless and blameless and a man whose life and death changed the course of the world. Through Jesus, God’s will be revealed to the world in human form. He had 12 disciples who followed him faithfully on his journey that would ultimately lead to his crucifixion on a cross. Yet even Death could not stop Him, as He rose again on the third day with the Resurrection power of God.
He has been given the name above every name in which we can be save and He hold the keys to Death, Hell, and the Grave. Through His words, His presence, and His triumph over death on the cross, Jesus revealed God’s ultimate purpose for mankind – eternal life through faith in Him alone. In Jesus is hope for all who call upon His name, for He is the Eternal One, God’s only Son.
John 1:29-34, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”
“And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
Rephrased, “As John laid his eyes on Jesus the following day, he exclaimed in awe, “Look! It’s the Lamb of God who carries away the sinfulness of mankind!” He is the one I spoke of, saying ‘Someone will come after me, and be more important than me; since He was already here before me.’ Even though I was not familiar with Him, I had heard that He was to be revealed to Israel, so I began baptizing people with water as a sign of preparation.”
John testified that he had seen the Spirit of God come down from heaven in the form of a dove, and it had settled on Jesus. Although I had never met Him, the One who commissioned me to baptize with water showed me a sign – He said that whoever I saw the Spirit descending and resting upon, was the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have personally witnessed and testified that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Jesus, the eternal one, was born of a virgin in a little town of Bethlehem long ago. From the lineage of David, this special one was born – God’s own son. He brought hope to an otherwise broken world with His perfect life. No other had done what Jesus accomplished. He was without sin, shame and blame for all of humanity’s wrong doings.
John 1:14-18, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Rephrased, “The Word of God became a human being and lived among us, so we have seen His glory – the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father. He was full of grace and truth.”
“John was a witness to Him and exclaimed, “This is the One I spoke of – He who comes after me has been exalted above me, for He existed before me.””
“From His abundance, we are all given blessings and grace on top of grace. Moses was the one who gave us the Law, while Jesus was the one who brought us God’s grace and truth. Nobody has seen God at any point in time. Jesus is the only begotten Son, who is in Father’s embrace, and He revealed everything to us.”
His mission was initiated in Heaven when He was sent by His Father – God Almighty – to redeem mankind from their trespasses and pave the way for eternal life through Him alone. During his ministry Jesus chose twelve disciples and with them went about teaching and performing miracles that pointed to His divinity as the Son of God.
Eventually He fulfilled His destiny when he willingly allowed himself to be sacrificed on the cross and die for us. After three days Christ rose again showing absolute obedience to His Father and overcoming death once and for all!
Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Rephrased, “I’m not here to abolish the Law or Prophets in any way; instead, my aim is to bring them to their true completion. Heaven and earth may pass away, but there will not be a single punctuation mark of the law that passes away until everything is fulfilled.
Breaking the commandments and teaching others to do so can result in becoming least in the kingdom of Heaven. However, if the commandments are followed and taught to others, that person will be held in great regard within Heaven’s kingdom. Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the religious scholars and Pharisees, you will never experience the promise of Heaven.”
We know that Jesus is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.” Jesus is the cornerstone, and there is no other way to be saved. This ‘stone’ was rejected by those who built their own foundation, but it has now become the most important part of their structure. No one else has a name that gives salvation, so He is our only way of being saved.”
Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God, and our Deliverer, is the conquering hero who brings salvation to all mankind. Christ’s sacrificial act of courageously opposing Satan enabled us to break free from death’s tight grasp. His sacrifice by descending into the grave removed the agony of death and He emerged victorious, ultimately liberating us from our suffering.
The Lord Jesus Christ has brought us the ultimate victory over all strongholds of darkness. He triumphed over Satan’s lies with the truth, overcame death, and secured eternity for us through His glorious resurrection, and graciously saved us from bondage of sin. Through His selfless act of giving, Jesus opened the door of grace and victory for all who choose to turn to Him in repentance!
Jesus Christ gave up His life for the sake of humankind and is our ultimate victor. His selfless act of self-sacrifice was an incredible gesture that ensured mankind’s salvation. Jesus chose to liberate us from Satan’s lies and bondage. By ultimately sacrificing himself on the cross, He overcame death and Hell, thus giving everyone a chance at salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a [m]mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Rephrased, “To reiterate, my fellow believers, the realm of God cannot be accessed by humans who have a physical form; instead, incorruptible spirits inherit the kingdom. Listen closely, I have a secret to share with you: We will not all go to sleep, instead we will all experience a transformation—instantly and in the blink of an eye, at the signal of the last trumpet. With the sound of it, even those who have died shall be resurrected in incorruptible form and we too shall be altered.”
“To gain immortality, this corruptible must become incorruptible and this mortality must be given everlasting life. When mortality is replaced by immortality and corruptibility is conquered by incorruptibility, the divinely inspired saying will be fulfilled: “Death will be defeated in victory.””
“Sin is the sting of death, and the law gives it power. But thanks to God, we have victory over such things through Jesus Christ. So, where is your sting, Death? Where is your victory, Hades? The answer can be found in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, stay firm and unmovable while continuing to do the Lord’s work with enthusiasm. Remember that the effort you put forth will not go unrewarded by Him.”
