Matt 1:2, Rom 8:3 & Job 42:5

In Matthew 1 v 21, it is written that Mary would give birth to a son and that they should give Him the name Jesus for He would save His people from their sins.  The Lord Jesus is the Son of God and through Him, we can be made the children of God and delivered from our sins.

God sent the Lord Jesus to take on human form but without a sinful nature. The Lord Jesus had a human body but was without sin.  What does this mean for us?  In Romans 8 v 3, it is written that "what the law was powerless to do, God did by sending His Son'.  

In Job 42 v 5, Job says "my ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You".  Jesus was sent to do what the Law could not do. Jesus, as the sinless Man, took our sins into Himself on the Cross, and "condemned sin in the flesh". In other words, He saves us from our sins which we could not forsake. He alone can forgive and make free.

It is one thing to be taught the Gospel, it is another when the inner being is enabled to see the Lord Jesus.  When God reveals Him to you, then a change comes about which is brought about by the Holy Spirit.  It is only then that a person is saved.  As the saying goes, "salvation is not by education but by revelation".  If the Holy Spirit reveals this mystery of Christ incarnate, born for us, then we experience the promise in Isaiah 9:6 "unto us a Son is given"; and then you can say like Job, "now my eyes have seen You".

Thus, in Romans it says "what the law was powerless to do ... God did by sending His own Son ..."  . This is the Christmas message of hope and salvation.

A certain man was always drunk on Christmas.  He came to the Lord here at Kwasizabantu and for the first time in 25 years he was overjoyed to be sober. He experienced the real Christmas gift of God - forgiveness and deliverance from sin.

We cannot stop with our addictions and bondages by self effort. We need a Saviour! Many people commit sin in secret but the Lord Jesus came to save us from these very sins.

It is only when the Lord Jesus comes into a person's life, that your life will be different.  He deals with the problem of sin and takes up residence in your heart.  If you have rats in a building you get a cat and they are chased away. This is because cats and rats don't get along together. They can't live in peace in the same place. When Jesus comes, He will deal with the rats of sins in your life.

The story is told that Leonardo da Vinci painted a picture of Jesus and Judas (more of the story here). 

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"God sent His Son; and now my eyes have seen You" - part 2

In the 7pm service Rev Erlo Stegen continued with the theme of Job 42:5. The Israelites were bitten by "fiery serpents", (for they had grumbled about the boring manna and caused God to be angry with them) but when they looked to the Bronze Serpent raised up by Moses they were immediately healed. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus (John 3:14) He referred to this and explained that "the Son of Man will be lifted up so that whoever looks to Him and believes will have eternal life".

C.H. Spurgeon's conversion was brought about by the Lord enabling him to "look to Christ" and live.

You too can look to Christ and be saved. As you look to Christ hanging on the Cross for you, look with the eye of faith, confess your sins, and He will save you. You will be able to say with Job, "but now mine eye hath seen thee".