Christmas is the most wonderful, popular, and well celebrated time of the year. It’s a time when many in America and around the world celebrate the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ and its significance to Christians. The Bible sets forth details of the conception and birth of Jesus.
Matthew’s Gospel gives us the genealogy of Jesus, beginning with Abraham, founder of the Hebrew nation, and concludes with Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Matthew also writes about the conception and birth of Jesus.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18).
Because of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph wanted to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel appeared to him in a dream telling him “do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20).
Then there was the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth. The angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10,11).
The prophet Isaiah predicted Jesus’ birth 700 years before the actual event with this announcement, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14). The name Immanuel means “God with us,” and it refers to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Isaiah refers to Jesus’s birth again, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” A child is born means the humanity of Jesus. And “to us a son is given” takes us to John 3:16, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Salvation is provided through Jesus the Son of God who gave himself for us.
There is a significant message in each of the names or titles of Jesus as recorded in Isaiah’s prophecy.
Wonderful Counselor. The Scripture tells us “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24). Isaiah speaks of Jesus this way: “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:2). When Jesus taught in the synagogue, the people “were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.” (Mark 1:22). These statements confirm that Jesus is indeed the Wonderful Counselor.
Mighty God. Jesus being very God of very God, has all power given to Him in heaven and on earth. The Scripture says, “What is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:19,20). Here we see that God’s great might was worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead. The Mighty God is therefore a befitting a title for Jesus.
Everlasting Father. Jesus is the Everlasting Father to all who have trusted him as Savior and Lord. He is “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23). And absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In asserting His Deity, Jesus declares of Himself “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). And yet again He says, “The Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:38). Therefore, only Jesus is uniquely in the position to reveal God’s attributes and characteristics to us.
Prince of Peace. Jesus is truly our Prince of Peace. He rightly bears the title Prince of Peace. And He is the very source of peace. “For he himself is our peace.” (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus also declared, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27). What a wonderful and inspiring assurance this is,” It was therefore God’s intent that Jesus’ advent would bring peace to a chaotic world by reconciling sinful man to Himself.
It behooves Christians to acknowledge and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal li.” (1 John 5:20).
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room.
And heaven and nature sing.