Unto Us a Son is Given - “COUNSELLOR” is His Name. Read more...

• With whom took God Counsel, and who Instructed God? - Consider this awesome description of God in Isa 40:12-15, as this passage declares God’s unparalleled creative power and His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. As one looks around at this beautiful world and the seemingly infinite universe we are awed at the One who brought this fantastic creation into existence by His Word. Isa 40:14 poses this rhetorical question:“With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”. The infinite chasm that exists between God’s thoughts and man’s is addressed in Isa 55:8-9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. God created the universe and established His physical, moral, and spiritual laws according to His infinite wisdom and sovereign will. He enforces His rules for His righteous purposes and for His glory according to His standards of perfect justice. Likewise Isa 45:20-24 reveals His “re-creation”, or “regeneration” power through salvation. It is His Word that accomplishes the salvation of a sinner as Isa 55:11 declares: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”. Isa 25:1 affirms this: “O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth”.

Isa 40:12-15 “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? 15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.”

Col 1:15-19 “Who [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;”

Isa 45:20-24 “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. 21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 22Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

• The Counsel of the LORD Standeth for Ever - Pro 21:30 declares “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD”. Deu 32:4 proclaims, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he”. Not only is God the Truth, but in every aspect of His Divine personality He flawlessly operates on that same basis as He purposefully executes His plan with meticulous care to redeem each of His lost sheep for His own glory and honor. In Psa 105:8-10, God alludes to the everlasting covenant of the “promised land” – the land of Canaan, a picture of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God (Heb 11:9-10 and 16), as He spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and, by extension, to all true Christians (Gal 4:28, Gal 3:29): “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant …”. The Living God is the very essence of Truth as Heb 6:16-19 highlights: “... Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability [unchangeableness] of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation ...”. Mic 7:20 further adds, “Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old”. Mal 3:6 affirms, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”. Psa 146:5-6 states: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever …”. In Isa 46:9-10 God states: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure …”. The pleasure of the Lord is accomplished by the atonement work of Christ as Isa 53:10-11 declares: “... thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin ... and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand”. The Lord Jesus is even typified by the pagan king, Cyrus, in Isa 44:28, “… He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid”. 2 Cor 6:16 informs us that believers “… are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”. Heb 10:7 (quoting Psa 40:7) proclaims: “… Lo, I [Jesus Christ] come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God”.

Heb 6:16-19 “For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability [unchangeableness] of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

Psa 33:10-11 “The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

Jer 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”.

• Unto us a Son is Given: His Name shall be called “Counsellor” - Isa 9:6 is a passage that is quoted frequently at Christmas time and is sung in Handel’s “Messiah”: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. “Counsellor” is the second title given to the Lord Jesus Christ in this familiar passage, which is the prophetic utterance that Christ would take upon Himself a human nature and still retain His eternal position in the Godhead. We are confronted in this passage with the sheer magnitude and glorious majesty of God Himself as it lists five of the Lord Jesus’ names: Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. In Psa 119:24 one learns that God’s Word is the counselor : “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors”. Actually, the Bible is filled with the “counselors” we so earnestly need. Pro 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors [which is the Bible] there is safety”. It is His Word that created this infinite universe, it is His Word that accomplishes the salvation of a sinner and it is His Word that leads and guides us to eternal life. One of the most marvelous truths of Scripture is the “incarnation” (“in the flesh”) of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Word personified as we see in John 1:1,14 : “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ...”. John 1 continues in verses 3, 4, 9: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men ... That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”. Simeon under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, also spoke of Lord Jesus in Luke 2:32 as: “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel”. 1 Cor 1:24 reminds us, “… Christ the power [dunamis:G1411] of God, and the wisdom of God”. The Greek word for “power” is dunamis, and we can get us some idea of the amazing “power” God possesses when we realize that the English word “dynamite” was derived from this Greek word. However, the greatest demonstration of God’s power is seen in Rom 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power [or dunamis, G1411], according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead…”. We must not forget the vital role of the Holy Spirit (as a person of Triune God), as well as that of God the Father and God the Son in transmitting, preserving, and interpreting the God-breathed words of Scripture for each child of God (1 Cor 2:12-14, John 14:26, John 16:13). Even the mystery of the Trinity is revealed in this verse Isa 9:6, as God the Son, Jesus Christ, is called the “Counsellor”, “the Mighty God” and “the Everlasting Father”. The Scriptures declares in Col 2:9, “For in him [Lord Jesus]  dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”. Hence, God the Son boldly asserted in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”.

Isa 41:28-29 “For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counselor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word. 29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.”

Isa 42:1-8 “Behold my servant [or the Lord Jesus], whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 4He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. 5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

Luke 4:17-19 “And there was delivered unto him [Lord Jesus Christ] the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Lord Jesus Christ], because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Luke 2:25-33 “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel [Israel of God or the Elect]. 33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.”

Unto Us a Son is Given - “WONDERFUL” is His Name. Read more...

• Unto us a Son is Given: His Name shall be called “Wonderful”- The Hebrew word translated as “Wonderful” is pele (H6382), which describes the “wonder” of God Himself. And when we try to speak about God, we are discussing an Infinite Being Who is so far superior to man that our tiny minds can only comprehend glimpses of His glory, power, and majesty in the Scriptures. Our spiritual bondage to sin and subsequent salvation by the work of Christ is illustrated by the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years until God delivered them out of Pharaoh’s hand. God appeared to Moses for the purpose of revealing His will for the Israelites in Acts 7:34, “I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them …”. The Israelites (a picture of the elect) were “safely” delivered by God (a picture of salvation) out of the hand of Pharaoh (a picture of Satan), and in the process He destroyed the Egyptian army (a picture of unbelievers): “And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies”(Psa 78:53). The Israelites were physically “saved”, or “delivered”, out of slavery in Egypt; and, of course, symbolically this is a marvelous illustration of the nature of salvation. However, those over the age of twenty died in unbelief and ultimately had to pay for their sins in Hell. God had simply allowed them to escape from their oppressors. So we can say that even though the Israelites did obtain political freedom, they did not necessarily obtain spiritual freedom. That is, they saved their physical lives, but many lost their souls in the process because of lack of faith (Heb 3:16-19). In Exo 15, we witness this in the song of praise that Moses and the Israelites sang in worship to God for having delivered them from Pharaoh and his army typifying God delivering us from the kingdom of Satan (Col 1:13, Rev 15:2-4). God has provided a Savior, or Redeemer – that is, One Who is able to deliver us from our slavery to sin, and the subsequent punishment in Hell, which we so richly deserve: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”. (Matt 1:21). This was Jesus’ mission, as He Himself declared in Luke 4:18-19: “... to preach deliverance to the captives, ... to set at liberty them that are bruised ...”. The word “wonders” at the end of verse Exo 15:11 is the Hebrew word pele (H6382): “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders (pele)?”.

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Exo 15:1-2, 6, 11 “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: ... 6Thy right hand [representing Lord Jesus Christ], O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy ... 11Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders (pele)?”

Col 1:12-20 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”

Rev 15:2-4 “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”

• The “Marvelous” Work of Salvation - In Psalm 78, which outlines the history of the nation of Israel, pele (H6382) is rendered as “marvellous things”: “Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan” (Psa 78:12). As we seen above, spiritually, the historical great deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt symbolizes the nature of salvation by God’s power and grace alone. This is clearly understood from a citation like Exodus 14. Moses, under divine inspiration, declare to the people, “… stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day”. The Israelites were trapped with mountains on either side of them, the sea in front of them, and the greatest army on earth on their heels. In reality, they could do absolutely nothing but wait on God, and trust that what God had proclaimed He would most certainly fulfill. But isn’t this what one has to do with regard to salvation? Doesn’t Lam 3:26 declare this? “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD”. This is what God has accomplished in saving each of His elect children through the work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s look a little more closely at the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus to better understand the spiritual significance of our deliverance. Jesus had to become a man as we read in Heb 2:14-15: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; ...”. This in itself is humbling for eternal, infinite God. We read in Php 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. Christ’s death served to free the true believers from their bondage to sin, the world, and Satan as Heb 2:14 declares, “… that through death he [Christ] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”.  Gal 1:4 affirms that Christ fulfilled the will of God the Father: “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world: according to the will of God and our Father”. And 1 The 1:10 affirms “… whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”.  

Exo 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”

Lam 3:24-26 “The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

Heb 2:14-15 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

• The “Wonderful” Works of God - The promise that God uttered in Deu 31:6 by Moses, at the end of his life, should be a tremendous encouragement to every Christian: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”. Indeed, Moses had exclaimed earlier in Exo 33:15, “And he [Moses] said unto him [God], If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence”. In fact, for the next 40 years “… the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night”, as we learn from Exo 13:21. Prior to Joshua’s death at 110 years of age, he records these words as a reminder to the Israelites, as well as to us, in Jos 24:17: “For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went and among all the people through whom we passed”. As the Bible chronicles God’s faithful care and love for His people – His flock – the tender words of Isa 40:11 come to mind: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young”. After we have received salvation, God leads us to the “still [or quiet] waters” to drink of the Water of Life – the Gospel – and to “green pastures” where we feed upon the Word of God. “Wonderful works” in Acts 2:11, describes the events of Pentecost Sunday, when Holy Spirit was given to believers to lead them the way: “Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God”. As incredible as that may seem, a true believer has become the dwelling - place of the living God, as Rom 5:9 teaches: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. Lord Jesus gave us more information concerning the Holy Spirit’s wonderful ministry to every single Christian, in John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come”. It is not too difficult to assume that if God is so wonderful, then His Word – The Word of Truth must likewise reflect His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In fact, the Bible reveals His Holy nature and attributes. What are the “wondrous things” in Psa 119:18: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”, that we are to behold in God’s Law, the Bible, which he gave to believers to give them light? It is Christ and His Gospel!. May God indeed open our eyes to His Truth as He did to those two men (by saving them) on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:45). May Psa 25:5 be our prayer each day: “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day”. Moreover, may God give each of us an increasingly greater desire to obey His Word.

John 10:2-5 “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

Psa 78:4-7 “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5For he established a testimony in Jacob [typifying Elect of God], and appointed a law [Bible] in Israel [typifying born again believers], which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”

Good Tidings of Great Joy

• Jesus (Jehovah Saviour) - Saviour from Our Sins. Since Christmas is celebrated in almost every country, the birth of Christ is undoubtedly the best-known part of the Bible for people all over the world. But beyond the Baby in a manger Who would bring "peace" on earth and "good will toward men", most people do not grasp the real significance of Jesus' birth. Christ came for a very specific mission.

Mat 1:21"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."

Isa 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

Hos 13:4 "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me."

Luke 2 :10-11 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Tit 1:3-4 "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; 4To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour."

Titus 3:4-6 "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;"

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


Tit 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope [second coming of our Lord], and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

• Peace on Earth - Yes, He did come to bring "peace", but it is a spiritual peace that ends the warfare between mankind and his Creator, God Almighty. Why does such "enmity", or hatred, exist between man and God? It is because of our sin, which is sending us to Hell.

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Acts 10:36"The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all)."

Eph 2:14-15 "For he [Lord Jesus Christ] is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace."

Rom 5:8-10 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

2 Cor 5:18-20 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

• The Righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ - This passage clearly underscores the necessity of Jesus' first coming to pay for the sins of His people, to clothe them with His righteousness, and to qualify them to enter heaven. Isa 61:10 beautifully describes this gift which God graciously bestows upon His elect.

Isa 61:10"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Phil 3:9 "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

2 Pet 1:1 "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:"

• Lord Jesus Christ is the bread of life - The birth of the Lord Jesus was foretold by Micah the prophet in Micah 5. Micah's prophecy informs us that the Lord Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem, or the "house of Bread". This should not surprise us because the Bible refers to Jesus Christ as the "Bread of Life".

Mic 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

John 6:35"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

• Emmanuel, God with us - The Bible also details His virgin birth, His eternal deity, and His many names. Because of time we will be able to look at only a few of His names. Mat 1 speaks about His virgin birth and emphasizes that one of His names is "God with us". Isa 9:6 is a passage that lists five of the Lord Jesus' names.

Mat 1:18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

Mat 1:23 "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

Jer 23:5-6 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Isa 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

• Light of the World - The Lord Jesus was not welcome as a baby, nor as man. He is the Light of the World but we love darkness rather than light, because our deeds are evil.

Luke 2:7 "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

Isa 53:2-3 "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

John 3:16-21 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

• Good Tidings of Great Joy - The good tidings that the "angel", or messenger, announced in this verse is referring to the spreading of the Gospel of salvation. Once again we need to be reminded that this was Jesus' mission, as He Himself declared in Luke 4. The responsibility of preaching the Gospel did not fall on Christ alone, but on every one of His followers thereafter. May God give us grace to be obedient to this command.

Luke.2:10-11 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 4:18-19, 21 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Lord Jesus Christ], because he hath anointed me [Lord Jesus Christ] to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord… And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Rom 10:14-15 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"