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"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” - Micah 5:2   "Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." Truly, the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem and fulfilled Micah's prophe...

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14   During His time here on earth, Jesus fulfilled over three hundred different prophecies. One of these is the prophecy that Immanuel, which means God with us, would be born of a virgin. Luke records the fulfillment of this through the angel telling Mary tha...

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” - Luke 2:13-14   "Peace on earth"...that is certainly what most people strive to find. We spend our lives searching for things to fill the hole in our heart that lacks joy, hope, and peace. Well today, I have good news, just like...

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." - Matthew 2:1-3   When Christ's birth was proclaimed, there were two distinct reactions....

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:1-2.   The Magi are known for journeying to Jesus after seeing the star announcing His birth. In Numbers 24, there is a prophecy that "a st...

he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:28-32.   Does God keep His promises? Well, every time. Our faithful God is recorded in t...

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promi...

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'" - Matthew 1:20-21   Have you ever stared into the future,...

"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'" - Luke 1:41-43   Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, had spirit-filled eyes. Now, why do I say that? The child in Elizabe...

"The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ...'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' Then the angel left her." - Luke 1:35-38   When I read this passage in Luke, I can't help but be in awe over Mary's faith. Here is a teenage girl who see...

"“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”" - Jeremiah 23:5-6   "You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that’s what I am." Je...

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David....." - Matthew 1:1 When you hear of King David in the Bible, you may think of David and Goliath, or you may think of David, the musician, or even David, the man after God's own heart. Now while David was all of those things, the truth is he was also an adulterer and a murderer. You can read the whole story in second Samuel eleven. When...

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth..." - Matthew 1:1,5   Have you ever felt left out, like you don't belong? Well, Ruth did. Ruth was a Moabite woman who married into a Jewish family. Her father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband all died; and her mother-in-law Naomi decided to go back to Israel. Ruth chose to go with her:"Wherever you go I...

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab...." - Matthew 1:5   Rahab was neither Jewish nor a righteous woman—viewed as a great sinner. But in her sin, she turned to faith in God. She was like us: a sinner in need of a Savior. And through her line, God sent the promised Messiah—the Savior of the world.   To get a free copy of the 25-day Chr...

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham...” - Matthew 1:1   Did you know? Jesus' birth was a fulfillment of a promise. In Genesis seventeen, when God gave Abram the new name of Abraham, God also gave him a promise of being the father of many nations that He would bless. One of the blessings was that the Messiah would come through his seed. God originally to...

Throughout the course of human history, there have been many corrupt kings. But humanity has continually sought a perfect ruler who will bring peace to our lives and communities. However, a fallen people enslaved to sin are unable to produce anyone who can do this. And more than ever, we are constantly dealing with anxiety, depression, and great fear about the future. But did you know that once we...

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear..." These powerful verses from Psalm forty-six remind us of a key truth found throughout God's Word—when we become a child of God, Jesus is our refuge. In fact, the last thing Jesus told His disciples before He ascended into heaven was, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age....

In the New Testament, Jesus performs miracle after miracle, healing the lame, the sick, and the blind. He even raised His friend Lazarus from the dead! Christ has the power to heal us physically, but the biggest miracle of all is that Jesus heals us spiritually. Psalms one hundred three (103) says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not his benefits, He forgives all of our iniquity, who heals...

When we share our faith with another person, it is always important to ask not only if they desire to receive Jesus as their Saviour but also as their Lord. After Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to His disciples before ascending into Heaven and told them in, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me." Jesus is God—He is part of the trinity—and as such, He has dominion and power over...

In Matthew sixteen, thirteen to sixteen, Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied that some thought he was one of the prophets. And when Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And you know, to this day, people are still asking that very question: "Who is Jesus?" And being that Jesus is God, the...

When it comes to worshipping God, our heart matters. Our worship in a community of believers will only be as beneficial as our attitudes are sincere. Scripture gives us numerous "attitude checkpoints" by which we can examine our hearts to make certain that we are ready for worship. John wrote in John four that "a time [...]has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and...

Central to every worship service should be the reading and proclaiming of the Word of God. This part of worship is non-negotiable—we need to be filling ourselves up with more of the Bible. When we hear Scripture as part of our community worship, we hear what God would say through His servant to comfort, encourage, warn, and rebuke us. And this truly demands our solemn attention. In Nehemiah chapte...

Do you like to sing praises to God? Now, I know some of us aren't professional singers, but singing is an important part of Christian worship. Paul said that when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, singing will come naturally as an expression of our joy. In Ephesians 15:19, Paul writes, "be filled with the Spirit [...] singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." You know, King David is...

As we look this week at how we can grow spiritually through worship, we should consider how many of the Psalms were originally written for Jewish worship services. In Psalm ninety-five, we read that we worship God because He is the "great King." "In His hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The seas are His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land." And...

Charles Spurgeon said, "Some Christians try to go to heaven alone, in solitude. But, believers are not compared to bears or lions or other animals that wander alone. Those who belong to Christ are sheep in this respect, that they love to get together. Sheep go in flocks, and so do God's people." We will not be able to grow in fellowship until we first develop our minds and spirits to be committed...