Songs for the Savior

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CURRENT RADIO SERIES Stories of the Bible   CURRENT TV SERIES Songs for the Savior

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 As a child, I used to love getting up on Christmas morning and rushing into the living room to hopefully receive all the gifts I had requested. Like most children, I rarely stopped to think that my parents had spent their hard-earned income on trinkets and toys that would soon be forgotten, discarded, or outgrown. But as I look back as an adult on those Christmases, something sticks out as much more important and much more treasured than opening presents. You see, every Christmas morning, before any of those presents were opened, my family would spend some time with my grandfather’s well-worn Bible, reading the story of that first Christmas. It’s so easy in our day and age to define Christmas by what’s under the tree. But let’s never forget the real reason for the season: Jesus Christ. He’s the one the Old Testament prophecies pointed to, and He is the only one who can truly bring peace to our dark and violent world. As you and your loved ones prepare to celebrate Christmas, I want to encourage you to take the step of reading the Bible together as a part of your celebration. Don’t neglect the heart of the Christmas season. Put Christ and His teachings first in your Christmas, and you’ll create memories that last forever.

Six Miles from the Manger

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
John 18:35-37

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David, just as the ancient prophets had foretold, just six miles from Jerusalem. Because of its close location, some Bible scholars believe that the shepherds to whom the angels appeared to announce the birth of Christ were keeping flocks of sheep intended to be used for sacrifices in the Temple. The place of Jesus’ birth was very close to the place of His death and resurrection, and if we properly understand the Christmas story, those two cannot be separated.
Jesus did not come to teach or to heal or to start a new religion. He came to be the Saviour, making the sacrifice necessary to pay for our sins. He is the only hope and source of salvation. All of man’s efforts to atone for sin fall short. But when we come to Jesus, there is hope. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Those who acknowledge their sin and need of a Saviour and turn to Him in faith, accepting salvation as the free gift that it is, are saved forever.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

A person who does not accept God’s offer of salvation through Christ alone has missed the whole meaning of Christmas.