Last Sunday, Joel Smith preached from Matthew 25:14-30 and exhorted us to faithfully use our lives for the glory of Christ.

Read: Luke 1:26-38 

This Sunday, Pastor Ken Lewis will begin our Christmas series: God Does the Impossible, with a sermon from Luke 1:26-38. God does the impossible; therefore, we should worship, trust, and obey him.

As you prepare your heart for our Sunday gathering, let this devotional from John MacArthur remind you of the tragic, yet glorious way in which God accomplished the impossible for us, bringing us from death to life in Jesus Christ.

Reflect: “Born to Die”

“We … see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one” (Heb. 2:9).

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Jesus Christ was born to die as our substitute.

At this time of year, it is difficult for us to see Jesus other than as a little baby. We, of course, know why He came, but we usually focus on His death on the cross at another time of year. But we must never forget that He came to die.

Those soft baby hands fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb were made to have two great nails hammered through them. Those little chubby feet were made to walk up a hill and be nailed to a cross. That sacred head was made to wear a crown of thorns. His tender body wrapped in swaddling clothes would be pierced by a spear to reveal a broken heart. The death of Christ was no accident; He was born to die.

Jesus died to remove the curse so we could regain our dominion. But to do that, He had to come as a man. Even though in doing so He temporarily became lower than the angels, He accomplished something no angel could: our restoration.

The first and foremost reason for the Incarnation is that Christ might taste death on behalf of every man and woman. He came to die in our place—to be our substitute. God had two options: Either let us die and pay for our own sins, or allow a substitute to take our punishment and die in our place. He mercifully chose the latter.

It is vital that we affirm the fact of Christ’s substitutionary death because modern liberal theology claims Jesus died merely as an example, like a martyr dying for some cause. But in reality He died as a substitute for you and me. As a result He freed us to live for and with God. Rejoice that the Creator of angels, the Lord of hosts, was willing to become lower than His creation for our sakes.

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Suggestions for Prayer:  Thank the Lord for His willingness to humble Himself to become a man in order to save you.

For Further Study: Read Psalm 22, and note which verses prophesy Jesus’ suffering on the cross.^[1]

“Born to Die,” December 26^th Devotional in Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith, by John MacArthur.

Sing: Song List for Sunday

1. “Angels from the Realms of Glory (Emmanuel),” Arr. Paul Baloche
2. “Joy has Dawned,” by Keith & Kristyn Getty
3. “Sing We the Song of Emmanuel,” by Matt Boswell