Why Jesus Had To Die For Us

Jesus had to die on that cross for our sins and pour out His blood for us, because...

^"It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats

to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said:

   'Sacrifice and offering 

You did not desire,

but a body You prepared for Me;

  With burnt offerings and sin offerings

You were not pleased.

Then I said, ‘Here I am—

it is written about Me in the scroll—

I have come to do Your will, O God.’ ”

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Hebrews 10: 4-7

Jesus is our Sacrifice for sins
“... we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."  - Hebrews 10:10

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"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood."  - Romans 3:25

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^" So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."  - Hebrews 9:28 (also read Hebrews 9:26)

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"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

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We Have Peace With God Through the Blood of Christ
^"For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross."  - Colossians 1: 19-20

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The Blood of Jesus Cleanses Us of Sins
"If we walk in the light as He is in the light. we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin."  - 1 John 1:7

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We Have Redemption Through Christ's Blood
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.

In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."- Ephesians 1: 3-8  

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"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect." - 1 Peter 1: 18-19 (also read John 1:29)

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We have been purchased with the blood of Christ 

"And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"- Revelation 5:9

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Christ Entered Heaven By His Own Blood
"When Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place (Heaven) once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." -  Hebrews 9: 11-12

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We Enter Heaven Through the Body and Blood of Christ
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body..."  - Hebrews 10:19-20 (also read Luke 23:45-46)

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We Have Been Justified by His Blood
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!"
- Romans 5: 8-9

Christ Had To Die

Christ had to die
upon that cross,
or else, we’d all be lost.

He had to die.
He had no choice.
His blood, our ransom cost.

Christ had to die!
He had to die,
to die so we could live;

And, when He died
He showed the world
the love God had to give.

Constance V. Walden

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Read John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4

The Birth of Jesus, the Messiah

No one knows the exact date of Jesus Christ's birth; but, the events surrounding His birth are recorded in the Bible this way:

In Luke 1:26-35:

"God sent the angel Gabriel

to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

to a virgin pledged to be married

to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.

The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'


Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David (His ancestor, according to the flesh), and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.'


'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'

The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon 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.' "

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In Matthew 1:18-25:


"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.


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.'


All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call him 'Immanuel'—which means, 'God with us.'”


When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus."

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A Poem

The Humble Nativity Scene

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The humble nativity scene,

to me, this is what

Christmas

means...

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The bright shining star,

the men from afar

bringing gifts

to the Lord and King;

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The smile on the face

of a child;

The angels

as they sing out loud,

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"Salvation is born,

He's Christ Jesus, Lord.

Bethlehem sees

the New Born King."

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Constance V. Walden

The angels announce His birth

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.


So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a Child.


While they were there, the time came for the Baby to be born, and she gave birth to her Firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.


And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. '


'Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'


Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'

When the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”


So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2: 1-20

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The Magi bringing the Baby Jesus gifts:

"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 in the east and have come to worship Him.”


When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a Ruler

who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and make a careful search for the
Child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.'


After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.


And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Matthew 2:1-12

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Jesus grew up and went on to fulfill His purpose...to become the sacrificial Lamb of God Who would take away the sins of the world.