Tidings of Great Joy

[nChrist]

Tidings of Great Joy - Part One:

Luke 2:4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
Luke 2:5  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luke 2:6  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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.
Luke 2:8  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:15  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Luke 2:16  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Luke 2:17  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Luke 2:18  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Luke 2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:20  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke 2:21  And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:22  And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
Luke 2:23  (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
Luke 2:24  And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Luke 2:25  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.
Luke 2:26  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Luke 2:27  And 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,
Luke 2:28  Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Luke 2:29  Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
Luke 2:30  For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Luke 2:31  Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
Luke 2:32  A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Luke 2:33  And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
Luke 2:34  And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
Luke 2:35  (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

See Part Two

[nChrist]

Tidings of Great Joy - Part Two

JESUS is not a fictional character in a Christmas story. JESUS is real, and HE is our Living Lord and Saviour, Almighty God. JESUS is offering you the greatest and most precious GIFT in existence, HIMSELF!

I loved my grandfather dearly, and I still enjoy listening to and reading his messages from God's Word. Please take a moment and enjoy a timeless message from God's Word.
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WHAT ONE MUST DO TO BE SAVED

By Ike T. Sidebottom


Men, women, young people, boys and girls are never saved in mass movement. Too often people throng to the alter in evangelistic meetings and make empty confessions. One follows another, and they are as “the blind leading the blind.” They all fall into the ditch together.

Only the moving power of the Holy Spirit can impress upon the minds and hearts of the unsaved sinners the eternal and unalterable truth of the following scriptures.

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Eccl. 7:20)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rom. 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

Any unsaved person, with a normal mind, having read and thought upon these verses, cannot escape being touched by the truth of them. The honest heart will immediately realize that these verses apply to every one in the human family.

As you read these lines, will you be honest with yourself? Will you be honest with God? Will you read these verses again, and again? Will you think soberly, weighing the contents of each verse, and taking each verse as written directly unto you?

If you have ever thought of yourself as being a just person; and one that doeth good, and sinneth not: then remember that your opinion of yourself clashes with the unalterable Word of God. He says you are not just, you cannot do good and live apart from sin. I urge you to bow before the Word of truth, accept it without a reservation, and take your place as an unjust sinner, standing in need of God’s mercy and grace.

Have you ever considered the fact, that as a member of the human family, as one of that great number described in the Bible as mankind, you have a deceitful heart that is desperately wicked. Yes, our hearts, both yours and mine, are not only deceitful, but “deceitful above all things.” Our hearts are not only wicked, but “des-perately wicked.”

The thing that is most important for us to learn, is that we can do nothing about this terrible condition. We are wholly dependent upon God’s mercy and grace. Apart from His mercy, we would have been in hell long ago. Apart from His grace, we would, at this present time, be entirely without hope.

Perhaps you feel that your clean, moral life; your good works; your membership in some church or lodge; or the fact that you give liberally to the church, to charity, etc., should be sufficient to give you a standing before God. Be not deceived by such thoughts. God has spoken, and His Word is that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Without Christ, the very best of people are far short of His glory.

The last verse in the above quotations carries the one hope for you, or for any other member of the human family. Even though, the wages of our sin brings eternal death to our souls, God has provided for the quickening, or making alive of those who are dead in trespasses and sins. This quickening power is in His love gift to the world, even the gift of His own dear Son. God’s gift of eternal life to sinners is included in the gift of His Son.

“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.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He 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.” (John 3:16-18)

The truth in these verses cannot be measured in heights nor depths, in length nor breadth. The only begotten Son of the Father came down from the heights of glory to live among men. He humbled Himself and became “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” which took Him to the depths of hell, as our substitute. The love manifested at Calvary reaches to the east, to the west, to the north, to the south, even as far as the habitation of any lost soul. The “whoso-ever” of the above quotation includes you, it included me, it included all who have lived from the day of Adam to the last man that shall live on the earth.

I would like to emphasize to any unsaved person reading these lines that you are not numbered among the unsaved because of any or all of the sins you have committed. The Word says, “he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” He does not say that people are condemned because they are guilty of this sin or that sin, but because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We need to remember that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is that the saved have the Saviour, and the unsaved have no Saviour. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Therefore all are condemned. Every son of Adam, who has reached the age of accountability, stands condemned before God until he or she believes in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I trust that our unsaved readers will not hesitate to believe. Regardless of what your sins may be, even if you have gone into the very mire of sin, do not hesitate to trust Him who died for your sins. His blood cleanses from all sins.

I also hope that you will not feel that it is necessary for you to be in some revival meeting or some church gathering in order to be saved. You do not even need to be in the presence of a preacher. You only need to realize your lost and undone condition, as set forth in the first list of quotations mentioned above, and then believe that which is set forth in the last list of verses quoted above.

In closing I say to you, in all sincerity, that which Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:

“I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”