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PROMISE FULFILLED Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 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:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 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. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 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. (KJV) For many of us, this story is familiar. It is at the heart of everything we believe, and if you grew up in a parochial school, you know this story by heart, and might have been part of a Christmas pageant through your early grade school years. However, many people aren’t familiar with this story, the fulfillment of a promise God gave his people from the moment they sinned in the Garden of Eden, and throughout the history of Israel through their many prophets. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV) Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. These are just two of the many promises God fulfilled when Jesus was conceived and born. It wasn’t easy to be a pregnant woman in those days. An unmarried woman was subject to death by stoning. Mary was pledged to Joseph, but they weren’t husband and wife yet, when Joseph found out she was pregnant. Though in that culture, once they were pledged, they were considered husband and wife, even though they had not gone through the formal ceremony, and wouldn’t for one year, during which time the husband prepared a home for his wife. When everything was ready, then the formal ceremony would take place, and they would live together as husband and wife. Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. God’s purpose for fulfilling his promise to send Jesus, his Son, as a baby, born of a virgin, was for the salvation of all mankind. In the account of Nicodemus, Jesus told him what his purpose was. John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Jesus was born to die, and not just any death, as you and I eventually die, but a death resulting in the salvation of everyone who accepts him. Many of us go through life, wondering what our purpose is. Some people never know their purpose. However, Jesus was born knowing his purpose. Jesus’ purpose is US. You and I are his purpose. Salvation is his purpose. When he was conceived, the angel told Joseph, Jesus would save his people from their sins. When he was born, angels proclaimed his purpose to shepherds. He was born to be their Messiah. When you see a newborn baby, you don’t consider what his or her life will be. You only think about what a wonderful miracle, birth is. In fulfilling his promise, God fulfilled a miracle with a purpose: The salvation of his people. You and I were given a second chance with the birth of Jesus. Our second chance is to break the chains Satan has us bound with. Throw off the shackles of sin and earthly pleasure, and take up the gauntlet, accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord. When we do, we will have fulfilled God’s purpose for our lives. Have you accepted God’s Son, Jesus, as your Savior and Lord? Have you thrown off Satan’s shackles and embraced God’s purpose for your life? Let’s pray: Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to be my Savior, my Messiah. Help me live my purpose, taking up the gauntlet of faith, and proclaiming your purpose to everyone I encounter. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 25 December 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image mine