Matthew 1:20-21
“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.’ “
A few days ago Joyce and I were watching the British Antiques Roadshow. It is one of our favorites since there are so many antiques that date back several hundred years. One of the appraisers was commenting on a painting of a Newfoundland Dog.
When he pronounced the name of the breed, he pronounced Newfoundland wrong, as many of us are prone to do. He placed the emphasis on the “new” Newfoundland. Others pronounce it; Newfoundland, while still others; Newfoundland.
When I was assigned to serve in Newfoundland back in the 1960’s, the Newfoundlanders taught me very quickly how to pronounce it correctly. The Canadian province includes the island of Newfoundland as well as the mainland of Labrador. I was told that the emphasis is the same for each word and it is easy if you say the two: New found land and Lab ra dor. Thrilling isn’t it?
At a graveside service that I was conducting yesterday, I made the same type of mistake. As I named one of the son-in-laws, I placed the emphasis on the wrong syllable. He had an unusual name and after the service he said that I did quite well considering the way some people butcher his name. With a name like Cecil, I also get a few clinkers. The most irritating is for someone to use the feminine sounding Cecile, pronounced, Cee Ceil. Grrrrr!
The name of Jesus stands out from all of the rest of human names. Why was He named Jesus? The answer is that the angel told Joseph that he was to name the baby, Jesus. The name Jesus means; “Jehovah is salvation.”
Jesus did not come into the world to teach wonderful truths—He did! Jesus did not come into the world to perform mighty miracles—He did! Jesus did not come into the world to provide a living example—He did! Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate came into the world to pay the price for the sins of all who come to Him in faith believing!
The price that is required is the price of blood. In the Old Testament it was the blood of an innocent lamb whose blood was applied for the forgiveness of sins. God loves this old sin sick world. We certainly do not deserve His mercy, but we certainly need it. In fact we are lost if we do not receive it.
This wonderful Jesus is God in the flesh. He truly has loved us to death—His death. There is a day coming when we will see Him with our own eyes. What a day that will be!
The day is coming when everyone will bow before the Lord in total submission. The terrible thing is that many will bow and confess Him as Lord, but their fate will be sealed because they waited too long. Please receive His salvation before it is too late.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil