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he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:28-32.

Does God keep His promises? Well, every time. Our faithful God is recorded in the Bible as keeping every single promise — including the one He made to Simeon...that he would see the Savior of the world with his own eyes before he died.

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on highto give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” - Luke 1:67-79

Zechariah had a very special point of view in the Christmas story. He was a high priest, the father of John the Baptist, and the uncle of Jesus, the Messiah—the Son of the Living God. God blessed Zechariah with the gift of prophesying what He was doing for the people of God: that He had raised up a horn of salvation... the Savior, Jesus. And you know, the Bible says that when we place our trust in Him that we’re adopted into the family of God. We are redeemed from the debt we owe from being sinners. 

"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.'" - Matthew 1:20-21

Have you ever stared into the future, wondering how things are going to be all right? Well, so did Joseph. Joseph loved God, and he loved Mary. But when she became pregnant, he considered divorcing her quietly. He might have even felt heartbroken. But the very Son of God that the angel told Joseph was coming in fact came to save us from our sins.

"When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?'" - Luke 1:41-43

Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, had spirit-filled eyes. Now, why do I say that? The child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy at the Messiah in Mary's womb. Elizabeth had eyes of faith to see what was happening. Do you know who Jesus is? Well, Elizabeth told us when she called Mary "the mother of my Lord." Jesus is truly Lord over all.

"The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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. ...'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' Then the angel left her." - Luke 1:35-38

When I read this passage in Luke, I can't help but be in awe over Mary's faith. Here is a teenage girl who sees an angel…is told that she will bear a son! It must have been quite a shock! But Mary responded in great faith; and the world received the greatest gift — a Savior, Christ the Lord. The truth is, all humans are sinners; we cannot save ourselves. But Jesus became flesh and dwelled among us; and his birth, perfect life, death, and resurrection has given us a way to be forgiven.

"“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”" - Jeremiah 23:5-6

"You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that’s what I am." Jesus is the Lord, our righteous Saviour. He came from heaven to earth to be born a baby. He humbled Himself to take on human flesh and lived a perfect life in order to die on a cross for our sins.

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David....." - Matthew 1:1

When you hear of King David in the Bible, you may think of David and Goliath, or you may think of David, the musician, or even David, the man after God's own heart.

Now while David was all of those things, the truth is he was also an adulterer and a murderer. You can read the whole story in second Samuel eleven. When confronted with his grave sins, the prophet, David tore his clothes, wept, and repented. He turned to God for forgiveness. David, the sinner, was named in Jesus' line — Jesus, the Messiah...sent to save us from our sins.

You know, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but Jesus has made a way for us to be forgiven. And all we must do is put our faith in Him and Him alone.

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth..." - Matthew 1:1,5

Have you ever felt left out, like you don't belong? Well, Ruth did. Ruth was a Moabite woman who married into a Jewish family. Her father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband all died; and her mother-in-law Naomi decided to go back to Israel.

Ruth chose to go with her:"Wherever you go I will go,” she said. “Your people will be my people; your God my God." Ruth decided to follow God. And then in Israel, she met and married Boaz. And guess who Ruth's descendant is? Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab...." - Matthew 1:5

Rahab was neither Jewish nor a righteous woman—viewed as a great sinner. But in her sin, she turned to faith in God. She was like us: a sinner in need of a Savior. And through her line, God sent the promised Messiah—the Savior of the world.

Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham...” - Matthew 1:1

Did you know? Jesus' birth was a fulfillment of a promise.

In Genesis seventeen, when God gave Abram the new name of Abraham, God also gave him a promise of being the father of many nations that He would bless. One of the blessings was that the Messiah would come through his seed. God originally told Adam and Eve after they fell to the curse of sin that he would send a Seed that would crush the enemy and bring salvation to the world. And God did!

Share Life Africa is a Christian radio and podcast program of Evangelism Explosion International Africa Ministry; that is committed to equipping you with the tools and resources needed to confidently and effectively share your faith with others.