The prophets had foretold the gift of a Savior, and the faithful were awaiting this miracle. Isaiah the prophet spoke of what this Savior would do 700 years before He was born. Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. [1]
In this powerful verse, we start to see what our Savior had to endure to save us and bring us spiritual healing. When you meditate on this verse, it seems to shout at us what a gift this Savior will bring. The love of such a Savior is beyond our comprehension and was reaffirmed as Joseph considered divorcing Mary when he realized she was pregnant before marriage. There, God spoke to him in a life-changing dream.
Matthew 1:20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” [2]
Jesus Saves Us From Our Sins
Of all our needs, the greatest is for someone to save us from our sins. Without placing our faith in Jesus as our Savior, who gave His life for us, we have no hope. But when we place our faith in Jesus, He leads us out of darkness into His marvelous light. The baby Jesus was born out of love to save His people from their sins. He didn’t come to save the Jewish people from Roman rule, but to free everyone from their sins.
John 3:16For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[3] Jesus came to earth out of love to be ‘God with us.’ He died to save us, since we can’t save ourselves from our sins. No matter how kind or good we try to be, we can’t bridge the gap that separates us from God on our own. Only Jesus has the power to do that for us because Jesus is the bridge between us and our Heavenly Father.
Living for Christ
Becoming a believer in Jesus is such a wonderful gift that not only does the Lord forgive our sins, but He transforms our lives in a way only He could. The world tells us to live for ourselves, but God’s gift changes our hearts. 2 Corinthians 5:15 Jesus died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. [4] There is no greater desire in our heavenly Father’s heart than to live a life that draws others to Jesus so they can also experience the gift of the Savior. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-gift-of-dreams
[1-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.