Sin

But Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. On the cross, he paid sin’s penalty. He bought us back from sin’s slavery. He freed us from sin’s prison. 

As we move through the week of Christmas, we are focusing on Jesus, the One Isaiah described as the “Prince of Peace.” 

We are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. The penalty of our sin is death. But driven by perfect love, the just God became the Justifier. Being fully God, Jesus was the only One who could provide a sinless sacrifice.

Then one day, studying Scripture, I learned that nothing could separate me from the love of God found in Christ alone. It was like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. That day, on a hot parking lot in Dallas, Texas, I understood that I was a child of God and would forever be!

God loves us.  That’s an amazing truth, isn’t it? The eternal God has deep affection for you. He wants you to be his child. He longs to have a personal relationship with you. He desires to show you his great love. 

Seven hundred years before Jesus brought eternal joy, the prophet Isaiah told us that the Messiah was on the way. These titles describe the Messiah’s character.

Simeon was a righteous and devout man, full of the Holy Spirit. His heart was set on the peace that God’s Anointed One would bring to his people. He had waited a long time.

There is this problem with things—we will never have enough. The desire for possessions is like a mosquito bite. The more you scratch it, the more it itches (Eccl. 5:10). We get pleasure from possessions…for a brief time.

Have you ever heard a person say, “That terrible thing should have never happened to her. She is such a godly person.” Or have you heard a person say, “He got what he deserved. He was a wicked man.” I’ll admit to thinking and saying both. Today’s passage deals with those thoughts. Let’s read it and then unpack it.