December 27, 2006

 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

                                               

--Isaiah 53:6

 

Why would the eternal Son of God leave the splendors of heaven to be born as a helpless baby into the world that He created? As the old gospel song says, “He did it all for me.”

 

All of us have experienced spiritual death because of our sins. And it was because of the death sentence on us that Christ died! He is unique and worthy because He gave up His own life so that we would not have to pay the penalty of death for our sins.

 

Christ was born with one purpose in mind: to die upon a cross and redeem those who believe in Him. You can’t look at the beginning of the Christmas story without also considering “the rest of the story.”

 

Christ was our replacement, our substitute upon the cross. That should have been you and me up there, but Christ did what no one else could do. He took our place and our punishment. That’s why even the Roman soldier who witnessed the crucifixion of Christ stood in amazement and said, “Truly this man is the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).

 

So today, rejoice that Jesus not only was born into this world, but that He was born to take your place on the cross. He is worthy of your worship each and every day of the year.

 

JESUS BORE THE PUNISHMENT FOR OUR INIQUITY. PRAISE HIM TODAY FOR TAKING OUR PLACE ON THE CROSS.