Worship Articles

Dr. Michael (as his friends call him) writes articles that deal with spiritual living in Christ which is part of God’s calling him to the ministry of a Teacher. However, Dr. Michael’s teaching is not merely academic exercise with theological theory that limits learning to a classroom and books, but rather Dr. Michael teaches a useful, practical understanding of God’s Word and of His Will that is not only refreshing but actually helpful in real life situations where a person fails or succeeds as a child of God in this world!

Where does Christmas joy come from? Listen to the words of Luke 2:8-11 and see if you can discover the answer:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

The angel comes with “good tidings of great joy that will be for all the people.” What is this “good tidings of great joy?” Verse 11 has the answer. If you are looking for Christmas joy, I suggest that you can find all you need in this single verse. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Let me now make a simple application. The angel said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour.” “Unto you.” “For you.” He came for you. This is where Christmas becomes intensely personal. It’s not enough to say abstractly that you believe Christ came. Millions of people say that and are still lost in their sins. It’s not enough to say that Christ came for someone else.

You can never be saved until you say, “Christ came for me. He died for me. He rose from the dead for me.”

He came for you. Do you believe that?

In just a few days Christmas will be here. Families will gather around the tree to open their presents. Already some children are counting the hours until that glad moment arrives.

When you receive your gifts this Christmas, what will you do? Will you not open them? What use is a gift that is never opened?

Two thousand years ago God sent a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Jesus is God’s Christmas gift to you. But you will never experience Christmas joy until you personally receive God’s gift—the Lord Jesus Christ.

I close with the words of the angel to the shepherds: “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people.” And what is the source of that joy? “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

(© 2014 Dr. Michael Cochran – All rights reserved. Written material may not be duplicated without permission.)