We have shared with you during this Christmas season the characters of Christmas. We have shared about Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds, and today I want to share with you the journey of Jesus, from Heaven to earth.

He came to the cradle to go to the cross! He came to the manger to go to the mountain of mercy, which was Calvary, outside the city gates of Jerusalem. He came as the Christ Child, but He died as the crucified Christ. I want to share with you about Jesus.

First of all, Jesus Christ is the Fulfilling One. Matthew 1:21 says, “And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Verse 22: “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying.” Verse 23: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us.’”

Matthew 2:14 says, “When he (Joseph) arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt.” Verse 15: “And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’”

Verse 23: “And he (Joseph) came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’”

In the Book of Matthew alone, we read about the events of Jesus Christ that took place; events that fulfilled specific, divine revelation of prophecy. Twelve (12) times in the Book of Matthew it says that Jesus did such and such to fulfill Old Testament scripture.

A great mathematician, Dr. Peter W. Stoner, wrote a book called Science Speaks, and he calculated the probability that one man would be able to fulfill just eight Old Testament prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah. If one man could somehow fulfill just eight Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, the probability of that happening would be 1 in over 10 billion.

Max Lucado, the great writer of many wonderful books, said that Jesus Christ fulfilled 332 distinct prophecies during His lifetime, and these prophecies were written 500-1000 years before His birth. It could not have been possible just by mere happenstance or coincidence. In fact, Jesus Christ fulfilled 30 Old Testament prophecies in the last 24 hours before His death. He is the Fulfilling One!

That may not mean anything to you, but I’m here to tell you that Jesus Christ came from Heaven to earth to fulfill the scriptures written by the Old Testament prophecies! AMEN?

Jesus Christ is the Forever One. In Luke 1:33, the angel told Mary these words: “And He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Israel is in trouble. There are mad men who are leaders of countries that are completely controlled by Islamic fundamentalists that have declared publicly that they intend to wipe out all of Israel and kill every Jew on this planet; but, yet, prophecy says that the Messiah would reign over Israel forever and forever and forever.

For that to happen, that means the plans of the enemy will somehow, some way be stopped, and His name is Jesus! He will not allow Israel to be wiped out, because HE shall reign over Israel because He is the Forever One! AMEN!

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” I’m thankful! That means when you pick up this Book called the Bible, whatever Jesus did thousands of years ago, He can still do today! Anything He was, He still is! Jesus was not just a Teacher. He was not just a good Person. He was the Forever One!

In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said, “I am He who lives, and behold I am alive forevermore.” Aren’t you glad He is alive today? Aren’t you glad the grave couldn’t hold Him? Our Savior is alive! He is the Forever One! He lives today! He reigns, and He rules today!

He is Alpha and Omega. He is the First and the Last. He is the Beginning and the End. He is the Keeper of all creation and the Creator of all creation. He always was, He always is, and He always will be! He is unchanged, He is unmoved, and He is undefeated. Pulpits are trying to change Him, liberals are trying to change Him, but He is unchangeable.

Jesus is love. Isn’t it awesome that He loves you and me? We don’t deserve His love, but He loves us anyhow. Hold onto that. Not only is He love, but He is light; and light always dispels darkness. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Don’t dwell in gloom and despair. Dwell in the light!

1 John 1:7 says, “If you will walk in the light as He is in the light, you will have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse you from all sin.” I like that!

When I woke up this morning, something came to my mind. God’s mercy is new every morning! I don’t know what that means to you, but I say, “Thank you, Jesus!” I need His mercy. How about you?

Not only is Jesus love and light, but He is Lord. He is the Lord of all lords, and He is the King of all kings. He is goodness, He is kindness, He is holy, He is righteous, and He is mighty. He is powerful, He is pure, and He is the Son of God. Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

His ways are right, His Word is eternal, and His will is rewarding. When God reveals something, demons and devils will try to fight us. People will even try to fight us, but if we could just get hold of obeying God’s will. I know sometimes it’s tough, but obeying God’s will is always rewarding. Obeying God’s will is worth the price. AMEN?

Jesus Christ is my Savior. He is my Redeemer. He is my Master. He is my Guide, He is my Peace, and He is my Joy. The devil is the robber of our joy, but our joy isn’t in things. Our joy is in Jesus! You can receive no greater gift on this Christmas Sunday morning than the gift of Jesus Christ and his love! Is He your Redeemer? Is He your Savior today?

Jesus Christ is my Hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and His righteousness. Have you ever had anyone disappoint you? He is my Hope, and He is my Joy. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” He is my Comfort. He is my Sustainer. He is the One that sanctifies me.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a work in progress. Maybe some of you think you have arrived, but I’m still a work in progress. The only One that was born that was not a work in progress was my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ! He was born perfect, and He lived a perfect, sinless life. He died on an old rugged cross as a sinless sacrifice. You should shout right there, because there is not one person in this building that is sinless.

The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means we ALL need a Savior, and His name is Jesus. He is the ONLY perfect and sinless Savior that died as a sinless sacrifice who shed His own blood to pay our debt of sin. He is the Forever One!

Jesus Christ is the Forgiving One. In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph, “She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Not only can Jesus Christ forgive you, but He can set you free. Denominations cannot set you free. Religion cannot set you free. Only Jesus Christ can set you free!

There is power in the name of Jesus! In Matthew 9:6, Jesus Christ said these words: “That you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins.”

When you breathe your last breath, if you are not forgiven, if you are not saved and born again, you will be lost forever. No one can light enough candles to get you into Heaven once you die. There will be no more second chances. If you die lost, you will remain lost. I pray you have been forgiven today!

In Mark 2:5, Jesus said to a paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Glory to God, my sins have been forgiven; because, getting to Heaven has nothing to do with how good we are.

If we would look at just the Ten Commandments, we would find out quickly that we all have sinned; because, if we have broken one of them, we have broken them all. We have all broken the Ten Commandments, we all have sinned, and we all need forgiveness.

In Luke 7:48, Jesus said these words to the town prostitute: “Your sins are forgiven.” That meant her sins were wiped away. Does that mean what Jeremiah said, that when God forgives you of your sins, He also forgets them? Did that mean that, when Jesus told this prostitute that her sins were forgiven, her slate was wiped clean and that God the Father forgot everything she ever did?

Why do you still bring up someone else’s sin and talk about it? Are you placing yourself above God? My Jesus is the Forgiving One. As Jesus was hanging on the cross (Luke 23:34) He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Church, we have to be in the forgiving and the forgetting business, because Jesus forgives US and we are called to forgive others. We have to choose to forgive and forget. AMEN?

Has anyone in the house been forgiven? Romans 4:9 [New Century Version] says, “Happy are those whose sins are forgiven.” I ask again. Have you been forgiven? If you have been forgiven, you ought to be happy. You don’t have to dance around all the time, but smile every once in a while! Be happy that you have been forgiven!

Jesus Christ is the Faithful One. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness;” and that isn’t a one-time deal. It’s a continual action.

John is the disciple that laid his head on the bosom of Jesus. He had the heartbeat of Jesus. In the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Epistles of John, he never mentions his own name. When John referred to himself, he always referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 19:26).”

John did not say that in a prideful way. He said that because he realized the magnitude of Jesus’ forgiveness. He realized the privilege and the honor of walking with Jesus.  At His crucifixion, Jesus Christ gave John the privilege and the honor of taking care of His own mother (John 19:26-27).

In 1 John 2:1, John said, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” That means you don’t get thrown out just because you strike out! That means we have a Mediator (a lawyer), someone who helps us get back up when we have fallen. He loves us, He stands as our go-between, AND He is related to the Judge!

Hebrews 10:23 says that Jesus is faithful to keep His promises. He has never broken a promise. You and I have, but He never has! He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised never to mislead us. He has promised never to forget us. He has promised never to overlook us.

People will forget us and overlook us, because some people come into and then go out of our lives. They come into our lives for a reason and for a season; so, when they depart, let them go.

Jesus is the Faithful One. When I fall, He lifts me. When I fail, He forgives me. When I am weak, He gives me strength. When I am afraid, He gives me courage. When I stumble, He steadies me; and, sometimes, when we fall, Jesus helps steady us by using other people.

When I’m hurt, He heals me. Most of the time, our hurts aren’t physical hurts but emotional hurts. When I am broken, He mends me. When I face persecution, He comforts me. When I face death, He will be there to take me safely home. Our last enemy is death, but Jesus Christ is a faithful God. I am His, and He is mine. He said it, and that settles it.

Jesus Christ is the Finishing One. What He starts, He will finish. In John 19:30, hanging on the cross Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” We cannot do one thing to add to the plan of salvation. Jesus Christ finished it completely. Aren’t you glad? He did everything there was to do in order to save you and to save me.

During His lifetime, Jesus said these words in John 4:34: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” I believe if you are breathing, God has something for you to do. I believe He has an assignment for you. I know the devil will try and mess it up, but aren’t you glad there are people in the church who will encourage you and get you back to where you need to be? What God started in you, He will finish!

Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” What He started, He will finish! Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.”

He doesn’t just start a project then forsake it and leave it unfinished. No! Jesus started you out on this wonderful journey of walking with Him, and He will bring you to completion. Hallelujah! This same Jesus that started a good work in you is the One that is able to complete it.

Aren’t you glad He hasn’t given up on you yet? Aren’t you glad that when others walk out of your life, Jesus walks into your life?

I do not believe that Jesus Christ is finished with the Maranatha Fellowship Church. I do not believe He is finished with me or you. We all have an assignment and a divine purpose. May we all rise up and do what God has called us to do. Let’s move forward into the next season.

Jesus will finish what He started, because my God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. We all have an assignment. We all have a job to do, because there are lost souls still out there.

This is Christmas Sunday morning. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus still restores, lifts burdens, heals, and strengthens. He is faithful, He forgives, and He finishes what He starts. I pray you will let Him use you. May your journey with Jesus begin today!