The Birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord

Dannah Gresh: Merry Christmas! This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of Born a Child and Yet a King, for Christmas Day, 2023. I’m Dannah Gresh.

And Nancy, happy Christmas to you, too!

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Thank you, Dannah, and happy Christmas to you, too! Really, this is, for those who know Jesus, is one of the holiest, happiest days in all the year. It really is something to celebrate.

Dannah: It truly is. Now, just a note for our listeners: Nancy and I are not live in the studio on Christmas Day. We pre-recorded this.

What are you and Robert doing on Christmas?

Nancy: Actually, we will have just spent several days some of our family. And then on Christmas day, we are going to be enjoying a quiet day together . . . just us and the Lord. We are grateful for friends; we are grateful for family, and we are grateful for chances to just be alone, too.

Dannah: That's lovely. Quiet sounds like the opposite of how my Christmas day will unfold. We have a Christmas breakfast tradition. And this year, four grandchildren ranging from four-year-old twins to nine-month-old Theo. So picture me on Christmas day surrounded by what could be described as joyful chaos! 

Today on Revive Our Hearts we’re going to just hear directly from God’s Word. Nancy, you’re going to read the Christmas story as recorded in the gospels of Luke and Matthew.

We’ll also enjoy some of the music from your Christmas piano album Come Adore.

Nancy: I had such fun making that a number of years ago. The tunes will be familiar to you and many of the words as well. But I want to encourage you not to let the familiarity of these words make you tune out. As I read, imagine that you’ve never heard this story before. 

Dannah: Sometimes my family and I go out to the barn to read the story. It helps to really imagine how uncomfortable some parts of this story really may have been for Mary and Joseph, you know?

Nancy: Yes, I think it is important for us to remember that these are not fictious characters. These are not imaginary stories. These were real people, living in a real time, experiencing real hardships and joys all kind of mingled together. And, if only they could have imagined all that would result, not only in their lives but for generations to come, and in our lives today and for generations yet to come (if the Lord tarries) as a result of what they experienced on that holy night!reat idea! 

Dannah: Let’s go back to that precious occasion. Let's listen as you bring us both Scripture and music. This is Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth reading from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Nancy:

Luke 1

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah's Song

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Matthew 1:18–25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us).

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Luke 2:1–38

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 

The Angels' Song: Gloria

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 

Simeon's Song

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Dannah: We’ve been listening to Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, reading to us from the Scriptures. She’s also the one who’s been playing the piano. That's her recorded album, Come Adore. You can stream that for free. We'll put a link in the transcript. That's our gift to you.

Nancy, there’s something so powerful about the simple beauty of God’s Word.

Nancy: Yes, and aren’t you thankful that the Scripture shares with us these details surrounding Jesus’ birth and childhood?

Here on Christmas Day, I think it’s worth stopping to ask. Do you believe that Jesus is Christ the Lord?

Do you believe He’s the promised Messiah, fully God and fully man? On this holy day, let's remember that the baby in that animal feeding trough grew up and lived a perfectly sinless life. And that's really important because you and I could never attain to that perfection on our own. We're sinners.

But approximately thirty-three years after Jesus was born, Jesus gave His life in payment for our sins on the cross. Then three days later He was gloriously raised to life! And now we have the promise that He’s coming back someday! When He does, He’ll judge the world. He’ll make all things new. And you and I can be with Him forever. That's the good news!

So yes, today we remember His amazing incarnation—the day when He came to this earth and took on human flesh. But, let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. The angel also called Jesus the Savior, the Deliverer. It’s what His name, “Jesus” means. Yeshua. “The LORD saves.” So here’s my question for you: is He your Savior? Have you ever trusted Him to save you from your sins?

If you have, my hope is that today you'll experience a fresh sense of wonder and awe of who He is, why He came, and what He has done for you.

Dannah: Nancy, I wonder if we could take a moment just now and would you pray for the listener who’s maybe saying, “I want Jesus to be my Savior. I want Him to be in charge of my life. I’ve tried. I’ve messed things up royally. I can’t do it on my own.”

Nancy: Yes. I'd be glad pray.

Lord, we've all messed things up royally. We were born sinners and none of us could reach You on our own. Jesus, thank You for being our Savior, Christ the Lord, born on that day thousands of years ago. You've come to earth for us.

I believe that even right now You’re working on the heart of some listener who for some reason happened to tune in or listen to this podcast. You are working on their heart. I pray that You would open their eyes to see their sinfulness, their broken relationship with You. I pray that You would turn their eyes to see the hope found in Jesus, the Savior, Christ the Lord, and in Him alone.

I pray that today their would repent of their sins, repent of going their own way, and say, "Yes, Jesus. Yes, Lord. I want You to be my Savior and my Lord." Amen.

Dannah: Amen! If you just prayed along with Nancy, we’d love to know. Go to ReviveOurHearts.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Contact Us” and you can leave a message there. 

Nancy: Thank you, Dannah. Merry Christmas to you! May your day be filled with the wonder of what Jesus has done for us. We’ll see you tomorrow for Revive Our Hearts.

Revive Our Hearts with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is calling you to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the ESV.

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