It Came Upon a Midnight Clear: The Birth of the King
"It came upon a midnight clear that glorious song of old from Angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold: "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men from Heaven's all gracious King!" The world in solemn still lay to hear the Angels sing" ----It Came Upon a Midnight Clear rendition performed by Kutless
Thanksgiving is wrapped up. Christmas is around the corner. Black Friday craze is behind us. Cyber Monday chills are already warmed over, and Tuesday blues (you know, that buyer's guilt) is probably still upon most shoppers. This year is coming to a very rapid close. The "best time of the year" feeling is in the air. Breathe it in. But, let's not forget the true reason of the season: the birth of the eternal King.
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Verses: The Birth of the King
The most beautiful season of all starts with a very breathtaking love story. This is the story of the savior who came from Heaven incarnate (in flesh) to pay the ultimate price of death and have sin imparted on Him to crush its power once and for all with the declaration of tetelestai ("it is finished" translated from Greek). This is far deeply moving than any European play. I'm going to dive into Matthew 1:1-25 for the first part of this post. The second half will be a testimony.
The Kinship of the King: Matthew 1:1-25
"The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king."
Sin Used Sinlessly
"David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. "
Importance of Lineage
"After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
"So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. "
Conception and Birth of Jesus
"Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."
The above scripture is an excerpt from https://biblehub.com/context/matthew/1-1.htm using the NASB edition broken up into paragraphs to allow easier reading. It came upon a midnight clear verses will examine the origin of the greatest Christmas miracle.
1.) The Majesty of His Birth
Jesus was born of a virgin, out of the 14th generation of the tribe of Judah, in a manger to show humility.
A. It is necessary for the Messiah to have credentials