Welcome to the year of our Lord 2023.  Coming into 2023 theres so many things on my heart, but I can’t stop thinking about the birth of Jesus.  You can say a lot of things about the birth of Jesus.  There’s all the historical things, and prophetic pictures you can look at.  There’s all the christological types and shadows.  You can say a lot about all those things but Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is a sign for us, giving us instruction concerning our life.  Christmas isn’t just about celebrating a birthday.  The point isn’t just that Jesus was born, and now we will have a birthday party.  

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The child who was born of a virgin is Jesus.  But Isaiah says a child will be born of a virgin and his name shall be called Immanuel.  Immanuel means God with us, or with us is God.  The reason Isaiah says you shall call the child born of a virgin Immanuel is because the birth of this child is a sign from God Himself, that He is with you. 

Isa 9:2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.   

Isaiah describes the birth of Jesus as a great light shining upon the people dwelling in the land of the shadow of death.  Psalm 23 also mentions the valley of the shadow of death.  The psalmist says yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.  Why do they say they will fear no evil?  For thou are with me Lord.  

The great light Isaiah says manifested to the people who dwell in the land of the shadow of death is the presence of God Himself.  Its the manifestation of God with us.  In the Old Testament the presence of God appeared in the earthly tabernacle as a flame of fire, or a great light, as a sign He was dwelling amongst the people.  The birth of Jesus in the earth is a great light, it’s a sign to us, that God is with us as we are walking in the valley of the shadow of death.  

Theres deep significance to the words God with us.  There’s a richness there.  Theres a depth to what it means that God is with us.  God with us isnt just a friendly saying.  It doesn’t mean God is around somewhere.  God with us isnt Gods over there somewhere chilling.  When the scripture says God is with us it means that God is intimately involved with our lives.   Its that God is presently active in our lives manifesting who and what He is.  God isnt a spectator watching us from afar.  Who He is and the life He has in Himself manifests everywhere He is.  He cant help but Father life everywhere He is.  

In Revelation 4 the angels covered in eyes continuously say Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty which was, and is, and is to come.  The angels are clothed in eyes because they are looking at God and all his attributes, and no matter what part of God they see, what they see about God is He is set apart unto life and bringing forth life.  They see theres no darkness and shadow of turning in Him.  They see all He can do is reproduce the life He has in Himself.   

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah says the birth of Jesus will be a sign to us that God is with us intimately involved with us, actively participating in our lives now and forevermore, as Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  

Wonderful Counselor:  Jesus says for judgement he is come into the earth, meaning he is come to heal our blindness.  The birth of Jesus is God with you now and forevermore, counseling you, teaching you, interceding on your behalf, showing you that you are not an orphan left alone to nurture yourself unto life.  Showing you God’s righteousness towards your life, to exalt your life above the sin and death in this world.  The birth of Jesus is the declaration God is with you sanctifying His name in your heart, opening your eyes to the truth that He has drawn near to you to be the Father you need, to give your life the care it needs, healing you from all the diseases of death, sin tries to serve you with.  

The Mighty God:  Mighty meaning possessing the ability to forgive sin.  Possessing the ability to send the destruction that is come upon your life from sin, away from you.  Only God can forgive sin. 

To call someone mighty God is to say they can accomplish your warfare.  They possess the ability to superabound over the death sin is causing to reign over you.  When Jesus heals the sick by sending sin away from them He is mighty God.  When Jesus came out of the grave having conquered death in the flesh he was mighty God.  When Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit into you, sealing your life from the death and tribulation in the world he is mighty God.  

In Genesis 17 God says to Abraham I am the Almighty God.  He said that to Abraham in response to Abraham seeing the deadness in his body and the deadness in Sarah’s womb.  Abraham saw the impotence and weakness in their bodies and thought that was the most powerful force in the universe.  He thought the death he saw in Sara and in himself was greater than Gods ability to make him fruitful.  God says to Abraham I am the Almighty God, meaning I am Lord over even death.  I can even perfect dying flesh.  I can even cleanse your flesh from the filthiness of death.  Walk before me.  I will provide myself a lamb to cleanse you from death.  Set your gaze upon my work and you shall be perfected from sin and death, and raised into the abundance of life.  

Everlasting Father:  Jesus says in Johns gospel the Father has given him commandment, and the commandment is life everlasting.  The Father has  life everlasting in Himself.  He alone possesses immortality.  Jesus says The Father has given that he would have everlasting life in himself.  Jesus is God with us Fathering everlasting life in His creation.  He is God with us to Father everlasting life in you and in the earth.  Jesus is God with us caring for our lives, nurturing our lives unto the fruit of the Spirit by Fathering everlasting life in us.  

Prince of peace:  The word prince is used to describe someone who establishes a reign or rulership.  They set up a kingdom to administer a certain kind of life for the people.  The birth of Jesus is a sign God is with us having established a kingdom upon the shoulders of His indestructible life.  The reason he established the reign of his indestructible life is so he can serve us with the peace and justice we long for, and so their can be no end to the ministration of his peace and justice in our lives, as we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, and forevermore.  

The word peace in Hebrew is shalom and it means much more than just an absence of conflict.  It means to be made whole; it means completeness and perfection.  Its the absence of conflict and torment on account of having been made whole.  The birth of Jesus is a sign God is with us as our David, taking vengeance on death, having accomplished our warfare; comforting us in our affliction; stilling the storms of our hearts, by making us whole; making us complete; perfecting us from death, by serving us with His eternal life. 

It says in Luke’s gospel when the angels saw the birth of Jesus, they began to praise God saying glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards mankind.  

The angels saw the birth of Jesus as a sign God is with man.  That God is mindful of man.  That He misses them when they aren’t near.  He misses them when they aren’t resting in His bosom.  The angels saw the birth of Jesus as a sign the place God calls home is mankind.  They saw the birth of Jesus, and they saw the tabernacle of God is man.  

God putting on human flesh, meant something in the eyes of the angels.  God has an incorruptible life.  If God put on flesh that’s been corrupted by death.  If God Himself was born of a woman, born in blood.  It means that God is going to make the sin of the world that was red as crimson; that is afflicting mankind and the earth with death, white as snow.  The angels knew if God almighty was born in blood.  Remember blood is a sign of a body thats been corrupted with death.  The angels knew if God Himself has been born in a human flesh thats been corrupted with death, it means God is with man to bring a plague to sin and death.  If the almighty God has now put on the flesh of man that’s been made filthy with death.  The reason He’s done that is to cleanse the flesh of man from death; to perfect mankind by manifesting His life in them.  

The account of the woman caught in the act of adultery is a perfect picture of what the birth of Jesus is declaring to us.  Really the entire gospel of John encapsulates Immanuel, or God is with us.  The woman was thrown down in the midst of the temple.   Her nakedness was uncovered.  She was being accused by the pharisees.  The condemnation of death was reigning over her.  There’s Jesus, God Himself dwelling with her, and what does he do.  He cleanses the temple from the sting of death and the accusation that stood opposed to God and the woman.  Though her sin was sentencing her to death, he removed the death that was condemning her.  He gave her a new heart.  He interceded in the midst of her tribulation, and sanctified the name of God in her heart.  He counseled her in the goodness in Gods heart towards her life.  He showed her, she is not an orphan, that God is with her to be the Father she needs; to give her life the care it needs.  He ministered peace and justice to her.  

God is with us, now and forevermore, having braided Himself together with us, to be everything in our lives we see Jesus being to the woman caught in the act of adultery.  

As we walk in the land thats shadowed by death, let us remember the birth of Jesus, and let us fix our eyes on the great light thats shining here.  If you find yourself being accused.  If your name or your reputation is under siege.  The birth of Jesus is the sign God is with you, upholding your name, having placed His name behind your name, having established a word about you in the heavenlies that is the most beautiful and eloquent speech that can be uttered in the cosmos.  Fix your eyes on the report God established about your life in Jesus.  Set your eyes on Him, He has exalted you above every system of judgment and governance in this world.  

If you are encountering weakness in your body.  The birth of Jesus is a sign God has made His home in you, and he has, he is, and he shall overcome every remnant of sin and death that can manifest in your body.  The sin and death in this world cannot abide the presence of God.  Whatever sin you see in your life.  Whatever imperfection you see, whatever tribulation you think is a stumblingblock to you having a righteous life.  The birth of Jesus is a sign to you, that God is with you now and forevermore sending sin away from you, divorcing your life from anything that can harm it.  Your sin is forgiven.  The birth of Jesus is a sign to you that God is with you having perfected your life from the corruption that’s in the world through lust. 

Prayer