"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (John 3:3 NKJV)We celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3) that we must also experience a birth - we must be born again. The new birth is a process: you're convicted of your lostness, convinced that Jesus is the Answer, and converted by the Holy Spirit...

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 NKJV)Christmas is about gifts, but the greatest Gift ever given was Jesus Himself. God gave us His most precious Treasure - His only begotten Son - because He loved us. God could have simply said, "I love you," but instead He showed that He loved us b...

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21 NKJV)Jesus was born to be King, but not the kind of king people expected. They wanted a political ruler who would overthrow the Romans. Instead, Jesus came to be a spiritual King Who would overthrow sin, death, and Satan.The Jewish people wanted a Messiah to get the Romans...

"And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds" (Luke 2:18 NKJV)God sent His angels to announce Jesus' birth to shepherds - humble, ordinary working people. You wouldn't have wanted to be a shepherd in that day and time. It was a humdrum job - sitting out there making sure the sheep didn't die, hour after hour, day after day.The inclusion of shepherds sh...

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11 NKJV)The angels announced "good tidings of great joy" because the solution to humanity's greatest problem had arrived. True joy is different from happiness. Happiness depends on what happens - the happenstances of life. Happiness depends on circumstances, but joy depends on Jesus.Paul said "rejoice...