Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord

 Good morning, and merry Christmas! We are going to digress and look at the first Christmas. This was something that had been foretold centuries before; and yet people still did not understand what was going to happen. They were thinking that the Messiah was going to come as an adult and was going to re-establish the nation of Israel above all other nations. They were not expecting Him to come as a baby, supposedly born to a carpenter and placed in a manger. Many things had to happen at precisely the right time. You had to have the right person to be His mother and the right person to be His supposed father. You had to have a reason for them to be in Bethlehem on the night He was born – the census. It had to be when shepherds would be in the field near Bethlehem watching their flocks. And just at the right time – an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. Suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host appeared praising God, and saying, “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased“. Nothing that happened was the way that the religious leaders and scholars expected it to be. Father help this to be a glorious Christmas day. Help us to remember what it is truly all about – the birth of Your Son.

The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

 Work of the Holy Spirit:

 

            Intercedes for us:

 

Romans 8:26-27

26     In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

     27     and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

     

            Not only have we seen that Jesus intercedes for us, we have here that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us as well. And He does so according to the will of God. That means that we can be confident that it will come to pass. That’s because according to I John 5, if we ask anything according to God’s will, we know we have whatever we ask. That’s why when we pray in the Spirit, we can be certain we are praying the best prayer possible and that it will be answered.   

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My Spirit speaks for Me, and He speaks for you. Whatever you have need of, He will make request for you. Even before you are aware of your need, He will make intercession for you. He will give you words to speak as you pray for yourself and for others. He will guide you in your speaking to others and to Me. I will always grant His prayers. When you pray according to what He speaks, I will always grant your requests.”

 

            56. Not only does Jesus intercede for me, so does the Holy Spirit in me. When He does, I need not worry …the prayer will be according to God’s will.

The anointing which you received from Him abides in you

 Reveals:

 

            Teaches and discloses what is to come:

 

1 John 2:27

27     As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

     

John 14:26

26     “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

     

John 16:13

13     “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

     

 

            We don’t have to feel like we’re all alone with no help in this world. The Holy Spirit will Himself teach us everything that we need to be familiar with. He uses the Word mostly to teach us, but He also will drop ideas into our minds about what we should do in certain circumstances. In a moment of trial, He can bring Scriptures we’ve memorized to mind to help in the conflict. He even brings some that we have read but never sat down and committed to memory. He is always listening to the Father, and what He hears that concerns us, He will disclose that to us.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You need not fear that you will be left stranded. I will always be with you. I will guide you into all the truth through My Spirit who indwells you. You will be led into all the truth. There is nothing that will be hidden from you. You can know My peace and joy in your life. You need not fear the future. I will bring you into all My glory as you trust in Me to disclose to you what you need to know. Ask and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know. You will come to know them through My Spirit. I am jealous over you with My special love. I do not want you bowing down to others. I want to be your only love.”

 

            55. Because of the Holy Spirit living inside of me, I know that if I let Him, He will show me exactly what I need to do in my life. He will teach me all that I need to know about God’s will in my life.

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life

 Bears witness with our spirit:

 

1 John 5:10-12

10     The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

     11     And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

     12     He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

 

Romans 8:16-17

16     The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

     17     and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

     

 

            Since we believe in Jesus, we have the evidence of our salvation Himself living inside us. He bears witness with our spirit that we have eternal life. For different people, the experience is diverse. Some actually at one time or another feel something inside them, while others never seem to feel anything. After I asked Jesus to come in and take control of my life, I went to a college basketball game. It felt like there was a hollow rubber ball surrounding my heart. It was like I could feel the arrows of the devil bouncing off the rubber ball. While I have sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit many times since then, it has never been that dramatic. Don’t be upset if you haven’t felt anything. If you have dedicated your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside of you. It is a guarantee of God. As the verse says, if you have the Son, you have the life … forever.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are Mine. My Spirit within you tells you that you are Mine. No one can take you away from Me. No one is strong enough to harm you when you are in My hand. You know that you are Mine, and I am yours by My Spirit indwelling you. Trust in that knowing within you. You are My child, and I long to be with you daily.”

 

            54. I know that I am God’s because His Spirit who indwells me bears testimony to my spirit that I am a child of God.