JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Trust, today’s Focus on God examines His power as a miracle worker.
According to Psalm 77:14, God is a miracle-worker. “You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”
The Christian faith is built on miracles, such as the Creation of the world, the virgin birth of Jesus, the miracle of His love demonstrated at the cross, and the raising of Jesus from the dead three days later.
There is another miracle worth noting-the miracle of God’s love to draw someone to faith in Jesus and to change a heart. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
God’s power as a miracle worker is a reason to trust in God for today and forever.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK -Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “Why is the virgin birth of Jesus so important?”
In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied that the virgin would be with child, and in Matthew chapter 1, that prophecy became reality at the birth of Jesus.
First, the virgin birth is significant because it is a miracle. Jesus was not born by ordinary means. His birth was the result of Divine Intervention.
Secondly, the virgin birth is significant because it highlights the fact that Jesus was not born with a sinful nature. The angel said to Mary “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
This fact set Jesus apart from every other human being. He knew what it was like to be human, but He did not sin. This made Him a worthy sacrifice for our sins when He went to the cross.
The virgin birth reveals Jesus to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world in the Year of Exploration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
When Gabriel the angel announced to Mary that she would give birth to a son, she asked him, “How will this be since I am a virgin?”
That is when the angel explained how this would happen: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit plants the seed for God’s holy purposes to be achieved.
Jesus was born as the Son of God, He never sinned, and became uniquely qualified to be our Savior and Lord by His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.
The name “Immanuel” means “God with us.” Jesus was God’s visitation to the world and is God’s invitation to the world to know Him through faith in His holy name.
The promise that Jesus would be born of a virgin is a lesson of faith worth remembering.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
