Salvation!

What do you think? 

Salvation,

The Reason for the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
And His death upon the Cross of Calvary. 

May God bless you everyday 

As you complete your journey of Life with the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Take the time to review and renew your Faith in the Lord daily,

Start and End everyday of Life in prayer with God and His Holy Word. 

All have and will stumble from time to time in life. 

By the Faith from within and prayer daily, God will keep the path of life straight, 

Build daily within with God's Word, 

Salvation is by His Grace, then you are sealed forever by His Integrity. 

Remember, the Ones that have gone on before, 

That have paid the ultimate price of their life, 

To bring God's Word to the Lost of the World. 

By their faith in Jesus Christ the hope for tomorrow, 

That long line of Faith continues on today, because of their courage from within in Him. 

Never forget the reason for the Christmas Season and the purpose of the Lord's Birth, 

- Salvation - 

By way of the Lord Jesus Christ, 

The Lord paid the price, of all sins for all, upon the Cross of Calvary. 

That all may follow forgiven, forever free within Him, 

For all that believe and receive Him, eternal life will be with Him. 

Review and renew your faith in the Lord daily, 

Build with God's Integrity from within to without. 

The Virgin Birth of Christ 

The Curse of Jehoiakim, the problem, and God’s solution.

An unusual curse in Jeremiah 36:1-32 gives insight into the virgin birth of Jesus. 

The Curse:

Jehoiakim was a king of Judah, 

He angered God by burning a scroll that Jeremiah the prophet wrote,

God cursed Jehoiakim by indicating 

that none of his children would sit on the throne of David (Jeremiah 36:29-31). 

Although Jehoiakim had children, 

scripture shows that none of them ever reigned as King David had! 

The Problem:

Joseph, the father of Jesus, was one of Jehoiakim's descendants (through Jeconiah). 

Joseph's offspring could not claim David's throne because of the curse. 

Jesus laid claim to the throne of David (Luke 1:32, Acts 2:30, Hebrews 12:2). 

If Jesus had been born of Joseph, the curse would have been contradicted. 

Also, God had promised David that one of his physical descendants

 would reign on the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). 

As explained above, Joseph was excluded from being the genetic father of the future king of Israel. 

It was impossible to fulfill the requirements of both curse and promise by natural means. 

One man had to be both heir to and offspring of David, without being the genetic descendant of Jehoiakim. 

This problem required a divine solution. 

The Solution:

God created a solution through the miracle of the virgin birth. 

Although Joseph was one of Jehoiakim's offspring through Solomon, 

Mary was not, She was a descendant of Nathan, one of David's other sons (Luke 3:31). 

God's promise to David was fulfilled, because Mary was the biological parent of Jesus.

The virgin birth also addressed the curse God had pronounced upon Jehoiakim.

 Kingship was an inherited right, 

By Joseph, Jesus inherited a legal claim to the throne of David, 

However, he was exempt from the curse of Jehoiakim, because Joseph was not his genetic father.

So the miracle of the virgin birth accomplished God's will in two ways, 

First, it granted Jesus a legal claim to the throne of David,

And second, it maintained the integrity of the curse God had pronounced upon Jehoiakim. 

Indeed, Jesus was not one of Jehoiakim's offspring. 

"Three days after being crucified and buried, Jesus was missing from his burial tomb." 

From Josh McDowell's book "More than a Carpenter." 

Some say Jesus' disciples stole his body and concocted a story that he rose from the dead. 

If that's true, why would they die for something they knew was a lie? Would you? 

And theirs wasn't a mass suicide, where they bonded together in some delusional facade. 

Each of them left family and jobs, traveling to distant countries,  

preaching that Jesus died and came back to life. 

If the disciples were making it all up, 

each of them chose to die prematurely for something they knew wasn't true. 

Doesn't make sense. 

What does make sense are the historical facts. 

Even while being tortured, the disciples insisted that they, 

as well as hundreds of other Jews, had seen Jesus alive. 

When some were arrested and ordered not to speak about Jesus' resurrection, 

they responded, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!" 

They knew Jesus had been beaten, whipped, nailed to a cross, where he died in public display. 

A spear was thrust into his side to confirm his death. 

Roman soldiers were stationed at Jesus' tomb, 

because Jesus had stated that three days after being crucified, he would rise from the dead. 

On that third day, the guards fled, the two-ton boulder sealing the tomb's entrance was up a slope, 

and Jesus' body was gone. 

Inside the tomb, Peter and John saw the burial cloths still lying there, empty. 

After that, the disciples saw Jesus physically alive multiple times. 

They even had lengthy conversations with him and ate with him--all after his death by crucifixion. 

These disciples went to their deaths proclaiming what they had no doubts about--that Jesus had risen from the dead,  proving that he was everything he claimed to be...the Son of God. 

Jesus Christ, Crucified upon the Cross of Calvary 

The Twelve Apostles: 

1. Andrew - Crucified 

2. Bartholomew - Beaten then Crucified 

3. James, son of Alphaeus - Stoned to death 

4. James, son of Zebedee - Beheaded 

5. John - Exiled for his faith; died of old age 

6. Judas (not Iscariot) - Stoned to death 

7. Matthew - Speared to death 

8. Peter - Crucified 

9. Philip - Crucified 

10. Simon - Crucified 

11. Thomas - Speared to death 

12. Matthias - Stoned to death 

(Source:Fox's Book of Martyrs) 

Since the last Apostles death, thousands have given their lives, 

To carry on the long line of Faith in Jesus Christ to bring the Word of Salvation to the World. 

Thousands will continue on,  just like those who have gone on before, 

Until eternity's day begins with the Lord at God's Table of Grace, 

For Jesus Christ was the Completion of the Word of God. 

What do you think? 

Lord, I pray that whosoever reads believes to follow You,

Martin Lee Vance

4/10/2004