"PT-1 “The Person Of The Good News” (Luke 2:11-12)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/5/2026 8:06 AM

My Worship Time                                                  Focus: PT-1 “The Person Of The Good News”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 2:11-12

            Message of the verses:  “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.”

            We have seen that when the angel came to the frightened shepherds that he had to reassure him telling them the good news, the angel then gave them the details of what that good news was.  I want to look at Galatians 4:4-5 to help us understand this:  “4  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5  to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  What we are reading about here is history’s most significant birth which just took place here.  It happened in the most unlikely of places—in the city of David which was the tiny hamlet of Bethlehem.  The angel prefaced his threefold description of the newborn Child by telling the shepherds that the One of whom he spoke had been born for them.  Collectively, as noted earlier, Jesus is the Savior of both Jews and Gentiles; individually, He is the Savior of everyone who believes in Him as seen in John 3:16 “16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  The angel did not give the Child’s earthly name; Savior, Christ and Lord are all titles.  But since the name “Jesus” means “Lord is salvation,” it’s meaning is encompassed by the term Savior.

            MacArthur writes:  “The description of Jesus as Savior is an apt one, since the reason He was born was to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21; cf. Luke 19:10).  The obvious truth is often obscured in contemporary presentations of the gospel.  Too often Jesus is presented as the One who will rescue people from unfulfillment in their marriages, families, or jobs; from a debilitating habit they cannot overcome on their own; or from a sense of purposelessness in life.  But while relief in those areas may be a byproduct of salvation, it is not its primary intent.  Mankind’s true problem, of which those issues are only symptoms, is sin.  Everyone (Rom. 3:10, 23) is guilty of breaking God’s holy law and deserves eternal punishment in hell.  The true gospel message is that Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue people from sin and guilt—not psychological, artificial guilt feelings, but true, God-imposed guilt that damns to hell.”

(Rom. 3:10, 23)

“10  as it is written,: "None is righteous, no, not one;”

“23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

            “Christ is an exalted title for a baby born in such humble circumstances.  The name and its Old Testament counterpart, Messiah (Dan. 9:25-26), both mean ‘anointed one’; one placed in a high office and worthy of exaltation and honor.  Jesus was anointed first in the sense that He is God’s appointed King, the ‘King of kings’ (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), who will sit on David’s throne and reign forever, as Gabriel told Mary (1:32-33).  He was also anointed to be the great High Priest (Heb. 3:1) for His people; the mediator between them and God (1 Tim. 2:5) who makes intercession for them (Heb. 7:25).  Finally, Jesus was anointed as a prophet, God’s final and greatest spokesman (Heb. 1:1-2).”  This section that we are looking at in this mornings SD is a very, very important section to go over and to understand and so I think that I will go ahead and copy and paste the verses in this paragraph in order to help us understand this important message that we are looking at this morning.

(Dan. 9:25-26)

“25  Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26  And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.”

(Rev. 17:14; 19:16)

“14 ¶  They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.’”

“16  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

(1:32-33)

“32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

(Heb. 3:1)

“1 ¶  Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,”

(1 Tim. 2:5)

“5  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

(Heb. 7:25)

“25  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

(Heb. 1:1-2)

“1 ¶  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” 

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  This morning is what I like to call Resurrection Sunday, many call it Easter.  In this SD we are looking at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and some 33 years after He was born on the earth He died for the sins of the world, and then was resurrected to show us that God was satisfied that Christ paid for all sins.  The thing that one must do in order to become a true believer is realize that your were born a sinner, and because you were born a sinner you sin.  One must realize this and then accept the forgiveness that Christ has provided for you.  In doing that you will become a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.  Please if you have not done this do it today for no one is guaranteed tomorrow.  Pray something like this, “Lord Jesus I realize that I am a sinner, and I now realize that You died for me as You took my place on the cross.  I accept Your forgiveness and desire for you to come into my heart to rule my life in the way You desire my life to be.  Thank You for dying in my place.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust the Lord through His Holy Spirit that people who read this Spiritual Diary will come to know Christ as Savior and Lord.

4/5/2026 9:07 AM

 

 

 

 

"“The Pervasiveness of the Good News" (Luke 2:10b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/4/2026 8:25 PM

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  “The Pervasiveness of the Good News

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference: “Luke 2:10b”

            Message of the verses:  “which will be for all the people;”

            Now this did not come out the way that I wished that it would, as this section will be very, very short, and then tomorrow morning’s will be longer, but that is the way that it turns out and so that is the way that I will do it.

            Now the good news the angel proclaimed is for all the people.  MacArthur explains that Laos (people) refers first to Israel as seen in (Luke 1:68; 7:16; 19:47; 21:23; 22:66; 23:5, 14), since “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22; cf. Rom. 1:16).

(John 4:22; cf. Rom. 1:16)

22  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

“16 ¶  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

However the promise of salvation is not only for them.  Praising God after seeing the baby Jesus in the temple, this is what Simeon said “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel’” (2:30-32).  MacArthur then adds “Significantly, laos in verse 31 is plural, while it is singular in verse 32.  Simeon’s words reflect the truth expressed in Isaiah’s prophecy:

“1 ¶  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2  For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

“The good news of salvation, having been proclaimed first to Israel, is now proclaimed throughout the world (Matthew 28:19-20).

(Matthew 28:19-20)

“19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

            Now that ends this rather short SD, however I would like to explain something that I have learned about the book of Isaiah.  Isaiah is the first of what is called the major prophets of which there are four, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.  Now major prophets are classified as being major prophets because of the length of them, and not for who wrote them.  Now what I want to say about Isaiah is that it is kind of like a miny Bible as the first 39 chapters mostly speak of Old Testament things, but then in verse forty we read:  “1 ¶  Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that

her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.”  One of the things that I learned when I was studying the book of Isaiah is that there were “scholars” who thought that there were two authors writing Isaiah, and that is because of how things change when you get to verse 40.  So remember if you are reading some of the verses in Isaiah, it is good to check the chapter number to see if it is like the Old or New Testament.

Have a happy, joyful, and a great Resurrection Sunday, for Christ has risen, He has risen indeed.

4/4/2026 8:47 PM

 

 

 

PT-2 “The Proclamation of the Good News” (Luke 2:8-10a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/4/2026 9:40 AM

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  PT-2 “The Proclamation of the Good News”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 2:8-10a

            Message of the verses:  “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy (2:8-10a).

            I continue looking at the commentary on these verses in this morning’s SD as John MacArthur writes:  “Throughout Scripture, God’s glorious presence was manifested in brilliant light (e.g., Ex. 24:17; 33:22-34:5; Deut. 5:24; 2 Chron. 7:1-3; Ezekiel 1:27-28; 43:2; Luke 9:28-32;; Rev. 21:23; cf. Ex. 34:29, 35; Psalm 104:1-2; Hab. 3:3-4; Rev. 1:13-16).  The glory of God first appeared in the garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship with God and enjoyed His presence.  But after they sinned, God banished them forever from the garden and posted an angel with a flaming sword at the entrance to keep them out.  God’s glory manifested itself to Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 34:16-17), especially at the dedication of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35), as it would later appear at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

            “But after centuries of sin and rebellion, the glory of God left the temple (Ezekiel 9:3; 10:4, 18, 19; 11:22-23), symbolizing its withdrawal from Israel.  It would not appear again until this very night, where it signified that God’s presence had once again entered the world through the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Later in His life Jesus would reveal His divine glory to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2).  The next visible manifestation of God’s glory to the world will be at the second coming, when ‘the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and…all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory’ (Matt. 24:30).  Heaven will be lit by the all-pervasive glory of God throughout eternity (Rev. 21:10-11,23).

            “The shepherds understandably were terribly frightened by the appearing of the angel and the manifestation of God’s glory.  Fear was the normal response whenever anyone in Scripture either encountered an angel (cf. Dan. 8:15-18; 10:7-9, 16-17; Matthew 28:2-4; Luke 1:12, 26-30) or saw the glory of God manifest (Isa. 6:1-5; Ezek. 1:28; 3:23; Matt. 17:5-6; Mark 4:41; 5:33; Acts 9:4; Rev. 1:17).  Those who experience the presence of the Holy God are acutely aware of their sinfulness.  Isaiah cried out, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’ (Isa. 6:5), and Peter exclaimed after witnessing a miracle performed by the Lord, ‘Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ (Luke 5:8).

            “Seeing the shepherds’ obvious terror, the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.’’  The sequence of events in the angel’s appearance to the shepherds is the same as in Gabriel’s appearances to Zacharias and Mary: the angel appeared, those to whom he appeared were frightened, the angel spoke words of comfort, delivered his message, and promised a sign.

            “There is a sense in which it is right to fear God; the Bible declares that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Prov. 9:10; cf. 1:7; 15:33; Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; Mic. 6:9), and godly men are marked by reverence for Him (Gen. 22:12; 42:18; Ex. 18:21; Neh. 7:2; Job 1:9; Ps. 66:16; Eccl. 5:7; 8:12; 12:13; Matt. 10:28; 1 Peter 2:17).  But the redeemed need not be terrified of God.  ‘For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again,’ Paul reminded the Romans, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’’’ (Rom 8:15; cf. Gal. 4:6-7).  God says to His people, as He did to Abraham, ‘Do not fear’ (Gen 26:24; cf. Judg. 6:23; Isa. 43:1, 5; 44:2; Jer. 46:27-28; Lam. 3:57; Dan. 10:12, 19; Matt. 14:27; 17:7; 28:5, 19; Luke 5:10; 12:32; Rev. 1:17).

            “The shepherds did not need to fear, for the angel had come bearing good news.  His message was not one of judgment, but rather that ‘the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world’ (1 John 4:14).  Euangelizo (‘to proclaim good news) is one of Luke’s favorite terms; he used it more than any other New Testament writer (cf. 1:19; 3:18; 4:18, 43; 7:22; 8:1; 9:6; 16:16; 20:1; Acts 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18).  The good news of the gospel is that the saving God sent the Savior to redeem sinners.  That news produces great joy; the joy that Peter described as ‘inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8), which is reserved for those whose sins have been forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

            Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  Now as I look at all of the verse references that MacArthur included in this section it just shows me that the Bible is true and the best commentary for the Word of God is the Word of God.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am thankful that God has given me 78 years, as I begin the 79^th year that He has given me today, and it is my desire to live a life this year that will be pleasing to Him.  Trusting that the Lord will deal with my wife and me with goodness and grace.

4/4/2026 10:21 AM

 

 

PT-1 “The Proclamation of the Good News” (Luke 2:1-10a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/3/2026 9:21 PM

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  PT-1 “The Proclamation of the Good News”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 2:8-10a

            Message of the verses:  “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy (2:8-10a).

            I think that as we look at who were the first group of people to receive the good news of the birth of Christ it may surprise us a bit.  I know that many people have heard this story of the birth of Christ and perhaps it does not mean as much to us as when we first heard of it, but maybe we all need a revival so that when we look at this great miracle with eyes and hearts that have been revived by the Holy Spirit then we will perhaps look at it in a new and refreshing way. 

            As we have been looking at the things that happened in order for God to get done what He has promised in the Old Testaments there is one miracle after another and this was all done because of the great love that God has for His people.  It started out with the miracle conception of Zacharias and Elisabeth being great in age but now they are about to have a baby.  They were past the age of conception and it was a miracle for this conception to happen.  Next we saw the angel come to Mary and tell her that she was going to conceive and have a baby, but this baby would not have an earthly father, but would be the Holy Spirit.  Now we have been looking at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Child who is the God/man child.  Now we are looking at the call to the shepherds by an angel to give them the good news of the birth of Christ.  Shepherds were pretty much at or near the bottom of the social ladder, but God chose to allow them in on this miracle birth of His Son through an angel. 

            Let’s talk about the life of a shepherd during this time when Jesus was born.  Many shepherds were dishonest, unreliable, unsavory characters, so much so that they were not allowed to testify in court.  Because sheep required care seven days a week, shepherds were unable to fully comply with the man-made Sabbath regulations developed by the Pharisees.  As a result, they were viewed as being in continual violation of the religious laws, and hence ceremonially unclean.  When I think about shepherds I think about David who also was a shepherd and we know that God used David in great ways, even being in the blood line of Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd.

            John MacArthur writes “That is not to say, however, that being a shepherd was an illegitimate or disreputable occupation.  Two of the greatest figures in Israel’s history, Moses (Ex. 3:1) and David (1 Samuel 16:11-13), were shepherds at some point in their lives.  Moreover, the Old Testament refers metaphorically to God as the ‘Shepherd of Israel’ (Psalm 80:1; cf. 23:1; Isa. 40:11), while Jesus described Himself as the ‘good shepherd’ (John 10:11, 14, cf. Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:4).  Shepherds were, however, lowly, humble people; they certainly were not the ones who would be expected to receive the most significant announcement in history.  That they were singled out to receive this great honor suggests that these shepherds were devout men, who believed in the true and living God.  Such people were later described as those who were ‘looking for the consolation of Israel’ (2:25) and the ‘redemption of Jerusalem (2:38).

            “God’s choice of shepherds to receive the announcement of His Son’s birth is in keeping with Old Testament prophecy concerning Messiah’s ministry.  Isaiah 61:1 prophetically put these words in the mouth of the Messiah:  ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.’  After reading that passage in the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus declared, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21). The Messiah’s ministry would not be to the self-righteous (Luke 5:32)—especially the religious leaders (John 7:48), or the self-sufficient wealthy (Luke 18:24).  Instead, He would seek out the poor, the lowly, the afflicted, the outcasts of society (cf. Luke 1:52; 1 Cor. 1:26).  Throughout His ministry Jesus attracted such people (cf. Matt. 9:10-13; 11:19; Luke 15:1-2), who were broken over their sin and humbled themselves in repentance (cf. Luke 7:37-38; 18:13-14).

            “These particular shepherds were watching their sheep in the region around Bethlehem, about six miles south of Jerusalem.  They were staying out in the fields with their flocks, something typically done in Israel from April to November.  That does not mean, however, that Jesus could not have been born in the winter, since winters in Israel are often mild.  Further, as Leon Morris notes, the rabbinic writings speak of sheep being pastured between Jerusalem and Bethlehem in February (The Gospel According to St. Luke, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975], 84).  According to rabbinic law, sheep were to be kept in the wilderness, and any animal found between Jerusalem and the vicinity of Bethlehem was subject to being used as a sacrifice in the temple.  It may be, then, that the sheep these shepherds were caring for were destined for that very purpose.

            “Sheep were kept out in the fields during the day.  In the evening they were moved into sheepfolds, where the shepherds could take turns keeping watch over their flock during the night.  Inside the fold the sheep could more easily be guarded from predators and thieves.

            “But the tranquil normalcy of the shepherds’ nightly routine was abruptly shattered in a most amazing, dramatic, unexpected way.  While they were doing what they normally did during the long hours spent watching their flock an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them.  The angel is not identified, but in light of his earlier appearances to Zacharias and Mary, it may have been Gabriel.  Adding immeasurably to the shepherds’ shock and terror at the angel’s unexpected appearance, the glory of the Lord blazed forth out of the darkness and shone around them.”

4/3/2026 10:06 PM

PT-2Intro to “The Announcement of Jesus’ Birth” (Luke 2:8-20)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/3/2026 10:38 AM

My Worship Time                                 Focus: PT-2Intro to “The Announcement of Jesus’ Birth”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Luke 2:8-20

            Message of the verses:  “  8 ¶  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15  When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (ESV)

            I continue quoting from MacArthur’s introduction to these verses:  “What allows God to be the Savior of lost sinners is the propitiatory, sacrificial, substitionary death of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Old Testament describes Messiah’s sacrificial death mostly thoroughly in Isaiah 53:

“4 ¶  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned— every one— to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6)

“8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?” (Isaiah 53:8)

“9  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 ¶  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:9-12)

“All the redeemed, both in the Old Testament and New Testament eras, were saved by God’s placing their sins on Jesus Christ.  He alone (Acts 4:12) is the source of salvation since, as Peter wrote, ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you are healed” (1 Peter 2:24; cf. 3:18; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:28; 1 John 2:1-2).”  Now I am going to quote these verses from the ESV along with first quoting Acts 4:12.

(Acts 4:12)

“12  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

(1 Peter 2:24; cf. 3:18; John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:28; 1 John 2:1-2).

“24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

“18 ¶  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

“  29 ¶  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

“21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

“13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’”

“2  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

“28  so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

“1 ¶  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

            “God revealed Himself as a Savior of Israel in two ways.  Temporally, God saved the people by delivering them from bondage in Egypt and preserving them through the ensuing forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Isa. 63:9; cf. Num. 10:9; Deut. 23:14; 33:29; Judges 2:18; 8:34; 2 Sam. 3:18; 22:1, 4; 2 Kings 17:39; Psalm 106:10; Ezra 8:31).  Through common grace, God, in His ‘kindness and tolerance and patience,’ gives sinners an opportunity to repent (Rom. 2:24); He is ‘the Savior of all men’ in a temporal sense and ‘especially of believers’ in a spiritual sense (1 Tim. 4:10).  God delivers people generally from the just and immediate temporal and physical consequences of their sin, but more importantly delivers believers from sin’s spiritual and eternal consequences as well.  Thus the believing remnant of Israel (Rom. 9:27); 11:5) enjoyed not only God’s temporal salvation like the rest of the nation, but also spiritual salvation.

            “The Angelic announcement of His birth set forth at the outset the purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry.  He did not come into the world to be an example of nobility and integrity.  He was not merely a Jewish sage, a teacher of morality and ethics.  Still less was He a passive, nonviolent social reformer; a sort of first-century Gandhi.  He was and is ‘the Savior of the world’ (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14), who came ‘to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Luke 19:10) by ‘sav[ing] His people from their sins’ (Matt. 1:21).  Jesus did come to fulfill the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.  The fulfillment of those covenants, however, is predicted on the fulfillment of the New Covenant, which was initiated by His sacrificial death (Matt. 26:28).

            “The announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ heralds the greatest good news that the world has ever heard.  From the narrative of that announcement and its aftermath, five truths about the good news emerge; the proclamation of the good news, the pervasiveness of the good news, the person of the good news, the purpose of the good news, and the picture of the good news.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today.  Today, April 3, 2026 is what is called Good Friday, and that day looks back on the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus was on the cross dying for the sins of the world as in those three hours when the world went dark, the Father was taking your sins and my sins out on the Lord Jesus Christ, in order for those who come to Him by faith and believe that you are a sinner, and then trust what Christ did for you on the cross will be saved.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord to work out the things which are going on in my life and in my wife’s life to bring glory to the Lord.

4/3/2026 11:17 AM

 

 

 

PT-1Intro to “The Announcement of Jesus’ Birth” (Luke 2:8-10)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/2/2026 9:50 PM

My Worship Time                                 Focus: PT-1Intro to “The Announcement of Jesus’ Birth”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Luke 2:8-10

            Message of the verses:  “  8 ¶  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15  When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (ESV)

            A couple of things before I begin to quote from John MacArthur’s introduction to these verses and that is where I live at in Ohio we had a bad electrical and rain storm which cause me to lose power and therefore could not put any Spiritual Diaries onto my blogs.  Besides that I was running in and out of the house to put gasoline into my generator to keep the lights and heat on.  As mentioned I will do as I have been doing and that is to quote the entire introduction to these verses from MacArthur’s commentary.

            “The Scripture says that in His incarnation the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8) ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and [was] made in the likeness of men’ (Phil. 2:7).  All the adjectives and exclamations in language could never say enough about that reality.  Yet, paradoxically, history’s most notable birth happened under the most obscure, nondescript, humble circumstances imaginable—Jesus was born in the place where animals of those staying in a public shelter were kept.”  Now again I challenge you to look at my Spiritual Diary from 03-28-2026 which is the introduction to the 12^th chapter of MacArthur’s commentary to see what I quoted about Jesus may have been born in the place where the Passover Lambs were born and raised.  “No one in the sleepy little village of Bethlehem realized the significance of what had happened, except, to a certain degree, the Child’s parents.  But that was about to change; the silence regarding the Savior’s birth would be broken in a most supernaturally dramatic way,

            “If the announcement of Jesus’ birth had been part of a humanly planned public relations campaign, it would have been handled very differently.  The announcement would have targeted the powerful and influential in Israel: the high priest, the members of the Sanhedrin, the priests, Levites, scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees.  Instead God chose to reveal this glorious truth first of all to members of a lowly, despised group.

            “The theme of this passage is found in the angel’s declaration in verse 11, ‘there has been born for you a Savior.’  The statement is the heart of the gospel message that the church proclaims to the world: all people are sinners, and in need of a Savior.  But the concept of a savior is by no means limited to the New Testament.  The idea that there is a radical disconnect between the supposedly angry, hostile, vengeful God of the Old Testament and the compassionate, loving, saving Christ of the New Testament is a figment of the skeptics’ imagination.

            “The truth is that in the Old Testament God was known to His people as a Savior and a deliverer.  That is in sharp contrast to the false gods’ worshiped by Israel’s neighbors.  When the prophets of Baal, one of the chief Canaanite deities, confronted Elijah on Mount Carmel, they tried for hours to get Baal’s attention.  But ‘there was no voice and no one answered’ (1 Kings 18:26).  That prompted Elijah to say mockingly, ‘Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened’ (v. 27).  Even after they in desperation mutilated themselves (v. 28) ‘there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention (v. 29).  At the other end of the spectrum from Baal’s indifference was Molech’s cruelty and hostility, which his worshipers desperately attempted to appease by the unspeakable atrocity of infant sacrifices (Lev. 18:21, 20:2-5; 2 Kings 23:10; Jer. 32:35).

            “Unlike the false gods of Israel’s pagan neighbors, the God of Israel, the only true, eternal, and living God, is by nature ‘compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness’’(Ex. 34:6; cf. Neh. 9:17; Ps. 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).  The Jewish people understood, therefore, that it was in keeping with God’s nature to save His people.  In Deuteronomy 20:4 Moses reminded Israel, ‘The Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’  David called God ‘my savior, [the one who] save [s] me from violence’ (2 Sam. 22:3); the ‘God of [his] right hand’ (Ps. 17:7).   Psalm 106:21, Isaiah 45:15; 63:8-9; and Jeremiah 14:8 also refer to God as Israel’s Savior, as does God Himself (Isa. 43:3, 11; 45:21; 49:26; 60:16; Hos. 13:4).  Reflecting their understanding of that key Old Testament truth, Mary (Luke 1:47), Zacharias (Luke 1:68-69, 77), and Simeon (Luke 2:30) all spoke of God as Savior, as does the rest of the New Testament (1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jude 25).  Since God alone is the Savior (Isa. 43:11; Hos. 13:4), the New Testament’s repeated use of that title for the Lord Jesus Christ (e.g., Luke 2:11; Acts 5:31; 13:23; Phil. 3:20; 2 Tim. 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; 2 Peter 1:2, 11; 2:20; 3:18; 1 John 4:14) is a strong affirmation of His full deity and equality with the Father.”

4/2/2026 10:40 PM

 

“The Personal Setting” (Luke 2:6-7)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/1/2026 12:19 PM

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus:  “The Personal Setting”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                    Reference:  Luke 2:6-7

            Message of the verses:  “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a Manger, because there was not room for them in the inn.”

            Let me begin by saying that last evening we had a very big thunderstorm, and the result of it was that it caused us to not have any electric power, and so I was unable to do my Evening Spiritual Diary.  The power is still out and say that it will not be back online until around midnight, so I am writing this SD using a head lamp to see with and will post it whenever I am able to do so.

            MacArthur writes:  “Luke described the most profoundly significant event in all of history up to that point—the birth of the God-man, Jesus Christ—in startlingly simple, straightforward, unembellished, even sparse language.  While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the days were completed for her to give birth.  Luke did not say how long they had been in Bethlehem, or whether they were still waiting to register, or stayed there after registering because Mary’s time to give birth was near. He gave no description of where the birth took place, except to say that it was not in the inn.  Luke simply said that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son.”  Now let me stop to say that I think that these words “firstborn son”  are very important, and the reason is because it indicates that her and Joseph had more sons, which they did and two of those sons, Jude, and James actually wrote letters found in the Word of God.  They also had daughters, but their names are not mentioned which was how things usually worked in those days.  Now as to where He was born, earlier I quoted from an earlier SD that I did on an earlier Christmas day which stated in the article that the author’s thought was that Jesus was born in a barn where the Passover Lambs were born and raised, however that place is not there anymore. 

“No heavenly trumpets rang.  No voice from heaven announced the birth of the Son of God.  Alone except for her young husband, far from her family and friends, in the most primitive of conditions, a young girl gave birth.”  Now if the article that I talked about above then there would have been people in this cave that were taking care of the lambs would have been there.

“Thus did the second person of the Trinity step from eternity into time and space.”

            “Luke carefully noted that Jesus was Mary’s firstborn (Prototokos), not her only (monogenes) son (cf. his use of monogenes to refer to an only child in 7:12; 8:42; 9:38).”  I am always happy when MacArthur agrees with what I have written before I read what he has written.  “The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that Jesus was Mary’s only child and that she remained a perpetual virgin until her death, is clearly a denial of Scripture.  Matthew 1:25 says that Joseph “kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son” (emphasis added).  That strongly implies that after Christ’s birth, they had normal marital relations.  It is also revealed that Mary gave birth to other children, Jesus’ half brothers and sisters (Matt. 12:46-47; 13:55-56; John 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10: Acts 1:14).  As the first born, Jesus had the primary right to the family inheritance (cf. Gen. 43:33; Deut. 21:15-17; 1 Chron. 5:1; 2 Chron. 21:3).  Joseph was not wealthy (cf. the discussion of 2:21-24 in chapter 14 of this volume), and had no great estate to bequeath to his firstborn son.  But what he did pass along was the right to the throne of Israel (Matt. 1:1-16).

            “As was customary, Mary wrapped her baby in cloths.  Strips of fabric were used to bind a baby snugly for warmth, security, and to keep the limbs straight.  The point is that Jesus was treated like any other baby.  He was not dressed in royal robes but in the normal wrappings that other babies word.

            “Having borne her Son and wrapped Him, Mary laid Him in a manger.  The reference to a manger has given rise to tradition that Jesus was born in a stable.  The Bible nowhere states that, however. Phatne (manger) is the word for a feeding trough.  Such troughs could be found anywhere animals were kept, not only in stables.  The Bible does not specifically say where Mary gave birth to Jesus although a tradition, dating back to the middle of the second century, says that it was in a cave.  While that is possible, since cavers were sometimes used to shelter animals, there is no way to verify it.”  (Again if you have not looked at my Spiritual Diary from 03/28/2026 please do as it gives the details of what many believe was the true birthplace of Jesus.)

            “Wherever the couple stayed, it was not in the inn, because there was no room for them there.  Part of the Christmas legend is the heartless innkeeper who turns away a young woman about to give birth.  But kataluma (inn) is not the normal Greek word for an inn (pandocheion, which Luke used in 10:34), but rather a general term for a shelter, or logging place (it is translated ‘guest room’ in 22:11).  Exactly what that loging place was is not clear, but it may have been a public shelter or campground, perhaps a place where caravans stopped.  But with the overcrowding brought about by the census, there was no room for Joseph and Mary even in such a makeshift shelter.  As a result, Mary was forced to give birth in the only place available—the place where the travelers’ animals were kept.

            “When Jesus came into the world, He was born in the most comfortless conditions—a smelly, filthy, chilly shelter, surrounded by noisy animals.  It was a fitting entrance for the “Son of Man [who had] nowhere to lay His Head (Luke 9:58); the one who ‘was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him’ (John 1:10); for the one ‘who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and [was] made in the likeness of men’ (Phil. 2:6-7); for the ‘Son of man [who] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’ (Matt. 20:28) by bearing ‘our sons in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24).  His humble birth was appropriate for Jesus, who came to die as a substitute in the place of lowly, humble, wretched sinners.  As the writer of the hymn ‘Ivory Palaces’ put it,

Out of the ivory palaces,

Into a world of woe,

Only His great, eternal love

Made my Savior go.”

4/1/2026 1:39 PM