DAILY BREAD

Jesus Is the Promised Messiah.

"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power." Acts 10:38.

We believe that God in His infinite mercy resolved to save mankind and that the divine Redeemer appeared in Jesus of Naza­ reth, the Son of Mary and Son of God. Immediately after the Pall, God promised this Savior, who, by suffering and dying in man’s stead, was to deliver him from all sin and its punishment.

When, at length, the fulness of time had come, God sent His angel Gabriel to Mary, a virgin of David’s royal lineage, to tell her: “Thou shalt bring forth a Son and shalt call His name Jesus.” Jesus means Savior. Therefore the angel added to Joseph: “For He shall save His people from their sins.” Hence, by giving the name Jesus to the Child of Mary, God declared this Child to be the promised Messiah.

In the Old Testament, God has given a full description of the Messiah’s person, and so perfectly does that description cor­ respond with Jesus’ person that no one who sincerely accepts and believes the clear word of Scripture will look for another Savior. In the Old Testament, God stated the time when the Messiah should come, the place where He should be born, and the family and people from whom He was to descend. And who is it that, in every detail, exactly answers to this description? Only Jesus Christ. The promised Messiah was also to perform the greatest of miracles, He was to proclaim the Gospel, the glad tidings of the forgiveness of sins, and He was to be preceded by a forerunner, who was to go before Him to prepare His way. And has not all this been fulfilled in Jesus?

Let us, therefore, lift up our heads in triumph and rejoice in our faith, which is so well founded that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Blessed is he who accepts Christ as his Savior and King, in whom all promises of God are yea and Amen.

Prayer.

O merciful, eternal God, heavenly Father, we, Thy children, thank Thee from our inmost hearts that Thou hast so faithfully kept Thy promise and didst turn to us Thy heart in fatherly love by sending to us the highest Good, Thine only-begotten Son, to be our Savior, and by making us acceptable in Thy Beloved. We thank Thee, Lord Jesus, that Thou hast appeared in the ful­ ness of time to become our Brother. We pray Thee, O God the Holy Ghost, to bring about this wonderful change, that this our Savior be spiritually born in us and that He may grow in us every day of our lives. Help us to find comfort in Him amidst all temptations. Amen.

                                                                                                        Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,                                                   Born to set Thy people free.

From our fears and sins release us;                                                   Let us find our rest in Thee.