By Steve Long
Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt,
Luke 1:35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 2:13 Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Luke 2:22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
Luke 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God,
Luke 2:36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
As you read these famous passages about the Christmas story, what did you see repeating in each narrative? Yes, there is the supernatural in terms of angels, visions, dreams, etc. Yes, there is the fulfillment of the prophetic and what the Law requires. But, I’d like to draw your attention to how the people reacted. There was always an urgency to respond.
Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Matthew 2:2 We (Magi) saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they (Magi) returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:14 So he (Joseph) got up, took the child and his mother during the night.
Luke 1:38 Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Luke 2:15 “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off.
Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child (Jesus).
Luke 2:22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
Luke 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he (Simeon) went into the temple courts.
Luke 2:38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she (Anna) gave thanks to God.
Each person’s response in the Christmas narrative acted on the revelation they had received. Mary talked to an angel, Joseph had a dream, the Magi saw stars and then later had an inclination, Simeon felt the Spirit moving, etc.
I love this. If you’ve heard my talks on faith, you will know that my definition of faith is Acting On Revelation. As I read the stories throughout the Bible, I see a pattern.
God speaks in some form, such as a dream, a prophetic word, a thought. Our spirit is quickened, and hope comes to us about this possibility. Then there is usually a very good reason why what we heard and feel doesn’t make sense. If we value the God-inspired thought more than the obstacle, we will act on the revelation. This is called faith!
Mary has an angel physically visit her. She is told she will be the mother of the Messiah. Problem - she is a virgin. She believes, and the Spirit of God does a miracle in her body.
Joseph, like his namesake from the Old Testament, was a dreamer. God tells him to take Mary as his wife. The problem is she is pregnant, and he doesn’t know who the father is. But he believes the dream and acts. He takes Mary as his wife.
Shepherds see an angel and then a massive group of them. It would appear that they left their flocks of sheep unguarded and went into the town of Bethlehem. They were the first to see baby Jesus and to believe he was the Saviour.
Magi see stars align in the sky and know that it is a prophetic statement that a king has been born to the nation of Israel. Problem - that is a long way away and a dangerous journey. It takes them up to two years, but they acted on the revelation and were able to worship this soon-to-be King.
Joseph has another dream and is told that Jesus, now a toddler, is in danger from Herod. Get out quickly! Problem: what about selling our house, what about our stuff? Joseph and Mary acted decisively and left Bethlehem that night.
Friends, the Christmas story, and the narrative of Jesus repeatedly in the Gospels, is that Father God speaks, and we get the option of believing or not believing.
Four men get a God thought to let their paralyzed friend through the room. Jesus sees “their” faith, and the man is instantly healed. A big problem - public destruction of private property, but that didn’t stop them.
Having her menstrual cycle for twelve years non-stop, a woman has a God thought to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. Despite being unclean, she does what she believes she heard and is instantly healed.
Peter and the other disciples are told to toss the fishing nets on the other side of the boat. Problem - they have fished all night and caught nothing. By the way, who is this hidden person on the shore? They do what they have been told and catch 153 large fish!
The stories go on and on, friends.
This is how we are to live. The Bible calls this living in the Spirit or being led by the Spirit. This is how miracles and breakthroughs happen!
The Christmas season is a special time of unique revelation. I feel that followers of Jesus and non-followers receive individual God thoughts during the Christmas season. Why? Because Father God has good news for everyone! He wants to communicate that a Saviour has been born. He is shouting out to all who will hear that there is hope for the hopeless because of a baby named Jesus.
Friends, expect to hear from Father God this week. Expect Him to speak into your destiny. Expect Him to speak into your now circumstances, the opportunities and challenges you are in right now. Expect revelation!
Then, let’s respond quickly! That is what the Bible calls faith!
P.S. To go deeper into this topic, consider reading my book called The Faith Zone. Thirteen chapters of stories from Matthew’s gospel of how faith works.shouts
Steve Long is the Senior Leader of Catch The Fire Church (Toronto). He is the author of several books including The Faith Zone and My Healing Belongs to Me. Steve and his wife Sandra serve on two apostolic teams; one for the City of Toronto as well as Catch The Fire World. They live in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
