"God rest you merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay; Remember Christ, our Savior, Was born on Christmas day, To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy."
Sin is devastating and has brought death to us all. Satan's power is real, significant and even terrifying. The evil one despises God, hates God's people, and will stop at nothing to eliminate us all if possible.
So how can we profess and sing tidings of comfort and joy?
Because God's promised Christ, Jesus, our Savior, was born. He was born with one objective: to honor His Father by crushing the power of sin and death, thereby offering salvation and rescue from these things to all who long for it. And He accomplished that work! See, here, from Colossians 2:13-15 - "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."
I do not dismay because HE DISARMED THE RULERS AND AUTHORITIES AND PUT THEM TO OPEN SHAME! Victory has been achieved. The kingdom of God has come. I do not yet experience His kingdom in its fullness, but one day I will. I will put off this body of death and will be clothed with a body that is free from death. Freed evermore!
When Jesus began His preaching ministry, His message was, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). God's kingdom being "at hand" or having "come near" means precisely this, that Jesus IS the kingdom. And He had come near. He did this by taking on the likeness of sinful flesh, though He was and is God.
Folks, this reality is almost to good to be true! It is nearly unbelievable! "But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). This is how we can benefit from the work of Jesus...by receiving Him and believing in Him.
I leave you with the third verse of that same song we began with. This verse is rarely ever sung, I say, to our shame. It reads -
"Fear not," then said the angel, "let nothing you affright; this day is born a Savior, the true and radiant Light, to free all those who trust in him from Satan's pow'r and might. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy"
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