Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…”
What are some things you think of & remember about the Birth of Jesus? Following are some things that come to my mind.
When I think of Jesus’ birth, I think of promises. In Genesis 3:15 you’ll find the first promise regarding Jesus. God, the Father is speaking to Satan and says "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Throughout the Old Testament, you will find more promises and prophecies concerning the life of Jesus and it took thousands of years before they were fulfilled. During that time God was working so that His promises and plan would be fulfilled, and we see the beginning of those fulfillments on a silent night in Bethlehem when a child is born. John Maxwell said, “There are some things you work for and some things you wait for.” The Promises of God fall under the category of things we wait for, no matter how long. We can live life knowing God is faithful.
A Child Is born, remember that God always keeps His promises.
When I think of Jesus’ birth, I think of Hope. When God was pronouncing curses on Adam, Eve, and Satan, He placed Hope in the midst of it. Read Genesis 3:15 again. God tells Satan, who has just defeated Adam, that there is coming a day when another man, who will be an offspring of Eve, will defeat him. In Jeremiah 23:5 we find another promise that points to Hope, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”And you’ll find throughout the Holy Bible, stories of people who were waiting on the Messiah and had hearts filled with Hope because God said it!!! Luke 2:25 'Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel..." because God said it! In Luke 2:37 we find Anna who was an 84-year-old widow that never left the temple. After she saw the child Jesus, the verse says, “'And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Because God said it! Tanya Walker said, "Biblical Hope calls us to a bigger perspective. Only the Christian worldview gives a full voice to Hope, a certain future breaking into a present reality." That’s why Paul can say in Romans 15:13 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
A Child Is Born, remember Hope is rooted in God's word!
When I think of Jesus’ birth, I think of Miracles. Isaiah 7:14 “The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive…” Can you imagine being a virgin and giving birth? The Virgin Birth will be the only miracle of its kind. I was going through the book Charlotte's Web recently and it was so amusing and funny. Towards the middle, I found a fascinating statement. Here’s your Spoiler Alert just in case you haven’t ready it, Charlotte the Spider has devised a plan, that’s in the making, to save Wilbur the pig from being turned into bacon during Christmas. Charlotte webs within her web these words, “Some Pig.” Mr. Zuckerman, the Farmer, is fascinated by Charlotte’s Web and tells a few people including the local Minister about the phenomenon he has found. A few people are marveled at what has taken place and call it a miracle but the Minister tells Mr. Zuckerman to hold off on telling everyone until Sunday, so the Minister could explain it. We find these sentences following those events, “On Sunday the church was full. The minister explained the miracle. He said that the words on the spider’s web proved that human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders.” (Chapter 11, emphasis added). Many promises are given to God's people from The Holy Bible you can live “always on the watch for the coming of wonders." It may very well be that on a silent and dark night, God will perform a miracle in your Bethlehem. He is still able!
A Child Is Born, remember you can live expecting miracles.
When I think of Jesus’ birth, I think of Presence. Matthew 1:23, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)."The first gospel found in Genesis 3:15 doesn’t make it clear who will defeat Satan. It is not until Matthew 1:23 that the promise develops more and we see that God Himself is the one that will come to defeat Satan. Immanuel, God with us, is a reality that can be traced from Genesis through Revelations. Immanuel, God is with us walking in the cool of the day in the Garden. Immanuel, God is with us in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night Immanuel, God is with us in the Ark of the Covenant and the tent within the Holy of Holies. And then Immanuel comes closer on that silent and holy night in Bethlehem, He comes so close Mary is holding Him in her own hands. Emannuel, God is with us. Matthew begins His gospel by saying God is with us in Matthew 1:23 and ends His gospel with God saying “I will always be with you" in Matthew 1:20. We can live every single moment of our lives with God being with us.
A Child Is Born, remember God's presence is with us and that makes all the difference in our lives.
When I think of Jesus' birth, I think of Salvation. Matthew 1:21 "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Now the question arises, what do we need saving from? “We have all sinned..." Romans 3:23. We sin when we choose to disobey or break the commandments of God. The evil and bad you and I have chosen to do in our lives are considered sins. The issue isn’t that we are born good people who do bad things, the issue is that we are born bad people who do bad things. Listen to the consequence for sin, for breaking God’s holy law, for breaking the 10 commandments, “For the wages of sin is death…" Romans 6:23. It is only after hearing the bad news first that makes the good news even sweeter. Here’s the bad news, we have all sinned and we’re bad people… but a child is born, salvation is provided. All of Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When I think of Jesus’ birth away in a manger, I think of a God that wants to give us a life filled with happiness, joy, contentment, purpose, holiness, and a good satisfying relationship with Him. “What Child is this, who, laid to rest On Mary’s lap, is sleeping?” (David Foster). And the answer to the question is this, “Gaze on that helpless object, Endless adoration! Those infant hands shall burst our bands, And work out our salvation.” (Charles Wesley).
A Child Is Born, remember God provides salvation.
When I think of Jesus’ Birth, I think of you. Yes, I think of you. If you scroll up to the beginning of this post you'll find three important words in front of the verse that I have been talking about. “For to us..." The God of the universe sent Jesus just for us… just for you. Why did Jesus come just for you, you ask? It’s because of love.
You see, I am talking about a love that leads Jesus to leave His Father’s throne above to wrap His glorious Spirit in human flesh in Bethlehem one night to dwell among us.
A love that leads Him to say to God the Father “Not my will, but yours be done” in the Garden of Gethsemane after sweating drops of blood because of the weight of the task set before him.
A love that leads Him to win the battle for humanity in the last garden at night alone, when Adam lost the battle for humanity in the first Garden during the day with Eve.
A love that later leads, imagine with me, Him to be whipped and beaten so much that He was not someone people wanted to look at. A love that led Him to accept a crown of thorns and the Roman's most excruciating way to die, on a cross.
He didn’t deserve to suffer but He took my place and yours. He didn't deserve to die but He died for me and you. And through another miracle, because God promised someone would defeat Satan, Jesus rose from the dead. And He did it for you!
Here are some amazing stanzas from a good song from The Ball Brothers,
“It's not just about the manger
Where the baby lay
It's not all about the angels
Who sing for him that day
It's not all about the shepherds
Or the bright and shining star
It's not all about the wise men
Who traveled from afar
The beginning of the story
Is wonderful and great
But it's the ending that can save you
And that's why we celebrate
It's about the cross
It's about my sin
It's about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
It's about the stone
That was rolled away
So that you and I could have real-life someday
It's about the cross
It's about God's love
Nailed to a tree
It's about how every drop of blood
That flowed from Him when it should have been me…”
That’s why Billy Graham said, “God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ, hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, “I love you.”
A Child Is Born, remember God loves you.
(All scripture is taken from the ESV).
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