A Family for Christmas
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Introduction:
Over the next several hours, kids around the world will open up gifts and celebrate the Christmas season. We know that Christmas is not about gifts, but because God gave us the greatest gift in sending His son to be the Savior, we exchange gifts with one another as well.
I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that Christmas has become very commercialized and people often give gifts without considering God’s gift to us in His son, but gifts are given nonetheless.
Now, this process begins months before the Christmas season as children give their wish lists to their parents and grandparents.
We’ve all seen a child that opens one of these gifts on his Christmas list and seen the glow on their face.
Well, this morning, I want to suggest that the greatest gift you could receive this Christmas, even better than a new phone or game console or anything else you might have wished for is a new family for Christmas.
We’ll find out what this means as we dive into our text this morning.
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.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Prayer
1. The timing of Jesus' Birth (v.4)
1. The timing of Jesus' Birth (v.4)
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
Fullness of Time
God is sovereign over all of human history. When we read in the textbooks about the history of a particular country, we can tend to segment that piece of history and look at it individually. The truth is that as much as I nerd out on history documentaries and have always loved history and found it fascinating to study other countries and cultures, it wasn’t until we started to home school that it really clicked that the history of these countries is all tied together to what God reveals to us in His Word.
You’ve heard the cliche that history is “His story” and that is really true. Think about when Jesus was born. He was born during the reign of the Roman Empire. There was peace throughout the empire. There were Roman roads that had been built. These roads and this period of peace from the attacks of invading armies helped create an environment to spread the gospel after Jesus’ ascension.
Jesus also came at a time that fulfilled prophecy. He was born during the census before Quirinius was governor of Syria because Caesar Augustus had issued a decree for the whole world to be registered for taxation purposes.
He was born to descendants of David who had to travel from Nazareth back to Bethlehem to be registered and he came at a time that would cause him to be born when Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem.
None of these things are accidents and they all fulfill the plan of God. God was shaping and moving history to bring about the fulness of time for Christ to be born.
In fact, all of human history is directed by His hands, including when Christ will come again during His second advent.
Fulfilled Prophecy
The number of prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus are estimated to be around 300. Think about that number for a moment. Now consider the probability of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of these 300 prophecies.
The number is 1 with 17 zeros behind it. It looks like this:
1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000
That number happens to be 100 quadrillion.
If you play the lottery and this was your odds, you would probably finally realize how unlikely you are to ever win the mega millions.
Now, that’s just 8 of these prophecies! He fulfilled over 300!!!! We can’t do that math even with AI!
2. The Nature of Jesus' birth
2. The Nature of Jesus' birth
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
born of a Woman
- Isaiah 7:14 ; Genesis 3:15
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Last week in Sunday School we looked at this passage. It is the first mention of the Messiah in Scripture. It occurs after Adam and Eve had sinned and it is God’s message to Satan.
15 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.”
It is interesting to look at both of these Scriptures together because the seed of the woman and the virgin birth are highlighted. You see Jesus’ has always existed in His divine nature, but He added to that divine nature His humanity at His birth. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine at the same time, but we need to notice something about His human nature.
Original sin nature passed on through Adam and father's seed
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Normally the seed is given in reference to the man, so the fact that in Gen. 3:15 the seed of the woman crushes the head of the serpent speaks to a different nature and seed. Jesus would be fully human but not through Joseph’s seed. His humanity would come through the virgin conception.
Now, why was all of this necessary?
Must be born of woman to take on humanity
Jesus had to be like us to share our humanity and represent us before the father. He also needed to be different from us because we are all infected with original sin. We have a sin nature that leads us into rebellion against God. We are born sinners and are by nature children of God’s wrath.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
The question we all want to ask about how God saved us is this:
Could God have chosen a different way?
yes - no Scripture prevents the Lord from saving us by some other way
why this way?
to relate to us and help us (Heb 4:15-16)
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
to reveal His holiness
Born under the law
had to represent us and keep the law (Heb, 5:8-9)
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
3. The Results of Jesus' Birth (vv. 5-6)
3. The Results of Jesus' Birth (vv. 5-6)
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Redemption
Sonship
Relationship with the Father
An Inheritance in Heaven
Conclusion
When we look at the results of Jesus’ coming, it is easy to see that by being adopted into the family of God, we receive the greatest gift we could ever receive.
This Christmas, if you have not become a part of the family of God, you can have a new family for Christmas. Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine. He took the punishment that we all know that they deserved and made it possible for us to be with Him in heaven one day. He brings heaven down in our hearts and fills us with His Spirit so that we can praise Him and enjoy Him forever.
There is no greater satisfaction you can receive than to know Jesus. You can get a gift you’ve been wanting on Christmas morning, but eventually you will grow tired of it.
You never grow tired of Jesus. You never grow tired of knowing that heaven awaits you when your time on this earth is over. You never grow tired of knowing that Jesus saved.
This Christmas, trust in Jesus. This Christmas, worship Jesus different for knowing that you have a family for Christmas.