Galatians 4:1-7
Friends, I don’t know about you, but Christmas seems to get busier and busier every year.
It seems that each year, I, we as a family try to cram more and more things into the Christmas season, and the timing of when we do certain Christmas events becomes more and more debated as the kids get older.
For example, this year, we decided to put up our Christmas tree and decorations on the 25 November, a month before the big day.
Despite my efforts to hold off until the first of December like we have done all other years, I caved this year, and the decorations were put up on the 25 November.
I have a feeling that my efforts to take down the Christmas decorations on the 27 December will also fall on deaf ears.
Then there is a question of when you do the Christmas shopping- surely Christmas Eve?
But the biggest question of all that is hotly debated in our household, is when do the kids open the presents? Surely, they can wait until after the service on Christmas day? Surely it can’t be before 5 am in the morning?
Friends, whenever you decide to put up and take down the Christmas decorations, or whenever you decide to do the Christmas shopping, or whenever you decide to open the Christmas presents, I want you to remember this Christmas time, that it was at God’s perfect timing that God sent his son Jesus to be born into this world.
Jesus came to this earth at just the right time.
Look at Galatians 4:4-5 with me:
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.
Here is says that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son.
What does it mean- the fullness of time?
It means that at God’s perfect time, God sent Jesus into this world.
Now remember, that time that Jesus came to this earth- was planned before creation, and it was a plan that was promised throughout the history of the world.
Jesus was promised at the creation, when God promised to send someone who would crush the snakes head, He was promised in the days of Noah, He was promised in the days of King David, as God would send a forever king, to sit on his forever throne, He was promised through the prophets, Isaiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel and many more.
And so, after years and years of expectation and hope that Jesus would come to this earth, he finally did.
And go figure…..
He didn’t come to this earth as a mighty warrior, born in a palace, but no….he came as a baby, born in a stable in a little town in the middle east, called Bethlehem.
This promised messiah, this promised king, God’s son, came to this earth and came as a human, born from the virgin Mary, born under the law.
Jesus came to this earth, to be like one of us, to live like one of us, to die like one of us.
Amazing- but why did Jesus come to this earth as one of us, to live like us, to die like one of us?
Just look at verse 5 with me again
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
He came to redeem us from the consequences of the law of God, to redeem us from the consequences of sin, and even more than that- he came to bring us into God’s family.
Jesus came to rescue us from our sins and bring us into his family, and the only way he could save us from our sins, was to become one of us, so he could die as our substitute and he could give us his perfect right standing with God.
Friends, in order to understand the good news of why Jesus came to this earth, we need to acknowledge the bad news and the bad news is this:
God’s law condemns us all.
God’s law condemns us all.
Which means we are all sinners.
Now I probably don’t need to convince you that you are a sinner, you probably know that- I know that- just ask my wife and kids.
The apostle Paul, who was a devout Jew before he met Jesus, knew that even with his perfect outward keeping of God’s law, he still failed when it came to the 10th Commandment of coveting- Paul knew his heart, coveted for what others had….who doesn’t covet what others have now and again…..I know I do…. a nice pool in the back garden would be sweet.
We all sin, we all fail to keep God’s laws and so the wages of sin is death.
God is such a Holy and Just God, that he has to punish sin- and so we all deserve death because of our sin, we have been enslaved to sin.
And if you acknowledge that today- praise God, praise God, because, you will know and feel the grace filled good news of why Jesus came to this earth.
Jesus came to this earth, so that at the age of 33, he could be nailed to the cross, to pay the penalty for all my, your sins, past, present and future. And so instead of God punishing us for our sins, he allowed his own son- Jesus to take the punishment for us.
But even more than that- Jesus not only took our sins, but he made a away for us to be part of God’s family- He adopted us into his family.
He purchased us for his family with his own blood.
And not only that- but there is more.
As his children, he has given us his Holy Spirit, which cries out to God “Abba Father”
Amazing to think, that we now, through Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, can call upon the God of the universe and address him as “abba” father- which means daddy, or papa.
This is why Jesus came to this earth and didn’t stay aloft on his throne in heaven. He became like one of us, became like us in every way, to die for us, so that we could have a personal relationship with him, so personal that we can call him “papa”.
Friends, this Christmas time as we remember that it was at God’s perfect timing that God sent his son Jesus into this world, maybe it is the time for you to enjoy that relationship with God, maybe it is time for you to be welcomed into his family.
Let us pray.
Comments