Unto You A Savior Is Born

I love the Christmas season with all the lights, Christmas music, different kinds of foods and family get togethers. However, if I'm not careful, the true meaning of Christmas can get lost in all the business. I think it is important that as we enter the Christmas season, we need to step back and remember what it is all about.

When we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, God incarnate. Why is the birth of Jesus Christ so significant? It’s significant because of what happened in Genesis 3. In this portion of the Bible, we see that humanity fell into sin. Romans 5 tells us that through one-man (Adam) sin entered the world and through that, sin and death spread to all men. From that point on, every single person in the world was and is in need of a Savior. In the same chapter, verse 15, we see God promises to provide that very Savior. God promises that a son would come from a woman and that son would crush the power of Satan. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, we see one man after another coming on the scene, doing great things looking like maybe they could be the wonderful Savior foretold in Genesis 3:15. Unfortunately, none of them fit the bill. They were not the promised one, but the promise continues through each of these men.

We see Noah in Gen. 6:5-11; 9:20-21; 28. These passages tell us that “The wickedness of man was great on the earth.” And that, “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Therefore, God was going to blot out every living thing on earth V.6,7. But, V.8 tells us that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord and as we all know, only Noah and his family would be saved from the flood. If we knew nothing more than that, it could look like maybe Noah is the promised son. But then we read 9:20-29 and we see Noah sin by getting drunk and then we see that he dies, therefore he cannot be the promised Messiah.

Next, as we Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1; 16:1-5; 17:1-8; 20:1-7; 25:8-11. In Abraham we see a man that who was greatly chosen by God. He loved God and obeyed Him. In Ch. 12 we see the Abrahamic Covenant. Maybe he is the one to defeat Satan? However, he sins in 16:2-3 (Hagar) and again in 20:1-7 (lies about Sarah), then he dies in 25:8. So, he is not the promised one, but the promised one will come through Abraham. Maybe it is Isaac or Jacob, could perhaps one of these men be the promised Savior of Genesis 3:15? No, they both sinned and died, however the covenant was confirmed with each of them.

But what about Joseph? No, the seed of the promised messiah is not continued through Joseph’s line. In Genesis 49:8-10 it tells us that the promised Messiah will come through the line of Judah. What about David or Solomon 1 Sam. 16:12-13; 7:8-17; 11:1-27. We know that David sinned and that he eventually died, therefore he could not be the promised seed of Genesis 3:15. But his line is in-fact the line by which the Messiah will come. In 2 Samuel 7:8-17 we see in verses 12 and 13 that God says regarding a descendant of David, “I will establish his kingdom.......” I will establish the thrown of his kingdom forever.” So, could Solomon be the promised Messiah? He becomes king in 1 Kings 1:38-43, and we are told in 1 Kings 3:6-15, that he finds favor in the eyes of the Lord. No, he also falls into sin and eventually the Lord splits the kingdom during the reign of his son. After all of this it may seem like the hope of the Lord ever fulfilling this promise is diminishing. After Solomon there is no other king who stands out as a possible Messiah.

There were some good Kings but none who would be considered the Messiah. For about 1000 years after David, the nation waited and waited and waited. You can imagine how downtrodden they were becoming, they desperately desired to see their Messiah. 10 years passed, then 20, 50, 100, 200, 300, 800, 1000.... Then finally, at the right time, a young virgin named Mary in a small little backwater town (Nazareth) is visited by the angel Gabriel and he says to her in Luke 1:28-33. This long-awaited Messiah meets all the requirements. He is from the line of Judah; he is to be born in Bethlehem, and he will be born sinless. Praise God, this the one who will crush the serpent’s head!

As we reflect on this it should give us a greater appreciation and understanding of how monumental the birth of Christ was. It was a birth that had been a long time coming and should not be taken for granted. Let’s remember that this Christmas, we don’t want to just have fun and spend time with family (although those things are important) we want to grasp the weight and wonderful reality of this event.