Have you ever stopped to think about what would have happened if Christ had not been born?
In God’s infinite wisdom, He devised a plan to bring salvation to the earth beyond what any person could have ever dreamed up. Tell me…would you have ever thought about having God’s son leave heaven to be born as a human by a woman who was a virgin just so he could one day die the most grueling of deaths and then raise from the dead three days later? It would have been the farthest thing from my mind.
Yet, that’s just what God did.
Recently, I shared these words with the church Board of Directors:
“Tis the season to be jolly! I’m so excited that it’s Christmas and we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Easter is of upmost importance. Christ dying for our sins, providing us with forgiveness and grace. He truly is the Savior of the World. But if he had not come into the world, born to the Virgin Mary, in the form of a human, he could not have died his death on the cross. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter.”
Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets – especially Isaiah – told the Israelites about the coming Messiah. These messages from the Lord explained that the Messiah would come through the family line of King David.
Isaiah 9:7 – “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
To be in line to accept David’s throne, Jesus had to be born on earth to be a relative of David. If not, then all of the prophets would have been lying all those years, the message that the Lord had given them would have been a lie, or they would have misunderstood what God had told them. We all know God doesn’t lie. The prophets would not have been willing to die for a lie. And there’s no way that all the prophets had misunderstood God and given the same message.
So, God’s ultimate plan was for Jesus to be born as a relative of David. He needed to ensure that the world knew that Jesus was in fact God’s Son, so Jesus had to have a virgin mother. (By her being a virgin, no one else could be Jesus’ father.) Then, Jesus had to live a life without sin so He would be an unblemished sacrifice. God would sacrifice Jesus for our sins, raise Him from the dead three days later to demonstrate He had overcome the grave and evil, and then bring Him back to heaven to reign forever.
So, may we not forget as we hang the garland, decorate the tree, and share in our holiday traditions…
Without Christmas, there would be no Easter.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Kim
