Merry Christmas

The Greatest Gift Ever Given

“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 Luke 1:26-35

Matthew’s account in chapter 1 likely traces the linage of Jesus’ earthly father Joseph. Luke’s account in chapter 3 likely traces the linage of Jesus’ earthly mother Mary. Both genealogies specifically name Abraham, Jacob, and David as His forefathers, and all of this was foretold long ago in the writings of the OT. Numerous Prophecies about Messiah

Genesis 12:1-3 “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Prophecy: Messiah would be Seed of Abraham

Genesis 18:17-18 “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” Prophecy: Messiah would be Seed of Abraham

Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel.” Numbers 24:19 “One from Jacob shall have dominion.” Prophecy: Messiah would be Seed of Jacob

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.” Prophecy: Messiah would be Seed of David

Psalm 89:3-4 “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever, and build up your throne to all generations.” Prophecy: Messiah would be Seed of David

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Matthew 1:18-25 Prophecy: Messiah to be Born of a Virgin

Micah 5:2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

John 7:42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” Matthew 2:1-6 Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

But we have a problem… Joseph and Mary didn’t live in Bethlehem! Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

Have you ever seen God intervene in life in order to bring about a circumstance He desires, or to fulfill some purpose He seeks to accomplish? Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

Back to our story… How is God going to get Joseph and a very pregnant Mary from the town of Nazareth to the town of Bethlehem, and just barely in time for her to give birth there? Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

Julius Caesar Roman Dictator in Perpetuity Killed on March 15, 44 B.C. when attending meeting of the Senate 60 conspirators including his good friend Marcus Brutus Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

Octavian (Caesar Augustus) Declared Emperor in 27 B.C. Ordered census of all people: 1)to see if his law was helping birth rates to increase 2)for purpose of assessing taxes Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

God needed a way to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem so the prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah could be fulfilled! Luke 2:1-5 Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

And that’s how God reached out with His divine hand into the pages of history, and brought forth perhaps the only and unique circumstance that would cause Joseph to place his beloved Mary on a donkey in the town of Nazareth and travel several days to Bethlehem, where they arrived just in time for her to give birth to the Son of God in the city of David just as the prophets had long ago foretold. Prophecy: Messiah to be Born in Bethlehem

Luke 2:6-7 “And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The Greatest Gift Ever Given

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” The Greatest Gift Ever Given

Do you want to know why all these prophecies worked out just right? The Greatest Gift Ever Given

Do you want to know why all these prophecies worked out just right? Because God planned it that way! The Greatest Gift Ever Given

The Bible tells us, that before creation itself, before the foundation of the world, God decided that He wanted us to belong to Him as His very own children. But we all have a problem with sin. And the only way God could adopt us as His very own children would be for someone perfect and sinless to pay the price for our sin. The Greatest Gift Ever Given

And so God decided long before you and I were ever born, even before creation, that one day… The Greatest Gift Ever Given

And so God decided long before you and I were ever born, even before creation, that one day… He would give to us the greatest gift ever given! The Greatest Gift Ever Given

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved.” The Greatest Gift Ever Given