In 1952 a famous swimmer, Florence Chadwick, attempted to swim from an Island to the California coast, 50 km away. Long-distance swimming is not new to her; she is the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.
But the water was cold that day and there was a fog. It was so thick that she could hardly see the safety boats nearby. She swam for more than 15 hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. She came to know that she was only one km away from shore. She had already swam 49 km. She said, "I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it."
It wasn’t the cold or exhaustion that caused her to give up. It was the fog. She could not see the shore. She felt there was no hope of reaching land.
Two months later she tried again, the same channel and the same distance, but minus the fog. She set a new speed record.
People give up when they cannot see a solution to their problem, a light at the end of the tunnel, or an end to their pain.
• People give up when they cannot see HOPE. The reality may not be so, there can be an answer to their problem, but they cannot see it.
• The world is longing for hope. Everyone, everywhere is searching for hope. Hope for peace. Hope for a better life. Where can we find it? Who can give us HOPE?
The truth is, only God can give us true hope. All our human hopes are just wishful thinking, because only the One who is in control of all things, can give us lasting hope. God can.
• Many pray when a disaster strikes, because somehow, they want to believe that God can help. They do not know who He is, but they pray.
• How can we trust a God who cannot be seen? We can’t. That is why Jesus must come. God allows us to see Him when Jesus Christ was born.
John 3:16-17 NLT: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son JESUS, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
There is more to life than what we are seeing. God has a plan for us. We are made to have a relationship with God.
• God did not send Jesus into our world to judge the world. He came to save us.
• His coming at Christmas more than 2000 years ago isn’t a myth or a legend. It is not accidental and it is not by chance.
• God planned it. It happened one day in history, in a specific time and place.
Do you know when this plan was birth? It did not start at Christmas?
• It started way back, right after God created this world. It begins in the Garden of Eden, according to the book of GENESIS.
• When the first man and woman disobeyed God (tempted by Satan) and sinned against Him, man’s relationship with God was broken.
But God did not give up on mankind. He announces a plan of salvation in Genesis 3:14-15 (>4000 years before Christmas).
• The Lord said to Satan (represented by the serpent): "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
• 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
God revealed His rescue plan:
1. It is centred on a specific person and he would be a man (offspring of a woman).
2. He will enter the human race by being born of a woman.
3. He will do battle with Satan (the one who tempted man to disobey God).
4. But Satan can only strike his heel, that is, he cannot defeat Him.
5. This man will defeat Satan and his power. He will crush his head.
This SAVIOUR will not be an angel. He will enter this world, born of a woman.
• Gal 4:4 “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…”
• This is the hope for mankind. God will send SOMEONE to save us from our sin and reconcile mankind back to Himself.
• But who is He? How and where and when will He come?
God unfolded His plan gradually over the centuries. We will not be able to go through all the details in one service.
• History reveals to us that God first called a man named Abraham, a righteous man who seeks God, through him He set up a nation ISRAEL.
• Through this nation a FAMILY line will be chosen, and the SAVIOUR will be born.
Let us fast-track down history to the time of KING DAVID of Israel.
• At the height of David’s career, God made a promise to Him (through prophet Nathan) – 2 Sam 7 (1000 years before Christmas).
• 2 Sam 7:11-13, 16 "The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever…. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
The plan is getting more specific. The SAVIOUR comes from the line of David.
• When we look at the genealogies recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, we can trace the SAVIOUR back to the house of David.
• And this “house” and “kingdom” and “throne” will last forever, God says.
This SAVIOUR is no ordinary human ruler or king. He reigns and lives forever.
• Who can do that? I don’t think David fully understand what this means.
God’s plan gets more specific over time. It gets clearer and more precise.
• By now we know He is going to come as a man, from a nation called Israel, and into the family line of King David.
• Who is this person that God says will rescue us from sin and Satan’s control?
Let’s jump to the times of the prophets (700 years before Christmas).
• Isaiah 7:13-14 “Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
• God narrows it down further. His plan is through a virgin birth! This man will come from the house of David and from a virgin!
This SAVIOUR will not be an ordinary man. His entrance is supernatural.
• He is SENT by God, comes through a virgin birth (conceived by the Holy Spirit).
• He is not just human; He is divine. He is the Son of God.
• You can call Him IMMANUEL! Meaning, in Hebrew, "God is with us".
So where will this MAN be born? MICAH wrote some 700 years before Christmas:
• Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (cf. Matthew 2:6)
• This SAVIOUR, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times, will be born in Bethlehem.
So who would fit all these descriptions? This SAVIOUR to come is SOMEONE:
1. Born of a woman – that’s everyone
2. Into the nation Israel, a Jewish man – millions fit this
3. From the tribe of Judah (cf. Gen 49:10-12) - fewer
4. And a descendant of David (cf. Rom 1:3) – even fewer fit this
5. Being born in Bethlehem (cf. Micah 5:2) – a handful
6. And will be born of a virgin – only ONE
ONLY ONE person in history has ever met the 6th description – born of a virgin. His name is JESUS.
The arrival of Jesus is a PLAN of God - His salvation plan for mankind.
• God send His Son into our world to save us from judgement of sin. He is born a Saviour, our Saviour.
• God did not sent his Son to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
• Christmas is not a random event, not an accident in history. God planned everything from the beginning.
This world today is dark and it is getting darker. There is so much suffering, hatred, violence and evil. This is God’s world, but it’s no longer the world He first made.
• Sin destroys God’s creation, and that includes us. Man no longer has an abundant life. But God did not give us up. He wants to save us, and He did.
• Every human being longs for a Saviour of some type. We look for someone or something that can solve our problems, ease our pain, or give us happiness.
• Only God can give us that. Jesus Christ is our Saviour and we need to put our trust in Him.
• Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
• Jesus sacrificed His life and paid the price for our sin. Believe that today and our sin will be forgiven and we will be reconciled with God.
If God orchestrated everything, throughout this long history, to accomplish this salvation for your good, then we have no reason to doubt Him today.
• God loves you. He loves you very much and He cares for you. He knows your needs and He wants to help you. Open your heart to Him and pray.
David fought in the Vietnam War. At one point in the battle, while under fire, David raised his hand to throw a grenade. But as he did that, a bullet hit the grenade and it exploded. He fell back onto the muddy river bank with his face and shoulder caught on fire. He thought he was going to die. His men pulled him out from the water. He was flown to Saigon, and then taken to Hawaii.
David went through surgery after surgery, as the doctors cut away tissue that had been burned or torn by the grenade. He survived the operations and was taken to a ward that held the most severe burn and injury cases from the war.
There was another man in the ward who was also badly wounded in the war. He had lost an arm and leg, and his face was badly torn and scarred. This man’s wife arrived from the States and when she walked into the room and took one look at him, she became nauseated and left. This man wept and shook for hours. Two days later, he died. He lost hope. Three days later, David’s wife will come. After watching what had happened with the other soldier, he had no idea what kind of reaction she would have.
The day came. His wife stepped into the ward, took one look at him, came over and hugged him. In a gentle voice she said, "God loves you, and I love you too. I’ll always love you. And I want you to know that whatever it takes, we can make it together." After many months of painful recovery, by God’s grace, David recovered. He can now see and hear. It’s not about the injury is; it is about hope. Love brings hope!
Do you know that someone loves you, and cares deeply for you? Do you know that God loves you and Jesus came for you?
You are not alone. Put your trust in Jesus today.
If you want to do that, say this prayer after me: “Dear Jesus, thank you for coming into this world to save me. I’ve sinned and I repent of my sins. I believe You died on the cross for my sin. I now trust You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me a new life. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, AMEN.”
If you prayed this prayer from your heart, you are now a child of God. You can pray and talk to Him every day and the Lord will guide you. Let us know if you have made that prayer.
