Intro:
Merry Christmas to all! Good morning and I’m glad to see all of you after almost 2 years of pandemic, we still see each other again. Few days from now and Christmas is here. Though there were less festivities and less fellowships, let us all hope and pray that the true essence of the season will not be forgotten at all.
Before doing this simple exhortation for this Christmas Sunday Service, I was asking God for a timely message and with our theme this month in consideration I Am Chosen, I Am Prepared for Eternity, God brought me to the very reason why there is Christmas. With many were just expecting if the old normal way of celebrating Christmas will soon be back, however we are now on a 2nd year of celebrating Yuletide Season on a “new normal” way.
So, what was the very reason of this Christmas season? The reason is that…
God Prepared our Eternity Inihanda ng Diyos ang ating Kawalang Hanggan
That’s right, God already prepared for our eternity and He planned this long time ago. But in order to do this, He chose many things like event and persons in order to fulfill this grand plan of God. And we will find this in our text this morning in…
Galatians 4:4-5
“4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
ASND
“Ngunit nang dumating na ang takdang panahon, isinugo ng Dios ang kanyang Anak sa mundo. Ipinanganak siya ng isang babae at namuhay sa ilalim ng Kautusan para palayain ang mga nasa ilalim ng Kautusan, nang sa ganoon ay maging anak tayo ng Dios.
What did God choose to prepare for our eternity?
1. He chose Christmas. Pinili Nya ang Kapaskuhan
In verse 4, Apostle Paul said “But when the set time had fully come…”
Yes, God planned this long ago when the prophets prophesied in Old Testament that there is an appointed time when a Messiah will be born to save His people. There were a lot of misconceptions of the coming of the Messiah during those days. And even the Romans not just the Jews were anticipating the coming of the Deliverer. It is not by accident but it was already foretold.
Jeremiah 23:5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
ASND “Sinabi pa ng Panginoon, “Darating ang araw na paghahariin ko ang isang hari na matuwid na mula sa angkan ni David. Maghahari siyang may karunungan, at paiiralin niya ang katuwiran at katarungan sa lupaing ito.
Isaiah 11:1 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
ASND “Ang maharlikang angkan ni David ay parang punong pinutol. Pero kung papaanong ang tuod ay nagkakaroon ng usbong, darating din ang isang bagong hari mula sa angkan ni David.”
He planned this event that out from the lineage of Jesse the father of King David, a righteous King will reign. He has chosen an event like Christmas to prepare our eternity. Isn’t amazing to know that God prepared for the eternity of human kind on this event? While people are busy preparing for our own festivities our God planned this long time ago so He can have a open fellowship with His people.
How many of us were saved in Christmas season? With all the distractions during this season, like parties, pay slips, and “pasyalan”, it’s very unlikely that man will be focused to the very event God has prepared for us this season and that is to be saved.
I remember that my 1st time to attend a JIL gathering was a Christmas party. Though it is a party with many foods and fellowship, I never stopped attending JIL gatherings since then until now.
I hope and I pray that we never focus our celebration according to worldly standard. This is the time when we need to look back the last 12 months of our lives and start thanking God for all the blessings we had. We may have lost loved ones due to pandemic, but we will never lose our eternal hope because of Christmas God planned our eternity. I pray that we focus our attention and celebration to the true meaning of Christmas which is the 2nd choice of God.
2. He chose Christ. Pinili Nya si Kristo
Again, in verse 4 Paul said “…God sent His Son”
Who will God choose to fulfill that great plan? It is only through His Son Jesus. Again, it was prophesied that it will be from the shoot of Jesse, a family in Bethlehem.
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.”
ASND “Sinabi ng Panginoon, “Betlehem Efrata, kahit na isa ka sa pinakamaliit na bayan sa Juda, manggagaling sa iyo ang taong maglilingkod sa akin bilang pinuno ng Israel. Ang kanyang mga ninuno ay kilalang-kilala noong unang panahon.”
Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
ASND “Ipapanganak ang isang batang lalaki na maghahari sa amin. Tatawagin siyang, “Kahanga-hangang Tagapayo, Makapangyarihang Dios, Walang Hanggang Ama, at Prinsipe ng Kapayapaan.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
ASND ““Sapagkat ganito ang pag-ibig ng Dios sa mga tao sa sanlibutan: Ibinigay niya ang kanyang Bugtong na Anak, upang ang sinumang sumasampalataya sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan.
It is Jesus, who is the Messiah that was prophesied by prophets Micah and Isaiah and was fulfilled when Jesus declared in the book of John the reason of His birth – to save everyone and have eternal life.
He should be the focus of this season. Not Santa Claus, not the gifts and presents, not even this pandemic but our God in the Person of Jesus the Son of God. It is Jesus who guided us and let us cross these 2 years of pandemic because of His protection and provisions why we are still here standing and enjoying the presence of others.
Have we thought about Christmas without Christ? It is simply “Xmas”. And people are fond of greeting others merry Xmas instead of Christmas. Though, this celebration is pagan, but we worship and give reverence not on the event itself but the reason of the event which is Christ our Lord Jesus.
3. He chose a Consecrated vessel. Pinili Nya ang isang malinis na sisidlan
“…born of a woman”
God will save human and in order for the Son of God to be born in the world, He should be born of a natural way of human birth but with a supernatural way of conception. Thank God because He chose a consecrated woman in the person of Mary. And this event was also prophesied many years ago before the birth of Christ.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
ASND “Dahil dito, ang Panginoon na mismo ang magbibigay sa inyo ng palatandaan: Magbubuntis ang isang birhen, at manganganak siya ng isang sanggol na lalaki. At tatawagin niya ang bata na Emmanuel.
And this was fulfilled when the angel Gabriel told Mary about this prophesy…
Luke 1:26-32
“26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,”
He chose the set event, the Person to be sent in that mission and now God chose the instrument to be used in bringing the Savior in to the world. Question is can God use the way He brought Adam and Eve here on earth on Jesus’ birth? The answer is yes because He is a sovereign God and nothing is too difficult on Him. But He wanted to emphasize a thing on Jesus’ birth – He wanted to use a consecrated vessel like Mary as Jesus’ mother in flesh and a righteous father in flesh in the person of Joseph.
By being a virgin (not having sex with anyone), the conception of Jesus is a product of the holiness of Mary and Joseph and God’s miracle, that’s why they were chosen to be Jesus’ parents in the flesh. And since Jesus was not a product of human sex, He would not share the sinful nature of human and that would make Him rightful to be the Savior of the world. Because of that…
Jesus knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21)
He did no sin (1 Peter 2:22)
He had no sin (1 John 3:5).
Jesus’ body was prepared by the Spirit of God so He can fulfill God’s plan of redemption of mankind (Hebrews 10:5).
And this “overshadowed” Mary! She knew that she is only a vessel that God used and He is the most holy one. Look at what the angel said to her in Luke 1:35 “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Mary knew that she is not the center of the event like Christmas, because she and Joseph will only be a clean vessel to be used by God. That’s why she praised God in…
Luke 1:46-49 “And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
You know this Christmas God can use people like Mary and Joseph so He can bless others. But we need to be like them, as they were highly favored, and God’s presence is with them. They know what Joshua said in Joshua 3:5 “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Do we want amazing things to happen in us? Then we need to be consecrated this Christmas.
The best gift we can give to our “inaanak” as we become their god parents is none other than God’s presence and salvation on them. Just like Mary, we are privilege to be used by God this Christmas so we can be light of this darkened world.
4. He chose our Circumstances. Pinili Nya ang ating mga sariling pagkakataon
The Apostle Paul need to emphasize the phrase “…born under the law” so he can declare that Jesus was still born under the law of man even though He is also God and needs to follow these laws while living on this world. In fact, He followed all the Laws of Sabbath and Mosaic Law while He is doing His public ministry. This is to emphasize that Jesus was both God through the Holy Spirit’s power and man through following human law.
From the time Jesus was born there are a lot of Bible references that their family followed all these laws:
Luke 2:1 – Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to be registered for census (Augustus Caesar Law)
Luke 2:21 – Jesus was circumcised (Abrahamic Law)
Luke 2:22-23 – Jesus was dedicated in the temple (Mosaic Law)
Mark 12:17 – Jesus encouraged everyone to pay tax to Caesar (Tiberius Caesar Law)
You see, Jesus was born to this world when the world has many laws to be followed both from the government and the church. And Jesus was able to follow all of them to show His submission to these laws. However, it is also because of these laws that He was sent in order not to break the law but to fulfill them so that the salvation of mankind might be fulfilled.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
God chose this kind of situations and circumstances in order to provide the needs of mankind – peace with God and peace with all mankind. Jesus was able to meet all these needs to mankind whether during this Christmas season or pandemic season.
God can choose our circumstances right now so He can fulfill His mandate to us being our Lord and Savior. When did God move in our lives? At what circumstances is it? Are we sick, lonely, desperate? This is the perfect time God will move within us according to His own timing and purpose!
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
ASND ““Huwag kayong mabagabag, at huwag kayong matakot, dahil iniiwan ko sa inyo ang kapayapaan. Ang aking kapayapaan ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo. Hindi ito katulad ng kapayapaang ibinibigay ng mundo.”
Many were still afraid to come out even during this Christmas season and they don’t have peace. But although we need to follow man’s law, it’s best to follow God’s law during this season where God’s purpose is to give us life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10).
There’s nothing wrong following man’s law except that these laws cause Jesus to choose the 5th reason.
5. He chose those who are in Chain. Pinili Nya ang mga nasa tanikala
What Paul meant when he used this phrase in verse 5 “…to redeem those under the law” is to emphasize the very reason of God why He sent His Son to us. When Jesus said that He came not to break the law but fulfill it, what He wanted to break were the effects of following that law that causes mankind in chains!
We all know that we are all under the curse of sin because of our sinful nature. And even following the laws of man and God could not save us. Apostle Paul mentioned these to the Romans who were accustomed to follow human and God’s laws. Following the law is like being in chain without any freedom.
Romans 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
ASND “Sapagkat walang sinuman ang ituturing ng Dios na matuwid sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa Kautusan. Sa halip, ipinapakita ng Kautusan sa tao na makasalanan siya.
Because of that, we don’t have any control of our self because of our sinful nature. Apostle Paul mentioned in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. But if we continue to read in verse 24, we will read that “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Lahat ay pinawalang sala at pinalaya sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang grasya o biyaya sa pamamagitan ng pagtutubos ni Kristo Hesus.
If there is a magnet that attracts Jesus, it is the chain of His people that brought sufferings and pain to their lives. This is the reason why most often Jesus was filled with mercy as He see the crowd. This is the very purpose of God sending His own Son so that everyone will come to repentance and be saved through His redemption (2Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.).
The word redeem means to set free by paying a price. Jesus’ redemption did not start when He was hanging on the cross and die for us, but it all started when He left heaven only to be a human with no prestige nor pride in the manger.
Jesus came to this world to set us all free from chains of worries, and uncertainties. So, this Christmas, let us not be worried of all the gifts we need to give, if we are capable to give then give materials things but what this world need is God’s love through His Son Jesus!
What kind of chains do we usually have during Christmas? Is it chains of over-spending because of pride, or chains of fear by not coming out because of the new COVID-19 variants? Jesus came to this world in order to redeem us and save us by breaking those chains. This is the very message of Christmas.
Lastly…
6. He chose everyone to be Christians. Pinili Nya ang lahat upang maging Kristyano
“…that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
I remember a joke that whenever we find a wealthy man or woman looking for people to be adopted, we usually are the first to volunteer to be adopted. Why do want to be adopted it’s because we wanted to experience the prestige, the pride, the fame and glory of being adopted by a wealthy individual.
What more if God is about to adopt us and give us all the prestige, the power, the privilege of being His sons and daughters? Are we not going to be happy? But this is the reason God send His Son so we can have the right to become the children of God (John 1:12).
In John 1:12 God gave us the right to become “children of God”. But this connotes that as a child we still need supervision and guidance. This mean that God will not entrust us His full potential within us as we need proper training and experience. But on this verse 5 of our text, we are not only receiving the right but the adoption of God by being His sons and daughters. This means that we have been given the full potential of His power, prestige and enjoy His presence over us!
Ephesians 1:5-9
“In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ”
ASND “noong una pa'y itinalaga na niya tayo para maging mga anak niya sa pamamagitan ni Jesu-Cristo. Ayon na rin ito sa kanyang layunin at kalooban…
This means He knows everyone of us that we are all about to be adopted by God through His Son Jesus. His adoption means He has given us grace, He freed us from the chains of sin and be forgiven, He gave us wisdom and understanding to know God’s mystery of knowing His will and purpose for us.
Illustration:
Imagine you break into Microsoft and steal a very expensive piece of equipment with company secrets on it. In the process of stealing it, you kill a policeman trying to escape. You are caught, found guilty, and sentenced to death. Bill Gates shows up at your trial with his son and says that his son is willing to switch places with you and die in your place. He also states that if you are willing to switch places, he wants to adopt you and give you his son’s name, his inheritance, his jet, his Ferrari, his yacht, his 3-million-dollar home, and the right to access all his assets, effective immediately.
What would you do? This is what God has done in sending Christ to take your place. All you have to do is accept his substitution, ask for forgiveness, and live out the rest of your life as God’s son. What are you waiting for?
This Christmas, why don’t we adopt someone by giving them love and affection, by giving them time and attention and blessed them not just by material things but by mere love coming from God?
Conclusion:
Our theme for this month “I am Chosen, I Am Prepared for Eternity” is a perfect theme for this month. Because we are reminded that it is God who first chose us so He can prepare for our own eternity.
And to think that He started preparing for us our eternity in the first Christmas is not accident. He chose Christ His only Son for the redemption of mankind. He purposely used a consecrated vessel like Mary so His Godly nature will not be tainted. And according to His chosen circumstances in us He will move just as we need Him. He chose those who are in chains to be redeemed and to become Christians.
This is the very reason why there is Christmas. We are not worshipping the event but we worship the intention of God in preparing for our own eternity. Are we all ready to face our eternity? Are we prepared what God has prepared for us?
While we are choosing the place to celebrate Christmas with the people we loved, can we choose God and thank Him as He has prepared for us an eternity? Let us not be happy and excited for this season here on earth only during this season, but let us be excited and continue to be prepared as we face our eternity with God soon.
It is all because of Jesus as the center of this season…let us sing that song…
