Sermon for 12/25/2005
For Such a Time as This
Galatians 4:4
Introduction:
When Leonardo Da Vinci painted The Last Supper on a monastery dining room wall, the monks began to have many questions about his ability, and his integrity. The picture was merely a copy of the dining area in which it was being painted. The tables, the linens, even the dishes used by the monks, were all identical to those in the picture. Some of the monks thought da Vinci was taking advantage of his contract to paint this picture. They were resentful of his long periods of inactivity, when Da Vinci would stand for hours without touching his brush to the wall in front of him. When they asked da Vinci about his inactivity, he replied, “When I pause the longest, I make my most telling strokes with my brush.” No other event in the life of our Lord has been painted more often, but none can match the one painted by da Vinci nearly 500 years ago. Da Vinci took his time and his Last Supper is one of the most famous paintings to this day. If he would have rushed through it, this would probably not be the case. Every stroke of his brush was carefully planned and we see the beauty of the finished product.
WBTU:
A. (Gal 4:4 NIV) But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son,
B. WE could say that God took his time as he was preparing and working on the beautiful gift of his Son Jesus Christ. The Lord was making a beautiful masterpiece for the world. Everything was carefully planned.
C. The timing of God is perfect. Every prophecy that focused on the coming of Christ into the world was going to be fulfilled. Every event in human history was being used by God to enhance the miracle of virgin birth. There were no mistakes and as we look back we see the tremendous beauty of the first Christmas.
Thesis: Why was it the fullness of time for the coming of Christ?
For instances:
A. It was the perfect time, everything was right for the birth of the Messiah, everything was ready. God used several things to bring about this fullness of time:
1. God used the Greeks.
A. Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world in 333 BC. He died at the age of 33 and was not able to set up a central government. His empire was divided up between his generals into several Greek nations. The Greeks controlled most of the known world for many years. They did not set up a great empire, this was for another people group, but they Hellenized most of the known world. When it is said they Hellenized the world, it means that they attempted to make the world Greek. It was cool to do things the Greek way and whatever was Greek, was good.
B. The best thing that they did was to give most of the world a universal language, Greek. When the Greeks conquered the world, Greek language became the cool language. Everyone wanted to speak Greek. After a few years, everybody knew a little Greek. They read and wrote Greek. All documents were in Greek. Everyone could understand each other because everyone spoke some Greek. Oompa!
C. God was bringing together people who could preach and everyone could understand them. God was bringing people together to write a book that the world could understand because it was going to be written in Greek.
2. God used the Romans
A. In 63 BC, the Romans conquered the Greeks. When the Romans took power, there was 1 government over most of the known world.
B. There were some skirmishes here and there but for 200 years there was a period of peace. This period of peace was called the Pax Romana and there has not been such a period of peace before or after it in the history of the world. The Romans reigned supreme and if anyone faced them in battle there were crushed in a short period of time.
C. The disciples of Christ were free to travel the world with the gospel, because of this period of peace. Also, to connect their empire the Romans built roads that are much better than our roads. Many of them still exist to this day. Roman roads were everywhere and they made travel easy.
D. God also used the Romans and Greeks to bring a crazy religious system to the world. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the world worshipped many gods and goddesses. The Greeks and Romans had over a thousand gods and goddesses. Also, the stories of these gods and goddesses were ridiculous, they didn’t make sense. The stories of the gods and goddesses were like our modern day soap operas except the main characters had super hero qualities, Divine qualities about them. There are some things about the Christian faith that goes against logic, but when we look at the faith of the Romans and Greeks, to believe all of that stuff one would have to throw out all logic. Talk about a blind faith! By the time of Jesus, some of the educated Romans and Greeks were atheists because it just didn’t make any sense.
E. The worship services for these gods would usually consist of some sacrifice of an animal and then a wild party. That was the worship service!
3. God used the Jews
A. God had brought to the world a different kind of people that believed in one God.
B. God had used the Jews for 4,000 years to spread the idea that there was only 1 God. Because of their rebellion against God, God allowed them to be scattered all over the world. But this was a good thing because they were in societies that needed to see something different about God.
C. Also, their moral laws were highly respected among the Gentiles at the time of the birth of Jesus. Some Gentiles felt drawn to them because they were different and because they lived holy lives.
E. through this group of people, the Jews, the Lord was preparing them to bring forth the Messiah. Jesus was a Jew and through the Jews the world would be blessed. For many years, the Jews proclaimed to the world that the Messiah would come. As a matter of fact, the Greeks had a word for Messiah in their language called “The Christ.”
F. Unfortunately, the Jews did not have a clear concept of what the Messiah; the Christ would do when he came. So many prophecies that they could not keep it straight.
4. God used sin.
A. How can God use sin? God has nothing to do with sin. Oh, but God lets sin go on. Why? So that mankind can see the effects of sin!
B. God could have had his Son born not so long after the Fall in Genesis 3. He didn’t so that the fruits of sin could be fully realized by man.
C. He let sin go on and on so that people could feel their desperate state and their great need for a Savior. O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
D. It was obvious by the time of the New Testament that man could not save himself. At the time of the New Testament, the world was sunk in a moral abyss so low that even the pagan cried out against it and spiritual hunger was everywhere evident (Boice). Some were demon possessed and many without hope!
E. The Jews knew the problem of sin but they didn’t have a solution. The blood of bulls and goats had definitely not changed their ancestors. Look at all of the heroes of the Old Testament and we will find sins in all of their lives almost without exception. Even their chief priests had moral and ethical failings! No one keeps the Law perfectly!
F. God let the disease of sin go on and on so that when the remedy was found, people would be so thankful.
G. When the angel appeared to Joseph- (Mat 1:21 NIV) She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
H. The world was ready for Jesus!
B. However, from a human standpoint, it seemed much different. It seemed like everything was going wrong. Look at the events of the Christmas story!
1. Mary is found with child and goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth!
2. Joseph wants to divorce her but the angel stops him!
3. Nine months pregnant Mary was forced to make the long journey to Bethlehem
4. At the time Jesus was born there was no room in the inn so he was born in a barn.
5. No one came to celebrate, not even family, but some stinking shepherds.
6. Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus
8. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had to flee to Egypt.
C. From God’s perspective it was the fullness of time, but from Mary and Joseph’s perspective, it was a mess. Isn’t this the way life is? Looking back it sounds so interesting and so much like a story book, but while we are going through it, it is a mess.
So What?
A. God made some beautiful strokes when he planned the birth of His Son.
B. What about us? God doesn’t play dice- Albert Einstein.
C. We are not an accident. Our birth was no mistake or mishap, and our lives are no fluke of nature. God was not at all surprised by our birth. Long before we were conceived by our parents, we were conceived in the mind of God.
D. Because God made us for a reason, he also decided when we would be born and how long we would live. God also planned where we’d be born and where we’d live for his purpose.
E. Most amazing, God decided how we would be born. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God. God’s purposes take into account human error, and even sin.
F. God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes.
G. Like Mary and Joseph, God has a purpose behind every problem. Regardless of the cause, none of our problems could happen without God’s permission. Everything that happens to a child of God is Father-filtered, and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad.
H. Everything that happens to us has spiritual significance because God is in control. (Rom 8:28 NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I. In an interview with Robert Morse he talked about his resentment for a particular period of his ministry. Robert and his family were missionaries to Burma. During this period, he and his family were kicked out of Burma. Some of the children were sick, and one lady was about to have a baby. Because of this, they could not go back to America. Instead, they had to hike over the Himalayan Mountains and live in the jungle. This “temporary inconvenience” lasted 6 long years. Looking back, however, this was a very important and productive time. During these years, Robert completed a translation of the New Testament in the native language. Some converts were made among a tribe of headhunters known as the “Naked Nagas.” When Reader’s Digest published a book about the Morse family, they focused on this one 6 year period that Robert had so resented. The book was called, Exodus to a Hidden Valley. When questioned about these things, Robert would smile and confess that God was right all of the time. There was no need to worry, and no need for anything to be done differently.
J. Perhaps it is time for us to smile and come to the same conclusion. God is still in control, and in the “fullness of time,” everything is going to be okay.
Invitation:
K. Wayne Watson- For such a time as this I was placed upon the earth to hear the voice of God and do His will whatever it is. For such a time as this for now and all the day he gives I am here, I am here and I am his for such a time as this.
L. Quoting Walt Whitman and the Dead Poets Society- the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
M. God is never too early. God never too late. He is right on time. God has placed you here for a reason. Maybe you are here this morning to accept your part in God’s powerful play. The beginning point is to accept the gift of Jesus Christ.
N. (2 Cor 6:2 NIV) I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
