"all I Want For Christmas Is A Savior” Series

“All I want for Christmas is a Savior”

Micah 5:1-2 and Isaiah 7:14

It is hard to imagine that Christmas is now just three weeks away. Three short weeks. It’s that time of year when people start asking the question-hey-what do you want for Christmas and someone may respond by saying “well, all I want for Christmas is” and then fill in the blank.

I read this week about one woman who wanted to go out and buy gifts for all of her friends but she quickly realized she just didn’t have time or money so she thought – I will just send them all a card. So she bought a box of 50; used almost the whole box and mailed them to all of her friends. She liked the picture on the front of the card so she didn’t even take time to read it … thought-this is perfect so she quickly signed them, with all my love, signed her name and dropped them in the mail. Two weeks into the new year she happened to come across the box of cards-had a couple left and she picked one up and read it a bit closer-she was shocked when she noticed the printed message inside which read: this Christmas card is just to say, a little gift is on its way. So she had sent a card to nearly 50 friends and family promising a gift without even realizing it. Most of us at one time or another have made a promise to someone and then we either procrastinate or we simply forget. It’s very easy to make a promise but can be very hard to keep.

In the OT there were many prophecies that were written down and in a sense, these prophecies are like promises. Prophecies and promises both tell us something that is going to take place. Something that is going to happen. Over 300 prophecies were given to us in the OT concerning the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And every single one has been-has been fulfilled.

When we think of the topic of Bible prophecy our minds usually turn to the rapture or to the second coming. These are two separate events. (1) the time when Jesus will come back to take us home to be with him and (2) the time when we will come back with him to set up his kingdom. The Bible reminds us through the words of Jesus that we simply do not know when these events will take place but we are promised they WILL take place. Now the prophecy that we don’t focus on enough perhaps is the prophecy of the first coming of Jesus Christ. His birth. At least 14 OT writers prophesied concerning the birth of Jesus. And they gave us at least 125 prophecies regarding his birth. Men like Ezra, Moses, Samuel, Daniel. At least 14 prophets and here is the thing-if you could somehow go back and ask them a simple question at this time of year-hey what is it you as a prophet want for Christmas-I think their answer would be simple-all I want for Christmas is a Savior.

It’s difficult for us to imagine what it was like to live in those days. We live over 2000 years after the birth of Christ-they lived over 2000 years before the birth of Christ. We look back. They were looking forward. And we know from history that this promise was fulfilled. Before them this prophecy was still in the future. Way into the future. This birth they predicted, prophesied, promised would be the most unique

birth to occur in history. Our look at some facts that make this birth so amazing and so unique.

1. There are no recorded prophecies concerning the birth of any religious leader in history. Not Mohammed. Not Buddha. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Get it? Yet there are over 300 distinct prophecies written down in the OT that are fulfilled in the life of Jesus.

2. Jesus was born of a virgin. Over 200 years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14. When Luke tells us the story, he tells of an angel appearing to marry and saying “you will be with child and give birth to a son.” Mary then asked the logical question and said “how can this be since I am a virgin?”

3. Like us, Jesus had no control over the place of his birth. I mean did you? Of course not! My parents lived in Wilson, Arkansas when it’s time for me to be born. So where do you think I was born? Jonesboro. No hospital and Wilson. When it’s time for my younger brother to be born we lived in Wilson also. So where do you think he was born? (Jonesboro) nope, Wilson. My dad delivered them at home. No time to get to the hospital. None of us have any control over that in neither did Jesus. If you had predicted the place of our birth, you probably would’ve been wrong-in both cases. Yet the prophets predicted the place of our Savior’s birth over 700 years ahead of time.