FBC Daily Devotional – December 21, 2020

Well, a good Monday to you. I hope you had a good weekend this enjoyed gathering with God's people the

Sunday before Christmas and We're able to get your heart tuned for a good Christ centered

Christmas. I trust If you weren't able to gather in person at least We're able to watch some live stream service.

I hope you get you saw our service yesterday and the blessing that it was is we focused on the climax of Christmas but Today, I I want to I want to talk about Christmas coming at the right time

Now several years ago We were living in Vermont at the time

I was talking with a Jewish businessman he owned the Ethan Allen furniture store and I was talking with him at Christmas time and he said this and I'm quoting he said, you know,

Brian He said I wish all you Christian clergymen could get together and with one voice

Tell the world how this whole Christmas celebration thing is all wrong It's been totally taken over by capitalistic ambitions.

He said I'll bet if Jesus were to be Reincarnated that's his word He'd have a fit over what people have done to a time that's supposed to honor him and quote well

Needless to say I was a little bit stunned Because this is coming from a man who in the first place doesn't accept

Jesus as the Messiah and Second he's a retail store owner and you know retail store owners are all about the

Christmas season and Christmas Purchases and all of their that's kind of that that kind of stuff, but he was he was pretty pretty spot -on wasn't he and I I realized that even if a

Even if a man like this knows that there's a lot about the modern Christmas sell holidays that that aren't right

Then it's you know, it's probably worse than I even thought well, truly

Unfortunately, a lot of people celebrate Christmas primarily as a means of fueling the economy and how tanked up the economy is and how active the shoppers are is all the

The talk in in the media through it kind of seems like that's all you hear about an awful lot of what you hear about During the

Christmas season, you know how the stores are doing how the merchants are doing and so on and so forth

And yet the birth of Jesus the Messiah has really nothing to do with it at all

There's a lot that isn't right about the modern Christmas Well in contrast to that though Galatians chapter 4 tells us that that's not the way it was with the first Christmas You familiar with this passage in Galatians chapter 4 and verses 4 through 7 the

Apostle Paul Makes it clear that nothing was wrong in that Christmas.

Listen to what he says He says but when the fullness of the time was come When the fullness of time had come

God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law So to redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons

Because you are sons God sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba father

So you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son then an heir through God So the next couple of days

I want to Zero in on this That is right about that first Christmas.

And first of all notice that Christ was born at the right time He was born at the right time

So again, the first part of verse 4 says when the full the fullness of the time had come the fullness of the time had come

Now there are some pretty clear implications in that Phrase the fullness of the time aren't there?

It doesn't it first of all imply a plan That there's a plan for a time for something to occur

You know, like if you're if you're planning a vacation well you've got to have that set you have got to have the time set aside when you're gonna start it when you're gonna get back and So on and so forth.

So so the fact that there is a time set Implies that there's a plan and in fact, it's a plan that was prophesied

In the Old Testament, we've looked at that last week in Genesis 3 15 God had a plan already laid out for the redemption of fallen man that that this seed of the woman was going to crush the head of the serpent in Isaiah 7 14 a

Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and his name will be called Immanuel there was a plan for a method of birth that was revealed in Matthew chapter 25

Matthew 25 verse 34. We read that the kingdom that Christ would establish is a kingdom

That's already prepared Matthew 25 verse 34 says this the King will say to those on his right hand speaking of Jesus Come you who are blessed of my father inherit the kingdom

Prepared for you from the foundation of the world There's a kingdom of Christ.

That's already prepared and first Peter chapter 1 verses 18 through 21

Make it clear that the redemption plan was all set This plan of redemption for the redeeming of lost souls was all set

Well before the birth of Christ Listen to what first Peter 1 18 and following says says knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways

Inherited from your father's not with parable perishable things such as silver and gold But with the precious blood of Christ like as of a lamb without blemish or spot

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world But was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

Who through him are believers in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory?

So that your faith and hope are in God Jesus was and his work as the

Messiah and his work on the cross was foreknown before the foundation of the world

This is the kingdom was prepared at the foundation of the world Jesus as the

Savior Was foreknown before the foundation of the world

So that there is the fullness of the time implies a plan

It also implies perfection. Does it not the fullness of the time?

That what happened in Bethlehem on that night Occurred at just the right time

There was not a better time. There was not a better place. There was not a better way

It occurred at just the right time It also implies omniscience

That God in his in his infinite knowledge

Knowing all the time of human history from the from the beginning of the fall to the end of time

God knew What time was the best time and of all that God knew in his omniscience?

He selected this time for this child to be born

And then I would suggest that Christ being born at the right time implies omnipotence

Not only God's omniscience that he knows everything but God's Omnipotence that he could in his power and authority orchestrate all events

You see if God just kind of knew everything but didn't have the power to do anything Then you know something could be messed up But no, nothing was messed up.

God orchestrated events so that The Roman Empire was in place and was kind of in its heyday and that brought general peace to that part of the world the

Pax Romana they call it the peace of Rome and The Romans had developed this tremendous transportation network where communication could happen very rapidly

In you know relatively speaking for that time and place Greece had been in power before Rome and Greece brought a universal language to the world and As much like English is the language of commerce and business today around the world

Greek was the language that was The universal language of its day and it was

Greek in which the New Testament was written Israel had proclaimed a monotheism throughout the

Empire and God in his omnipotence orchestrated the the events so that Jewish people would be scattered throughout the

Roman Empire and in their Scattering they carried with them this truth of a monotheistic religion a one -god religion and overall

God so orchestrated events that morality was at an all -time low and spiritual hunger was at a fever pitch people wanted longed for looked for a spiritual

Messiah and Jesus came at the fullness of the time

Now the impact of that fullness of the time because Christ was born then the prophecy about him was fulfilled and the propagation of Him of who he was who he is what he did was easier than ever before in in human history so Christ was born at the right time

Well tomorrow, we'll return and look at another way in which the first Christmas was just right until then

I trust God will bless you with a good rest of your Monday and He will meet your needs provide for you give you encouragement and strength our

Father in our God Thank you for sending Christ at just the right time as we celebrate his birth

Later this week. May we rejoice and give glory to you for the power the omniscience

The perfection of your work in sending him to fulfill your plan at just the right time

This we pray in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen All right.