Unto Us A Child Is Born

Isaiah 9:6 ^(KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Pastor Greg Laurie gave the following illustration. He said: I heard the story of a mother who was out Christmas shopping, frantically trying to get everything done. She had her small child with her, but for a moment, she lost sight of him. In sheer panic, she started retracing her steps and found him with his nose pressed against the glass of a store display, looking at a manger scene. The boy said, “Mommy, Mommy! Look! It is Jesus in the hay!” Grabbing his hand she pulled on him to lead him away. “Let’s go, we don’t have time for that.”

In the hustle and bustle of the “holiday” season we forget that the word “holiday” originally comes from the words “holy day”.

We get in such a hurry to do the secondary things – buying gifts, getting the house ready for the family to come – that we speed up the words. We blend “holy day” together into one word, “holiday”, and lose the original intention. This season may be focused on the gifts – the retailers want you to focus on the gifts – but God doesn’t want you to forget that this season commemorates a great thing. This season is all about:

Unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given.

We All Desperately Need The Lord Jesus! Every Christmas Hollywood rolls out a few movies to try and entertain as well as influence America. During the Christmas season of 2005 Hollywood rolled out Brokeback Mountain, a cowboy movie with a twist. The movie was advertised as “The story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years”. I find it interesting that John Wayne, probably one of the greatest actors to ever portray cowboys, never won a single Oscar …. but Brokeback Mountain won three Oscars portraying a sexually sinful lifestyle. What is Hollywood releasing this year? A movie called Delivery Man. This movie is being advertised with “What would you do if you suddenly found out you were the father of 533 children?” The lead character is a man who made hundreds of “donations” to a fertility clinic to make some money. The clinic makes an error, and now there are 533 children running around because of his “donation”. The movie is supposed to be a comedy though, frankly, I don’t see anything funny about it. The Bible considers adultery to be a sin …. and to father 533 children even through so called “medical donations” does not minimize the impact of that sin. Without Christ America is going to hell in a handbasket!

We Are All That US That The Child Was Born For. We Are All That US The Son Was Given To. Each and every one of us desperately need what God is offering us. We desperately need that Child Who is born. We desperately need that Son Who is given. The Bible says:

Romans 3:23 ^(KJV)For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God …

Unto us the Child was born. Christ came to save us from our sins. The SON was not born – the CHILD was born. The SON is eternal, everlasting, without beginning or end. The SON is the SON OF GOD. The Angel said to Mary:

Luke 1:35^(KJV) ….. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be the Son of God. He is the Eternal and Great I AM. The Bible says of Jesus that:

Hebrews 2:14-17 ^(KJV) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

The Son was GIVEN, not BORN. The Child was BORN, not Given.

God the Father sent His Son to this earth to take on Himself the seed of Abraham. He was made like unto us.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Unto us. God didn’t leave anyone out. We are all sinners. We are all the US that Christ came for! He didn’t give just a few of us this Child.

Man’s love is limiting and limited, but God’s love is limitless! We are all flawed, all sinners, creatures who will die and who do deserve it. Yet God shouted “NO”! His shout cried out through Isaiah, and echoes throughout human history as only the Voice of God can do. Unto US a Child is born.

Galatians 1:4 WHO GAVE HIMSELF for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Jesus Christ did not come to this earth to save the world. He came to deliver us, deliver a people from this present evil world. The devil wants you to miss this point, to think that you are all right. But God’s love reaches out through space and time to tell us that ….

2 Corinthians 5:14 ^(KJV) …. the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if ONE DIED FOR ALL, then were all dead:

All are dead. All are sinners. Christ died for all.

There Is No Other Savior And Lord But Jesus Christ!This is not a popular message in this day of overwhelming tolerance, but it is what the Bible teaches. Look at our focal text once more:

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas, and she was showing it off to all her friends. His friend whispered to him, “I thought your wife wanted one of those four wheel drive vehicles”. He whispered back, “She did. But where in the world can you find a fake Jeep?”

There are a lot of fake things out there that you can give as presents. There’s fake perfumes, fake jewelry, fake designer purses and shoes, fake things of all type. There’s a lot of fake Messiah’s out there, a lot of fake Christs. Jesus warned …

Matthew 24:24 ^(KJV) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The Bible tells us that there is but ONE Christ, ONE Messiah.

As I remarked before, God did not leave out the article “a”. Unto US A Child is born. A Son is given. God has only done this great thing once and for all, and that was when He gave us Jesus.

The early Church understood this, for Peter boldly preached:

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

But before Christ ever died on that Cross, before He was born of the virgin called Mary, the Angel told Joseph, Mary’s intended husband:

Matthew 1:20-21 … Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth A SON, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

It may surprise you to know that Mary brought forth several sons after Christ was born, sons that were Joseph’s children. If you don’t believe me look up Matthew 12:46-47; Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:2-3; John 2:12; Acts 1:14; and 1 Corinthians 9:4-5. Mary was a virgin only when Christ was born, but went on to bear children normally through her husband Joseph. Mary had several sons, and one of these sons James wrote the Book of James in our Bible.

Of all the sons Mary bore, only the Son Jesus is the Messiah. Only Jesus shall save His people – HIS people – the people who believe in Him – from their sins.

Unto us A Child is born. This Child that was conceived in Mary is of God the Holy Ghost. This Son Who is given shall save HIS people from their sins.

We All Desperately Need The Lord Jesus To Govern Our Lives! Once more we read …

Every government that recognizes Christ as Lord stands the test of time, but every government that rejects Christ in time collapses under its own poor decisions.

The Child was born to make payment for our sins.

The Son was given to rule over our hearts.

Where Christ Has Singular Rule, His People Are Blessed. We read again:

Let’s close by focusing on the phrase “His Name”. When we speak of a person’s “Name” we’re taking about what their parents named them. That’s not what this text is speaking to. When people lived under Kings they were governed “in the name of the King”. If you did something wrong a law enforcement official would say “Stop in the Name of the King”. The NAME refers to being under the authority of someone who rightly rules.

Christ rules His people in four ways.

Under Christ’s Rule We Have A Wonderful Counselor. Where the text says “Wonderful, Counselor”, the King James incorrectly adds a comma. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. He gives us correct advice and perfect guidance. He comforts us when we are tried by His precious Word.

Sometimes bad things happen in our lives, but Christ tells us that God is still in control. Phillis Wheatley was the first black American and first Slave to publish a book of poems in the United States. Being forcibly taken from your homeland would be seen as a terrible thing. Yet Phillis wrote:

‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand,

That there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

“Their color is a diabolic die.”

Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,

May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.”

Christ is the Wonderful Counselor, leading His people from all lands to join the Family of God. Too many people today listen to the bad counsel of the world, and die in their sins. I will always get wonderful counsel from Christ my Lord! He never gives bad advice. His Word is always just the right word. He is the Living Word pointing us to His Written Word … the Word of Life.

Under Christ’s Rule I Have Access To All The Resources Of The Mighty God. He doesn’t just listen to our needs, but He is able to respond and meet our every need. The Bible says …

Psalms 40:4 …. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust

A young boy was traveling with his father on a train. The child asked his father “If there is a mighty and loving God Who cares for us all, why is there so much evil in the world?” The train came to a station and stopped. The father reached into the overhead compartment and pulled down a heavy suitcase. He handed it to the child, saying “Will you carry this off the train for me?” The child tried to pick it up, but just couldn’t, and neither could he drag it. Finally in desperation and nearly crying the child said, “It’s too heavy. Please, father, won’t you carry it?” The father said, “Yes, son, I’ll be glad to carry that burden. I’d be a poor father if I made you carry such a load. In the same way, our God does not expect us to carry loads too heavy for us. He is God. He gave us His Son, and to us His Child was born. We need to trust in Him, letting Him be God … and us His children!”

As our Wonderful Counselor we share our hearts with Him, but as our Mighty God we trust Him to meet our needs, to save us, to be our Hero. Christ is a Hero to His people.

Under Christ’s Rule I Enter The Family Of The Everlasting Father. Philip told Jesus one day

John 14:8-10 ^(KJV) …. Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Under Christ’s Rule I Have The Greatest Of Peace. Jesus Christ is our Prince of Peace. You will never have Peace with God – nor even within yourselves – until you willingly follow the Savior.

Romans 5:1 ^(KJV)Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

He is Lord! We obey Him, follow His Word. He is Lord!

May God touch your hearts with His Word.