“Christmas & Time”

You may wonder about that song. It seemed a bit gloomy, especially about the second or third stanza. And there’s a historical account for that. And I had that song today on purpose. Because sometimes we get so caught up in our own little worlds of excitement, red and green and cookies and candy and just all the celebration. that as even in my prayer, my pastoral prayer, I like to remember that it isn’t that way for everyone. And it isn’t that way every year. That song was written, I wanna say it was during the Civil War, but that was a song that was written during the war. And the author was caught up in the fact of hearing gunshots and brother killing brother and just, I know we can call it civil war or the war of the northern aggression is what some southerners like to call it.

But for whatever it was, it was a terrible war. It was just a plain terrible war. And it did go through the Christmas season. But it’s also a time that even biblically, Christmas, while Mary and Joseph obviously would have been happy that they had a little baby boy, and we know that that little baby boy then grew up and went to the cross, died for our sins, and that’s all good. But over the years, of my being a pastor here for 30 some years, that I have had sermons that have pointed out some of the dark sayings and some of the hard things like Herod after the Magi came. Now, that wasn’t the manger, the birth situation, but because of our culture, we kind of crammed that all in there.

But the idea of that there were moms, young mothers crying out Rama and weeping because he had the baby boys killed. And so during this time when we celebrate the birth of the savior, there was a time and just a season of which there was a lot of pain and sorrow. And it can become quite confusing sometimes when we come to this time, and what I want to do today is to preach to you, in a sense, two sermons that I have mentioned over the years.

We have been looking at, since we’re having a transition here in the leadership of our church in January, and we’ve got this Sunday and next Sunday, that I have been looking and I’ve been planning a long time to do what I thought was going to be what I called a panoply, a panoramic view of all the Christmas sermons I’ve preached over the 30 years. And I have been checking and looking and I would see some that that I had preached. And I thought, there is no way I can put that in one or even two sermons.

So then I started looking at some of those and said, oh, that was a good one. At least I enjoyed it because, you know, I preach to myself before I come to you. And I have we whatever year it was, it was one the peacemaker who disturbs men’s peace. I love that title. I took that title from my pastor, but the sermon was mine, but the title was his the peacemaker. You know, he is the prince of peace and the peacemaker that disturbs men’s peace. And I preach that one and we’ve done some others.

I did one once on the circumcision of Jesus when he was eight days old. And why is that important? And why on earth would God put that in the Bible? Or the idea of the Magnificat. And we’ve had sermons on the Magnificat. And I even the first of this month preached a little bit about Simeon the prophet. And as he saw the baby Jesus and he talked about how that there would be a sword that would pierce Mary’s soul concerning that time. And then, you know, the idea of the word to behold. We’ve considered that. And that’s a good one. But what I want to do this morning is I’m going to I have two passages that I want to read and I think I put something like Christmas and time or if and I did that so that you would hide a little bit the text that I’m going to read. And this is found in Galatians chapter four.

So go ahead and take your Bible and turn there with me if you would. In Galatians chapter four and What I want us to do is, as it were, congregationally, to take two steps back and to view time and to view the timing of the coming of the Savior. I don’t want us to get caught up, and we like to do things specifically, and we’re really always very careful. We try to be very careful and to preach the text and so forth. But sometimes we get so caught up in the details that we tend to forget the bigger picture. And so this Sunday, what I want to do is to have us take two steps back and to see the big picture. The big picture. And so this is the fact that God was working his plan. And it was done exactly as he wanted. And there’s a verse that talks about that. But it’s interesting, whenever it talks about this, and we already saw it a little bit in that Revelation passage, for that’s the other one. That it ties together the first advent and the second advent. And that becomes important, even in our communion service.

It has the first advent, this is my body, this is my blood, you’re to do this until he comes back again. And so second coming, first coming, second coming, are almost always tied together, and even prophetically. And so I don’t want us to lose sight of that, because you can get looking at, well, you know, the Magi, those weren’t three kings, and there weren’t three, and they didn’t go to the manger. And we want to, you know, be real specific on that. And I think that that’s good. But we get caught in those kinds of the minuscule issues and forget the bigger thing of what we are to see.

So when we come to Galatians, Paul is writing to the Church of Galatia, and he is laying down some things here about the Lord Jesus Christ and who he was, and beginning now at verse four, we read this, Galatians 4.4, but when the fullness of time had come, what does that mean? Not before. He didn’t come prematurely. He didn’t come a couple of days late. But when the fullness of time, and the idea there is kind of a bit of a play, I think, on words and the fact that when time was fully pregnant, and it’s time to deliver a baby, metaphorically, then, literally, the baby came. And so it’s when the fullness of time, the time wasn’t kind of right, the time was right. And it was God’s timing.

So it goes on and it says, for when the fullness of time had come, God, Christmas, And the coming of the baby is about God. It’s not about presents and, you know, and all this stuff and trees and cookies and all that. It’s about God. God, subject, sent forth his son. OK, so it’s about God and sending his son, and we understand that as believers. We accept that and we understand the details of Luke. She was a virgin and Joseph was surprised and all of that. Angels were involved. Shepherds came and worship and so forth. But he was born of a woman. And that’s important, it wasn’t a normal kind of a birth. He was born of a woman at the fullness of time. She needed to be prepared and ready and she was at the right place at the right time for Gabriel to come to tell her and then to tell her about Elizabeth who was six months pregnant. It was perfect.

Born of a woman, born under the law, Jesus Christ was a Jew. He was born under the law. We find out later he fulfilled the law in all of its ways. He was without sin. He fulfilled what we can’t. And that’s why he is the qualified one. He was born under the law. It’s important how he was born. And that’s why we have the genealogies. and Matthew and Luke, the idea of so-and-so, and one goes back to Adam, goes through Abraham, goes through David, went through with Joseph.

The idea is Everything in all of the genealogical working outs of everything, this little young maiden was the exact one who is in love with, and probably was arranged, but the marriage to the right guy, it was perfect because of the genealogies. But he was only be born of the woman, born of the woman, born under the law, and then verse five tells us why. To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoptions of son. Jesus said it himself, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Jesus would say, and those of the redemptive story, that they would receive the adoptions of son. But there was something else. He came unto his own, and his own did not receive him. And there’s always this tie with the nation of Israel, and the offer of the gospel to Israel. It is stated in the fact that as he would come, and they would reject him, and then he would turn to the Gentiles.

Now the question is, is there a future for the nation of Israel? And boy, that’ll right there cut a division right in the church with respect to eschatological frameworks. I don’t wanna get involved in that, but to the fact that his own did not receive him, but he came to seek and to save that which was lost. The gospel goes to the Gentiles, and then we have people getting saved today, and now let’s go back to Revelation chapter 12. Go back to Revelation chapter 12. And when we come to Revelation chapter 12, it says this. It sets up the scene, now a great sign appeared in heaven, A woman clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet.

Now let me just say we are in apocalyptic literature. Everybody should recognize that. It takes a unique hermeneutic to come to it. We try to take things as literal as possible, unless forced otherwise. We have just been forced into knowing that this is not a literal woman, woman, and so forth, because this one, she’s closed with the sun and with the moon under her feet, and on her head, a garland of 12 stars. So these all have meanings and I’m not gonna get involved in that. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. Now that’s a literal thing that we all get. There’s this woman in this picture, metaphoric picture, and she’s gonna give birth.

We might tend to think that is Mary. But then as you go on, and another sign appeared in heaven, behold, look at this. A great fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his head, and his tail drew a third of the stars of heaven, in reference to Satan taking and the demons falling with him, and he threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born. This bizarre picture, you know, dragonology is kind of a big deal today, especially if you walk.

First Fridays, you can find candles of dragons and all kinds of dragon stuff, and people get this and everything. You get this woman that’s gonna have a baby and a dragon out there, and the whole picture is the dragon is couched, ready to catch this baby. You know, the head is crowned. It’s gonna be born. Is that what it’s talking about? Well, and who is it talking about? Well, it goes on and helps us identify all of this. The dragon stood before the woman ready to give birth, to devour her child. That’s just kind of gross, but there you go. As soon as it was born, she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.

Well, that kind of seals it, doesn’t it? So the child, it sounds like this is Mary and everything, but was there a dragon there and everything? And so we find out that the woman is Israel, who’s going to be giving birth to the Messiah. But notice, then there is a major shift. This male child, which would be Jesus, is gonna rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and his throne. and the woman fled into the wilderness. Now again, the woman, not being married, we don’t have any of that kind of stuff, but then was put out into the wilderness and flees and all that kind of thing. So immediately we know we’re in prophecy and so forth, and this doesn’t really talk much about the atoning sacrifice of Christ and all those kinds of things, but I find it interesting, it says, and he will rule all nations with a rod of iron.

Go with me to chapter 19 in Revelation. Chapter 19. In chapter 19, and we need the whole, well the whole context technically, but I think I’ll begin reading just because it shows apocalyptic picture. But it says, now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and righteousness he judges. and makes war. His eyes were like flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. That’s another good indication who this is. And the armies in heaven were clothed in fine linen, white, clean, followed him. on his white horse and found, and out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them.

Oh, looky there. With a rod of iron, he himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God, and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And it goes on. It’s a fantastic passage. We could read this and all go home. Because this one who was, who came when the fullness of time came and she brought forth his son and he died for sinners to redeem them from their sin. But the Revelation passage just skips over that. He goes up, but he’s coming again. And yet, what was the message of Gabriel? He, you will call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. And Jesus means, you know, that Jehovah saves. And to the fact that he came into his own and then the gospel goes to others. But that’s not the end of the story, because he’s going to come again. And there’s more to the book of the Revelation. That’s not the end story.

And we’ll get to the end at the end of the message in chapter 19. And so what we have, I want us to look at The fullness of time. The fullness of time at the first advent in Galatians chapter four, verses four through five. The term fullness means the fulfilling, or fully content to have a glass of water, say, and put to, when everything was just right, the right timing. Now in the Greek language, there are three words for the term time, when the fullness of time was come. One is chronos, which is where we get a chronologer and chronomopher. I can’t say that. But a way of telling time.

It has the idea of time, quality of time, a quantitative time measured by successions of events. That’s what we have here. But there’s another one, Kereas, that deals with the times and the seasons, and horos, when it’s used as an idea of the high time. This is the fullness of time. But this one deals with when the fullness of events took place, Mary gave birth to her son. The plan of God and the fact that pre-temporally, In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God such as in the beginning, the gospel of John in his. Chronology or the the the ancestry of Jesus with respect to deity. In the beginning was the word and the word became and the word was with God and the word was God such as in the beginning and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. That was his preexistence. his pre-temporal existence with God as he is equal to God. But then he became temporal in the fact that he was made.

Now, that has caused a lot of theologians to cause a lot of problems. We’re gonna tackle that a little bit next week. But let me just put it this way, as Jesus went, a body thou hast prepared for me. And that’s part of the wonder of what God is doing at the right time in the right place. That deals with providence, the prophecies of the Messiah and the coming of John the Baptist, the genealogies of Mary and Joseph already stated. But not only that, the sequencing of the political situation with Herod. The cultural situation with Pax Roma or Pax Romana, the idea of peace, this was during a time before this would not have been good. The Pax Roma, about 17 years, I think is what I saw on one account, about 17 years before this time when Jesus, when the events of the Nativity would have taken place that it was enough to establish the establishment of the Romans and the road system for the spread of the gospel after the death, burial, resurrection and beginning of the church. working out all of that providence, when the fullness of events, the fullness of sequential times to get everything just right, we aren’t just lucky he was born when he was, God sent his son exactly when it should have been.

And the fullness of time, and it deals with his providence. The rightness for the Greek language, in a sense a universal language, There was peace, the purpose of God. He would be born under the law to redeem them that are under the law and to buy them back out of the marketplace and adopt them to make them sons. So we see that. But it’s even more than that, if you take two steps back and to say when the fullness of time was come. OK, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Let’s just go to the beginning of the Bible. And then we have the fall of man, and then we get to that Genesis 3.15, and the beginning of the prophecies concerning the coming of Messiah, and Satan’s head being crushed, and the heel being bruised of the Savior who would come. And in the midst of all of that, knowing that Satan’s fall was real because he had already seduced Eve and Adam and they were in sin, how much and when does Satan know all of this stuff? We don’t know, but I’m gonna say this, that Satan has a strategy concerning the Son of God.

Because you see, now we know through revelation, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities of powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You see, Satan has been involved in all this also. Let me explain it this way, what I mean by this. Satan has a strategy all the way beginning back. Why is it that in the Bible we have the account, for example, of Abel? And then Abel was killed, but then Seth comes along. The corruption of mankind in Genesis 6, and then you have Noah. And then you have Babel. And it goes on and on, because you see, Satan has a strategy. Kill the Messiah, the one who’s going to crush my head before he is ever born. And that’s why when we read our Old Testament, we need to see that even back there, there’s a struggle between the right and the wrong. The idea of Satan’s strategy to corrupt. King David. And all the prophecies that would be involved with him. and to try and disqualify him, the strategy, get him before he comes. And that’s why we have those genealogies again to prove just it didn’t work because the godly line from Adam to Seth all the way through to Mary and to Joseph and their relationship in the accounts of the nativity It was exactly right when the fullness of time had come. But Satan’s strategy was get him before he comes.

Then Satan has another strategy. Get him at the birth. And we get that picture in the book of Revelation. He’s the dragon ready to get the baby out. Get him at his birth. You know, we know the count that, you know, Caesar Augustus, they’re gonna do the taxation or the registering, and now Joseph has gotta take his young bride and they gotta go over to Bethlehem. She’s gotta probably ride a beast of burden, and she’s nine months pregnant, ready to pop, and just try to cause a premature birth. Because why does the scripture talk so much about, okay, they gotta travel, they gotta go. And then they get there, and then what’s the story? It’s another story of another sermon. There was no room for them in the inn. And I know this whole thing about, well, they had to go, and he was laid in a manger, and we just, you know, aw, we have little mangers in our house and everything.

But when you think about it, how many of you women would wanna give birth? Right after a long time that way and then in a place where the animal sauce were and all that was involved in that and just having swaddling clothes in that it’s killing that is birth. What’s interesting is that even, there’s a lot of folklore, which is not true, but there’s a lot of stories that are told about the birth of Mary birthing Jesus there, and some of the struggles that she had to go through. Now that we don’t know anything about. But it was getting him at his birth. Well, that didn’t work. So let’s get him, after the Magi come. So they come, where is he that is born, king of the Jews? Oh, it’s supposed to be in Bethlehem, oh.

Then we get the account in the book, was it Matthew, I think, where they go and they go to the house and they give him the presents. But then Herod’s all ticked and he’s gonna kill the baby. Well, then the Magi are warned, don’t go back and tell him. Herod says, hey, they’re making fun of me, they mocked me. I’ll show them, kill the babies. What’s the big deal? And why would that be in the scripture? Because Satan energizing Herod to kill the babies, get Jesus dead, not at the fullness of time to redeem those, but kill him at his birth and kill him when he’s a baby. Then they attacked him during his life. Right at the very beginning, he starts his ministry, when? Right after the baptism, he’s driven in the wilderness, the temptations, the demons who came, and the temptations, throw yourself off. Kill yourself, tempt God. No. Kill him in his ministry.

Jesus, through all of the demon-possessed people that he had dealt with, and the dangers that he had, kill him in his ministry. That didn’t work until Satan himself, in the exact sequence of timing, Satan himself enters Judas. And then Jesus has to say those words, Judas, are you going to betray the son of man with a kiss? Kill him. Little did Satan know, yeah, that was the fullness of time. That was the right timing. And then as he goes and all of that, declared innocent by Pilate. Declared innocent, you know, those, they can’t come up with a good story to make him guilty, but out of fear, Pilate washes his hands and turns him over, and he dies. But that was according to the fullness of time to fulfill the Galatians passage, to redeem Well, now what is Satan going to do? Well, that’s when he goes after the followers.

In Romans chapter 16, verse 20, it talks about how that we are the ones that are to crush the head of Satan. But what is Satan going to do? Well, acts. Stephen’s killed. The apostle Paul is killed. All the apostles, except for John, were martyred. Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, the author accounts for all of those, and then he goes into church history. And those that the world was not worthy of, they sealed with their blood. Why? Because the dragon is upset at the woman who gives birth, and then he’s gone. And then he pursues and persecutes the church throughout church history. And you could go on through the Crusades and the confusion and the blood and the misunderstanding, even to this very day. But when the fullness of time. Is come. He’s coming again. Revelation, Chapter 12. Turn back there with me if you would, if you’re not there.

In Revelation chapter 12, we’ve had this account about all of this. And there’s history and how and when all this thing takes place. But we see the hatred that is so evident here. Let’s go to verse 15. of 12. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like water after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. A lot of this has to do with, I think, the persecution of anti-Semitism against the nation of Israel and some of the things that go on there. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Whoever those are people, those are Christ followers.

And then I stood on the sand of the sea. And talking probably a time related thing, And I saw the beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads and 10 horns, and on the horns, 10 crowns, and on the heads of the blasphemous name. And he goes through, and a lot of people, a lot of interpretation, I don’t wanna get involved in that, look at verse four. So they worshiped the dragon, who gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And as you go on and you see verse 6 and they opened his mouth and the blasphemy against God and to blaspheme his name, the tabernacle knows the wickedness that goes against God for seven. It was granted to him. to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And the authority had given them authority over every tribe and nation.

So you see it spreads out among the others. Now verse eight, and all who dwell on the earth who worship him whose name have not been written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Time frame, according to God’s time. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. And he who leads into captivity shall go into captivity. And he goes on and he builds this on up and things that are gonna go on. And then when we, as it just goes on and on in this revelation, the judgment, the world, the things that go on. But when we get to chapter 19, you might say, okay, pastor, this is, you’re skipping over so much. Well, the reason why we’re doing this is because remember that verse in verse 15, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. That’s where he’s tying this all together. If you look at chapter 19, verse 11. And I saw heaven opened. And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was faithful and true, and in righteousness he jubs and make war. His eyes like a flame of fire, and there were many crowns, and he had a name written that no one knew except him. And it comes down there as we come on down to verse 15.

Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. and he himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God, and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then we go into this time of when Satan is bound, and when we get finally, when we get finally to chapter 22, It’s kind of the postscript in this. And the idea is, is that Jesus came, there was persecution, he’s coming again, then there’s final judgment and reconciliation. And he says, verse six, and he said to me, these words are faithful and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show his servants the things which must shortly take place. Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Now I, John, saw and heard these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, see that you do not do that for I am your fellow servant and your brethren and prophet of those who keep the word of this book. Worship God. And he said to me, do not seal the word of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still. Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

See how he’s tying all of history together. when the fullness of time was come.” God is a sovereign God. God is working all things after the counsel of his own will, Ephesians chapter one. There’s not one mistake. There’s nothing that is gonna catch God by surprise. We can look at this world and say, oh, that’s good, or oh, that’s bad, or oh, I’m gonna move to another country. Oh, I don’t like this candidate. Oh, I’m gonna. God is the one that is in control. And if anything is true, it is true that Jesus came exactly when he was supposed to. He was made of a woman exactly the way it was supposed to. He led a perfect life. He died the proper sacrificial death. He resurrected to seal the doom of Satan. But we wrestle not against flesh and blood, and while Satan cannot undo the marvelous doctrine of eternal salvation, He can do everything he can to bring demise and hurt to the plan and purposes of God, but yet he can’t do that, because it is only by permission he even functions. But all things are working after the counsel of his own will. And at verse 10, the precious word, and he said to me, do not seal the words of the prophecy, the book, for the time is at hand.

We’ve looked at second Peter before in the men’s Bible study and the idea is where is the promise of his coming? People still talk about that today. Things continue as they always have. Yeah, because the fullness of the time for the second advent has not been yet. But at the right moment, Jesus is coming again. So as we celebrate, As we celebrate Christmas, let’s not lose sight of the fact it’s about God. It’s about God working out his plan and purpose. It actually is throughout the metanarrative of the entire of the scriptures. To the fact that man fell into sin, but God’s gonna send a savior and he’s working all details just as it should be and then he comes. And then it can look like things are falling apart again, especially with some tremendous martyrdom throughout church history. Be careful, just read the last chapter. The cry of the saint. He came, he’s coming again at the right time, now. Be faithful.

1 Thessalonians chapter 8 talks about that same passage and in chapter 5 when it talks about coming as a thief in the night and then we are to be found faithful, living for his glory. Beloved, this is a time not to keep Jesus as a little baby in a manger, but to remember he came, he’s coming again. Even so, come quickly. Lord Jesus, are you ready? Are you ready? Or are you just kind of cruising along, hoping that you’ll be OK? God sent his son. At the exact right moment. And God is going to the son is going to come at the exact right moment. To finish this off for his glory. but you can only be ready if you know him as your savior.

Let’s pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for your love and your care. Father, for the reality of when the fullness of time has come. Father, as Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth and Zacharias and as all those details worked out in Bethlehem, It’s so easy to lose sight of the fact that there is a God in heaven who works all things after the counsel of his own will, and it was perfect in its timing. Help us, Father, to trust you in that, to live for your glory and to live holy and righteous lives so that we can say with the Apostle Paul, even so come quickly, Lord Jesus. Father, as we contemplate that in the words of our closing song, may we rejoice at this perfect gift provided in Christ. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.