Christmas Day (4)
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We may think that we can be anything we want but the Bible tells a different story.
My times are in your hands.
You have determined . . .
9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
29 The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. 30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. 31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. 25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. 27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish. 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. 24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure— not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.
116 Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. 117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees. 118 You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their delusions come to nothing. 119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. 120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.
In these statements we are taught the reality that our own plans for the future are limited. But we also have hope that our God who knows his plans for us can direct our future so that it can be great. We just can’t be certain at the beginning of a person’s life how it is going to turn out.
Some people with all the advantages, genetics, resources, etc may fail miserably.
Some people from very disadvantaged backgrounds may indeed succeed and do great things. It is the Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin approach to humble beginnings and becoming the President of the United States or in more recent years how a peanut farmer from Georgia became president.
In the story of the birth of Jesus, we have the ultimate example of one who was born in the most humble of circumstances who would accomplish the greatest achievement in history. As Christians we believe that this child of poverty became the Savior of the world.
The question to consider this morning is, Did Mary Know? In a popular Christmas song this question is asked in a very poignant way.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You kiss the face of God
The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Is heaven's perfect Lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great, I Am
It is an interesting song. It echoes the thoughts and plans that parents may have when a new child comes into their family. We live in a nation that claims that we can be and become anything or anyone that we want. All we have to do is have the right opportunities and use the resources that we have to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. It is a message of hope for the future.
I disagree. It makes us the ultimate captain of our own ship and disregards the biblical wisdom that there is a God who controls all things including us and that since he has determined our future — a future that we cannot know — there is a ceiling to our levels of success. As a child I could have been bound and determined to be a professional football player. The only thing I lacked was speed, strength, stamina, and agility. Plus that wasn’t my parents’ dream for me considering they wouldn’t even give me a chance to play football in high school.
But other parents do dream that their children will succeed as athletes, politicians, business men/women, doctors, lawyers, (but now cowboys as another song goes) and they ponder what that will be like and even what steps they can take to bring that about.
In the case of Jesus, he would be and do the things outlined in the song, “Mary, did you know?” But how much of this did Mary know ahead of time? Although we cannot know what she knew, we are told that she was told that Jesus would be and do great things. It was this that Mary must have pondered on the night of Jesus birth.
Luke 1:31–33 (NIV84)
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1:42–45 (NIV84)
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Not long after Jesus birth when he was presented at the temple, her thoughts of Jesus for the future would be confirmed.
Luke 2:34–35 (NIV84)
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Mary has become one of the most revered, honored, and respected women of all time. Luke 1:46–49 (NIV84)
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
Not only did she bear the Son of God, she witnessed firsthand his ministry and his death and resurrection. She may not have known when Jesus was born all that he would do, but she would come to know it.
Do we know?
We have the advantage of knowing the “rest of the story”. Christmas isn’t just about the endearing circumstances of Jesus’ birth, it marks the beginning of his life on earth which would be highlighted by his public ministry. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the time between his birth and his baptism because it is no essential to his story. And in the Gospels, most of the narrative is dedicated especially to his final week culminating in his death and resurrection. The epistles often cite how important the life of Jesus is for our own hope of eternal life.
Our GOAL in life isn’t to became all that we can be but to get to know Jesus better.
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
For many of us, the dreams our parents had for us and our own goals have either been realized by now or sadly were never accomplished. For others, you still have a future of hope. For all of us, our lives are determined by God and he tells us in his Word how we are to think of Jesus and how faith in him is to determine our course of action.
May we ponder anew what the Almighty can do as we reflect on our Savior born in a manger to win for us our heavenly home. Amen.