Advent: For Unto You is Born This Day
One Verse Advent • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Praise and pie - thanks for a wonderful evening
FIGHTER VERSE
FIGHTER VERSE
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
SERMON
SERMON
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Today marks the beginning of the Advent season when we anticipate the arrival of the promised Messiah. My sermon series will focus on one key verse:
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Each Sunday, I want to do a deep dive into the phrases of this verse:
Today: For unto you is born this day
Next Sunday: In the city of David
Dec 14: A Savior
Dec 21: Christ
Dec 28: The Lord
By the end of December we will definitely have this verse memorized.
And to lay out where we are heading in 2026:
The first three Sundays in January, we will do a flyover of the remaining books of the Pentateuch: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
On January 25, we will begin a new series on the book of Hebrews
I love this time of year. I love the decorations, the lights, and getting together with family and friends.
I love the cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, and I even love the old Christmas specials like Andy Williams had when I was younger.
It’s a season filled with special songs which we will be singing here each Sunday.
Not even Easter, which is the greatest Christian holiday, has as much grandeur surrounding it. I suspect it is easier for the world to embrace the birth of a baby compared to his death and resurrection.
Unfortunately, like Easter with all its bunnies and eggs, Christmas has been reduced to Santa and presents, not to mention the theme of big city girl going back to small town and running into her ever single good-looking high school sweetheart.
If only there was one verse in the Bible that would redirect our attention to Christmas’ true meaning and message.
Of course, there is. Actually, there are many, but we’ll focus on one this Christmas season.
Before we dive in, let’s pray.
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION
Let’s read our verse in its context.
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
From our key verse, let’s look at the first two phrases:
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
For unto you
Born this day
FOR UNTO YOU
FOR UNTO YOU
There’s something unforgettable about receiving a message that feels deeply personal. Think of a time someone said, “This is for you.” Maybe it was a handwritten note, a thoughtful gift, or a word of encouragement that arrived at the exact moment you needed it. Personal messages have the power to stop us in our tracks.
Just yesterday, my brother-in-law Jeff Rankin stopped in for a brief visit. He and my sister, Dawn, moved to Arizona earlier this year and we miss them. He came with a gift for me and Michelle - two handcrafted fabric Christmas tree ornaments.
What made these ornaments highly personal: they were made by my sister from blouses my mom wore when she was alive.
Others will look at them and think they might be cute, but because of the connection to my sister and ultimately to my mother, both Michelle and I had tears in our eyes. These were not picked up at a craft sale; they were made for us personally.
On the night Jesus was born, God delivered the most personal message in history—not to kings or scholars, but to shepherds working the night shift: “For unto you is born this day.” It was heaven’s way of saying, “This is for you—yes, you.”
FIRST TO THE SHEPHERDS
FIRST TO THE SHEPHERDS
This birth announcement, made by an angel from the Lord, was given to some lowly shepherds outside of Bethlehem.
Shepherds at that time where considered unreliable and socially insignificant. God bypasses the palaces and religious halls to speak to ordinary workers in a field.
This sets the tone of the Gospel: grace coming to the humble, the lowly, the overlooked.
For unto you, shepherds, is born one who will be recognized as the Chief Shepherd one day.
THEN TO THE WORLD
THEN TO THE WORLD
But there’s something especially powerful about this birth announcement. Yes, it was initially given to the shepherds, but look again at their response to seeing the baby Jesus...
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
What had been told to them? For unto you. Only God can take a message first given to the shepherds and make it personal for each and very person who would later hear those same words.
This birth announcement was not just for the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, it is for me and for you, for God so loved the world; he doesn’t want any to perish, but for each and every one of us to reach repentance.
Salvation is highly personal. Salvation is not something God throws randomly into the world—it is directed, intentional, and deeply personal.
God does not save crowds; He saves individuals. In Scripture, Jesus constantly interacts personally:
He calls Zacchaeus by name (Luke 19:5).
He speaks living water to the Samaritan woman (John 4:10).
He touches the leper others avoided (Matthew 8:3).
He restores Peter after failure (John 21:15–17).
These stories reveal a Savior who addresses the needs of individual hearts. And he does the same for you and for me.
BORN THIS DAY
BORN THIS DAY
THIS DAY
THIS DAY
The second phrase I want to zero in on this morning is born this day.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like those promo emails that tell me something new and exciting is coming, not today, but in the coming weeks!
If it’s not available today, don’t even tell me about it! Maybe it’s because I hate waiting.
The worst of these announcements came on the Tonight Show back when Jay Leno was host. A man came on, telling us about a revolutionary mode of transportation coming.
He kept building it up as something amazing, a pivotal point in history. I was so intrigued, I could hardly wait for him to give a demonstration on that show.
But then came the bombshell: this incredible invention would be revealed in about a year. A year?! Why bother to tell us? I wasn’t just disappointed, I was disgusted!
By the way, the revolutionary invention? The Segway. That two-wheeled motorized people-mover.
The birth announcement to the shepherds wasn’t about some future event: for unto you is born THIS DAY!
Yes, the Old Testament waited centuries for the promised Messiah. But suddenly, this day—not tomorrow, not someday—God stepped into time on that day in history.
The moment of this gift was now!
I think of what Paul wrote to the Galatians...
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
When the fullness of time had come.
NIV: but when the set time had fully come.
This verse tell us that Christ came at the perfect time.
For unto you is born this day. The day had come for the Messiah to finally be revealed!
What made this such a suitable time? Some scholars suggest:
Most of the world was under Roman rule, and there was worldwide peace
there was an excellent road system
there was one language across the empire (Koine Greek)
Because of these, the gospel spread in ways that would not have been possible in earlier times.
Whether these are the reasons or not, we can have confidence that God saw fit to have the Messiah born on that particular day in history. We can trust God’s plans.
And the way he brought the Messiah into the world? Through a simple birth. There’s really nothing special about birth - women have been giving birth since Eve. What’s makes the birth special is the byproduct of that birth - welcoming a baby into your lives.
We got to experience that recently: seeing our son Zachary and his Eva, welcome little Emma into their lives. And we’re waiting to hear the news from Micah and Grace on their arrival of their son.
Every child born is special. But Mary’s birth brought someone extra special. From Galatians: God sent forth his Son.
THE DEITY OF THE BABY
THE DEITY OF THE BABY
The Messiah is no mere human; he is God in the flesh.
This is affirmed in the first several verses of John...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Of course, the deity of the Messiah was prophesied through Isaiah...
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This is explained to Joseph through an angel in Matthew 1...
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Why didn’t Jesus make his first coming to earth as grand as his second coming will be?
He came as a baby. And not born in a palace, which would have been better suited for the king of the kings and the Lord of lords. His grand entrance came in a stable. His throne a manger.
Our Savior, Christ the Lord, which we will unpack in future weeks was born.
BORN
BORN
For unto you is BORN this day.
Back to Galatians 4...
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
First Paul tells us that Jesus was born of a woman.
BORN OF A WOMAN
BORN OF A WOMAN
John tells us in his gospel...
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Immanuel, the creator of the universe, became a human. And, as a human, he was like us in every way except one. He was without sin.
We see in Hebrews 2...
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Not only was Jesus born of a woman, he was born under the law according to Paul in Galatians.
BORN UNDER THE LAW
BORN UNDER THE LAW
The Messiah came forth from the Jews, born under the law, the old covenant. Jesus knew what it was like to live under the Mosaic law. But even though he lived under the law, he perfectly kept the law; therefore he was the spotless lamb making it possible for him to be substitutionary sacrifice for sinful mankind.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
No wonder the angel said...
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For ALL the people.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Just as Jesus was born at a moment in time, so were you and I. Baby Emma was born at 3:12am on November 12, 2025.
You may or may not know or remember the time you were born, but you were born at a precise time of day and it’s been recorded - maybe on your birth certificate, but most certainly in the county records.
And likewise, your heavenly father is recording the rebirths of his sons and daughters. Those who are born again, rescued and redeemed. He knows the day and the exact time when you passed from death to life, when you became a new creation in Christ.
Is your name listed in God’s record of rebirth? If not, don’t delay.
Paul writes to the Corinthians...
For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
There’s no need to wait until next year to receive the most revolutionary, transforming gift ever - the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation. If you know you are not right with the Lord or you are not sure you are right with the Lord, come talk to me or one of the many followers of Christ in our congregation.
I’ll close with a passage from 2 Corinthians 5...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Let’s pray.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
CLOSING SONG
CLOSING SONG
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
BENEDICTION
BENEDICTION
