From Creche to Cross- one shot

The arrival of Christmas is a reminder for Christians of what is ahead. I completely understand why people who do not know Jesus would be swept up into the “magic of the season,” but for us, the advent of Jesus should always hit different.

Jesus’ arrival begins the countdown to His crucifixion- and to our redemption.

When I was un undergrad, I took a class with a professor named Dr. Evans. He taught a section on the first 3 Gospels, and he hammered home a verse that was in none of them over and over again- Galatians 4:4. “When the fullness of time had come…” or “at just the right time…”

I didn’t really get it at first, but as I got older, and read and studied more, I understood what he was getting at. The arrival of Jesus was not an accident. It was planned. Jesus’ parentage was not an accident. It was planned. His birthplace was not an accident. It was planned. Nothing about Jesus was an accident. It was all a part of a master plan- the Master’s plan. For us.

And what would follow was also not an accident. Jesus’ ministry. Planned. His betrayal. Planned. His death. Planned. His resurrection. Planned.

God left nothing to chance.

So this morning, on the last Sunday of 2025, I want us to pivot from the creche to the cross. To consider this morning, all that was ahead for the baby in the manger, and why He came.

Go with me to the verses Dr. Evans would quote, but let’s look at the whole passage: Galatians 4:1-7.

In the first 3 verses, Paul sets out our position we occupied prior to Jesus. We were enslaved to sin.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

While the legal background of these opening verses may be difficult to reconstruct, Paul’s general meaning is clear enough. Before a minor comes of age, he has no legal rights at all. He is a nēpios, literally an “infant,” a word Paul used elsewhere (

Slave is an ugly word. It is loaded, especially in our American context. And I do not think Paul uses it lightly here. Being in sin is being in bondage and not being able to get out- without someone buying you out of the bondage.

And Paul makes it clear here, that he considers both the Gentile believes and the Jewish believers to have been in the same boat- the Gentiles may have been ignorant of sin (enslaved) but the Jewish folks were no better because they were being micromanaged by the law- like kids who could not be trusted to cross the street without 5 pages of directions.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

The radical character of this bondage, which is the common lot of all the unsaved, Paul now expressed in terms of a universal subjection to a sinister coalition of evil powers he called ta stoicheia tou kosmou

And God is not satisfied with this state of affairs.

He does not want sin to destroy our lives.

He does not want to have a relationship with us thru intermediaries.

He does not want a relationship with us to be defined by a long list of dos and donts

So HE does something.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

Christ alone is the one through whom believers can escape the dominion of the elements of the world and thus find true deliverance and freedom from their enslaving power

Look at verse 4-5.

Verse 4 was Doc Evans verse- “when the fullness of time had come”

God had a day and an hour ready for Jesus to arrive. (Talk about the extraordinary cultural and political situation that Jesus was born into)

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

What did Paul mean by the “fullness” of time? Early Christian apologists pointed to the fact that the birth of the Messiah occurred during the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and stability. Others have pointed to the development of a common language, favorable means of travel, the emergence of an urban civilization that made possible the rapid spread of the Christian message, and so forth. Still others have pointed to the lapse of a definite period of time (cf.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

To begin with, there is a temporal introduction, “but when the time had fully come,” an expression that connects this passage to the illustration of the minor heir entering into his full inheritance at the father’s preappointed time

He also had a WAY that Jesus would arrive- born of a woman and under law- Jesus came into the world in the way of all flesh- this was not some Roman “god” story AND He was born into the Law- so He understood the expectations and burdens the people were under.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

The coming of Jesus Christ into human history was not an accidental happening in late antiquity. Not only was the incarnation the fulfillment of myriads of Old Testament prophecies, but it also was the culmination of a plan devised within the eternal counsel of the triune God before the creation of the world

And, finally, He had a purpose. To redeem people so they could be children of God.

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

The Son of God became a human being and was put under the law in order (1) to redeem those who were under the law and (2) so that we might become God’s sons

No longer separated by sin, and no longer defined by rules, and no longer dependent on intermediaries. God cleared the way for a personal, ongoing relationship with all of humanity.

And the results of that are in verses 6-7.

We have the Spirit of God inhabiting us.

We have God as our Father in an ongoing, relational way (Abba)

Galatians (2) The Radical Change: From Slavery to Sonship (4:1–7)

The Holy Spirit is the sign and pledge of our adoption so that by his presence in our hearts we are truly convinced that God is for us, not against us, that indeed he is our Heavenly Father. The evidence Paul gave for this wonderful assurance is not that through the Spirit we are empowered to do miraculous works, receive ecstatic visions, speak in tongues, or any other kind of sensational phenomena. Rather, the first, most basic indication of our adoption is that we have a new form of address for God. The Spirit invites us to join in his invocation, crying “Abba, Father

And we are set free from sin- permanently.

Now turn with me to Romans 5:6-11.

There is a thread here thru Paul’s writings that we need to grab on to in relation to time.

We talked about the unique place in time where Jesus was sent into the world, but I want you to consider something else in relation to timing.

What did we have to offer Jesus when He came?

Nothing.

This is the real amazing part of Christmas and the arrival of Jesus.He died for us BEFORE we were even following Him.

Look at verses 6-8.

We were ungodly sinners. That’s a heavy indictment. And in the world, someone might die for a righteous person- seeing them as worthy of being saved because they are a “good person” but for a bad person? Nope.

Romans (1) Peace and Hope (5:1–8)

Christ died for the ungodly “at just the right time” (Goodspeed has “at the decisive moment”). Paul wrote to the Galatians that God sent his Son “when the time had fully come” (

And that is pretty true today as well. We might lay down our lives for a kid or someone we see as innocent or whose life is more precious than ours, but for a bad person? Nope.

And this is where, if we are not careful, we can start getting a little defensive. We are “good people” most of us would say. But not according to the definition that God uses- which is perfection. (Roman road teaching with Ghana Romans 3:23 verse)

Paul actually goes even further and more offensive- in verse 10- he says we were enemies of God. That’s pretty heavy. But also really beautiful- Jesus died for His enemies. So they could become His friends.

Romans (2) Reconciliation (5:9–11)

The “greater” statement is that while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled by the death of his Son. The transaction took place while we were in a state of hostility toward God

And as a result we are:

saved from God’s wrath

reconciled to God

rejoicing in God

All this because God had a plan.

Church, God always has a plan. He had a plan for you in 2025 and He has one in 2026. And it is the best plan for you, whether you understand it in the moment or not.