"Purchased" Christmas Eve 2018 Sermon
Overview
Planned, Prepared, Purchased
The Christmas story is not a sentimental accident of history but the unfolding of God's perfect timing. As Paul writes, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law" Galatians 4:4. That fullness was visible even on a human level: a common Greek language for the gospel's spread, the Pax Romana giving peace for proclamation, and Roman roads carrying the message far and wide. Into that prepared moment, the eternal Word became flesh John 1:1-14, truly God and truly man, laid in a feeding trough in Bethlehem.
Yet the gift that Christmas points to was not yet complete at the manger. Jesus was "born under the law" in order to fulfill it on our behalf. He lived a sinless life—"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth" 1 Peter 2:22—a high priest tested in every way yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 3:5). He taught the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5-7, turned water into wine, raised Lazarus, fed the five thousand, and healed the sick. But after every miracle and every sermon, the gift was still to be purchased.
The purchase happened at the cross. "You were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" 1 Peter 1:18-19. The spotless Lamb bore our sin, and His perfect obedience was credited to us. The resurrection on the third day was the Father's seal that the payment had been accepted. The cradle and the cross belong together; the manger only makes sense beneath the shadow of Calvary.
And the purpose of the purchase is stunning: "to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" Galatians 4:5. Christmas is therefore deeply personal. The Father planned it, prepared the world for it, and purchased it through His Son—and that purchase embraces you. As we sing the carols and gaze at the manger, hear them against the backdrop of the cross, and receive the adoption that the Child was born to secure.
Transcript
Several years ago, I served the congregation, and we had our Christmas Eve services at 0s
4 o'clock and 11 o'clock. So there were quite a few hours in between the worship 6s
services, and it really helped me out that particular year. For you see, I hadn't yet 13s
finished my Christmas shopping. So between services, off to the mall, I went. There is 20s
a certain look of people that are shopping on Christmas Eve. It is a look of desperation. 29s
It is a look of slight panic, and there I was among them. But I was also noticing a 37s
look that I was having trouble interpreting, because people would be looking at me, and 45s
then they would take a double take, and I didn't understand why. It took me about 51s
10 minutes, and several of these double take looks to finally figure out that here I was 58s
APM now at the mall in between services, and I realized I still had my clerical color 67s
on at that time. And it was a look from the people that if they could verbalize it, I think 75s
they would have said something like this. Shouldn't you be doing something right now? 83s
I note to self that night as I got back into the car with the gift, don't do this again. 92s
We open up the pages of Scripture tonight, and we hear of a gift, and in particular, 103s
a gift purchased. You see, I had planned for the gift. I had even prepared for it. I knew 113s
exactly where I was going to go, and exactly what it was that I was going to get, but the 126s
purchase didn't happen until between services on that Christmas Eve. Luke, the second chapter, 132s
tells us this, in those days, the decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world 145s
should be registered. This is an historical moment in time. It is a specific moment in time. 152s
In fact, our text for this evening helps us to understand this. Look when we please, at 162s
Galatians 4, the beginning part of verse 4. But when the fullness of time had come, 167s
that phrase the fullness of time communicates, it was God's perfect time for the birth of the 179s
and God in his omniscience new from all time. The exact moment when Jesus Christ, the Son 191s
of God, would be born. And this was that moment. This was the fullness of time. This was the 201s
perfect time. It's perfect because it's God's timing. But humanly looking at it, it was 210s
perfect for other dimensions. Why? At that time there was a common understood language. It was 219s
Greek. That meant that the gospel message then could be communicated with the common language. 225s
That was understood. Secondly, it was also what was called the Pax Romana, the piece of Rome. 233s
It was at a time where there was great peace in the world. That meant that the gospel could go forward, 241s
the people could share the gospel. There was not conflict with which they were dealing with, 248s
not wars surrounding them that would make the proclamation even more difficult. 255s
And on top of that, there was an incredible infrastructure that the Romans had put together. So that 260s
the gospel could travel on these well-made roads and could disperse quickly. 268s
It was the fullness of time. It's the perfect time. Luke II chapter tells us 277s
that Mary and Joseph went to be registered in their hometown. It was a census. The world was being 290s
numbered. And so they went to their hometown. Mary was expecting. You can imagine as everyone 297s
returned to their hometown. The ends were just flooded. There was no room in the end. And so the 304s
place for Mary and Joseph to stay was really what we would understand today is the as the parking 310s
garage. It would be the place where people would put their animals that traveled. And their 316s
Jesus was born. And they laid Jesus in, manger is too kind. It was an actual feeding trough where they 323s
laid our Lord. Scripture gives us the details. And when we turn to our text, it helps us. 331s
Look again, please, adverse for. When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, 343s
born of a woman. Well, who isn't born of a woman, right? So why is that phrase there? 355s
That phrase tells us that Jesus Christ was truly human. But also notice what it says. 366s
God sent His Son. That means that Jesus Christ was truly divine. This is the second member of the 375s
Trinity being enfleshed. True God sent the Son that is sent. True man, born of a woman. 388s
Scripture tells us, in John the first chapter, it says, in the beginning was the word that's just 402s
another designation for Jesus. And the word was with God, the word was God. And the word became flesh 407s
and lived among us. And we've seen His glory, the glorious of a father's only Son, full of grace 417s
and truth. The Messiah, the prophesied one, born. But the gift, the gift, was still to be purchased. 426s
The gift was still to be purchased. Go back again, diverse for. When the fullness of time 447s
had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Jesus was under the obligation 460s
of fulfilling the law of God. Now go on into verse 5. In order to redeem, to buy back those who 475s
were under the law. Jesus lived alive of perfect, perfect obedience. Jesus Christ never, ever sinned. 489s
1 Peter, 2 chapter says this, He committed no sin, no deceit was found in His mouth. He bruised 502s
four. For we did not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, 513s
but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are yet without sin. 520s
1 John 3, you know that He was revealed to take away sins and in Him there is no sin. 531s
Jesus satisfied the just requirements of the law. He lived the perfect, sinless life. He did this in order 542s
to redeem us. The angels say the glory of the Messiah born, but the gift, the gift, 555s
was still to be purchased. Jesus grew and he taught why the Bible tells us that He went into 575s
his synagogue one day. He read from Isaiah and he said today, this is fulfilled in your hearing, 589s
but the gift was still to be purchased. Jesus taught the great sermon on the mount, 600s
Matthew chapter 5 through 7, a sermon to be studied and dissected and by God's grace to be taken 608s
apart and lived out. Jesus taught but the gift, the gift was still to be purchased. 615s
Jesus got into a boat, he headed out to the other side and people just followed them. They came 628s
out of their homes. They came out of their villages and cities and they just went around to the other 634s
side so that when Jesus got to the other side they were already there and the Bible says that Jesus 638s
taught but the gift still to be purchased. Jesus grew and Jesus did incredible, incredible miracles. 644s
John II chapter says that he blessed the wedding and came with his presence and he transformed the 661s
water into wine. Oh, that was an embarrassing situation. In ancient day for a groom's family to 667s
run out of wine at a wedding was a major social phopop. Jesus transforms the water into the wine 674s
but the gift still to be purchased. Bible says that Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus. 684s
Lazarus had been dead for days in the tomb and Jesus comes and says, Lazarus come out. 695s
In how it comes the dead man now alive. But the gift? The gift was still to be purchased. 703s
There's the boy with five loaves and two fish. It's his sack lunch. 716s
There's five thousand plus that are hungry and Jesus multiplies the sack lunch 722s
and feeds the people to such an extent that the Bible says there were even left over that were collected. 729s
But the gift? Still to be purchased. 738s
Jesus grew and he taught. Jesus grew and he did miracles. Jesus grew and he did healings. 744s
By the Bible tells us about the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. She had fever, 750s
lay sick, and Jesus healed her. The Bible tells about the blind and the lame. 755s
The Bible tells about the folks that were deaf and Bible tells us of people with leprosy 762s
that were excluded from the community because of that horrid, horrid disease. 768s
Bible tells us of the man with a withered hand and we see healing after healing after healing. 774s
But the gift? The gift was still to be purchased. 787s
What is that gift? When was it purchased? 801s
Several months ago we were visiting. I father-in-law in Minneapolis. 813s
We sat in his home. We were having dinner and I looked over. 818s
And there was this beautiful manger seen. He keeps it up year-round. 823s
It's been there for as long as I've known Denise and been married. It's absolutely, absolutely beautiful. 829s
It was made in the Holylands. He brought it back when he visited there. 838s
I don't know what kind of wood it is, but it's absolutely gorgeous and the detail on it. 844s
It's just impeccable. There's Mary and Joseph and there's the baby and there's the stable roof line. 849s
But what my father-in-law has done is he's taken across and he has hung the cross 860s
over the stable so that when you look at it, you see the baby Jesus. 870s
In the feeding trough and the cross dominates the picture that you see. 879s
The gift was purchased at the cross. 898s
The gift was purchased at the cross. 906s
Bible tells us in first Peter it says this, you know that you were ransomed from the 915s
feudal ways inherited from your ancestors. Not with perishable things like silver or gold, 924s
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 933s
You see when Jesus Christ went to the cross, Jesus Christ took all of our sin upon him. 947s
He was the spotless, perfect lamb without defect. There was no sin. 956s
He perfectly obeyed the law of God. He couldn't but he is God in the flesh. You see if 963s
Jesus sinned, then Jesus wouldn't be God. If Jesus sinned, then Jesus would need a Savior. 971s
Put on the cross. All of our sin was placed upon the spotless lamb of God. 980s
His perfect life that he lived sinless life was credited to us. The world was redeemed. 990s
The world was purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ. 1006s
After Jesus died on the cross, paying the sin that of the world, he's placed in the tomb. 1016s
And on the third day, just as it was prophesied in the Old Testament, just as Jesus himself had prophesied, 1022s
he's raised from the dead. That means that the sacrifice for sin had been accepted by the Father. 1029s
The spotless lamb of God, purchasing. 1038s
Redemption for the world. And the result? Look again at verse 4. 1046s
When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, 1058s
born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 1065s
Planned? 1085s
Prepared? 1088s
Purchased? 1096s
For the very first time that I walked into the sanctuary, I couldn't help but notice this huge cross that hangs on the wall. 1099s
The folks that designed the sanctuary really did well, 1113s
because what's paramount, you can't miss it, is the cross of Jesus Christ. 1119s
Like the cross that hangs over my father-in-law's manger, you can't miss it, and you can't miss this cross. 1128s
My prayer is that as we sing the great Christmas carols tonight, as we remember the birth 1139s
of our Lord and Savior, as we sing joy to the world and hark the harrowed angels saying, 1146s
in a way in the manger and silent night and on down the list, as we celebrate the birth, we will hear 1152s
against the backdrop of the cross. 1163s
Because the gift of the child was given to purchase the gift of redemption. 1169s
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son, 1188s
born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law. 1194s
So that we might receive adoption as children. 1204s
Enjoy the world, indeed. 1213s
Planned prepared purchased, and that purchase embraces 1223s
you. 1240s