The Christmas Story - Part Three – The Unfolding Plan

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In part one of the Christmas story we ask the question:

* Why Christmas?

* The answer: Because We Need A Savior

In part two we ask the question:

* How did God do it? How did He give us the Savior?

* It was a miracle. The miracle of the Virgin birth.

I encourage you to check out our archived messages for December 2007 at cotr.com or at churchonline.com and review those teachings.

At the end of part two we concluded:

* God has a plan, He will succeed and we have a chance to participate.

Today we are going to continue our Christmas series by taking a closer look at the Unfolding Plan of God.

You see:

* Life is a script only God can write.

* And God knows the end from the beginning and He is patient in the process to bring about His will in His time.

Key Scriptures: Luke 2 NKJV

1 ¶ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

The Christmas story does not begin here with Joseph and Mary arriving in the city of David. Their arrival in Bethlehem is but one more step in the unfolding plan of God.

Bethlehem, which means ‘House of Bread’, is perched about 100 feet higher in elevation and about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem overlooks the Judean hills and fertile fields surrounding the city and is the traditional home of both shepherds and farmers.

Bethlehem first appears in the Bible in Genesis 35 …

Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

… as the place where Rachael died giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob buried her just outside the city which was then known as Ephrath of Judea. Jacob spoke of this on his death bed as he blessed Rachael’s grandsons in Egypt. (Genesis 48)

Later in the Bible we read the story of a woman named Ruth who was from Moab. The story tells of Ruth losing her husband and moving to Bethlehem with Naomi her mother-in-law. She had to work hard gleaning what she could find in the grain fields after the harvesters had finished their work so that she and Naomi could survive. Those fields belonged to a older man named Boaz, the son of Salmon, a leader in Judah, and Rahab from Jericho.

Eventually God orchestrated it so that Ruth married Boaz and had a son named Obed who was the father of Jesse who had a son named David, the shepherd boy who became King.

Ruth 4

21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

The book of Ruth details a wonderful love story born out of the terrible tragedies of life. It’s a story of redemption and the ‘Greater Day God’ we serve.

Next we find Bethlehem in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 16. God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house at Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as King. After seven of Jesse’s sons had passed before Samuel and none were chosen by God, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons.

1 Samuel 16 NLT

11 Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep." "Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives."

12 So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, "This is the one; anoint him."

Jesse replied that he had one more named David who was just a young lad and was in the fields watching the sheep. When David was brought before Samuel he was chosen, anointed with oil and announced as King.

Now follow this unfolding plan with me as we watch God set things up and orchestrate them for generations before He ever put it into Caesar Augustus’ mind to take a world census.

God marked Bethlehem as the place where He wanted His Son to be born just like he marked Calvary as the place where He would later be crucified. God chose Bethlehem and blessed it and favored it revisiting it over and over again as a special place in His heart and in His plan.

When God decided that Jesus would come through the tribe of Judah He orchestrated it so that Salmon fell in love with Rahab and took her as his wife. Then Salmon inherited land in and around the town of Bethlehem which God, in His unfolding plan, made a part of the inheritance of the Tribe of Judah.

Then Salmon and Rahab had a son named Boaz and Boaz inherited the fields of his father Salmon according to the laws and customs of the Jews. Later, when God guided Ruth into the fields she gleaned, He knew those fields belonged to Boaz and would be passed down through him to his children. Then God caused Boaz to fall in love with Ruth and marry her late in his life. Of course, as the plan continues to unfold, Boaz and Ruth have a son named Obed who later inherits those same fruitful fields.

Obed had a son named Jesse who was more shepherd than farmer and in the course of time he became owner of the same fields his grandmother Ruth gleaned. Jesse had a son named David who watched the sheep in those very same fields around Bethlehem.

Now God is patient and He has a plan that unfolds right on time and right in place. Even though it may take generations, He is always orchestrating something special for His children.

On the day when God told the prophet Samuel to go to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite it was just another step in the unfolding plan of God. God knew exactly where He wanted David to be anointed and announced as King. It would be the same place where a thousand years later Angels would announce Jesus, the son of David, to be King. It was those same shepherd fields of Bethlehem.

Look with me back in the book of Luke and lets read the rest of the story.

Luke 2 NKJV

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 ¶ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

God has an unfolding plan for each life. You are a piece in the puzzle of that Kingdom plan. You are not a mistake any more than Jesus was … you are not a accident, you are a plan and a part of the unfolding plan of God.

Let this Christmas be a reminder that God loves you even when things may seem difficult and perhaps the whole world seems against you.

God may not first seek our permission before He upsets our plans but never forget … Just like the angels and the multitudes of heavenly hosts said: His will toward us is good.

Today Brenda and I want to wish you a very merry Christmas. May it be all God intended it to be for you when He first decided to perform this miracle in your life.

Accept Jesus as God’s Christmas present to you and let your life be a script only God can write. Merry Christmas!