UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, December 24, 2023

CENTRAL THOUGHT
The celebration of the birth of Christ, should be a time of sober reflections, re-dedicating our lives for more services unto God.

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

1. To comprehend the purpose of Christ’s birth;
2. To know the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ;
3. To review the unfruitful attempt of the devil on the child;
4. To know that there is nothing impossible to God.

BIBLE TRUTH:

QUESTION 1.) WHY WAS JESUS CHRIST BORN?
When men fell in the garden of Eden, God said to the serpent (Gen. 3:14), that the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ) shall bruise the head of the devil. God had in mind of sending forth His Son through a woman, holy and virtuous to come and destroy the works of the devil and to save man from sin and its consequences. Before man fell, there was a divine fellowship between God and man. When this fellowship between God and man was willfully broken by man, God sought for a way to deliver man from sin.
Anyone who lives in sin is in bondage and a slave to it. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” (Rom. 6:16). Consequently, the sinner cannot do the works of God, neither can he do that which pleases God. Thus, he is a slave to sin and evil. The only way of escape from him is God’s provision in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was born to be the go-between man and his maker, for the restoration of fellowship between him and his maker (John 14:6; Heb. 9:14,15). Through Him, man can be restored back unto fellowship with his creator, God. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). His birth brought God down to man, so as to take man back to his proper place/position of dominion on earth.
It is not the will of God that anyone should perish, but all should come to repentance and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour (2 Peter 3:9b). many have accepted Christ as their saviour but have not surrendered all to Him. Accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour must be done without reservation in order to enjoy the full blessing of salvation. This includes preservation and deliverance from trouble, sin and its consequences, healing, prosperity, etc. (Matt. 1:21, 3 John 2). Thus, the deliverance and salvation of the total man (spirit, soul, and body) comes with our whole-hearted yieldedness to Christ.

QUESTION 2.) WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME “IMMANUEL”?
MATT. 1:23; ISA. 7:14; 9:6
The uniqueness of His virgin birth is the basis of our redemption. How striking are the words “… shall call his name Immanuel…”. He was the son of a virgin, yet the Son of God. This is the gospel massage to mankind: “God was manifest in the flesh” (1Tim 3:16). Jesus is indeed the Son of God, and God, the Son. He was, and He is “God with us”.
Jesus came to show us the Father, to declare Him and to interpret Him to us. Hence, He could say, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). He that was born unto us a child is:
• “God with us” in the flesh (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16).
• “God with us” as a redeemer (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18,19)
• “God with us” to reconcile (2 Cor. 5:19)
• “God with us” as an example to follow (Phil. 2:5,6)
• “God with us” as a companion that sticketh closer than a brother (2 Cor. 6:16)
• “God with us” always (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5,6)
• “God with us” as a counsellor (Isa. 9:6; 30:21) and
• “God with us” as our peace-giver (Isa. 9:6; John 14:27; Eph. 2:14)

QUESTION 3.) HOW SHOULD WE CELEBRATE CHRIST’S BIRTH? Matt. 2:11; 1 Cor. 6:20
Many are in dispute over the actual date that Christ was born. Believers should not be drawn into such ungodly arguments, but rather the most important aspect is that the Saviour was born unto us for our total deliverance and restoration. The celebration of the birth of Christ should not be a period of self-indulgence in atrocities of sin but should be a time and period of sober reflections, re-dedicating our lives, for more meaningful service unto the Lord. There is totally nothing wrong in using it as time to rejoice and glory in the fact that our Saviour was born and be merry. But as believers, all things should be done with moderation, exalting the name of the Lord. It should also be a time of telling those still in darkness about the eternal life freely given in Jesus Christ (John 5:11,12).

QUESTION 4.) DISCUSS THE UNFRUITFUL ATTEMPT OF THE DEVIL TO DESTROY THE CHILD JESUS. Matt. 2:1-16; 1 Peter 5:8-9
When the wise men came to king Herod asking “where is He that is born king of Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and are come to worship Him”. Herod pretended to be interested despite the fact that he was troubled and annoyed that another king has come to take over from him. Herod thought and believed that Christ’s kingdom was going to be earthly.
After the Chief priest and scribes had consulted and verified where Christ should be born according to the Scriptures, he told the wise men from the east that when they find the child, they should let him know so that he himself would go and worship the newborn king. Meanwhile, Herod craftily demanded to know the time the star appeared and sent them to Bethlehem to search diligently for the child and bring him word.
Information on the birth of Jesus was not found with the heathen king, but the star led the wise men til they arrived at the house where the child and Mary lived. Knowing that “the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked”, God warned the wise men not to return to Herod.
In an attempt to destroy the Lord Jesus, the devil used Herod to destroy innocent lives of children. This is because it was becoming clear (to Satan) that the pronouncement of God in Gen. 3:15 was to be realized in the child. It was presumed that the killing of all children of two years of age and below, in Bethlehem and the surrounding cities, will destroy “The born King of the Jews”. But God has a better plan that the devil or Herod were ignorant about. The devil’s aim is only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Believers are constantly at war with the devil, for we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12).
The devil’s unsuccessful attempt to kill the child Jesus through Herod is a clear indication that victory is sure for every believer in Christ Jesus. It should be clear in our hearts and minds that no matter the storm or rage or happenings we see, victory is ours if we trust in and rely on the name of the Lord. The devil has never been known to win any battle so he cannot start winning with you. Because he failed in all his attempts to frustrate the works of Christ, so also will he continue to fail in all his attempts in our lives. Amen.

DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
The birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ is a reminder of the faithfulness of God, because when man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God promised the devil that the seed of the woman would bruise his head, and this promise was fulfilled in Christ, leading to our salvation.
Believers should use this period to rededicate their lives afresh unto God and begin to enjoy the abundance of God’s blessings which include: joy, peace, deliverance, prosperity, etc. We should also know that there is nothing impossible for God to do, the birth of the Lord Jesus is an indication of this. He was born of virgin Mary, so in our lives, the Holy Ghost shall bring to pass that which looks impossible (Eph. 3:20).

MEMORY VERSE:

ISAIAH 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace”.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: UNTO IS A CHILD IS BORN.
Isa. 9:6-7
TUE: HE IS THE LIGHT THAT SHINETH IN DARKNESS
John 1:1-12
WED: HE IS THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER
John 1:14-18
THU: EVERLASTING LIFE IS IN HIM
John 3:18-21; 34-36
FRI: WE ARE NEW CREATURES IN HIM
2 Corn. 5:17-21
SAT: WE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM
Col. 2:8-14