Christmas and the O.T.

Tears of Barrenness Leads to the Birth of Triumph

-Perhaps you have lost the wonder and majesty of the Christmas story. I want to share with you the wonder of the Christmas story from the O.T. I want you to see that from the perspective of time, it had its beginning in the garden of Genesis.

Genesis 3:15
-Here we have the genesis of the Christmas story—the general promise of the coming of the seed. We see the first gospel here in the garden. It is general in nature, but we have the rest of the O.T. to see it fleshed out.

Genesis 17:17-18, 21
-God had made a covenant with Abraham back in Genesis 12. All the nations of the world would be blessed through Abraham’s seed. He reaffirmed it in chapter 15 and again in chapter 17. The general promise of Genesis 3 begins to narrow in focus.

Genesis 18:1-3, 9-15
-Sarah was past child bearing age. Sarah was too old. Sarah was barren. Sarah was physically incapable of giving birth. But, Sarah had a promise.

Genesis 30:22-24
-Now what does Rachel have to do with all of this? Well, she is married to Jacob, who is a son of Isaac, who is the son of promise from Abraham and Sarah. And, what does Joseph have to do with all of this?

Genesis 45:7-8; 50:19-20
-In the midst of a great famine God sent Joseph ahead to preserve the remnant from whom the promised seed would come.
-You see the sovereignty of God here. God was preserving and saving and preparing.

I Samuel 1:4-6, 12-20; 2:21
-Hannah’s womb was closed. It was closed by divine providence as was Sarah and Rachel.
-Look at the beauty of her praying and explanation of 1:13, 15. It serves as a model for you to pray to God with passion and emotion and realness.
-But, who cares about Hannah? So what that she gave birth to Samuel?

I Samuel 16:6-7, 11-13
-Don’t qualify or disqualify based on appearance. Do not underestimate what God can and will do in your life. God is interested in the heart, and from there He equips to do the impossible.
-Do not think that you are too young to take your faith seriously, or too inexperienced to make an impact. Do not think that it is ok to waste your time until you live a bit, and then one day in the future you will settle down and get serious.
-Samuel becomes the one to anoint a young David to be the next King.
-Now, you may say, "so what?" What does this have to do with the Christmas story? Who cares about a dead guy named David?

II Samuel 7:16
-God had made a covenant with David. Your house…your kingdom…your throne will be established forever—young David, inexperienced, the runt of the litter at the time.
-Echoing from here forward in the background are the words of Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
-So what?

Luke 1:26-38
-Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist. John the Baptist would break God’s silence after 400 plus years and speak as the last of the O.T. prophets.
-God would call him to say, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
-A garden, a promise, a barren Sarah, a barren Rachel, a barren Hannah, a barren Elizabeth, a virgin Mary…the Messiah!

-Human improbability often sets up in contradiction to the divine promise.
-Be careful to not let the objections of the senses stand in contradiction to the promises of faith.

-This is no ordinary story. This is no random act in history. This is no reaction or plan ‘B’ from God. This was planned from the beginning. It had purpose, and intention, and intrigue, and miracle, and mystery, and anticipation, and splendor, and majesty, and love.
-Don’t let it become ordinary. Let it remain extraordinary in your heart, and share the majesty and wonder of it all with anyone who would care to listen.

God is the God of the impossible, and this is to magnify His sovereign grace and to keep us in our humble place (John Piper).

-Is anything too difficult for our God?