The Divine Plan and Promise of Christmas

AdventThumbs2Advent Day 2

by John F. Klem

How can we have a Christmas joy founded in the Word during the busyness of the holiday season and the many festive activities? I believe a Word-based Christmas joy begins with thoughtful consideration of God’s plans to lovingly provide a Savior for a sinful world.

Most great events in history and in our lives do not just happen; they are usually the result of a well-designed plan or promise. This is especially true with God’s Christmas plan.

God’s Christmas plan was not a reaction to any situation or circumstance of life. The perfect plan of the triune God was established before the foundation of the world. That plan included having the eternal Christ enter the created world to shed His blood for the debt of our sin (1 Peter 1:20).

God’s eternal plan for Christmas was destined to be unhindered and unchanging. The plan ultimately rested on the character and the Word of God (Hebrews 6:13–18).

It is important to realize this, since the promise of a Savior would stand for several thousand years before reaching its fulfillment. In addition, the promised plan would be subject to the people and events of history.

God promised that the plan for a Redeemer would involve the seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15), the line of Seth (Luke 3:38), the patriarch Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3), the tribe of Judah, and the descendants of David (Acts 13:22, 23).

I am amazed that in an ancient world with limited media resources, the Christmas plan of God was well-known and was a cherished hope of so many people (Acts 26:6, 7).

The design, the preservation, and the outworking of the Christmas plan inspire joy. However, there is something deeper to the plan that sustains joy. It is the love of God for the world and, specifically, for me. It is His desire that I find my joy and satisfaction in Him. These things motivated the plan and intentions of God. When I give attention to them in the routine busyness of the holiday, my Christmas joy is vibrantly sustained.

So I encourage you to think about the Christmas plan this week while you look for those special gifts and plan your get-togethers. The divine Christmas plan is Word based and joy inspiring.

John F. Klem is director of Regular Baptist Press.

Regular Baptist Press is committed to providing educational resources that point people of all ages to Christ not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. RBP offers a wide range of curriculum, VBS programs, Bible studies, books, and training seminars that are Biblically sound, cover the entirety of Scripture, and designed for spiritual growth.

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