A Child is Born

By Hal Lindsey   

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,  Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. — Isaiah 9:6-7 [NKJV] 

Every birth changes the world. Every life has consequence. Think of all the people you have known in your lifetime. Each one represents some level of influence you have had — hopefully for good, sometimes not. In some cases, the influence is huge. Sometimes, it is minimal.

All those people knew people, too. And so, influence spreads. Your influence has gone places that would astound you. We have no reliable way of measuring the impact of a life, but we know it is there. Everyone changes the world. There are no inconsequential births. 

In John 3:7, Jesus said, “You must be born again.” The second birth He spoke of changes all eternity. The math behind that statement is staggering, with effects multiplied by infinity.

The second birth was made possible by a death. The Child born to us in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, came that we “may have life, and… have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). And His life is the light of men (John 1:4). He is “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Lambs were sacrificed for sin over and over again. But the Lamb of God made one final and complete sacrifice for all sin, for all time. And on the third day, He completed His victory over sin and death when He rose from the grave.

Every life changes the world. But one Life changed everything, including eternity. Every birth is significant. But one birth became the dividing line of history. Every person is important, but Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. His name is called Immanuel, “God with us.” 

Micah 5:2 says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

This and other Old Testament verses depict God coming into the world in human flesh. Theologians call it, “the incarnation.” John 1:1 describes Jesus when it says, “The Word was God.” John 1:14 describes Christmas when it says, “And the Word was made flesh.”

Have a blessed Christmas!