Jesus Arrived Exactly as Ordered!

4th Sunday in Advent, 12/22/13
Romans 1:1-7


Jesus Arrived Exactly as Ordered!
I. True man as a descendant of David
II. True God as declared by his resurrection
III. Giver of grace as received by his saints


I’m sure the report next week will state that more Americans than ever before did their Christmas shopping online and simply had the packages delivered to their door, perhaps even with free shipping. They spent hundreds of dollars and didn’t have to enter a single mall or shopping center. It’s so convenient! So efficient!

But there is some uncertainty. Seeing a picture of the item you’d like to order on the screen of your choice is one thing. Actually holding it in your hands and seeing it right before your eyes is another. Is it the right size? Is it the right color? Does the gadget perform the way it was described? Is it exactly what you wanted or will “close-enough” have to do? And if you’re not completely satisfied will you take the pains to return it or just live with it? We have our expectations and then there is reality. Do they match?

In this morning’s sermon text, the Apostle Paul speaks about the gospel promised beforehand. What exactly is he talking about? He’s speaking about Jesus, the world’s Savior from sin.

For thousands of years a portion of the sinful human race lived in expectation of a Gift from God. He had promised to send a Savior. And throughout those years, God would occasionally provide a detail or two of who that Savior would be and what he would do. If the worldwide web had been available thousands of years ago, our God could have posted a description of the Savior, informing the world of what to expect when their Gift arrived.

But what about the uncertainty? Would the Gift be the right size and color? Would it do what God described? Is there any chance God would have to return it to sender for a refund?

Not a chance! As Paul lets us know, Jesus is exactly the Gift we needed. We’ll celebrate his arrival this Tuesday and Wednesday, but let’s not wait until then to rejoice over it. Even before we celebrate his coming, rest assured that Jesus arrived exactly as ordered by none other than our God himself. Let that truth fill you with comfort and joy this morning.

Part I.

While all of us have a special place in our hearts for our mothers because she’s the one who gave us birth, we’re also connected to our fathers. It comes in the form of his last name. Even if you’re female and married, your maiden name is still meaningful for you because it’s one of your connections to who you are.

That was true perhaps even more so in Bible times. For instance, Peter’s Jewish name was Simon bar Jonah, “Simon the son of Jonah.” In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah is called the son of Amoz.

But have you ever noticed that Jesus is only loosely connected with Joseph? Some of the Jews thought he was Joseph’s son but he wasn’t. Instead, the Bible repeatedly refers to him as the son of David. Paul does just that here in our text. Why?

It’s a reference to the promise that the Lord made to David recorded in 2 Samuel 7. He promised David that he would give him a descendant who would rule forever. That promise can only be fulfilled by the Savior. Paul says it like this, “His Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David.”

Jesus was a descendant of David through his mother, Mary. That’s why she went to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. She belonged to the house and line of David. The fact that Jesus was the flesh and blood relative of King David means this great truth: Jesus is true man. Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. He came into the world as countless other humans had before him. He came as our Brother. And that’s exactly what God had promised. Jesus arrived exactly as ordered—true man as a descendant of David.

So what’s the big deal about that? Wouldn’t it have been just as well for Jesus to drop to this earth from heaven rather than being born of the Virgin Mary? Absolutely not! And here’s the reason why: We need someone just like us to live perfectly for us. We need someone to suffer the hell we deserve for our sins. It has to be someone just like us but without sin. Someone with human flesh and blood to be our perfect Substitute. As you unwrap God’s Gift to you this Christmas, look for Jesus to be exactly that. Thank God he did for therein is the assurance of our full forgiveness, our peace with God, our eternal heaven. Jesus arrived exactly as ordered!

Part II.

Consciously or unconsciously, we’re always looking for what sets a particular thing apart from all the rest. It can be as simple as different brands of toothpaste to something as critical as a physician or surgeon. Especially when we’re paying good money for it, we want the best possible product or service. We want the one that is above the rest.

When Jesus arrived in our world, he looked so much like each of us that many people were confused about who he was. I’m sure as an infant and as a child he looked like any other Jewish child did. And even when he began his preaching ministry about age 30, all too many of his fellow Jews simply took him to be another prophet in a long line of prophets.

So what set him apart from all the rest? He was and still is true God. How could that be? Well, you heard in our first lesson this morning how the Lord gave wicked King Ahaz the most amazing sign of his power—a virgin will be with child. As we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, that took place by the power of the Holy Spirit. The child in Mary’s womb was not just her son, he was the Son of God! That’s what set Jesus apart.

But how can we be sure? Every one of his miracles makes the case for his divinity. The people of his day who paid attention to his words and his miracles came to that conclusion. And if there was any doubt, it was dispelled by the miracle Paul points to in our text, “[He] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” His resurrection should have been no surprise. He had foretold it for quite some time. Even his enemies knew it. Only God has the power to raise the dead. Jesus proved beyond any doubt that he was true God by raising himself from the dead. In fact, God had ordered it that way. He had foretold that the Savior would rise from the dead.

Jesus arrived exactly as ordered—true God as declared by his resurrection.

Our God had sent numerous prophets to his people to help them spiritually. The last one before Christ was John the Baptist. Each of them did what they could to help God’s people, but none of them could solve their problem—the problem of sin. No mere prophet could solve that. Not even an angel from heaven. Only God could, and he did. The Savior we needed had to be able to pay the price for every sin of every sinner. Only the sacrifice of God himself could do that. As you listen to the Christmas story and the prophecies about the Savior in the coming days, take notice of how often they refer to Jesus as God. That’s what makes Jesus our Savior. That’s what sets him apart from all the rest. That’s the reason his birth is worth celebrating. Jesus arrived exactly as ordered. All praise and thanks to God!

Part III.

Are there any tag-less gifts under your Christmas tree? If so, is that by design or mistake? If it’s by mistake, how will you know for whom the gift is intended?

God’s Gift arrived exactly as ordered, but did you ever wonder if Jesus was really meant for you? Maybe not in those exact words, but there are times in our lives when we wonder, when we doubt. When we get the feeling that God is not as loving towards us as he once was, we’re forgetting his greatest act of love—sending us the Gift of his Son. When pangs of guilt and shame quickly suck the joy and peace out of our lives, we’re forgetting for whom God sent his Gift.

Paul helps us remember with these words, “Through him and for his name’s sake, we have received grace. And you also are among those called to belong to Jesus Christ.” There’s a ton of blessed assurance in those words!

We don’t earn or deserve anything good from God, least of all forgiveness. But our God is the God of grace. Jesus is the embodiment of that grace. In his eternal love for us, he lived and died for us.
That’s grace—God’s undeserved love and favor.

And through that grace he has made us his own. We belong to him now and forever. At the end of our text Paul addresses the Roman Christians as saints. He could have included you and me as well. By faith in Jesus we’ve been washed clean of every sin and now belong to God as one of his holy people. There’s no greater grouping of people to belong to! It’s the only one that brings eternal salvation. And it’s all because Jesus arrived exactly as ordered.

We’re pretty much done by now asking loved ones what they want for Christmas. God never had to ask us. He always knew. He ordered just what we needed. He arranged things so that they were just right for his Gift to the world to arrive. Instead of being overwhelmed in the next three days by what you and others might think Christmas needs to be, just sit and listen to the Christmas account. Ponder its meaning for your life. Marvel at the astounding love of your God for you! Indeed, Jesus arrived exactly as ordered! He’s the perfect Gift! Amen.