WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DECEMBER 25, 2022
TOPIC: UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN
BY T. O. BANSO
“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” (Isaiah 9:6 New King James Version).
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! The modern English word “Christmas” is derived from Middle English “Cristemaesse”, which also comes from Old English “Cristes Maesse.” Cristes Maesse means “Christ’s mass.” The word Christmas is not in the Bible but the birth of Jesus Christ, which is being celebrated at Christmas, is recorded.
While God was passing judgment on Adam, Eve, and the serpent in the Garden of Eden, following the disobedience of Adam and Eve, who ate the fruit they were forbidden from eating, He had foretold the birth of Jesus. He said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15 New King James Version). The Seed (the offspring) of the woman, in this verse, refers to Jesus Christ.
Also, the prophets foretold His birth several years before He was born. Jeremiah prophesied the coming of a righteous descendant of David to rule (Jeremiah 23:5-6). Furthermore, the Prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus. He said, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 New King James Version).
Again, Isaiah, in Isaiah 9:6, prophesied the birth of Jesus thus: “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” (Isaiah 9:6 New King James Version).
Please notice that the phrase “unto us” is used twice in this verse. Many Bible translations use the phrase “to us.” They both mean the same thing. Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. Although Mary gave birth to Jesus, unto us (the world) a child is born and unto us a Son is given. His mission on earth was to the world, not to Mary and Joseph, His earthly parents. The Bible refers to other children as being born to their parents (Genesis 6:1; 10:1, 21:3, 5; 24:15; 35:22-26; 36:4-5; 46:22; 46:27; 48:5, Numbers 26:59; Judges 18:29; Ruth 4:17;  2 Samuel 3:2, 5; 5:13, 14; 12:14; 21:20, 22;  1 Kings 13:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32; 2:3, 9; 3:1, 4, 5; 20:6, 8; 22:9; Ezra 10:3; Job 1:2). Indeed, Jesus was born into the family of Mary and Joseph but a child is born unto the world to save the world from its sins.
The angel of the Lord, who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 New King James Version).
Note that this scripture says, “For there is born to you this day.” It doesn’t say, “For there is born to Mary this day” or “For there is born to Mary and Joseph this day.”.Jesus was born to save the world from its sins. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 New King James Version). He came to save the world, not only the Jews. Jesus is the Saviour of the world (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14).
Also, note that Isaiah 9:6 says a child is born to us and a Son is given to us. That’s important. A Son is not born, and a child is not given! Jesus had always existed as the Son before He was born a child. Therefore, a child is born and a Son is given. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (New King James Version). Also, John 1:14 says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Bible also says Jesus Christ, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-7 New International Version).
The phrase, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us”, talks about the humanity and divinity (deity) of Jesus Christ. “A child is born” refers to His humanity; “a Son is given” refers to His divinity. Isaiah 9:6 goes further to give us His four names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (Father of eternity), and Prince of Peace.
Unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given. In order that the world would not perish, God, because of His love, sent His Son to be born as a child. The Apostle John expresses it this way: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10 New King James Version). The Son of God became man to save humanity from sin and hell. He was born by Mary, a virgin, and His name was called Emmanuel (Immanuel), which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).  In other words, God became man to live with humans.
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. The Bible talks a lot about the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. In Luke 1:35, the angel, who came to inform Mary that she would be pregnant, said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (New King James Version). Â
God also testified that Jesus was His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35). John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:34). Also, Peter confessed that Jesus was Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Nathanael equally confessed He was the Son of God (John 1:49).
After Jesus yielded up His spirit on the cross at His crucifixion, the Bible says the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened and feared greatly. They said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54). These are just a few instances of Jesus being referred to as the Son of God.
In Matthew 4:5, the devil took Him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” But Jesus didn’t do the devil’s bidding; He had nothing to prove. He knew He was the Son of God. While Jesus didn’t deny His divinity, He referred to Himself, many times, as the Son of man, which talks about His humanity.
Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being to save us from our sins. Hebrews 4:14-15 says, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (New King James Version). What more should we do in view of this? We should come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (verse 16).
Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. As you celebrate Christmas today, what is your relationship with this Child that was born? What is your relationship with this Son that was given? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour?
Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (New King James Version). Have you seen the Light? Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). You should not continue to walk in darkness. Come to Him today; give your heart to Him.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son to the world to save us from sin and hell. Thank You, Jesus, for being born as a child for the salvation of humanity. I surrender my life to You today and accept You as my Lord and Saviour/ I rededicate my life to You to serve You all the days of my life. Holy Spirit, help me to live a Christ-honouring life.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
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