The Everyday Gospel Christmas DevotionalExemplo

Your hope in this life and the one to come was secured in the ultimate battle that took place at the birth of Jesus.

All of history marched toward one decisive event. The entire plan of God, the entire hope of humanity, and the entire work of redemption balanced on this moment. It had been prophesied. It had been promised. The reputation of the Almighty rested on whether it would happen or not. Could the Lord of lords fulfill his promise of the birth of his Son? If the Son would not be born, there could be no righteous life lived in our place, no death to free us from sin’s penalty, no victorious resurrection, and no ascension to the Father to reign and intercede on our behalf. There could be no redemption and no hope.

Revelation 12 captures the battle that occurred at this pivotal moment in history:

"And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days." (Rev. 12:1–6)

This is a picture of the great spiritual battle that began with the birth of Jesus. Israel is the pregnant woman, Jesus is the male child, and Satan is the great red dragon. Satan and the forces of darkness would have done anything to end the life of the promised Son.

The end of the reign of evil on earth began with the birth of Jesus. Later Satan would be defeated at Christ’s temptation, he would be defeated on the cross, and he would be defeated by the empty tomb. Jesus was victorious on our behalf and now reigns in glory. His reign guarantees the end of sin and death and an eternity of peace and righteousness for all who believe. The dragon is defeated. The Son reigns. Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Lord God, I rest in the mighty victory of your Son, Jesus Christ! I praise you for your great power in defeating sin and Satan at the cross, and with hope I look forward to the day when Satan will be banished forever. I delight in the reign of Christ, which guarantees an eternity of peace and righteousness. I pray in his name, amen.

Want to read more? Check out Paul Tripp's "Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life ".