Born to Die

“And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment” – Hebrew 9:27

Each and every one of us will die; but, what is God’s intent for our lives while we are alive. We were all born for something. Some people go through life never realizing their God given potential.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. – Genesis 1:27-30

THIS WAS GOD’S INTENT FOR HIS CREATION MANKIND.

THIS WAS MANS DESTINY.

THIS WAS MANS POTENTIAL.

THIS IS WHY MAN WAS BORN.

Satan deceived mankind and the result was found in Genesis 3:16-19. To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

GOD HAD A PLAN FOR REDEMPTION.

THIS WAS NOT THE END.

Jer. 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

ALL THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH SACRIFICES OF CLEAN, SPOTLESS, UNBLEMISHED ANIMALS; BUT, GOD HAD A PLAN FOR ONE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR MANKIND FOREVER.

Heb. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

FAST FORWARD TO THE MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION OF THE HOLY ONE.

Luke 1:26-37 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. Luke 1:37 For no word from God will ever fail.” NIV

In Matthew 1:18-22 describes the same account in Luke 1:36-37 but in verse 22 it says of this event: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.”

THIS IS REFERRING TO THE SCRIPTURE IN THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH.

Is. 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.

IF GOD SAYS IT, THEN IT WILL COME TO PASS.

Luke 2:4-14 So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

What a grand celebration in heaven for an infant who would save the world by dying on a cross! The angels did not celebrate the birth of a baby but the birth of a Savior, the Messiah, the plan of a final redemption for all of mankind.

Mark 10:45 For, even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

So Jesus was born to die.

Without his death we would have no reason to celebrate his birth.

Without his death we could not celebrate God’s faithfulness.

We celebrate his birth because in his death we see God’s plan for the redemption of mankind forever.

God’s view is eternal.

God’s view is long-term.

Our view is temporal.

Our view is short-term.

I think it would be difficult for some people to rejoice over a child that was destined to die. But it was God’s plan. For God’s plan we rejoice.

We celebrate his birth but it is his death that sets us free.