Two thousand years ago, the creator of the universe, the eternal God, entered human society

as a baby.

The creator of the universe put on humanity.

On a night like every other night in Israel with no fanfare, a child was born.

It was a night like any other night, but it wasn't a child like any other child.

Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur. I'm your host, Phil Johnson. You know how it is when you're driving in pouring rain, you're fighting to see the road ahead.

It's always a relief when the downpour lifts and you get a clear view of where you're headed.

Well, around Christmas time, do you feel like you're in a similar situation,

struggling to stay focused on what's important as you plow through a deluge of distractions. Today, John

MacArthur will bring a little relief from the holiday clutter, helping you focus on the true

significance of Christmas. John is launching a series called The Promise of Christmas. John, you've

taught dozens of Christmas lessons over the years, and by way of the introduction

to this study on the promise of Christmas, let me ask, what is it you come away with when

you go through the story of Jesus' birth? What aspects of the Nativity consistently amaze you

or interest you more than any others? Well, that's a hard question to answer. The most compelling element of the

nativity story of Christ, the birth of Christ, is the fact that he was virgin born, that he had

no earthly father. You could say that being born in a stable is unusual, but there certainly

have been lots of kids through the years that have been

born in a stable. I don't know that there have been human births where the whole angelic choir

showed up to sing, nor have there been very many births where an angel announced the coming of the

child, although it was true in the case of John the Baptist's parents and the birth of John the

Baptist. But I think what stands out in the case of John the Baptist's parents and the birth of John the Baptist.

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