"If the LORD delights in a person's way, He makes their steps firm; though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD upholds them with His hand." (Psalm 37:23,24)

The Grand Narrative: “God’s Christmas Plan” (Isaiah 46)

“God’s Christmas Plan” (Isaiah 46)

Published 23 Dec. 2025

Scroll down for “Lessons Learned…”

Designed for Personal Bible Study or for Bible Teaching

⚠️ Lessons Learned – Warnings

  • 1️⃣ Ignoring God’s plans leads to confusion and futility (Isa 46:8).
  • 2️⃣ A stubborn heart resists God’s unfolding work (Isa 46:12).
  • 3️⃣ Forgetting the “former things” blinds us to God’s faithfulness (Isa 46:9).
  • 4️⃣ Trusting idols—ancient or modern—cannot save us (Isa 46:6–7).
  • 5️⃣ Treating Christmas as human tradition rather than God’s plan empties it of power (Mk 7:7–8).

💥 Lessons Learned – Failures

  • 1️⃣ Israel often ignored God’s warnings despite repeated prophetic messages (Isa 46:3).
  • 2️⃣ Generations forgot God’s promise of a coming Savior (Isa 46:9).
  • 3️⃣ Many failed to recognize prophecy being fulfilled in their lifetime (Lk 1:67–79).
  • 4️⃣ People trusted political powers more than God’s plan (Isa 31:1).
  • 5️⃣ Crowds in Bethlehem missed the miracle unfolding in their midst (Lk 2:7).

🚫 Lessons Learned – Sins

  • 1️⃣ Distrusting God’s timing and sovereignty (Gal 4:4).
  • 2️⃣ Seeking control instead of surrender (Isa 46:12).
  • 3️⃣ Reducing Christmas to sentiment instead of salvation (Jn 1:10–11).
  • 4️⃣ Trusting what cannot carry us (Isa 46:7).
  • 5️⃣ Assuming God’s delays are failures (2 Pet 3:9).

🏆 Lessons Learned – Successes

  • 1️⃣ God sustains, carries, and rescues His people (Isa 46:3–4).
  • 2️⃣ God’s purposes stand unshaken through all generations (Isa 46:10).
  • 3️⃣ God brings righteousness and salvation near (Isa 46:13).
  • 4️⃣ Prophecy is always fulfilled in God’s perfect timing (Gal 4:4).
  • 5️⃣ Christmas reveals God as Savior for all nations (Isa 45:22).

🌱 Lessons Learned – Spiritual Growth

  • 1️⃣ Reflecting on God’s sustaining grace strengthens faith (Isa 46:3–4).
  • 2️⃣ Christmas invites us to trust God’s timing, not ours (Gal 4:4).
  • 3️⃣ Seeing ourselves in God’s bigger plan inspires obedience (Isa 46:11).
  • 4️⃣ God’s promises are anchored in His unchanging character (Isa 46:9).
  • 5️⃣ Salvation is offered freely to every generation (Isa 45:22).

🧭 Lessons Learned – Leadership Principles

  • 1️⃣ Wise leaders anchor decisions in God’s unchanging plan (Isa 46:10).
  • 2️⃣ Leaders help people remember God’s past faithfulness (Ps 77:11).
  • 3️⃣ Prepare the next generation to carry gospel purpose (Lk 1:76–79).
  • 4️⃣ Leaders proclaim salvation as God’s gift to all nations (Isa 45:22).
  • 5️⃣ Leadership means trusting God even when the plan spans centuries (Isa 46:11).