Christmas Message

I wrote a joke for this morning. But I’m not going to tell it.......No. No. Well it was about a roof. But I thought it would go over your heads.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

Pray:

During this time of the year, we think of a great number of things. No doubt we all have very similar memories with regards to Christmas.

We think of snow and having a white Christmas. We think of black Friday and shopping for gifts. Many of us think about Christmas music. Frankly there are few things more fun than turning up the radio and yelling Feliz Navidad.

Perhaps you think of the food we have around Christmas time. Egg nog, turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, green been casserole, sweet potato casserole. Marshmallows, hot chocolate. Maybe you relate Christmas with your favorite holiday movie. The scrooge, elf, Tim Allens Santa Claus movies or home alone.

Naturally we all think about family during this festive time of the year. And for a lot of people Christmas like Easter is a special occasion during which they attend church.

And I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, preacher we know what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

While that is true. But I’d like to take a closer look at Christmas and what it means.

Christmas is much more than just a day. It is the celebration of a birth.

And nobody really knows the day that Jesus was born. Scholars offer all kinds of explanations and reasons for why they believe Jesus was born on this date or the other. But truthfully, we don’t know. So, Dec 25this a day on the calendar that we have decided to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.

The one thing we do know is that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.

The date of Dec 25th goes back to the second century AD. Early Christians wanted to counter a pagan feast day at the winter solstice when daylight began lengthening and the pagans would come together and worship the sun. It was called the day of the rebirth of the sun. Sun not Son.

Christians during that time wanted to counter the pagan holiday with their own. And choose that day to celebrate the birth of the Son of God as opposed to worshiping the SUN. Far too many people don’t understand this simple fact and falsely believe that Christmas is pagan in its origins. This is simply not true.

But this is how and why we began to celebrate the birth of Jesus in December. In early Christian history people didn’t honor birthdays at all. So, in those days there would have been no need for brother Danny to ask. Do we have any birthdays or anniversaries this week. Because back then such things were not celebrated.

We know far more about the death, burial, and resurrection dates than we do His birth.

Christmas has evolved over the course of years to become more and more commercial and more and more pagan. Just as brother Don taught us about the important attributes of the New Testament Church. It is also important to know what Christmas really means.

Some Christians today take part in the celebration of Christmas and others do not.

Romans 14: 5-6 says:

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

What scripture is telling us here is that it is up to the individual to make this decision regarding whether we celebrate certain days.

If we are truly born-again Christians, we should honor the virgin born son of God EVERY DAY.

The virgin birth declares the deity of Jesus Christ. He is indeed God among us. His miracles declare to us that he is God in the flesh.

John 20:30-31

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John 21:25

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Indeed, his miracles proclaimed his deity.

Not only that but Jesus claimed to be divine.

John 10:27-30

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30 I and my Father are one.

John 14:8-11

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Could Jesus have been any more clear? We are celebrating the birth of God in the flesh. Come down to save us from the leprosy of our sin.

We celebrate the birth of the sinless son of God. The coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our redeemer, and the light of the world in December. But we should rejoice every single day of our lives for the divine inheritance earned for us on Calvary by our Lord and Savior.

The disciples testified that Jesus was the son of God. In fact, their greatest testimony is that they gave their very lives for what they knew and not just what they believed.

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

The creator of the universe became flesh. Jesus.

The resurrection declares the deity of Christ.

Romans 1:1-4

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Listen carefully. The word of God has been studied and documented so well that we KNOW the dates they were written. That’s important because the scriptures themselves document the accuracy of the claims of Jesus Christ’s claim to deity.

Isaiah 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

The book of Isaiah was written 700-740 years before the birth of Jesus. In fact, the bible even tells us where Jesus would be born.

Micah 5:2

2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Most people do not know that there were two Bethlehem’s, so the bible was sure to be specific. It always amazes me listening to people talking about Nostradamus and all his quatrains or predictions. Many believe he was a great man. But folks, NOTHING Nostradamus wrote came anywhere close to being as specific and detailed as bible prophecy. This supernatural book testifies to us that Jesus is God in the flesh and the savior of the world.

How much more evidence could anyone ask for?

Christmas isn’t a time to celebrate the gifts we receive from others. It is a time to celebrate the gift of eternal life. The magi didn’t give gifts to one another. They brought gifts for Jesus.

There are Christians who do not give gifts during the holiday season, but instead offer gifts to Jesus. There is nothing wrong with that. Many of them offer gifts to missionaries or evangelists or to their church.

Many Christians give gifts because of a belief in Saint Nicolaus. Yes, he was a real person. He was a bishop born in 280 AD in what is now Turkey, Saint Nicolaus was a Christian who gave generous gifts to the poor. He lost his parents at a young age and inherited a good deal of wealth. In order to give thanks to God for the gift of salvation, he would leave gifts to the poor in his community after dark. And he did this his whole life.

By the 1800’s legend had transformed St. Nicolaus into Santa Claus. That is 1200 years of talking about how generous this man was. And he never sought recognition. He gave in complete anonymity.

We are told in the book of Proverbs 28:27

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

There are many verses that teach us to give gifts to the poor:

Hebrews 13:16 - But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Matthew 19:21 - Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Luke 3:11 - He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Proverbs 22:9 - He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

And there are tons more. We celebrate the holidays by giving to Christ and we give to Christ by giving to those who are less fortunate.

The greatest gift ever given is the gift given to us by God:

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Years ago, I read a book called the God delusion by Richard Dawkins. This is a man who has devoted his life to hating God and trying to prove that Jesus is a myth. And I have owned and read several such books. Another one entitled, “Letters to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris.

And I can tell you from reading so many of these books that all these non-believers have one thing in common. Their idea of who and what God is, is in itself a delusion. They all think of God in natural terms. They all think of God as something that had to be created. And therein lies the true delusion. And that is the delusion of false Gods.

The God of the bible is eternal. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He exists outside of our concept of time and space. After all what kind of God would he be if he had to be created? He would be a false God, right?

Reading again from the book of Isaiah 9:6

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Our God is everlasting. The only delusion is believing there is any other God but Jesus Christ. The only god that an atheist can disprove is a false one. The God of the bible is the TRUTH. When you correctly define God as everlasting you discover that he came to us in the flesh. That we celebrate that day on Christmas. That he loves EVERYONE and wants to share the gift of eternal life which is our inheritance if we simply choose to accept it.

You know there will be converted Muslims in heaven. Sure. For God so loved the world. No human or nation has any right to genocide another race of people. I don’t care what you call yourself. The message of God is one of LOVE and NOT WAR. And if your message is of hate and war and killing then you are not of God.

Who among us haven’t gotten it wrong at one time in our life? If God demonstrated his love towards us, can we not do the same for others?

2 Corinthians 9:15

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

And what is that unspeakable gift other than eternal life? It is the capacity to love others. It is easy to love those who agree with you. The gift of the Holy Spirit makes it possible to love those who hate you. And those are the gifts we celebrate on Christmas. Those are the reasons we are to give our lives to the service of Jesus Christ.

I have often quoted Romans 6:23 and will do so again:

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let me ask those watching this morning on Facebook. Have you accepted the gift of eternal life from Jesus? And those who are here this morning. Have you accepted the gift of eternal life from Jesus Christ?

When the creator of the universe offers you a gift there are only two options. Accept it or reject it. What will it be this morning for you?

I’m no different than everybody else. I love our traditions. I love pumpkin pie and hot chocolate and smores by the fireplace. I love singing Christmas Carols.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose….

Who doesn’t enjoy Christmas dinner, time with family and getting lots of presents.

But I testify to you this morning as a servant of Christ. There is no greater joy in my life than serving God and helping others. To do some good in this broken sinful world. To tell people that are heartbroken and destitute and hungry that Jesus loves them. And to show them. To teach the gospel message of the love of God. Is there anything in this life more satisfying? Not for me. And I’m willing to bet that if you just took one month out of your life. And devote yourself to serving Jesus by helping people in need, you too would find the true meaning and message behind the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is so much more than an innocent baby. He is an invincible King. And that is worth celebrating every day.

The sign out front asks the questions. What are you getting Jesus this year?

And we should all ask ourselves this question. Especially those of us who are redeemed.

You might be asking me, preacher, what does Jesus want?

He wants you. He wants you to have joy year around. He wants you to know his love year around. He wants you to have a more abundant life.

Well how do I do that you ask?

Start with going to church. Reading your bible. And praying for God to use you. Then be willing to let him use you when He opens the door.

Make a commitment this morning to live for God. Maybe you can’t offer God a lot of money. That’s ok he’d rather have you.

Some of you may be saying. Well preacher, you have no idea what I have done. You have no idea what a bad person I am. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew

Matthew 12:20

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Too many people think God cannot use them. And they are all wrong. The more you think that God can’t use you the more likely it is that he can.

Maybe you are backslidden this Christmas. Thats ok. Give Jesus the gift of giving yourself to him. And watch as God turns your life around.

Maybe some of you listening don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior. Maybe you think the whole thing just seems silly. Listen to me carefully… God came to this world in the flesh. And he did to bring you a message. And that message is that he loves you. And that message is that you are a sinner. You have broke his commandments. And rather than punish you for the things you did wrong. God punished his only begotten son.

Now you might be thinking if Jesus already died for my sins why should I have to do anything?

You’re right. That is why God made it easy.

Romans 10:9

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

You don’t have to be baptised you don’t have to work your way into heaven. All you have to do is believe. So I am going to put on some music and if you don’t know Jesus this morning. I want to encourage you to come forward and talk to me. Every head bowed please.

Pray: Alter call.