“The People Who Missed Christmas”

Holiday Message – Christmas December 18, 2024

“The People Who Missed Christmas”

KEY PASSAGE: Luke 2:1–7(NASB)

Today, on this day of worship, we thank You again for Your profound gift to us in Your Son Jesus. Teach us in the years to come as we walk with You to be increasingly more unselfish as we share the Good News and as we share from our treasure that this message might spread far beyond the familiar world in which we live. I pray for how You will use this operation, Christmas Child, in the lives of little children [around the world]. May many of them come to know Your love through Your Son Jesus; we pray, and everyone says, Amen. You may be seated.

Thank you, worship team, for a wonderful time of praise and worship.

TITHE and OFFERING

We will call on the ushers to pass around the plates to collect our tithes and offerings. I hope we all give to God this morning with a cheerful heart. Please follow the instructions on the screen on how to give to the church. The worship team will lead us with a song as we collect our tithes and offerings.

WELCOME

Please stand up, greet some folks around you, and welcome them to worship. We welcome you [all] again to our Sunday Worship Service and are glad to have you in God’s house. Our first-time visitors, please stand so we can see you. We also welcome all who join us online.

Christmas Children Program – The Birth of Jesus

I will call on Evette for a Christmas program [Production] with the children about the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Evette, can you please come?

ANNOUNCEMENT

· Our Church Community Meal is at noon on Saturday, December 28th. We open the church doors to serve the community with home-cooked meals, and this is also a time of fellowship. I encourage you to join us on Saturday as we serve the community with meals and the Word of God.

· Wednesday Night [Remember] is our Bible Study Connect at 7:00 p.m. Please join us on Wednesday night to STUDY [and NAVIGATE] THE WORD OF GOD. We will start the Book of First Corinthians on January 8th in the New Year. We just finished the Book of Romans. There will be no Bible Study until next year.

· Our next Corporate Prayer Meeting is Saturday, January 4th at 8:00 a.m. Please come [so we can pray together.]

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Join me in prayer; let us pray. In the quietness of this moment, our Father, we are grateful for a relationship with You that has brought peace in place of chaos, relief in place of guilt, and hope in place of emptiness. You have introduced us to the One who knows us the best yet loves us the most, Your Son Jesus. We are never tired of worship. We are weary of activities, even religious activities. I pray that we will long for just moments with You to get to know You better and understand You more in-depth. Thank You, Father, today for the reminder that Your love for us is constant, unconditional, and pure. That Your love comes to us – again and again, often when we least expect it. May our gifts today take the message of the Good News and spread it far and wide. We release it with great joy and faith just as we give our gifts today in the name of Christ, our Lord. Everyone says Amen.

DECLARATION of FAITH in GOD

Let us stand and say the Declaration of Faith in God together.

SERMON INTRODUCTION

If you were walking in the little town of Larue, Kentucky, on February 12th,1809, you perhaps would have heard the cries of a baby in a log cabin born to an impoverished family. The infant’s name would have been Abraham Lincoln. He would grow up to become our 16th president. If you passed by a little farmhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 7th, 1918, and heard the cries of a tiny infant, you perhaps would have been listening to the cries of one Billy Graham, who would one day become the world’s leading and greatest evangelist. If you were passing by LaFayette, Alabama, on May 13th, 1914, you might have heard the cries of a little black baby boy named Joe Lewis, who would become the world’s heavyweight champion. You see, just hearing their cries and seeing their size may have caused you to miss their significance. [Just] assuming because they were born in a rural setting [To a poor family] with cows and chickens and may have made you write them off as inevitably becoming nobodies. I am [confident] that [some saw] these babies and didn’t expect them to become the great men they became. After all, they were poor baby boys born in circumstances to poor parents—not a great start in life for those who would become great men.

[There was another baby] born about two thousand years ago in the countryside area, a little town [a village] called Bethlehem. This baby was born in Bethlehem—if you had heard the cries that day, then you perhaps would have written Jesus off as just another poor baby boy born to a [Poor] Jewish family. Some did write Jesus off [The creator of the universe, the eternal God who entered human history as a baby, and the Lord of heaven], and because they wrote Jesus off, they missed Christmas. Some are still writing Jesus off today, so they have missed Christmas. I want to talk about how you miss Christmas. I [would like] to look at the folks in the Bible who missed Christmas, compare them to some folks today who are missing Christmas, and then ask [You], are you missing Christmas? You say, “How Can I Be Missing Christmas?”[You See] It is possible to pass by Bethlehem, hear the baby’s cries, and still miss the holiday.

Some folks missed Christmas, like the innkeeper who was too busy to notice what was happening when Christ, the [Savior] of the world, was born. Verse 7 of Luke 2 lays the picture for us. We are told, “And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son;” Mary did “she wrapped Jesus [Him] in cloths, and laid Him in a manger.” And if you read verse 7 too fast, you will miss it “because there was no room for them in the inn.” Now, to have an inn, you have to have an innkeeper. In Bible days, these would be like what you and I called today: a bed and breakfast—places where people would go for the night in a tiny little country town. But you would find a nice little inn, [With] bed and breakfast, a place for people to sleep for the comfort of the evening.

SERMON EXPOSITION

We are told [in our text for today] that the innkeeper had a problem [A big problem]. The innkeeper’s problem is that all the rooms have already been sold out. He runs his inn for profit, and all the rooms are full. At the end of verse 7, the text tells us, “There was no room for them [Joseph and Mary] in the inn.” There was no place for this pregnant woman named Mary, about to deliver, to lay her head and find comfort during the labor process. There was just no room. You and I can’t get upset at the innkeeper because he is a businessman, and his ultimate goal is to make a profit for his business. That is why folks get into business – for profit making.

The text says Mary had to wrap up the baby that she had just given birth to because there was nobody to assist her. She had to lay [Jesus, the Son of God] in “a manger,” a place where animals eat because she was there by herself. There were no midwives to assist Mary because everyone was too busy. We have an innkeeper who did not understand that the Son of God was to be born on his property, and he missed a golden opportunity [of turning] his inn into a house for God because he was too busy trying to make money. And you know why a lot of folks miss Christmas today? Because they are busy. They are so busy spending or making money that the baby Jesus goes unnoticed. They are so busy at the shopping malls. And some are even busy placing orders online during the Christmas holiday, and the baby Jesus goes unnoticed. Christmas is the biggest money-making holiday season in America. Many people are too busy to notice why the Christmas holiday exists.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION 1 and STORY

Many people celebrate Christmas, and kids at [The] shopping malls get lost because their parents are too busy shopping. This reminds me of a story about a lady who had a baby. She wanted [to have] a birthday party for her baby on a freezing winter’s night, and she invited her friends and family to come and celebrate the birth of her new baby. The guests came over to the house, took off their winter coats and jackets, and put them on the bed in the [master] bedroom. After a few hours of partying and enjoying the festivities, one of the guests raised a question and asked the mother, “Where is the baby so we can see the baby boy? That is why we are gathered here today in the first place.” She went into the [master] bedroom to get the baby to show the baby to her family and friends only to discover that when she took off the winter coats of her guests, they [realized that they] had placed them over the baby, , who she had placed on the bed of the [master] bedroom, and the baby was choked to death.

SERMON EXPLANATION 1

While we party on Christmas and gather to celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, it is easy to miss Christmas. It is easy to be so entertained by the party and the celebration that you miss the guest of honor. Mary is having a baby, and imagine the pain without all the medical technology that we know and appreciate today she had to experience all alone. Think about it, ladies. One minute after you give birth, having to get up and wrap your baby up. One minute after you give birth, having to find a place to put the baby, and the best you can come up with for your baby boy is an animal manger; the reality is that Jesus had more animals at His birth than people. Folks weren’t being mean; they just missed Christmas because they were too busy.

The innkeeper wasn’t trying to be mean; he was just busy. How can you have somebody’s birthday and [not think about whose birthday it is?] How can you have somebody’s birthday, and your relatives and friends get more attention than the guest of honor? How would you feel on your birthday if everybody came to your house and talked to everybody else and nobody had a word to say about you at your birthday party? You would say the guests missed the point of the birthday party. And so the question on the floor is: Are you missing Christmas this year? Not because you are mean or trying to be [difficult].

It is simply because you are just too busy to worry about whose birthday it is. There are too many presents to buy. There are too many presents to wrap. There are too many meals to eat. There are too many families to see. There are too many places to travel. You say, Jesus, I may get around to You later and wish you a happy birthday. The worldwide celebration of the birth of Christ, which is called Christmas, has become cluttered and so confused with paganism and personal indulgence. I have never seen a preacher preach a Christmas message in June because folks are not cluttered with the Christmas holiday confusion at this time [of the year]. [And so] The world celebrates the birth of Jesus in December for all the wrong reasons for the expression of self-indulgence, materialism, partying, and social events of all kinds. But the world largely misses the point of Christmas. The real significance of the birth of God in human form is overlooked, treated insignificantly, and overshadowed by everything else that is going on.

SERMON EXPLANATION 2

Some people, like the innkeeper, miss Christmas because they are too busy. Other people, like king Herod, miss Christmas because they are afraid. [Watch This] When Jesus was born, Herod was upset, agitated, irritated, or, to put it another way, ticked off. What was the problem? What made king Herod so upset? What made this man miss Christmas? He is upset because, in Matthew 2:2, “Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews.” In verse 3 of Matthew 3, we are told that when Herod, the king, heard about the birth of Jesus, he was troubled. You have to understand [Church] Herod is king of the Jews. Herod is in charge of the Jewish State, and Herod runs the show. Herod was troubled because there was no room in Judea for two kings. If anybody is going to be king, Herod says, it has to be me [and not Christ, the Son of God]. [And So] Herod missed Christmas because he did not want Jesus to interfere and rule over his life.

Far too many people today miss Christmas because they won’t let Jesus, the King of kings, interfere with their lives. We miss Christmas because Jesus Christ will not be the captain of my ship and the master of my faith. I will acknowledge Jesus and sing Christmas carols, but Jesus will not rule over my life. There is only [one] room in my life for one king; that is me, and I will do whatever I [Have to do] to keep Christ from ruling over my life. I don’t want Jesus Christ telling me what to do. Jesus is not going to tell me how to run my life. Jesus is not going to tell me how to manage my life and how to handle my money. Jesus is not going to rule [over my life].

Today, people miss Christmas because they don’t want Christ to interfere with them. Most people today will acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior. That is the mentality of Herod, a man who is agitated at the thought that a King has been born in the city of Bethlehem. Many folks today view Jesus Christ as somebody who will cramp my lifestyle, who will get in my way, and who will mess stuff up in my life. See, you don’t get the real picture of Christmas in Christmas. You get [The] lights and [The] trees and [The] presents and [The] gifts. But that is not the environment Jesus was born in. Jesus was born into an environment where babies were being slaughtered. He was born into an environment of high taxation. Jesus wasn’t born into the clean hospital you and I have and appreciate today. today. Are you missing Christmas because while you will pay homage to the baby Jesus, will you at the same time allow Jesus to rule over your life? If Jesus is not the ruler over your life, then you are a little Herod sitting in church today. Because the same motivation that was in king Herod that troubled him troubles people today who will not allow Jesus to rule over their lives.

SERMON EXPLANATION 3

Some people, like the innkeeper, miss Christmas because they are busy. They don’t mean any harm, but they are too busy. Other folks like king Herod miss Christmas because they are irritated, afraid, and intimidated because they don’t want anybody to be king of their lives. And then, other folks miss Christmas because of religion. They are too religious to see Christmas. Let’s look at Matthew 2 verse 4. In verse 4, Herod “gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people.” The chief priest and scribes were the religious leaders. They were the religious leaders of the day. We are told, “Herod began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.”

Herod went to the spiritual leadership and said tell me about Jesus. Verses 5 and 6 say, “And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, and you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.” You see, the religious leaders of the day knew the Bible [Watch This] but didn’t bother to go to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. They knew what the word of God said. The religious leaders quoted the prophecy in Micah 5:2. They knew the Bible [They knew the Word of God], but they still missed the Savior.

[Watch This] [You See, it is possible to attend seminary and miss the Savior]. It is possible to attend church every Sunday and miss the Savior. It is possible to sing the famous Christmas carol, “Oh Come Let Us Adore Him,” and miss the Savior. It is possible to know your Bible and still miss the Savior. It is possible to be religious, [A Bible Scholar, (A) Theologian] and still the Savior. The religious leaders knew the Scripture well enough to quote the Bible but did not care enough to find the One [The Messiah] whom the Scripture spoke about. For us Christians, there will be countless people this Christmas who will go to church, go to mass, watch the specials on television, and sing the Christmas carols and still miss the Savior.

The religious leaders believed that Jesus Christ came to be studied, [But] not to be known. They believe all I have to do is go through the academics to [know] where the Scripture is in my head, and it doesn’t have to affect my heart. Is your religion today causing you to miss Christmas? Are you having such a good time with the songs about the Savior this Christmas holiday, and don’t you want the Savior to change your heart and [Change] your life? Is it enough to hear the bells, whistles, and lights all pay homage without you responding to the Savior today? Then you have missed Christmas like the religious leaders.

SERMON EXPLANATION 3

Let me talk about a final group of folks who miss Christmas: the Nazirites. [The Bible tells us that] Jesus was raised in Nazareth and is called in Scripture “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but [He was] raised in the City of Nazareth. Open your Bible to Luke 4—two pages from Luke Chapter 2. Jesus comes into the temple in Nazareth, where He grew up. He is a grown man now. He opens up the Bible and speaks from the book of Isaiah. Luke 4:18 says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.” Jesus proclaims Himself to be the Messiah in the church house, the synagogue. In verse 21 of Luke Chapter 4, he says, “Today the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The Messiah is here. The long-awaited Jewish Messiah you have been looking for is your deliverer.

Verse 22 says, “And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips, and they were saying, is this not Joseph’s son?” [Watch This Now] The people spoke well of Jesus, but Jesus kept teaching them and telling them they had to stand up to divine standards. Jesus then goes into the Old Testament and gives them an illustration of cleansing, and the more Jesus talked, the worse they felt about themselves. The situation changes in verses 28-29. “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things, and they got up and drove Him out of the city………..” That is a significant shift in a short amount of time. One minute, they love Jesus. The next minute, they want to kill Jesus. What is the problem with the people of Nazareth that they missed Christmas? Because they were too familiar with Jesus.

You can be born in a Christian home and get too familiar with Jesus. You can be raised in a Bible-teaching church and get too familiar with Jesus so that you think because you are hanging out with Christians, [You are speaking Christianese] and you are one of them. You can become too familiar with Jesus because you are raised in a so-called Christian nation and think because you are raised in America that, Christianity transfers you from earth to heaven. You can become too familiar with Jesus and miss Christmas.

All I am saying to you is that it is possible to miss Christmas. And so, what is this thing called Christmas? In theological terms, we call Christmas the incarnation of God. In practical everyday terms, it is the day God manifested in the flesh and became a perfect human. It is the day when the Creator was created. It is the day when God descended from glory and became a man. Having a Christmas carol is not enough. Playing nice music is not enough. There is nothing wrong with a tree, nothing wrong with a fireplace, nothing wrong with presents under the tree, and nothing wrong with getting your family together.

What makes this Christmas is that God became a man. Why did Jesus become a man? Matthew 1:21 says to save His people from their sins. Don’t give me a Christmas carol if you have not been saved from your sins. Jesus came to deal with a heart problem. Jesus came to deal with the fact that our spiritual hearts have been clawed with the cholesterol of sin, and unless there is spiritual surgery to open your heart that is filled and back up with sins, then the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ will not be able to flow. You will die in your sins of an eternal heart attack.

Christmas is not the Christmas spirit because that is not good enough. Christmas is not peace on earth and goodwill to men, which is a nice cliché. Peace comes from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Christmas is not family and friends coming over for dinner. You can do that every Sunday. What makes Christmas is that this time, when they come over for dinner, you want to [make sure] that every family member around your dinner table is not dying in their sins and on their way to a Christ-less eternity. After December 25th, Life will become normal again, and December’s generosity will turn into January’s payments.

FAITH APPEAL, CALL to ACTION and ALTAR CALL

I want to close with a story. One day, a pastor took his staff to lunch for fellowship. After fellowshipping and enjoying some special time with his leadership team, the pastor had to leave for another appointment. And so, the leadership team continues to fellowship around the table. The pastor took all the receipts, and he paid for them in full. When it was time for them to leave, one of the pastors raised a very insightful question: “If we get up and leave this restaurant, we already look like church folks. If we get up and walk out of here, we will put ourselves in a mischievous situation because they might ask us where the payments for your meal are.” A leadership team member said, “We don’t have to worry about the payment because the pastor has gone before us, paid the bill in full, and told them not to bother us when we leave because we have already been covered.”

The good news of Christmas is that Jesus came ahead of you, picked up all the receipts for your sins, and paid them in full on the cross so that Satan cannot raise a question against you when it is time for you to go to glory. Satan cannot bother you because all you have to say is Jesus came before me, born in a manger two thousand years ago, died on a cross, picked up my bills, and paid them in full. And so, I am walking free today because of Jesus. That is the good news of Christmas. God bless you.

And so, if you are here today and do not know the Son of the living God, I will ask that you come to Jesus Christ and say, “You came to die for my sins, and I come to You on that basis.” if you don’t know Jesus, I encourage you to come to Jesus right now and accept the [free] gift of eternal life. That is Christmas. And, if you are already saved, it means you say, “Lord Jesus, what makes this a Christmas is that You paid for my sins.” If you are here today and need prayer, please come forward so we can pray for you.

Let’s stand on our feet, everyone.

BENEDICTION [CLOSING PRAYER]

Let us pray. Father, we acknowledge that You are the omnipotent, sovereign God who rules all the world's affairs and accomplishes His purposes no matter what. We know that You can move the mind of the king who does not know You and does not know about You to do Your will. Even Satan is Your servant; all people are subject to Your sovereign providence and power. O Father, how we see Your hand in this immense event, a Baby named Jesus is born, God in human flesh. How You moved to make history and set the scene for us. And so, for that, we give You praise and glory, the God of creation, the sovereign God of our hearts whom we know and love through Jesus Christ. We thank You that we have come to know You personally, that You are our personal God, You live in us, You love us, You bless us, You forgive us, You fill us with peace, hope, and joy. You have given us the promise of eternal life in heaven with You. God, we are amazed by Your greatness and grace. Help us, Lord, to worship You, the God of sovereign power and the God of history. We thank You for this most monumental of all moments in the history of the world when Your Son and our Savior was born, Jesus, who would save His people from their sins. In His name, we pray. And everyone says, “Amen.” God bless you. We will see you next week at 10:30 a.m.