A Christmas Eve Message

Why Celebrate Christmas?

Saturday - Driving around (Plasma donation) - on NPR there is a show called travelling with Rick Steves. He was interviewing a Lady from Athens about their Christmas Traditions in the Greek Orthodox Church. Rick asks, “Why such an emphasis on Christmas as the Celebration of Easter.” Her Response, “Well Steve, Unless Jesus was born first, he could not have died and raised from the Dead.”

Such a simple, yet profound truth. And a great response to the question Why Celebrate Christmas?

Without the Incarnation we don’t have salvation.

Incarnation simply means - In the Flesh, and it points to the truth that the eternal Son of God who is truly God, emptied himself of his high status and became a true human. God in the Flesh.

Q35: What does it mean that he, “was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”?

That the eternal Son of God who is and remains true and eternal God, took to himself through the working of the Holy Spirit, from the flesh and blood of the Virgin Mary, a truly human nature so that he might also become David’s true descendant, like his brothers and sisters in every way except for sin.

Or as Hebrews says in vs. 14, “Since the children share in flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity...”

We celebrate Christmas because as Christians the entire story of Jesus is the Good News. The Church Calendar is a patterning our life and is one big object lesson on the Gospel Story

Christmas - Epiphany - Lent - Holy Week - Good Friday - Easter - Pentecost - Ascension Day - Advent. - But the story of Jesus’ begins with his birth.

But why is Jesus’ birth the Incarnation so vital to our salvation?

Jesus Became Human to Free Humans.

Gregory of Nazianzus stated, "What has not been assumed cannot be restored," meaning that for redemption to reach into every darkened corner of human existence, Jesus had to take on that existence in its entirety. He was not merely God encased in flesh, but was truly human; as human he was vulnerable." - George H. Guthrie

1. vs. 14 To destroy the devil.

From the beginning the enemy has been anti-God’s good creation. He has wanted to destroy us - primarily through accusing us before God that we might be judged to death.

It requires a perfect human to defeat the enemy in this game.

2. vs. 15 To free us from the fear of Death.

When my kids feared things like roller coasters or the like. I showed them by putting myself in their position and either doing it with them or going first. If they saw that I came out good, they will to. Jesus became a human to be raised from the dead so that we humans can see that death does not have the final victory.

3. vs. 15 To free us from slavery

Slavery to the fear of Death causes humans to....

Appease somone or something a god, ancestors or our own self through rituals through self-righteousness, through power - (emperors, pharoahs), through lies, pretending we are “good person”. To either cast a coin into the wishing well of life hoping that we don’t experience the sting of death.

Jesus being the sinless human who is raised from the dead, and promising eternal life to all who believe that there is a different way. There is a way of victory in death that humans can experience through him.

4. vs. 17 To Mediate our relationship with God.

- This is what Priests do they are mediators between God and Humans. They are connectors. The Biblical way to make our relationship with God right after a infractions/crimes/rebellions/sins to an eternal God. The consequence is Death. Priests make sacrifices in order to reconcile and restore relationship with God.

5. vs. 17 To Atone for our Sin.

The problem with the O.T. sacrifices is it is animals. They only atone till your next sin, because it is not a human paying the consequences.

Jesus is the perfect mediator. Because he is fully human he is able to pay fully for human sin. Because He is fully God, he has the power to do so.

He represents both sides perfectly in mediation. The Human side, and God’s side.

6. vs. 18 To help us in temptation.

Our temptations come at us from all angles. Through the cravings of our flesh, through our emotions, through our thoughts and attitudes. Jesus assumed flesh, emotions, thoughts attitudes of being a real human being.

Hebrews 4:15 - “For we do not have a hight priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.”

Hebrews makes the point - vs. 17, “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way.”

Conclusion: Without Jesus’ Birth/Incarnation, none of these are possible.