What is Christmas
What is Christmas and why do we celebrate it?
I logged on to the internet yesterday, typed in Ask.com and asked that very question.
This is what I found:
Christmas is a mid-winter festival observed as the birth date of Jesus Christ. Many people celebrate the season with gift-giving, tree decorating, and Santa Claus.
The next entries were ads for Christmas music, poems, recipes and games, an attack on the Catholic Church, articles about Santa Claus and holiday customs.
On page 2, I found a Christian website called Christiananswers.com. They said:
The historic record of the birth of Christ can be found in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.
Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he come as a baby, instead of appearing in power and majesty? Why make himself a true man and live among us, when he knew full well how terribly he would be treated? It was LOVE! It was necessary, if you are to be saved!
Did that tell you what Christmas is? It was confusing to me, and I know what they are talking about! If I didn’t know what Christmas was, I probably didn’t know who Matthew & Luke were. I certainly wouldn’t know why I needed to be saved.
But I kept reading and was then led to take a Christmas Quiz: Insert Quiz
So I went back to the web and wasn’t prepared for what I found. More music, poems, traditions, sites by country: an Italian Christmas, Christmas in Wales, Christmas in Iceland…Christmas gift baskets, how Christmas lights work, Books like “Jesus and the Christmas Train”, Christmas trees, coloring books, stickers, crafts, cards… 20 pages! And not one website that mentioned Joseph or Mary or the Messiah!
This just had to be a mistake: So I logged into my favorite search engine Altavista and asked the same question.
The results were better. Up popped Sunday School lessons, encyclopedia entries, and more family friendly sites. I found one I really liked and started reading:
Ø The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes
maesse, or "Christ's Mass”, the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.
Ø the first celebration of Christmas took place in Rome in
336 A.D.
Ø The tradition of giving gifts started with the gifts that
the wise men (the Magi) brought to Jesus. As recounted in the Bible's book of Matthew, “they presented him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh."
Ø in 336 A.D. Christian leaders set aside the date
December 25 to celebrate Christmas in an attempt to eclipse a popular pagan holiday in Rome (Saturnalia) that celebrated the Winter Solstice. Originally, involved a simple mass, but over time Christmas has replaced a number of other holidays in many other countries, and a large number of traditions have been absorbed into the celebration in the process.
Bingo! That’s what happened. Just as we have been studying when the Children of Israel intermarried and absorbed the cultures of other people it diluted their religion. The significance of Christmas has been diluted – polluted.
This morning I want to take you back to the significance of Christmas. I want to look at the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament to prove without a shadow of a doubt that Christmas is about the coming of a promised Messiah and that Jesus was the fulfillment.
There are more than 300 prophesies about the Messiah in the Old Testament. The chances of being killed by lightning are roughly 2.65 million to 1. The odds of winning the lottery are 18 million to 1. That’s 6 zeros. Scientists have calculated the chances of Jesus fulfilling just eight of the more than 300 prophecies about the Messiah is one in One hundred quadrillion – 1 followed by 17 zeros. (100,000,000,000,000,000 the American Scientific Affiliation).
The word Messiah comes from a Hebrew term mashiach that means “anointed one.”
the one anointed by God and empowered by His spirit to deliver His people and establish His kingdom.
The Jews thought the Messiah would be their king - an earthly ruler, a political leader who would defeat their enemies and usher in a golden era of peace and prosperity.
In the Greek the word for messiah is Christos, where we get the word Christ. For Christians, the term Messiah refers to Jesus as a spiritual deliverer, setting His people free from sin and death.
I said Messiah means “anointed one”. In Old Testament when a person was appointed for a special task the priest or the prophet would anoint him with oil. Pour it on his head, rub it on his body. Aaron & his sons were anointed, Saul & David were anointed, in fact in the Old Testament, the word Messiah (anointed one) was used more than 30 times to describe prophets (Num. 11:29), priests (Lev. 4:3, 5, 16), and kings (2 Sam. 1:14, 16).
But none of them fulfilled the prophecies. Only Jesus did – and he was anointed all three – prophet, priest, & king!
Because of this tri-fold commission the Messiah Jesus is also referred to as the Seed of Abraham, Son of David, Son of Man, My servant, My Elect, the Branch, Prince of Peace, Word, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Turn with me to Luke 1. As we read the Messiah Jesus’ story, well flip back to the Old Testament and root out the prophesies.
Luke 1 26 In the sixth month [Elizabeth’s 6th month of
pregnancy], God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Prophesy 1: Turn to 2 Sam 7:16. This is the passage where God tells David that he is not the one who will build the temple. That responsibility would be given to Solomon.
13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”
Luke 1 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
He will not just be any child, he will be God.
Prophesy 2: Isa 7:14:
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Luke 132b The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Prophesy 3, 4, & 5: Isa 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Luke 1 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
We already read Isa 7:14
Prophesy 6: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Luke 1 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
We know Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with John the Baptist.
Luke 1 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three
months and then returned home.
Luke 2 1 In those days Caesar Augustus [the 1st emperor of Rome] issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
Prophesy 7: Micah 5: 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Luke 2: 5 He [Joseph] went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Prophesy 8: Same verse we just read: Micah 5:
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
Luke 2 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
A human baby, not an angel, not a mirage.
Prophesy 9: Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Luke 2 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
9 Prophesies fulfilled and Jesus hasn’t done anything yet. He hasn’t changed water into wine, opened blind eyes, raised the dead, gone to the cross, or been raised from the dead!
We could stop here, but because this lesson has to deal with fulfilled prophesy we need to keep reading.
Luke 2 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
That too is prophesy. I don’t know if it came in a dream or a vision, or was spoken by a prophet but it is prophesy none-the less.
27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
In other words the prophesy had been fulfilled and he could die now. But instead he prophesies about Jesus’ ministry.
Luke 2 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
Did Jesus do that? Did he minister to both Jews and Gentiles?
Of course he did. Was that prophesied in the Old Testament?
Turn to Isaiah 49:5-6
Prophesy 10: The Messiah would bring salvation to all people not just the Jews.
Isaiah 49 5 And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—
6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Luke 2:33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
We know not everyone would accept Jesus as Messiah and that he would suffer much.
We also know that the words of the prophets are confirmed by the prophets. Lets look at the final confirmation.
Luke 2: 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
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