Why I Like Christmas

#3 Christmas Series                                   12/08/91

                                                      E.B.C.

WHY I LIKE CHRISTMAS

INTRODUCTION

A) If one were to take a random survey about people's feel-ings regarding Christmas the results would vary from extreme-ly positive to extremely negative.

B) The reasons people would give for holding the views they do would likely vary just as dramatically as their answers. Among those who like Christmas, they may say that they like the spirit of giving, they like the festivities surrounding Christmas or they like the family gathering often a part of Christmas celebrations. Among those disliking Christmas may be those epitomized by the universal scrooge or some may even dislike the "religious" nature of the Christmas festival.

C) But aside from all that, I think Christmas has been given a bad name by many who should know better.  It seems to me that many Christians have bad-mouthed Christmas like it was expected of them - without giving it enough thought. Granted there is much that accompanies the Christmas season which truly should be offensive to Christians but is materialism, greed, drunkenness, etc., by people who know not Jesus, suf-ficient reason for all the bad press Christmas receives from some ill-informed do-gooders?

D) If the truth be known, I love Christmas, and this morning I want to tell you why. I like Christmas...

I.   ...BECAUSE I'M A CHRISTIAN.

A) Okay, the truth is finally out. I admit it. I'm one of those weird creatures who actually believes that I'm a sinner worthy of eternal death, that Christ being God came to this world by a miraculous birth of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross at calvary, atoned with his own blood for my sin, arose bodily from the grave on the third day, showed himself alive before numerous people over the period of forty days and ascended into heaven where he intercedes on my behalf before the Father and who offered me salvation which I received by

confessing of my sins at a Good News Club meeting in 1961.

B) Yes, I'm a Christian - a devoted follower of the Christ. Therefore I love Christmas. It allows me to celebrate the birth of my saviour. It permits me to go to that the manger in Beth-lehem just like so many were compelled to do nearly two thousand years ago.

   1) Remember the words of the angels as they announced his                birth: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace      among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14).

   2) And what about those lowly shepherds to whom the                        angels message was given? They went to search for                          Jesus (Luke 2:15-16).

   3) Then there was the righteous old man at the temple,                         named Simeon, who was waiting to see the Christ, the         redeemer of Israel (Luke 2:25-32).

   4) Finally, the magi of the east came in search of Christ                        (Matt. 2:2-11).

C) That's why I like Christmas. Because it calls me to bow, humbly, yet rejoicingly, before my Lord and Saviour.

II.  ...BECAUSE IT ALLOWS ME TO RESPOND IN LOVE TO MY     LOVING SAVIOUR.

A) Just as those wisemen lone ago, I wish to offer up tokens of gratitude to my King (Matt. 2:11).

B) Christmas allows me that opportunity of responding to the love of Christ. Actually, it is in Christ dying for me that I even know what love is. John the Apostle tells me this: "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us;" and so, John concludes, "we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). So I delight in the opportunity of showing love to my family and to my fellow Christians.

C) But my love does not extend only to the "brethren", fellow Christians, as John encourages me to.  I may be tempted to restrict my compassion to those I know will "scratch my back in return" if it were not for Christ's answer to the lawyer's question of "What shall I do to inherit eternal life." To This, Jesus says, "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Reading Jesus' words, I, too, like the  lawyer, want to know, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:30-37).

D) I like Christmas because it reminds me to have compassion on all those who are needy.

III.  ...BECAUSE IT ALLOWS ME TO BE A WITNESS FOR MY                      LORD.

A)        Christmas again reminds me of my responsibility to  declare the good news.

   1) The angel said to the frightened shepherds: "Do not be       afraid; for I bring your good news of a great joy                   which shall be for all the people; for today in the city          of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is            Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

   2) Of this child, Isaiah had prophicied long ago: "For a                       child will be born to us, a son will be given us; and       the government will rest on His shoulders; and His                        name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,         Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

   3) After the shepherds had seen the Christ "they made                      known the statement which had been told them about    this Child" (Luke 2:17).

   4) When the prophetess Anna encountered the Christ at                      the temple, she "began giving thanks to God, and                   continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking    for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

B) How can I be silent when I contemplate what Christ has done for me. Paul said "For my part, I am eager to preach the gospel...for I an mot ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:15-16).

IV.  ...BECAUSE IT OFFERS ME HOPE.

A) At Christmas, once again, my heart becomes energized with the reality of Christ and the hope which He offers. "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15).

B) Sometimes Life does not offer much hope for anything. Sometimes all hope seems to be lost. Jeremiah lived in a time when hope for the redemption of Israel seemed pointless. The Babylonians had sacked Jerusalem, killed many of the people, of those that remained most were taken captive to Babylon, the political and religious authorities had all proven themselves corrupt and ungodly, and as Jeremiah was dragged along chained hand and foot he manages to utter: "The Lord's lovingkindnesses, indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faith-fulness. 'The Lord is my portion' says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:22-24).

C)  The hope which is ours by trusting in Christ, "we have as an anchor for the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us" (Heb. 6:19-20).

D) Because Christ came, I am offered hope for eternity and it is this hope that I am able to offer to those in despair.

CONCLUSION

A) I've told you why I like Christmas. What about you, do you like Christmas?

B) If you're a Christian, you can enjoy Christmas too. But I plead with you, don't allow "religious do-gooders" to rob you of your joy. There's nothing particularly pious about knocking Christmas. Spiritual melancholy receives no blessing from God. Neither, for that matter, does frivolous joymaking which depends upon satisfying our carnal lust for "receiving" as opposed to "giving".

C) Is it possible that the reason we may not enjoy Christmas is because we are not enjoying Christ? May we dedicate our-selves to enjoying this Christmas season by bowing our knees before the Christ, the Christ of Christmas.