THE CHRISTMAS LESSON
By
Jerry Falwell
This is a sermon I preached December 20, 1970. I don’t keep copies of my sermons because I’m always more interested in the future than the past. Dr. Towns found this in his file. This sermon was originally typed and printed on 8 1/2 X 14, the format I used to send out copy to my radio listeners.
INTRODUCTION
John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus, said to the crowd of people: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Rev. 13:8 says of Jesus: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus came into the world as our Saviour from sin. The events surrounding His coming are set down in detail so that there can be no mistake as to who Jesus was and is. God the Father announced His Son’s coming into the world.
I. BEFORE THE EVENT TOOK PLACE, GOD SENT OUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS SON’S BIRTH.
A. God foretold to the Devil His Son’s coming in the Garden of Eden. Gen. 3:15.
Warring between the Devil’s children and the woman’s child was to take place. Jesus is the only person ever to be born of a woman’s seed. No human father had a part in the coming of the Lord to the earth; Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35.
B. God prophesied through the Prophet Isaiah that His Son was to be born. Isa. 7:14.
The meaning of the name, Emmanuel, is “God with us.” Matt. 1:23.
C. God declared to Mary that she was to bear the Son of God. Luke 1:35.
D. God proclaimed His Son’s coming to Joseph, the future husband of Mary. Matt. 1:20.
The angel of the Lord set Joseph’s mind at ease concerning the coming of the child that was to be born of Mary; He announced Jesus’ identity. Jesus’ name was given to Joseph, also.
II. AFTER THE EVENT TOOK PLACE, GOD SENT OUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS SON’S BIRTH.
A. Angels were sent from God to some shepherds in the field. Luke 2:8-20.
1. There were several different types of shepherds. One type was the shepherd who lived in a tent and moved about, changing the location of his family each time it was necessary to move his flock to better pasture land. Another type of shepherd was the servant or the hired shepherd who took care of the flocks for a wealthy sheep owner who lived in town. A third type of shepherd was the man who was permanently settled, who cared for his own sheep and kept his flock in a sheepfold whenever he was not out in the fields with them. Sometimes several flocks were kept in the same sheepfold. The sheep recognized only the voice of their own shepherd, so he was the only one they would follow out to grazing and water. Perhaps the shepherds who heard the angel’s message at night were hired by wealthy sheep owners. These particular shepherds worked the “Night shift” watching the sheep.
2. Imagine the setting before the angel’s appearing to the shepherds. No doubt the night was lighted only by the stars and moon. No artificial light was present except perhaps a fire lit to keep away the wild beasts who would be on the prowl by night. The night was still--no sounds of super highways, no blaring of horns or screaming of sirens to break the stillness. In this setting there was opportunity for a man to be quiet and to meditate upon the Word of God and to discuss quietly the promises of God with his fellow workers. We need to teach our pupils that it is good to daily find a place of quiet, if for only a few moments. We need this time for Bible reading and prayer. There are many instructions that God wants to give us, promises that God wants to make to us, comfort that God wishes to extend to us, teachings about Himself that God wants us to know, and we need to give Him our undivided attention.
3. Imagine the sudden appearing of the angels to the shepherds. We probably cannot imagine how beautiful the “glory of the Lord” must have been. The sudden appearing of the angel of the Lord along with the glory of the Lord was very startling and, therefore, frightening to the shepherds. The angel saw their fright immediately and set them at ease so that he could make them understand the message that he had for them. Then it was as if the heavens could not contain their joy at the joyous announcement of the Saviour’s birth. A great choir of angels came to give a most wonderful selection of choral speaking. They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
4. The angel’s message to the shepherds was simple and personal. The angel said, “For unto you is born . . . a Saviour.” The Gospel is for the individual. The Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand.
5. The angel gave exact instructions for finding the Saviour. The shepherds could know beyond any doubt that they had put their trust in the right person. The Bible is simple and specific so that our trust will be not misplaced. If we ever doubt our salvation, all we have to do is to go back over the plan of salvation and question ourselves as to whether w have recognized our sin, asked God to forgive it and trusted Jesus to cleanse us from it. If we have done this, we know that we are saved.
6. The shepherds followed the angel’s direction. They did not tarry, nor did they question the announcement that had been brought to them. After the angels had gone back into Heaven, the shepherds discussed among themselves the message which they had heard, deciding that they should hurry to Bethlehem to witness this phenomenon. They came immediately to Jesus. The caring of the sheep did not present an obstacle to their going to Bethlehem. There is nothing more important than coming to Jesus and putting our trust in Him.
7. The shepherds went out on a visitation program; they went out telling people about seeing Jesus and about who He was. God knew that after seeing the manger scene, the shepherds would go throughout the countryside telling everybody whom they encountered that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
8. The shepherds returned home with a song of praise in their hearts and on their lips.
B. The appearing of the star announced to distant lands the birth of Jesus Christ.
1. God used His own communications system to announce this great news. He put into the sky a special star which should act as a herald and a compass to any who would see and follow. When God had created the sun, moon and stars, He said: “Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.” The star of Bethlehem was definitely a sign of the coming of the King of Jews.
2. In a distant land some wisemen saw the star of Bethlehem and understood its meaning. Matt. 2:1-2. There is no reason to believe that the number of the wisemen was three. There could have been only two; there could have been many or a few. The number itself is not so important, except that teaching the Word of God accurately is important. This country in the east was no doubt the country of Persia. There were wisemen who studied the skies looking for signs of important events to take place. This was an ancient practice; Daniel’s writings were probably studied by them during his day and after his day. Of course, their accuracy would have to be dependent upon their Bible knowledge. They no doubt knew the prophecy contained in Numbers 24:17, also, . . . When this unusual star appeared, they understood immediately its significance. So confident were they in their interpretation of this sign, that they set out on a journey to Jerusalem where they expected to learn details in connection with its appearance.
3. None of the political nor religious leaders in Jerusalem knew of the birth of Jesus. Of all people, the religious leaders should have known of His coming, because they knew the Scriptures; but a knowledge of the Scriptures is not enough to discern the Lord’s leading. Many people know the contents of the Bible, but they do not know the Saviour of the Bible. They are therefore in darkness.
4. After their brief interlude in Jerusalem, the wisemen saw the star again and rejoiced to follow it to Bethlehem. By the time they had reached Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph and Jesus had moved from the stable to a house. When the wisemen saw Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped Him and presented gifts to Him from their store of treasures. The gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh were very costly and represented the desire on the part of the wisemen to give the best gifts that they could give to Jesus. Do we desire to give our best to Him?
5. The wisemen were told specifically to return to their own country without using the route that led through Jerusalem. God knew something that the wisemen did not know--He knew that King Herod wanted to destroy Jesus and that he had lied to the wisemen when he said that he wanted to worship Jesus. Once again the wisemen were so in tune with God and His direction that they received and followed His warning.
C. The Holy Spirit proclaimed His coming to two elderly people who had been watching for Him.
1. Simeon, an elderly man in Jerusalem, had been promised by God that he would not see death until he should see the salvation of the Lord. To fulfill the Law, the infant Jesus was brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph for presentation to the Lord. Simeon went and rejoiced that God had kept His promise.
2. Anna, an elderly lady who had been widowed seven years after her marriage, and given her life to service in the temple and to prayer and to fasting, came to the temple just in time to see Simeon meeting Mary and Joseph and Jesus. She, too, praised God for the privilege of seeing the Son of God. Anna told all those who were looking for God’s prophecies to be fulfilled concerning a Saviour that Jesus had come to earth.
CONCLUSION
If all these people who had been told of Jesus’ coming had not lived in close fellowship with the Lord--learning His Word, obeying Him and praying--they could not have received the announcement of Jesus’ coming to earth from Heaven.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Contact us and ask for a copy of The How To Book or use The How To Book Online (Falwell.com). It is a booklet that will answer many of the questions you are sure to have about living the Christian life. And when you contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
