A Child is Born
It is that time of the year again. We have just finished the last of the left over Thanksgiving turkey and have recovered from all of the early morning sales from the day after. Most of us probably have our Christmas trees up and many have lighted up the outside of our houses like the Grand Central Station. How many of you men blew fuses when you plugged the lights in? I know that Pastor Shawn did. Hopefully the entire neighborhood didn’t go black. Driving around the neighborhood you can see many beautifully decorated houses some with Santa sitting in a sleigh. Where is Christ? I saw many lighted reindeers, some even with red noses. But where is Christ? You will find many beautifully decorated trees in our houses with many presents underneath wrapped in multicolor bright wrapping paper with large bows on top. But where is Christ? Isn’t Christmas the day that we celebrate the birth of Christ?
Did you know that this is the most stressful time of the year? There are more car accidents during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas than any other time of the year. More people are killed by drunk drivers than any other period of time. There are more suicides during the Christmas holidays than any other time of the year. This is suppose to be a joyous holiday, why is there so much stress and grief. Is it because we have turned Christmas into something it was never suppose to be? Like most of our other Christian holidays, have we brought secular values and traditions in with our worship of the birth of our Savior? On Christmas day we will spend more time opening presents, being with family, preparing food, eating that food, watching sports and napping, than worshipping the birthday of our savior. Many families on Christmas day will not even think of Christ, because they are to busy. This applies to Christian families also. If it were not for Christ there would not be a Christmas day. If Christ hadn’t left heaven to be born here, none of us would have the blessed assurance of eternal life with God.
Are your children more concern with Santa Claus and what he will bring, than celebrating the birth of Jesus? If you ask Children what Christmas means to them (even Christian children) they will tell you getting gifts. This isn’t surprising considering that stores; newspapers and television are bombarding our children and us with constant reminders of what we want for Christmas. It seems like that the birth of our Savior is secondary to everything else that is going on during this time of the year. Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying to stop giving gifts to each other, but I am saying that Christ needs to be the primary focus of Christmas.
Read with me:
Matt 1:21-23
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-- which means, "God with us."
(NIV)
I can’t think of any better reason for celebrating Christmas than knowing that "God is with us". If God is with us, why is there so much grief and stress during this time of the year? Is it that God is with us, but we are not with God due to all the rush of the holiday season? How can we forget God, when we are celebrating His Son’s birth? At this time of the year more than any other time, we should be in a constant state of worship, praising God for sending His Son so that we may have eternal life with Him. God is always with us, but we act and talk as if He is not around. If you are arguing with your spouse and you look around and saw Jesus standing next to you, would you continuing your argument? I don’t think so! I have news for you. God is with us. You may not see Jesus, but He is there while you are arguing with your spouse and He hears every unkind word that we speak. Remember, "God is with us". Start living your life with that in mind.
Let’s read:
Luke 1:26-33
26 In the sixth month, 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.
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. 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."
(NIV)
God chose a humble, gentle, poor, unmarried, teenage girl to give birth to His Son. God didn’t choose the proud, the wealthy or religious leaders to bear and raise His Son. Mary was blessed by being chosen to care for the Son of God. If we feel that God isn’t blessing us, maybe we are not being humble enough.
Remember when Jesus said:
Matt 5:5
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(NIV)
The word meek means "Exhibiting humility and patience, being gentle." Are we meek? Are we living a humble life or are we living a life to exalt ourselves and to rule over others? Jesus said for us to humble ourselves and to serve others and even to love our enemies. Can you say truthfully tonight that you are living that type of life? If there is trouble in your life, if you have mounting problems in your life and if you feel that everything around you is out of control, then maybe you are the problem. Just maybe you are not living a humble life that God can bless. Turn away from pride and learn to become meek. Men you may think that that is a sign of weakness, but it is really a sign of obedience to our Lord. Any of us can be boastful, but it is hard to be a man of humility. The greatest man that ever lived on this earth humbled himself when He washed His disciples’ feet. Christ even humbled himself for us when He allowed Himself to be beaten and crucified on the cross.
We may need to review Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, but I will leave that for another sermon, unless you want me to preach for 3 hours tonight. OK! OK! I will leave that for another day. Gee, this is a tough crowd!
There is one thing that we need to mention here. God favored Mary and God blessed her, but we are not to pray to her nor worship her.
Jesus said in:
Luke 11:27-28
27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
(NIV)
Our blessings come from obeying the word of God. In all things we are to pray, worship and praise our God and not anyone else. Sometimes we have tendencies to worship pastors, evangelists or even saints, but God is the one that we should worship and give all the glory.
Let’s take a look at what conditions Jesus was born in.
Read with me:
Luke 2:5-7
5 He 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.
(NIV)
God allowed His son to be born in a manger, where livestock was kept. This place must have been unsanitary and had a foul odor of manure. God is God. He is all-powerful and all mighty. Why did He allow his son to be born in a stable? Mary and Joseph had to be poor, because she wrapped the baby in swaddling cloths. I think that sometimes we read our Bible so fast, that we miss some vital points. It didn’t say clothes. It said cloths. Swaddling cloths were just torn strips of material, which Mary used to wrap Jesus in so that He would stay warm. Can you imagine the Son of God being born in a stable, wrapped in rags and lying in an animal feed trough? God wanted us to learn to be meek and not to exalt ourselves over others. So God taught by example, which is the best way to learn. Jesus lived the type of life that God expects us to live. Jesus never exalted Himself over anyone. He was meek and patient when answering His accusers. Are we that way or do we strike back at our accusers?
This Christmas season, let’s put Christ back in Christmas and back in our lives. Let’s remember how Christ was born and the manner in which He lived His life. Let this season be one where we will put a priority on witnessing to others instead of worrying about how we are going to pay for all the gifts that we have purchased. All the money in the world could not buy a gift greater than that of leading a friend to Christ. The greatest gift in the world is a free gift. It is the gift of God’s love for us in that He gave to us one early Christmas morning His Son so that we could have eternal life. It is a gift that keeps giving. It is a gift that never breaks tarnishes or goes out of style. It is a gift that you never outgrow. It is a gift that God will never take back from you. It is a gift that ensures salvation to those who have accepted Christ as their Savior.
Let’s read about that gift:
John 3:16-18
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
(NIV)
God does not send anyone to Hell. We send ourselves to Hell if we never accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Have you accepted the free gift of Christmas, which God gives? If you have then you are to share that gift with others. This Christmas give the gift that keeps on giving, the gift of eternal life. Tell someone who has never received the gift of eternal life about Jesus Christ, God’s gift to all mankind. There isn’t enough money in the world that can buy a gift as valuable as the free gift that God gives. Share it with others. Jesus died for everyone, not just for you alone. Do not be selfless; tell others about Jesus Christ.
If you are here tonight and you haven’t accepted God’s gift to you, then do it now. God loves you just as you are. You don’t have to study the Bible first. You don’t have to change first. Christ will change you. All you have to do is to admit that you are a sinner and ask God for forgiveness. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart that Jesus was raised from the dead and you will be saved. Christ sits at the right hand of God today, calling for you to step out and accept His free gift of salvation. Make this your best Christmas ever. Come now while the music plays and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.
