Sunday 12/22/24
This morning I am going to read a Christmas Story that the Lord gave me to share with
each of you. I will periodically pause to allow time for you to process or reflect upon
the meaning of the Story.
Let us pray. Thank you Lord for this Christmas Story. Please let your Holy Spirit move
upon all who are here today and open their hearts to hear and receive your
transforming Word. Amen
In the Garden of Eden, sin entered mankind, separating mankind from God, resulting in
mankind’s condemnation. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden because of this,
and the long journey of mankind back to God began.
Imagine Adam’s and Eve’s shock in being cast out. They were suddenly alone in a
silent world, now apart from the One who just created them, they were newly weds
with no understanding of marriage, love, grace or anything else, they had no skills, no
wisdom, no knowledge. They did not even understand what it meant to till the ground
or to have pain multiplied in childbirth. And what about their food and shelter? They
initially had no idea how to go about thinking or doing anything. It was a dark time for
them. But they survived, and eventually tried to start a family, but one son ended up
killing the other son. The murdering son’s genealogy then resulted in sin running wild
on the earth and God regretting that He created mankind. God ended up destroying all
but eight people with the flood.
These events were the beginning of the proliferation of sin and condemnation in the
world. Sin was an inherent disease passed on through birth. All mankind were born
with a sinful nature. There was no cure. All were separated from God at birth. Soon
after the flood, despite God saving eight favored people, sin flourished again.
The Jews, who were chosen to be God’s special people, tried for thousands of years to
rid themselves of this disease. They sacrificed animals, including unblemished lambs.
year after year in an effort to take away their sin and condemnation. They cried out.
They suffered. They could not rid themselves of their sinful nature and stay in God’s
good graces no matter how hard they tried. The commandments only exacerbated
things, as the commandments were never meant to be obeyed, but instead they made
sin more visible, defined and sinful. The commandments could not be obeyed.
Nothing could seemingly rid the world of sin and condemnation. In the meantime,
prophecies of a coming Messiah began, and disclosed even things about the
Messiah’s birth. The Jews though were looking for a Savior from their superficial
worldly problems, such as enemy attacks, war, captivity, persecution, not from the
problems’ underlying sin and condemnation. They focused on the symptoms of the
disease and not its incurable cause.
Why were there Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s birth? So their
fulfillment acknowledged who was the Messiah. The prophecies included the Messiah
being born in Bethlehem, Rachel weeping because her children were no more, and the
Messiah being called out of Egypt. We shall see these in a moment.
Despite the prophecies, the dark days of sin and condemnation continued unabated
while mankind continued its journey back to God.
Here we have a family portrait of the commonly known Christmas Story with everyone
gathered at the same time around the manger scene, often referred to as a Creche. We have Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in the manger, the shepherds, the kings, some stable
animals, and even the angels and the star. While not entirely scripturally accurate, the
Creche is a wonderful representation of the complete birth event. Except that one
important person is usually missing.
The birth event did not originate as an earthly event, with the parties in the family
portrait participating according to circumstance or chance. The birth was a heavenly
event, originating with and from God. Nobody on earth thought about and planned on
doing this. God the Father chose to use the human birth process to send His Son into
the world, the Son was conceived in Mary by God’s Holy Spirit, and the Son was
named Jesus. The Holy Trinity of God all played a role in the Christmas Story - God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Consider for a moment that God
gave birth to God in God coming to earth, that Jesus was God wrapped in human
flesh.
Everything that happened up to and including the birth “came upon” the people
involved in the Christmas Story. God carried out His will and commands by His Word,
which He communicated to all involved by angels, dreams, divine intervention and a
star. The same Word of God that created the world created the Christmas Story,
choosing participants who God knew would obey His Word, and sending angels and a
star as heralds and witnesses. And in the process, God made all of the participants
famous, memorialized and blessed forever in His Word.
Mary - Mary was minding her own business, when God suddenly informed her that
she was going to have His Son by His Holy Spirit and she was to name God’s Son
Jesus. Mary did not pray for this, ask for this, have any pre-knowledge of this. Mary
merely heard God’s Word and obeyed it.
Joseph - Joseph was minding his own business sleeping, when God told him that he
was not to put Mary away, as the pregnancy was God’s, and Joseph was to name
God’s Son Jesus. Joseph did not ask for any of this. Joseph merely heard God’s
Word and obeyed it.
Caesar Augustas - Caesar was minding his own business, loving censuses for taxation
revenue purposes and declaring censuses appx every 20 years. God timed Mary’s
conception around the timing of Caesar’s next scheduled census so that Mary and
Joseph were in Bethlehem at the precise time Mary would deliver. This fulfilled the Old
Testament prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph
did not merely travel to Bethlehem in response to Caesar’s census and the timing of
Jesus’s birth was by chance. They went to Bethlehem according to God’s express
timing, will and purpose for His Son.
The Shepherds - The shepherds were in the fields at night tending their flocks like any
other night, minding their own business, when suddenly God announced the birth of
His Son to them and told them in what city His Son was born and how they could
recognize Him. And away they went. The shepherds were going to share what they
had been told and to adore Jesus who would shepherd His people.
The Kings - The kings were in a far off land minding their own business when suddenly
a star appeared. They were astronomers and recognized the star as the birth of the
Jewish Messiah. God gave them this inspiration. We know that God, the creator of the
world, can command the natural elements of the world to fulfill His will and purpose.
The kings went to adore Jesus who would become the King of Kings, and Lord of
Lords. The star lead them as far as Jerusalem. While there, the kings met with King
Herod and inquired about the location of the birth of the King of the Jews. This caused
great concern on the part of King Herod. The Jewish leaders referenced their Old
Testament for the prophecy that told that the KIng’s birth would be in Bethlehem. But
no one was able to tell the kings how to recognize Jesus. Herod tricked the kings into
telling him the day the star appeared, which desgnated the day Jesus was born.
Herod then asked the kings if on their way back they would to let him know Jesus’s
exact whereabouts so he could come and worship Him. Herod really wanted to kill
Jesus. The kings were being unknowingly played by Herod. When the kings left
Herod, there was the star waiting for them to take them to the exact house where
Jesus was staying. Note I said “house” and not “stable and manger,” as this was later
in time. Thus some of my earlier comment about the family portrait. The kings
presented Mary and Joseph with expensive gifts - gold, frankincense, myrrh - each
having symbolic significance. But was Jesus’s Father also looking out for Jesus’s
financial security? When it was time for the kings to depart, God told the kings not to
go back to Herod. The kings obeyed God’s Word, and headed home by another route.
But Herod had what he needed for his nefarious plan B, that is, the day that the star
appeared to the kings signifying the day that Jesus was born.
Mary and Joseph - After the kings departed and Herod was advancing his nefarious
plot, God told Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with Jesus. This would save Jesus
from Herod and at the same time fulfill another of the Old Testament prophecies - out
of Egypt I called My Son.
Herod - A while after Jesus’s birth, using the day of Jesus’s birth provided by the kings,
Herod had every male child two years and under killed in the hope that the killing
sweep would also kill Jesus. Herod did not know that Jesus was taken to Egypt. This
fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy about Rachel weeping because her children were
no more.
Although God originated and directed the birth of His Son by HIs Word, ensuring that
His Son would be born and protected, God knew the entire time that He was giving
birth to an unblemished lamb - thus the Lamb of God. This was a lamb much better
than the Old Testament lambs. This was a lamb to be sacrificed not on an altar but on
a cross, a sacrifice once and for all to remit the sin of man - to forgive and forget the
sin. Yes, God knew that Jesus was born to die. Jesus was God’s trump card in the
incurable game of sin. If sin could not be cured, the solution was to offer a sacrifice
once and for all for its remission - forgive and forget. And Jesus knew and accepted
from the beginning that this was His lot, to die to take away the sin of the world and
with it, condemnation. Jesus went willingly as the sacrifice to the cross without a
word. Once sacrificed and buried, Jesus was raised from the dead by the same Holy
Spirit that gave Him birth by Mary. Jesus’s resurrection signifies that mankind is
justified - their sins are remitted. Mankind just needs to recognize by faith and repent
of the sin in their lives and accept God’s forgiveness. Mankind cannot be saved by
doing good deeds, that is impossible. Justification has to be by faith and forgiveness.
How many times have we heard that if people do good deeds they will go to heaven.
In reality, that disqualifies Jesus’s sacrifice, a sacrifice that was necessary because it
was impossible for mankind to enter heaven by doing good deeds.
After Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven and sat down at the
throne of God. Jesus sat next to His Father, who rewarded Him for a job well done.
Jesus was given God’s Holy Spirit to pour out on all mankind. God wanted more
children. This first occurred on the day of Pentecost, and three thousand people were
filled with God’s Holy Spirit. This was the same Holy Spirit that gave birth to Jesus and
raised Him from the dead. This Holy Spirit now gave second birth to three thousand
people, who became the inaugural members of the body of Jesus on earth again,
comprising the body of Jesus known as the church. With the birth of the three
thousand, Jesus was given birth on earth again. In time, the believers further united in
one body and Spirit and began to mature into the fullness of Jesus.
This brings us to here, today. Can you consider that, just like the participants in the
Christmas Story, God originated and directed our presence here today. That being
here came upon us. I do not know how any of us got here today. We may have been
minding our own business when God suddenly moved us to come on our own. We
may have come by force of habit. We may have come by car instead of a star. An
angel may have moved us to come. Or a dream. Or God spoke through friends and
family and invited us to come. No matter how we came, was it by circumstance or
chance? Or could God have brought it about according to His purpose today for your
lives. We may not even know why we came. And for those who came here today
already believing and may be thinking this Christmas Story is preaching to the choir,
can we consider that like the shepherds and kings, God has brought us here to witness
and adore the conception and birth of more of God’s children.
The birth of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the ascension of
Jesus, and the presence of the living Jesus here today are all to let us know that he
personally loves each and every one of us. He brought us here to hear that He loves
us. He brought us here to begin or continue our salvation from the sin and resulting
condemnation that still abound in the world today with no cure. There is a trump card
in the living Jesus - the remission of sin (forgiving and forgetting). The same Holy Spirit
that gave birth to Jesus at Christmas wants to give all here, who will have it, second
birth, that they may know in their heart that they are forgiven and are together with
God, so they can begin to experience His glorious life and kingdom on earth. John
3:16 and 17 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him
might be saved.” Many in the world today believe that messages like this are
designed to judge and condemn them. The reality is that sin and condemnation are
already in the world judging and condemning which is becoming increasingly obvious
to everyone today. Messages like this are actually designed to make people aware of
sin and condemnation in the world and make people further aware of escaping them
into everlasting life.
In the Barbie movie, when the Barbie doll became human, one of the first realizations
Barbie shared was that she had a sudden fear of everything for no explainable reason.
We do not need to live similar to Adam and Eve, fearful in a strange and foreign place,
with limited understanding of things on which to base our own decisions and
judgements, with very few answers for anything, not knowing what tomorrow may
bring, unsure of much at all, longing for and pursuing worldly things that will never
satisfy in the short and long run, trying desperately to maintain elusive control of things,
feeling many times alone in our existence and quests, being lied to constantly, doing
what we do not want to do and not doing what we want to do. God through His Son
Jesus wants to transform us from this hopeless way of life into His eternal life on earth
today, with a fullness of love, peace, hope and joy, and knowing that the Father and
Son love us and that our sins are forgiven and forgotten. By eternal life, I mean a type
and quality of life now on earth, not just everlasting life into eternity. Imagine for a
moment having “this” person with us always, continuously transforming our lives,
leading, teaching and guiding us in all truth, constantly helping us to overcome, making
intercession for us to His God the Father. Colossians 1:15-18 “He (Jesus) is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were
created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or principalities, or powers. All things were created through Him and for
Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of
the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all
things He may have the preeminence.” John 14:23 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep
My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home
with him.” Matthew 28:20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
It all began with the birth of God’s Son Jesus on Christmas day. This Christmas can be
a day of conception and birth as a child of God for anyone who wants it. There is no
greater honor in the universe than being born of God and being a child of God. If belief
at this moment is trying to break forth and there is a hunger and desire arising to be
free from sin and condemnation, then let go of this world and embrace the living Jesus
as your personal Lord and Savior. Receive His love and forgiveness. We do not need
to make a spectacle of it. Jesus brought me to this point alone on a Friday night in a
basement room. Jesus was there and my life changed forever. Jesus is here for us
today. Jesus was born for us and died for us and lives for us, for this moment.
Let us pray. Father God, let your Holy Spirit fall mightily in this place in this moment
and transform this place into a place of conception and second birth of your children.
Let us see Jesus more clearly and experience Him more fully than ever. Let us all
leave here today recognizing that Christmas day is any day a son or daughter of God is
born through second birth by the same Holy Spirit that conceived Jesus. Father, we
know that you want to have more children and Jesus wants more brothers and sisters
and members of His body. Thank you for bringing all who you brought here today to
hear your Christmas Story according to your will and intended purpose for their lives,
and we know that your Word will not return void.
Amen
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