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A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

For This Year

“Unto you is born …a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11)

You probably have noticed, as I have, the changes taking place in the past few years, to remove “Christ” from Christmas. The erection of Nativity scenes at government locations have been under relentless attack by the ACLU as being a violation of church and state. Public Christmas displays increasingly contain less and less of the Biblical theme of Christmas. Many displays today contain absolutely nothing of religious or Biblical content. Even the name of the Christmas holiday was changed a few years ago to the “Sparkle Season”. Recently the name seems to be simply the “Holiday Season”. The extent of this effort to remove “Christ” from Christmas was brought to my attention recently when I heard one man greet another man with the words “Merry Christmas”. The man responded with the remark, “It is no longer politically correct to say “Merry Christmas”. I was astounded to realize how far the world has come in its effort to remove “Christ” from Christmas. When the Savior came into the world it says in (Luke 2: 7) “She … laid Him in a manger, because there was NO ROOM for them in the inn”. There was no room for Jesus when He came 2000 years ago and there is still no room for Him today. Is there “any room” in your heart and life for the Savior?

On the positive side, each Christmas season gives occasion to emphasize anew the wonderful story of the love of God that led Him to send His only begotten Son into the world. The scripture verse in the Bible (Luke 2:11), which is the title of this message, was part of the announcement of the angel of the Lord to the shepherds. It is also God’s Word to every person born into this world since that time. As you read this message, think of these words as God’s personal word to you. “Unto YOU is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”. God gave YOU a gift. Have you received Him?

It has been said that Christianity rests on three great pillars. These three pillars are all found in these words in (Luke 2:11) and they consist of the following:

1. THE INCARNATION – HE CAME - “Unto you is born”

2. THE CRUCIFIXION – HE DIED – “a Savior”

3. THE RESURRECTION – HE LIVES – “which is Christ the Lord”

1. THE FIRST PILLAR – THE INCARNATION – HE CAME

“Unto you IS BORN”. The birth of Jesus Christ is indeed, “the reason for the season”. His birth was a natural birth, like anyone else born into the world. It says in (Galatians 4:4) “When the fullness of the time was come, (the time of His birth was divinely determined) God sent forth His Son made of a woman, made under the law”. And, (Luke 2:7) says, “She (Mary) brought forth her firstborn Son”. The conception of His birth, however, was supernatural. He was born of a virgin, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, seven centuries earlier. (Isaiah 7:14) “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign, behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel” (meaning “God with us” or “”with us God”). The virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is confirmed in the New Testament, for we read in (Matthew 1:18) “Before they (Mary & Joseph) came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost”. Also, it says in (Matthew 1:20) “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost”. When we speak of the Lord’s incarnation, we refer to the fact that He became man. He became man without ceasing to be God. (Isaiah 9:6) reminds us of a very important aspect of the birth of Christ. It says “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given”. Not only was a child born, like the birth of any other child, but, unlike any other birth, unto us a son is given. (John 3:16) “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Was there ever a time when you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Was there a definite time when you put your faith and trust in Him? It says in (1 Timothy 3:16) “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh”. God gave His Son. Why did God give us such a wonderful gift? Notice again what our verse says.

“UNTO YOU is born”. It was for you dear reader. This is the reason that He came. (1 Timothy 1:15) “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. God says in His Word that we need a Savior because we are all sinners, both by nature and by practice. We are sinners by nature because we are all born into this world with a sinful nature within us. That means we are sinners by birth. It says in (Romans 5:12) “By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. Because of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, the whole human race is infected with sin and the consequence of sin which is death. Being born into this world, we are in the flesh and God says (Romans 8:8) “They that are in the flesh cannot please God”. If you are not saved, you have never thought, said or done one thing that has pleased God. It says in (Isaiah 64:6) “We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags”. Not only are we sinners by nature but we are sinners by practice as well. Note what the Bible says in the following verses:

· (Romans 3:9) “Jews and Gentiles alike, they are all under sin”.

· (Romans 3:10) “There is none righteous, no not one”.

· (Romans 3:23) “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.

· (Ecclesiastes 7:20) “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not”

These verses are sufficient to show mans sinful condition in the eyes of a Holy God. It is true that all may not have sinned alike, or to the same degree, yet all alike have sinned in some degree. We have stated that the consequence of sin is death, but death is not the end. It says in (Hebrews 9:27) “It is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment”. God will judge the sinner who dies in their sin. (Revelation 20:11-15) describes the “great white throne” judgment. The solemn scene ends with the words “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. (Revelation 21:8) describes “The lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”. Is your name written in the book of life? This is the reason that we need a Savior and God’s salvation. This brings us to our “Second Pillar”.

2. THE SECOND PILLAR – THE CRUCIFIXION – HE DIED

“Unto you is born A SAVIOR”. Because of the commercialism of Christmas and the busy activities associated with the holidays, very few people take time to consider the Savior. Little thought is given as to who He His and what He accomplished when He suffered bled and died on that cross at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ is called a Savior. The Bible frequently talks about “salvation” and man’s need to be “saved”. These words mean deliverance or rescue from a danger which threatens. All humanity is in peril, and therefore needs to be delivered or saved from that danger. The danger is God’s judgment that will surely be visited upon sin and the sinner that dies with his sins not forgiven. The Bible declares this judgment to be confinement to the “lake of fire” (see above) and eternal banishment from God. Are your sins forgiven by God? Jesus Christ is the Savior. He is the one, and the only one, who can save the sinner from his sins. It says in (Acts 4:12) “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other Name (Jesus Christ) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. There is no salvation without Him. He is the exclusive Savior. What are you depending upon to get to heaven? Are you depending on your religion or your religious activities? Are you depending on your church, your priest or your pastor? Are you depending on infant baptism, doing the best you can, keeping the “golden rule”, tithing, etc, etc? Dear reader, none of these things will bring you salvation. You need a Savior, and God has provided His Son. “Unto you is born a Savior”. It says in (1 Timothy 1:15) “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. This is the reason that he came, “to save sinners”. How could He do this? Not by His perfect life, not by the wonderful words He said, not by the mighty deeds He did. The divine declaration of a holy and righteous God is (Hebrews 9:22) “Without shedding of blood is no remission”. It was necessary that the Lord Jesus Christ be “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). He came to provide salvation for sinners, and this could only be done by the sacrifice of Himself on our behalf. We read in (1 Peter 3:18) “Christ…suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God”. When He hung upon that center cross, He was bearing our heavy load of sin and He suffered, bled and died in our guilty room and stead. He went under the wrath and judgment of a holy, righteous and just God. The hymn writer wrote the words;

“All my sins were laid on Jesus,

Jesus bore them on the tree;

God, who knew them, laid them on Him,

And, believing, I am free!”

Dear reader, this is the very heart of the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” This is God’s good news to you, and this leads us to the third great pillar of Christianity.

3. THE THIRD PILLAR – THE RESURRECTION – HE LIVES

“Unto you is born a Savior, WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD”. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the essential sequel to His atoning death. Westcott wrote that “taking all the evidence together, there is no single historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ”. I would recommend that you take time and open your Bible and read (1 Corinthians 15), which is the great chapter on the resurrection of Christ. His resurrection validated a number of things, including the following:

• The resurrection validated that the Savior’s death on the cross was a voluntary sacrifice, that He laid down His life and He took it back again. (John 10:17,18) “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again”. “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father”.

• The resurrection validated that the Savior completed the work of salvation. It says in (Romans 4:25) He was “delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification”.
• The resurrection validated that God was perfectly satisfied with the work of His beloved Son. God put His “seal of approval” upon His perfect sacrifice for our sins. It was the working of His (God’s) “mighty power which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places”. Read (Ephesians 1:19-23).
• The resurrection validated that Jesus Christ is indeed the person that He said He was, the eternal Son of the eternal God. Jesus is “Christ the Lord”.

“Unto you is born a Savior, WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD”. Peter stood up and preached in the first days of this dispensation of grace, (Acts 2:36) “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ”. Jesus is not only the Savior, but He is “the Christ”. He is the anointed of God. He is the Messiah of Israel. Jesus is not only the Savior, and the Christ, but He is the Lord. That is, He is God manifest in flesh. In order for you to be saved you must acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ and believe in His resurrection. It says in (Romans 10:9,10) “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, (Jesus as Lord), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. It says also in, (Romans 10:13) “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved”. Have YOU ever called upon Him to save you?

This Christmas season you will likely be busy with family and friends. You will, no doubt, be giving and receiving gifts. Why not take some time and be mindful of God’s great gift to you. It says in (James 1:17) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father”. He gave you that “good” gift, that “perfect” gift, He gave you His well beloved Son. Will you receive Him? (Romans 6:23) says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. What a wonderful gracious God we have to offer to us, so unworthy and undeserving, the gift of eternal life. Because it is a gift we can not work for it or merit it by anything we are or do. Will you receive this gift? If you do, you will be able to say like the apostle Paul, (2 Corinthians 9:15) “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift”.

Dear reader, if YOU remain unsaved, it will not be because God does not love you, or because God’s Son did not die for you, but it will be because you have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. You accept God’s gift by believing in and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior. You are traveling the “highway of life”. Now that you have read this message you have come to the “crossroads”. It is a place where a decision has to be made. Which way will you go? Will you continue to reject the Savior and God’s gift of salvation? To do this is to travel the wrong way through life. It is called the “broad way” that leads to eternal destruction.

Please give this matter your most serious attention. Will you be a believer or a non-believer? Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

Christian Messenger