Christmas is About Joy!
At Christmas time we
celebrate the birth of Jesus. It’s not
only a declaration of, “It’s a boy!” It’s
the coming of a Savior – the one the Jews waited for some 2,000 years. Some of them maybe even forgot He was coming. And when He did come, they didn’t realize it
because they expected a King, not a baby.
But this was no ordinary
baby. He was the Son of God!
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(This post can be read aloud to a group. It is a gospel presentation and a celebration of the birth of our Savior. If you want to share this with a group, you have my permission to read it. That’s why I wrote it. Or, feel free to make it more interactive. Ask questions. Solicit thoughts to get listeners engaged. And pray that they will understand, appreciate, and accept the Savior and His gospel.)
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Most
of us have lived long enough to realize we’re not perfect. Sometimes we fail people. Sometimes we wrong them. And deep down inside, we know we don’t
measure up to what we consider to be God’s standards. God is perfect and holy. We feel safe around God’s love and mercy, but His
holiness should incite fear. Look at
God’s instruction to Moses when the Jews camped at Mt. Sinai where God in His
holiness would soon visit:
Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell
them,
‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it.
Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.’
‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it.
Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.’
Exodus 19:12
God’s
holiness is serious business.
We
can’t approach God’s presence because we fall short of His holiness (Romans 3:10).
The
local shepherds, on the night Jesus was born, had a healthy fear of God:
An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
Luke 2:9
But
the birth of Jesus is good news!
Luke
continues:
But the
angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is the Messiah, the Lord.
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will
be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly
a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:10-14
God
loves us and He sent His perfect Son to earth to pay the penalty for our sins
so that we can appear perfect to God. And with that perfection, we can have joy in God’s presence. (John 3:16, Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:4-7)
Joy, not fear.
Joy, not fear.
Christmas
is about joy because a Savior came.
The
birth of a Savior:
While they were there [in Bethlehem],
the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.
the time came for the baby to be born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:6-7
Jesus
came as a baby, not a king. Maybe this
is confusing, but I enjoy the idea of celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus at
Christmas time. It makes the good news
even more special. The Savior of the
world is precious. He was wrapped in
swaddling clothes, ready to be cuddled and hugged. We can be close to our Savior.
We
can be close to Jesus because He offers to have a personal relationship with us.
Jesus
came to die for us. We can trust Him as
our Savior because He is perfect and He lives.
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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17
If you want to
know more about Jesus’ sacrifice of love on the cross and what it means to be a
child of God, or if you have questions about using this post to share with your
group, please email me at authordlv@att.net.
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