Christmas Revealed Series

Title: Christmas Revealed

Text: Philippians 2:5-11

Introduction

Illustration: It was around Christmas time a few years ago that I happened to come across the comic strip "For better or for worse" by Lynn Johnston. A mother and daughter are out Christmas shopping and the daughter says to the mother “If Christmas is more about God than Santa…How come people talk more about Santa than God? The mother responds: “God does less advertising”

Question: Is the mother right or wrong?

Transition: God does far more advertising at Christmas than people think- but it’s just not necessarily done in stores. Instead God’s favorite place to advertise for Christmas has always been in the Bible!

The title of my sermon for today is Christmas Revealed. I want to look at the subject “What does Christmas reveal to us about God?” Or another way to say it; “What can we know about God just from Christmas?

So to find out what Christmas reveals to us about God we are going to look today at

Philippians 2:5-11. I believe Philippians 2:5-11 happens to be a place where God does some of his greatest advertising for Christmas.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

I find in Philippians 2:5-11 that there are 3 things that Christmas reveals to us about God.

I’m going to tell you what the 3 things are and then we will look at each of them one by one

1.Christmas reveals to us the grace of God (v5-7)

2.Christmas reveals to us the gifts of God (v8)

3.Christmas reveals to us the glory of God (v9-11)

Let’s look at each of these three things one by one. First of all Christmas reveals to us...

1. The Grace of God (v5-7)

Question: In what way does Christmas reveal to us the Grace of God?

Answer: Christmas reveals the grace of God in Christ’s attitude towards us

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Christmas is a huge help in revealing Christ’s attitude towards every one of us.I’m here to tell you

•Christ has more than a good attitude towards you

•Christ has more than a great attitude towards you

What can be better than someone having a great attitude towards you?

•Christ has a grace attitude towards you!

Though he was God Christ makes himself nothing and he did it just for you.Though he was God Christ took on the very nature of a servant and he did it just for you. Thought he was God Christ was born in human likeness and he did it just for you!

Jesus said; I’ll make myself nothing so you can become everything God wants you to be! Is that not the grace of God! Jesus said;I’ll make myself a servant so I can come and help you! Is that not also the grace of God! Jesus said; I’ll make myself a human so that you can come to know me! Is that not also the grace of God!

Does Christ really have an attitude of grace towards me?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Jesus came from the Father, full of grace…Where was Jesus full of the grace of God? One area where Jesus was full of grace was in his attitude towards you and me.

Jesus’ attitude towards you and me is described in Philippians 2:5-7 as an attitude

that is full of the grace of God.

Application?

Can you see that God used Christmas to reveal to us the grace of God?

Can you see that Christ’s attitude towards you is one that is full of the grace of God?

Secondly Christmas reveals to us

2.The Gifts of God (v8)

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!