Christmas - God In A Man Suit

Tell story of Jacob Venable working at zoo

Why would I tell that story? We know it’s not true…Because it’s the Christmas story

It tells us really what God is like…which is the Christmas Story

How is it the Christmas story? Let’s explore it and see

Read passage / Pray

Listen, the true Christmas story is not just what we see in the New Testament

It is interwoven throughout ALL scripture

The true Christmas story is about God revealing Himself to mankind – what God is like

God has been revealing Himself since the beginning…

1. THROUGH CREATION

God created the heavens, earth stars – all these things

He created all of nature that we might know Him and worship Him

Look at Psa 33:6-7 first (emphasize vs 8) “to stand in awe of Him”

Psa 19:1 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known”

His creation was an attempt to reveal Himself to us that we might worship Him

But instead, we wind up worshipping His creation and not Him as creator

Worship moon, sun, stars, idols, nature, people, or the image we have made God out to be

Rom 1:23 “Instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.”

Trans: Then God tried again and He revealed Himself through a nation…

2. THE NATION OF ISRAEL

God said I will pick a nation and bless that nation

When people see how I bless that nation they will come to know who I am and worship me

He picks the nation of Israel who the bible says In Ezek 16 was God’s wife

Israel was God’s wife – commits adultery worshipping this foreign idol and that foreign idol

God’s blessing still resides upon Israel but His attempt to reveal Himself through them didn’t work

As they were a stiff-necked and rebellious people

So then God attempts to reveal Himself to us by giving us…

3. THE LAW

It tells us clearly what He wants; how we should live

The very first one Have no other Gods – love Him only with all heart mind soul spirit

But we perverted it – The Pharisees created 613 additions to the Law – to explain the law

On the Sabbath day, don’t forget to honor me on the Sabbath day – take a day of rest

Here’s what Pharisees did – they further clarified what you can’t do on the Sabbath

Can’t plow, can’t plant, can’t reap, can’t harvest, can’t grind, can’t sift, can’t cook, can’t sheer, can’t scour, can’t button, unbutton, tie, untie, on and on

When Jesus was picked on by the Pharisees because He healed a paralyzed man and told him to take up his mat and walk…

They said YOU JUST BROKE THE LAW – that’s how absurd it was

We added to the law and made it unbelievably legalistic

God’s attempt to reveal Himself through the law didn’t work so then he chose…

4. THE PROPHETS

God sent Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel…

Jesus said I sent you the prophets and you killed them; you stoned them to death (Matt 23:34-35)

God’s prophets were there to reveal the truth about God and cause people to worship Him

But that attempt failed as well…so at last, God sent us His perfect, final offer…He revealed Himself…

5. THROUGH A MAN SUITE

His last final, perfect, costly attempt was to send Himself to be born as a man that we could relate to Him

Turn to Heb 1 (read vs 1 – 2)

But here’s who He says the Son is (read vs 3 – 4)

Jesus was the radiance of God’s glory – out-raying (greek) and brightness of Who God is

The bible says John 1:4 Jesus was the life and His life brought light to everyone

He was the light of the world

(FLASHLIGHT – can’t light up without power source)

Heb 1:3 of the Son “…the exact representation of His being…”

(Use some clay and my college ring to illustrate)

Jesus is the perfect out raying of God – the exact image of God

Let’s look at some other verses that confirm that

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The child we see in the manger is God Himself come to earth in a man suite

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

We see this prophecy fulfilled in our text of Matt 1:20-23