God Incarnate Series

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INTRODUCTION

Christmas is the story all about the God incarnate. Jesus is the God coming down in the flesh as God Incarnate to save mankind.

1. THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS

A. THERE WAS A PROMISE

The story of Christmas actually begins before the beginning of time. The Bible says that even before the foundation of the world was laid, God planned that His Son (God incarnate) would be sent to die for the sins of mankind. From Genesis and all the way through the OT, prophecy after prophecy proclaimed that the Messiah would come, live among us, and die to take away our sins.

Then there is a silence of 400 years when no prophet from God speaks. But finally, the silence is broken for Joseph and Mary separately by Gabriel. The secret was then known to Elizabeth and a few others. But then when Jesus was born, the angels telecast the message.

B. THERE WERE COMPLICATIONS

Rumor & gossip flow through the streets of Nazareth because Mary is expecting a child even before she & Joseph have fully become husband & wife. Then there is the complication of Caesar Augustus’s decree that every family must return to their hometown for a worldwide census. So even though the baby is due at any time, Mary & Joseph must make the journey all the way to Bethlehem from Nazareth, a trip of about 130 KM.

They made that journey slowly with no hotels at night. Sleeping out underneath the stars. Once they arrive in Bethlehem there is the complication of finding lodging. There is no room for them in the inn.

ILLUSTRATION

I heard someone traveling went to a hotel for a room for the night. The manager told him that they were fully booked & there were no rooms available. The man said, “If the Governor of our state requested a room, would you have a place for Him to stay?” The manager replied, “Well if the Governor needed a room, we’d find one for him.” The man said, “That’s great. I know for a fact that he’s not coming, so I’ll take his room.”

If Mary & Joseph had been influential, perhaps there would have been room for them, too. But they were just common people, carpenters. Finally, they reach their ancestral home, and finding all the guest rooms occupied, she probably delivered the child in the living room and put the child in a manger, a trough to hold food to feed animals.

C. THERE WAS ALSO A CELEBRATION

Now when babies are born there is celebration, right? On the night Jesus the God incarnate was born, it was a private celebration at first – in the house. They knew something no one else knew. They knew that this baby was God’s own Son, & that His birth was a miracle.

Soon the celebration spreads. Angels announced to shepherds that a Savior (God Incarnate) had been born, who is Christ the Lord. So, they came rushing to see the new baby.

Christmas is the proof that God is in charge of things. No matter how difficult the situation, God’s promised Son (God Incarnate) was conceived and delivered on time. Yes, there were complications but there was no delay. Whatever God started, he completed, and what God promised he fulfilled. Every time we celebrate Christmas it is a sign of God’s faithfulness. We have seen difficulties, we have gone through tough times, and sometimes we felt it was all over, but God has enabled us to overcome every setback because of His Son Jesus Christ (God Incarnate).

Well, the story of Christmas is about promises, complications, & celebrations. However, the world has just caught on to the celebrations and given it an entirely different picture to it. Many people gladly celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, only to ignore, shun, and reject Jesus the rest of the year. They don’t mind celebrating the birth of a baby, but they don’t want to hear about the Lord of lords, they sing of His nativity but brazenly reject His authority, they adore Him as an infant but will not pay homage to Him as the God. Consequently, the world ignores the core of all Christmas truth, and instead of honoring Jesus at Christmas, they are actually mocking Him.

The enemy must love the way the world celebrates Christmas. If you truly see the Bible, Christmas is not about the Savior’s infancy; it is about His deity (God Incarnate). At Christmas, most of the world sees Jesus as a baby in a manger—nothing more. Jesus’s born on Christmas is bigger than that.

What ought to concern us is that many believers fall into the same myopic trap around this time of year. Caught up in the trappings and traditions of the season, they quickly lose sight of why we’re celebrating Christ’s birth in the first place. In simple terms, their emphasis on Christ’s infancy blinds them to His supremacy.