How To Keep Christ In Christmas Series

Title: How to Keep Christ in Christmas

Text: Philippians 2:4-11

Introduction

One of the hot topics at this time every year…for schools, shopping malls, government facilities…is the topic of …“keeping Christ in Christmas”.

Do we call it a Christmas concert or do we call it a holiday concert?

Do we call it a Christmas tree or a holiday tree?

Then there is the big one…

Do you say “Merry Christmas or do you say “Happy holidays?”

And even though I’m …preaching to the choir this morning I think it would be beneficial for us to look together at the topic of keeping Christ in Christmas

Text: Philippians 2:4-11

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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.

1.God wants us to be passionate about keeping Christ in Christmas.

How do we know God want us to be passionate about keeping Christ in Christmas?

Notice in verse 9 that God did 2 great things for Jesus

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, "…(v9

.

He first of all exalted Jesus to the highest place. Secondly He gave Jesus the name that is above every name…

Whatever God does for Jesus - the enemy tries to undo

The enemy comes against Jesus’ place

The enemy comes against Jesus name

There are 2 times of the year in particular when the enemy tries to undo what God did for Jesus

One time of the year is Easter and the other is …Christmas

He does this Every Easter and every Christmas

Remember His strategy is simple-

He tries to undo what God has already done for Jesus

Even though he knows God has exalted Christ to the highest place –

the enemy tries his hardest to replace Jesus as the center of Christmas

He tries to replace Christ as the center of Christmas with something else.

He doesn’t care what that something else is as long as it’s not Christ

And even though he knows God has given Jesus the highest name –

the enemy tries his hardest to remove the name of Christ out of Christmas

Call it anything else just don’t call it Christmas!

Question: Why is the enemy trying his hardest to keep Christ out of Christmas?

He tells us that he is doing it because he doesn’t want people being offended.

The real reason he tries to keep Christ out of Christmas is that he doesn’t want people being saved.

So the last thing he wants is the real story of Christmas getting out there!

How 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.

The real story of Christmas is this…

Christ became like all of us so that all of us can -become like Christ

He came to earth so that you and I could one day go to heaven…

He died for our sins so that we could live forever through him

The bottom line: We need to fight back against the enemy by remembering to keep Christ in Christmas

How do we go about keeping Christ in Christmas?

Here are some suggestions

1. By taking this time to personally get to know Christ better

“Each one of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (v4)

What I think that this verse means is this… What are you and I going to do this Christmas in order to get to know Christ better?

Am I only interested in doing my own thing this Christmas or am I interested in doing a God thing this Christmas?

In the Christmas story am I a shepherd or am I a sheep?

The shepherds went to see Christ –the sheep stayed behind

Christmas is not about focusing on the gifts as much as it is about focusing on the giver…