Not About Xmas, But Christmas

Not X-mas, But CHRISTmas

Luke 2:1-16

Intro:

Lindsay had a father that was a distant and severe man. For whatever reason his father worked him especially hard during the holiday months. Lindsay was given extra chores at the family ranch and was whipped if he did not work hard enough. Lindsay lived in fear of these beatings, which would often draw blood. Even worse than the beatings were the verbal insults the names and the put-downs. Theses memories stayed with the boy all of his life, mostly during the time of December. One friend said “Lindsay was never able to find true happiness. He became a hard drinking hell raiser who went from woman to woman and couldn’t find peace or success.” At the age of 51 he sat angrily watching Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” Lindsay took a gun put it to his head and committed suicide. He once said “I hated Christmas because of pop, and always will.”

Ironically Lindsay was Lindsay Crosby- Bing Crosby’s own son.1.

This story shows what really happens when we take the true meaning out of Christmas. If only Lindsay would have really understood the saying “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It is not about X- mas, but CHRISTmas.

People all over the world are going to celebrate Christmas this week with expectation of gifts and being with family. But many people are going to gather without any excitement at all. The main reasons why, The wrong meaning. Christmas is not about the dinners, the festivities, the gifts, Christmas is about Christ.

If you do not have the “Christmas Spirit” then there must be a reason why. In this message I am going to ask a couple of questions for you to honestly answer. In answering these questions you may find why Christmas for your life is more about Xmas than CHRISTmas

1. Do you have Room For Christ? (Luke 2:1-8)

A. No room in the Inn.

2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, Ceaser being the first roman emperor that all the world should be taxed. (Registered)

2 (And this census was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) The Roman census was taken to help with tax collection. Jews were not required to serve in the Roman army, but were required to pay taxes to the Romans

3 And all went to be registered, every one into his own city. A person was not registered in their present place of dwelling, but in the City in which was their ancestral home. This is going to be very important, as you will see.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) The prophet Micah prophesied in Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Micah prophesied Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, but Mary and Joseph lived in Galilee. This census can be seen as God’s great plan in work as this census is what brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.

5 To be registered with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Just as there was no room in the inn for the savior we have to ask our self do we have room in our inn for Jesus?

B. Is there room in your Inn (heart)?

Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:

Matt 15:18 “This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

You can never really understand why we celebrate the Birth of a Savior until you receive the Savior. Your mind can comprehend the story, you can celebrate the story, but you can never really understand what it is all about until you allow Jesus Christ to have room in your heart.

Isaiah said “his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 7:6) The wonder of it all, the worlds greatest counselor, the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God, the aspect of eternity with a never changing God, the peace of God that passeth all understanding, can never be understood, until the baby born in a manger becomes Lord of your life, and Lord of you life he wants to be. John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.