Illustration
There was a woman out with two young children Christmas shopping. Her children wanted everything they saw on the shelves for Christmas. She was shopping for hours. Finally at the end of the day as she pushed her way into a crowed elevator, as the doors closed, she exclaimed, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot.” From the back of the elevators someone responded in a calm voice, “Don’t worry we already crucified Him.” The rest of the elevator trip was filled with silence.
In light of our normal Christmas activities- it would be good to reflect on- real purpose of Christmas.
Somebody once said that …
The universe is composed of stories, not atoms.
When we think of Christmas- angels, manger, shepherds, wise men, bright star- we see a story.
It many ways it is a mystery, even a puzzle for man to figure out- it involves history, theology, astronomy
The Christmas story is an opportunity for man to understand the deeper purposes of God.
President elect- Barack Obama- selected Rick Warren to give- invocation at the inauguration ceremony.
It has caused another firestorm for the media.
Hollywood and the homosexuals are upset w/Obama.
Rick Warren- recent book- Purpose of Christmas- he talks about the three purposes of Christmas.
I would like to look at those purposes this morning.
Introduction
There is no holiday celebrated more widely than Christmas- billions of people worldwide.
The coming of Jesus Christ was so significant that history itself was divided in two …
BC- before Christ and
AD- anno Domini, in the year of the Lord.
Look at the original Christmas story … Lk 2:8-14
The Purpose of Christmas …
1. Christmas is a time of celebration
Look at what the angel said …
Lk 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; NASU
The angel is saying- it is time for man to celebrate.
Ps 118:24 This is the very day God acted — let’s celebrate and be festive! MSG
There is a difference between a celebration/a party.
When I think of a party- think of a place to go to have fun, often centered around my personal enjoyment.
When I think about celebration- think of a time to honor something/someone other than myself.
What is it that we can celebrate at Christmas?
We can celebrate that God loves us
Jn 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. NASU
God came in the form of a man so He could encounter man face to face.
He did not send a representative, He loved mankind so much that He came Himself.
1Jn 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. NASU
God did not bring love, He Himself is LOVE.
His very nature, His very character, is LOVE.
God’s love for us is unconditional- we cannot earn it, we cannot stop it.
It is not based on what you do or do not do, it is based on who He is.
We can celebrate that God is with us
God’s existence does not depend on my belief system.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. NASU
To experience God personally I must believe- but His existence does not depend on what I believe.
The Bible says that Christ came to live in us.
Col 1:27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
Bible- also says- God will not abandon those He loves
Rom 8:35-39
We can celebrate that God if for us
A very encouraging verse …
Jer 29:11 I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. MSG
When we go through difficulties in life, it is good to know that God not only lives in us, but He is for us
Jesus is so for us that He was willing to die for us.
When Jesus came walking across the water and the disciples thought He was a ghost, He said …
Mt 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Jesus was on His way to the house of a man whose daughter was seriously ill.
On the way the report came that she had died.
Lk 8:50 But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well." NASU
Over and over God tells us not to be afraid, because He loves us, He is with us, and He is for us.
2. Christmas is a time for salvation
Again, looking at the words of the angel …
Lk 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. NASU
God came down to men so that all men- be saved.
Salvation is God delivering us from sin, self, and hell.
What else can we say about salvation?
Jesus saves you from something
If- look at our lives honestly- we would all have to admit- we have habits/issues- not been able to fix.
Every day we sin with our words/thoughts/actions.
Ecc 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. NASU
Often we feel separated from God …
Isa 59:2But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. NASU
Paul sums up our struggle ... Rom 7:15-21
If we are honest with ourselves we would see our own sin and the affect of that sin on our lives.
Sin causes worry, anxiety, confusion, depression, guilt, shame, conflict, resentment, regret.
Jesus Christ came to set us free from sin and from the affects of sin in our lives.
Jesus saves you for something
Jesus came to answer our questions …
why do I exist?
does my life really matter?
what is my purpose for being alive?
Jesus came not only to set us free from sin, but to restore to us God’s original purpose for our lives.
We are saved from evil, but- also saved for good.
2Co 5:15 He died for all so that all who live-having received eternal life from him-might live no longer for themselves, to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them. TLB
We were created for good works.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. NASU
I did not say we were saved because of our works, but we were saved to do good works.
In Acts we have some insight in to King David’s life.
Ac 13:36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; NASU
What do you want said about your life when you die?
I served the purposes of God in my generation.
Every man/woman was created for more than just survival, we were created to be significant.
Significance comes as we give our live away for some purpose greater than ourselves.
Jesus saves you by something
Eph 2:8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. NLT
Salvation does not come by our trying/effort, but by trusting in the grace of God.
It comes by accepting what God has done for us by faith, knowing that we do not deserve it.
When Jesus hung on the cross and said …
It is finished … He was saying …
I earned your salvation,
I paid for it with my life.
Religion is human effort attempting to please God.
Grace is God giving to us something we do not deserve and can never repay Him for.
Jesus Christ came to save us …
from sin and self,
for His purpose and
by His grace.
3. Christmas is a time for reconciliation
We live in a world of conflict and hatred.
Over- past 5000 years- have been almost 15,000 wars.
Even now there are dozens of wars taking place.
Reconciliation is the restoration of peace.
Looking at the words of the angel …
Lk 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." NASU
The angels were referring to Jesus Christ …
Isa 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. NASU
When we consider the world around us it is difficult to imagine a world filled with peace.
Even in our own lives it is sometimes difficult to image peace in my own family or my own heart.
Jesus came at Christmas to bring three kinds of peace-
Peace with God
Whenever we live our lives our own way, not considering God’s way, we are in conflict w/God.
Isa 53:6 We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him. MSG
The result of this war with God is a life lived for ourselves, fulfilling the deeds of the flesh.
Peace with God produces within us the fruit of- HS.
Peace comes when we totally surrender to God.
Job 22:21 "Quit quarreling with God! Agree with him and you will have peace at last! His favor will surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong. TLB
The peace of God
When we finally yield ourselves to God, we begin to experience an internal peace.
It is a peace that passes our understanding.
There are many things- can disturb- internal peace-
circumstances we have no control over,
difficult people,
problems that seem unfair.
But we can maintain peace within- as we in faith learn to rest in God’s strength and wisdom.
Mt 11:28-29
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
Peace with others
If we truly have …
made peace with God and
opened our hearts to experience the peace of God within,
then we will be able to find peace in our relationships with others.
2Co 5:18 All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. MSG
We recently studied the beatitudes …
Mt 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. NASU
God wants us to work at being at peace with men and helping others to be at peace with one another.
Being a peace maker is not running from conflict, but it is responding to others in a Godly way.
When dealing with relationships there is a difference between forgiveness and trust.
We are to offer forgiveness quickly and freely.
We offer forgiveness as God has offered it to us.
Forgiveness takes care of the past while trust is about the future and must be earned.
Trust can be lost quickly, but it takes time to rebuild.
Conclusion
This Christmas season- take time to remember the purpose of Christmas …
Christmas is a time of celebration
We can celebrate that God loves us
We can celebrate that God is with us
We can celebrate that God is for us
Christmas is a time for salvation
Jesus saves us from something
Jesus saves us for something
Jesus saves us by something
Christmas is a time for reconciliation
Peace with God
Peace of God
Peace with others
The universe consist not in atoms, but in stories.
The Christmas story helps us understand God’s heart.
During this season, take time to reflect on …
What has God has done for you?
What are you thankful for?
As we answer these questions, we will understand the purpose of Christmas.
(This sermon was taken from Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose of Christmas.”)
