In the days leading up to Christmas our expectations are high and a sense of joy fills our hearts. We often are much like children in the fact we dream of Santa Claus and his glittering gifts of joy and peace. But what happens after Christmas? Well the tree dries up, the decorations are taken down and it is back to the same old, same old. It’s back to life as we know it. Unfortunately the joy begins to fade as we gaze about our homes seeing tossed aside toys, the mounds of dirty clothes and a large stack of dirty dishes. To make matters worse we go to the mail box only to be reminded of the mound of unpaid bills that accompanied Christmas. Needless to say it does not take long for the “Ho, Ho, Ho” to turn into “Oh, Oh, Oh”! However disturbing this may sound it all goes back to us having Christmas put in the wrong perspective. Today I want you to know that things do not have to be this way. When we keep Christ at the center of Christmas we will soon discover that the true hope of Christmas never fades. Today I would like for us to back away from all the hype, build up and inevitable let down that comes with the world’s celebration of Christmas and gain a firm grasp of the very real hope that is woven through those years following Christ’s days in the manger.
I. The hope contained in those days following the manger.
A. The visit of the magi. (Matthew 2:1-12)
1. The Magi have traveled a long distance to offer homage to a new king born in Judea. They enter Jerusalem with a large enough caravan to attract the city’s attention.
2. Magi were astrologers from the royal court of the king of Persia which would account for them noticing the special star provided by God.
3. While one might have expected Jerusalem to be filled with joy and great anticipation at the prospects of a Jewish deliverer, ironically, both Jerusalem and Herod experience the same emotional reaction, extreme agitation and fearfulness.
4. To discover the exact location where the Christ child would be born Herod summons representatives from the religious authorities in Jerusalem and they tell him that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem.
5. The intention of the Magi to worship the newborn King is realized when they discover Jesus in a house in Bethlehem.
B. The escape to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-15)
1. Earlier suspicions concerning Herod’s evil intentions are now confirmed by angelic forewarnings of his malicious scheme.
2. The angel of the Lord, by means of a dream, communicates critical information to Joseph designed to counter the imminent danger posed by Herod’s threat.
3. Jesus and his family survived, but they had to abandon any livelihood Joseph may have developed in Bethlehem.
4. Matthew goes on to assure the reader of the child’s safety and His eventual return to Judea.
C. The return to Nazareth and Jesus’ childhood. (Matthew 2:20-23)
1. The family awaits divine confirmation that the threat to Jesus’ life is now past.
2. While the length of their stay in Egypt is unknown, the angel once again communicates with Joseph and this time it is in regard to the death of Herod which signals that it is now safe to return to the land of Israel.
3. The family’s trip back to Judea is altered accordingly by divine guidance, so instead they journey north into the district of Galilee to a small village called Nazareth which was no more than an agricultural settlement with a population of around 200.
4. The only statement we have about Jesus up till age twelve is given by Luke.
5. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40—NIV)
D. Jesus as a boy in the temple. (Luke 2:46-49)
1. Jesus’ parents must have traveled with a large group of relatives and friends, as they were returning home, causing them to be unaware that Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem.
2. Mary and Joseph were doing what was expected of parents, but Jesus was doing what might be expected of the Son of God. As he sat and questioned the teachers, Jesus’ wisdom even at age twelve amazed everyone who heard him.
3. When the parents finally find him, Mary steps forward to address the young Jesus in a way that both parents and children can appreciate; her anxiety can clearly be seen.
4. Obedient to his parents, Jesus goes home with them to Nazareth. While there he grows in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men and thus closes the curtain on Jesus’ life for the next eighteen years.
E. Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the wilderness. (Mark 1:11-14)
1. At His Baptism in the Jordan River we see the first clue of Jesus’ identity that is given by Mark.
2. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11—NIV)
3. Coming immediately after the descent of the Spirit on Jesus at his baptism, this verse demonstrates that the Spirit was active in Jesus’ life. The wilderness experience of Jesus was according to divine plan.
4. Jesus was tempted by Satan and He successfully resisted continuing to stay on course following God’s plan.
F. Jesus’ ministry, arrest and crucifixion.
1. Jesus’ ministry was marked by a message of life and hope that shook the very foundations of the traditional religion of the day.
2. Jesus invested a great deal of time into twelve men who would carry on His ministry after He was gone.
3. The compassion He displayed along with the miracles caused His popularity to grow.
4. The more popular He became the more the religious leaders resented Him causing them to begin to plot a way to kill Him.
5. Finally they would arrest Him and after a mockery of a trial they would hang Him on a cross between to thieves to die as a common criminal.
G. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
1. After Jesus drew His last breath, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea claimed His body and buried it in a nearby tomb.
2. After dealing with the grief and the shattering of their hopes for three days the disciples are shocked by the report that tomb is empty.
3. Soon the disciples would be in the presence of the Risen Lord and for a short time they will fellowship with and be taught once again by Jesus.
4. Jesus gathers His disciples together for one last time and commissions them and then He was lifted into the sky right before their very eyes.
5. They watch until He is hidden by a cloud and they are confronted by some angels.
6. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11—NIV)
II. The hope that can be discovered in the future.
A. The Christmas story does not end with the baby Jesus lying in a manger.
1. The Lamb of God who lay in Mary’s tender arms is also the Lion of Judah who will return to the earth.
2. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—NIV)
3. This Jesus who we celebrate will return as both Savior and Judge to take His people home to the place that He has prepared for them.
4. Christmas is not just a celebration of the past, it is a celebration of today and a great hope for the future.
B. Christmas is a promise of salvation and glory that we can hold on to all year long.
1. Our hope rests in the fact that the baby did not remain in the manger but He grew up to go to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
2. The Hebrew writer reminds us of the fact that Jesus shed His own blood for our sins providing a once for all sacrifice.
3. His sacrifice is what allows us to experience a hope that never fades.
C. Some important hints to help us to experience a hope that never fades.
1. Look back at all the miracles surrounding His first arrival and be encouraged by the fact that they were real.
2. Our hope is founded on solid truth.
3. Examine your personal relationship with Him, how are you relating to Him. Have you let that baby in the manger grow up to be your Savior?
4. Look ahead, be aware and be ready. Realize that just as the prophecies foretold His first arrival, they keep as aware of the fact that He is going to one day come again.
5. At any moment that trumpet could sound and we will find ourselves in the presence of our Lord and Savior. Are we ready for that reality?
Mark Lowry, a Christian comedian and singer observed that Mary’s silence at the cross always amazed him. He said, If he were being crucified in the middle of town, his mother would have "Pitched a fit", but Mary never said a word. Lowry wondered if maybe what made the difference for her was remembering back to that first Christmas. Remembering touching his little hands and feet and counting his fingers and toes. On a serious note, Lowry says: "I wonder if she realized then that those were the same fingers that had scooped out the oceans and formed the seas. Mary probably counted those little toes- I wonder if she realized that those were the same feet that had walked on streets of gold and had been worshipped by angels. Those little lips were the same lips that had spoken the world into existence. When Mary kissed her little baby, she wasn’t just kissing another baby - she was kissing the face of God. Thirty-three years later she’s standing on a hillside watching blood pour from His veins, from the side of her own son... and she didn’t open her mouth. What a great testimony to the fact that He wasn’t just a great prophet, He wasn’t just a great preacher, He wasn’t just a great teacher, He was the virgin born son of God. He was our Savior. And... He didn’t just die for us; He died for His own mother. The baby boy she had delivered on that first Christmas was now on a cross delivering her.
