Scripture Introduction
Once upon a time lived a mighty king, whose heart was completely smitten by a beautiful young maiden. But how could the king express his romantic desires, since she was a mere commoner? Should he descend on her cottage with the royal entourage heralding his coming with blaring trumpets? Should he dazzle her with his royal crown, kingly robe, and exalted title? Should his minions display the wealth of his throne as he kneels to ask her hand in marriage? Or, perhaps the king should simply demand her betrothal. After all, as sovereign ruler he was entitled to the queen of his choice. But if he relied on his rightful authority, how he would know if she truly loved him? Then the wise king (for he was very wise) decided to leave his crown, his riches, his servants, and his power at home. Alone and tattered, he arrived in the woods disguised as a beggar, seeking first her favor and love, then her hand in marriage, before he would reveal his true name.
Jesus is the King of kings, perfect in all his ways, wise beyond measure, of royal lineage, and (holding all power) able to rule his people his people, while overruling all his and our enemies. In fact, in the verse right after our text, wise men from the east, scientists and astronomers come to see, not a beggar, but the baby born king, and to worship him, for they saw the signs in the stars. But for all his royal pedigree, King Jesus leaves his throne to woo and win hearts, rather than demand the allegiance that is his right. A few did recognize him under the tattered rags, but most saw only a man of sorrows, despised and rejected, worthy of contempt, if not death.
The difference between the appearance and the person of Jesus is the story of Christmas, the tale of the King in the guise of a servant, the love of God revealed in Matthew 1.18-25. Please give your attention to the reading of God’s word.
[Read Matthew 1.18.25: Pray.]
Introduction
In December of 2003, the Wall Street Journal, published Vincent Carroll’s article, “They Come But Once a Year.” He wrote: “On Christmas Eve, in line with my custom in recent years, I will arrive at my church in Denver at least 90 minutes before the service. After scouting out an empty pew near the front, I’ll lay down a couple of magazines to reserve space and then retreat outside briefly to phone my family with instructions on where to find me at the appointed hour. Then I’ll return to the pew and spend the next hour or so reading while fending off attempts by other churchgoers to horn in on my turf.
“This ritual is necessary in part because the Mass we attend occurs at an attractive time for families with children. But that is not the only reason for the overflow crowd. Late December is the season of the holiday Christian, that insouciant fellow whose religious practice consists of nine parts nostalgia and one part worship.
“To the many holiday Christians who long ago stopped attending church with any regularity, Christmas… somehow doesn’t seem complete without dipping a toe into the cultural waters of their youth. They attend Christmas services in part for the same reason that they wear a Christmas tie or hang a wreath on the front door: it’s part of the total holiday experience. But if they no longer practice their faith with much conviction, they still respect its memory. And, after all, it is just possible that a child was born in Bethlehem who changed the world, and it’s never a bad idea to hedge one’s bets.”
Who is Jesus, and what does his birth matter for us today? Was just another baby born two thousand years ago? Should Christmas be nine parts nostalgia? Is the church simply a club for the betterment of her members? Who is Jesus, and what does his birth matter for us today? Was he unique, God with us, the promised one? Is his life and death the crux of space and time? Should Christmas be ten parts worship, regardless of how we feel about the nostalgia? Our text helps answer these questions as it tells us about:
• the Christ of Christmas;
• his purpose; and
• how he changes holiday Christians into true worshippers.
Let’s begin by asking…
1. Who Is This Baby?
The first thing we must know is that he is…
1.1. The Christ (Matthew 1.18-20)
Twice, Matthew tells us that this baby was “from the Holy Spirit.” In other words, he was not from Joseph, and God adds something else to state clearly that this pregnancy did not result from promiscuousness – the conception was prior to Mary and Joseph coming together. And it is this miraculous act of God which makes him the “Christ” (v. 18a): “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way….”
Note well, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name; it is a title. He is not Jesus Christ like I am Glenn Durham. Instead, like I am Glenn, the pastor, or even, Glenn, the husband, he is Jesus, the Christ, which means that he is God’s appointed one.
“Christ” is not a curse word, but the English form of the Greek title, Cristo, j, Messiah in Hebrew. It means, the One Anointed, the Chosen One, God’s man, hand-picked for a special purpose. This baby is God’s answer to the world’s most fundamental and significant problems.
Maybe it would help to describe some of the ways his life changes ours. When God makes Jesus the Messiah…
• it means that the King with the most claim to glory, willing accepts humility so that the humble can be lifted to heaven;
• it means that the richest one became poor, so that the poor in spirit might share in the riches of his glorious inheritance;
• it means that he feasted with sinners, so that those hungry for God would not starve in sin;
• it means that his heart would broken, so that he could bind the broken-hearted;
• it means that he was born to die, so that we who are dead in sin might live;
• it means that the exalted Lord serves those who are too weak to help themselves;
• it means that his body was crushed, so that we who are broken by sin can be made whole.
• it means that the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells, emptied himself, so that those who are nothing can be filled to overflowing;
• it means he would be bruised, so that we may be healed;
• it means that he will be condemned, so that the guilty can be declared innocent;
• it means that he will be abandoned by his own Father, so that those who have left God might be adopted into his love.
This baby is the Christ, God’s answer to set all things right. Matthew also tells us that his name is to be:
1.2. Jesus (Matthew 1.21)
The importance of this name is seen in the many hymns with the phrase, “the name of Jesus.” That name is significant because of what it means. When the angel said, “Name him Jesus,” everyone who knew the Old Testament recognized this as the Greek version of Joshua, or “Yehoshu’a” “Jehovah saves!” But please pay special attention, so that you do not miss a critical detail here. The angel does not say, “You shall call his name Jesus, for God will save his people.” Other parents named their sons Joshua or Jesus, to express their hope that Jehovah God would save his people. But the angel says, “call his name Jesus because he will save.” This is not Mary’s faith in God’s salvation; here is God, saving his people! He is named, “Jehovah Saves” because he is the Savior!
One more name we need to know…
1.3. Immanuel (Matthew 1.22-23)
Sometimes people wonder, or even complain, about the narrowness of Christianity. How could one suppose that this is the one and only way to know God? What about all the other devoutly religious people in the world? Are there not many paths to God?
The Biblical answer is that his name is Immanuel, God with us. We can say it this way: the big claim of Christianity is not so much that Jesus is the only way to God; it is that Jesus is God making his way down to us. It is not that you must go through Jesus to find the light of God; it is that Jesus is the light, so all who would see God must look to him.
It is not as if Jesus is a ladder we climb to heaven, a ladder which happens to be red. I like red ladders, but you may like green or blue ones. To each his own ladder, and to each his own savior. Instead, the Bible says that Jesus is heaven, so to go to heaven, we must go to Jesus. All who would come to the Father must come to him because he and the Father are one. If we were to say that Jesus is not the only way to God, it would be the same as saying, “God is not the only way to God,” for he is Immanuel, God with us!
Who is this baby? The Christ, Jesus, the Savior, Immanuel. Now that we know who he is, let’s ask…
2. What Is This Baby’s Purpose? (Matthew 1.21)
Jesus saves his people in three ways: from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and from the presence of sin.
First, when Jesus converts someone, he immediately frees them from the penalty due sin – we are no longer condemned. The Bible says that all sin deserves damnation, because we have disobeyed the perfect laws of the infinite and glorious God. Jesus takes that punishment for his people, giving them, instead, the reward of his obedience. He frees from the penalty of sin.
Jesus also saves from the power of sin – those who truly know him are able, now, to both see and desire the happiness of holiness. No longer must our hearts be led astray; we have the ability both to love and to seek that which is good.
Third, when Jesus changes a “holiday Christian” into a true worshipper, he begins saving from the presence of sin. Those who know God through the work of his Messiah actually begin to sin less, not only in outward acts, but by the desires of the heart purified through the presence of God’s Spirit, until we reach heaven and holiness is given!
I once had a church member tell me that she knew when Jesus saved her: when she began to really dislike sinning. That is a good insight, isn’t it? We have a hymn that says something similar, Wesley’s, Love Divine All Loves Excelling: “Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast; let us all in thee inherit, let us find that promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its Beginning, set our hearts at liberty.” A heart truly freed hates sin. Jesus frees God’s people completely – from the penalty, the power, and even the presence of this great enemy of your soul. Do you know him by this name? Is this work developing in your life?
With this understanding of Jesus and his work, let’s consider…
3. How Can We Be Changed from a "Holiday Christian" into a "Ten-Part Worshipper"? (Matthew 1.24-25)
These verses do not have the complete answer, but they do hint at what the rest of the New Testament explains: Joseph did as the angel commanded: he named his son Jesus. In doing so, Joseph placed himself with those who need a savior. And in the end, that separates holiday Christians from true worshippers — do we embrace our need for God’s saving grace?
People attend church for many reasons. Some seek nostalgia, or the warm feeling of religious comfort, or connection with family. These are not bad, but they are not the reason Jesus was born on Christmas day.
Jesus was born because you and I need forgiveness; we need release from guilt; we need freedom from passions and desires which enslave us to selfishness, and self-seeking pleasure, and self-destructive love. We need to be saved from thinking that the greatness of God is defined by how much he makes of me, and instead realize that true freedom is finally being able to make much of him. And the first step in that great change is recognizing and accepting our need.
Calvin Miller teaches in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Beeson Divinity School. He recently wrote a provocative article entitled, “Rethinking Suburban Evangelism,” on the challenge taking the gospel to people who sense no need: “Suburbia: the push-button Zion of those who have made it and therefore have it made. There, amid the water sprinkling systems and lava rock landscapes, rises the new Eden with little need for God: Paradise Found, where churches ulcerate themselves trying to sell self-denial to the pampered.”
Reading Calvin Miller reminded me of what Jesus says in Revelation 3.17-18: “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”
Do we know that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked, until God, born as a baby in Bethlehem, comes and saves our lives?
4. Conclusion
Chuck Swindoll tells this story: “Consider the year 1809. The international scene was tumultuous. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody then cared about babies. But the world was overlooking some terribly significant births. For example, William Gladstone was born that year. He was destined to become one of England’s finest statesman. That Alfred Tennyson was born to an obscure minister and his wife, a child who profoundly affected the literary world.
“On the American continent, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And not far away in Boston, Edgar Allan Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life. Also in 1809, a Dr. Darwin and his wife named their new baby, “Charles.” And the same year heard the cries of a newborn in a rugged log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky: Abraham Lincoln. What events were reported as “news” in 1809? What was thought to affect the destiny of the world? Surely it was Napoleon’s battles in Austria. Those were significant; but we now know that the great stories of that year were lying in the cradles of England and America.
In the year of Jesus’ birth, everyone talked about taxation and government oppression. Now we know that the really big news was in the cradle of a young Jewish woman. As the angel said, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy…. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Will we embrace our need to be saved this Christmas, and so join the wise men who still seek the baby born to be king, or will we remain “holiday Christians”? Think about that, amen.
