HoHum:
A British businessman is credited with creating the Christmas card in 1843 — as a way to save time. Too busy to write a personal holiday greeting, Henry Cole hired a well-known London artist to design a card he could send to all his acquaintances. Louis Prang, a German immigrant, is said to have brought the Christmas card tradition to America in 1875, printing a card depicting Killarney roses and the words Merry Christmas. In the last few years, Christmas card sales have declined because of the internet. Thanks to all who carry on the tradition of sending cards.
WBTU:
An elder I served with in eastern North Carolina, a retired probation officer and now a preacher, sent out this card a few years ago. Only love could leave heaven for a stable. Only humility could use a donkey as a throne. Only hope could trade a crown of gold for one of thorns. Only Jesus could give up everything He deserved, To give us something we could never earn, life without end. The McLawhorn family, Skipper, Deborah, Christopher and Matthew.
Thesis: Let’s talk about each of these phrases tonight.
For instances:
Only love could leave heaven for a stable.
He left the splendor of heaven. John 17:5: And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Not only did he leave heaven, but was born as a man. Philippians 2:6-7: 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. John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Not only that but he was born not into a wealthy family and a life of privilege, but into a poor family and his birth was in a stable. Luke 2:7: She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Why a stable? The manger is where the beasts were fed to show that even beast like men may come to him and live. To show that Christ is free to all, like the stable was free and the manger was free. To give an invitation to the most humble to come to him. To show forth his humiliation. After all Jesus wore ordinary clothing, he lived with fishermen, and he had not permanent place to lay his head.
John 14:23: Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 3:16
Philippians 2:8: And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
Only humility could use a donkey as a throne
Matthew 21:1-9
The donkey is an animal symbolic of humility, peace and Davidic royalty. The colt of a donkey not only symbolizes humility and meekness, but the colt had not been ridden, so it was not ever put to secular use.
Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem in this way to publicly claim that he was the chosen Son of David to sit on David's throne. King David used this symbolism to proclaim his son, Solomon, to be the rightful heir to the throne.
The people, including children, took palm branches and went out to meet Jesus. Palm branches were used in celebration of victory. (John saw a multitude with palm branches in heaven.) The very large crowd also spread their cloaks on the road, much as we would roll out the red carpet today.
Only hope could trade a crown of gold for one of thorns.
Mark 15:16-20
It was appropriate that they should think of the crown of thorns, because in the Garden of Eden thorns were a part of the curse. Sandi Patty- The Day He Wore My Crown
The city was Jerusalem The time was long ago The people called him Jesus The crime was the love He showed And I'm the one to blame I caused all the pain
He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown
He could have called His holy Father, and said, "Take me away, please, take me away." He could have said, "I'm not guilty. And I'm not going to stay I'm not going to pay." But He walked right through the gate And then on up the hill And as He fell beneath the weight He cried, "Father, not My will." And I'm the one to blame I caused all His pain
He gave Himself, the day He wore my crown.
Because He willingly wore the crown of thorns, the saints will be able through His grace to wear the crown of righteousness that Paul tells about in Second Timothy 4:8: Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Only Jesus could give up everything He deserved
What did Jesus deserve? He deserved to be treated like the glorious and holy King that He is.
But what did He get? He got the cross! He suffered the wrath of God on our behalf! The Father treated Him as if He were the sinner? Oh, the humility and shame! Oh, the suffering and agony.
What did the prodigal son deserve? Nothing. He received everything while he deserved nothing (Lk. 15:11-26). What does sinful man deserve? He has earned death. He does not deserve life. What did Jesus deserve? He certainly did not get what he deserved, but because of that, neither do we (Rom. 5:6, 8: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)
To Give Us something we could never earn... life without end.
The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Wages refers to something we have earned - and we have earned death! This death is not referring to a physical death - we’re all going to physically die. The wages of our sin is a spiritual death - an eternal separation from God in a place commonly referred to as Hell.
We also cannot do enough good works to earn it or merit it. Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Romans 6:23- but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Life without end.
Conclusion and invitation:
Twas the Night Before Christmas by Erin Delcarson
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through my mind Questions were stirring of a spiritual kind. I prayed and I pondered in pain and despair In hopes that the Spirit soon would be here. My Bible was laying aside in my bed While visions of temptation danced in my head. And Doubt in its dungeon and Pride on its throne Were pulling me down to keep me alone.
When out of the darkness a light shone like day I sprang from my gloom and started to pray. Away from my sin I flew like a flash, Tore off the chains and put on the sash.
The Lord shone above as white as the snow He clothed me in righteousness, a heavenly glow. When what I confessed, He heard with a smile, "I forgive you," He said, "Be at peace my child."
Tearful I was, and filled up with love I knew in a moment, it must be the Dove. More rapid than eagles, the praises they came And I declared them with boldness, in Jesus' name.
My Savior! Redeemer! My Lover and Friend! The Alpha! Omega! Beginning and End! My sins are all nailed to Calvary's tree. They're washed away! Washed away! I'm finally free!
If a dry heart you have, then let out a cry He's calling you by name, just look to the sky! Confess that you need Him, and humbly too He'll open His arms to the bride He pursued.
But to know Christ the Vine, we must realize we're weeds. Give Him your questions, your doubts, and your needs. Then, only then, do our hearts start to say It's Jesus I need! There's no other way!
He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sin But His purity was not tarnished, He was holy within. He carried my cross, which I should have born Sometimes I feel guilty, but He says not to mourn.
His eyes-- how they twinkle, His touch like a kiss His voice is a whisper that I pray I won't miss! His commandments are tough: "Take your cross, follow Me." But it's for freedom, Paul says, that Christ set us free.
Ourselves we must see through His holy pure eyes All the hate and the evil and the black selfish pride. "I'm a good person" is what I used to say. But my whitest of whites next to Jesus is gray.
My good works won't save me, though hard I might try It's Satan's deception--a blindfold! A lie! This world tries to trick us into thinking we're fine, But we're not promised tomorrow; my life is not mine.
We seek not His Word 'cause we're busy with work But on September 11th, things turned with a jerk. We must seek Salvation with persistence and grace By taking a step, we'll finish the race.
His love is amazing; He's offering it now. Seek it. You'll find it. Someway. Somehow. 'Cause I hear Him exclaim to you in the night, "I love you my child, with all of my might!"
