The first ever TV special based on the Peanuts cartoon strip was “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” in 1965. When they first saw the show, CBS executives were strongly against the idea of an animated Christmas special with such a blatant message. Bill Melendez, one of the producers, tried to talk Charles Schulz out of using Biblical references, especially the scene where Linus gives the true meaning of Christmas by quoting Luke 2:8-14. Schulz reportedly won him over by saying, "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?" As it turned out, Linus’ quotation from Luke is one of the most power moments in the whole thing. And, for the next 47 years, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special has played on TV every year. 3 cheers for Linus, and for Charles Schulz!
There’s a risk with making a big deal of something over and over. Year after year, we purposely come into contact with the story of Christmas, the facts of Christmas, the traditions, the sights, sounds, smells, and all the memories associated with Christmas. Year after year, over and over, with the same sights and sounds and words we remember the birth of Jesus into the world. Included in all these is the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin. There are all these names and titles we associate with Jesus, and among the many is this name, or title, that was delivered by the angel Gabriel to Mary very early on in the story as he brings her the news that she will bear a son.
Luke 1:32-35
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
I poured over these verses again and again. Could it be that we’ve gotten it out of balance? Is the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, His deity, overemphasized, or maybe are we reading that into the text? Let’s see, in these few verses…
An angel from Heaven is giving this message
He will be called Son of the Most High
The Lord God is going to give Him the throne of David
He will reign, forever, over an unending Kingdom
The HS will come upon Mary; the Most High will overshadow her
The Child is going to be a holy Child
He’ll be called the Son of God
Nope, I’m pretty sure that Luke wants us to understand that Jesus really is the Son of God! In fact, Mark, who doesn’t include any detail at all about the Christmas story, starts his gospel with
Mark 1:1
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
He will be called the Son of God. It’s around that idea now that we want to highlight some important outcomes…
He will be called the Son of God.
I. His Conception Will Be God-Enacted
Gabriel told Mary:
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
The fact that Jesus is the Son of God is closely tied to the fact that His conception was a miracle.
I know it will rattle some cages here, but the birth of a baby is not a miracle. The very first thing Adam and Eve were commanded to do – Gen 1:28 – was have babies. God said, “Be fruitful and fill the earth.” He didn’t say, “Go work miracles.” The birth of a baby is a wondrous thing, but it’s not a miracle. It’s very much within the laws of nature – it’s very natural.
We also need to recognize that the conception of Jesus isn’t the 1st miraculous conception.
We read stories about women who were without children, but God changes that – Elkanah and Hannah, Jacob and Rachel – they conceive and bear children.
Then we read of others who didn’t have children, and for them to have a child would be more than just unexpected. It would be a miracle. Abraham and Sarah, at ages 99 and 89 were told by God they would have a son the next year. And, right here in this angel announcement to Mary (v36) is the news that old Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, is 6 months pregnant, even though she’s way too old to bear a child. To quote Zacharias, “I am old, and my wife is advanced in years.” Smart man! But these 2 old ladies each have children. It’s a miracle. God seems to be able to handle that kind of thing.
Did you notice what the angel said in v35? “…and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” What reason? Well, the fact that God’s power would be the agent of conception here – that Mary would conceive a child without a man. No one would be able to point to the father of this child, because He would have no earthly father. The only other time we hear of such a thing is in Isaiah 7 when God gives a woman a son without a father as a sign that God is near.
It hasn’t happened since. The birth of Jesus needed to happen in such a way that no man could be rightly called His father. In other words, it was part of the proof that Jesus was the Son of God. There were many other proofs that would come later in Jesus’ life, but this first one – the fact that a virgin conceived and bore a son – is the first and obvious evidence that this holy Child was the Son of God.
Ravi Zacharias, in "Questions I Would Like to Ask God," writes:
I have often referenced the quote by the talk show host Larry King, in his response to a particular question: "If you could select any one person across all of history to interview, who would it be?" Mr. King’s answer was that he would like to interview Jesus Christ. When the questioner followed with, "And what would you like to ask him?" King replied, "I would like to ask him if he was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me."
Zacharias then writes that when he requested permission through a common friend to quote Larry King, King sent word saying, "And tell him I was not being facetious."
I was digging through a set of books I have called The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. It’s a useful reference set, but has some liberal leanings in it. So, when I start to read about the whole Christmas story, I start reading all these explanations about how the word for “virgin” can simply be translated “young woman” and how there were other reasons not to believe that Jesus was born to a virgin. Why attack that idea? These so-called scholars deny the virgin birth, and when they do, they’re denying God. It’s only the first of many proofs, but they deny it. What’s up with that?
Have you ever wondered why Christmas has become such a battleground? Where does it all come from? – “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”; nativity scenes being outlawed on public property; the adoration of Santa Claus; the challenge of finding Christmas cards that have anything at all to do with Jesus. Jesus’ name is the basis for the name of the whole holiday itself, and yet it seems like Jesus is getting pushed out of it all the time.
All I can say is Satan engages where it matters. His attacks are well-planned, at places where they’ll do the most damage. Christmas is one of those places, because the Christmas story is about God becoming man, and living among us. Jesus is the Son of God.
Mary needed an explanation! Joseph needed an explanation! Apparently, so do we. Jesus’ conception was God-enacted.
He will be called the Son of God
II. His Impact Will Be Bigger Than Man-Sized
All over our planet there craters where asteroids have collided with the Earth. Right now, 175 sights, over 800 possibly. The Vredefort crater in S. Africa is the largest verified impact crater on Earth. The asteroid that hit Vredefort is estimated to have been one of the largest ever to strike Earth - approximately 3.1–6.2 mi in diameter. It left a dent about 190 miles in diameter.
In Arizona is Meteor Crater (AKA Barringer Crater), nearly one mile across and more than 550 feet deep. Scientists estimate a meteor about 150 feet across, traveling at 40,000 mph did this.
12-21-12, by the way, is the end of the world, you know!
I don’t know a lot about these impact sights. But I do know this – the bigger and faster the meteor, the bigger the impact!
The birth of most every person makes some kind of impact on the world, in someone’s life. I can testify to that truth! And we raise our children to make an impact – to lead, to serve, to effect change. We want them to make a big and good impact on the world. But there’s a limit here. The impact they’ll make can be only man-sized. No matter how educated, how privileged, how blessed, how motivated a person is, the impact he or she makes on this world will always be limited – man-sized.
When the Son of God entered earth, His impact was much bigger!
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…
Today, as we read the Christmas story again, as we consider again that Jesus is the Son of God, let’s remember what that means about the impact He’ll make on the earth.
1. A Wiser Impact
God knew that we needed a Savior. The Jewish nation was awaiting the arrival of a military leader – a revolutionary who would help them throw off the shackles of Rome and be free again. God knew that all of us were actually powerless because of an unseen slavery to sin.
Romans 5:6-8
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
While we struggle to pick out the gift that someone will just love this Christmas, remember this – God knew exactly what we need most. We need the Son of God to come to earth and free us from our slavery to sin. God sent what we needed, before any one of us even realized we needed it. Only the Son of God can make such a wise impact in this world.
2. A Broader Impact
The angel said that Jesus was going to rule over the throne of David and the house of Jacob. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, we become part of that great house too.
You can point to people that have made a broad impact in the world, but when the Son of God hits earth, the affects reach farther. The angel announced to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
The rest of the Scriptures bear that out…
Romans 5:18 - Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.
Romans 10:4 - Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 10:13 – everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 - …we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
1 Timothy 2:6a – [Jesus] gave himself as a ransom for all men…
Hebrews 2:9b - [Jesus] was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
1 Timothy 4:10b - …we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
As the gospel gets taken around the world and shared with people in places where it hasn’t been heard before, those who are taking it to them are finding the same thing: people want to know their Creator and to have a right relationship with Him. Jesus is what they need too!
Humanity needed more than a human hero. We needed Someone Whose impact was going to reach every person. Only the Son of God could do that.
3. A Longer Impact
Sometimes we measure the impact of a person by how long his influence can be felt.
Every year, TIME Magazine selects a “person of the year,” trying to spotlight the person, group, idea or object that "for better or for worse has done the most to influence the events of the year.”
But the next year, it will be a different person. One year seems like a pretty short time out of some 7,000 years of history, doesn’t it?
Then I look at the description of the impact of the Son of God and I read words like “forever,” and “His kingdom will have no end.” I look around me and see that the whole world, every year, is impacted by His birth over 2,000 years ago, and I’m reminded that this child is no mere child, but the Son of God.
If Jesus is just a man, we ought to be apologizing to the world for suggesting that they should follow Him. If He is just a man, we ought to be embarrassed that we pray to Him and devote ourselves to Him. But if He is the Son of God, our very selves ought to bear the unmistakable impact He has left upon us.
He is the Son of God.
III. His Kingdom Will Be More Than Earth-Based
Look again at v32:
…the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.
The world has a hard time explaining the existence of the Jews in the Middle East today. It seems like they’re surrounded by other nations that hate them and would like to get rid of them. I think it may have something to do with some of the things God promised, unconditionally, to Abraham and to others many years ago about the Jews not vanishing. Even so, when the angel said that this Child would reign over the house of Jacob forever and that His Kingdom will have no end, it meant something much bigger.
Jesus stood before Pilate. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
That means…
1. Our worship is of Someone beyond this world
For every idol-worshiping culture that has goofed it up and worshiped the sun, or the stars, or some being that was somewhere “out there,” I will say this: at least they recognized that worship belongs to Someone Whose very being is greater than ourselves.
There’s a different message coming at me through the media. I’m supposed to be impressed by musicians, by athletes, by people with letters of degrees after their names, by talk show hosts, by actors. Sometimes I am – often not favorably! I’m even supposed to adore and “celebrate” and imitate them – the very things that God says I’m supposed to do toward Him.
My worship doesn’t belong to any human! -even if his birth was impressive, and if he’s a very wise teacher, and if lots of people agree he’s a swell guy, He has to be more than just a guy. My worship belongs to Someone Who is the Son of God.
Embracing this concept has the potential to completely shape our whole approach to worship. Worship is our response to a transcendent God – to the Creator Who owes us nothing and to Whom we owe our very existence. Worship is our offering of promises and praise and thanks that we come to give to the God Who has given us everything we have. That’s a lot different than walking into an auditorium with a mental scorecard and judging whether or not “I liked worship today.” If that’s you, stop it! If you find yourself somehow dissatisfied with worship, I challenge you to step back and see if your focus is on Someone beyond this world. That’s where it belongs.
Finally,
2. Our hope isn’t earth-based
1 Corinthians 15:19
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
That’s because our hope in Jesus is the belief that we’re not going to remain on this earth! Our hope is for a new Heaven, new earth, and new bodies! That’s what the Son of God brought with Him!
Let me put that in Christmas terms: Your Ipad will break…after the warranty. Your batteries will go dead. The new boots will go out of fashion – next year, in fact. Your car will get dings and need maintenance. Your favorite memories will fade from your mind. Your doctor will tell you to stop eating your favorite dessert. Your family will change. The decorations will wear out. None of the stuff of the Christ-mess will last.
Lots of humans have made me lots of promises through the years. Some have even kept them. Only the Son of God can promise me Heaven and keep that promise! And He will!
Conclusion:
I found several people saying out loud this truth about Jesus. JB, Nathanael, Martha, the disciples, even the centurion who helped crucify Jesus – all of them said He is the Son of God.
If you’re willing to acknowledge it this morning, right where you’re seated, I’d like you to close your eyes and express it to Jesus. Would you, out loud, say to Him, “You are the Son of God”?
Just how important is it to remember this Christmas that Jesus was called the Son of God?
Here’s something to chew on.
The first recorded time that anyone said “if” regarding Jesus’ deity was in the desert as He was being tempted by the devil. It was the devil who said, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread.” “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from this wall.”
The next were those who basically said, “If you are the Son of God, show us a sign.”
Then, it was those who mocked Him as he hung on the cross that said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” The only ones in the Bible who ever said, “If you are the Son of God” to Jesus were those who hated Him and the devil himself.
Today, there are many people who put an “if” on the front of this title. They cast doubt on Scriptures that they don’t want to believe, they disregard the impact that Jesus should be having on them, and their hope and worship are tied up in the things of this world only. They put an “if” before the statement, “You are the Son of God.”
If that’s you this morning, there’s a change that needs to take place. You need to take that “if” and change it to a “since.” You need to be saying, “Jesus, since You are the Son of God, I believe your word is true. Since You are the Son of God, my life is impacted by You. Since you are the Son of God, my hope isn’t in this world, my worship belongs to You.”
