The Purpose, power & the Peace of Christmas
In today's reading, our text is taken from gospel of Luke chapter 2:1-35, we read about one of the most moving episode in the Human History. There is only one unique person ever in the world who called Himself “the Truth”, “the Way,” and “the Life” and He is the Alpha & Omega, the greatest of all the prophets, the mightiest of all the mighty, the Savior of the world, God incarnate.
The Purpose of Christmas
The origin and purpose of Christmas is presented beautifully in the Biblical account of Gospel of Luke. In those days the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This meant that families had to register in their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. So Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as this was town that Joseph's family, originally came from - a journey of about 112 kilometers. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
The world knew not of his birth. Work went on as usual. Nothing outwardly heralded his advent into the world. Only heaven appeared to be interested. In fact, God has to arrange a welcome himself, and so legions of angels circled the skies and heralded His birth. Wise men from the East, studying the stars, and observing an unusual phenomenon in the heavens, came with their gifts from afar. Shepherds bowed in adoration and worship. Rulers learned of his birth and became fearful and afraid. Anger filled their hearts. Murder was conceived and executed. Fearful of losing their power, they sought His death by every possible means. Every diabolical plan that satanic ingenuity could devise was used to destroy him. Demons trembled. Satan became enraged. All hell was allied against Him. But God was watching and He lived in spite of all.
The entrance of Jesus into the Earth was fascinating! Fulfilling prophecy, having gifts brought from afar, having local shepherd men honor Him, having a king attempt to assassinate Him and fleeing to Egypt in the middle of the night were a few signs that hint at the importance of this child. Jesus has come to earth, the Almighty has entered our world, the infinite has become finite, and the eternal has invaded time. He did not come to a palace with marble halls and carpeted stairs. No luxurious bed chamber was prepared for His birth. Cathedral bells failed to toll; bands were silent; no royal choruses burst forth in song. Only the music of Heaven was heard. Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Lord Jesus came to a stable, and was laid in a manger. His mother had only the straw for a bed and animals were her companions. He was born into the most humble circumstances imaginable.
There is a verse that sums up the real purpose of Christmas better than any other verse in the Bible. And here is the verse—2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The whole story of Christmas is in that verse. It sums up the great truth behind a baby’s birth. Theologians call it the Incarnation–God in human flesh. The Bible calls him Immanuel–God with us. A generation ago C. S. Lewis put this doctrine in its proper perspective: “The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this.” God has come down to us in the person of Jesus. He left heaven to make his home among us, to reveal God to us, to show us the true nature of the Father.
In him we see God’s love.
In him we see God’s mercy.
In him we see God’s kindness.
In him we see God’s justice.
In him we see God’s holiness.
In him we see God’s Redemption.
He came to us full of grace and truth, He is the Savior, he is the Lord, and he is the Christ—the one sent from God. This is the heart of Christmas. God loved us enough to send his only begotten Son. This is the marvelous truth of Christmas—Immanuel—God with us.
The Power of Christmas
How does one explain the Almighty stooping to become a tiny infant? Our minds cannot begin to understand what was involved in God's becoming man. Nor can anyone explain how God could become a baby. Yet He did. Without forsaking His divine nature or diminishing His deity, He was born into our world as a tiny infant. He was fully human, with all the needs and emotions that are common to us all. Yet He was also fully God--all wise and all powerful. For nearly 2,000 years, debate has been raging about who Jesus really is. Cults and skeptics have offered various explanations. They'll say He is one of many gods, a created being, a high angel, a good teacher, a prophet, and so on. The common thread of all such theories is that they make Jesus less than God. But the biblical evidence is overwhelming that this child in the manger was the incarnation of God. One passage in particular, written by the apostle Paul, captures the essence of Jesus' divine nature and underscores the truths that make Christmas truly wonderful.
Colossians 1:15-20 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For. . . all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross. “
Little did the Roman Emperor Caesar know that this Babe, through His life, teachings, death and resurrection would one day have a greater influence than the birth and death of any other man in the History. For He was destined to be recognized by countless millions as the greatest of all the prophets, the mightiest of all the mighty, the Savior of the world, God incarnate. And now for nearly two thousand years His birth has been commemorated, for he is the central Figure of all history. More than twenty hundred Christmas days have come and gone since that never- to-be forgotten night when “the Word made flesh and dwelt among us”. And today, after the passing of more than twenty hundred years, he is worshipped by countless millions, both dead and living, and untold multitudes are looking forward to the time when he will reappear “without sin unto salvation.
The power of Good news
We hear lots of bad news every day. News about misery, sorrow, sickness, scarcity, disaster, rape, murder, death etc. those things are heartbreaking and news of sorrow- not good news. While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because the guest room was full. That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord.”God alone can bring good news for men, his creation, news of comfort which says don’t be afraid, be cheerful, peaceful, take courage for there is “a Savior… born to you.” It is good news because it brings joy and peace and takes away fear. For man needed “a Savior” and was seeking a way to escape from fear, sorrow, sin and death. The pain and misery of human life was the result of man’s rebellion and self-will against God and his selfish way of life which took him away from God, from the fellowship with his creator. Then man began searching a way back to restore his relationships to his creator and find the missing joy. But while man failed to get that joy and fellowship by his own effort and search, God came down to meet his need. By His love and mercy he brought/ provided what man was longing and was looking form in the form of the Savior- that was Christ.
As we celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus the promised Messiah. Jesus came to bring hope, forgiveness and change the hearts of people. Christmas is about miracles of transformation. The birth of Jesus brought about many dramatic changes. We date our calendars AD and BC. - After the death of Christ and before the death of Christ. People surrounding the birth of Christ experienced different transformations. From their experiences we learn several life principles to live by.
God entrusted the greatest message ever sent from heaven to a bunch of ordinary shepherds. Actually, this isn’t so unusual, is it? God has always worked wonders for the forgotten, for the despised, and for the lowly. From the very beginning of his time on earth, Jesus came to those who felt horrible and were humble. Matthew 9:12-13: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus reached out to sinners like Zacchaeus and Levi, prostitutes and the demon possessed, strangers and Samaritans. He did in His ministry what the Father did in a borrowed stable when the lowly shepherds looked at the Lord as the cattle were lowing. Mary captured this in her song recorded in Luke 1:52: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth…He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things…so that no one may boast before Him.” The Lord comes to the lowly, to the most undeserving, to the neglected and marginalized in order to show His love and power.
The Shepherds help us see that God has a message for sinners just like us. Everyone matters to God. And the only announcement of Christ’s birth goes out to a bunch of uneducated outcasts. Indeed, as the song says: What a strange way to the save the world! As we briefly look at the shepherds’ response, we’ll see some lessons that we can apply to our lives so that we don’t forget the Son this season.
Listen to Luke 4:18-19: We find Jesus’ Mission Statement in the first message He preached in Nazareth when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” These verses are ripe with the richness of encouragement, hope and good news for all.
The Peace of Christmas
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" Luke 2:14.
Peace is so vital to all of us. We want a world without pain, a world without fear, a world without war and hatred? We want a community that is hallmarked by brotherhood, friendship and mutual care, where any loneliness and pain is immediately met by the care of concerned neighbors. We long for a family where there is no misunderstanding, where there is only mutual respect and love, peace, concern and compassion.
God’s peace in Christ is offered to the world. This peace begins with peace with God, which is evident from the words of the angels -- they announced "peace among men with whom He is pleased." There are quite a few important words to the Christmas message, I suppose: Love, Peace, joy, good will, salvation, etc. But high up the list would be the word Peace’. We all know that Christmas Eve is about Peace. Ever since we were children and brought to the church on Christmas Eve, we were taught that tonight was the birth of the Prince of Peace. We sing Silent Night: sleep in heavenly peace. We sing It came upon the midnight clear: peace on earth. We sing Hark the herald angels sing: peace on earth. We heard from the prophet Isaiah that the Messiah will be the Prince of Peace. We heard from a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
God’s purpose is to give you peace by being the most glorious Person in your life. Five times in the New Testament he is called “the God of peace” (Romans 15:13; 16:20, Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 13:20). And Jesus said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). And Paul said “Jesus himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). If we want peace to rule in our lives, God must rule in our lives. Christ must rule in our lives. God’s purpose is not to give you peace separate from himself. His purpose is to give you peace by being the most glorious Person in your life.
The most basic need we have is peace with God. This is foundational to all our pursuits of peace. If we don’t go here first, all other experiences of peace will be superficial and temporary. Romans 5:1 say, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Being justified means that God declares you to be just in his sight by imputing to you the righteousness of Jesus. And he does that by faith alone: “Since we have been justified by faith.” And the result is peace with God. God adopts us into his family. He is our Father, and our Friend. We have peace. This is foundational to all other people.
The Christmas message is about the Prince of Peace coming to us, coming to live amongst us, bringing us peace, teaching us to walk in the ways of peace. If we want to live in a peaceful world, if we want to know peace in our hearts…we can’t buy or manufacture that. We need to let the Prince of Peace come and dwell in us, full of grace and truth, and allow him to govern our life. As St Paul said “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. …”(Colossians 3:15)
When Christ dwells in us, then we shall know peace. When the Peace of Christ rules in our hearts, then we shall experience peace. In the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, the Risen Christ says, “I stand at the door and knock. If you will open the door I will come in and I will eat with you and you will eat with me.” Each one of us has an invitation from God to open the door of our heart and allow him in. And, as we receive Christ, so we will know his peace in our lives. And, as we experience his peace and allow that to shape who we are, so our world will be transformed. Christmas is the provision of God- the Savior for the sinful suffering men, a remission which is atonement for their sins. Anyone or everyone who accept this gift of God will have that Peace - the peace of forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life with God. This will provide real peace and happiness to all who receive it. It is for all men. Jesus Christ is a personal gift, free gift, and perfect gift to you. This is true Christmas. It is from God.
Merry Christmas!!!!
