WHAT WE CAN LEARN THIS CHRISTMAS
This is a second on the series on the Christmas message.
Last week, we talked about the three wise men who traveled from a far away place in search for the baby Jesus, the King of the Jews.
They just followed the star for many years with great perseverance until they arrived to the right place.
There, they worshiped Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In coming home, they went through another route to avoid the evil intention of King Herod.
Surely, we see the hand of God at work in making sure the first Christmas was fulfilled.
Many of you have heard of the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."
It is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album.
The song is a celebration and description of the various activities associated with the Christmas season.
It focuses on getting together between friends and families.
If you listen carefully to the lyrics, among the activities included in the song is the telling of "scary ghost stories."
It's true, during the Victorian times, it was a tradition to tell spooky tales on Christmas Eve.
Thank God that it isn't done anymore.
However, some great activities in celebrating Christmas from the song include hosting parties, spontaneous visits from friends and spending time with loved ones.
Others also include sledding with children, kissing under the mistletoe, roasting marshmallows and sharing stories about the previous Christmases and of course, singing Christmas carols in increment weather.
Since then, it became one of the top ten Christmas songs of all time.
Christmas indeed is the most wonderful time of the year.
Let me also share to you a Quote on Christmas from Joel Osteen, the pastor of the largest Christian church in the United States based in Houston Texas:
"Christmas is the perfect time to celebrate the love of God and family and to create memories that will last forever.
Jesus is God's perfect, indescribable gift.
The amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive this gift,
but we are able to share it with others on Christmas and every other day of the year."
True, because of Christmas, we can share the love of Christ to others.
But to many, Christmas is just a good tradition that we do every single year.
During that time, they set up the Christmas lights, the Christmas tree and all the other Christmas decorations.
Then, all over you go in various department stores, you will hear those Christmas carols being sung over and over again.
Christmas can often loose its real meaning and significance.
People look forward for this date to receive and give out gifts.
But do you know that we can learn some important spiritual truths as we celebrate Christmas?
It should not just be a tradition year in and year out, but a learning experience for all of us.
If we want to learn about Christ, we must start with Christmas.
Because Christmas is all about the birth of Christ.
That He was born of a virgin.
That Christ is fully God and fully man.
That God in Christ became one of us in order to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
You see, when we deny this essential doctrine of the virgin birth and the incarnation,
We deny the Scripture, we deny Christ and we deny our very own salvation.
Brothers and sisters, we truly believe in the virgin birth of Christ.
That Christ was born of the virgin Mary.
And today, we will examine the important spiritual things that Mary and Joseph learned that first Christmas day.
First, we will look at what Mary learned about the value of a Savior.
Then, we will examine what Joseph learned about the value of trusting God's plan.
Finally, we will learn how both Mary and Joseph learned the value of God's Word.
I invite you to open your heart and learn with us the most wonderful time of the year.
1. MARY LEARNED THE VALUE OF A SAVIOR.
Matthew 1:18-19 (niv) "18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly."
These verses talks about the simple explanation of how the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place.
There was Mary pledged to be married to Joseph.
They were not yet married.
They had no physical or sexual union at that time.
They were just pledged - or arranged be married to each other.
However, it said that before they even came together, Mary became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit with the baby Jesus.
And when Joseph knew that Mary was pregnant, he was greatly shocked and disturbed.
He wanted to obey the law and decided at first to divorce her quietly.
He did not want to expose her to public disgrace.
The words: "pregnant through the Holy Spirit" in verse 18 means the Miraculous conception of Mary.
It was a miracle because Mary did not have sexual relations with Joseph yet she conceived our Lord in her womb.
This is the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ that we truly believe.
The virgin birth however does not imply that Jesus was born in a manner different from any other child.
He was born in exactly the same way as you and I were born.
When Jesus was born into this world, he was exposed to all human weaknesses, to human needs and desires.
He had to be fed, he had to be changed, he had to be cared for, nurtured, educated protected and loved, just like every one of us.
Yet, He was still fully God and Sustainer of all things.
However, the term "Miraculous Conception" does not mean that Mary was also conceived and born without the original sin.
She was a sinner just like all the rest of us.
She admitted that she needed God's gracious salvation in Luke 1:47,48.
Luke 1:47-48Living Bible (TLB) 47 How I rejoice in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God."
The text tells us that she learned to rejoice in discovering God her Savior.
This refers to Jesus as our Savior from sin.
This is the great message of the gospel of salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine the honor of being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.
This is how Mary felt.
That is why she was rejoicing because she had been chosen to be the instrument for the coming Messiah.
And she knew that she needed a Savior herself just like every one of us.
And so, she had to learn to trust her Savior, Jesus by humbly submitting herself to God's will.
And after she submitted herself to God's will and purpose for her life, she enjoyed a sense of God's continuous presence in her life.
That is what we need to do as well.
We need to believe that Jesus is our only Savior.
That Christ was born without the sin nature.
This brings us to lesson No. 1. WE MUST PUT CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR AND LORD.
Romans 10:9Living Bible (TLB) 9 For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
On that first Christmas, Mary learned about the need for a Savior.
And Mary learned that Christ is her only Savior from her sins.
Because Christ was fully God and fully man.
That way He could identify with our plight in life.
He lived a normal life for over 30 years.
He experienced all that we experienced, including all the emotions, all the relationships, and temptations of this world.
He drove nails as He worked with His earthly father.
He obeyed His earthly mother when she asked Him to take out the trash.
He played, He worked, and He lived the life of a man, a real and perfect human being.
He went to sleep at night, and awoke to a normal life with all of the stresses and opportunities a human could have in the first century.
Yet, Christ did not commit any single sin.
He was totally sinless and lived a holy life.
So that if we believe in Christ, we too will be saved from the penalty and the punishment of sin.
D.M. Stearns was preaching in Philadelphia.
At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said,
"I don't like the way you spoke about the cross.
I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example."
Stearns replied, "If I presented Christ in that way, would you be willing to follow Him?"
"I certainly would," said the stranger without hesitation.
"All right then," said the preacher, "let's take the first step.
He did no sin.
Can you claim that for yourself?"
The man looked confused and somewhat surprised.
"Why, no," he said.
"I acknowledge that I do sin."
Stearns replied, "Then your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example!"
According to an article written in Christianity.com by Dr. Bruce Ware,
a professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,
There are several reasons why Christ alone is our only Savior.
1. Christ alone was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.
2. Christ alone is God incarnate.
3. Christ alone lived a sinless life.
4. Christ alone died in our place.
5. Christ alone rose from the dead triumphant over sin.
Therefore, only Jesus qualifies to be our Savior.
John 14:6New International Version (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12New International Version (NIV)
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
In order for Christ to be our Savior, we must repent and beleive.
And so, do you know Christ?
Just like Mary, do you know the value of having Christ as your Savior?
Have you committed your life to Him?
Do you know you have a great purpose and destiny in this world?
You cannot truly celebrate Christmas without the knowledge and the understanding of the incarnation.
The true meaning of Christmas is found in Christ.
That He existed even before the universe was created.
That He created man for His own image and likeness.
That we have sinned against God, God sent His son to die for us.
That He chose to come down to us, to be one of us to redeem us from our sins.
You see, Christ has given Himself to us as a very precious gift this Christmas.
He became human being in order to express His love for us.
Commit your life to Him and enjoy the Christmas season.
Somebody said:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
If your greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
Brothers and sisters, we need a Savior, not information, not technology, not money, not pleasure.
2. JOSEPH LEARNED THE VALUE OF TRUST.
Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV) "20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Here in these verses, we find the focus of the Scripture on the thoughts and the actions of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
It said in verses 20 that when he was about to divorce her quietly, he had a dream from God.
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him not to be afraid in taking Mary home as his wife.
And then, the angel of the Lord explained to him the plan of God regarding the baby Jesus.
That it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Mary was pregnant.
That this baby should be called by the name of Jesus.
That the main reason why Jesus was born was to save the people from their sins.
Let us examine closely the raging conflict in the heart of Joseph when he found out that Mary was pregnant.
At first, he was really afraid to take Mary as his wife.
He does not want to live with an unfaithful wife for the rest of his life.
But Joseph was both a godly and a gracious man.
That means he had godly wisdom and yet had a tender consideration for Mary's welfare.
And as his heart was breaking, he was leaning toward quietly terminating the relationship.
He does not want to spark any public embarrassment for Mary.
And so, his heart was open for God's direction and prayerfully meditating on the right course of action.
Brothers and sisters, that is the kind of attitude we need to develop before making hasty decisions in life particularly when relationships is involved.
We must always seek for God's wisdom and we must always be gracious to people.
This will avoid the sudden reaction of a judgmental spirit.
When we seek the Lord before making hasty decisions, we allow God's wisdom to prevail.
Because there are things in this world that we do not know and we do not understand.
And so, as Joseph sought for God's wisdom, it was then that the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
He was told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.
He was also told about the over-all plan of God regarding man's salvation fro sin.
As a human being, probably he doubted at first.
But after some time, there was a growing assurance that began to sweep over him.
Joseph learned the value of trust.
His trust in God's plan solidified in his searching soul.
This brings us to lesson No. 2. WE MUST LEARN TO TRUST GOD.
Psalm 118:8Living Bible (TLB) 8 It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men.
There are many people who have great difficulty learning how to trust.
There was a story of a man who lived on Long Island.
He was able one day to satisfy a lifelong ambition by purchasing for himself a very fine barometer.
When the instrument arrived at his home, he was extremely disappointed to find that the indicating needle appeared to be stuck.
It was pointing to the sector marked "HURRICANE."
He shook the barometer very vigorously several times.
Still, it was stuck to hurricane.
He decided to sit down and write a scorching letter to the store from which he had purchased the instrument.
The following morning on the way to his office in New York, he mailed the letter.
That evening he returned to Long Island to find not only the barometer missing, but his house also.
The barometer's needle had been right all along.
There really was a hurricane!
It just happened that he just doesn't trust the barometer.
When we learned to trust God, we learn to trust other people as well.
Developing trust is important in every marriage relationship.
When a man and a woman stand at the altar and listen to each other promising to forsake all and cleaving to each other,
it was the start of developing that trust for the rest of theriu lives.
Trust is the foundation stone of every marriage and it must grow over the years.
Somebody said,
"If you succeed in cheating someone, don't think that the person is a fool.
Realize that the person trusted you much more than you deserved!"
Trust is being able to tell our mates our innermost thoughts and feelings.
Trust is believing that these secrets would never be used against us.
Trust is believing we will be loved and accepted anyway regardless of our mistakes in life.
Trust is feeling no anger or jealousy when we see our mate talking to someone of the opposite sex.
Trust is believing our mates when they tell us where they have been or what they are thinking.
We need to learn a lot of things about the value of trust so that we could calm our fears.
We need to learn to trust God and His Word.
We need to learn to trust our mates.
We need to learn to trust our growing children.
So far, we studied that Mary learned the value of a Savior.
Then, we discussed that Joseph learned the value of trusting God's plan.
3. MARY AND JOSEPH LEARNED THE VALUE OF GOD'S WORD.
Matthew 1:22-25 (NIV) "22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
These verses tell us about the fulfillment of prophecy in the birth of Christ, the King of the Jews.
The word "fulfill" means it will bring to completion - it will be accomplished and achieved.
It talks about the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 concerning Christ that has been fulfilled after hundreds of years.
Isaiah 7:14New International Version (NIV) 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel.[d]
He will be called "Immanuel" which means "God with us."
Then, Joseph woke up from his dream and obeyed what the angel told him.
He took Mary home as his wife.
But there was no sexual union.
Mary gave birth to a son.
And his name was Jesus.
They both learned the value of God's faithfulness according to His Word.
This brings us to lesson No. 2. WE MUST REMEMBER THAT GOD'S WORD WILL REMAIN FOREVER.
Matthew 24:35Living Bible (TLB)
35 “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever."
Many things in this world will never last forever.
Here are some quotes about this truth:
"All things in life are temporary.
If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.
If going wrong don't worry, they can't last long either." Aaron Chan
"You need to return to the truth of God's Word that will last forever.
Not meditate on the circumstance that will fade and change."
Someday, they will all be destroyed by fire.
But only God's Word will prevail.
Only God's promises will be fulfilled.
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