We continue in our series Hope found here, and this month our focus is on Advent and Hope in the Coming King.
I want to ask you a simple question this evening, but I need you to do something first, I want you create a quick list in your head of 3 things you think you need to do this Christmas. Maybe you can think of more than 3, but three is enough for the purpose of the question that is coming...
Ok, of the 3 things you are thinking of I want you to answer in your head with a simple yes or no if the following statement is on your list: Worship Jesus The Coming King.
I wonder if this was on your list? From some of your faces I get a sense that you know it should have been. The problem is the modern world conditions us to think much more about what we want to do at Christmas than what we are actually supposed to be doing.
So many are so busy with shopping they don’t even stop to consider the real meaning of what Christmas is actually for. There is the preparation, the decorating, the presents, the food, but somehow the world has chosen to forget what they are meant to really be celebrating.
The clue is in the name - Christmas is meant to be a celebration of the coming of Christ. Christmas, should be a celebration of the birth of Jesus. So many focus on the presents they will give and get and they ignore Jesus - the greatest gift of all.
We decorate our houses with trees and lights and tinsel, we buy gifts, we wrap presents, we write our cards, we eat more than our own body weight, and ignore the real reason for the season.
In all of the preparation and celebration we forget to make time to Worship Jesus, The Coming King,
the one who came to save us from our sin.
Christ is not meant to be forgotten at Christmas. Don’t let anything push Christ out of your Christmas! As Christians we are meant to celebrate the Coming of the King, we are meant to celebrate the Birth of Christ.
Don’t let anything push Christ out of your Christmas! Celebrate Jesus, worship Him, make time for Him this Christmas.
The world pushes Christ out of Christmas, but for us as followers of Jesus, Christ must be the central part of our Christmas celebrations.
Don’t let anything push Christ out of your Christmas! On Christmas Day, worship the one who paid the price for your Sin.
All of us love gifts, will you celebrate the birth of the one who came to give you the greatest gift you could ever receive? John 3:16-17, “This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”
Christmas is about God’s plan to save us. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, the arrival of the coming King, the incarnation of our Lord and Saviour. Our salvation is the reason for the season.
In Luke 1:31, the angel speaks to Mary and tells her “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Jesus means the ‘Lord saves’ or ‘the Salvation of the Lord’.
The truth is we could never save ourselves in our own efforts, in our own strength. Jesus was born to save us, Jesus was born to restore us to relationship with Father God, He came to rescue us, He came to save us from our sins.
In the birth of Jesus, God declares you and I are worth something significant to Him, Father God declares His love for us and His willingness to save us from our sin. God loves you and me so much that He was willing to be incarnated, to come to earth, so that He could save us from our sin, He came to rescue us, and when we place our trust in Jesus we are saved.
We have hope, a certain hope, Jesus is our Saviour. Matthew 1:23 says, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Immanuel, God with us that is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. God is not just looking after us, God doesn’t just care about us, God is with us. When we are in Christ, we are never alone, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords has come and He is with us. He has come to save you for His Glory, He has come to give the gift of salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Him. Jesus came to save us from hell, from the curse of the law, from sin, from the world, from our own selfish desires. At Christmas we remember, in His love, in His Grace, in His Mercy, our King has come to rescue us and we must worship and celebrate Him.
Matthew chapter 2 records the birth of Jesus, and the Wise men, the Magi, searching for Jesus, Matthew 2:11 says, “They entered the house and saw the child with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Long ago wise men worshipped Jesus and today wise people still worship Jesus! We have a wonderful God, we have a wonderful Saviour and He is to be praised and worshipped.
During the year, it is easy for us to make excuses about not coming to church on a Sunday, or finding other things to do instead of coming to the mid-week meetings, but at Christmas, we have no excuse for not taking the time to praise and worship God.
All year long, God has blessed us, we have been touched by His mercy, grace and love.
Don’t push Christ out of your Christmas. Don’t ignore Christ at Christmas. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate the Real Reason for the Season. Praise and worship Jesus for His birth, for His Life, for His Death, for His Resurrection and for His promised return, His second coming.
Philippians 2:7-11 reminds us: “He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The baby of Bethlehem grew up.
Jesus is not still in the manger.
Jesus is not still on the Cross.
Jesus is not still in the tomb.
Jesus is the risen and glorified Christ and HE deserves our praise and worship all year long.
At Christmas we of all people, should delight in worshipping God, to praise Him and worship Him because of who He is and what He has done. Luke 2:17 tells us After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. Those shepherds had the privilege of being the first people to spread the word about the birth of the Saviour.
Acts 8:4 says of the early Christians, the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. The early Christians spread the good news about Jesus wherever they went and we need to do the same. What better time is there to share the Good News of Jesus, the coming King than at Christmas?
Sharing the truth about Jesus is not just something for us to do at Christmas. We should be sharing the Good News that Christ is the Coming King, that Jesus is the Saviour every day - by our words and by the way we live. We need to share the truth that God is Real and wants to be in a Real relationship with us. Charles Spurgeon said it like this, “If the kingdom is ever to come to our Lord, it will never come through a few ministers, missionaries, or evangelists preaching the Gospel. It must come through every one of you preaching it in the shop and by the fireside, when walking abroad and when sitting in the chamber. You must always be endeavouring to save someone.”
Just hoping that one day your friend might come to church and listen to a sermon is not enough, 1 Peter 3:15 tells us: you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
This Christmas take the opportunity to tell people about Jesus, the Messiah who is willing and able to save them from their sins and guarantee them a home in heaven. It does not matter who you are, how young or old you are, what your career is or was, you are meant to tell others about Jesus.
Your life is meant to be a witness of your belief in the Coming King. Christmas is your greatest opportunity to tell someone you believe Jesus came to save you from your sin.
I wonder, do you have a list of the people you need to give gifts to this Christmas? This may seem like an odd question, is Jesus on your Christmas list? Is giving to God’s work on your list?
When the Wise Men came to see Jesus and they brought gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh. They gave the gifts to Jesus - they didn’t give them to each other. You know the saying about giving gifts - it’s the thought that counts - maybe at Christmas you think a lot about giving gifts to family, to friends, perhaps your neighbours, or your children’s teachers, or office colleagues.
For this Christmas, have you thought about giving a special gift to God’s work?
I’m not talking about your regular weekly giving or your usual monthly tithe. All year long we have the opportunity for regularly giving to God’s work here. What I’m talking about is a specific gift, a special offering.
Out of everything you have planned to spend or give this Christmas, Is Jesus on your list?
Is giving to God’s work on your list? This Christmas you will give gifts to other people out of love and friendship, could you also give something to your Lord?
Think back over the last year, think of everything God has done for you, think of everything He has given you. God’s gifts, His giving to us is far beyond anything we could ever give Him, but each of us can give a portion of what He has given us back to Him. Just as we are willing to give to others, we should also be willing to give to God. We happily give gifts to our family and our friends and at Christmas. We can also choose to give to God and His work.
As I draw to a close, there are 2 verses that I want to leave with you: Hebrews 13:16 which says “don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” And Philippians 2:4-5 which says, Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
This Christmas can I encourage you to be thoughtful of the needs of other people. There are many people in this world who do not have what you and I have. What could you give to show the love of God to someone this Christmas? Could you give a financial gift to help the homeless? Could you invite a neighbour that you know will be alone this year to join your family for Christmas dinner? This Christmas will you do something good for someone who always expects the world to do the worst to them?
This Christmas, don’t push Christ out of Christmas. Celebrate because the King has come, worship Him, tell others about Him, share the truth of His love, His mercy, His grace with those you know and love; and out of your love for Him seek to be a blessing to those who are in need that they may come to know Jesus as their Lord, Saviour and King.
