The Christmas X-Files
Today we find ourselves looking into a time in the life of Jesus that He is missing.
(Luke 2:40 NKJV) And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
(Luke 2:41 NKJV) His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
(Luke 2:42 NKJV) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
(Luke 2:43 NKJV) When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
(Luke 2:44 NKJV) but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
(Luke 2:45 NKJV) So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
As we continue reading the rest of this story in the Gospel of Luke we learn that Jesus was found. However, today, some 2000 years later, people are having a hard time finding Jesus. Jesus is hard to find today because He is systematically being "X'd" out of Christmas.
Merchants displaying the season's products conveniently abbreviate their billboards with an "X." There is no room for Christ on their advertisements.
Well-wishers say and write, "Happy Holiday" because there’s no room for Christ in their "Christmas" greetings.
Years ago there was a popular television series called the X-Files. Well the world today is attempting to file away the significance of Christmas with an "X." Today, we will look at a few of these "X" files.
X-File #1 - Jesus is missing from the holiday.
Each year one sees more and more of Santa and his reindeers and less and less of the Babe lying in a manager. A brilliant display of lights in Woodlawn has Santa's Village on one side of the house and the Christmas story on the other side.
Nativity scenes on public property and the singing of Christmas carols in our public schools have all but disappeared from American culture.
Perhaps one reason why Jesus is missing from the holidays is that the world isn't going to celebrate God's gift of freedom from sin while they are still in their sins.
The truth of the matter is that Christmas is all about salvation from sin through God's Son, Jesus Christ. Most “Christmas” songs testify of this truth:
Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
Oh, come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessèd Christmas morn.
Is Jesus missing from your holiday? Are you guilty of saying, “No room?”
X-File #2 - Jesus is missing from the hearts of men
The malls and stores are crowded with people who celebrate the birthday of someone they don't know. Even in the church, many who claim to know Jesus must struggle to remember that He is the reason for the season.
Christmas is one of the two times of the year when Satan goes after the hearts of men to distract them from the truth centered in these special days (Easter being the other).
Satan tempts us to have:
* Guilty hearts: From not spending enough or for spending too much
* Lonely hearts: From having no one to spend the holiday with
* Greedy hearts: For wanting too much
* Envious hearts: For wanting what someone else has
* Jealous hearts: For hating someone who has been blessed
Jesus is missing from the hearts of men. In Matthew chapter 6, we discover a clue as to why:
(Mat 6:19 NKJV) "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
Can you remember what you got for Christmas last year? How much of what you received last year made it through to this year without being lost, broken or stolen?
Some of us have so much stuff in our homes that if Mary and Joseph came knocking, we literally wouldn't have room—some need to call Niecy Nash to Clean House!
How do we make room for Jesus in our hearts? We will make room when the will of God becomes our treasure.
(Mat 6:20 NKJV) "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
(Mat 6:21 NKJV) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The only way the will of God become our treasure is when you and I become overwhelmed with a great sense of indebtedness to God for saving us.
If you are an Andy Griffith fan, you may remember an episode in Season 4 - Episode 23 (Andy Saves Gomer) where Andy begins to wish that he hadn't saved Gomer's life when the well-meaning Gomer feels that he can’t do enough to repay the debt.
The real problem however is that Gomer has decided that nothing is too good for the man that saved his life and now starts waiting on Andy hand and foot - cleaning the windows, cutting the grass, offering to drive him around - despite Andy's protests that it's just not necessary.
When you appreciate what the Lord has done for you, He will become your treasure.
When you come to know what He did to save you from sin, you will not mind waiting on Him, hand and foot. You will make room for Him; you will do His bidding; you will try your best to obey His Word; you will make room for Him in your heart.
Not only is Jesus missing from the hearts of men, He is missing from their heads; this is the third X-File.
X-File #3 - Jesus is missing from our heads
The story is told of a couple who celebrated the birthday of their only child who had recently turned one year old. This was a celebration indeed as the couple had tried for years to have a child but were unsuccessful until now.
They invited all their friends over on this cold day. Their in-laws were over along with uncles, aunts and cousins. The buffet table was filled with all kinds of food and desserts. Everyone brought a gift to commemorate this event. The excitement approached its zenith as all filed into the dining room to sing "Happy Birthday."
Then someone asked where's the baby? All of a sudden the mother's face turned a pale shade of green and she ran to the bedroom and found her baby under a pile of coats that had been tossed on the bed. He had suffocated.
You've heard the expression, "Out of sight, out of mind"? Jesus is missing from the heads or the thinking of many because they don't regularly read His Word thus the “smothering” of Jesus during the holidays is very great indeed.
X-File #4 - Jesus is missing from our houses of worship
(Rev 3:20 NKJV) "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
While these words are used to invite people to let Jesus in their life--this is not why Jesus spoke them. This invitation is not spoken to those who do not know Jesus. Jesus is speaking to those who profess to know the Savior.
Jesus is knocking on the doors of churches who are attempting to have "worship service" without the presence of Jesus.
The focal point of worship and praise, prayer and preaching is outside of our services--knocking--waiting to be invited in. 2000 years ago, the innkeeper said he had no room and today, many churches leave Jesus out in the cold too.
* How many times do we come to church with problems that distract us from worshipping the Savior?
* How many times have we come to worship exhausted from late night activities?
* How many times have we come to church after we have squandered our tithes and offerings on worldly concerns?
We have studied worship enough at GraceWay Church to know that God places a high price tag on the privilege to enter into His presence. The price tag was high and the privilege so great that the path of worship had to be paved by the blood of His dear Son Jesus Christ.
The temple veil blocked the Jew from entering into God's presence without a blood sacrifice and the Gentiles, according to Paul in Ephesians, “were alienated from the life of God through the ignorance and blindness of their heart”, could barely get close. To be in God's presence without a covering meant certain death. (vs. 4:18)
The death and resurrection of Jesus paved the way, ripping the veil from top to bottom giving the Jew access. The Bible says that the Gentile was also "grafted in" by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 11).
The writer of Hebrews summarizes this privilege to worship in Hebrews chapter 10:
(Heb 10:19 NKJV) Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
(Heb 10:20 NKJV) by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
(Heb 10:21 NKJV) and having a High Priest over the house of God,
(Heb 10:22 NKJV) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
(Heb 10:23 NKJV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
This "drawing near" is the privilege to worship. This is the same worship the innkeeper didn't make room for. This is the same worship opportunity that many of us don't make room for.
* When you “make room” for something, you rearrange what is already in place.
* When you make room for your guests, you move aside the leftovers and make a fresh meal.
* When you make room for your guest, you might even take off from work so that you could spend more time with them.
Jesus is missing from many of our houses of worship because Christians aren't willing to make room for Him. We are like the innkeeper who said, "No room."
When you make room for Jesus in your house of worship, you may have to rearrange your schedule.
When you make room for Jesus in your church, you may have to tell your job that you can’t work during that time on Sunday.
When you make room for Jesus in your church, you may have to tell the Late Show "good night" and go to bed a little earlier so you can give Jesus your undivided attention during the service.
When you make room for Jesus in your church, you may have to tell Burger King, McDonalds and the Hibachi Grill: “I can only see you every other month rather than every week.”
When you make room for Jesus in your church, means “making room for Jesus in your pocketbook” and you may have to tell Gucci, Saks and Armani “Good bye” and Goodwill and Wal-Mart “Hello!”
Making room for Jesus in your house of worship also includes paying attention to your brother and sister in the Lord.
(Heb 10:24 NKJV) And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
(Heb 10:25 NKJV) not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
You see, I might be in need of some encouragement and you might have to make room for me. You might be in need of some encouragement and I should be able to make room for you.
A brother or sister may be struggling with a sin issue in their life and need someone to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to make room for them.
Someone may need financial or material assistance and God may have given you the ability to make room for them.
All of this can't happen if you don't make room for Jesus in your house of worship.
Conclusion:
How do we get Christ back in Christmas? Do we form a “PC Posse” to go all over town and round up all the signs saying "Xmas" and people saying, “Happy Holidays?”
This won't work because it is not a sign problem it is a heart problem. The problem is that there is "No room” in the hearts of people.
A story is told of a little boy who was to play the part of the Innkeeper in the annual children’s Christmas play at his church. Each time during the rehearsal it came time for him to tell Joseph and Mary that there was no room, he couldn’t say his lines. The director finally asked him why he was having so much trouble. He told him, "I just can’t send Jesus away! He can have my room!"
Is there room in your holiday, your heart, your home, and your house of worship for Him?
* When the world says "no room" to Jesus - Make room!
* When your head wants to say "no room," make room! Get into the Word! Join a LIFE Group!
* If you notice something in our house of worship saying "no room" to Jesus - Make room!
* When your heart and head has said "no room" to Jesus - Make room! You can make room for Jesus Christ in your heart and mind today.
