How do you celebrate Christmas? How did you observe this holiday last year?
Did you purchase presents for your loved-ones? Did you serve dinner in your home or were invited to a friend or family member’s home for dinner? Did you attend a church service?
Now someone at this point may be thinking, “Oh no! He’s about to make me feel guilty about the way I celebrate Christmas.”
Well, if there is any guilt to be felt, I hope it is as a result of the Holy Spirit dealing with your heart.
Many of us profess to be Christians. As Christians we desire to be like Christ. As Christians we should be endeavoring to conform to the Word of God.
The world is evil and it is anti-God. As Christians, our prayer should be as David’s prayer:
(Psa 27:11 KJV) Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Upon reading the Christmas narrative in the Scripture, we will discover how the anticipated birth of Christ was researched, studied and discussed. When that wonderful day came, many were eyewitnesses of the Christ-child.
Luke 2:15-16 tells us, “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”
If one were to take this data and contrast it with how people, even professing Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ today, they would have no choice but to conclude we were far from commemorating the same event that is recorded in the Bible.
It is like coming home from work or school on your birthday finding the front and sides of your house decorated with the words, “Happy Birthday!” You walk in to find your family all assembled together some eating, some talking, others watching the ball game.
You look on the table and see what’s left of a birthday cake. You scan the room and see opened gifts among the shreds of wrapping paper, bows and ribbons.
Someone looks up, and you, the “birthday boy” or “birthday girl” hope for some kind of acknowledgement. They open their mouth and holler across the room, “Is there anymore ice cream left?”
How sad, that in a similar manner, many will “celebrate” Christmas this December 25th without even acknowledging Jesus Christ whose birthday it is.
Through the month of December we will be focusing on Jesus in our preaching and teaching. However, for today we will examine the Scriptures and see how the first Christmas was observed and I hope we will walk away with six principals we can apply in our lives as we seek to celebrate the birth of the Savior this year.
1.) A Great Expectation
Around 722 years before Jesus was born a prophet foretold of the Messiah’s coming:
(Micah 5:2 NKJV) "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."
About 716 years before Christ was born the prophet Isaiah penned the following words:
(Isa 9:6 NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isa 9:7 NKJV) Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Almost right away from the reading of these verses you can see that this was no ordinary man. Micah writes that His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
Isaiah writes that “the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
This was no ordinary man for the Bible says, “…there will be no end to the increase of His government and peace.” Have we ever in the history of this planet had an eternal government and eternal peace?
There was a great expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Some 800 years before His birth, the Prophets wrote about His coming. But amazing as this is, the Scripture records an earlier prophecy.
In the days of the creation of the first man, a great expectation was created in the hearts of those who would become followers of the Lord.
When Adam disobeyed God and listened to the lies of the devil the penalty for his sin was death. God told Adam and Eve there would come One who would deal a mortal blow to Satan and redeem mankind from the bondage of sin—effectively doing what the first Adam failed to do.
The Apostle Paul comments on this truth in 1 Corinthians 15: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (vs. 22)
Not only was there the great expectation of the coming of Christ in the Garden of Eden and through the prophecies of the Old Testament, there was a great expectation communicated to Mary, the mother of our Lord:
(Luke 1:31 NKJV) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
(Luke 1:32 NKJV) "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
(Luke 1:33 NKJV) "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
(Luke 1:34 NKJV) Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
(Luke 1:35 NKJV) And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
What a shock this must have been for Mary! God was choosing her to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Listen to some of the other truths about Jesus enshrined in the announcement to Mary:
The truth of His humanity: “…you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son…”
The truth of His deity and His mission: “…and shall call His name Jesus (meaning Jehovah (God) is Savior)
The truth of His essential greatness: “He will be great…”
The truth of His identity: “He…will be called the Son of the most Highest…”
The truth of His Messiahship: “…the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
The truth of His everlasting kingdom: “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
There was a great expectation of the coming of Christ at Creation; through the prophets and to Mary.
A great expectation foretold by a man named Simeon:
(Luke 2:25 NKJV) And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
(Luke 2:26 NKJV) And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
(Luke 2:27 NKJV) So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
(Luke 2:28 NKJV) he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
(Luke 2:29 NKJV) "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
(Luke 2:30 NKJV) For my eyes have seen Your salvation
(Luke 2:31 NKJV) Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
(Luke 2:32 NKJV) A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
(Luke 2:33 NKJV) And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
(Luke 2:34 NKJV) Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
(Luke 2:35 NKJV) "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
In the days before the birth of the Savior, many people—both God-fearing Jew and Gentile were expecting the coming of the Savior of the World.
On the other hand, there were many who were totally oblivious to the fact that the Savior was coming so when he came it was as if the whole world was asleep.
The Bible has not only foretold the coming of Jesus Christ as it pertained to His birth, it has foretold the return of Christ as it pertains to His kingdom reign.
Today, as with His birth, many people will be “asleep” when the Lord returns. Many will be taken by surprise when He returns as King of kings and pours out His wrath upon a Christ-rejecting world. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes about this event that I believe is in the near future:
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ((1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 NKJV)
Like believers of old who observed Christmas with a great expectation for the coming of the Messiah, we need to observe Christmas with a great expectation of His soon return. He is coming soon!
2.) A Seeking Mind
The coming of the Messiah motivated those with a great expectation to diligently seek for the Messiah. We who claim to be Christians should observe Christmas with a seeking mind.
The wise men sought the Messiah and followed the star (Mat. 2:1-2)
(Mat 2:1 KJV) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
(Mat 2:2 KJV) Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
The magi was a “wise man” or “seer” from a Median tribe in Persia. He interpreted dreams and acted as priest.
How did they end up seeking for the Messiah—who is the Hope of Israel? They possibly became familiar with the Jewish hope of a Messiah while Israel was under Persian rule (539-332 B.C.). Historians such as Josephus, and the poet Virgil attest to a universal expectation of a redeemer about that time.
Matthew 2:5 shows that they had access to the Jewish Scriptures or at least had recorded in their own books some of the words of prophecy concerning the Messiah.
It is sad that the Magi discovered by faith that which the religious leaders of Judaism, who possessed the Scriptures missed.
It is equally sad that we are living in a land where in virtually every home one can find a copy of the Scriptures but many of these homes are missing Jesus.
Can we say the same thing about many of our churches? I think so.
Many church folk are seeking after thrills and emotional highs but not after Jesus.
Many are seeking after signs and wonders but not after Jesus.
Many people are seeking a blessing but not Jesus.
Many are seeking after material possessions but not after Jesus
Jesus says in John 6:27, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you…”
In Rev 3:20 Jesus says, "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.”
Is Jesus going to be in your home this Christmas? Are you seeking Jesus this Christmas?
The first two principals we can walk away with concerning the celebration of Christmas is that:
1.) We should have a great expectation for the coming of the Messiah.
2.) We should have a seeking mind for Jesus
Thirdly, like those who celebrated the first Christmas, we should have a grateful heart.
3.) A Grateful Heart
They expected Him, they were seekers of Him and when He came, they were grateful.
An example of one who exhibited a grateful heart was Anna.
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant (and seeing the baby Jesus just as Simeon was pronouncing his blessings upon Mary and Joseph) she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)
It is not clear in the Greek whether Anna was a widow who was 84 years old, or had been a widow for 84 years. But whatever the case, we know that the moment she realized that the baby Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy, she gave thanks to the Lord for His redemption.
In the Old Testament, redemption involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer. By the time that Jesus was born the concept of redemption would include the great act of deliverance by which history would be brought to an end. The Rabbi’s expectation was that the Messiah would be the Redeemer of Israel, and the great Day of the Lord would be the day of redemption.
Anna was giving thanks to the Lord because Jesus of Nazareth was the fulfillment of Israel's messianic hope and that in Him the long-awaited redemption has arrived!
It wasn’t that she had waited 84 years for the redemption to come—that would have been waiting enough. But Anna had waited along with her people for eight centuries not including the four thousand years since the fall of humanity into sin and death.
The Apostle Paul comments on this redemption in Galatians chapter four:
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
The "elements of the world" referred to the first principles of non-Christian humanity, that is, humanity outside of Christ.
* In the case of the Jew, they were enslaved to the symbolic and ceremonial character of Judaism and its laws and legalism.
* In the case of the Gentiles, they were enslaved to the ceremonial and ritualistic observances of the pagan religions.
The Jews were in bondage to keeping the letter of the law to obtain salvation. For example, In Luke 6, the Jewish religious leaders taught that it was against the law for Jesus to heal a man on the Sabbath. In Matthew 15, the disciples of Jesus were scorned for failure to ceremonially cleanse their hands before eating.
The Gentiles were in bondage to their pagan rituals.
One example of this can be found in 2 Kings 3 where Moab was at war with Israel. The Bible says that “when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. Then he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall.”
He did this to further enrage his people against Israel as they saw how serious he was about winning the war. (2 Ki 3:26-27 NKJV)
In Acts 19, silversmiths were getting rich off selling little silver shrines of the Roman goddess Diana (Greeks called her Artemis).
Diana was the goddess of fertility. The pagans believed that in order to make crops, animals, and humans fertile, the fertility gods had to be aroused, and such arousal was accomplished through sexual activity. Temple prostitution was considered an acceptable and necessary part of worship to Diana.
Both Jews and Gentiles were in bondage to the world, the flesh and the devil but Paul continues in Galatians chapter four:
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Gal 4:3-7)
The celebration of the birth of Christ must include thanksgiving to God for His redemption.
We were in sin; He paid the price for our deliverance from sin.
We were in bondage to the elements of the world; He delivered and adopted us as His own sons whereby we can cry out “Abba, Daddy, Father!” We are no longer slaves, we who are in Christ, but sons and heirs of God through Christ!
One way my family celebrates Christmas is by writing letters to Jesus expressing our gratitude to Him.
We write our letters on Christmas Eve or early Christmas Day and then we share them with one another and read the Christmas story from the Bible before we open our gifts.
Whatever way you celebrate Christmas this year, be sure to include a time of giving of thanks to God for His unspeakable gift.
The believers of Bible days celebrated Christmas with a great expectation for the coming of the Messiah, they celebrated Christmas with a seeking mind and a grateful heart for Jesus and fourthly:
4.) A Worshipful Spirit
The Wise Men
(Mat 2:11a NKJV) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him…
The Magi “fell down” and worshiped Him.
Falling down before another was a way of honoring a person you considered higher and more worthy than yourself.
By its nature, worship always involves externals—the Bible says they “fell down.” But worship is also internal. It is about God and our heart—a heart for God is the essence of worship.
Our experience of worship is tied to our experience in life. Worship takes place when we experience God’s majesty in the context of life. We see this truth in force in the actions of both the angels and the shepherds.
The Angels
(Luke 2:11 NKJV) "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(Luke 2:12 NKJV) "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
(Luke 2:13 NKJV) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
(Luke 2:14 NKJV) "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
The Shepherds
(Luke 2:20 NKJV) Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
I won’t comment much more on this except to say that some of us need to awake from the dead and praise and glorify God for what He has done for us in Christ.
Even in the worship service some of us need to unbutton our collars and when the Lord speaks to your heart through the Word of God you need to say, “Amen!”
If you are a little shy, do what I do every now and then, get somewhere by yourself like in your car or in the shower and let loose and PRAISE HIM! because He’s worthy!
The first Christmas was celebrated by glorifying, worshipping and praising God for the birth of His Son and we need to do likewise.
5.) An Evangelistic Zeal
A fifth observation we can make from the Christmas narrative is that when news about the Christ-child was told, people got excited and told somebody about it.
The Shepherds
(Luke 2:17 NKJV) Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
(Luke 2:18 NKJV) And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Anna
(Luke 2:38 NKJV) And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Just think of how the Shepherds and Anna’s witness would be impacted if they were spending much of their time spending what little money they had running all over the little town of Bethlehem shopping for presents to give to people who knew little or nothing about the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus.
The best gift you can give someone who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior this time of the year is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is why the song says, “Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus is Christ is born!” and another says, “Get all excited, and tell everybody Jesus Christ is born!”
His birth is something to celebrate. He came to deliver man from the bondage of sin!
But there is another song that has the words, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King…” But because of the way Christmas is celebrated today, there is more indulgence, depression, loneliness, and debt created than any other time of the year.
I know that what I am saying is not going to change the way Christmas is observed as a whole. Yet, I hope that the Spirit of God uses something that I have said so far to speak to your heart and cause you to evaluate how you observe the holi-day this year.
Like the believers of Bible days we must celebrate Christmas with a great expectation for the coming of the Messiah. We must celebrate Christmas with a seeking mind and a grateful heart for the redemption that’s in Jesus.
Like the saints of old we must worship, praise and glorify God for the coming of Jesus and witness to as many as possible about the coming of God in the flesh.
Lastly…
6.) A Giving Attitude
This time of the year many are focused on the “spirit of giving.” I say “Amen!” to this.
As I said earlier, one of the best gifts you can give is the Gospel.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be given verbally.
You can give gifts that will help you communicate the Gospel in tangible ways. Music, videos and books are a few.
You can give Christmas cards that are biblically-based.
One gift I found while browsing the Internet is called The Gift of the Magi, The First Christmas Present - Your Christmas Outreach...in a box!
It is a beautifully crafted wooden box that has in it real gold frankincense and myrrh. It is only $9.95 and can be purchased on http://firstchristmaspresent.com/
Some other gifts include:
Let your words be gifts. Speaking positive and encouraging words to the people around you doesn't cost a cent, but enriches their lives in priceless ways.
Forgive. Remember the grace that God has given you, and ask Him to help you give the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt you.
Give the gift of time. Your time is even more valuable than your money.
* Give gift certificates committing to help people out with various tasks, such as: rides to places they need to go (especially useful for senior citizens)
* Help with household chores (such as cooking, cleaning, and yard work)
* Perform babysitting (great for parents of young children)
* Give lessons in your areas of expertise (such as music, sports, or computers).
* Spend some time at a children’s group home.
* Minister to a widow.
Hold a Christmas party. Invite people to a candlelight dinner party, potluck, or dessert party at your home. Take some friends or family members out to lunch and celebrate at a nice restaurant. Bring party food and decorations to people who can't get out (such as elderly shut-ins or people in the hospital) and celebrate with them as you visit.
Give the truth about the real Santa Claus. Today there are many people who don't know the truth about St. Nicholas. They call him 'Santa Claus,' and they tell children pretend stories about him living at the North Pole and having elves and reindeer. As a result, some well-meaning Christians go on a witch-hunt this time of year—trying to find the devil under every Christmas tree.
This year, give someone the gift of the truth concerning Saint Nicholas. Tell your children Santa Claus’ real name was Nicholas, and we call him St. Nicholas, because saint means someone who belongs to God, just like we do.
In St. Nicholas' town there were many poor children. They didn't have enough food, clothes, or toys. St. Nicholas used his money to buy food, clothes, and toys for the poor children. He didn't want them to be embarrassed by his gifts, so he gave secretly.
"St. Nicholas also told everyone about Jesus and how much God loved them. Many people became Christians because of what St. Nicholas said. Then some mean people who hated Jesus put St. Nicholas in jail to keep him from telling people about Jesus and from helping people. St. Nicholas kept on telling people about Jesus until the mean people had him killed.
"Because of how much St. Nicholas loved Jesus, and because of the many gifts he gave the poor children of his town, we still remember St. Nicholas at Christmas time. All of the gifts he gave, and all of the Christmas presents we give, are to remind us of the very best gift anyone ever gave: when God the Father gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to us for our salvation.
By learning this true story, our children are able to enjoy Santa Claus while being reminded of the Gospel and the true meaning of Christmas.
I’ve heard of someone who even has a small figure of Santa Claus kneeling at the manger, praying to baby Jesus, reinforcing the truth that everyone, even St. Nicholas, must kneel before the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Lastly, give a gift to Jesus like the Wise Men did.
(Mat 2:9 KJV) When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
(Mat 2:10 KJV) When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
(Mat 2:11 KJV) And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
The wise men “presented gifts to Him.” Worship always involves some sort of giving.
It is interesting how many of us spend hundreds of dollars giving gifts to others but fail to do what the Magi did—“present gifts to Him.” Giving to others can never replace giving directly to Jesus your time, talents, and treasures and temple.
* Give Jesus your time. Break away from your routine and give your time to one of the ministry events this month.
* Give Jesus your talents. Help Sophia with the Children’s Pageant.
* Give Jesus your treasures. Designate a special sacrificial gift to Jesus, over and above your normal giving.
* Give Jesus your temple. Resolve to stop a vice (smoking, drinking, gambling, gluttony) and begin a virtue.
