Christmas is really enjoyable on so many levels. But a widow names Stella has an unusual experience on Christmas. Stella’s first Christmas as a widow brought incredible loneliness. One day her doorbell rang and she was greeted by a messenger holding a box. “What’s in the box?” she asked. The messenger opened the flap to reveal a Labrador retriever puppy. “For you, ma’am.” Puzzled, Stella asked, “But . . . who sent the puppy?” Turning to leave, he said, “Your husband. Merry Christmas.” She opened the letter from her husband, full of love and encouragement. He’d purchased the puppy shortly before he died and requested that it be delivered for Christmas. As Stella wiped away tears, she picked up the eager puppy, which licked her face while “Joy to the World” played on her radio. Suddenly, she felt incredible delight. This dying man’s thoughtful choice brought present happiness for him, future happiness for her, and happiness to all who hear their story.
I’m really glad God came up with the idea of Christmas. But what did God have in mind when He created Christmas? What motivated Him to bring Christmas to us? When we think about Christmas, we normally turn to passages inside our Bibles that give us the story of Jesus’ birth. We want to hear about the angels, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. Yet, scattered throughout your New Testament are breadcrumbs, little statements of why Jesus came. Like Hansel and Gretel so long ago, these breadcrumbs tell you why Jesus came to earth that first Christmas. Now you have to look for these breadcrumbs – they’re not obvious at first. If we’re not careful, we’ll simply drive right by them.
This is a series devoted to showing God’s why behind Christmas. So why did Jesus come, after all? Buried inside in our Bibles are God’s reasons for creating the first Christmas.
Today’s Scripture
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:8-13)
Nearly every person connected to the Bible’s narrative of the Christmas story celebrated when the heard the news of the Messiah’s arrival. Remember the wise men “saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10). The angels, the shepherds, Mary, along with Elizabeth, all of whom were overcome with happiness for the arrival of the Son of God at the first Christmas. Everywhere we turn, God’s people were saturated with happiness to hear of the Messiah’s arrival.
What was God’s purpose in creating Christmas? Look carefully at verse 8 where you’ll see the why behind Christmas. Christ came for two reasons: Christ came: 1) to advance the truth of God to the Jewish people; Christ came: 2) for all the races to unite in worship. God designed Christmas to show God keeps His promises & to bring all races together on our knees before Him.
1. Jesus’ Purpose Is to Advance God’s Truth
It’s a powerful thing when God keeps His promises. Christmas is Designed to Confirm God’s Promises. Let me show you: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs…” (Romans 15:8). Look at the Living Bible paraphrase for a moment: “Remember that Jesus Christ came to show that God is true to his promises and to help the Jews” (Romans 15:8). The Living Bible Paraphrase
1.1 Jesus, the Servant
Paul records that Jesus Christ “became a servant.” Jesus Himself told us He came to serve: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The word “servant” in verse 8 is where we get our word “deacon.” Does that help you understand Jesus’ purpose in coming?
1.1.1 The Manger
The word “servant” reminds us Jesus came to a place that was more comfortable for animals than humans. Think about it: none of us would permit our children to be born near animals. We want a clean, sanitary place for mom and baby. My wife and I had our three children in the finest, cleanest hospitals near us at the time. So dedicated to humility, God designed His Son’s birth in a really low place. Jesus was born in Bethlehem as a servant.
1.1.2 Jesus, the Promise Keeper
“…Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness…” (Romans 15:8b). Now move eyes from the word “servant” to the word “the circumcised” in verse 8. “the circumcised” in verse 8 is the Jewish people.
Christmas works like a telescope. It takes a long survey of events and telescopes them down so that the near and distant events are viewed together. God makes promises nearly 2,000 years before Bethlehem:“… when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…” (Galatians 4:4). God kept His covenant. God keeps His word. Each and every Christmas holiday, we need to remember God’s promise in Genesis 12. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Understanding this promise is indispensable to an understanding of the Bible. You cannot understand Christianity without some comprehension of Abram, who becomes Abraham. He is a man who lived about 4,000 years ago or about 2,000 years before Jesus Christ. But throughout time, this promise felt so far away. Like the North Star, it felt so far out of reach. When God keeps His promises, He brings hope to the disillusioned.
President Woodrow Wilson won reelection in 1916 with the slogan, “He kept us out of war,” only to enter World War I a year later. LBJ promised in 1964, “We are not about to send American boys 9,000 or 10,000 miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.” We then enter Vietnam under LBJ. And speaking of broken promises closer to home, I told you we would be in Cross Church would already be built! Unlike politicians and pastors, Christmas is the story of God keeping His promises. “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Very much like the North Star, God’s promises can navigate our lives.
Years ago, a callous, former slave-trader reflected on God’s great ability to keep His promises to Jewish people. In quiet moments of reflection, he thought made the connection between God keeping His promises to his own life. Then, John Newton then penned these words of Amazing Grace in a moment of joy.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
It’s a powerful thing when God keeps His promises. The whole earth leaps up for joy when God advances His truth. Every one of God’s promises stands as invincible. You do not need to doubt even one scintilla of God’s promises to you. Christmas is a reminder of a promise made, promise kept. Christmas is the story of God advancing His truth.
1. Jesus’s Purpose Is to Advance God’s Truth
2. Jesus’ Purpose Is to Unite the Races Together in Worship
The second reason God designed Christmas is shown in verse 9: “and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:9a). “And remember that he came also that the Gentiles might be saved and give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name” (Romans 15:9). The Living Bible Paraphrase
Your typical Jewish person divided the world as Jews and gentiles, or everyone else. And Christmas was designed to bring people from every corner of the earth together. Think of it: a Jewish mother, Mary, and a Jewish father, Joseph, have a Jewish child, Jesus. But soon they worship their Son alongside people from the Far East, the wise men (Matthew 2:1-2). Christmas has always been designed to be international in flavor. Even in His birth, Jesus is attracting the nations. The Lord of the universe identified with the least and the most excluded people of the human race. In Jesus Christ, prostitute and king, male and female, Jew and Gentile, one race and another race, moral and immoral—all sit down as equals. All are equally sinful and lost, all are equally accepted and loved.
2.1 Jesus, the Better Abraham
Now, let’s circle back to Abraham for a moment. Abraham dies and many generations of Israelite people come and go. But in each generation, it is becoming clearer and clearer that God’s people are failing to do God’s purpose. From the beginning, God was working to reach Gentiles through His nation, the Jews. God chose Israel to be His spokesmen to the nations. Israel was to be God’s missionary nation. They were to share the message of the goodness of God with other nations. Because of their failure, God brought along another Jew to accomplish everything He desired. God comes along and break the self-centeredness. He is indeed the “father of many.” God’s original promise to Abraham wasn’t just for the Jews: “and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b). Again, “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18). God, Himself changes Abram’s name. Abram meant “exalted father.” Abraham probably means “father of many.”
2.2 A String of Pearls
Paul quickly offers four Old Testament texts to support this idea that Jesus came to elicit praise from all people. Like a string of pearls, each one of the passages affirms God’s Why behind the design of Christmas. “As it is written, ‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name’” (Romans 15:9b). Paul quotes from Psalm 18 here but he’s not done. And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people” (Romans 15:10). This is from Deuteronomy 32:43. And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him” (Romans 15:11). This is from Psalm 117:1. And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope” (Romans 15:12). Lastly, he offers a quote from Isaiah 11. It’s like the apostles could open up their Old Testaments just about anywhere and found a promise Jesus fulfilled.
2.3 Jesus Unites All the Races
Think of it of all the globe singing the Hallelujah Chorus of Handle’s Messiah. To embrace Jesus Christ in one arm and racism in the other is like talking about a square circle. Jesus Christ came to unite the races in worship. This isn’t forced diversity training done by your local HR department. Instead, God designed Jesus’ birth to bring together people of all races around the manger and the cross in the worship of His Son. Red, yellow, black, and white all join together in marveling at the love of God.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10)!
Can’t you hear every tongue around the globe uniting to say, “Thank you” to the Father? Each dialect uniting in praise to announce, “Praise the Lord!” In your imagination, pan over the houses in your neighborhood and see each and every person emerging forth from their home in praise of the Lamb who was slain. From the Ukraine to Bangladesh, Christmas is designed that no one race would be left out of the celebration. Jesus came that all of us would unite in one voice to spread His praise from coast to coast. Red and Blue states unite to say Hallelujah to the One who was slain for our sins.
Christmas was designed to unite all of us in worship toward our Savior. Christmas is a time to welcome one another. Church family, we are to be open-handed and open-hearted with one another.
Closing
Stella had joy from a Labrador retriever. Imagine the joy that you’ll have when peoples from all over the globe gather in one voice to sing Amazing Grace? “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
