Dr. Bradford Reaves
CrossWay Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
I’ve written many Christmas sermons. Christmas is a remarkable time of year when many people focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. Even amid gatherings, gifts, and the commercialized aspects of this time of year in our modern world, there still seems to be some shimmer of light of what is behind this celebration: The Promise of a Savior.
Universally, the Nativity is recognized as the Christian aspect of Christmas, and rightly so. There is so much symbolism here. Jesus, of course, is at the center - lying in a manger in a stable. And as we look at the Nativity, we see that Christ is not alone, but people surround him. These were ordinary people serving in a Divine event - The Word becoming flesh.
It is not an understatement that the arrival of the Messiah is unequaled in all events in human history. Superlative in every aspect. Hence, the reason time, seasons, calendars, and history are marked by it. The Birth of Jesus Christ, of course, is not an end in itself. It is the inception of the fulfillment of prophetic words given to the prophets and the induction of something greater to come. You see, without the birth of Christ, there is no Son of God. There is no Crucifixion. There is no propitiation of sin. But there is also no future return, future ascension of the throne, or future Kingdom of God that will be established on his return.
The arrival of Jesus the Christ, the conditions for his coming, his life, his death, and his resurrection are conservatively a fulfillment of over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. The Old Testament was written over a period of 1000 years, with the latest portion being 200 years before the arrival of Christ. Moreover, the authenticity of these biblical prophecies are confirmed by Here are just a few examples:
-The serpent and the "seed" of Eve will have a conflict; the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent. Jesus is this seed, and He crushed Satan at the cross. (Genesis 3:14-15, Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 2:14)
-Moses promised another prophet like him would come. Jesus is that prophet. (Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 6:14; 7:40)
-The nations, people, and rulers plot against the Lord and His anointed. The Sanhedrin, the crowd, Herod Antipas, and Pilate plotted against Jesus.
-He would be of the Tribe of Judah (Gen 49:8-10, Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:1-3, Hebrews 7:14, Rev 5:5)
-He would be born in the Town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:205, Matthew 2:1-6)
-He would be in the linage of King David (Isaiah 9:7, 2 Samuel 7:12-13, Jeremiah 25:5; 30:9, Matthew 1:1, Luke 1:32, Acts 13:22, 23)
-He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:13-14, Matthew 1:18-23, Luke 1:26-35)
-He would be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 11:1, Psalm 22:6-7, Matthew 2:23, Acts 26:9)
-The Star of Bethlehem at Jesus’ birth (Daniel 9:24-27, Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:1-2)
-The Slaughtering of the Innocents (Jer 23:15, Matt 2:18)
-The Flee to Egypt (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15)
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Then, we can add aspects of the Messiah’s life to the list:
-He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:4–10; Zechariah 9:9).
-A friend would betray him (John 13:18; Psalm 41:9).
-The betrayal would be for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16; Zechariah 11:12).
-The money would be used to purchase the potter’s field (Matthew 27:3–10; Zechariah 11:13).
-The Messiah would die a sacrificial death for us (Matthew 27:50; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:8).
-He would die with criminals, but His burial would be with the wealthy (Matthew 27:57–60; Luke 23:33; Isaiah 53:9).
-He would rise from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Psalm 16:8–11; Isaiah 53:10).
-He would say certain words on the Cross. He would be mocked, and people would gamble for His clothes (Psalm 22:1, 8, 18).
Mathematician Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight of these more than 300 prophecies. This lead him to conclude that the chance of the prophesied Messiah fulfilling all eight is one in 10^17 (100,000,000,000,000,000.)
To comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it this way: “…we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly. Blindfold a man and tell him that he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one?”
“Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing just eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote in their own wisdom… This means that the fulfillment of just eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of those [eight] prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 10^17 of being absolute.” (Stoner, Peter W. Science Speaks. Chicago: Moody Press, 1963, pp 100-107)
Think about this! How awesome it is to celebrate Christmas! This is far greater than a nostalgic story. This is much more than a religious tale. This is not anywhere near an ancient tradition. This is remembering something historical, but yet even beyond that. This is God breaking all barriers to come in the flesh. Not some kind of specter or emotional drama. He did not even come as a theophany. He came born from embryo to baby, born through the purity of a virgin girl to enter into life with us.
Surrounding him in the nativity are people who witnessed his arrival: The Magi, The Shepherds, the Angels, and Joseph & Mary. They, as John said in his gospel, “beheld his glory as the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). They came by invitation to witness and participate in God’s greatest miracle. Notice that these are not elites. No kings, or learned nobles, or the religious. They are ordinary people participating in an extraordinary time. But as I said before, this was not the end but the beginning.
From that time, the Christ Child grew into a man. A perfectly righteous man without any sin. He would teach, heal, deliver, and love. An example to the world around him and the generations to come of a life honoring God. And as foretold by the prophets, he would be despised, rejected, crucified, and killed. His resurrection and ascension were the completion of his work to provide a means of saving us from our sins and the punishment for that sin - eternal death. But even that is not the completion for the best is about to come.
Is he Messiah? His credentials prove it. Is He of the line of David? His lineage and virgin birth prove it. The prophesy of Isaiah said it, He would be born of a virgin. And the place where He was born, the land from which He came, the town that wept, and the city He dwelled in all indicate this is the Messiah. And the argument and evidence is overwhelming. But there is more to the promise of Jesus that is about to happen.
Just like the witnesses of his first coming there are those who will be privileged to be witnesses to his second arrival, except this time, instead of a humble child, he will be coming back in all of his glory as the Eternal King. Looking at the signs of the times, especially in Israel, we, like the witnesses before us, can be confident that time is about to be fulfilled. You and I have lived in an age of grace and a time between the two comings of Christ.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:3)
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Matthew 24:5–8)
Now, we just spend a very small amount of time looking into the promises of Christ’s first arrival and the precision of fulfilling those promises. With the same certainty, we can also look at the promises of Christ’s second coming when he returns to judge and rule the earth. There are more references in the Old Testament to his second coming than his first, and the difference is that this will be a time of great distress on the earth.
Now, there are two ways to look at these promises. We can look at the events of Christ’s return with fear and dread (as someone who knows they are without hope), or we can look at his return with joy and anticipation (as someone with hope). The question for you today is, which category do you fall in tonight? It all boils down to relationships. To those who refuse to call Him Lord, his words will be hard to hear, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23)
You can begin that relationship tonight with a simple prayer: “God, I know I am a sinner and I am sorry for the sins I have committed. And I know my sins put distance between us, and I know I cannot save myself. Only Your Son, Jesus, can save me and eliminate the distance between us. I believe He is Your Son, who died for my sins and rose from the dead. I receive Him as my Savior and accept Your offer of forgiveness and everlasting life. Thank you, Father. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”
One of the nostalgic aspects of Christmas Eve is the singing of Silent Night. It sings of the nativity scene on that cool night in Israel many years ago. Over the years, it has become reminiscent of reviving the peace promised to the world. In singing the song, believers in Jesus think back to the tranquility of the baby swaddled in cloth and lying in a manger of hay in Bethlehem. At the same time, we look forward to the fulfillment of peace promised by God through his coming Lordship and reign. Tonight, we sing it again by candlelight, and I pray that in your heart is peace with God.
