INTRODUCTION
Christmas is a poof that God is in charge of things. No matter how difficult the situation, God’s Promised Son came into the world at the right time. That is the Christmas Promise to us. There was no delay. Whatever God started he completed; what God promised he fulfilled. That means every time we celebrate Christmas it is a sign of God’s faithfulness. Yes, we have seen difficulties, we have gone through tough times, and sometimes we felt it was all over, but God has enabled us to overcome every setback because of his son Jesus Christ.
This sermon is on what God gave us when he gave Jesus Christ. I want you to focus on this Christmas promise here.
I want to take your imagination to Nazareth. In the city of Nazareth was a handsome young man, Joseph, and a beautiful young woman, Mary. Joseph was a small businessman, working with his hands as a carpenter but a God-fearing man. Mary was a godly young girl and there is the bloom and beauty of youth upon her cheek.
Over time, Joseph and Mary became acquainted. At the appropriate time, Mary and Joseph engaged to get married. But in this culture, before Mary would go home with Joseph there would be some time lapse. The Bible refers to that time as the time of espousal or betrothal.
So, we meet this beautiful young couple in the city of Nazareth. They are of ordinary level in society as we are, not very rich in the worldly sense but a man and woman who knew God.
During this time, one day suddenly an angel appeared to Mary. The Bible says his name was Gabriel. Mary stunned. You and I would be too if suddenly an angel appeared to us. Gabriel tells Mary that she has been given special favor by God. She is the one whom God has chosen to bear the Messiah, the seed of the woman into this world. The promise of Christmas is Jesus crushing the satan.
Soon, Mary got news that her aunt, Elizabeth too conceived miraculously in her old age. Mary not able to talk this to anyone went to the hill city of Judah to tell her aunt of her pregnancy. Mary spent 3 months with Elizabeth and made her way back to Nazareth. Joseph who is waiting for Mary noticed visually that she was with a child. Now here is this young man, in the prime of his life, engaged to Mary, but did not know how to respond to this situation. It would appear that Mary has been unfaithful to him. So, he is left in a predicament. What is he to do?
Joseph determined that he would write a bill of divorce privately. This way Mary’s life would be spared and avoid public humiliation, but the marriage would be ended. It was at this moment that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him not to be afraid and to take Mary home as his wife. Joseph took Mary as wife. Now Mary was fully Joseph’s wife, but he did not know her in the marriage act until after the birth of Jesus. The Very Christmas Promise Himself.
This was a difficult and painful time in my life for Joseph. In many ways even with all of its glory, it was an exceedingly difficult time of life for Mary. How do you explain these things to people? How do you explain things to your husband to whom you are engaged?
Some months later Caesar Augustus declared a census for the whole of the Roman Empire. Everyone had to go to their ancestral home. Joseph’s parentage was traced to King David. He was a descendant of David and Bathsheba through Solomon. It was this lineage that would take him to Bethlehem.
It is a difficult journey. Mary is advanced in days. Finally, they reach Bethlehem and there is no room for them. There seemed to be no compassion on the part of people to take them in. In an ordinary way, Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ wrapped him in clothes, and laid him in the manger. You see they were doing the will of God, but it was the difficult times of their lives.
So doing the glorious will of God sometimes can be exceedingly painful and difficult. Therefore, the birth of Jesus also has a wonderful lesson for us. As you walk through this world, life may get difficult; most times you are not sure what to do. We only have the Word of God to guide us. But sometimes when we go to the Word of God, just like Joseph and Mary we are not quite clear yet on what to do.
Many times when a man or a woman sets out to follow God and do his will you find difficulty, the more glorious the task the more difficult and painful it may be. Dear friend of God, believe in God, stay faithful. God’s glory is going to be revealed when you are obedient to Him. You have no idea the reach of your life if you obey God and stay faithful to him even during the hard times.
Now, I want to give you 3 differences God made to man when he gave Jesus Christ.
1. PEACE WITH GOD – THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE
Romans 5:1
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, we’ll never have peace with our fellow man until first we’re at peace with ourselves. And we can never really be at peace with ourselves until we’re at peace with God. And we can never be at peace with God until our sins have been forgiven.
Jesus was born of a virgin. That is of great importance because every man and woman, all of us are born into this world in the natural way, to a father and a mother. So, Jesus is special. He is born without sin. Thus, He qualified for the sacrifice for your sin. In Jesus Christ, God gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins. All people must come to Jesus for the cleansing of sin and peace with God which is the Christmas Promise.
ILLUSTRATION
Once I heard that a cookbook was recalled. Now, I’ve heard of automobiles being recalled but I’ve never heard of a book being recalled. This book was recalled because one recipe had left out an important ingredient. If someone followed the directions of that recipe without that ingredient, it could actually burst up in flames. So, because of that hazard, the cookbook was recalled.
You see, God has given us the recipe for life. He says, “You want peace? Then here is the recipe. Find forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Live according to My words. But if you leave out some of His ingredients, or stick some of the ingredients of the world, then what happens? Life can blow up. That is why there is so much depression, suicide, & so much rejection because too many are following the wrong recipes for life. So, God says, “Here’s my gift.” It is not just the gift of a baby, but it is the offer of peace with God.”
2. HELP IN THE PRESENT – THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE
God offers “Help in our present situation.”
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Matthew 1:23
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).
In Jesus’ birth, the shepherds were sitting out on the hillsides, watching sheep all night long. They were poor. Life was hard & harsh for them, without much hope of it ever getting better. One glorious night, the angels appeared to them and made this wondrous announcement, “Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savoir who is Christ the Lord.” And suddenly everything changed. God had become real to them. God had come to help them, to be their Savior, to be present in their daily lives.
At the other end of the spectrum were the wise men, Magi. They were people with power, authority, and wealth. Yet there was an emptiness in their lives. So, when they saw the star, they came because they needed help in their daily routine of life.
Whether rich or poor, powerful, or weak, whoever we are, we need help in our day-to-day struggles. That is where Jesus has stepped in, to be present with you and help you a Christmas Promise.
ILLUSTRATION
One Christmas a man was begging near a church, soon a lot of people stopped by to help this poor man. Some gave him cakes, some clothes, some gave money and others gave him food. Most of them responded “Merry Christmas.”
At Christmastime we seem to be more sensitive to one another, don’t we? That is because Christ came to help us. Christmas reminds us that God has reached down to help us. The King of Kings & the Lord of Lords has visited our world to cry with us, to rejoice with us, & to help us over the hurts & bumps of life.
I wish we could celebrate Christ and be those good Samaritans every day because Christmas is help in the present and that help comes to us all through the year from God. So, Christmas is God’s help in the present time.
3. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
When God gave Jesus, it was hope for the future.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Matthew 28:20
And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Do you know what kept the shepherds going? It was the hope of the coming Messiah (our Christmas Promise). And when the Messiah came everything would be all right again. And that hope burned in the hearts & lives of the people of Israel.
Do you know what kept the wise men going? It was hope. Every time they would go out & search the heavens, looking for that star of promise. And they knew when they saw it, they must follow wherever it led them, because it was a sign from God, & it promised the birth of a king. So, the hope kept them going.
At Christmas God brought hope to us as His Christmas Promise. An impossible dream come true- “Peace with God which gives us hope for the future.” Maybe there will always be wars & rumors of wars in this world. Maybe there is sickness, pain, failure, and struggles in this world. But Jesus brings hope and comfort. The coming of Jesus signifies a future hope of heaven. God will return to bring eternal peace.
ILLUSTRATION
I heard of a 12-year-old boy, William Spurling who was big for his age and a little slow mentally. But he was a good boy, and all the kids liked him.
When it came time for the Christmas program, William wanted to be a shepherd, but the teacher decided that he would make a better innkeeper. So, he was the rough, mean innkeeper.
When Mary & Joseph came to the inn & knocked on the door, William opened it. And when they asked for a place to stay, he said harshly, “There is no place for you to stay. There is no room in the inn.” Joseph said, “But, my wife is tired as she is about to deliver a baby anytime sooner. Isn’t there just a small room somewhere where we could rest?” Once again, William said, with roughness in his voice, “You’ll have to find a place somewhere else. There is no room in the inn.” Joseph pleaded again to stay the night. As William forgot his next line, there was a long pause.
The Teacher prompted his next line from behind the curtains, “Say, no, be go away! No, be gone!”. Finally, William said, with softness in his voice, “No, be gone.” Mary & Joseph sadly turned to leave. But as they did, suddenly William regained his voice & said, “Wait a minute! You can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed.”
Stunned silence followed and the teacher thought the play got ruined. Later someone thought of the words of the 12-year-old boy and said he may have communicated the real truth of Christmas better than any. “No, you can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed.”
This is what Jesus did. He took our place on the cross and gave us joy, hope, and future.
CONCLUSION
Christmas made the difference. God wrapped up a gift & gave it. If we accept the gift, then we receive all of God’s promises – God with us, help for now, and hope for the future. So, you do not have to worry, God is in control, and you can relax and enjoy your life while you trust God’s promises.
So be joyful, fear not, and trust God. I declare that you are going to receive a special favor today. Your breakthrough is coming, and God is going to give you the desires of your heart. Everything he has promised you will come to pass. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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