“What If There Were No Christmas?”
INTRODUCTION: Read Galatians 4:4-5
Christmas is this Thursday. We have waited 361 days for it. It seemed like it would never get here … and NOW … it’s coming too fast!
It’s not easy to forget Christmas … VISA keeps reminding you … for months to come! One man received his Visa bill from last Christmas. There was a not attached: “This bill is now 1 year old!” He sent it back with a note: “Happy Birthday, Bill!”.
BUT … what if there hadn’t been that FIRST Christmas? Have you ever thought about that? What if there had never been a Christmas? What if Jesus had never been born? What if God was still waiting to send His only begotten Son to the earth?
Aren’t you glad we’ve had 2000 Christmas’? Maybe this evening, we can get a new appreciation of what God did 2000 years ago on the very FIRST Christmas.
Read Galatians 4:4 again.
BUT … What if the “fullness of time” hadn’t come yet? There are 2 POINTS I want us to look at this morning:
o The Time Was Ready
o Jesus Was Ready
I. THE TIME WAS READY – “In the fullness of time”
There was 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament … between Malachi & Matthew. There were no Prophets … no Scripture was written … Heaven seemed silent. God was preparing the earth for the coming of His Son, Jesus.
God was preparing the earth so that WHEN Jesus came, the Gospel could be spread throughout the whole world. God spent the “silent” 400 years preparing HISTORY for the birth of Jesus.
How did God prepare the world for the birth of His Son, Jesus?
1.- God Used The Greeks
Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, thus ruling over the Jews in 333 BC. God said: “I want a UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, so when Jesus is born, everybody can hear about My Son’s birth.”
When the Greeks conquered the world, the Greek language became the universal language. Everybody knew a little Greek. They read and wrote Greek. All legal documents were in Greek. I studied Greek in Bible College. WHY? Because the New Testament is written in Greek.
Pilate wrote an inscription over the cross of Jesus: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” … written in GREEK, Hebrew & Latin. Everybody knew a little Greek (like English today).
The Disciples could take the message of Jesus to the whole world … BECAUSE … there was a UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.
2.- God Used The Romans
In 63 BC, the Romans conquered the Greeks. God said: “I want a UNIVERSAL PEACE so the news of My Son Jesus can be spread easily throughout the world.”
When the Romans took power, there was 1 government over the entire world. No need for Passports … no fear of going into enemy territory … no fear of wars to avoid. The Disciples were free to travel the world with the Gospel … because there was only 1 Government.
“in the fullness of time” God sent forth His Son, Jesus … when God had it all planned out.
God said: “I want a good ROAD SYSTEM, so people can travel easily to spread the Gospel.” Everyone has heard about the Roman road system … “All roads lead to Rome.” Roman roads were everywhere … led everywhere.
God said: “I want the world to know that there is only ONE GOD.” SO … God had used the Jews for 4000 years to spread the idea that there was only 1 GOD. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the world was a Pagan world. The GREEKS had their many gods & goddesses. The ROMANS had their many gods & goddesses. The ROMANS even brought to the world the idea of worshipping a MAN. Caesar said that he should be worshipped as a god.
In the midst of 1000’s of petty gods, for 4000 years God had been preparing the world … through the Jews … that there was only ONE God … Jehovah. The Jews proclaimed to the world that the MESSIAH would come, to save the world from their sins.
God had spent 4000 years planning the birth of His Son, Jesus. That’s why, when Jesus was born, the blueprint had already been drawn. A universal LANGUAGE … a universal PEACE … a universal ROAD SYSTEM … the concept of ONE GOD …the MESSIAH. The world was ready for Jesus!
II. JESUS WAS READY.
Jesus was ready to come to earth! Do you know what it’s like to move? I’ve moved 12 times since I’ve been married. The packing … leaving your old home … getting your new home ready. Turing on the electricity, phone … the mail. Changes have to be made … new schools … new job … new friends. It’s quite an ordeal … a BIG CHANGE!
Jesus was moving! Think of the CHANGE that Jesus had to make … from Heaven to earth!
o He left His Royal Throne in Heaven … for a feeding trough in a lowly stable.
o He left the fellowship of God the Father … to live among disease, crime & sin.
o He left the Royal Palaces of Heaven … to travel dusty roads … with no home to call His own.
o He left the work of creation … to die on a tree He created.
o He left the splendor of Heaven … knowing His destiny … was the lowly Hill of Golgotha … there to lay down His life for me.
He left it all … to become “God in the flesh”. The time had come … all was fulfilled … Jesus was to make His move from Heaven to earth. After 400 years of silence, God was to speak once again. BUT … this time, He would send His Son … not another Prophet.
JESUS was ready … the WORLD was ready … GOD was ready.
BUT … what if Jesus HADN’T come 2000 years ago? What if there had NEVER BEEN that 1st Christmas? What if “the fullness of time” had not come?
1.- It wouldn’t be the year 2003 AD … BUT … the Jewish year 5762.
2.- There would be no Christian Holidays … fewer holidays to celebrate.
o There would be no CHRISTMAS … no tree, presents … no New Testament … no Church … no Christmas meal (no diets!). There would be no need for us to be here tonight … no birth of Jesus.
o There would be no EASTER this coming April 11th. We would probably celebrate “Eshtar” … the heathen holiday of Spring, honoring the Teutonic goddess of Spring. The symbol of Eshtar was the EGG … the symbol of life. They colored them, and exchanged them. There would be no RESURRECTION DAY, because there would be no birth of Jesus.
o There would be no THANKSGIVING … the Pilgrims were Christians.
o There would be no MOTHER’S/FATHER’S DAY … they began in the Christian Church.
o There would be no HALLOWEEN … which began in the 9th Century AD as the day before “All Saints Day”.
o There would be no AMERICA – Christopher Columbus was a Christian on a religious quest to discover new lands for Christ … to bring Christianity to the heathen.
3.- We would be under the Old Testament Law of Moses.
If we wanted to worship God, we (Gentiles) would have to convert to the Jewish faith, as Jewish proselytes. We would be offering animal sacrifices … travel to Jerusalem 3 times a year for Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles. The Tithe would be 30% … 10% of our crops & herds to God … 10% tithe to the Levites … 10% tithe to the Temple in Jerusalem.
4.- We wouldn’t have fellowship with God the Father.
In the Old Testament times, there was no concept of a “Heavenly Father”. It was JESUS who gave the Disciples the concept of a personal relationship with God the Father. When the Disciples heard Jesus pray to God, as a FATHER, they said: “Teach us to pray like that!” … “Our Father …” In Old Testament times, they looked on God as a stern judge.
5.- We wouldn’t have a concept of Heaven as our eternal home. In Old Testament times, the Jews looked forward to the promised KINGDOM here on earth … NOT … for eternal life in Heaven. “Heaven”, as we think about it, was a new concept to the Disciples. Jesus said He was going back to Heaven to prepare it for us.
CONCLUSION:
If there had not been the FIRST CHRISTMAS, we would be of all men, most miserable! BUT … there WAS a FIRST Christmas. Jesus WAS born 2000 years ago. Jesus DID come to bring us salvation.
It’s that salvation that Jesus brought us, that we celebrate tonight, in the LORD’S SUPPER.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“What If There Were No Christmas?”
INTRODUCTION: Galatians 4:4-5 – In “the fullness of time”, God sent Jesus on the very first Christmas.
I. THE TIME WAS READY
- God was silent for 400 years between the Old & New Testaments.
- God spent that time preparing for the birth of Jesus.
1.- God Used The Greeks – to provide a UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE so the Gospel could be spread throughout the whole world.
2.- God Used The Romans – to provide a UNIVERSAL PEACE … a UNIVERSAL ROAD SYSTEM.
3.- God Used The Jews – to provide a UNIVERSAL CONCEPT of ONE GOD, in the world of many gods.
II. JESUS WAS READY
- Jesus had to make a BIG move … from Heaven to earth.
What if Jesus hadn’t come 2000 years ago?
• It would be the Jewish year 5762.
• There would be no Christian holidays – No Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother’s/Father’s Day, Halloween, America …
• We would be under the Law of Moses – Offering animal sacrifices, paying a 30% tithe …
• We wouldn’t enjoy fellowship with God as our Father – They didn’t have a personal relationship with God as their “father”.
• We wouldn’t have a concept of Heaven as our home – They looked for an EARTHLY kingdom, not the home that Jesus went to prepare for us.
CONCLUSION:
- BUT … Jesus WAS born 2000 year ago.
- Tonight, we celebrate the salvation He came to bring us.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
