The 4 M's Of Christmas

“The Four M’s Of Christmas”

Luke 1 and 2

David P. Nolte

This is a blessed time of year. Excitement fills the air, a sense of nostalgia pervades our minds, and there is a warmth in our hearts.

But let me tell you about a single mother who didn't see Christmas like that. It was 1960. Her abusive husband left her with 6 children ranging from 3 months to 7 years. She had 75 cents in her pocket, a worn out 51 Chevy and no income. After hours of job searching, she was hired at a truck-stop restaurant. She got the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift. She made 65 cents/hour and tips and she paid $1.00/night to a high school girl who slept on her couch to care for the children. The tires on her car were so thin she had to air them up to get to, and from, work every day. Christmas was coming and she had no money to buy any gifts for her children, so she did her best to repair and restore some of their old toys to wrap as gifts. Clothing was patched and re-patched and her heart was breaking. Hers was a dark time. She prayed for a miracle and she desperately needed help.

For mankind, it was a story of poverty and despair and darkness. God knew how mankind needed help and how hard things were. He met that need through a miracle, a mother, a manger and a message. Consider those 4 "M's" of Christmas this morning.

I. A MIRACLE:

A. The conception of Jesus Christ was not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Gabriel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:30-35 (NLT2).

B. It was nothing short of a miracle.

1. It was essential that Jesus be God to make atonement, and that He become man to identify with our situation.

2. He is thus God in man and man in Whom the fulness of God dwelt.

C. He began His days in the flesh in a miraculous manner. But His entire life among men was miraculous:

1. He performed miraculous deeds: He raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out demons, walked on water, fed the 5,000.

2. He lived a miraculous life: He was sinless perfection embodied.

3. He died a miraculous death: No one forcefully took His life. John 10:18 records His own statement, "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."

4. He achieved a miraculous resurrection: Romans 1:4 assures us that He "was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, ..."

5. He miraculously ascended into heaven.

D. But for those who believe in Him, the greatest miracle is that:

1. He forgives all our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

2. He makes us to be new creatures, the old having passed away.

3. He brings us into the family of God as His born-again Children.

4. He gives us the gift of eternal life.

The poor mother with a shot Chevy, no money, 6 kids and a low paying job needed a miracle. She needed help and she needed it badly. So did mankind. To meet man's need, God sent a miracle. And He chose to do that through Mary, who became:

II. A MOTHER:

A. Here we have a simple, unsophisticated young girl who found favor in God's eyes. She was not perfect, but God found in her characteristics that gave her favor in His eyes. So, what made Mary acceptable for this divide purpose?

1. She was morally pure. She was a virgin.

2. She was humble: She called herself the "bondslave of the Lord."

3. She was obedient: She said, "Be it done to me according to your word."

4. She was courageous: She was willing to face public censure, family abandonment, the termination of her betrothal, and perhaps even stoning for becoming pregnant out of wedlock.