The Christmas War Series

Faces around the manger

- Mary and Joseph

- Shepherds

- Angels

- Wisemen

But there is one face you will never see in a Nativity set

This face was not smiling, not praising, not kneeling, not wondering...it was hating!

You see Jesus' birth excited more than wonder - it excited evil as well

Around that manger scene, lurking in the shadows was the face of the Dragon, the deceiver, the devil!

I. WAR!!

Revelation 12 offers us another perspective on the Christmas story.

Rev 12 is Christmas from God's side

need this perspective to help us avoid the cheap sentimentalism that accompanies the season...it easy to fall into this trap

The sights, the sounds can all distract us from what really happened on that First Noel

What was Peace on Earth to us - was WAR in heaven!

While Mary sang sweet lullabies - the angels were shouting battle cries!

Remember - the world that Jesus entered - our world - had been occupied by the enemy since the Fall in the Garden.

Death and Darkness, Despair and Devil had held our world in bondage to the forces of Sin

On that Christmas night God declared - "I'm taking my world back!" Operation Liberation had begun!

While on earth a little baby was born, angels sang, shepherds wondered and wisemen knelt - in heaven the "Great Invasion" was at hand. With the birth of Jesus the forces of good had made a daring raid into the very heart of the universe's seat of evil!

While it was Silent Night in the Little Town of Bethlehem - it was out and out warfare in the heavenlies.

The battle for your soul, my soul and the soul of the entire universe began with that baby lying in a manger.

The real meaning behind Christmas is found in the words of that familiar hymn "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" which reminds us that Jesus was born to save us all from Satan's power when we had gone astray!

II. VICTORY!!!

And the fact that we are here this morning singing these carols and reading this Scripture proves to the whole world who won...

In Bethlehem over two thousand years ago a small, helpless baby was confronted by the cosmic bully and the baby won!

Love how verse 8 puts it: "...[the devil] was not strong enough and he lost..."

Wouldn't that be a great Hallmark greeting card? "The devil was not strong enough! Merry Christmas!"

And because that Baby won - we [you and I] share in his victory...

What does this Christmas Victory reveal?

God's salvation

God's power

God's Kingdom

note the wording in verse 10 "now have come..."

These things are a present reality in our lives

Because of Christ's Christmas victory we have now salvation from our sins

power over the temptations of this world

and citizenship in heaven!

Our world and our lives have been liberated from the forces of darkness by the Light of the World!

This is what Christmas means! It means victory! Victory for God and victory for we his children! For you, for me, for little Marissa baptized in his name!

III. CELEBRATION!!!

How do we respond to this victory?

With Celebration! Verse 12 is a call to us to REJOICE!!!

What better way can we rejoice except to join our voices with that of the cosmic chorus singing in the night sky over Bethlehem....

"Glory to God in the Highest! Glory to God in the Highest!!"

So what do we do? We do what we have always done. We sing, we celebrate, we share with one another, but with a deeper understanding of what the words, the feelings and the sentiments really mean.

It doesn't matter what gifts you found or didn't find under the tree...

It doesn't matter whether things will fit or not...

It doesn't matter where you will find the money to pay for it all...

All that matters is that 2000 years ago a baby born in a manger came to save us...

to save us from our sins

to save us from our fears

to save us from the Dragon, the deceiver, the devil

Christmas is about victory. God's and Ours. And he will reign for ever and ever. And we will live with him. All because of a little baby born in Bethlehem...Merry Christmas!