The Miracle Of The Message Series

The Miracle of the Message

Hebrews 1:1-3

Sermon Series: The Miracles of Christmas

Rosemont Baptist Church, December 5, 2021

SERMON SERIES [THE MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS]

If and when we think about all the miracles that Christmas truly is, Jesus, as the very person of God, coming into the world to save us from our sins, do we consider all these things as we celebrate Christmas? Last week we looked at the miracle of Gospel, that God would send Jesus, to take the penalty of our sins upon Himself. Today, we look at the message that Jesus brings.

God had fully revealed His plan for our salvation. That is the message we have, the message for which we have been entrusted. We need to realize the power that is present with the message we profess:

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

The power of Paul’s preaching was in the message and not in his ability as a speaker and a preacher. The writer of Hebrews understood this and open His letter to the Hebrews stating as much.

Hebrews 1:1–3

Christmas is celebrated around the world. Even when Ellen and I were missionaries in Indonesia, Christmas was promoted by all the decorations and Christmas trees. It was quote the commercial event, and this in a country that is 90 percent Muslim. How about other non-Christian countries?

How does Japan celebrate Christmas? Christmas has which has become a major event over there. They put up decorations, exchange presents, send cards, sing yuletide songs, decorate trees, serve special seasonal treats (especially strawberry-decorated Christmas cakes), and make a big fuss over St Nick, Rudolph and Frosty. Their Santa is sometimes dressed like a Samurai.

However due to slick marketing, in the past 20+ years, chicken has become the traditional Christmas meal and KFC is the place to be on Christmas. It is very important for single adults to have a date for a romantic dinner (at KFC?) on Christmas Eve. A big Christmas tradition is attending a concert of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

The one thing the Japanese do not do at Christmas is honor Christ. That’s because Japan is nearly 99% Shinto and Buddhist. A missionary to Japan was asked if Christmas was Santa’s birthday. I’ve been asked that right here in our town! In Japan Only ½ of 1% of Japan’s population is Christian. So where do you think they got this commercial version of Christmas? From us. They are attracted to the glitter and romance of the American version of Christmas, and have adopted nearly everything except the spiritual significance of the season.

I’ve also been reading how many people in our country don’t wish others a “Merry Christmas” anymore, for fear of offending non-believers. We have “Happy Holidays,” “Winter Festivals,” and “Season’s Greetings. As an American culture, we have taken Christ out of Christmas. Jesus is no longer invited to His celebration. Many of our public schools have had to become “Japanese” in their observance of the Christmas holiday, observing all the trappings of the season but actively ignoring the meaning of the season. They no longer use the word "Christmas." Many businesses are canceling their Christmas parties or changing it to “Holiday Parties.”

What’s the point of the Christmas season, without Jesus? We are experiencing freedom from religion. We should follow the Star, not the crowd.

Even Christians can miss the point of Christmas. We put up our Nativity sets without thinking about why Jesus came to Bethlehem. The sober truth is that He came to die. The manger led to a Cross. Jesus came to die. We in the church, need to put the Message back into Christmas.[1]

We need to remind the world about the Christ in Christmas.

Hebrews 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways

God, throughout history has progressively revealed himself to mankind. The fact is, God cannot be known unless God makes Himself known. Also, think about it, God cannot reveal more about Himself than we are able to understand. God would not be infinite if we have Him all figured out.

From this verse, “in many portions” in the Hebrew can be translated “in fragments,” or “in parts and pieces.” God had only given select portions of Himself. “In many ways,” God spoke through the prophets various ways: “the Word of LORD came unto …” “thus saith the LORD”