CHRISTMAS IS COMING
Isaiah 9:2, 6“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
There are always challenges and struggles we face both personally and collectively. The good news of Christmas is that even when the world or our circumstances change – the message of Christmas is timeless. Because Christmas is about the birth of God’s Son – Jesus. It is about how He came to give us love, hope and joy.
Title: CHRISTMAS IS COMING
- Christ is Central
- Christ is the Cause
- Christ is Coming
Christmas is often described as a time of “happiness and cheer.”
Excitement is the expectation.
Christmas was traditionally a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in the early 20th century, it also became a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.
I. CHRIST IS CENTRAL
Every time you check your calendar, or refer to a date or write one down, you are using Jesus Christ as your reference point.
BC and AD.
We who are here should know that Jesus is the reason for the season. He is the central person.
Christmas is centered not on what we can receive but on who God gave – His Son.
II. CHRIST IS THE CAUSE
On the night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small group of shepherds were quietly tending their flocks of sheep in the nearby fields.
Suddenly a bright light frilled the skies, an angel from God appeared and said: “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior is born.”
Jesus is the cause of:
- Courage – to the fearful.
- Good News – to those who always have bad news.
- Great Joy – to those whose lives have been crushed by circumstances.
He who created the world was now in the world!
In John 1:1 and 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Almighty God was willing to humble Himself and in Jesus Christ became a human being to carry the wages of our sin and sorrow.
Philippians 2:5-11“Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.””
John stood on the banks of the Jordan River. He was not the light. He pointed to the true light, Jesus. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Many lives were transformed when they attached themselves to Jesus.
Christmas day has been set to remind us visibly about the greatest gift that has ever been given in the history of man. — Jesus Christ.
Jesus was born in order to pay the price for the things we have done wrong: sin.
God sent his only son to be the atonement for all our sins so that we would not be separated from God. Without Jesus, we would all die for our sins. While being fully God and yet fully man, Jesus came into the world as an infant to save us all.
III. CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN
His first coming brought you liberation, His second coming is going to bring you transformation. His first coming brought heaven down to you; His second coming will bring you up to heaven.
The Greek word for “coming” is Parousia. It is used in the New Testament in many places to refer to the second coming (or return) of Jesus Christ. Before he left, Jesus promised that we would “come again” to gather his people and to judge the world.
The Parousia of Christ is bad news for many. The reason is that we have all sinned.
Since God is eternal, separation is eternal.
Jesus paid the penalty that our sins deserve. Those who turn away from sin and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their sin bearer receive forgiveness of sins and can live in God’s presence. When Jesus returns, He will welcome them into his eternal kingdom.
But the Parousia of Jesus Christ is good news to Christians because Jesus promised that when He returns, He would take his people to be with Him and God the Father.
John 14: 2- 3“In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Those who are in Christ have hope that even when going through the darkest times, their future reward will make their current problems seem insignificant.
Romans 8:18“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
May we all face God with confidence that our sins have been taken care of in Christ.
CONCLUSION:
Christmas is more than just happiness and cheer. It is about Jesus coming as a symbol of God’s love for mankind. It is about God giving His best gift – His own Son, to be born as human and then to suffer in the hands of man and die on the cross for our sins.
Jesus is central and the cause of celebration this Christmas. And as we celebrate, may we be reminded that He is coming again. To judge sin and take His own home. May we have the confidence that our sins are taken care of in Christ.
