THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTMAS Pastor James J. Barker
Text: MATTHEW 1:18-25 INTRODUCTION: 1. Christmas is under attack. This should not surprise us since everything associated with the Lord Jesus Christ is now under attack. 2. The Christian faith is under attack. The Bible is under attack. 3. Romans 1:30 refers to “haters of God.” 4. The God-haters come out of the woodwork at Christmas time. But this year they are really going crazy. Listen to this: “Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm.” 5. Yes, they have secularized “Silent Night.” For a performance in its so-called “winter program,” a Wisconsin elementary school has changed the well-known Christmas carol “Silent Night,” into a new song called “Cold in the Night.” 6. This year's so-called winter program included decorating classrooms with Santa Claus, Kwanzaa symbols, menorahs and Labafana, a mythical witch (that’s supposedly a part of traditional Christmas celebrations in Italy). 7. Many public school districts consistently forbid traditional Christmas carols (secular Christmas songs are OK) from being sung in music programs but they allow Hanukkah songs. 8. The South Orange/Maplewood New Jersey School District has
a long-standing policy banning Christmas songs with religious references, and
this ban even includes instrumental numbers without lyrics. 9. Instead of songs about the birth of Jesus, the 40-member Columbia High School brass ensemble is limited to seasonal selections such as “Winter Wonderland” and “Frosty the Snowman.” 10. Last week, in Manhasset, Jon Kaiman, the North Hempstead town supervisor, who is Jewish, objected to a local Catholic priest's religious blessing at a Christmas tree ceremony. While the RC was speaking he heard Mr. Kaiman fuming behind him, saying “This is nonsense…We're not doing this next year…I can't believe this.” 11. Then when the priest was finished with his “blessing,” Kaiman took the microphone and “in a harsh, annoyed voice,” told the crowd, “I just want to make it clear that this is in no way a religious ceremony”…We're here to celebrate the holiday tree lighting. This is not the place for a religious ceremony.” 12. There followed such an uproar that Mr. Kaiman was forced to apologize later on. 13. Numerous other reports could be given, but I am sure you have seen and heard plenty already. And you will be hearing much more in the days to come because each year it gets worse. The total elimination of Christmas is their ultimate goal. 14. Over 100 years ago the famous infidel George Bernard Shaw started an organization for the abolition of Christmas. But after many years of campaigning he had to give it up. He admitted he was the only member. 15. But Mr. Shaw lived before the ACLU, before Hollywood, before Time and Newsweek (who always publish anti-Christian articles around Christmas time and Easter time), and before the institution of the public school system. I believe that if George Bernard Shaw were alive today he would have a huge following. 16. First they paganized Christmas. Then they commercialized Christmas. And then they secularized Christmas. Now they want to eliminate Christmas altogether. They want it to be absorbed into a meaningless, Christ-less, godless “holiday season” with holiday trees, jingle bells, Santa Claus, shopping and spending, and eating and drinking – but no reference to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. 17. And He is LORD. Way back in Isaiah 40:3 – 700 years before Christ – the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” 18. We know from the NT that this prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:3). We will look at this further in a few minutes. 19. I want to speak on the importance of Christmas this morning.
I. NO FULFILLED PROPHECY WITHOUT CHRISTMAS.
II. NO SALVATION WITHOUT CHRISTMAS. 1. By this I mean, if Christ
had not come into this world we would still be lost. Without Christmas (that is, the birth of
the Lord Jesus Christ) we would not be saved (cf. Matthew 1:21; I Timothy
1:15). 2.
Matthew 1:21 says, “and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
3.
There is a big problem in
this world and it can be summarized in one little word: sin. I was talking to an old friend last
night and he mentioned a mutual friend got divorced from his wife. I asked what went wrong, and he said,
“He had some issues.”
4.
By
“issues” he meant “SIN.” We
need a Saviour to save us from our sins (Matt. 1:21). If you have similar “issues,” I have
good news – Jesus died on the cross for your
sins. 5.
The
name “Jesus” means “Saviour.” After
Mary was told that she would be the mother of the Son of God, she said, “My soul
doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”
(Luke 1:46, 47). 6.
The
shepherds were out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel of the Lord came upon them
and said, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord” (Luke 2:10, 11). 7.
Good
tidings! What a glorious proclamation!
Indeed it is “good tidings” (the Gospel)! The Gospel means “Good
news.” 8.
Note
that the angel referred to Jesus as Saviour, Christ, and the
Lord. SAVIOUR – Over and over again the
Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is our only Saviour (cf. Acts
4:12; Titus 2:11-13). CHRIST – literally, “the Anointed
One” (the Messiah). Recall the
testimony of the woman at the well, and the men of Samaria (John 4:29, 30,
40-42). LORD – Three times in the NT,
the Lord Jesus Christ is given this title, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
But the devil does not like this title.
And the devil is very subtle and
crafty. 9. In the JW’s “New World
(mis)Translation,” the name “Jehovah” appears over 200 times in the New
Testament. It does not appear even
once in our Authorized King James Bible. 10. When the King James
translators came to the Greek word kurios, they properly translated it
“Lord.” (In the OT, the
King James Bible has LORD in capital letters.) 11. The JW’s claim that they
consistently translate this word kurios as “Jehovah,” but they are
not telling the truth. For example,
they did not translate it as “Jehovah” in Romans 10:9. Here they refer to Jesus as “the Lord
Jesus” rather than “Jehovah Jesus” because that would contradict their teaching
that Jesus is not to be identified as
Jehovah. 12. And of course this is the
real reason why the JW’s are so adamantly opposed to the celebration of
Christmas. They do not honor the
Lord Jesus Christ, and since they do not honor Him they do not honor any day
that commemorates His birth (cf. John
5:22-24).
III. NO CHURCH WITHOUT CHRISTMAS. 1.
When our
Lord was born the Jews had to travel from near and far to worship at the temple
in Jerusalem. His disciples were quite surprised when He told them that the
magnificent temple was going to be completely destroyed (Matt. 24:1,
2). 2.
While
the Jews were in exile they organized synagogues. These synagogues formed the pattern for
the NT church. But there were no
churches before Christmas. 3.
It was
the Lord Jesus Christ who declared in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.” 4.
It was
the Lord Jesus Christ who gave the Great Commission to the local church. “All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt.
28:18-20). 5.
Before
the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jews had the Word of God. The Jews had the prophets. And the Jews had the promise of the
coming Messiah. But the rest of the
world was lost in the darkness of idolatry. 6.
But then
Christ was born. He came into this
world to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world. And by His substitutionary death, He
broke down that middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile (Eph.
2:14). 7.
If
Christ had not been born, then we Gentiles would still be in heathen
darkness. There would be no
churches. 8.
Today there are millions of
Americans who despise the church.
They hate the church and everything it stands for. If they had their way they would close
us all down immediately. 9.
God
is observing all of this. He knows
the wicked hearts of men. Soon He
is going to call the church home to heaven. All of the Christ-rejecters and
God-haters are going to celebrate.
But before long their laughing will turn to despair and agony (cf. Rev.
6:12-17). CONCLUSION: 1. If the Lord Jesus Christ had
not been born we would have no New Testament. We would have no Lord’s Day. This world would be in far worse shape
if Christ had not been born. 2.
But
most importantly, if Christ had not been born we would not be saved.
3.
Are
you
saved? |
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