Think about the state of the world 2000 years ago. Spiritual darkness covered the earth like a heavy blanket. Most humans were utterly estranged from the Creator. Though God created humans, they did not seek God, honor God or love Him. They broke his laws. In exchange for the true God they fashioned their own gods to suit their sinful desires. Though the Creator gave breath to all and was the author of all blessings and pleasures humans enjoyed, well, they shut him out.
Of all peoples on the earth the Jews—God's chosen—had the most hope. They were visited by God and had tremendous promises from God. But even the Jews had become darkened. The prophets of that era described the Jewish people as foolish, a people without knowledge. They had become treacherous toward God. None roused himself to lay hold of God. They cast off restraint and had no remorse. A casual reading of Isaiah or Jeremiah gives you a clear sense of how even God’s chosen people became darkened.
And for 400 years preceding the birth of Christ, there was total silence—no prophets, no word from the Lord, no visitation from God or angels. I'm sure that many of the Jews began to think that God had given up on them, or that maybe the glory had departed and would never return. Faith grew dim. The earth dwelt in deep darkness (Isaiah 9). This was the state of things when Christ was born.
The glory of Jesus
Against this backdrop of darkness the Light dawned, a child was born. This was no ordinary child—this was God Himself taking on human form! The Word (Jesus) was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1). This child in the manger is the one who spoke the world into being (Heb 1). He's the eternal uncreated creator. He is the essence of heaven and the object of worship of multitudes of angels. He is the all knowing God (Psalm 139) who holds all things together (Col 1). He is the Holy One; in him is light and no darkness at all (1John1). He is wholly other than humans, and yet fully human (Heb 2). The tiny baby born in Bethlehem was the one who numbered and named the stars (Isaiah 40). He was the designer of plankton and the shaper of mountains. He gave birds their song and the lions their roar; he made each and every human being. This child born in Bethlehem under the starry skies, named Jesus—was and is and always will be! All things exist by Him and for Him. He was with Adam in the cool of the day. He appeared to Abraham. He was the fire in the burning bush and the rock in the desert (1Cor 10). He was the glory that filled the temple and the voice within the prophets. This child was the hope of Israel, the desire of nations, the promised Savior. Isaiah the prophet said of him that His kingdom and peace shall increase throughout eternity; he will establish justice on the earth; he is the one who will carry our griefs and suffer chastisement for our peace; he would bring good news to the poor and open the eyes of the blind; he would make people new and wash away their sins. But in Bethlehem 2000 years ago he was in the form of a frail, weak newborn. Born in a barn because there was no room at the local inn, the omnipotent God of the universe clothed himself in weakness to save the weak. This paragraph could be 1000 times longer and still only scratch the surface of telling of the glories of Jesus!
Many are blind
In modern society many people celebrate Christmas and hear Christmas hymns throughout the season. But the child of Mary and Joseph is to them nothing but a story. Some believe Jesus was a real person in history but just think he grew to be a great moral teacher.
They could not be more wrong.
He was in the beginning, before all things. He was and is God. He was called Emmanuel which means “God with us.” This was the glory of God in human form. Jesus said, “If you've seen me you've seen the Father,” “I and the Father are one” and “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He will be the Righteous Judge that all the dead, great and small, will stand before one day (Rev 20). Jesus Christ was more than a prophet, a holy man, a religious figure or moral teacher—he was God in the flesh and the greatest human being ever born!
Why did He come?
He came into the world for this reason: to give his life as a ransom for many. To stand in our place and absorb the wrath of God for us. He came to save us from our sins by subjecting himself to the brutal suffering of death by crucifixion. He came to make a way for us to be reconciled to God. No wonder the heavenly host rejoiced over the birth of this child named Jesus (Luke 2)!
He came to die. It was the only way to save us. Because all have sinned, and no amount of human effort can erase our guilt, God came into the world to take the punishment for our sins. The purpose of his coming was to restore our peace with God. His death made it possible for our record of sin to be expunged (cleared)!
He became the scapegoat for all who trust in him. The term “scapegoat” is used when we refer to someone putting the guilt and its consequences upon another. This term finds its origin in the Bible when the sins of the people were symbolically placed on a goat which was then sent away into the wild (Luke 16:21-22). Christ allowed himself to become our scapegoat.
Isaiah 53 says that, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace … The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all … He poured out his soul to death, and bore the sin of many.”
Romans 5 tells us that, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us … we are saved by him from the wrath of God … we were reconciled to God by the death of his son.” It makes me think of the song "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" by Charles Wesley.
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
joyful all ye nations rise,
join the triumph in the skies
with angelic hosts proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Not a fairy tale
What if Christ was never born? What if God decided that the world was too corrupt and not worth saving? What if the God who gave Israel promises of a Savior was not faithful to His promises? What if God never came 2000 years ago? What if the Christmas story was just a fairy tale, not rooted in reality? If it’s all fabricated then there is no hope for anyone on earth. We might as well just eat and drink, indulge and get what we can during our short life.
But the truth is that this Christmas story is real. Jesus Christ is the Only True God and one day everyone will realize that. This really happened. It's not a fairy tale. It’s rooted in history (consider the detailed genealogies in the Gospels). God really does so love the world that he came to earth to die for our sins so we could live with him forever! This is good news for all peoples everywhere! The price has been paid, sin and death defeated, and the gift of salvation extended to whosoever is willing to receive it.
How to receive?
If this news is such good news, why don’t all people receive it with joy and gratitude? Many people ignore the offer of the free gift of salvation through Christ. Some even get angry at the offer. What is going on here? Why does this happen? It can be summed up in this one small word: pride. To receive this gift of salvation we must humbly admit that we need it. In other words, we must swallow our pride and admit we are sinners in need of a Savior. It’s common to feel insulted by the gospel—I know I was when I first started to understand it! I felt like I could handle things on my own. I thought, “I’m not like one of those pathetic weak people that use religion as a crutch. I’m a good person. I’m strong!” It took me some time, but eventually I realized I’m not strong, I’m not good, and I desperately needed God in my life.
Dear friend
I imagine many of you reading this are at peace with God this Christmas and have a close relationship with Christ. But I want to end with an encouragement for those of you who may feel estranged from God or just feel kind of blank about God. You might believe things about God but intimacy with Him is foreign to you. One way you know peace with God is missing is when you think about death, which perhaps you avoid thinking about, and it seems like a scary plunge into the unknown.
I totally get all the reasons to resist surrendering your life to Christ. I know, people will think you are crazy. You may lose friends. It could hurt your career. You love certain sins and don’t want to part with them. It’s wounding to your pride to admit you need a Savior. I know, I know. I was there. But here’s the thing. Sooner or later we must face the Creator. If we face him now we will find the mercy and grace of a Savior. If we face him only in the next life we will find a Righteous Judge who is a consuming holy fire. So I encourage you to fear God.
Maybe you expected me to just tell you how much God loves you and how he wants to bless you! God does absolutely love you and wants to bless you, but it is often the fear of a Holy God that humbles us and crushes our pride. We are tiny clay creatures. We came from dust and to dust we will return. It is sensible to not be proud before the eternal God who dwells in unapproachable light.
It’s okay to need God. It’s okay to admit sin. Maybe friends and family will ridicule you, but listen, they will have to give an account to God one day. Don’t worry about their opinions. This is between you and God. He’s calling you to Himself. It’s Christmas Day today. What better day to be reconciled with God! I pray that you’d stop fighting against God and that you’d collapse in his loving arms. Do you know that Jesus said that when one sinner repents (turns from sin to God) that all of heaven rejoices? That’s how excited God and all the angels and every created being in heaven and all the saints who have gone before us will be when you come home. His arms are wide open and his face is lit with eager love. Run to him this Christmas Day!
Pastor Scott