ABCs of Jesus Christmas Special

Welcome to our Christmas special episode from our series on the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas Everyone! We are so glad you are joining us on this special day when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Remember that without the birth of Jesus, and without His willingness to die to pay the price for our sin and to bring us to God, we would have nothing to celebrate at Christmastime.

Let’s ask the study question here in the story of Jesus’ birth: “Who do you say that I am? What does the Christmas story tell us about who Jesus is and what He is like?

He is the Christ-Child at Christmas. In John 1:14 it says, “The (Almighty, Eternal, Infinite) Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Christ-Child was a weak, limited, helpless, vulnerable infant laying in a manger who was completely dependent on His earthly parents to take care of Him and provide for all His needs; but at the same time it says in Col 1:15-20, “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” It is a mysterious thing to contemplate.

Theologians call the birth of Jesus the “incarnation,” a Latin term meaning to enter into or become flesh. One definition says the incarnation is where “Christ took our human nature and brought it into union with His Divine Person, and became man.” We saw His divinity in the miracles and in all of the healings He performed. He proved in His actions that He was God in the flesh.

In Matthew chapter 1, it states that Jesus will be called Emmanuel, God is with us. Mary held God in her arms and it reminds me of the lyrics to the song, “Mary Did You Know when you kiss your little baby that you are touching the face of God?” The heart of Christmas is that God came to dwell on earth and to bring peace and good news to man. And what specifically was this peace and good news that this little baby brought?

The birth of Jesus does bring hope, peace, joy and love because that is who Jesus is, His very nature. But most importantly Jesus brought salvation, the gospel, the good news. Yes, we need all of those other things, but we need a Savior first and foremost. That is why He was named Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

Jesus was eternal. He stepped into time and was born. He grew and then showed us how to live an abandoned life. Jesus lived only to do the divine will of God. Then He accomplished His mission by dying on the cross, rising again in three days, and then returning to heaven. Those who put their faith in Him can then live eternally too just as He is living eternally now.

In Him is good news for all mankind:  Fear is banished. Love is displayed. Death is defeated. Hope is renewed. He is the Savior of the World. That is why He came.

God’s Free Gift at Christmas. Jesus is a beautiful undeserving perfect present for us. The Son of God wrapped in human flesh. Let’s face it, child birth is a little messy and His birth place was a little smelly in the stable. No Jewish person expected the Messiah to come in such a manner. But God topped it off with a shiny star in the sky for all to see and a heavenly host of angels announcing the news. God is a great giver, He gave His one and only Son. He is generous and thoughtful. With joy, He selected the perfect gift for us in His Son. 

Our Creator loves the people He made so much that He devised a plan, a permanent solution, to save us from sin, from the evil in this world, and from eternal death. And that plan called for Jesus to become human. Jesus voluntarily became one of us. He died on the cross and took on all the sins of the world upon Himself. Jesus came as a baby on a rescue mission to save you and me. Focus on who He is and why He came. He came for you. He loves you and gave His life for you. In His eyes, you are a special creation, worth dying for. 

Transcript

Welcome to our Christmas special episode from our series on the ABCs of the Attributes of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas Everyone! We are so glad you are joining us on this special day when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Remember that without the birth of Jesus, and without His willingness to die to pay the price for our sin and to bring us to God, we would have nothing to celebrate at Christmastime.

Let’s begin by reading the Christmas story from Luke 2, verses 1-20.

In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. [Note: little did Caesar Augustus know that he was doing an errand for God, to fulfill prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2-3, “But as for your Bethlehem…from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.”]

So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because He belonged to the house and line of David. [Note: they journeyed 90 miles south of Nazareth, five miles south of Jerusalem, a long journey for a pregnant woman through rugged terrain. Doesn’t say she road on a donkey, could have traveled on foot.] Joseph went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

And there were shepherds living out in the field nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Since we are asking a specific question in our study on the Attributes of Jesus, let’s ask the question here in the story of Jesus’ birth, “Who do you say that I am? What does the Christmas story tell us about who Jesus is and what He is like?

He is the Christ-Child at Christmas. In John 1:14 it says, “The (Almighty, Eternal, Infinite) Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Christ-Child was a weak, limited, helpless, vulnerable infant laying in a manger who was completely dependent on His earthly parents to take care of Him and provide for all His needs; but at the same time it says in Col 1:15-20, “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” It is a mysterious thing to contemplate.

Theologians call the birth of Jesus the “incarnation,” a Latin term meaning to enter into or become flesh. One definition says the incarnation is where “Christ took our human nature and brought it into union with His Divine Person, and became man.” We saw His divinity in the miracles and in all of the healings He performed. He proved in His actions that He was God in the flesh.

In Matthew chapter 1, it states that Jesus will be called Emmanuel, God is with us. Mary held God in her arms and it reminds me of the lyrics to the song, “Mary Did You Know when you kiss your little baby that you are touching the face of God?” The heart of Christmas is that God came to dwell on earth and to bring peace and good news to man. And what specifically was this peace and good news that this little baby brought?

Jesus represents hope, peace, joy, and love. In 4 Sundays of Advent season leading up to Christmas we talk about hope, peace, joy and love. These words fill the Christmas songs and are a part of the Christmas story. 

o       “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn.”

o       “I heard the bells on Christmas day, their old familiar carols play, and mild and sweet their songs repeat of peace on earth good will to men.”

o       “Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light.”

o       “Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let the earth receive her king!” 

Mary said she rejoiced in God her Savior, Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb for joy, when the Magi saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy, and, as we read, the angels brought tidings of great joy to the shepherds. 

The birth of Jesus does bring hope, peace, joy and love because that is who Jesus is, His very nature. But most importantly Jesus brought salvation, the gospel, the good news. Yes, we need all of those other things, but we need a Savior first and foremost. That is why He was named Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.

Jesus was eternal. He stepped into time and was born. He grew and then showed us how to live an abandoned life. Jesus lived only to do the divine will of God. Then He accomplished His mission by dying on the cross, rising again in three days, and then returning to heaven. Those who put their faith in Him can then live eternally too just as He is living eternally now.

In Him is good news for all mankind:  Fear is banished. Love is displayed. Death is defeated. Hope is renewed. He is the Savior of the World. That is why He came.

•        God’s Free Gift at Christmas. Jesus is a beautiful undeserving perfect present for us. When we give a gift, we wrap it in pretty paper and often put a bow or ribbon on it. We want it to be pleasing to the recipient. We hope they like the gift and are thankful for the time and effort you spent in selecting and presenting the gift. It is a joy to give the gift. You cannot wait for them to open it.

o       The Son of God was God’s gift but wrapped in human flesh. Let’s face it, child birth is a little messy and His birth place was a little smelly in the stable. No Jewish person expected the Messiah to come in such a manner. But God topped it off with a shiny star in the sky for all to see and a heavenly host of angels announcing the news. God is a great giver, He gave His one and only Son. He is generous and thoughtful. With joy, He selected the perfect gift for us in His Son. 

o       Have you ever received a surprise gift from someone you hardly know and you didn’t expect them to give you a gift. You open the gift and you realize it is an expensive gift and you absolutely love it. You think how did this person know the kind of gift I would like or wanted? It is humbling because you don’t have a gift to match or any to give back in return. You certain couldn’t give with such thoughtfulness. We are not in such a relationship with the person that we should receive such a generous gift.

o       That is what God did for us. We don’t deserve the gift of Jesus. Sometimes we don’t even give God the time of day. Oh, that we would have a heart of thanksgiving for this indescribable Christmas gift. We should just say, “Thank you Lord so much for your kindness and love.”

For reasons we may never completely understand, our Creator loves the people He made so much that He devised a plan, a permanent solution, to save us from sin, from the evil in this world, and from eternal death. And that plan called for Jesus to become human. Jesus voluntarily became one of us. He suffered the same pains we suffer; endured the same heartaches and disappointments, struggles and temptations that afflict us; bore the same injustices and burdens that plague human existence. He died on the cross and took on all the sins of the world upon Himself. 

We are all drowning in quicksand, or as the bible says, “in miry pit.” He came down, raised us up, and placed us on a solid foundation. Jesus came as a baby on a rescue mission to save you and me. Focus today on who He is and why He came. He came for you. He loves you and gave His life for you. In His eyes, you are a special creation, worth dying for. 

Rick and I both wish you a very Merry Christmas!