THE FOCUS OF CHRISTMAS

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21 NKJV).

While the unbelieving world focuses on other things at Christmas, the Biblical focus is the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, we want to note three things about the focus on the Christ of Christmas: the wonder of Christ, the word of Christ, and the work of Christ.

The wonder of Christ – “She shall bring forth a son.” The birth of the Lord Jesus is the most famous birth that ever happened in this world. In fact, our calendars are based on His birth. We have B.C. which means “before Christ” and A.D. which means “after Christ.” This points to the fact that the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is that which divides time and history. The world hates this but have to abide by it on their calendars. The world has filled Christmas with many things that are not related to the Lord Jesus Christ, but the fact remains that if the Lord Jesus Christ has not been born, there would be no Christmas.

The word for Christ – “You shall call His name Jesus.” In the Old Testament Hebrew, it is “Yeshua” which we translate “Joshua.” The name “Joshua” and “Jesus” are the same. Today, the name “Jesus” is heard more as a curse word than as the name of our Blessed Savior. This shows the lack of respect that many have for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The work of Christ – “He shall save His people from their sins.” The main work of the Lord Jesus Christ was that of a Savior from sin. In fact, the meaning of the name “Jesus” means Savior. The Lord Jesus was named for His work. The people of the Lord Jesus’ Day wanted deliverance from Roman tyranny. But they were not interested in deliverance from their sins which is a worse tyranny. Today many are more interested in the Lord Jesus as a healer of their illnesses and a savior from economic problems than the Savior from their sins. However, the Lord Jesus Christ did not come primarily to save from physical illness or to prevent material bankruptcy. His primary work is to deliver from spiritual sickness and from spiritual bankruptcy. The greatest work that the Lord Jesus Christ can do for folks is to save you them their sins since that is their greatest need. Had the Lord Jesus not been born to remove our sins, there would be no Christmas whatever.

(Adapted from Butler’s Sermon Starters Vol. 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell Him you have received His Christmas gift!”

John R. Rice (1895 – 1980)

American Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

Word Study

Save

In Matt. 1:21 we read, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (NKJV).

Save is the Geek Greek word sṓzō (σώζω = sode'-zo). It has the basic meaning of rescuing one from great peril, but also include the idea to protect, keep alive, preserve life, deliver, heal, be made whole. More often sṓzō refers to salvation in a spiritual sense to rescue or preserve from eternal death, from judgment, sin, bring to salvation. In classical Greek, sṓzō was used in the sense of deliverance from danger, whether from enemies or the elements of weather. In the Septuagint sṓzō was used in reference to deliverance from external and internal distress, captivity, and enemies, as well as the subsequent peace, relief, liberty, rest, safety, and prosperity. In the New Testament sṓzō was used to mean salvation from physical and or spiritual death, including deliverance from demon possession. In the passive voice it means to be restored to health, to be cured. It is the sinner for whom the Lord Jesus Christ came to save (1 Tim. 1:15). Salvation requires faith (Eph. 2:8), but genuine faith is never alone. It is always accompanied by works (Jam. 2:14).

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you” (Jer. 40:9 KJV).

Did You Know…

The Bible does not record a single word spoken by Joseph. Some have quipped that he is always asleep when pictured in the Bible, since Matthew twice records an angel appearing to him in a dream (Matt. 1:20; 2:13).

Bible Quiz

What was the astonishing revelation that was made known to Joseph in a dream?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Book of Ecclesiastes, how many strands does the cord which “is not quickly broken” contain? 3 (Eccl. 4:12).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“LIVING STONE”

"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious!” (1 Peter 2:4 NKJV).

1. Meaning – LIVING STONE emphasizes the living quality and divine character of the Lord Jesus. He is alive and gives life to all who builds their lives on Him.

2. Insights – The phrase the living Stone appears to be a paradox since a stone has no life. Yet in Scripture the term “stone” sometimes has a figurative meaning (Psalm 118:22; Isa. 8:14; 28:16). When Peter qualifies the word “stone” with the description of “living,” he is no longer speaking of a stone but of a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter himself used this imagery when he addressed the Sanhedrin and portrayed the Lord Jesus as the “stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone” (Acts 4:11; cf. Psalm 118:22). Further, the Lord Jesus Christ is represented as the foundation on which the Christian Church is built, and on which it must continue to rest. He is the source of life and salvation to all who trusts in Him.

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

O Holy Night

A parish priest in a small French town commissioned a local poet and wine commissionaire, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, to write a poem for the village’s Christmas Eve mass. Cappeau read through the birth of Christ in the gospel of Luke en route to Paris, and finished the poem O Holy Night by the time he reached the city.

Cappeau turned to his friend, Adolphe Charles Adams, to compose the music to the poem, and three weeks later, the song was sung in the village on Christmas Eve. Initially, Cantique de Noel (the song’s French name) was widely loved by the Church in France, but when leaders learned that Cappeau was a socialist and Adams a Jew, the song was uniformly denounced as unfit for church services. But the common French people loved it so much, they continued to sing it. The song came to the U.S. via John Sullival Dwight, an abolitionist during the Civil War. Moved by the line in the third verse, “Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother, and in His Name all oppression shall cease,” he published it in his magazine and quickly found favor in the north during the war.

Even though it was banned in France, the song was still popular among the people. On Christmas Eve in 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between France and Germany during the Franco-Prussian War, an unarmed French soldier jumped out of the trenches, walked into the battlefield, and started singing the song’s first line in French. After singing all three verses, a German solider emerged and started singing the beginning of a popular hymn by Martin Luther. Fighting stopped for the next 24 hours in honor of Christmas Day. Soon after, the French Church re-embraced O Holy Night

A Little Humor

A little boy was somewhat perplexed by all the exchanging of presents on Christmas morning, for he had been taught in Sunday school that it was the birthday of the Savior. Finally, after a long period of silence, he asked, mommy, when are we going to give Jesus His present? I thought it was His birthday!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ’s birth brought the infinite God to finite man!”