The ABC's of Christmas

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! It is a beautiful morning; a white Christmas! It is such a wonderous, miraculous day! The day Christ was born! A great day to celebrate all that Jesus means to us. So celebrate! Celebrate the birth of Christ and give Him praise.

Ray Pritchard asks, "Have you ever tried to explain the real meaning of Christmas to a child? It isn’t easy. There is so much tradition mixed up with spiritual truth that it is sometimes hard to tell Jesus from Santa Claus and the Wise Men from the snowmen.

"Sometimes our children have a hard time understanding what it all means. Some years back there was a cartoon called 'Marvin.' In the first frame a young mother has just finished reading the Christmas story to her young son. The lad has a puzzled look on his face as he sorts it all out. Then he thinks to himself, 'Let me see if I’ve got this straight... Christmas is baby Jesus' birthday, but I get the presents?' The final frame shows him with a satisfied grin as he says to himself, 'Is this a great religion or what?!' (keepbelievingministries.com)

There is an old children's story book called The Christmas ABC Book (Florence Johnson,‎ Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, The Christmas ABC [Litte Golden Book #478], Golden Press, 1962). Some of you may be familiar with it. Each letter of the alphabet connects with the biblical story in a little rhyme. For instance:

A means Angel…

An Angel was the first to tell

That Christ had come on earth to dwell.

D means Donkey…

A Donkey followed Joseph's track 

And carried Mary on his back.

(That's okay. Even though the Bible does't mention a donkey, it is quite possible that Mary did indeed ride a donkey since she was in the late stages of her pregnancy.)

Then there is the occasional odd one:

O means Oxen…

An Ox awoke and wondered why

So many people knelt nearby.

But all in all, it was a wonderful book. It's good for children to know the ABC's of Christmas. Even more, it's good for all of us to see through the tinsel and fantasy to the great story of Bethlehem.

There is one verse that sums up the real meaning of Christmas better than any verse in Scripture. It is just one verse tucked away in a forgotten corner of the New Testament. But in it we find the ABC's of Christmas.

2 Corinthians 8:9 tells the whole story of Christmas. It sums up the great truth behind the birth of a baby. Here we discover the ABC's of Christmas, first for the strengthening of our own hearts, and second, that we might teach these things to our children and grandchildren. Here is the true meaning of Christmas revealed in three truths.

The first truth is that He was rich. Hebrews 1:3 says that all the glory of God radiates from Christ: "He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature." Colossians 1:17 says that "in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16 also says that "by Him all things were created." And Isaiah 9:6 says that before He was born, He was the "Mighty God" and the "Eternal Father."

"He was rich" (v. 9a). He didn't leave heaven in search of riches. He had the universe at his disposal. He wasn't looking for money. All the money in the universe was His for the asking. Theologians speak of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. That simply means that before Bethlehem, the Son of God existed from all eternity in heaven. Not as a pauper or a beggar, but in glorious splendor. "He was rich" (v. 9a).

That is the "A" of the ABC's of Christmas—"He Was Rich." But that is only part of the story. Christmas begins with what happens next.

The second truth is that He became poor. What does this mean? He was rich in eternity. He became poor in time. He left heaven for a remote village in a forgotten province, to join a despised race, to be born of an obscure teenage peasant girl in a stable, wrapped in rags, and placed in a feeding trough instead of a crib.

This much we all know. But notice the verb: "He became poor" (v. 9b). Not, "He was made poor." That is what happens to us. We are made poor by circumstances. But He, of His own free will, became poor. That is something we would never do. He voluntarily gave up the riches of heaven for the poverty of earth. He who was richer than any man has ever been, gave it up freely and became poorer than any man has ever been.

We understand riches. And we understand poverty. But to choose poverty is beyond us and something we would never do. But that is the heart of the gospel. The richest person in the universe, of His own free will, became poorer than the poor.

Theologians refer to this as the "Incarnation." The thought is found in John 1:14—"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The phrase "became flesh" really means "to wrap yourself in flesh." It has the idea of God wrapping Himself in human flesh. That's what happened at Bethlehem. It was God entering the human race in the form of a man.

That is what God did. He didn't mail a letter or shout from heaven. He did the one thing we could understand. God Himself came down and entered the human race. He became poor like us so that we would hear him saying, "I love you."

We wouldn't have done it that way. We would have scheduled a press conference, called the TV stations, hired a press agent, had a parade, called in the dignitaries, sold tickets, and made a big deal so all the world could see. We would take the Madison Avenue approach.

But that is not God's way. Read the New Testament again. Instead of flash and splash, there is a frightened father, an exhausted mother, a dirty stable in wintertime, swaddling cloths and a feeding trough. There He is, ignored by the mighty and powerful. Immanuel—God with us. It's so simple that you know it must be true. Only God would have done it that way.

That is the "B" of the ABC's of Christmas—"He Became Poor." But there is one more truth about Christmas that we must know if we are to discover the true meaning of this day.

The third truth is that you might become rich. Here is the purpose of Christmas. He came so that we who were poor might become rich. How does that happen? Most of you are familiar with the term guilt-by-association. That means, if I hang around with a fellow who has committed a crime, I may be considered guilty as well because of my close relationship with him. Turn that concept around and you've got Christmas. It is grace-by-association. All the grace of God is available to me by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Think of it! All the riches… all the power… all the prestige of His good name are mine. But someone will say, "You don't deserve that." Indeed I don't. That is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I deserved it, I wouldn’t need Jesus, would I? But through my association with Jesus, suddenly I am a rich man.

Theologians refer to this as the doctrine of imputation. It is what happens when I come to Jesus Christ. He takes my sin, and I take His righteousness. I do not earn it; it is imputed to me. It is credited to my account. That is grace-by-association.

When I come to Jesus Christ, I come as a pauper in the spiritual realm. My hands are empty, my pockets bare; I have nothing to offer, no claim to make. All my good works are as filthy rags; my resume is filled with failure. All my life I have gone two steps forward and three steps back. And when I come to Him, I am fed, clothed, filled, forgiven, crowned with every good thing. He takes away my rags and puts around me the robe of His own righteousness. Everything that was against me is gone. Everything I lacked, I now have.

Once I was poor. Now I am rich. That is the grace of God. And it happened because of Christmas. He who was rich became poor for my sake, that I "through His poverty might become rich" (v. 9c).

C.S. Lewis explained it like this: "The Son of God became the son of man so that sons of men may become sons of God." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (Publisher: Geoffrey Bles], 1952)

That is the "C" of the ABC's of Christmas—"That you... might become rich." So, the ABC's of Christmas are: A — He was rich; B — He became poor; and C — That you might become rich.

That is the true meaning of Christmas. Let us rejoice this year that these things are true and let us teach them to our children and grandchildren that they may know what this season is all about. Amen.

Jesus Was Born to Be Your Savior

It was "His Son" (Gal. 4:4b) that was born that first Christmas. Jesus was God's own Son. He was fully God, perfect in every way. He was also "born of a woman, born under the Law" (v. 4c). Not only was Jesus fully God, He was also fully man. He was one of us. Yet, being God, He was without sin. That qualifies Him to be our Savior.

There are a couple of things we see happening in this text. The first has to do with God's providence. God's providence means that He rules over the affairs of men and nations. As it pleases Him, He raises up one ruler and brings down another. He moves the entire course of history so that all will be ready for the coming of His Son. With God there is no fate, and nothing happens by mere chance or coincidence. Nothing ever happens "by accident" with God. Everything works together as part of His eternal plan.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, in his sermon entitlled, The Great Birthday and Our Comong of Age, said it this way: "He came at the hour which God had determined. The infinite Lord appoints the date of every event; all times are in His hand. There are no loose threads in the providence of God, no stitches are dropped, no events are left to chance. The great clock of the universe keeps good time, and the whole machinery of providence moves with unerring punctuality" (worr.wordpress.com)

Some of us need to hear this because we wonder (and secretly fear) that God has forgotten us. Perhaps you come to the year's end with a sense of unfulfillment and perhaps a sense of dread about what the future will bring. Fear not! God's timing is perfect."When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law" (Gal. 4:4, NIV). And when the time is fully come, He will keep all His promises to you.

The other thing happening here has to do with the importance of Jesus Christ. He is the center of history. History is really His Story; the story of Jesus Christ planned and told by God. Secular history gives us dates and times and places and people, but only God gives meaning to history. Jesus' birth is the hinge on which the door of history swings.

He came at the appointed time—not a moment too late, not a second too early. This means that the first Christmas miracle started long before Bethlehem. It took place over several centuries as God prepared the world for the coming of His Son.

He is the Savior of the world. He is our Savior. Some years ago C. K. Lee, a Christian leader from China, came to America. One Sunday he spoke in a church in California. At the conclusion of the message, a young college student asked this question, "Why should we export Christianity to China when you have Confucianism in your country?" "There are three reasons," was the answer. "First, Confucius was a teacher and Christ is a Savior. China needs a Savior more than she needs a teacher. Second, Confucius is dead and Christ is alive. China is in need of a living Savior. Third, Confucius will one day stand before Christ to be judged by Him. China needs to know Christ as Savior before she meets Him as Judge." (Story taken from "Triumphs of Faith," in The Most Amazing Man in History; keepbelieving.com)

In the end it becomes very personal. We all need a Savior. Some of us realize it, but many people do not. Christ came so that you might be saved from your sin. So the question becomes: What will you do with Jesus Christ?

Ray Pritchard relates this story from a night of Christmas caroling. They came upon a man who attended their church off and on for ten years, but not often the last few years. But he was glad to see the pastor. He said that he thought his life was turning around and that he wanted to go in a new direction. Then he said something the pastor had not heard anyone say before. He said he was hoping that God would "meet him halfway." He meant that he was taking a step toward God and now he hoped that God would take a step toward him and that they would meet somewhere in the middle. (keepbelieving.com)

The truth is, God never meets any of us halfway. It's not, you take one step and then God takes one step. It's not even that you take one step and God takes four steps. No, we never have to take the first step. God always makes the first move.

The message of Christmas is this: In Christ, God has taken a thousand steps toward us. Now He says, "Won't you take one tiny step toward Me?" The journey from heaven to earth was the longest journey anyone has ever taken. That's what it meant for God to "send forth" His Son. Now all He asks is that we take a tiny step of faith toward him. When we do, He meets us right where we are. Amen.

Jesus Was Born When the Stage Was Set

Jesus said, "If I had not come" (John 15:22); and Paul said, "When the fullness of the time had come" (Gal. 4:4a). Meaning, when time itself was pregnant and ready to deliver; when the stage was set, "God sent forth His Son" (Gal. 4:4b).

If we stand back and look at history, what do we discover about the world in the day when Christ was born? Four things are evident:

(1) It was a period of international peace. For only the second time in the history of the Roman Empire, the doors of the Temple of Janus (the god of war) in Rome were closed, meaning that the Empire was not at war anywhere. The great Pax Romana, the Roman Peace, was in force, which meant that the whole Mediterranean world was united under one government.

No doubt you have heard it said, "All roads lead to Rome." That statement was literally true. The Romans had built a road system that stretched from Rome in all directions. That enabled the gospel message to quickly spread to all parts of the known world. And Greek was the common language throughout the empire (because of Alexander the Great), which further united people and made it easier for the message of Jesus to come to the masses.

(2) It was a time of religious ferment. Across the empire, the various mystery religions were in decline. There were so many gods in ancient Greece that one writer called Greece, "one large altar." And Judaism was ripe for Messiah to come. During those 400 "silent years," the Jews had migrated to every corner of the ancient world. Judaism flourished as the Jews built synagogues wherever they went. And where did Christianity begin? It emerged from the womb of Judaism. Early church worship was modeled after synagogue worship. And where did Paul start when he went to a new city? Always in the local synagogue, preaching the gospel to his own people. By the time of Christ, there were Jews at every level of society in the Roman Empire, and many Gentiles knew of the God of Israel.

Looking back, we can see clearly that God had placed His chosen people, the Jews, in strategic positions to help advance the gospel. Still the Jews asked each other, "Why hasn’t the Messiah come?" Their experience in Old Testament times had left them yearning for something better. The Law, good as it was, could never save them. It was a schoolmaster meant to lead them to Christ.

Historians tell us that in the centuries preceding the coming of Christ, there was a feeling of unrest and an undefined expectation of something about to happen. That is why Paul, standing on Mars Hill in Athens in A.D. 50, could refer to the Altar to the Unknown God as a jumping-off spot for proclaiming the gospel.

(3) It was an era of moral decline. Athens was in the late afternoon of its glory. The gods of Greece and Rome no longer could command the blind allegiance of the masses. Education, philosophy, and great art created desires they could not fill. In the end, the verdict was clear. Athens produced Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides, and Aristophanes. Rome produced Seneca, Cicero, Juvenal, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Julius Caesar. But the best man could do, was not enough. Nothing could fill the "God-shaped vacuum" inside the human heart. Art, literature, poetry, music, architecture, and the greatest military machine the world had ever known, all of it taken together, could not provide meaning to life or point the way to lasting forgiveness. It could not offer any answer to three questions we all must answer: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?

Again, it is a simple historical fact that the condition of the heathen world was deplorable. Even the Roman poets said as much. They saw the problem, but were powerless to do anything about it. They knew the truth, at least in part, but had no power to effect lasting change. The result was gross superstition, debased immorality, widespread corruption, evil run amok, and rank unbelief.

This is the world into which Christ came. It is the world Paul describes so graphically in the first chapter of Romans; a world that knew the truth but suppressed it, ignored the true God, and turned to idolatry. It was a world that was given over to paganism, sexual immorality, homosexuality, murder, perversion, dishonesty, and brutality. A world of broken promises, broken dreams, broken homes, and broken hearts. And into that darkness, God shined a light in a stable, in an obscure village called Bethlehem.

(4) It was an age of prophetic fulfillment. That which started in Genesis, continued throughout the Old Testament. God promised over and over that He would intervene in history. One day the Messiah would come. There was an ever-narrowing stream of prophecy, the promises becoming more and more specific. Until it happened! The angel came to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Then to Mary. Then to the shepherds and the Wise Men in the east, who saw the star and knew that the King of the Jews had been born. Herod, the evil king in Jerusalem, seemed to have been caught by surprise. But the scribes weren’t. They knew the baby would be born in Bethlehem.

Thus, the stage was set for the coming of Christ. It happened just as God said it would. Not too soon. Not too late. "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son" (Gal. 4:4ab).

This brings us back to where we started, to the words of Jesus, "If I had not come" (John 15:22). If Christ had not come, how would the world be different? Just for a moment, imagine that some powerful hand has wiped the influence of Christ out of our civilization, as a hand would clean a blackboard in a schoolroom. Go to a library, and you will find no trace left of the life or words of Jesus. All has vanished. In the encyclopedias, the entries on "Jesus Christ" have all been removed. In the museums, where "The Transfiguration," "The Last Supper" and "Christ on the Cross" had been, there are only empty spaces. The works of the great masters are gone. The great cathedrals have disappeared. The greatest poems of Dante and Milton, of Wordsworth and Tennyson—all gone, vanished without a trace.

If Christ had not come, the Christian hospitals and schools that have had such a magnificent influence both at home and abroad, would not have existed. If Christ had not come, all the churches and the good works they have done, would be erased from the earth. There would be no Christian relief agencies bringing hope and help to the hurting people of the world. There would not even be any Christian books or music. No great hymns of the faith. No Christmas carols. No Angel Tree. No Christmas Eve services, for there would be no Christmas to celebrate.

There would be no churches anywhere, if He did not come. We would not be here. There would be no building, no people, no choir, no sanctuary, no worship, no sermon, because we would have nothing to preach. There would be none of the things we take for granted. All would be gone, vanished into the mist, if Christ had not come.

But the news is much worse. If Christ had not come, the promises of God would be unfulfilled; the world would still be in darkness. If Christ had not come, there would be no gospel to believe; there would be no Christmas and no Easter. If Christ had not come, there would be no hope beyond the grave; we would still be lost, for there would be no Savior for sin.

Listen to the words the angel said to the shepherds, and think of what it means to us: "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). "When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal. 4:4ab). Jesus was born when the stage was set. In perfect timing, Christ came to bring us hope and salvation. Amen.

Jesus Was Born When the Time Was Right

In John 15:22 Jesus begins with the words, "If I had not come." With those words He invites us to consider a possibility. What if Jesus had not come to earth? What if He had not been born in Bethlehem? What if He had not walked the dusty roads of Judea? What if He had not given the Sermon on the Mount? What if He had not walked on water? What if He had not made the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk? What if He had never raised the dead? What if we didn’t have His words to comfort us, to challenge us, to teach us, and to lead us to God? What if He never died on the cross? What if He never rose from the dead? What if He had never sent His disciples out into the world? Where would we be? What kind of world would this be? How would things be different if Jesus had not come?

In just three weeks, we celebrate the anniversary of His birth. It is not exactly 2017 years because the calender is off maybe four years or so, but it's close enough. We're not certain what year He was born or exactly what day. It might be December 25, but no one knows for sure.

The fact that we don't know the exact day or year shouldn't be of any concern. Secular historians didn't record His birth, and among the gospel writers, only Luke gives us specific historical information to work with. The New Testament doesn't command us to remember His birthday with a yearly celebration. That started in the early church several centuries later.

The great message of the Christian faith may be found in the declaration that God was manifest in the flesh, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, that Jesus was God Incarnate, fully man yet somehow also fully God. That is the center of our faith. Everything else derives from that one fact. The dating of His birth is secondary.

Again, Jesus said, "If I had not come" (John 15:22). But He did come. And history has been changed forever because He came. That is what matters. For a little over 30 years the Son of God walked on this earth, and nothing has been the same since. He came, and in His coming He split time itself in two. Everything else is secondary compared to what happened in Bethlehem on that bleak midwinter night 20 centuries ago.

Galatians 4:4 begins: "But when the fullness of the time came," or "when the time had fully come" (NIV). This phrase invites us to consider God's timing. The phrase, "had fully come," is a very picturesque Greek expression. It speaks of something that is complete and fully developed, like a ripe apple ready to be picked, or a pregnant woman feeling labor pains, ready to deliver her baby. It describes that moment in history when all things were in place, when all the pieces were on the board; that one moment when the stage was perfectly set. At that moment, not earlier and not later, "God sent forth His Son" (KJV). Jesus was born when the time was right!

God's timing is always perfect. We know that because we know the Bible. He is never early, and he is never late. Yet God's timing sometimes staggers us when He does something we weren't expecting, and we say, "Why did you do that?" Or when we have prayed and prayed and the heavens seem as brass, when we wonder if God can't hear us, and deep in our souls we wonder if there is even a God at all.

The Jews wondered about that too. They had some legitimate questions to ask of God. One of our great carols says, "Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free." That is exactly accurate. "Thou long-expected Jesus." From the very beginning of time, God promised to send His Son. Going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, God promised that one day the Seed of the Woman would crush the head of the Serpent, who is Satan (Gen. 3:15). Adam and Eve didn't know and couldn't have known, but that phrase, "Seed of the Woman," was a direct prediction of the coming of Christ.

Centuries later, God promised Abraham that he would have a son, and that through his son and his descendants all the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). Several generations later the promise was made more specific, that a scepter would arise in Judah (Gen. 49:10), meaning that Christ would be born of the tribe of Judah. Hundreds of years later, God promised David that one day he would have a son to sit on his throne whose reign would be everlasting (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Thus, the promise narrows from Adam to Abraham, to the tribe of Judah, to the house of David.

Still later, the prophet Micah declared that the Messiah would be born in the little village of Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2).

Finally, Daniel received insight into the exact time frame when Christ would come to the earth: "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate" (Dan. 9:24-27).

All of that was written in the Old Testament, and much more that I haven't mentioned. The Jews knew this, and even if they didn't understand it all, even if they couldn't put it all together, it created within them a great desire, a hope and dream that one day the Messiah would come from heaven.

The Old Testament comes to an end with the prophet Malachi who lived approximately 433 years before the coming of Christ. We call the period following his ministry, the "400 Silent Years." That phrase can be misleading because those centuries were filled with action, including the storied career of Alexander the Great. We call them the "silent years," because no prophet arose to speak for God and no Scripture was being written. It is almost as if the heavens became silent; almost as if God had forgotten His promises. But He had not. He merely set the stage, so to speak, and He sent His Son "when the time had fully come" (Gal. 4:4a). Jesus was born when the time was right. Amen.