The Real Meaning of Christmas

    
   I hear those songs we just sung together and heard played so beautifully, and when I hear those familiar scriptures read that tell of the birth of the Christ child on a cool dark night over two thousand years ago, do you know what one word comes to my mind.  It is not joy, it is not victory, it is not peace, it is not even salvation, it is humility.

            Lost in the familiarity of the Christmas carols, and of nativity scenes, and certainly amongst the modern commercialization of Christmas and the drive to give and receive presents is the reality that the babe in the manger was God.  As John 1:1 tell he was the eternal God, as Colossians 1:16 tells us He was the creator God yet He humbled Himself to the point of taking on human flesh.  That is the real story of Christmas.  It is not a quaint tale of a boy born in humble circumstances who would grow up to be a great teacher and a wonderful example, it is the record of the most high and only true God coming to dwell among us, among sinful men, to live a perfect life, and die a sacrificial death so that whoever would repent of their sins and look to His cross trusting that His atoning sacrifice was the only way to be reconciled to  God, would not perish but would have eternal life.

            I know we have read a lot of scripture, but I want to read to you my favorite account of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not found in any of the Gospels, but rather is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  Read Philippians 2:4-11.  

  4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

           This wonderful passage gives us the whole picture of who Christ is.  Too often at Christmas time our focus is only on the birth of Christ child, but trying to understand the meaning of Jesus’ appearance by focusing on that one event is like trying to read a map without unfolding it.  You need to understand who Christ is, and that is almighty God. 

          There is a passage in the Old Testament that gives a detailed description of the pre-incarnate Christ.  Read Isaiah 6:1-5

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

                  “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
                  the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”  

      We know that is a vision of Christ because John 12:41 explicitly tells us that Isaiah saw a vision of Christ.  Jesus didn’t come into existence 2000 years ago, He humbled himself and stepped off of His throne departing the company of the worshiping angles to be born in human flesh as a helpless babe.  Becoming a servant.  As Jesus said in Mark 10:45 the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.  

            Jesus, almighty God not only humbled himself to the point of being born, but to be a servant.  And not just any servant but the suffering servant foretold in Isaiah 53. Read Isa 53:4-6, 12. 

      4       Surely he has borne our griefs
      and carried our sorrows;
                  yet we esteemed him stricken,
      smitten by God, and afflicted.
            5       But he was pierced for our transgressions;
      he was crushed for our iniquities;
                  upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
      and with his wounds we are healed.
            6       All we like sheep have gone astray;
      we have turned—every one—to his own way;
                  and the LORD has laid on him
      the iniquity of us all. 

      12       Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
      and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
                  because he poured out his soul to death
      and was numbered with the transgressors;
                  yet he bore the sin of many,
      and makes intercession for the transgressors.  

      He was obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross, because that was the only was to reconcile sinful man to a holy and just God.  Sin must be punished, but Christ, the divine babe born 2000 years ago grew into the God Man who went to the cross to bear God’s wrath against sin.  That is the very reason Jesus was born.  Not to teach us to love one another, not to bring peace among men, but to bring peace between men who repent of their sins and place their faith in Him and God.  Read John 3:16-18  

 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

          Yes God loves the world, and He has shown that love by sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death, so that all who truly place their faith in Him for salvation would not perish, but have eternal life.  But He also warns that those who reject His love by rejecting Christ are already condemned.

            Yes Jesus humbled himself to be born, to live and die as the lamb of God, but he also rose again from the grave in victory over sin and death.  He has been highly exalted by the Father, and given the name above all names.  That means that he reigns supreme over all of creation.  That babe was King of kings and Lord of lords from His birth and His name is above all names, and as Acts 4:12 says there is salvation found in no one else, there is no other name by which man must be saved.

            And saved from what?  Saved from the righteous wrath of God against sin.  Jesus came once in the humble form of a servant, born as a helpless babe, but He is coming again, not as a servant, not as a savior, but as a judge.  And this time not just wise men and shepherds will know of His arrival, this time as Matthew 24 says all of the tribes of the earth will see Him Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and all those who are not His people through repentance and faith will mourn.  And when He sets foot on the mount of Olives in Jerusalem the very stone will split in two.  Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Those of us who love Him, keep His commandments because they love Him, and trust in His sacrifice to atone for our sins, will confess and bow out of love.  But those who reject Him will confess and bow in utter defeat and they will be judged according to their deeds.  

            But before he comes as a judge, he came as a savior.  Born as a helpless babe, in the humblest of circumstances, he lived a perfect life, and died a sacrificial death as the spotless lamb of God to bring salvation to God’s people, and rising from the grave again not only in victory over sin and death, but demonstrating the Fathers acceptance of His sacrifice on our behalf.

            So tonight we celebrate not just his birth, but also his sacrifice on our behalf.  As we come to the Lords Table we remember not just what the Lord has done, but we also proclaim the good news of His death and resurrection.