It’s Christmas! And almost everyone loves Christmas. Not only do you get gifts and gather with friends and family, but it seems that most everyone is trying to be nice and cordial. It’s just a wonderful time of year for kids and adults alike. But what we as children of The Most High God love most about this season is not all of the hoopla and commercial extravaganzas attached to it, but rather the simple fact that there is a Christ in Christmas. And without Christ there would be no Christmas because it signifies the purpose of Him coming to this earth.
And as far as gifts are concerned, I think we all know that Jesus Himself was the greatest gift ever given or ever received because He came straight from the loving heart of the Lord of all creation! The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16) And this magnificent act can never be outdone or even duplicated because God is the greatest giver of all time and you can’t outgive the Giver! And the giving goes on as you continue reading this segment of scripture: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3: 17)
The New Testament talks explicitly about this birth event surrounding the Son of God that was so graciously given to us. It says, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2: 1-2) Now this wasn’t just any ordinary, run-of-the-mill star they were talking about, but they described it as “HIS” star. So this must have been one amazing star, a spectacular star, a holy star, a glorious star! I can just imagine the overwhelming excitement they must have felt to see this magnificent Lone Star illuminating the heavens with a glory exceeding all other celestial bodies.
However, when king Herod heard of these things he wasn’t happy, he was very upset. He did not want anyone threatening his position and authority. Particularly some lowly Jewish baby. I can imagine him saying to himself, “He can’t be King of the Jews, I thought I was king of the Jews.” Well, all I can say is …… thought wrong. You may be a king, but Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This newborn Monarch was the long-awaited Messiah that was prophesied about in Micah 5: 2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” And to pinpoint it further, Isaiah 7: 14 says, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,” the name Immanuel meaning “God with us.”
Now Herod was so anxious to find Jesus’ birth location, scripture says that he demanded the religious authorities and scholars inform him where Jesus would be born. Of course they knew of the same Old Testament passage in Micah that we just quoted, so they told him, “In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel.” (Matthew 2: 5-6) The king then gave this information to the wise men in a private meeting and instructed them to return to him after they found the young child and report His whereabouts so that He could come and worship Jesus also. But that was a lie. Herod had an ulterior motive and his intention was not to worship, but to murder.
Such an unscrupulous character! But consider this, are we much different than Herod if we are thoughtless, sarcastic, vindictive or rude? Can we look down on this prideful king if we are abrasive, arrogant, self-indulgent or mean-spirited? It is always appropriate to check the oil level of our love to make sure we are running right, functioning fine and operating at peak efficiency. Let us strive to be absolutely certain that we are not guilty, even inadvertently, of exhibiting outward behavior or harboring inward thoughts that are not consistent with the Word of God.
What we should be displaying all year long, and not just at Christmas-time, is that which is reflective of our Father which art in heaven. And since God is a Spirit, His Word chronicles the obvious manifestations of a spirit-filled life: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5: 22-26)
As Jesus said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7: 20) This type of spiritual production is only possible through an intimate relationship with Christ. But this is why Jesus was born, suffered, died and was resurrected. To provide the opportunity for us all, including king Herod, to be freed from the crushing confines of our carnality and to nullify the decaying effects that our mortality has on our morality.
Continuing with the story, after the wise men had departed, they beheld the star, His star, the same one which they saw in the east. And this royal star went before them and led them until it came and stood over where Jesus was born. And when they saw that star, that one star out of the millions of stars in heaven, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy! Yes, they were incredibly excited about going to see the Son of God, as they well should have been.
How about us? Do we get excited about Jesus? Do we brim with exhilaration like David when he danced before the Lord with all of his might after bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem? Does the mere mention of the precious, powerful and mighty name of Jesus evoke a stirring in your spirit and a satisfaction in your soul? Oh, that name to which no other name can compare. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we might be saved.” (Acts 4: 12)
We all should be excited for sure, but Herod wasn’t. Instead, he was enraged because the wise men did not return to him as he asked them to because they had been “…warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” (Matthew 2: 12) Instead they utilized their gifts as “wise men” and wisely obeyed God rather than man, and got out of town.
God also warned Jesus’ earthly Father, Joseph, of Herod’s plan. As it is written, “the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son.” (Matthew 2: 13-15)
These God-orchestrated actions of Joseph and the wise men foiled Herod’s plot. And this infuriated Herod so much that he “was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.” (Matthew 2: 16) I think it accurate to say that the slaughter of these innocents erupted from the evil heart of a homicidal maniac who tried to alter the fulfillment of prophecy by launching a rampage of death. Well, epic mission failure! Jesus was born anyway, in spite of Herod’s ghastly killing spree.
Nonetheless, concerning Jesus’ birthplace, one might think that God’s Son would be born in a palace or an expensive mansion or some elite, upscale facility. Scripture doesn’t specifically say where Jesus was born (stable, cave, barn, house, etc.), but it does say that He was placed in a manger, which is a feeding trough that animals eat from. So why was He placed in that thing? Well for one, a lot of people didn’t believe He was the promised Savior, so no preparations were made for Him. This is very peculiar since Israel was a nation that, from the days of Moses, centered their lives on their relationship with God and prided themselves on their knowledge of His Word, though they did not always act like it. Kind of like us sometimes. And since God’s Word contains over 300 prophecies specifically referring to Jesus and His coming fulfillment of those prophecies, you would think that they would be right on point when it came to knowing, preparing and then celebrating one of most monumental occurrences in the history of all creation.
But be that as it may, Jesus’ family was in Bethlehem with a lot of other people to conduct some civil administrative requirements (census and tax registration) and it was so crowded that all the lodging places were full so, wherever the location was that Jesus was born, He ended up in a manger. The Bible indicates that Jesus would come from humble beginnings and then rise to universal dominance and we see this played out as He came to earth and was laid in that manger. We know that years later He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. And we very reverently remember that He was excruciatingly executed outside of town as a common criminal.
But when He returns, and He will return, He will be high and lifted up, with all the world watching Him coming in a cloud with power and great glory, coming to retrieve God’s children and regulate all unrighteousness! And thank the Lord that right now He is sitting on the right hand of God making intercession for us that we might be part of that great gathering! “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4: 15-18)
Now though there were some who were indifferent or even hostile to Jesus’ first coming, there were some that believed in Him and were anxiously awaiting this blessed event. One of those who faithfully waited for this coming encouragement and comfort of Israel was a godly man in Jerusalem by the name of Simeon. He was righteous, devoted to God and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he would not die before he had seen Jesus, the Lord's Anointed One. So Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple and when Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, brought the child Jesus into the temple, Simeon took Him up in his arms. He blessed God and said, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace according to Your Word, because my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all people. A Light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2: 29-32)
And there were others to whom this magnificent story was revealed. Some shepherds were in the same country abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night when the angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord began shining around them. Of course they were very afraid, but the angel reassured them and told them not to fear because he was bringing good news of great joy, which was for all mankind. And that news was this, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 11) And suddenly the angel was joined by an army from heaven praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2: 14)
The prophet Isaiah said it best, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9: 6) Jesus Christ, the long-anticipated and divinely-anointed Messiah, the Rock of our redemption and the Savior of our souls. As the Apostle John proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 29)
So now you know the real story and meaning of Christmas. It is the assurance that eternal life in God’s holy presence is possible because of the birth of this blessed Baby, His only begotten Son. That the ability to live a changed life which is pleasing to God is available to all who would accept and embrace the love of God which is extended to the whole world. That forgiveness of sins and the restoration of an intimate and consecrated communion with God is being freely offered as demonstrated by the gift of grace in the form of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who has been delivered to your doorstep. Don’t leave that most gracious gift on the porch unopened.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 2: 17) “The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O LORD; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” (Psalm 145: 9-13)
Let all of creation praise the Lord for His first coming as the “Lamb of God.” Let all the inhabitants of earth be prepared for His second coming as the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”
May you all be blessed with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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