As the song says, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
I love this season, all the decorations, the lights, the festivities and the
family time. There is a lot to be thankful for.
Growing up in a Christian home, Christmas was always a part
of my life. My parents made sure that every Christmas we spent time together as
a family, typically by candle light, reading the Biblical account of Christ’s
birth. Admittedly, as a child I wanted to rush through the story so I could get
to my presents faster, but in time I began to treasure the time we read
together more and the presents became less important.
I thank God for giving me a childlike faith very young to
hear the words and receive the gift of Christ. I am grateful for being blessed
with two godly parents who shared the Word of God with me continually as they
raised me. I became acquainted with the amazing stories of the Bible, from
creation, to the flood, to the crossing the Red Sea, David and Goliath, the
virgin birth, the life of Christ, and the death, burial and resurrection of our
Lord, just to name a few.
As an adult looking back I realize that I grew up believing
some amazing and fantastic things. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I
encountered a “crisis of belief” season, where I continually asked, “do I really
believe this stuff.” But at the core of the questioning there was a foundation
of faith that never wavered from accepting the biblical account.
What if I grew up in a non-Christian home and didn’t hear the
story of the Bible, the true story of Christmas, the resurrection, until my
mid-twenties, or even my forties? Would I just accept all the stories as I did
when I was child? Or would I wrestle through tough questions?
As Christians, we tell a fantastic story, with supernatural
events that contradict our perception of reality. It’s not a story we made up,
but one given to us by our Creator. It’s not a human myth, but a divine plan.
The Bible is clear that our eyes, ears, and hearts have to be made alive to
understand the glorious Gospel. So we should not be surprised when someone
says, “I don’t believe the virgin birth, that is borrowed from pagan myths!”
Or, “I don’t believe miracles exist, I only believe in what science can prove.”
But God, in His wisdom, provided a resource for everyone who
desires to know the truth when He gave us the Bible.
“Now Jesus did many
other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John
20:30–31)
“that you may have
certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4)
The Bible has been written that you may believe, and have certainty
in the things that it teaches us. Which means, we can be confident in what God’s
Word says about Christmas!
Briefly I want to give a few reasons why we believe the
biblical account about Christmas:
The Birth of Christ
was Expected:
All this took place to
fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: (Matthew 1:22)
Fulfilled Prophecies
The story of Christmas doesn’t begin in a small Israeli town
2,000 years ago. No it begins much earlier than that, even “before the
foundations of the world.” When God spoke the world into existence, He already
planned to send His Son to redeem a fallen world. All throughout the Old
Testament are lamp posts pointing to the coming Messiah (or Christ), Savior and
Redeemer of His people
Immediately we see in the first few chapters of the bible
that man messes up God’s perfect creation. But instead of getting angry and
destroying man, God provides a covering for Adam and Eve and initiates a
promise that the offspring of the woman
will crush the enemy (Gen 3:15). This was spoken 4,000 years before Christ.
Fast forward to when the nation of Israel was divided and in
captivity, Isaiah prophecies even more specifically that the sign of the
Messiah’s arrival is that a virgin will
give birth to a son and call his name Immanuel
(Isaiah 7:14 cf. Matthew 1:23), some 700 years before Jesus.
Micah prophesied that the Messiah would come from a little town called Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 cf.
Matthew 2:6) 700-750 years before Jesus came.
A hundred years later (600 BC), Jeremiah prophesied that
there would be a great sorrow for
the loss of children in Israel, which was fulfilled when Herod massacred the
children 2 yrs old and younger (Jeremiah 31:15 cf. Matthew 2:18).
And Hosea, (700 BC) prophesied that God would call his son out of Egypt, which was fulfilled when
Joseph to Mary and Jesus to Egypt so Jesus wouldn’t be murdered by Herod (Hosea
11:1 cf. Matthew 2:15).
I could go on, but the point is clear, books written
hundreds of years before Jesus was even born gave specific prophecies that were
fulfilled when Jesus was born. These were not obscure writings, as the magi
came across prophecies in the East and traveled to see their fulfillment.
One special account is given in Luke 2:25-32, where an
faithful older man waited upon the Lord for years, and the Spirit revealed to
him that he would live to see the Messiah born. Read the text as he sees the
baby Jesus and worships God.
The Birth of Christ
was Historic
The biblical account does not make up characters, but
includes real people, who really lived and were really in Israel. Joseph and
Mary and Zacharias and Elizabeth and Simeon and Caesar and Herod and Quirinius
(Cyrenius) are real people, and Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Nazareth are real
places, and all these events happened in real time.
The biblical record was given by eye witnesses during the
life time of other eyewitnesses. So if Matthew was making something up, there
were eye witnesses who could call him out or correct him. So, when you are
bored of looking at all the names in Scripture, remember that at one time those
people were alive to testify to the events written.
The Birth of Christ
had a Purpose
Jesus didn’t come to the world just so we could set aside a
few days to exchange presents. His purpose was much bigger and grander than our
imaginations can comprehend. As we saw earlier, the story of Christ began
before time began, God had a plan.
Jesus said, “For this purpose I was born and for this
purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who
is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke
19:10)
The virgin birth and incarnation of Christ that first
Christmas was so essential to everything the Bible teaches. Jesus was born of a
virgin, without sin. He lived a perfect life in complete fulfillment of the Law
and therefore was the perfect sacrifice for fallen humanity. His resurrection
was evidence of the payment being received.
The purpose is to provide the way to forgiveness and reconciliation
with God for all who believe.
The Birth of Christ
has Impacted all of History
What kind of impact
has Jesus had on the last 2,000 years of history? What sets His story apart
from other religious myths or legends? Consider the fact that our historical
calendar is divided by His birth: BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini,
meaning “the year of our Lord”).
Dr. James Kennedy wrote a book called, “What if Jesus had
never been Born?” In it, he writes,
But what if Jesus had never
been born? What difference would it have made if a Bethlehem stable had never
served as a makeshift delivery room? A great deal. Jesus, the greatest man who
ever lived, has changed virtually every aspect of human life. Much of what we
take for granted — our high regard for human life, the elevation of women,
education, science, charity, hospitals, capitalism, the abolition of slavery,
representative government, literacy, and the development of art and music —
all find their roots in Christ and His teachings.
Perhaps the most convincing evidence is the power of a
transformed life, when one sinner comes to repentance and truly follows Christ.
When we encounter Christ and surrender to His loving embrace, and allow His
Spirit to guide us, we become a beacon to this lost world that Jesus lives.
Have you encountered Christ? Do you know that you are loved
by God and that Christmas is the story of how God is pursuing you?
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