The Truth About Christmas
Phil. 2:5-11
The whole truth about Christmas is not really known by many.
As we approach December 25, parents are scrambling to save and borrow money to buy toys and things for their children.
The workforce is planning Christmas parties to celebrate the end of the work year.
Other people are cutting back on their giving and attendance in church to bless themselves, through extravagant gifts for themselves and vacations to enjoy themselves.
Others view Christmas as a time for families to gather for dinner and fellowship.
All of those statements suggest that humanity as a whole thinks Christmas is for them and about them.
But the Bible teaches that Christmas is about a sacrifice that God’s Son made for all of humanity.
Christmas is Jesus, who is God, making the ultimate sacrifice, leaving his comfort zone so we can be comfortable.
The truth about Christmas is:
There are invaluable lessons for us to learn about this matter of Christmas.
One powerful lesson: Jesus became like us so we could become like Him.
Our theme, “God’s will is to become like Christ in this life.”
The bible is filled with lessons to help us see ourselves and be motivated to fulfill God’s will for our lives.
Christmas is not about us rejoicing in ourselves, but being thankful for Jesus sacrificing the throne for the cross.
God gave us what was the most important person in His life, Jesus, so we could become like Christ.
One of the lessons Jesus teaches us through Christmas is humility!
The truth of Christmas is the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made, the one who owned everything gave his life that you and I could live
2nd Cor. 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
The truth about Christmas is:
As we approach December 25, parents are scrambling to save and borrow money to buy toys and things for their children.
The workforce is planning Christmas parties to celebrate the end of the work year.
Other people are cutting back on their giving and attendance in church to bless themselves, through extravagant gifts for themselves and vacations to enjoy themselves.
Others view Christmas as a time for families to gather for dinner and fellowship.
All of those statements suggest that humanity as a whole thinks Christmas is for them and about them.
But the Bible teaches that Christmas is about a sacrifice that God’s Son made for all of humanity.
Christmas is Jesus, who is God, making the ultimate sacrifice, leaving his comfort zone so we can be comfortable.
The truth about Christmas is:
- Divinity entering humanity
- Creator entering creation
- Eternity entering time
- Royalty entering poverty
There are invaluable lessons for us to learn about this matter of Christmas.
One powerful lesson: Jesus became like us so we could become like Him.
Our theme, “God’s will is to become like Christ in this life.”
- We have to be humble to become like Christ- vs. 5
- We can’t value ourselves more than we value God- vs. 6
- We have to serve others to become like Christ- 7
- We have to make sacrifices to become like Christ- vs. 8
The bible is filled with lessons to help us see ourselves and be motivated to fulfill God’s will for our lives.
Christmas is not about us rejoicing in ourselves, but being thankful for Jesus sacrificing the throne for the cross.
God gave us what was the most important person in His life, Jesus, so we could become like Christ.
- We have to be humble to become like Christ- vs.5
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
- Jesus came to show us that humility is godliness.
- To be Christ is to be humble
- James 4:6, “God resists the proud but gives grace unto the humble.”
- If you want more of God's grace, be humble like Christ.
- Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem, shouts humility; his parents, Mary and Joseph, shout humility.
- Jesus called himself meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29)
- No one is greater than Jesus, but he humbled himself and lived a homeless life on earth.
- Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
One of the lessons Jesus teaches us through Christmas is humility!
- We can’t value ourselves more than we value God- vs. 6
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”
- Jesus knows that He is better than us, but his love for the Father and sinners was more important than his throne in heaven.
- Jesus valued the souls of sinners more than his place of honor and glory
- Jesus, being God, did not need anyone else, but he knew everyone else needed him.
- Jesus had a divine right to stay on the throne, but there was a human need that only he could fill.
- We have to serve others to become like Christ- vs. 7
“But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.”
- Theologically, “made himself of no reputation” is emptying himself.
- Jesus veiled his glory and took upon human nature, but sinless.
- Not Adam’s nature, but God the Father's nature.
- Well, to become like Christ, we have to empty ourselves of self and fill ourselves with the Spirit of God.
- When we empty self of selfishness, then we can serve others by meeting their needs.
- Matt. 28:20, “Even as the Son of man came not to be served unto but to serve and his life a ransom for many.
- We have to make sacrifices to become like Christ- vs. 8
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
- He sacrificed himself to become a man to die for mankind.
- Jesus could not have stayed in heaven and saved us; he had to leave a place so beautiful and wonderful that our finite minds can’t comprehend.
- Jesus’ sacrifice was not minor, but major in every sense.
- All the silver and gold belong to him, but giving it all up would not have been sufficient to pay our sin debt.
- Jesus has a power in his hand, but giving up all his power could not have freed us from the bondage of sin.
- Jesus did what no one else would or could do, provided a sacrifice to please and satisfy the almighty God, Jehovah.
- Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death, not any death, but death of the cross.
The truth of Christmas is the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made, the one who owned everything gave his life that you and I could live
2nd Cor. 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
The truth about Christmas is:
- Divinity entering humanity
- Creator entering creation
- Eternity entering time
- Royalty entering poverty
