The Baby and
The Bible
How Long is
Christmas
INTRO: 2 Corin 9:15
How Long is Christmas? 1 day 3
days 12 days?? How many people have no clue why we have
Christmas? What is your reason for the season?
What does Christmas mean to you?
Never ending visits from people you may not see for a while?
Hassles of shopping? Putting up a tree? What??
Christmas Christians
- Does that describe
us
- Do we have no
spiritual ideas of its significance and
importance?
- Do we keep the
Christ child in the manger, a babe in infant
clothes?
- Can we put it all in
perspective
- In the context of
his life and death does Bethlehem take on meaning
- Otherwise He was
just another prophet
- Can we say
"Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift
- Do we bring Him out
and sit Him in the manger and put Him back after
Gods Gift
- Was Himself as His
son
- Is the source of all
his grace
- Shows Gods plan,
purpose, passion, presence and provision
- He knew what was
right for us and gave at the right time
- We look around and
doubt, but faith rises above that
- His gift is a
reminder there is hope
- He doesnt
forget His promises, He works His will as day
follows night
Traditional Christmas story
- The manger, the star
, the shepherds and the Magi (astrologers)
- What about the tree.
Any symbols here?
The Jesse Tree
- Named from Isaiah
11:1 "A shoot shall spring forth from
the stump of Jesse and a branch out of his roots.
- Talks of God in the
OT and connects Him to the NT
- The branch
is newness out of discouragement
- Life out of
death
- Food out of
famine
- Israelites chosen by
God thru Abraham
- Slaves to
Egypt---they cried out to God and He
heard and delivered them
- Took them to
where they could serve Him and not
Pharaoh
- He would be
with them, they would be His people and
He their God
- They settled, got
comfy and forgot God
- Leaders
later served themselves, thought they
got what they had
- God delivered them
again
- But they
soon forgot again
- Became
discouraged and disillusioned to world
around them
- Struggled to
understand and believe but hoped same God
who brought slaves out of Egypt, exiles
out of Babylon could bring a Messiah a
savior
- We celebrate that
promise delivered, the birth of the branch, the
new shoot form Jesse
- And
anticipate the second advent to complete
the promise of peace on earth, good will
to men deliver us from our bondages
/whatever they are
- Decorate the tree,
religious symbols, that point us to God
- We
dont worship these things, they
help us
- We see Jesus
all thru the Bible
- The
tree is the start of the shoot Isaiah
- The
dove in creation Genesis
- The
Rainbow of Noah Genesis
- The
Ram of Isaacs offering Genesis
- The
Ladder of Jacobs dream of
the promise Genesis
- The
Burning Bush of Moses leadership Genesis
- The
Lamb of Passover Exodus
- The
Crown of a King Samuel
- The
Wall of the watchtower and
rebuilding Habakkuk &
Nehemiah
- The
White lily of hope in a new
future Luke
- The
Joy of Mother and Child, both
John and Jesus Luke
- The
Star or candle of the worship of
the Magi Matthew
- The
Manager of the Messiah Luke
- The
alpha & Omega Rev as
in the Advent wreath
But how long is Christmas?
- All of what we
celebrate this time of year is but 1 of 6 stages
of Christmas story
- His virgin
Birth
- Isaiah
predicted it 700 years early Isa
7:14
- Caused
Romans to divide time
todays calendars
time BC vs AD
- Had
human mother no human father
- Marys
bloodline went back to
David, Josephs did
too but his was cursed by
God
- As Jesus
needed to be holy also,
no human father could
fulfill that promise
- His virtuous
life
- Lived
a perfect life
- Was
human, had emotions was not bland
- Became
the Redeemer of mankind
- We
also remember this at this time
of year
- Candlelight
service in reverence of God and
what He did
- His
vicarious death
- He
became the offering for sins of
man
- Heart
of Gospel is Christ gave Himself!
- He
took on wrath of God so we could
be saved from it
- His
victorious resurrection
- Mainstays
of Christianity
- Show
He was more than just another
prophet
- Death
, burial and resurrection is
Gospel Paul preached
- Shows
the nature of God in Jesus His
Son
- His visible
ascension
- Jesus
ascended to heaven in a cloud,
they saw it!
- Angels
announced His second coming to
them
- His vital
intercession
- To
God on our behalf
- He
is our High Priest
- He
helps us get to God, He shows the
Way
- He
stands before God intercedes for
us
Concl: So Christmas is not one
event
- Over in one day
- Should be start of
our remembering what Christ did
- Should point us
toward God, become reverent
- Develop our fear of
God, we are saved by God from God so we can
return to God (Gods wrath of judgment)
- Series of days that
reveals Gods, plan, purpose, power, provision
& people
- Christmas is for
Christians dont be Scrooge in telling
others the truth of Xmas
- So the baby in the
manager according to the Bible is also
- A King Jn
18:37
- King of the
Jews Matt 2:2
- King of
Israel Matt 27:42
- King of
Kings Rev 17:14
- King of
righteousness Heb. 7:2
- King of
Salem(Peace) Heb. 7:2
- The Bright
& morning star Luke 2:16
- The Bread of
Life Jn 6:35
- The
beginning and the end Rev 1:8
- The
Bondservant Phil 2:7
- The
Bridegroom Matt 25:1
- The Beloved
Son Matt 3:17 and
- Our Beloved
Lord Eph. 1:6
Invitations & Prayer