Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah. A joyous Kwanzaa to you my friends. My name is Keith and I’m a born-again Christian, and I’d like to share the Gospel message with you while you wait this evening. ‘Gospel’, it’s an old Bible word that means good news. Christmas is good news. The Christmas story is good news, it is the Gospel in a nutshell.
Now I fully understand that Christmas may not be “The Most Wonderful Time of The Year” for everyone. It’s difficult for those less fortunate. Or, if you’re separated from loved ones, it’s gotta be painful. Maybe you’re not a Christian; you don't celebrate Christmas and you’re not interested in Christmas. I understand. As for me though, I have only good memories of Christmas. I’ve always enjoyed Christmas. The Christmas decorations, the Christmas lights, Christmas cards, singing Christmas carols, giving Christmas gifts, and having Christmas get-togethers with family; and oh yeah Christmas dinner.
But, if you didn’t already know this, there are Christians who don't celebrate Christmas. They don't have anything to do with Christmas, and if you say merry Christmas to them, they will be offended. I completely understand. I can see how they come to that conclusion. First of all, no one knows Jesus birth date. I mean we know He was born, and we know it was roughly 2015 years ago, but no month and day was given in the Bible, and there’s no external historical record of His birth date. So why December 25th? Let me give you a few bullet points about the history behind ‘CHRISTMAS’:
In AD 336, that’s 336 years after Jesus was born, the Roman Emperor Constantine proposed December 25th.
A few years after that, Pope Julius I officially declared December 25th be ‘Christmas’. Christmas just means celebration of Christ.
Here’s why they chose December 25th out of every other day of the year. The ancient Romans celebrated their pagan midwinter festival called 'Saturnalia' during the Winter Solstice on December 25th. So they just replaced Saturnalia - that's to the god Saturn, with Christmas. That’s horrible. Mixing pagan traditions with Christianity. But it’s actually happened a lot. Even the tradition of the Christmas tree itself was adopted from pagan practices, which Bible specifically speaks against in Jeremiah chapter 10. It says, “Do not learn the ways of the nations..., 3 For the practices of the people are worthless; they cut a tree down from the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. So, a pagan holiday was adopted by the Catholic church wrapped up in Christian terms, just like Halloween and Easter for that matter. Only a Pope would have the audacity to declare Christ’s birth date, without any knowledge of when it was. Please don’t lump me in with the Catholic church. The teachings of the Catholic church are at odds with the Bible. The teachings, and beliefs of Catholicism are contrary to the Bible. The Catholic mass is blasphemous; They believe Jesus is re-sacrificed every time they celebrate the mass. As a religious system, Catholicism produces not only pediphilic priests, but also pompous, self-righteous, hypocritical, money-grabbers. Just like every other man-made religious system. The very best I can say about Catholicism is it is a ‘Christian influenced’ religion, but it is not Biblical Christianity.
Let’s be honest, Christmas fosters materialistism. Christmas gone wrong brings out the greed and selfishness in kids. Christmas has been so commercialized that the Christmas advertising starts even before Thanksgiving. And shame on parents for lying to their kids and telling them Santa Claus will bring them gifts, if they’re good little boys and girls. All that worldly filth goes against the true meaning of Christmas; the Birth of Jesus Christ; God giving the gift of His Son to be the Savior of the world. It’s better to give than to receive, the Bible says.
Believe it or not though, I don’t have an axe to grind against Christmas. Really, I’m not against Christmas per se. I’m not willing to throw out the baby with the bathwater, but I am a messenger of truth, so I want you to be aware of the truth about Christmas. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to God the Father, except through Me.” John 8:31-32 Jesus said, If you continue in my words, you are my disciples indeed; 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Listen, this is the truth of Christ’s birth from God’s Word, the Bible. The Bible is the truth. In fact it’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so helped by God.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Immanuel
Isaiah 9:6 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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem in Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth is from of old, from everlasting.
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 2:1-21 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. [6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. [8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. [9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. [11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not. [12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 3:16 “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. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.”
Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
Galatians 4:4-5 KJV
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift
2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich
2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Ideas for a dope Christmas
Receive the gift of eternal life by humbling yourself before God and putting your faith and trust and hope in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior
Be converted and become like children this Christmas season, receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls
Clothe yourself in the righteousness of Jesus Christ
Be transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his glorious light
Be born again according to his great mercy to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord
Thanks you God for Your unspeakable, indescribable gift!
II Corinthians 9:15
