Tabor Baptist Church

• Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival in the whole world but is often the most misunderstood festivals
• For many Christmas is about material things and not about Jesus Christ
• Some people do think about the nativity
• Some people think Christmas is about peace - but peace amongst men
• The thought of God coming into the world to rescue them from a state of hostility with God is not in people's minds
• We want to put Christ back into Christmas

• 1 Tim 1:15 speaks about what Christmas is all about
• "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
• Last week we were considering Paul's previous behaviour but God had changed him
• In Paul's time there were people who had committed worse crimes but Paul considered himself the worse of all sinners
• Paul had persecuted the Christian church
• Paul is staggered that God had mercy on him
• Paul committed his sin in ignorance but God was gracious to him
• God counted Paul worthy that he should be put into the ministry to save others
• Paul encourages others in v16
• Paul was vehemently opposed to the gospel but God had transformed his life
• Therefore no-one is without hope
• Paul's life is a pattern to all those who are going to believe
• It is a wonderful statement of truth but also a personal statement
• Paul breaks out in praise in v17
• Usually the doxology is at the end of the book, but Paul puts it here

• Caeser Augustus was King
• A time when Quirinus was governor of Syria
• Shepherds were there testifying, men came from the East, Mary was there, Joseph could say I was thinking of putting Mary away

Christmas is all about a person

• Jesus came from heaven
• Jesus is eternal - if we don't understand He has no beginning or end then we have no saviour
• If we just think that Jesus is like any other man we have no salvation
• John 3:13, 31; 8:23
• Can we really grasp the condescension of Christ Jesus?
• Of what it meant to come down to earth
• To leave the splendour of heaven
• To be born of a virgin woman
• The second person of the Trinity became something He had never been
• He joined Himself to mankind forever
• He came into a dark, rebellious world full of opposition and sin
• The Virgin birth is so important
• If Jesus had been born of natural descent, of Joseph and Mary, He would have been born of sin
• Jesus was the only human being who ever lived without sin
• He took our sin at the cross, but was never a sinner
• He gave up many of His divine attributes and limited Himself
• The prophecies of the Old Testament were all fulfilled
• He had no earthy father
• He was in the order of Melzideck
• The Christ was the anointed one of God, the a Messiah
• The Jews understood what this meant
• Christ came as a King to rule, to set up His own spiritual Kingdom
• He came as a priest to represent His own people
• He came as a prophet - the Word became flesh
• He came as the mouthpiece of God
• He is the "way and the truth"
• Prophecies were fulfilled
• Gen 3:15 - the 'Seed'
• Micha 5:2 - born in Bethlehem
• Psalms - born of the house of David
• Isa 7:14 - Born of a virgin
• Isa 9:6 - Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
• Ps 7:10
• Hosea 11:1 - called out of Egypt
• Jer 31:15 - the terrible events surrounding His death
• Luke's Gospel - the Lineage of Jesus through Mary
• Matthew's Gospel - the Lineage of Jesus through Joseph

This person has a definite purpose

• Jesus is a popular name and derives from the Old Testament name Joshua
• Who needs saving?
• The people in Australia did
• The school children in Pakistan did
• People on an isolated mountain top
• God saw this world in grave danger
• He sent Jesus on a great rescue mission
• Jesus gave His life to save people
• We are born in sin and are condemned by this
• God must punish all sin, He cannot sweep it under the carpet
• It is no good if the Christian church simply preaches 'goodwill to all men' at Christmas - we must understand the really meaning
• Example of goodwill between the homeless man and the young lady
• But this does not deal with the issue of sin
• God's standards are very high
• If we fail at one point in God's law we break the whole law
• This is why we need a saviour
• Jesus was a mediator between God and man
• Jesus had never sinned and was infinite so could bear the judgement and wrath of God
• Jesus was able to say "it is finished"
• All that believe in Him have eternal life

This all needs to be very personal for us

• Have you believed in Jesus Christ?
• What does it mean for you?
• For the apostle Paul it was very personal
• Unless we see our sin and guilt, there is no saviour
• If we recognise the peril, we can be saved
• Paul came to an understanding of his sin and was saved
• Go from the tinsel of the Christmas tree to another tree, a tree of blood
• Go to the greatest message of all
• Go beyond the trappings of Christmas and look to the eternal Son of God