David Jeremiah - Why There Must Be Christmas
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I’m so happy to have the privilege to talk to you about the things of Christmas, and thank you for being such a great audience and allowing me to be a teacher, which I love to do. J.B. Phillips has written a Christmas fantasy. The fantasy involves a senior angel who is showing a very young angel around the splendors of the universe. As they view the whirling galaxies and the blazing suns and flit across the infinite distances of space, they enter one particular galaxy of 500 billion stars.
As the two of them draw near to the star we call our sun and to its circling planets, the senior angel points to a small and rather insignificant sphere, turning very slowly on its axis. It looks as dull as a dirty tennis ball to the little angel, whose mind is filled with the size and glory of what he has already seen. «I want you to watch that one particularly,» said the senior angel, pointing with his finger. «Well, it looks very small and rather dirty to me,» said the little angel. «What’s so special about that one?»
The little angel listens in stunned disbelief as the senior angel tells him that this planet, small and insignificant, is not overly clean. «Do you mean that our great and glorious prince went down in person to this fifth-rate little ball? Why should he do a thing like that?» The little angel’s face wrinkles in disgust. «Do you mean to tell me,» he said, «that he stooped as low as to become one of those creeping, crawling creatures on that floating ball?» «I do,» said the senior angel. «And I don’t think he would like you to call them creeping, crawling creatures in that tone of voice. For strange as it may seem to us, he loves them. He went down to visit them, to lift them up, to become like them.»
The little angel looks back. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension. And when you stop to think about it, it’s beyond our comprehension as well. That Jesus came from his home in heaven and for a few short years made his home on this earth. We are the visited planet, and we are the visited people. Jesus came to be like us so that we could ultimately go to his heaven and become like him. So much depended upon his coming. So much would have been lost had he not come.
So Christmas is not an option. It is not just another holiday to celebrate. It’s an event that happened, and because of that event, the whole world has been changed.
One of the many ways for us to find some meaning in this season is to stop for a moment and contemplate what this world would be like, what our own personal lives would be like if Christmas had not come, if Jesus had not come. What would be so different? Why is it so important that we celebrate this season together? What if Christ had not been born? I mean, what would our world be like if no angel had appeared to a Jewish maiden with the news that she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah? What would the world be like if no angels appeared to the shepherds on the hillside outside of Bethlehem, telling them that a savior was born? What if there were no Bethlehem where the weary couple lodged for the night of the baby’s birth? What if there never were any wise men? What if there never was a miracle child born to a couple named Joseph and Mary? What if Jesus had not come?
When we think about that and the implications of such a horrible thought, we begin to see the reason we should celebrate. Because ladies and gentlemen, Jesus has come. He has come to be our savior, and he was born into humanity that night in Bethlehem under the stars and in the watch of the angels. If there is no Christmas, here are some things that would be happening. If there is no Christmas, our Bible would be worthless. We should throw it in the trash. If there is no Christmas, the Bible can’t be trusted. Because you see, the Bible told us 700 years before he was born what would happen: that he would be born of a virgin, that he would be called Emmanuel, that his birth would be in Bethlehem, that he would be visited by the magi and presented with gifts, that his birthplace would suffer a massacre of infants. All of these things are prophesied. And ladies and gentlemen, every single one of them came true.
There are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament. Someone has estimated 300 different prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus at Bethlehem, his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his second coming. Between 40 and 50 of those prophecies concern our Lord’s birth. If Christ had not come, all of those prophecies would be inaccurate. The inaccuracy of those prophecies would mean you couldn’t trust anything in this book. If those prophecies aren’t true, why would we ever believe anything the Bible says? The fact is they have all been fulfilled in the minutest detail.
I want to give you some factual things today that I hope will strengthen your faith because they surely do mine. Mathematician Peter Stoner estimated that the probability of fulfilling 48 prophecies is one chance in a trillion. I put it on the screen because I’m not going to read all those trillions. In the book «The Case for Christmas,» it’s explained this way: the odds that just eight of these prophecies—just eight, not 48—but just eight of these prophecies could be fulfilled by coincidence is one chance in 100 million billion. That number is millions of times greater than the total number of people who have ever walked on planet Earth in all of history. If you took that many silver dollars and spread them out across the entire state of Texas, they would cover the ground of Texas 2 feet deep.
Now, suppose you marked one of those coins and put it somewhere in the coins of Texas, and then blindfolded a person and let him wander anywhere he chooses across the whole state and allow him to pick up only one silver dollar. What are the odds that he would select the marked silver dollar on the first try? Those are the same odds that any one person in all of history could fulfill just eight of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. The prophetic word of God, men and women, is profound. We see the prophecies of the Old Testament, and we can trace their fulfillment in history. We know that all of the prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled will be exactly fulfilled as they were in the Old. The prophecies of the Old Testament are the promise of the New Testament prophecies as well. The Bible said Jesus would be born of a virgin, that his birth would take place in a little village of Bethlehem that was just a point on the map without even a name when that prophecy happened. And lo and behold, everything the prophet said took place.
So if there is no Christmas, if Jesus didn’t come, then you can just say the Bible is irrelevant. But it is not irrelevant. All of those prophecies tell us, if those are true, you can believe everything that’s in this book because it’s a miracle book.
Secondly, if there is no Christmas, our God would be unknown. You see, God is spirit, and most of us don’t have too many abilities to understand and know spirits. We’re flesh and blood. We’re humans. For us to know someone, we have to equate them with who we are. And when Jesus became a man, he showed that God was not merely a principle but a person. Jesus was not an idea of God. He wasn’t a picture of God. He wasn’t an imagination of God. He was God himself in human form. And at Bethlehem, he tasted flesh, says the scripture. If Jesus had not come to this earth, we could not have a correct understanding of God. We would not have that understanding at all. Jesus was our way of knowing who God was. God said, «I want my children to know me,» so he sent me a replication of God in his son, Jesus Christ. He sent God the Son to be my savior. We could not know what God is like if he had not sent us his own son to reveal himself to us.
On one occasion, Philip, one of Jesus' disciples, said to Jesus, «Lord, show us the Father.» And Jesus said, «Have I been so long with you, Philip, and you have not known me? He who has seen me,» said Jesus, «has seen the Father.» If you want to know who God is, you got to know who Jesus is because Jesus is God’s representative to us. He’s our ambassador. He’s the one who came to help us understand who God is. I can understand God as a spirit, but I can understand God as a person. And that’s why Jesus came. The Bible says Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For it pleased the Father that in Christ all the fullness of God should dwell. John Phillips wrote, «What God is, Jesus is. What God does, Jesus does. What God says, Jesus says.»
It’s true that there’s not one iota of difference between God in heaven and Jesus on earth. Jesus is God. He is the Son of God, and he is God the Son. An early church father told of a village that was dominated in its presentation by a statue, an incredibly beautiful large statue. The problem with this statue was that while it was beautiful and people admired it, the statue had no face. And so they couldn’t identify with just this block of granite. One day a craftsman carved a small perfect replica of it. Suddenly the villagers could see clearly the person the statue was supposed to represent. That is what God did at Christmas. In Christ, God made himself small enough for us to see and know. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He is God’s own personal visit to our world.
I think John the Apostle probably has the best statement about this in all the New Testament, in the prologue of the Gospel of John. Here are the first few verses he wrote: «In the beginning was the Word, and that means Jesus. The word there is a reference to Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became 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 said the Word, Christ, came to live with us, and one theological writer defined it this way: «The Word became flesh and blood and moved into our neighborhood.» That’s what God did. He moved into your neighborhood.
You live in the presence of God when you know Jesus. You live close to heaven when you know Jesus. One Thanksgiving, I remember this event vividly because it made such an impression on me. President George W. Bush slipped out of Washington under heavy secrecy and flew straight into the war-torn nation of Iraq. No one expected him; even his parents didn’t know. They had already set up a place for him for Thanksgiving dinner at their Texas ranch. When he got to Baghdad’s airport, hundreds of tired, homesick soldiers filed into the mess hall, thinking they were about to hear a routine Thanksgiving greeting read on the president’s behalf.
Paul Bremer stepped to the podium and held up the proclamation and said, «Tradition says the senior official president should read this. Is there anyone here who is more senior?» Out from behind the curtain walked the president of the United States, and the room exploded. I remember this; they were banging their tin cups on the table, making all kinds of racket. Battle-torn soldiers jumped on chairs and tables, shouting and cheering, some with tears in their eyes. For a moment, the war faded; their commander-in-chief was standing right in front of them carving their turkey. That’s a glimpse of what happened 2,000 years ago. God had spoken through prophets in many ways and at many times, but on that first Christmas, he made a personal, unexpected visit to our world and the Word became flesh and lived among us.
So men and women, if there’s no Christmas, you can’t trust the Bible. If there’s no Christmas, you can’t really know God because Christmas is the coming of Jesus, who came to show us who God is. Thirdly, if there’s no Christmas, our sins would be unforgiven. If Christ had not been born, we could not be saved. We couldn’t be forgiven. We could not be Christians. The angel announced that Jesus was coming. Notice what the angel said his mission would be: «And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.» How would God do this? Galatians says that redemption required the Lord to step into our world. He had to enter time. He had to take on flesh. He had to place himself under the law so he could fulfill it for us. It says in Galatians 4 that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Even John the Baptist recognized that Jesus had come for a special person, for a special purpose. He didn’t introduce him as the great Messiah. When he saw Jesus, he said, «Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.» Paul picked up on this same truth and said, «In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.» Timothy heard the same message from Paul: «This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.» If Christ had not come, the course of humanity would be one long downward plunge toward the eternal night of despair. If Christ had not come, we would still be in our sins. But Christmas means Christ came. He did indeed come. He did leave heaven and come down here so that we could be forgiven.
Years ago, missionary Rosalyn Goforth went through a season when she felt weighed down by her own failures. One evening, she sat down with her Bible, and she began to do a little homework. She wrote a heading on the blank page: «What does God do with our sins?» She went through her concordance and spent a lot of time doing this. She found a list of 17 things God does with our sins. When that was all done, she realized how forgiven she was and what a great thing it was to know God through Jesus Christ and realize her sins had been taken care of.
I can’t give you all 17 of them; we don’t have time for that. But here are a few of what you found: He abundantly pardons our sins. He tramples them underfoot. He remembers them no more. He casts them behind his back. He casts them into the depths of the sea. He blots them out. He blots out even the proof against us, nailing it to his Son’s cross. And on and on we could go. My favorite is he throws our sins into the deepest sea. I remember someone with a cartoon said when God does that, he puts a sign out next to where they were distributed into the sea, and the sign says, «No fishing here,» which means when he forgives you, you need to understand.
I hear people say this sometimes: «I know God forgives me, but I can’t forgive myself.» So your standard of forgiveness is higher than God’s? Come on! If God has forgiven you, ladies and gentlemen, you have been forgiven. You may feel today you’ve done something so bad it can’t be forgiven. There is no such thing. God has forgiven you if you ask him to. The reason he can do that is that his Son paid the price for your forgiveness on the cross. When you come to him and ask for forgiveness, there isn’t anything that’s too expensive for that price to cover it all. If you know Jesus, you know forgiveness. How many of you could say an amen to the fact that forgiveness is one of the greatest blessings you could ever have? Amen! If you don’t know that, there’s no reason why you can’t because Jesus loves you like you cannot believe. He wants to forgive you of everything you’ve ever done and give you the gift of eternal life.
So if there’s no Christmas, there’s no Bible. If there’s no Christmas, we can’t understand God. If there’s no Christmas, we’re still unforgiven. If there’s no Christmas, our prayers are unanswered. The Bible says that the reason our prayers are answered is that we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.
Christmas reminds us that Christ chooses to enter into our suffering, and that when we pray, how do we pray? In Jesus' name, we come to God through the person of Jesus Christ. We may experience human weariness, disappointment, and the feeling of desertion, even pain. But there’s nothing we experience that Jesus did not experience when he was walking on this earth. He experienced it to the limit. The Bible teaches that one of the very reasons that Jesus came here is so that we would have someone like us who has experienced our experiences and knows how to help us when we pray.
You can never go to God and say, «Lord Jesus, I want to tell you something about what’s going on in my life. I know you don’t understand this, but…» No, no. He understands it all. He sympathizes with you in every situation that you face. Christmas tells us that the primary interest of our Savior is always to help us. He’s always about encouragement, grace, mercy, and wisdom. He is here to help us. Think of it like this: if you ever had to call 911, you wouldn’t expect the operator to say, «Why are you calling? Is it you again?» No. There’s only one question that matters: «What is your emergency?»
You call because you cannot fix the situation yourself. You call because you need help. Hebrews tells us that prayer is the believer’s emergency line. When life collapses, God does not shame us for calling. He expects our call and even welcomes it. He’s ready to show us mercy and give us grace and help us in our time of need. The psalmist said that God is a very present help in the time of trouble. Isn’t that true? We know God sometimes more through our troubles than we do through our triumphs because, when we go through trouble, we need him and we call out to him. Psalm 121 says, «I will lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.»
You see, Jesus is Emmanuel. What is that? God with us. So when we pray, we pray in Jesus' name. Because he came to pay the price for our sin, we are admitted into his Rolodex file, and he hears our prayer. If Jesus had not come at Bethlehem, who would you pray to? How do you have your prayers answered?
Finally, if there is no Christmas, our hope would be unfounded. This year here at Shadow Mountain, we’ve lost some of our treasured members. Maybe one of them is somebody you’re related to. You know, the thing that’s so amazing, if you ever come to a memorial service at this church, they’re seldom sad. They’re usually services of joy and remembrance and thanksgiving for the life of the person whose death is being remembered. Why is that? Why is it true that these services are so different? Because we have hope in Jesus. Jesus is the one who came, was born, went to the cross, was buried, and on the third day, he resurrected from the grave. What did he say? «Because I live, you too shall live.» If you trust in Jesus Christ, as he came out of the grave, you too shall come out of the grave.
We know that when we die, that’s not even close to the end—it’s the graduation ceremony into the presence of the Lord. Because he is our Savior and our risen Lord who came as a baby and became one of us, representing us in humanity, we too will know the joy of forever with him. The Bible tells us that Jesus is our hope. Paul spoke of Christ in you, the hope of glory. In writing to Timothy, he said Jesus Christ is our hope. Paul wrote that we who are Christians are looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
There is a section of scripture in the book of First Corinthians where Paul is writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I do this carefully, but I want to take a moment and replace the resurrection with the birth so you will see how important it is. «If Christ has not come, then our preaching is empty and your faith is empty. Yes, we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that Christ came at Bethlehem when he indeed has not. If Christ has not come, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.» Men and women, Jesus came at exactly the right time.
The Bible says, «In the right time, he came forth in a world ruled by the sword.» He spoke of perfect peace. In a world that was filled with violence and retribution, he spoke of loving your enemies. In a world of death, he offered the hope of new life. The Romans dominated through the power of terror, lifting high a cross that performed its deadly task. Jesus accepted that cross, submitted himself to that cross, then lifted it high as a bridge from the grief of earth to the joy of heaven. He came to be that bridge so that you and I could someday spend eternity with him.
Paul Tripp tells a story from when his son was little, and I resonate with this story because it happened to a couple of my kids and grandkids. He said he and his wife searched for the perfect gifts for their kids. But no matter what they bought their son, he would open the present and play with the box. That used to frustrate them so much. She’d spend all this money searching and time getting this perfect present, and the little boy would play with the box. One year, they were sure they had finally found the can’t-miss gift. Their son opened it, pulled out the toy, and actually started to play with it. Paul felt like he had won this battle once and for all. But when he stepped into the kitchen and came back a minute later, there was his son sitting in the box.
Tripp says that a lot of God’s children do the same thing. God has given us the greatest gift in his son, Jesus Christ. Nothing is more precious or more needed. But we often get caught up with the boxes, don’t we? We get caught up in the wrappings of life and the excitement of Christmas and all the celebrations. We celebrate the box and forget that the treasure in the box is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to be our savior.
Christmas invites us to stop settling for the package and start to enjoy the Savior who came. So, let me ask you this question: Are you doing that? Does Christmas put Christ in a different perspective for you? I know we’re into the season already. Don and I have talked about the fact that it seems like the lights are up much earlier than they’ve ever been, much more brilliant and much more lavish. I’m glad for the lights—they bring joy to my heart—but I need to be reminded that Jesus is the light of the world, and he came to light up our lives, not just at Christmas time, but all the time.
My great hope for all of us at Shadow is that we live each day without any doubt concerning our relationship with the Lord. I would imagine there are a few people here who have not yet trusted Christ as their savior. You believe in Christmas; you celebrate Jesus being born. But Jesus is not just to be born at Bethlehem—he wants to be born in your heart. He wants to come and live with you.
I cannot express it too strongly that God Almighty and Jesus Christ love you, and they want you to be with him and them forever. But the only way you can ever do that is by putting your faith in Christ, not just as the baby born at Bethlehem, but as the resurrected Savior who gave his life for you and for me. Do you know him? Have you ever trusted him? Would you pray with me a simple prayer and do that right now and make this Christmas the best one you ever had?
Let’s bow together, shall we? Father, just as you sent your son to be born in Bethlehem, you have sent him to be born in our hearts. For the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give his life a ransom for many. That’s what your book says. I believe that as my voice is being heard today in all of the churches that share this message on the internet across the country and here in this place, there are some who have never yet invited Jesus Christ to be born in their hearts—to come and be their savior. So it’s my great privilege, Father, to help them and lead them in this simple prayer of invitation.
In your heart, with your spirit’s voice—not your vocal voice—pray this prayer to God: «Dear God, I know I’m a sinner. That’s what you tell me. You’ve said, 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' I believe that. That’s me. I want to be saved from my sins. I don’t want to have to pay for my sins because the Bible tells me that you paid for them and that you will give me the payment for my sin if I trust you.
So today, I am taking this step of faith and putting my trust in Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, I’m asking you to come and live in my life and be the king of my life and direct me and guide me and forgive me. I thank you for hearing my prayer.»
The Bible says that when we pray that prayer, we pass out of death into life. We become sons of the king. We become forever children. That’s what has happened to you today. Celebrate that moment with someone you know who’s a Christian. Don’t be bashful about it. In this day when everyone seems to hide their faith, let yours be the outfront faith that others may know what you have done today. And Lord, thank you for hearing the prayer of so many who have heard this sermon today. In Jesus' name, Amen.