Being REAL!# | The Meaning Of Christmas

Text:

Isaiah 9:6-7:

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.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

2Corinthians 9:15:

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Theme:

The Meaning of Christmas

Introduction:

The Book of Isaiah is the first of the books of major prophecy in the Old Testament and is written, of course, by the prophet Isaiah, sometimes referred to as “Esaias” in the New Testament.
- The book is divided into three sections:
  - The first section (35 chapters) is purely prophetic and written during the Assyrian threat.
  - The second section (4 chapters) is historical and reflective of the life and times of King Hezekiah.
  - The third section (27 chapters) is once again prophetic and written during the Babylonian threat.
- The book has 66 chapters, the same number of chapter as books in the Biblical canon.
  - 39 chapters in the first two sections — the same number of books in the Old Testament.
  - 27 chapters in the third section — the same number of book in the New Testament.
Our text is the particular portion of scripture, this pericope, that encapsulates the heart of the most famous holiday of the year in Western culture, Christmas.
- For the world today, Christmas is the time for decorations, gifts, and debt.
But, what does all the other stuff surrounding Christmas mean? As we look around during the Christmas season we must ask, what is THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS?

Body:

The word Christmas is a Roman Catholic word
- “Christmas” is a contraction of the words, Christ’s Mass
  - The word “Mass” means death and was coined originally by the Roman Catholic Church, and belongs exclusively to the church of Rome.
  - The ritual of the Mass involves the death of Christ and the distribution of the “Host”, a word taken from the Latin word “hostiall” meaning victim!
  - Christmas is often abbreviated Xmas, probably because X resembles the Greek letter Χ (chi) which has often historically been used as an abbreviation for Christ (Χριστός in Greek).
Christmas was originally a pagan holiday involving pagan rituals and symbols
- Christmas was as an alternative to the pagan observance of the winter solstice.
  - Christmas originated in Roman culture that celebrated the winter solstice on December 25 (the solstice is the point where the sun’s ecliptic, or apparent path in the sky, is at its furthermost northern and southern point). This was a pagan celebration of the birth of the sun. Christians were reluctant to participate in the pagan festivals. By the early fourth century, Christians began celebrating the birth of Jesus at this time.
- Christmas became a lot of other pagan religions in disguise
  - A simple study of the tactics of the Romish Church reveals that in every case, the church absorbed the customs, traditions and general paganism of every tribe, culture and nation in their efforts to increase the number of people under their control.
- The Christmas Star
  - Ancient people looked upon stars as gods and created myths about them. Before there was Christmas, stars held importance in ancient religions.
- The Christmas Tree
  - A derivation from the Buddhist or Hindu “mandala” or symbol for the universe. The tree represents the world.
- Christmas Wreath, Holly, Holly Berries, Mistletoe, Ivy
  - All are symbolic of elements of fertility for the pagan Horned God and Goddess of Fertility.
- Christmas outlawed
  - The Puritans in England, and later in Massachusetts Colony, outlawed this holiday as witchcraft as a follow up to the decree by King James II that the holiday was pagan. It was revived during the late 19^th
Christmas evolved through many cultures as it picked up elements of its current tradition.
- Santa Claus
  - Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name ‘Santa Claus’ which comes from the Dutch ‘Sinterklaas’. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD. He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it.
- Christmas Stockings
  - It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire! This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children’s stockings
- The Christmas Tree
  - The fir tree has a long association with Christianity, it began in Germany almost a 1000 years ago when St Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, St Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree and to his amazement a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. St Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. But it was not until the 16th century that fir trees were brought indoors at Christmas time.
Regardless of its origins Christmas is all about JESUS for the believer
- The Old Testament is about Law and tradition. The New Testament and JESUS is about Grace and newness
  - Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
- Jesus is The Greatest Gift à As the text says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”
  - Why is He the GREATEST Gift?
    - Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
  - He is THE GIFT PROMISED
    - Why He was to come à Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
    - How He was to come à Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
    - Where He will come from à Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
  - He is THE GIFT GIVEN
    - John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
    - 1John 4:9, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
  - He is THE GIFT RECEIVED
    - A gift offered to you does not become yours until you receive it. So it is with salvation.
      - Galatians 3:14, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
    - Faith is the empty hand that reaches out to receive God’s gift of life.
      - Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
- Although many have pagan and multicultural origins, the symbols and traditions of Christmas can also mean a lot to the Bible-Based Believer in God:
- We, as believers, are not using Christian language to glorify a pagan holiday. We have TAKEN BACK what the world has used for pagan purposes and used it for the glorification of God!!
  - “TAKEN BACK” cause it is all God’s anyway!!!
    - Psalms 50:12, “…for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.”

Conclusion:

But, the arguments are all vanity because the critical information that we find concerning Christmas is found in our text in verse 6:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:”

It’s all in “UNTO US” è Christmas is about what God has given UNTO US à JESUS!!!!!!
- It’s in His Name
  - We know that in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
  - At His name, Romans 14:11 says, “…every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess….”
- The “Gift” of Jesus is in His name. The text says that “He shall be called…”
  - WONDERFUL à My Jesus is wonderful…
  - COUNSELOR à My Jesus is a counselor…
  - THE MIGHTY GOD à My Jesus is the mighty God
  - THE EVERLASTING FATHER à My Jesus is the everlasting Father
  - THE PRINCE OF PEACE à Then, last but not least, my Jesus is the Prince of peace
- God gave Jesus UNTO US!!
  - 2Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
    - “Unspeakable” because…
      - I could not tell ya’…how much He’s blessed me
      - I could not tell ya’…how He has kept me
      - I could not tell ya’…how He has changed me
      - I could not tell ya’…how much He loves me
      - I could not tell ya’…how He has healed me
      - I could not tell ya’…how He has fixed me
        
        I thank God for Jesus à THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS!

#384

The Meaning Of Christmas

Isaiah 9:6-7:

2Corinthians 9:15:

The Meaning of Christmas

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