Amen. Now my text tonight is taken
from Luke chapter 2, and it says in the verse 10.
And the Angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto
you. You shall find the babe wrapped
in swathing clothes, lying in a Manger this Christmas.
Sunday evening, 2025. I want to deal with a simple
subject, the significance of the Christmas story.
Let's ask the question, why Christmas?
What is so special and so significant about Christmas
time? You see, in the Western world
and beyond, Christmas has been celebrated for centuries.
Today it is still enjoyed by millions.
Think of the popular theme song Oh I Wish it were Christmas.
Everyday you see, Christmas is a time for fun.
Children enjoy that good wholesome fun.
Party games, time for food, time for family, families, people
gathered together for special meals.
You only have to think of the Christmas dinner and the Turkey
and the Brussels sprouts. Loved ones, of course, travel
far to come home for Christmas. Gifts are exchanged, greetings
are set. It's a time of work, the shops
are closed. Hallelujah, the men say.
It's a time to relax, a time to unwind.
It's a lovely time of the year. A break from the routine, from
the mundane. A time for pleasantries, a time
for being positive. But let me point out something.
It's not just a pleasant time. You see, for many, Christmas is
also a painful time. Many face better
disappointments. Some experience financial
pressures. For many families, debt is real.
This Christmas, things don't go according to plan.
Expectations don't materialise. Many individuals will face
peeing and illness. Some could even end up
hospitalised. For others there can be a a
massive fallout between family members and friends.
Sharp, nasty words can be exchanged.
There are those, of course, who will face the death of a dear
loved ones. Others at Christmas time will
encounter painful memories, and they'll think about the absence
of loved ones. That is true.
So I asked a question in the midst of all this, whether you
view it as a pleasant time or a painful time, what does
Christmas really mean to you? Why do we say happy Christmas
one to another? What makes it so special, so
significant? Is there an answer?
I believe the answer is yes, it is possible to have the best
Christmas ever. And I want to tell you, young
people, it's nothing to do with being drunk with alcohol.
It's nothing to do with the party scene or digging drunks.
It's nothing to do with winning the lottery.
It's coming to understand the best and the good news of all
time that we've been singing about, that we've been hearing
about in these readings. So I put it to you, here's the
significance of the Christmas story.
And what I'm about to tell you is what I preached at the City
Hall a few Fridays ago. Three things very quickly the
promise of Jesus Christ coming Notice it says in verse 12 and
this shall be a sign unto you shall find to be wrapped in
swatting clothes lying in a Manger.
Notice the word say we'll ask this question who is Jesus
Christ Jesus Christ is the promised 1.
He was promised long ago. The first gospel promise is
taken from the book of Genesis in chapter 3 and verse 15.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seat and her seat. It shall bruise thy head, and
thy shall bruise his heel. The seat of the woman.
It was prophesied and promised that the seed of the woman would
bruise the head of the serpent, and the serpent would strike at
his heel. Historical poetic language for a
conflict, A conflict in which the seed of the woman would
emerge victorious. And we can link up the seed of
the woman with the words in Galatians 4:00 and 4:00.
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law. For what purpose?
That we might receive the adoption of sons.
See, I want you to understand something.
The Lord Jesus came in fulfilment of what is written in
the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus said to the Jews
in his day, Search the Scriptures for sin.
These are they that testify of me.
See, the old Jews had the Scriptures.
They read them faithfully. They studied the book, they
taught from it, but they missed the central truth.
You see all of these readings that we've had, Matthew 118 to
25, Luke 2, one to seven, Luke 8 to 14, Matthew 21 to 12, John
chapter 1 verses 1 to 18, all of them teach that the Old
Testament prophecies from Genesis 315 forward all had
their fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the New Testament promotes and presents Jesus Christ as the
long-awaited promised Saviour, King, the promised Child, the
promised Son, the promised Saviour, the one who was to be
our prophet, priest, and king. You see, I emphasise this for
this reason. Jesus Christ just didn't appear
randomly. He just didn't come unannounced.
No, He came as the seat of the woman.
He came in the line of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.
Do you know what it's written of?
Christ, old Jacob on his deathbed said this.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.
There a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and
unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
When you read verse 11, you read about the binding his foal unto
the vine, and his ass is cooled unto the choice vine.
He washed his garments and wine and his clothes in the blood of
grapes. You see, not only a prophecy
about until Shiloh come, but even about the binding of the
fool. The asses called unto the choice
fight, and it literally took place in the life of the Lord
Jesus as he started out in his journey toward the cross in
Jerusalem. He came to the House of Jesse.
He came as David's greater son. We've read there in the Gospel
of Matthew, in Matthew 1, the book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.
Do you know what literally happened the way God planned it?
It literally happened because God had planned it.
God had prophesied. You see, God planned the way as
in that word was read to us by young Samuel out of Isaiah
Chapter 7 and verse 14. Therefore the Lord himself shall
give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel.
Do you know that He came to the very planned place?
Where was He born? We were singing about it.
Bethlehem, make a five and two. But thou Bethlehem Ephrata,
though thy belittle 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 with old, from
everlasting. And whenever Colin read in
Matthew chapter 22, it was Herod that asked the Jews of his day
where Christ would be born. And they said, For thus it is
written by the prophet. And thou Bethlehem in the land
of Judah, art not thou the least among the Princess of Judah, For
out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my
people Israel. He also came in the planned
time. When did he come?
In the time of Caesar Augustus in those days, Brother Alan read
it to us. Look 2 verses one and two.
God used Caesar to issue the decree about taxation to fulfil
his plan because Mary was in Nazareth with Joseph, she was
engaged to be married. She was heavy with child and,
and, and the child wasn't going to be born.
And that's where the child was going to be born, 80 miles away
in Bethlehem. And God used Caesar Augustus to
bring about the decree about taxation.
So they had to go to the home city where Joseph was from
because he was off the house in lineage of David.
You see, what do we learn? We learned that God keeps his
promises. We learned this, that God always
is true to his word. He's only true to his word.
He is faithful and we can trust the word of God.
Remember the Lord Jesus said I am the truth.
He's the very embodiment of truth and and God the Father
fulfilled all that he said about Christ ever down to the last jot
and the last minute detail. Why is Christmas so significant
and special? Because Jesus Christ is the
promised one. I'll I'll tell you something
else. Not when you think about the
promise of Jesus Christ coming, but thinking about the person of
Jesus Christ coming. Listen to our tax.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. See, the Christmas story centres
in Christ the Lord. It centres in the Saviour.
He is God's anointed prophet to teach and tell us the way of
salvation. He's God's anointed priest too,
who offered himself a once and for all sacrifice for sin and
now he lives to make intercession for his people.
He's God's anointed king who call us to repentance and calls
us to come into his Kingdom to live under his rulership.
One of his lovely names that was read by her sister Tanya.
He's called the mighty God. Isn't he known as Emmanuel,
which means God with us? See, I believe in the
incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
It's impossible to be a Christian.
It's impossible to be a true minister of the gospel and not
believe in the doctrine of the incarnation or not believe in
the virgin birth of Christ. Paul says to Timothy, first
Timothy 316. Great is the mystery of
godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
Mark read to us John 1 and 14 And the Word became flesh and
built among us, and we beheld us glory.
The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth. You see the great truth about
Christmas time. Young people, boys and girls,
listen to me carefully. It's not just about the promised
one. It's about the person of Jesus
Christ coming into our world. The great truth is this, that
God came amongst us to be one of us, to be with us on a journey.
Isn't this what Mark emphasised as he closed his reading in John
1 and verse 18? No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He
has declared Him at one time when the Lord Jesus told his
disciples in the upper room that he was going to leave them, that
he was going away and he was going to the cross and he's
going to bleed and die, the Philip had questioned him.
And Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it
suffices us. And in verse 9 Jesus said unto
him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not
known me, Philip? He that have seen me have seen
the Father, and thou sayest thou then show us the Father?
Jesus Christ came to reveal God to us because he is God and yet
we know so little about God. We can know God.
The Bible says be still and know that I'm God.
How can we know God? You can't know God apart from
the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what we read there in
the Gospel of Paul in Second Corinthians chapter 5, chapter
4, verse six. He said this.
For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, have
shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Whenever we hear the voice of Christ, we're hearing the voice
of God. Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
You know Jesus Christ can by His voice pronounce the full and
free and forever pardon to all you know and trust.
The value of Christ is he's able to give sight to the blind.
He's able to heal the sick and raise the dead.
The glory of Christ is that he came to deliver those that were
oppressed and bound by sin. And when you think of his
sinless life, a Saviour who kept the law of God perfectly for us,
who did know sin and you know sin and him is no sin.
You see the very heart of God, you see the beauty.
And what makes Bible believe in Christianity so unique is that
God didn't hide from us. God came amongst us, lived
amongst us to be with us so that he could live in our hearts by
his spirit of any man of not the spirit of Christ.
The Bible says yes, none of his. And in the new birth when you
repent of sin and believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes
and takes up residence in your heart.
Do you know anything, the reality of this?
Do you know the uniqueness of Bible belief in Christianity?
It's unlike any of the religions in the world.
It stands head and shoulders. It's completely different from
the religion of the world. It's not religion that we offer.
It's not religion that we proclaim.
It's a relationship with God. You can know God how?
Through Jesus Christ, through his personal work.
Apart from Christ you'll not know God, but in Christ you will
begin to know God and think. Lastly, you've been very
patient. Think about the purpose of Jesus
Christ coming into the world. What did the shepherds say to
the angels? They said this in our text in
Luke chapter 2. For unto you is born this day in
the city of David, a saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Here's a message of global importance.
Here's a message of great hope. A saviour is a saviour king, the
Bible tells us in Luke 19 verse 10.
The Son of man has come to seek and to see if that which is
lost. Here's the pronouncement the
saviour has come an astonishing message.
The Lord Jesus birth was unannounced by a godless
ignorant world. So much so that when that one
Angel announced to the shepherds, then God sent a choir
of angels to to announce that birth.
You see, why are men blind? Why are they dead and trespasses
and sin? Why are they affections diseased
that they don't love God or the things of God because they don't
really see themselves as sinners.
Yet the Bible says for all of sin then come short of the glory
of God. Do you know we're all guilty
before God. Remember the psalmist said in
Psalm 51, verse four and five against thee.
They only have a sinned and done this evil and thy sight that
they might just be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest. Behold, I was shaping an
iniquity and sin did my mother conceive me.
Do you understand that prophet Isaiah said, but he was wounded
for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him with the stripes we
are healed all we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned each one to his own way, and the Lord have laid in
him the iniquity of us all. See, there's only one Saviour
pronounced, there's only one saviour that was sent, that was
given, that came the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says. For there's one God and one
mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's no other
name under heaven given among men, for by we must be saved.
Christmas is a time for fun. Yes, it's a time for fellowship.
It's a time for family and food. It's an opportunity to show love
and to show acts of kindness, an opportunity to present the gift
even to a stranger. Random act of kindness.
But you know, many make this mistake.
They miss the real meaning of the story because they know
nothing of the promised one who has come.
They know nothing of this person, who he really is.
Lawrence and Anne sang. I'm glad I know who Jesus is.
Do you know that? Do you really know who he is?
Does it have an impact upon you? Does it make you fear and
tremble? Does it make you want to be in
the House of God in the Lord's Day?
Does it make you want to read the scriptures?
Does it make you want to pray to Him?
Does it make you want to cry out for help and blessing?
Years ago, when I say this, knowing families here, I
remember when the children were very small, especially the
girls, we had got them a lovely doll's house.
I think it was, or maybe it was a kitchen.
And I think in Boxing Day they were playing with the big box,
cut holes in it and I was inside getting some tea and some buns.
And I and I thought of that ever since.
And you know, it's possible for many to make the mistake of
neglecting the gift that God has made, the gift of the Saviour.
Tailor me in exactly what we need.
You need to receive this gift. How?
Repent. Say you're sorry to God for your
sin of thought. Word indeed.
Confess that sin to God. Go to God and say Lord, I'm a
guilty Sinner and worthy of hell, deserve judgement, have
mercy upon me. Remember the public and prayed
God be merciful to me, the Sinner.
That's where we need to start. And then of course we need to
believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shall be saved. That means to have faith in
Christ. And when you have faith in
Christ, you get a new life and you get a full and free and
forever part. And God tells you nice sins and
iniquities. I'll remember no more.
And we have peace with God. And we know the peace of God
even in the storms and trials of life.
Why? Because our hearts changed.
We have a different lifestyle. Can I encourage you to confess
this Christmas? What is it all about?
What's the significance? What's the speciality of the
story? It's God with us, Emmanuel.
And God with us came into our world so that God by his Spirit
could live in us through the new birth, and God for us in the
journey. And if God be for us, who can be
against US one day, then God to take us home to himself and
proclaim us not only as inheritors of eternal life nigh,
not only proclaim us as the sons of God nigh, but proclaim us as
the sons of God and the daughters of God in the world to
come. What a tremendous significance,
what a great speciality. That's what makes Christmas so
special. Why Christmas?
For these reasons, the Lord bless you.