LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for December 25: The Messiah has come!

Merry Christmas!
On the day when stockings, gifts and family meals will be a priority, this lesson provides the opportunity to cut through all the wrappings of the season. On Christmas Day, our passages remind us the very first Christmas came without all of the activities and decorations that now are such an essential part of our Christmas celebrations. There were no stockings, and there was no long-anticipated unwrapping of gifts. There was no big family meal.

In fact, there was the awkward absence of the rest of Joseph’s family. Surely he wasn’t the only member of his family in Bethlehem for the census, yet no other members of the family appear in the story.

On Christmas Day 2011, it is good to remember the vast difference between our celebrations and that first Christmas Day. The event that breathes meaning into our songs, stockings and holiday sweets was a rough and humble affair filled with surprising glory.
    
As surprising as some of the events of that first Christmas were, however, the key event itself was not unexpected. The coming of the Messiah did not drop out of the clear blue sky with no warning. The act of the Word becoming flesh was new and unlike anything that had happened before, but it was an act God had long planned and about which prophets had long prophesied.
    
Of the virgin conception that the angel announced to Joseph and Mary, Matthew wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophets” (Matthew 1:22). Later, as the chief priests and teachers of the law reveal Bethlehem is the place where the Messiah would be born, they say, “for this is what the prophet has written” (Matthew 2:5).

The passage in Numbers 24 also has messianic meaning. Through Baalam, God spoke of “a star” that “will come out of Jacob” (v. 17). More than 1,000 years later, Jesus, a descendant of Jacob, is born to rule.

How does it make you feel to be part of something with such a history? What do you learn about God as you contemplate the ancient prophecies and their fulfillment?

There is more to experience in this than a simple fascination at God’s ability to make and keep promises over an extremely long period of time. There also is a more personal dimension to this work. God’s making and keeping promises is about redemption and life (Matthew 1:21).

At its heart, Christmas is about God solving the problem of human sin. The manger was necessary because we are sinners. The manger was necessary because I am a sinner.
Sin is not a pleasant topic to think about, and we usually do our best on Christmas to keep unpleasant thoughts far away. Still, it is important to recall this darkness so we might better appreciate God’s Light.

We light lights this season to remember the Light of the World that shines in the darkness of sin. We decorate with greenery to remember Jesus is the life of God that outlives death. We give gifts to commemorate the unearned mercy God has given to us in Jesus.

Every package you open today reflects the grace of God. Every lighted Christmas tree is a dim reflection of the light and life available to sinners through Jesus. Every act of celebration today is a celebration precisely because God loved us in spite of our sin and blessed us with an indescribable gift.

What is the proper response to such a gift of God? Surely it is more than sending cards, wrapping and unwrapping presents, and decorating for the season. The magi give us the answer: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). Have you worshipped Jesus today?

The magi sought earnestly for him. They brought costly gifts to give him. They recognized his authority as king. They humbled themselves and bowed before him. What has been your response to Jesus on this Christmas day? Have you sought earnestly for him? Have you quieted your soul and sought his presence?

And what have you brought him? Have you given him your love and your obedience? Have you given him your time and talents? Have you given him your calendar, your priorities and your pride?

And have you recognized his authority as King?  Jesus came to save us from our sins, and Jesus came to rule. Balaam not only prophesied that “a star” would appear, he also prophesied “a scepter” would rise (Numbers 24:17). The King of Kings has come, just as the prophets foretold. Have his standard and his will been established in your life? Have his values found a home in your heart?

This Christmas, be wise like the magi and honor Jesus for all he is, for all he has done and for all he has promised to do.