Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Christmas Love

Theme: The Love of God, Christ Given

Series: The Cast of Christmas

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:1-7)

Grasp Christmas joy

There is so much that comes at us especially this time of the year.

Before we know it Christmas day is here and it seems that we just did not get prepared to celebrate it as we had hoped.

The world’s way of celebrating Christmas sometimes has a way of keeping us from enjoying the Lord Jesus’ birthday in spirit and truth.

One of the best ways to grasp Christmas joy is to consider the lives of those who are closely connected with the physical birth of Christ.

I would propose to you if you want to grasp true joy during the Christmas season it is imperative that you catch the significance in how God showed love by giving Christ.

God gave His Son and Christ came willingly—true expressions of sacrificial love.

Just what is the significance in how God and Christ showed their love to us? John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Greek word for “believes” (pisteuo) means to put complete trust in, to have no doubt about or to be certain of.

The application of this word as applied in John 3:16 is to have such a belief in Jesus Christ that how He lived and what He taught has a continued effect on how you live.

(Practical Word Studies in the New Testament; The Complete Word Study of the New Testament; Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains; The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament) Through this message, if you let Him, the Holy Spirit could help you find trust in the love of God and Christ and be certain about that love.

The conditions into which God sent His Son

The first truth that the Holy Spirit wants you to grasp from the written Word of God is the conditions into which God sent His Son, Jesus.

The people who are the most blessed by the expression of love given by someone else are the people who understand the sacrifice made by the person showing that act of love.

Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of much Biblical prophecy, one incidence being what was spoken by Jacob.

In Genesis 49:10 in the New American Standard Bible we read, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Jacob foresees and foretells.

When he is dying God gives Jacob a look into the future and he gives support from his deathbed that not only is a blessing to his sons, but to all who become sons of God through adoption by faith in Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem Israel was once again in need of a sign that the Great Deliverer, the child to be born according to what is written about Him had arrived.

In keeping with the truth to be grasped today we must understand the spiritual condition of the people during the time when Christ was born.

We must also understand the application it has for us today.

Judah was no longer ruled by one of its own kings.

Judea was under the rule of a descendant of Esua, Herod the Great.

The promised land was no longer in the hands of Israel; it was in the hands of a heathen power.

The ruler was no longer God’s perfect plan for a ruler, but rather a bad ruler appointed by men who held the Jews captive.

Even the Temple was no longer cared for by ministers of God who could grasp the will of God, rather servants who were governed by fear of Roman oppressors.

According to Who’ Who in the Bible, Esau, represented that heart that is not serious about its relationship with God.

He made frivolous decisions that had irreversible consequences.

When Esau understood that it would be unpleasing to his parents to marry girls from certain family lines he deliberately went off and found a girl that his parents would not like and added her to his wives.

(Genesis 28:6-9) In Hebrews 12:16 we read that he was a godless man and the Bible says that Esau lived a purposely rebellious life and there was no place in his heart for repentance.

(Hebrews 12:17)

Herod was like Esau a man who lived only for self and in rebellion to truth.

He ordered the massacre of the innocent male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity all because he wanted to protect his throne from the One born to be King of the Jews and the Savior of the world.

Consider with me the written Word of God that says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind…” (Jeremiah 17:9, 10)

The truth that the Holy Spirit wants you to grasp in this portion of the message is that mankind left to himself will do whatever it takes to remain on the throne of his own heart.

What is scary about that is this heart that is clearly against Christ being truly Lord and Savior makes the human mind think it is doing right, when in truth it is acting in full rebellion.

This heart brings justification in its actions while it makes frivolous decisions and produces irreversible consequences.

Only Jesus Christ can turn a heart around that is set against God, only He can intervene and put a stop to irreversible consequences of rebellion.

The great news is that in the middle of a sin sick world at the time of Jesus’ birth there were people who sought God and were looking for the coming of the Messiah.

God made sure that those seeking Him were made aware that the Savior of the world had arrived.

Not only did the Lord make it known, He used those who responded to the good news to tell others.

Listen carefully as I read about the proclamation of the birth of Christ in the midst of a world hostile to God and His people on that first Christmas eve, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

(Luke 2:8-19)

God supernaturally made a way for those with ears who are hungry for the things of God to get the message of Christ being born in Bethlehem.

He works supernaturally through the Holy Spirit of Christ to draw people with ears wanting to hear to consider Jesus Christ today.

Spiritually, Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit are given supernatural revelations of Christ, God’s will through the written Word and they are empowered to live out the will of God as they live in a world that is not a friend of Grace.

Even in this day, the world as a whole stands against the work of God.

Law suits are brought against those who want to publicly express their faith in Christ during the Christmas season.

Instead of “Merry Christmas” those in this world are wanting have people say “Happy Holiday.”

Christians in public service are more and more attacked by the media when they express their faith in Christ and prayer.

Even in the church the purity of the pulpit is threatened by those who serve in it and the church is embracing that which breaks the heart of God.

In the midst of this offense, God still sends the Holy Spirit of Christ to those who love Him so they can have fellowship with the Lord.

Our natural response to someone who rejects any act of kindness or love we show to them is to shut them out of our lives and make it impossible for them to enjoy our presence.

God out of sacrificial love gave His one and only Son and Jesus came willingly so that those with hard hearts may turn and accept the love of God.

While natural man wants to cast out those who reject him, God now sends His Holy Spirit to bring revelation of the written Word so people who have hard hearts may be drawn to Christ.

God has always and still does express His love to people in this sin trodden world and the sending of His one and only Son is expression of true love

God has always and still does express His love to people in this sin trodden world and the sending of His one and only Son is expression of true love. 1 John 4:9-12 says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

(1 John 4:9-12)

Jesus being born in Bethlehem is the Shiloh who was to come.

“Shiloh” (siyloh) means “the peaceful one.”

(The Complete Word Study; Trough the Bible)

In Christ there is reconciliation between God and those who truly have Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

This peace comes to us not because we showed love to God, but because God loved us first.

This is a truth that must be grasped this Christmas season if we are going to walk in a joyous Christmas spirit.

1 John 2:2 in the New American Standard Bible tells that Jesus “…is the propitiation of our sins, and not just ours, but also for those of the whole world.”

Propitiation is something God does to make it possible for men to be forgiven.

God’s Word is revelation and His holiness requires Him to uphold that law of God.

He is also love and therefore He forgives sinners.

He sent His Son to make a way for mankind to receive forgiveness of sin.

God did this because He is love.

We did not or can not do anything to cause Him to love us.

God did not give us His Son because we were attractive, or because we were good or because we make promises to do things for Him.

He does not give us eternal life because He can gain something from us.

I was reading some material written by J.A. Clarks about a Jewish legend.