What does Christmas teach us?

Date of Sermon Delivery: 1.12. 2024

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Jatin  

Title: what does Christmas teach us?

Bible: Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

 

1.     After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

2.     and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3.     When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4.     When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

5.     “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6.     ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7.     Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8.     He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9.     After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

12.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

 

Good morning and Happy Lord’s Day.

I welcome you all to this new morning and pray that you can feel His presence and love as you are in His fellowship.

It is by the grace of the Lord that we are gathered together for His name.

You all are looking very beautiful; you all are looking happy this morning; your faces are very bright, and this is because our Saviour is born in this world, and if Jesus had not been born, then we would not have had this glow on our faces.

So, on this new morning and the first day of December, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Christmas reminds us of the incredible grace God offers through His son Jesus. This story of salvation begins with the starry night of Bethlehem that opened the way of light for people that was closed by ancient sin.

I hope that through this time you will be very thankful to God and this time may become the reason for increasing your faith.  

May the Lord bless you all greatly this Christmas season and draw you closer to Him.

Come, let’s greet Christmas together and thank the lord with applause.

Let us pray to God.

 

Heavenly father,

We come before you with grateful hearts and thanking you for the opportunity to gather in your name. May your Holy spirit fill this place and open our hearts and minds to receive the message you have for us.  

Lord, I pray for myself and brother Sachin that our words may reflect your truth and love.

It my inspire, challenge and encourage us all to grow closer to you.

We also lift up those who are present today. May they feel your presence and touched by your grace.

Let this time together be a moment of transformation and renewal.

Thank you, Lord for everything, we surrender this time to you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.  

 

 

The world celebrates this Christmas in two ways: worldly and biblically.

Some people come just to see Christmas, or if they have not been able to meet people throughout the year, then they think, Let's meet everyone today.

But if Believers also say that he has come to see Christmas, then there is something wrong because sometimes we just want to see the water of life but do not want to drink it.

We just want to see the bread of life but don't want to eat it and want to see the way of life from a distance but don't want to walk on it.

we just want to see Jesus but do not to be like Jesus.

In John 6:68 Peter answered him, Lord, to who shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (NIV)

Many times, people want to see the person (Jesus) who tells them about their life but do not want to accept his words.

They want to see him from a distance but don't want to establish a relationship with him.

So, Christmas is not just a thing to see; there will be good decoration, good light will be there, refreshment will be there, different types of activities will be there, and enjoyment will be there.

All these things seem good, but the meaning of Christmas is something else, and this morning we will learn some things from the lives of those astrologers (wise men) that what Christmas teaches us.

To see this, I want to focus your attention on today's Bible Matthew 2.

Let's read it together.

 

Many historians and biblical scholars believe that the magi, or wise men, were from the Zoroastrians, one of the first monotheistic religions. Zoroastrians believe there is one god called Ahura Mazda (wise lord), and he created the world.

So, while the magi (wise men) did not believe in the same God as the Hebrews, they were astrologers who studied the sky and stars.

So, when they saw a new star in the sky, they found that this is not an ordinary star, but it has a connection with a very great prophecy and personality.

And when they studied on it, they came to know that the God for whom everyone had been waiting for a long time had been born, and they started following that star and arrived in Jerusalem.

Their numbers were very high; some say they were in the thousands, and all of them were coming from countries east of Israel.

For what purpose are they coming?

They are coming to worship Him (Jesus).

As it is written in the scriptures that they fell down and worshipped him.

Christmas, when we come to the house, or whether we ever come, we come so that we can worship God.

Christmas demands from every believer that when we come to meet God or to talk to Him, then we do not just look at Him or wander here and there but go after worshipping Him and thanking Him. Give him your offering and tell him that I am very thankful that you came into this world for me, but do it in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Otherwise, sometimes Christmas becomes traditional; people are very happy, there is a Christmas vibe for a month, songs are being sung, there is fog outside, and everything is good, but if it is only for one day and one month, then it is not good. But it is important that in this one day and one month, we should bring out heartfelt gifts for the Lord from our hearts; we should bring out such worship from our hearts that it may impact our hearts for years. 

So, Christmas teaches us that our hearts should draw true worship for Him.

 

The second Christmas teaches us to show our commitment to the Lord and connect with him in a relationship.

How long do you think these people would have travelled?

How much time do you think it would have taken for them to reach here from Iran, Iraq, or Asia Minor?

It took them 2 to 3 years to reach Jesus Christ.

And if we have to come to a church that is 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours away, and if this time increases even a little, our mind gets distracted.

But they waited; they travelled 2 to 3 years to meet Jesus Christ.

From this we can see their hunger and desire to meet Jesus or celebrate Christmas. Christmas can also mean meeting Jesus; Christmas can mean connecting with Jesus, and if I am connecting with Jesus in Christmas, because I can sing the song, Jesus aaya hai, Jesus aaya hai. But if I do not have a commitment, then Christmas means nothing to me.

 

But looking at their commitment, it has been so long since they left their houses; they were away from their family, maybe the roads would not be so good, and there were no vehicles like today.

It may have rained on the way, it may have been hot, it may have even snowed, but they had a commitment that they would not go back home without meeting the Saviour and establishing a relationship with Him; they would not go back home without offering Him their hearts.

And maybe some of them might have gone back because the ration might have ended, maybe they might have missed their family, some might have fallen ill, and some might have started missing their family members.

But those who were committed would have moved forward.

We need to know in which group we are.

When we come to Jesus Christ, do we see our circumstances, do we come seeing our troubles, do we see our comfort, do we see our day, do we see our time? And if we do not find it, then should we give up Christmas?

Christmas is the time when the one who finds him meets him.

Christmas is the time when, in our hearts, Jesus takes birth.

Although Jesus was born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.

But if he is not yet born in my heart, then my Christmas is incomplete.

Many of them must have been turned back because it might not have been so easy for them; it might not have been so easy for them to go to Bethlehem because of weather, food, travel, missing family, and tiredness.

Similarly, many times in today's age, people turn away from the Lord. We are tired, we are defeated, we are not worthy, it is very difficult for us, and we now want to turn back towards the world.

When Lot’s wife moved out from Sodom, but her heart was on Sodom, and he was looking backward to Sodom, I could not move forward; I could not follow the lord's voice more; I wanted to go back. And when she turned her face back, the Bible says she became a pillar of salt.

 There is nothing more sad than turning back after taking a step forward for Christ.

Luke 9:62 (NLT) But Jesus told him, Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.

But these wise men who came to Jesus and decided that now living is Christ and dying is also Christ, so they set out in search of Him, and those who seek Him are never ashamed.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed (Psalm 34:5 ESV). Jeremiah 29:13 says if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Jesus definitely finds them, those who seek him, and he does not leave them.

If you are taking one step towards him, then he is taking 10 steps towards you so that he can meet you.

They kept their courage and kept moving forward. It may have rained many times, it may have been cold, it may have been very hot, but they kept moving forward, they were committed.

When we have decided to walk with Jesus Christ, we need to make a commitment to walk with him.

Once we think that Jesus, we are yours, then there is no need to turn your back.

We should not just be those who see Christmas and, thinking that there will be good atmosphere, we will take some photos, we will have good food, we will meet some good people, we will enjoy, and then come back home.

But it is more important that we become more committed to the Lord through Christmas.

 

Next Christmas, teach us to bow down in front of Christ—when they met Jesus, they bowed and worshiped him.

Christmas teaches us to bow before Christ and teaches us to surrender to him.

They were rich people; they were wise people, but when they came in front of the saviour, they  bowed down their faces.

But today many times our education, our status, our position, our skills, our money, and our connections are preventing us from bowing before our God.

When Saul became king, his life changed.

Now he wanted his own respect in front of people; now he did not care about God, but he liked his own respect more than God’s respect.

I SAMUEL 15:30 Saul said, I have sinned, but please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, come back with me, so that I may worship the lord your God.

King Saul did sin, but he said to prophet Samuel, Please honour me because I am king.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Always remember that our education, our money, our big house, our salary, our business, and our job should never take us to a place where we find it difficult to bow before God.

Many times, when the level of people becomes high, they do not even clap while worshipping; they do not sing.

If the status in the society is high, then we do not pray in front of everyone because what will people say about me?

 

David, he was a great king of Israel, but he danced before the lord; he was dancing out of the goodness of the lord. He did not care who was watching or what people were saying; he did not care about how he looked to them. He did not mind looking like a fool because he did not dance to please people, but he danced to please God.

But when his wife (Michal) saw him, she hated him after watching him dance, and she was not the only one, but there is something within us that rejects/fears such joy, passion, and love.

The devil comes and says that you cannot do it. What will others say about you? Do you not have some status? If you dance in gospel songs, then the one there will see you, or the one here will see.

But I want you to see the love of our Lord. It is written that when the son went away and when he gave up everything and started going to his father's house, he thought that he would get the life of a servant in his father's house.

And when he was coming, the father saw his son from a distance, and he ran and hugged the son.

It was a very shameful thing for a respectable person and an elderly person to run, but our God has done it for us; he has made himself zero for me and for you.

2 Corinthians 8:9 for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 

Therefore, Jesus came so that we could be saved. When an angel went to shepherd those who were watching over their flocks at night and said, Do not be afraid; I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

What is the great good news in this world?

If a daughter/son is born in our house, then we consider it as good news, and we go everywhere and share sweets.

If we purchase a car, then we consider it as good news.

If we go abroad, then we consider it as big news, and we discuss it in 10 places.

If someone's son goes abroad, the mother tells everyone.

This all news is good, but the greatest good news of this world.

John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This good news we have to share with everyone.

Christmas teaches us to surrender, and it comes through our belief in Jesus.

Next Christmas teach us that we should offer our offering to God.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.(11b)

Offered him gold (king), frankincense (His name will spread everywhere), and myrrh (His body will never demolish).

 

Next Christmas teach us that about life of faith.

When they moved from their house, there would be a question: Where were you going?

 

We are going on a trip.

How long is the journey? do not know

When will you come back? Do not know

What kind of nonsense are you talking? People must have told him.

Maybe some family members might have told them not to go.

But they must have said that we have to go.

Where do we have to go? where this star will take

Many may have made fun of them, but in faith they were strong.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

John 20:29 Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

 

You are also among those who have not seen but have believed.

We have not seen Him with our physical eyes, but still we say that our Saviour is born, and He is our life.

Therefore, our faith must be strengthened by Christmas.

 

 

So when they met Jesus, they worshipped him, bowed before him, surrendered to him, made offerings to him, and believed in him.

Then angels came and said to them, Do not go back to Herod. They returned to their country by another route. Changed your way.

Dear brothers and sisters,

When we meet Jesus Christ, when we experience Christmas

After that, when we leave from here, then we should change our route.

That day the Magi travelled a long distance and came to that small house. It took about 2 or 3 years for them to come to Jesus.

Jesus Christ was in the house at that time, but Jesus was born at an inn, in the area set aside for animals and not in a house.

Therefore, the wise men arrived sometime after Jesus's birth. It appears the wise men arrived sometime between one to two years later.

Why one to two years?

Matthew 2:16 (Herod passed an order to kill all the male children who were in Bethlehem from two years old and under).

 

They reached the house, they worshipped him, bowed before him, surrendered to him, made offerings to him, and believed in him.

But when they went out, they did not go back the same way they came, but they went back by a new way.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Does not matter; who were we? But the matter is that we have received him when we learn the meaning of Christmas, when Jesus entered our hearts. Now when we are going out, we may go with new creation.

I pray this Christmas not be a Christmas in name only, but may this Christmas be the Christmas that brings Jesus into our lives.

Amen