Christmas, the Celebration of Jesus Christ

 INTRO: Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ, who entered time and history through His birth and changed the world as none has ever done before. You and I are proof of that change He brought. We celebrate His coming into this world for the purpose of “Seeking and saving that which was lost.” (Luke 10:10)

I. At Christmas we celebrate Jesus Christ as the Eternal Son of God. December 25th, we celebrate the birth of Christ, His coming to earth as a baby in a human body. But His existence didn’t begin with His birth. Jesus existed before the foundation of the earth. John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Psalms 2:7 "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Romans 1:4 Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

II. We celebrate Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. By His birth He brought salvation to all who would believe in Him. Jesus is a gift of love from the Father for the salvation of the world. John 3:16 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is the one who died for all of mankind; He is our "Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" who gave us citizenship in Heaven. Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV) 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, we are eagerly waiting for Jesus' return when we will be changed into His glorious image.

III. We celebrate Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who fulfills Old Testament prophecy. John 1:29 (NKJV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! The Lamb of God recalls the Passover Lamb, in [Exodus 12:1-14] whose blood was applied on the doorpost of the Israelite's houses to protect them from the death angel during the Exodus from Egypt. We celebrate Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God, who shed His blood as an offering to take away the sin of the world. We were washed clean by His precious blood when we confess our sins and ask Him for forgiveness. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV) You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. He is our Passover Lamb. He protects us from spiritual death and eternal separation from God. His salvation includes the resurrection of our bodies. 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!                                                                    Invitation: You must know Jesus as your Savior to make it to heaven. If you are not sure about your salvation, you can make sure right now by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to save you, and then Jesus will provide you a home in heaven.