Michael Youssef - What Does Jesus Think About Christmas?
Blessed Christmas, the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you just heard from the children the meaning of Christmas. You know, people form their ideas about Christmas from many different places. But what Jesus said about Christmas, how he tells us Christmas means to him is what I’m gonna be preaching about today. You see, Jesus is the only one who was born for the distinct purpose of dying for you and for me, so stay tuned.
Everybody has their own idea of how they feel about Christmas. If I take a camera and a microphone, walk down those aisles, I’ll probably hear a variety of answers to the question, what does Christmas mean to you? Not what Christmas means, I know you would all get it right, but what does it mean to you? Some people would say it represents stressful time. Others would say, well, it represents disappointment or even anger at the fact that we now, the shops begin to celebrate Christmas before Halloween. Others would be disappointed at the commercialization and all of that stuff. To some it represents loneliness and grief and sorrow and sad memories, and even depression at times.
Still to others, Christmas represents what it really is. God became man, God came to earth, God took on human flesh, God born in a manger to set us free from sin and guilt, God came to die and rise again so that he may assure us of eternal life with him in heaven. And the list could go on, but even if I would go and ask the original cast of characters on the first Christmas day, the original cast, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the magis, they would all give you different accounts from their point of view what Christmas has meant to them, that first Christmas. Mary, no doubt, would’ve talked about the original puzzlement and bewilderment of how she’s pregnant, has never been near a man. She would’ve told us about the enormous relief and the comfort and the joy when the angel appeared to her and began to explain to her the privilege that she has which every young woman in Israel would’ve been waiting for, to be the mother of the Messiah.
What a relief for her to know that she is pregnant supernaturally by the power of God, the Holy Spirit. She’ll probably explain to us in details about the elation of the visiting of the shepherds, or how she can describe in detail these Persian scientists, these astronomers, they came from modern day Iran, came all the way because they saw that what they saw in the sky was a unique explanation or pronouncement of a birth of a divine King. Or she would probably with tears flowing down her cheeks tell us about the horrible massacre that King Herod brought about, the babies in Bethlehem, and how she and Joseph and baby Jesus took that arduous trip across the desert to become refugees for a time in Egypt so as to escape that massacre. In fact, historians tell us that actually it is the blessed virgin Mary who gave all this information to Dr. Luke.
And so, what we read in the gospel according to Luke is really basically firsthand information from the blessed virgin Mary. Then if you would ask Joseph and you say, «Joseph, what’s that first Christmas represent to you»? He would talk about the extreme painful few days. There is no doubt there were painful few days between believing and discovering that Mary was pregnant with that inexplicable pregnancy and the angel appearing to him and telling him that this is a supernatural pregnancy, a supernatural birth. He could go into details of the anguish and the confusion and the struggling of those few days that he went through and that he would talk about the juxtaposition between being convinced of Mary’s purity and this miraculous pregnancy. He could tell us about tossing and turning in the middle of the night, night after night after night, sleepless nights, thinking how I’m gonna explain this to the town gossips.
I come from the Middle East, we have a specialist known as the town gossips. No doubt he would have told us about the joy, the joy of seeing and hearing the angel of God appearing to him, telling him of the privilege that he and Mary gonna have to bring up this supernaturally born child. Don’t ever forget that back then, every little girl, her dream is to be the mother of the blessed Messiah, because every book of the Old Testament has been telling them ever since you read it the first time in Genesis 3:15, from that day on, in every page of the Old Testament, in every book of the Old Testament, it’s telling them the Messiah’s coming, the Messiah’s coming, the Messiah’s coming, the Messiah’s coming, and therefore every young woman dream is to be the mother of that Messiah.
Back then, the dreams of young girls is not to go to college and get a college degree and maybe a career. No, no, no, she wanted to be the mother of the Messiah. But then the final analysis, the most important person that we need to ask what Christmas means to you is the one who’s always forgotten at Christmas time. You know who I’m talking about? Jesus, yes. And the birthday boy, he is always forgotten, he is always overlooked. And we see Mary, we see Joseph, we see the shepherds, we see the magis, we talk about all of that, and we leave out the most important question. Jesus, what does this first Christmas means to you? What does it mean not to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherd and the magis, but to you?
Thankfully, we don’t have to come up with an answer thinking what Jesus said or try to piece bits and pieces of information to come up with something that Jesus, what he thought about his first Christmas. No, the Bible tells us, it gives it to us clearly spelled out in the epistle to the Hebrews chapter 10, what does Christmas mean to Jesus? And I’m only going to look at three verses, Hebrews 10, verses 5, 6 and 7. I wanna read them to you, follow with me please. «Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said,» now he’s speaking to the Father, he’s speaking to his Father with whom he coexisted before all the worlds, he’s speaking to the Father. And I’m gonna show you, this is a 1,000 old prophecy that Jesus repeated it, saying it applies to him. «Therefore, when Christ came into the world he said to the Father, 'Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire.'»
Most people miss this, but if you read in Ezekiel, in Hosea, and all the Old Testament, see, God is not pleased with sacrifice. He wants obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice way back in the days of Prophet Samuel. God is always looking for obedience. And he becomes fulfilled, «Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me,» a body you have prepared for me. «With burnt offering and sin offering, you were not pleased. Then I said,» it’s Jesus speaking. «'Here I am, as it is written about me in the scriptures; I came to do your will, O God». Can you say that sentence with me?
Beloved, this is the Christmas story according to Jesus. And yet the Word of God, 1,000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in Psalm 40, those words are recorded, prophesied about the coming of Jesus in Psalm 40. Read it when you go home, read it. You’ll find it’s word for word. His Christmas, his birth was foretold as a distinct birth. No one has ever been born with a distinct purpose. Am I right? No baby come out of the… «I know why I’m here». No, now parents have distinct purpose for their children, but when the baby is born, parents have great hopes and anticipations for that child. Yes, of course, every baby comes, and we have hopes and anticipation that they would accomplish great things. That’s the longing of every parent and grandparent.
Christian parents, of course, specifically Christian parents pray for their children regularly and consistently that they’ll be kept from sin and harm. Parents and grandparents pray and hope daily that they’ll be able to serve God in whatever profession that they’ll choose. But Jesus is different, Jesus is different. Jesus was conscious that his coming was for a specific purpose. He spelled it out as we’ve read it here from Hebrews 10, «I have come to do your will, O God». I have… The writer contrasts the Old Testament, New Testament, the old and the new, the old and the new. And he’ll say in the Old Testament the offering of sacrifice once a year, it did not remove sin, but the sacrifice of Jesus once and for all removed all sin.
A contrast between the old, temporary, inadequate sacrifice in the temple and the New Testament perfect sacrifice of the perfect, sinless Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. A contrast between the shadow and the real thing. A contrast between the temporary forgiveness of sins that represented by animal sacrifice. And even the high priests will have to go in and offer sacrifice for their own sin. But then when Jesus came and he sacrificed himself on that cross, it was perfect, sinless Lamb of God who died for the sin of everyone who would believe in him. But Christ Jesus did not only have a sense of purpose, he secondly, he had a sense of knowledge of who he is. It is one thing to have a noble purpose, even though when we… even for adults, it’s one thing to have a great goal, a dream, and it’s a whole different ball game to fulfill that dream, to accomplish that purpose.
Lots of people have wonderful purpose in life, few realize or fulfill that purpose. But not Jesus, not Jesus, he was born for a purpose, he came with a knowledge of that purpose, he came and he fulfilled that purpose, why? Because he was both God man, God and man. God said, «I have only one way by which you come to me,» and that is why God man, Jesus, is the one and the only one who can save us. As man Jesus died on that cross, as God he died to pay the infinite, colossal cost necessary for our salvation. No one else could pay that price except Jesus. That is why no one can save you except Jesus, the perfect, sinless man God. He did come from heaven to pay the debt that you and you and you and I could never pay. The debt that no one, no one other than Jesus the Christ, the perfect, sinless Son of God could pay, and he paid with his blood.
Some of you perhaps may say, «Well, Michael, I really, I don’t feel I owe God anything. I’m not in debt and I’m not certainly owe debt to anyone, and not to God. What are you talking about»? Here’s a fact of life. God said only perfect people can relate to him. Only perfect people can be with him in heaven. Only perfect people can be truly saved. And you know and you know and I know none of us are perfect. Far from it, far from it when it comes to me, I can tell you that. We can’t even get close to perfection. And if we are on our knees 24/7 or hide in a monastery for all of life, we can never, never, never reach perfection that God is requiring. Beloved, this is a great dilemma and a dilemma that God himself had to solve. Only a perfect man can please God the Father.
And so Jesus, the one who came from heaven, lived a perfect life, sinless life, so that anyone who may come and hang on his coattail can make it to heaven. Anyone who come take hold of Jesus become acceptable and pleasing to God the Father. Anyone who surrender to Jesus will be accepted in heaven. This is the debt that nobody, nobody can pay except Jesus. And that is why on that first Christmas, our Lord Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven. He stepped out of heaven, took a human body, come to earth, signed on the bottom of the ledger of every life that’s surrendered to him, Jesus the Christ. And that signature is with his blood.
So you know it’s for real and for good and for eternity. Jesus the Christ, he paid such a great debt. Who can pay, who pays, who can pay? Only he could pay the debt, only he could redeem us from sin, only he could save us from the punishment that is rightfully ours, only he could deliver us from the consequences of our pride and our rebellion against God, only he could deliver us from the smugness and the self-satisfaction and the self-worship that has become common religion in America today. And that is why he said to God the Father, «Sacrifice and offering you did not require, but a body you have prepared for me. I came to do,» what? «Your will, O God». «I came to do,» what?
Now if you are like me, and I asked myself the question as I was looking at this, can really Jesus be delighted to leave heaven, the splendor of heaven, the glory of heaven, and come to earth to do the will of the Father? Can he really be delighted to come to our miserable earth, sinful world? Can he really be delighted to be the poorest of the poor and the lowest of the low? Could he really be delighted to be born in an animal feeding trough? Could he really be delighted of being whipped with lashes until his skin was torn and spat upon, smacked across the face, wore a crown of thorn, and then his hands and feet were nailed to a cross? Could he really be delighted? And for whom? For good people?
No, no, for rebellious people, for evil people, for people who have rejected him. So, the answer is yes, yes. He did not do that reluctantly, begrudgingly, or angry. No, he did it with joy, he did it with joy because he knew in the 21st century salvation of millions of people is hanging on believing in him and being eternally saved. He delighted to do the will of the Father and carry out your sentence, your sentence, your death and mine. Oh, my friends, that’s what Christmas is all about.
Philip Brooks, I’m gonna say this as I conclude, Episcopal Bishop of Boston over 200 years ago, he wrote this Christmas carol which hit it on the nail, and yet we don’t really focus on it. Just focus with me 'cause as I close. «How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given». He’s speaking to you. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you today. The one who came 2,000 years ago is coming and speaking to you again and again. «How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given, so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming; But in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, dear Christ enters in».
It is the longing and the prayer, not just of my heart, but many people have been praying for you. Your family are praying for you, your friends are praying for you that you invite Christ this Christmas to reign and rule in your heart. Don’t miss the opportunity. Life is so uncertain. Don’t let another Christmas go without you inviting the Christ of Christmas. He can assure you today the moment you invite him in of your eternity in heaven with him.