What does the Bible say about the birth of Christ? The New Testament tells us what happened and we realize its significance. Right? I believe there is a danger for Christians if we skip over the Christmas holiday because it is a teaching opportunity (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16). As we have noted in our recent series, you can’t share the message of the gospel without talking about Jesus birth.
When Pilate was speaking to Jesus in John 18:37 he asked, “Are You a king?” and Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Later in Romans 1:3 Paul starts off that letter by saying: Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. Any discussion on the gospel has to include the story of Jesus’s birth.
Jesus did come, He did take on human flesh, He was born of a virgin, and He chose the most humble beginning. Why? To connect with His creation, humanity. It is for this reason that I wish that people had a more positive outlook on Christmas. It is an opportunity for us to think about how Jesus chose to come and why it is important.
The first line in our New Testament tells us that Jesus comes to fulfill a promise (Matthew 1:1). This was a promise from Genesis 3:15, and if you continue reading you will see that Jesus is the Son of Abraham. Son of David. The Christ. The anointed one. There are over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. Prophecies like Micah 5:2, Hosea 11:1, Jeremiah 31:15, Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 2:6-7 and a host of others. As you keep reading in Matthew you will see one specific prophecy that Isaiah speaks of in his book (Isaiah 7:14): Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Think about that… GOD IS WITH US!
I hope you enjoy this holiday season. Don’t forget that Christ is the reason for the season. It may not the His birthday, but we know He came. We know He lived, died, rose, and ascended. We also know that one day He’s coming again. Christmas may be over commercialized. Christmas may have a heightened secular appeal and may be corrupted by false concepts. Christmas may be in the wrong season, because we are almost certain that the so-called “Birthday of Jesus” may be way off. Christmas may be a sad and depressing holiday to some people. However, there is a fantastic old song that says “Little is Much, When God Is In It.” Far be it from me to hinder or discourage others who see Christ in Christmas or in anything else. If Christ is in it, at least He is being proclaimed (Philippians 1:15-18). We get a glimpse of God during this time of year! Have a great week!
You are loved.
Dr. Ray Reynolds