True Meaning of Christmas Are you Ready? (Matthew 7:21-23)   1)    With ever increasing commercialization of Christmas, do you ever struggle with trying to maintain the True Meaning of Christmas? a)    Is it too Santa-ee? b)    Is it too Reindeers and Gingerbread-ee? c)    Is it too much stress from finding the perfect gift-ee?   2)    If we are going to examine these questions, then we need to look no further than the Gospels.   Matthew 1:20-21 (NKJV), “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’”   Luke 2:10-11 (NKJV), “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”   3)    These two texts take us straight to the Reasons for the Season.  The long-expected advent of Christ our Lord.  Two thousand years ago, God Himself, the eternal Word, came and dwelt among us.   John 1:14 (NKJV), “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.”   a)    We need to remember that Christmas is not the goal in itself, but the incarnation is a beginning, and not an end point.   4)    With all this in mind, let us look at four reasons that Jesus cam at the first advent. 5)    First, Jesus Came to Take Away Our Sins.   Matthew 1:21 (NKJV), “For He will save His people from their sins.”   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!’”   Romans 5:8 (NKJV), “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” a)    In our culture, the imagery of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem usually evokes feelings of warmth, family, peace, and sentimental memories.  But Christmas is more than that.  Jesus declares to Zacchaeus:   Luke 19:10 (NKJV), “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.”   6)    This is the mission of Christ, accomplished on the cross, where He gave Himself up for His people. Christmas, then, is actually about the love of Jesus displayed on the cross.   John 15:13 (NKJV), “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”   7)    Christmas has as its goal Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Resurrection Sunday, when Christ completely triumphs over sin and death and pave the way of salvation for all who accepts the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins.   8)    Second, Jesus Came to Destroy Satan’s Work.   1 John 3:8 (NKJV), “he who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”   a)    Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem was a signal that the beginning of the end for Satan and all his ways. b)    The devil is still active and alive…so don’t drop your guard.   1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV), “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”   c)    We who are in Christ are in His protective embrace.   1 John 5:18 (NKJV), “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”   d)    Ultimately, even though Satan can deceive, accuse, lie, and hinder, he cannot touch us.  We are guarded by Jesus Christ.   9)    Third, Jesus Came to Make the Father Known. a)    The arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem was like God painting a self-portrait in the view of time.  We no longer have to wonder what God is like because Jesus has revealed Him to us.   2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV), “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of the darkness, who has shone in our heats to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”     b)    God the Father has spoken through His Son the message to the whole world.   Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV), “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.”   c)    As you consider that in the manger in Bethlehem he would be suckled by His mother and rocked to sleep by His earthly father Joseph. He seems helpless then, but now glorified, He is in heaven and rules over all.  He would eventually declare with absolute authority this truth.   John 14:9 (NKJV), “Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’’”   d)    Remember that Jesus is fully God and fully man, and He came to manifest God to the world. 10) Fourth, Jesus Came to Prepare for a Second Advent.   1 John 3:2 (NKJV), “Beloved now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”   a)    As much as people were anticipating Jesus’ first coming, so we too are to be eagerly awaiting his second coming.   Hebrews 9:28 (NKJV), “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him he will appear a second time, apart from sin [not to deal with our sins], for salvation [but to bring us our salvation].”   b)    There is a very important aspect of the cradle in Bethlehem, in that the Gospel has great assurance for the believer in the finished work of our Savior.  If Jesus Christ is not coming back again, then much of the New Testament is lying to us.  But the tremendous truth is that He came humbly in His first advent, and He will return in awesome power and glory at His second coming.   11) Are You Ready?         12) So, why did Jesus come? To take away our sins. “Though your sins are like scarlet” and “red like crimson,” have they become like snow and wool because of Christ’s cleansing power (Isa. 1:18)? 13) Why did Jesus come? To defeat Satan’s works. Are you living in the light of that victory? 14) Why did Jesus Christ come? To make the Father known. Do you know the Father? Do you know God more and more each day? 15) Why did Jesus Christ come? To prepare for the second advent. Are you ready for His coming? When He sees you, will He take you in His hand and say, “Friend,” or will he say, “I never knew you; depart from me”? (Matt. 7:23).   READ (All) Matthew 7:21-23   16) 4. (Matthew 7:21-23) The decision between two claims of Jesus’ Lordship, one false and one true.   [21-23] “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”   a)    Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven: This is a warning from Jesus to people who say “Lord, Lord,” but their spiritual life has no impact on their daily life. b)    Who says to Me…will say to Me in that day: “In that day” is the elusion to the “Second Coming.”  We will stand in judgment before Jesus on that final day.  The babe in the manger will judge all men in that day.   c)    I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness: “I never knew you” means that “I never had any relationship with you.”  We don’t connect to Jesus by doing chores around His house, but by faithful dedication to growing relationship with Him through obedience to His word and conscience contact with Him through prayer and meditation.   d)    “What a terrible word! What a dreadful separation! Depart from ME!

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