Seeing the Gospel
There isn’t much like spending Christmas with a two year old. The joy. The excitement. The thrill of opening presents and playing with new toys. Is there anything wrong with a grown man playing with a My Little Pony doll? Oh well, my daughter enjoyed our time together.
However, as I have thought about our family Christmas celebration over the last week, what sticks out in my mind is giving my daughter an opportunity to “see” the gospel. After my wife and I had given multiple gifts to her on Christmas morning, I asked my little girl a question: “Do you know why mommy and daddy gave you these presents?” Of course, being only two she wasn’t too concerned with where they came from, but she gave a polite response – “No.” Here was my opportunity.
My response was simple: ”We gave them to you because we love you. And we give gifts to one another at Christmas in honor of the greatest gift ever given – Jesus.”
Sure, there was a lot more that needed to be shared, but that will come in time. For now, I simply wanted to lay the groundwork for my daughter to see the gospel. Think about it. God the Father knew all about our sin (our actions, thoughts, etc.). Yet, He chose to send His Son to be our Savior anyway. Now that is love.
Likewise, I see my daughter throughout the year. Whether she is being good or bad, I see it. Yet, at Christmas my wife and I choose to bless her with gifts regardless of her behavior. And I pray that one day she will make the connection to the gospel and each year be reminded of the great love our awesome God has for us. After all, Christmas started in Bethlehem, not the North Pole.
Light and darkness
Here is another Christmas thought…
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
So what’s the light?
“For to us a child is born, to us a son ig given…” (Isaiah 9:6a)
At Christmas we are celebrating the coming of the light, the great light that shines in the darkness of this world. What a reason to celebrate! No longer are we left in the dark. This reminds me of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians:
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (4:5-6).
Worship Christ this Christmas. Not only is He the light, He enables us to see the light. Just as our Creator caused light to shine through the darkness, the Christ of Christmas caused light to shine through the darkness of my soul. Thank you, Jesus, for causing me to see the light.
Jesus is our way of righteousness
On Monday I asked the question, “How can we know the way?” John 14:1-6 instructs us to look at Christ and believe in Him. Jesus is plainly clear in His response to Thomas’ question – “I am the way”. It is clear that the disciples had not fully arrived in their understanding of Christ and what it means to be one of His followers. Like us today, the disciples were prone to look for the physical rather than the spiritual. They wanted visible road signs to direct them along the way. Who hasn’t faced a difficult decision and not at some point prayed that God would just write the answer in the sky. Jesus instructs us here to look past the wisdom of the world and see Him, for He is the way of righteousness.
It is imperative that we get this concept correct: Our “righteousness” is never enough. Never. Paul learned this lesson well. Here was a man who had substantial reason to boast in himself. He could actually make a case for being accepted by God based on works. Yet, Paul counted all his gain as loss for the sake of Christ. We too must sacrifice everything to gain a righteousness that comes not from the law, but from faith in Christ. Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians:
Philippians 3:7-9
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith
But what does this sacrifice look like? Paul demonstrates it by sacrificing his reputation. He was a man known for his commitment to the law and God. But Christ overruled his pride. He sacrificed his position. He was a stern Pharisee, committed to upholding and living the law, but Christ called him to be a church planter. He sacrificed his safety. Moving from faithful Pharisee who openly persecuted Christians to staunch defender of Christ meant that his personal safety was always in question.
Paul sacrificed all of this because he knew that sin, his sin, prevented him from finding the “way” to God (Romans 3:10-19). He knew that the god of this world blinds our minds so as to prevent us from finding the way to God (2 Corinthians 4:1-6).
We must learn to sacrifice whatever is keeping us from living as though Christ is the only way of righteousness. We must become the road signs that point people toward Christ, not away from Him. We must become the ones who do everything in our power to point our children toward Christ and not away from Him, for He is the only way to cross the great divide between us and God.
As you celebrate the birth of Christ this year, remember that through faith in Christ alone, the baby in the manger is your way of righteousness before a holy God. And that makes for a very merry Christmas.
How can we know the way?
“How can we know the way?” I believe this is a great question for our postmodern society. Truly, the world is trying its best to answer this question. And the number of answers given is probably larger than the number of people asking the question. Everything from new age mysticism to extreme fundamentalism is offered as a means to finding “the way” to a better reality. Yet, as Jesus answers this question in John 14:6, the answer is staring us right in the face.
Christmas in America is a genuinely unique experience. Music, gifts, lights, trees, pageants, plays, musicals, family, food, Santa Claus, and for many, the birth of Jesus Christ, all work together to form what we call the Christmas season. Christmas is certainly a time of celebration. Yet, sadly, many fail to understand why we are to be celebrating. After all, babies are born everyday aren’t they?
Amidst all the drama and hurried shopping, we would do well to stop and make the connection between the events of Christ’s nativity and our lives today. Just what should the birth of Christ mean to the average American? What should it mean to you specifically? Jesus Himself provides a powerful answer to these questions in John 14:6.
Jesus said to [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ESV
The birth of Christ means that at Christmas we are celebrating the fact that we can know the way. In Christ we receive the One who is the essence of truth and the embodiment of life. If we miss Jesus’ answer to the question of how we can know the way, we miss the meaning of Christmas. We miss the very thing we are supposed to be celebrating.
Over the next few days I will be posting some comments from John 14:6. I pray that they will encourage you to keep Christ at the focal point of your Christmas celebration.
Advent files…
I now have the Advent devotions available for download. Scroll down and you will find them on the right hand side of the screen. Let me know if there are any problems. You will also find Bible reading plans. I pray they will benefit your walk with Christ.
Advent – Week One
As we prepare for the Christmas season, there is no better way to keep Christ at the forefront of our celebration than by spending time in His Word. The Advent season, which begins four weeks before Christmas Day, is meant to draw our attention and affections toward the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some friends in ministry, Spencer and Paula Nix, compiled a suggested list of Scriptures and hymns that serve as a great guide through the Advent season. The first week is below. May God bless you as you seek to put Christ first this Christmas.
The Need for a Savior
Suggested Hymns:
0 Come, 0 Come, Emanuel
Come, Thou Precious Ransom
Sunday: The Eternal Word
Scripture – John 1:1-5
Monday: God is Creator
Scripture – Genesis 1:26-31
Tuesday: The Fall of Man
Scripture – Genesis 3:1-13
Wednesday: The Curse
Scripture – Genesis 3:14-24
Thursday: All Have Sinned
Scripture – Romans 3:9-18
Friday: Death in Adam, Life in Christ
Scripture – Romans 5: 18-21
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