Sunday December 15, 2013 Phone: 570.829.5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail: pastormiklas@aol.com Message Christmas - 2013 Text: Philippians 2:5-11 Cradle - Cross - Crown Introduction: I look forward to December, because I admit, I love Christmas! In every part of the season the gifts, the music, the social gatherings, and the worship, I catch glimpses of the real reason we Christians celebrate, the grace of God revealed in the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christmas day will be here in just a few short hours. Just as soon as it will be here, just as soon it will be gone. Gifts will be exchanged, and as quickly as they are received, they will be forgotten. What is so tragic for most it will be a Christmas without Christ. Yes, for many this will be a Christ-less Christmas again! Over the last 15 years or more there has been a movement to remove any semblance of Christmas not only from the public arena, but also from the minds and hearts of people. Today secular commercialism has taken over, and fewer Americans know what Christmas is all about. Some don t even have a clue that it all started with the Birth of Christ. We ought to recognize immediately this is the work of the Devil to rid our thinking of God, and to remove Christ from our view. The greeting, Merry Christmas has been replaced with Happy Holiday s! The world wants the MUSIC of Christmas, but not the MESSAGE of Christmas. The world loves to sing, "O little town of Bethlehem" and "O Come all ye faithful" but they really do not want the message that "CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS." The world wants the MANGER of Christmas, but not the MONARCH of Christmas. The world likes to hear about the little babe in the manger. The babe does not preach. The babe does not point the accusing finger at man s sin. The babe does not talk about the necessity of repentance and the new birth. The problem they have is not with the babe. It is with the GROWN MAN, the crucified, buried, and risen Jesus. He preaches against sin. He talks about the necessity of being saved. He declares that He is coming again and this time to rule the world as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord s. They want some kind of a religious feeling but they don t realize the importance of Jesus name. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, (Acts 4:12) The world wants the MERRIMENT of Christmas, but not the Manual. To the world Christmas is a time for merry-making. Eat, drink, and be merry are the watchwords. But the manual that tells us about the first Christmas and its meaning is unwelcome in the world s celebration. They are saying Don t spoil our fun by bringing in the Bible! The world wants the MELLOWNESS of Christmas, but not the MANDATE of Christmas. There is something mellow about a babe in a manger, Page 1
With Joseph and Mary and all the animals gathered around, With the Shepherds looking on, and With the Angels singing in the background. All this is sincere, the world does like this. But 30 years later, the babe in the manger has grown up and He presents a mandate to the world. In John 3:18 Jesus said, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The world wants the MYSTERY of Christmas, but not the MEANING of Christmas. There is a certain wonder about: An Angel appearing to a Virgin with the announcement that she is to bear a son who is to be called IMMANUEL GOD WITH US. An Angelic Chorus singing on the hillside, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Awestruck shepherds watching in amazement. A star in the Heavens guiding Wise Men from the East, eventually finding the young child two years later. The world enjoys the pageantry of the season, but they don't like its meaning or message. The message is that the HUMAN RACE is helplessly and hopelessly LOST IN SIN, and IN NEED OF A SAVIOR. The world wants the MERCHANDISE of Christmas, but not the MERCY of Christmas. To the world, Christmas means PRESENTS and PROFITS. It is the biggest season for business of the year. To the world, merchandise is a welcome part of Christmas. But mercy is another matter. For the one who came to die for our sins so that we might receive mercy, there is still no room in the Inn. Yes, I know, society doesn t always get it right when it comes to Christmas. But we can, and we should. As followers of the One whose birth we celebrate, every aspect of Christmas is another reason to REJOICE in Him. So what is the answer? To me, one of the greatest Christmas passages of the Birth of Christ is found in Philippians 2:5-11. In these verses, the Apostle Paul presents to us: A Son in the CRADLE as a BABE, A Savior on the CROSS as a REDEEMER, A Sovereign to be CROWNED as a KING. From Heavens Glory to a CRADLE, From a CRADLE to the CROSS, From a CROSS to the CROWN in Glory. FIRST: In verse 7 you have the CRADLE. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: This is Bethlehem. This is the INCARNATION. This is the VIRGIN BIRTH. Page 2
In Matthew 1:23 we read, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. The INCARNATION involves two major miracles. When you try to take those miracles out of the Christmas story, you lose it totally. The first miracle is that God could take upon Himself the full nature of man, yet retain the full nature of God. The Bible declares that Jesus is the GOD-MAN. The second miracle is that a human body could be conceived within a mother s womb without an earthly father. That is exactly how the Birth of Christ occurred. The miracle of the Virgin Birth was not the actual physical Birth, but the conception of Christ's earthly body. Listen to this statement: The God who brought forth a mother-less woman (Eve) from the body of a man (Adam), brought forth a father-less Man (Jesus Christ), from the body of a woman (Mary). It does make a profound difference whose Son Jesus is. Only a divine birth could provide divine sonship, and only divine sonship could provide a Savior, and only a divine Savior could achieve and provide salvation for sinful man. "If you do not believe in the VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST, you cannot call yourself a Christian." SECOND: In verse 8 you have the CROSS. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. This is Calvary. From the cradle, Jesus set His face toward Calvary. He came to die. In I Peter 2:24 we read, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Remember this, "You cannot have Bethlehem without Calvary, and You cannot have Calvary without Bethlehem." For Him who left His throne To seek the lost at countless cost, And make their griefs His own; But there was room on Calvary, Upon the cross of shame, For Him to die uplifted high, To bear the sinner's blame. And in the world today Men will not give Him room to live, And bid Him turn away; But there is room at Calvary, And there He stands to give A home to all who heed His call And look to Him and live. For Christ, the Prince of Kings, From throne and crown to earth come down, With healing in His wings; But there is room at Calvary, Page 3
For sinners to abide, And who will come may find a Home In Jesus Crucified!" Someone wrote this to show that the life of Jesus is a perfect circle of symmetry. His conception and birth brought Him into the world. His resurrection and ascension took Him out of the world. At the beginning of life, He was conceived in a womb from which never a child had been born. At the end of life, He was placed in a tomb in which never a man had been laid. In this virgin womb, He was hidden for nine months; in the virgin tomb, for three days. He left Mary's womb with a baby's cry, and Joseph's tomb with a victor's shout. He was born to give us a life that's forgiven, and raised to give us a life that's forever. His body was sown perishable, but was raised imperishable. It was sown in dishonor but was raised in glory. It was sown in weakness but raised in power. Because of His sacrifice, we can claim the words of Wilber Chapman s hymn as our own: "Living, He loved me; Dying He saved me; Buried He carried my sins far away; Rising He justified freely forever; One day He's coming - O glorious day!" THIRD: In verses 9-11 you have the CROWN. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He who came from Heaven's Glory down to earth's cradle to die on the cruel cross now is waiting to be CROWNED as King of Kings and the Lord of LORD'S. In Revelation 19:16 as we read about Christ s second coming to earth, it says, And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Truly we can say, CHRISTMAS is the BIRTHDAY of a KING! Before we bring this message to a conclusion, please notice again the first phrase in verse 10, That at the name of Jesus In Matthew 1:21 hear again the Angels words to Joseph and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Again from Acts 4:12 we read, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The name of Jesus is: Easy enough for a small child to say; Simple enough to be the last, hopeful word upon dying lips; Powerful enough to bring us through any storm. Jesus, "God saves," is the greatest and most powerful word humanity has ever known, and it is the final word that will be spoken when we will join hands and bow our knees upon that day (every one of us) and pay homage to the greatest name in heaven or on earth. Page 4
The Christmas story involves THREE stories, His BIRTH in a CRADLE gave us a Son. His DEATH on the CROSS gave us a Saviour. His GLORY with a CROWN gave us a Sovereign. What about your Christmas? Can you say with absolute certainty, "I know I am saved. I know I am on my way to Heaven. If you can answer with a resounding YES, then thank God for the BIRTH of the Savior." However, if you cannot say a positive YES, then right now bow your knee and confess Jesus as Your Savior. The Bible says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." ************************************************* If God has spoken to your heart, after reading the sermon Cradle Cross - Crown right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please let me know. Please send an e-mail to, pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMONS will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216. Page 5