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Well. Good morning. You know, all of that video was true this morning, except the church is full on Christmas. We had a great service last night, a candle light just in honor of Christ. But, you know, one of the things that, um, is happening across the country on this day is that many churches are canceling service because they knew that a lot of people wouldn’t come out for a Christmas service, and rightly so. A lot of us have built family traditions that we’re a part of for Christmas. But one of the reasons we wanted to have a service this morning to whoever wanted to come and be a part, is that Christmas is about Jesus. And it’s not that I have to go to church on Sunday, it’s that I get to go to church on Sunday, and I get to worship the one who came to give his life for me. I know it’s important to spend time with family on Christmas, but we wouldn’t have Christmas without Jesus. And so I think it’s important to, regardless of what day it is that Sunday falls on, to open up your doors and worship and see it as especially important for us to worship. When it’s Christmas. And in my defense this morning, I just want to say the reason I don’t like to sing We Three Kings is because the Bible doesn’t say it was three wise men that visited Jesus. So there’s logic to that.
I am not a Grinch for Christmas. But you can read that story and see for yourselves. The Bible simply says that wise men came and they brought three gifts. So tradition has stated that it has been three kings. But when you’re traveling across a distant land with a bunch of bandits in the forests, you’re not going to travel by yourself with all those gifts. So more than likely it was more than three kings. So just so you know, I know as a pastor, I like to keep in context of scripture. It’s a great song. But in my defense, bah humbug. Just kidding. I know we got a lot of thoughts in our minds running through our heads for Christmas. And and so this morning, what I really want to do is create in our minds just one thought on the idea of Christmas. We’ve been studying a series together on The Unbelievable Christmas, and I just want to remark on our last part of this series together and focusing on Christmas. By taking communion together, the very reason that Jesus came was to die for us, to be our ransom for our sin. Because we think about Christmas and we we’ll get to this one thought that I want to get across as we just share an idea with us this morning. We’ve we’ve looked at this series Unbelievable Christmas, and we’ve gathered a lot of different thoughts and ideas of what has happened. Clean the air filter on as the technology demons there.
Everyone see that, right? Unbelievable. Christmas. What it’s been about for us as a church, we’ve seen how this unbelievable Christmas and what the journey intended for the people who originally celebrated the first Christmas. Zechariah and Elizabeth were the first to receive the message that Jesus was to come. How Zacharias was so shocked that God had spoken to him and promised him that he would bring John the Baptist in the world, who would proclaim the coming of the Messiah. He found it unbelievable. In fact, in his disbelief, God gave him the ability not to speak, to reflect to the people that God had supernaturally done something in the life of Zacharias and Elizabeth. And to think about the life of Mary and Joseph. How unbelievable it must have been for Mary at such a young age to carry Jesus in her belly, and the mockery that her and Joseph would have received for having a child out of wedlock during the time when it was very unpopular to do so. Christmas is about an unbelievable journey we’ve seen in the life of Mary Joseph. Christmas is about an unbelievable gift to think in Roman and Greek culture. They their mindset of God was that these gods ruled in the heavens and all of them were were angry with the people on earth. And so you had to live your life to please these gods, and hopefully they’d be satisfied with your deeds.
And if anything bad ever happened, like a natural disaster or a disease, the gods were angry with you and you needed to try harder and do more. And then all of a sudden the message of Christmas comes to this earth, that it isn’t about you doing more. It’s that God desires to be with you. What an unbelievable gift. You know, when I think about Christmas, we have this unbelievable gift because of Jesus’s unbelievable sacrifice. Christmas is about giving up of self to love someone else. When you read in the book of Philippians in chapter two, it tells us in verse six concerning Jesus and the idea of Christmas. It says, Although Jesus existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself. And he took on the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Jesus’s life is the Christmas example. It’s a life of sacrifice to meet the needs of others. And as Jesus came to this world and he lived his life, he went all the way to the cross for you and for I. He had you on his mind. Do you know the only thing that exists in heaven that is man made? You ever thought about this for just a minute? Is there anything that’s man made that exists in heaven? The only thing that we’ll find in heaven that exists, that is man made, are the piercings in Jesus’s feet, in his hands.
It’s a reminder to us of who we are apart from Christ and what Jesus has done to give us life through him. It’s a reminder of love And Christmas is about sacrifice. To love others. I think in Philippians chapter two, if we were to read just the previous verse, it says in verse five, have this attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ Jesus. Now think about in church history how people have lived this verse out in their lives. Hundreds of years ago, there was an individual who was born in the fourth century, beginning of the fourth century. He became famous to all of us today. In fact, some of us might have shared with our children that he’s come to visit them. You might recognize this picture. It’s a little bit freaky. His eyes pierce your soul. Do you see that? Decorated him up a little bit and maybe put him in a red suit. You might recognize him. His name was Saint Nick. Lived in the fourth century. Was from a country that we call today Turkey. Saint Nick loved Jesus, and I can’t help but think. But the reason and attitude that he carried himself was much like chapter two and verse five of Philippians. Having this attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ Jesus, a life that is about sacrifice and history, tells us the real Saint Nick, when he was alive and walking this earth in the fourth century, he loved Jesus.
In fact, Saint Nick was one of part of one of the most historical events that happened in the early church. Saint Nick was involved in the writing of the Nicene Creed. Nicene Creed was a document that the early church put together to give a declaration of belief on what the followers of Jesus stood for. It’s interesting if you study the life of Saint Nick, what you come to find out is that Saint Nick had a difficult childhood. It tells us he was from a wealthy family in history, but Saint Nick’s mother and father died when he was still a boy. Saint Nick’s mother and father. Though ingrained in the life of Nicholas their love for Jesus, and he continued to portray this love and his life at a time when it was difficult to stand for Christ, at a time when it would even cost your life to stand for Christ. History tells us that Saint Nick was actually thrown into prison because of his faith in Jesus under the ruler Diocletian. While in prison, a new emperor came into power. His name was Constantine. Constantine legalized Christianity. Saint Nick and all of his friends were released from jail. When they were released from jail, they gathered together for what is called the Nicene Council, and they wrote a creedal statement of what the church believed.
For the first time in all of history, Christians can come out of hiding and declare to the world that they follow Jesus. And for the first time in history, they could get together and show the world what it was they they believed. And so Saint Nick and 300 other followers of Jesus got together and wrote this creed out that still stands in history today. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth in Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a Virgin Mary. I look at Saint Nicholas’s life, and I could say to myself, if anyone had a reason to be angry in this world, it would be. Nicholas lost his parents at a young age, a time when he could say, God, why me? Thrown into jail for loving Jesus, a time when he was released, he could turn, turn around to the people who thrown him into jail and have anger and vengeance towards them. I can’t help but think the words found in Philippians ruled in his heart, have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who gave his life for others. Christmas is about sacrifice. To love others and rather than react with anger to those who hated Nicholas and what he stood for, he began to love them. As you study the life of Nicholas, you’ll see that the wealth that he received from the death of his parents, he took that wealth, and he lived in poverty.
And he gave gifts to to others in need. Nicholas didn’t just celebrate Christmas on December 25th. He celebrated Christmas every day, and whenever he saw someone who had a need, he did what he could to meet the need in the life of that individual. That through his love, they may come to see the love of Jesus. You know, it’s interesting when you study Christmas. Christmas really isn’t December 25th. Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th. In fact, no one really knows when Jesus was born. Some people speculate it was in the fall, some speculate in the spring. The reason we say it probably wasn’t in the winter time is because in the story of Christmas, what you find are the shepherds who were out in the fields tending the sheep. You tend to not do that when it’s cold. But what happened when Constantine legalized Christianity is that many of the Christians, the Roman Empire had had been overrun with Christians. And rather than celebrate the holidays of their pagan gods that they had done for centuries, they decided to begin to celebrate the life of Jesus and to turn holidays into the glory of Christ. Rome had a particular holiday in which they celebrated for their Sun God. It was December 25th. Christians began to celebrate the life of the real Sun on December 25th.
Christmas is a reminder to us that the unconquerable gods of the past have been conquered by Jesus. Tertullian wrote this in the second century. He said, we as Christians were born but yesterday. Yet we already fill your cities, your islands, your camps, your palace, your senate, and your forum. All we’ve left for you are only your empty temples. Nicholas, when I think about Saint Nicholas, I think about a man who celebrated Christmas every day because he understood the sacrifice that Jesus made for him and that loving sacrifice that Jesus gave to him. Nicholas sought to sacrifice himself to love others, a love that willingly and lovingly sacrifices for others, we find is contagious. Jesus, regardless of what other people think about him in the world, people tend to flock to the the figure that is Jesus, because when he hung on the cross, rather than preach hate, he continued to say, father, forgive. And I think that we enjoy the celebration of Christmas as we look at the route in which it started. It’s the same idea of Christ that we take the time and then, and the sacrifice of our giving. We seek to love one another. Christmas is contagious. We think about Christmas in our own lives. We celebrate Christmas when we give ourselves to love others. We can learn from Philippians chapter two having this mind which was also in Christ. And rather than stand up for our rights, which were so good at as Americans, maybe relinquish those rights for the sake of Jesus.
We’re always interested in giving our opinions and how things affect ourselves at the expense of other people. There was a man in the first century who was watching the course of Christianity unfold. He himself was a Christian. He was looking around at his brothers and sisters in Christ, who were going to jail and being killed for their faith and following after Jesus. And he thought to himself, what do I say to him? Do I tell them to stand up and fight back? Do I tell them to make the sacrifice and just love them? He began to think about this, and archaeologists have actually uncovered the letter that he wrote to his brothers and sisters in Christ who were laying down their lives. Actually, this letter has been found multiple times from the first and second century. You can find copies of it. The gentleman who wrote this, he said, do not repay evil with your own evil, or insult with your insults. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? Think about that for a minute. How difficult is it for for you to hate someone who just wants to give you a hug and tell you they love you? You know, it’s it’s much more difficult to punch them in the face, isn’t it? He says but even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.
You take a minute and think about what he’s talking about here to Christians. And and life doesn’t always go the way that we want it to. In the midst of adversity that we face, we have the opportunity to sit and think, yeah, maybe this situation isn’t the way that I would want it to go, but man, God has given me the greatest gift he could have given me himself. And I know him and I’m so blessed. So many people in this world fight for just today and maybe tomorrow, but not thinking ever about eternity. But if you have your faith in Jesus, you have the promise of of today and tomorrow and all of eternity with Christ. You are blessed. It says, do not fear their threats. Do not be frightened, but in your hearts Revere Christ as Lord. Regardless of what other people may do to you, Jesus is still in control and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks for you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Keeping a clear conscience, you think about people who challenge you in your walk with Christ. When people rise up to say vicious things against you, how do you respond in those moments? This author is saying to speak into the hearts of other people. You need to do it with gentleness and respect, always opening a door of love and sacrifice for their well-being, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior for Christ may be ashamed of their slander, for it is better if it is God’s will to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God. Who in the world wrote this letter? You might ask, how about that? It’s in your Bible. It was a response of Peter to the Christians who were facing adversity for their faith in Christ. Give of yourself. Rather than thinking about fighting for your rights, or rather than thinking about the hurt that you’re feeling inside, think about the need of these people who may be harming you. You want to find most powerful about this passage of Scripture that we just looked at is, if you read the first eight verses just before this, it’s talking about the context of marriage. And then Peter follows up with this statement. And I think in our marriages, a lot of times what we do with one another is we do battle Rather than think about the needs of someone else, we think about our own needs and what’s being hurt. Rather than think about when. When my spouse responds to me in a negative way or a hurtful way, rather than stop and think, man, maybe did I just do something to them that caused them to respond that way? Peter is saying to us, sacrifice rather than first think about your own needs or or the problems that you’re facing in your life.
Think about the needs of other people and seek to meet those needs. And in meeting their needs, you might find that your own needs are being met as well. We talk about Christmas. We talk about sacrifice to love others. Can I tell you this morning one area I think we get Christmas wrong. One area I think we oftentimes make a mistake, and I and I fear that when we leave here today, we could make the mistake in thinking about Christmas this way this morning is that when we talk about sacrifice and we read in the context of what we’ve seen in Peter and in Philippians, is that we continue to still think that Christmas and sacrifice is about giving of your possessions, when in fact Jesus just shared with us in Philippians two through his example that it’s not about giving of your possessions, but about giving of your position. Does that make sense? I mean, big deal. In America, one of the wealthiest countries to exist, that to show the love of Jesus, you can give a gift. Any American can do that. But what about on Christmas? Rather than giving of your possessions, you gave of your position rather than just giving a gift. And we’re so good at giving gifts, we can give gifts that we don’t even care about to people we barely even know.
What about your position? What about the next time you’re in a dispute with someone, whether it’s over your faith, whether it’s over the fact that they’ve hurt you? What if you give up? What if you give up the argument and you just stop in those moments and you say, you know what’s most important? This whole thing. It’s not that I’ll walk away feeling better about myself. It’s that we walk away and you know that I love you. It’s not that I get my rights necessarily. Every time that I fight the battles to get my rights, every time it’s that I pause in these moments and remind you that I’m here to serve you and love you. My history has told us about a passage like this when it’s lived in our lives. Rather than give possession, we give of our position. It’s that it’s contagious. It’s that through the life of Jesus and through the life of Nicholas that’s been played out for centuries now, we can see love above everything. It’s that on Sunday morning we still continue to worship this Christ who gave everything for us, because he lowered himself in his position to serve this world, that we may have hope through him. The Bible tells us this Philippians chapter two and verse three do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves.
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Can I just share a crazy thought this morning? I think in marriage or any relationship that you have. If you just stop in the arguments and the challenges you face and you just think about loving that person, that person will respond and love to you. Love is contagious. Peter said it is difficult for someone to hate you when you’re loving them. If we take the moment of Christmas, we think of God’s intentions of Christmas. Christmas is about sacrificing of your own rights and of yourself to love others. It’s about giving, not of your possessions, but of your position and thinking of the well-being of another beyond yourself. In honor of Christmas, Mark, I’m going to invite you to go get the communion. The best way for us to commemorate what Jesus has done for us this morning, and thinking about sacrificing for others, I think, is to partake of communion. Ultimately, Jesus came to give himself for us. It’s important for us to reflect on Jesus sacrifice for our lives, because when we find encouragement in this, we can also encourage others to seek the face of Jesus in their own lives and find healing. What makes Christmas unbelievable for us, as we’ve seen together, is that Jesus has come to this world for you, and he sacrificed himself for you, that you can experience his love and hope.