Next Sunday Service

Sunday the 25th of December 2022 shall be our SPECIAL SUNDAY CHRISTMAS SERVICE.

First Service: 6:30AM

Second Service: 8:30AM

Third Service: 10:30AM

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. It is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.

But do you know that there are many people who don’t know the true meaning and purpose for Christmas? They have no idea what the birth of Jesus Christ really stands for. They focus on the festivity of Christmas and neglect the purpose why Jesus Christ was born. And even those of us that do know the true meaning of Christmas tend to forget it amidst all of the shopping, and gift-giving, and family get-togethers with all the good eating etc.

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:4-7 (KJV)

Now from the scripture above, let's talk about the true meaning of christmas. In these verses we see some very important things about Jesus Christ and his coming to earth.

1. The Arrival Of The Saviour

First we see his Divine Origin where an event that took place before the birth of Christ in the manger, even before the conception of Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary. It was the sending forth of Christ from God the Father Gal 4:4. Christ had always existed with the Father. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." When was this beginning? Billions of years back of creation, He already was; He comes out of eternity to meet us. He did not begin “In the beginning was the Word" He was already there when the beginning was. As a man Jesus prayed to the Father, John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was". Christ had always existed in perfect loving fellowship with God the Father. One day at the precise time, God sent him forth. It was Gods plan even before there was a world.

1 Peter 1: 20 "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you",

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto not until death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2: 5-8 (KJV)

We can see from the scripture above that Jesus christ made a conscious choice to be sent. In love for humanity the Father sent the Son, & in love for the Father and humanity Jesus willingly went. Jesus willingly and obediently and lovingly left a place of glory and sinlessness, and ceaseless worship and perfection, and unbroken fellowship with the Father. From the bosom of the Father, to the womb of the Virgin Mary.

2. The Humanity Of Christ

The next statement in Galatians 4:4 "made of a woman" describe His full humanity. While Jesus was fully divine in origin, he was likewise fully human. He entered the world just as you and I entered the world. He was born of a woman. He was a man. He was Mary’s son. He hungered, and thirsted, and ate, and drank, and worked, and played, and laughed, and wept, and hurt, and bled, and prayed, and lived, and died as a man.

Jesus’ most frequent title for himself was "Son of Man". He used it to stress his full humanity. After all, it was the seed of the woman, a man that would crush the head of the serpent, the devil. Genesis 3:15 He became a man. Then also we see from this verse that although he was God’s son he subjected himself to God’s law. In fact, when he began to teach he made clear that he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He said in Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil". He fulfilled it, not only outwardly, but perfectly obeying God’s law from the heart. This couldn’t be said of no other man who has ever lived.

3. The Acceptance Of Sinners

Paul tells us in Galatians 4:5 why Christ came, why He was born, why He lived under the law, which is "To redeem them that were under the law".

To redeem means to set free, to purchase ones freedom. But who are "them that were under the law"? Christ came to set his own people free from the enslavement of the law. The law was given directly to them. However, all men are subject to and accountable to the law of God.

Paul said of the Gentiles:

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves. Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Romans 2:14-15 (KJV)

Although the Gentiles were never under the Mosaic Law, they are under God's morale law, which is the 10 commandments. All men are subject to God’s Moral law: Jew and Gentile alike. God’s moral law alone cannot make us righteous. Knowing the rules, and trying to keep the rules in our own power has always resulted in failure. We need something more than a written moral code. We need a change of heart. Adam and Eve broke one law, one command, and they brought death not only to themselves but to all mankind. Let me say that Gods law has not been done away with, Gods law is just as solid as it ever has been, the great difference is that our wonderful Lord & Savior is the only Person who has ever completely been able to keep and fulfill Gods holy law. Therefore since we that are saved are in Christ Jesus and He’s in us we also keep Gods law through Him.

We read in Ezekiel 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die". Then we read in Eph.2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins". Jesus came to set us free from the law and its curse of death and hell. How did he do it? Gal.3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." He freed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Moses said in his law, "cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." He descended as low as becoming a curse.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (KJV)

He removed our curse by taking our curse as he suffered, and bled, and died on the cross. God’s curse has been once and for all removed, for all those that believe.

Why did he remove our curse?

Our text verse in Gal 4:5, that we [everybody] might receive the adoption of sons tell us that He set us free from the curse so that he could place us in his family, so that you and I could become adopted sons & daughters of God, bearing all rights and privileges as natural sons and daughters. His birth and death has transcended us from slavery to sonship 1 John 3:1 "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God".

He made possible through his death for us to be accepted as his adopted sons, so Christmas is about the Acceptance of Sinners.

How can we honor the Lord on his Birthday?

Jesus came down to earth and made himself nothing, and became a servant. He loved us so much that he gave himself as a gift just for our redemption. As receipents of this redemption, it is our obligation to extend the love to our fellow brethren. This Christmas, we can truly worship the Lord in our service to others. The Bible tells us that if we take care of the least of these (others in need), then we are taking care of Jesus. Take time in this busy season to meditate on God's great gift, be still and listen to Him and be of good cheer and lets celebrate the wonders of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!!