What’s celebrating Christmas really all about? This is a question that we must be mindful of during every holiday season. A MOTHER was having a gathering to celebrate the birth of her newborn son. She invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate his arrival. She welcomed her guests, and they all had a wonderful time celebrating, eating, and drinking. After a while, one of the ladies said, “Well, bring the baby out. Let us see it.” The mother went to get the baby from his crib—he was nowhere to be found. She started to panic and feel fearful. Suddenly, she remembered that the baby was still at her parents’ house, where she had left him that morning. She and the guests had been having so much fun they had forgotten what the party was about in the first place. During the Christmas season, many people get busy with celebrations and forget that the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season.¹

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What Is the Meaning of the Star in the Christmas Story?

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

That’s what celebrating Christmas is really all about. The birth of Jesus was the start of your salvation. He came to die so that you might live. Are you honoring His death by the life you live?

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Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: How has understanding the Christmas story impacted your everyday life? Would you please share your thoughts in the comments section below?

Episode Resources:

You can find information on the subject of Miracles in the resources listed below.

1. Why Divine Healing Is Better for Your Life [Podcast]
2. Changing A Life Through Miracles
3. Becoming A Student of Miracles: More Lessons
4. Is God A Miracle Working God?
5. The Value of Humility and Consecration In the Miracles of God
6. Healing Scripture List
7. How You Can Know Jesus Will Do Miracles for You [Podcast]
8. Why You Should Absolutely Be a Student of Miracles [Podcast]
9. How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live a Miracle Life [Podcast]
10. Why This Miracle of Jesus Matters [Podcast]

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com.

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Podcast Notes

Celebrating Christmas Is Celebrating Jesus

• Every year, our family reads the Christmas story on December 24th.
• We gather, and we eat a special Hungarian dish.
• But, before we retire for the evening, we read a compiled version of the Christmas story.
• The Horvath’s celebrated Christmas by first celebrating the Christ of Christmas.
• Now, we enjoyed and partook in all the other festivities.
• You must be careful here, especially when raising children.
• Some have said that they will not celebrate Christmas because it’s not the actual birthday of Jesus.
• That is true — it isn’t.
• Jesus was most probably born in April, not December.
• How do we know that?
• Well, because of the shepherds.
• Listen to it.

Luke 2:8 (ESV) — 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

• Shepherds wouldn’t be out in the field at night in December — it can snow in Israel in the wintertime — it’s cold at night there.
• And so, some have taken issue with Christmas in December — there is nothing wrong with that based on what Romans fourteen has to say to us.

Romans 14:4–6 (ESV) — 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

• How you esteem a particular day, a holiday is up to you.
• Sharon and I chose to celebrate it partly because of our children — and here is where and why you want to be careful.
• Children go to school — they get around other children of their age — unbelievers maybe — who go to the malls, visit Santa, and lie to their children by telling them that they need to be good so Santa can bring them some gifts.
• So here you are, totally abstaining from all the trappings of Christmas, but your children don’t understand that position.
• They see all the fun the other kids are having — and they end up growing up thinking that Jesus is no fun to be around.
• To avoid that, we chose to engage in Christmas; we took our kids to the mall and took pictures with Santa — don’t be shocked, though — because we told them the truth.
• We told them what celebrating Christmas was about — we told them the real reason for the season.
• But we didn’t stop there.
• We told them the truth about Santa Clause.
• We told them about Saint Nicolas.
• And with that thought, here’s the Historical Background of the Day.

Celebrating Christmas: The Real Saint Nick

• Saint Nicolas, the real Saint Nick, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor during the time of the Roman Empire.
• He was a miracle worker, meaning God healed people through his ministry.
• Many miracles attributed to his intercession; he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.]
• His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was typical for early Christian saints. His legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus (“Saint Nick”) through Sinterklaas.²
• In one of the earliest attested and most famous incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of them.³
• Celebrate Christmas — yes — but tell your kids the truth.
• Now, we went further with our children — we didn’t tell them that Santa Claus was responsible for the gifts.
• We told them that Mom, Dad, grandparents, and family bought the gifts.
• So, we put up lights and a tree and put gifts under the tree, but we also taught that the reason why we gave gifts, celebrating Christmas, was because God gave the greatest gift ever when He gave us Jesus.
• And so, in honor of Jesus, we give gifts one to another.

Celebrating Christmas: Compiling the Birth of Jesus

• It’s vital to keep the Word central while celebrating Christmas.
• So again, the night before Christmas, we would gather and read a compiled version of the Christmas story.
• We would also act it out.
• One of us would play the innkeeper, one of the children would use a flashlight as the Star of Bethlehem, someone else would play Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men, and we would re-enact the whole story.
• When I say, we compiled the story, compiled means we chronologically weaved together the happenings surrounding the birth of Jesus from both Matthew and Luke’s versions.

Celebrating Christmas: Matthew’s Version

• Matthew’s version, which records for us the visit of the Wise Men, took place when Jesus was approximately two years of age.

Matthew 2:1 (ESV) — 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

• Did you hear that ‘after Jesus was born?’
• So, Matthew picks up the story after Jesus was born.
• Luke covers right before Jesus was born and His birth.
• So, technically the Wise Men have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
• We know that is the timeline from Herod’s actions.
• Herod, in a concentrated effort to eliminate Jesus because he perceived Him as a rival to His Throne, was sent to have all the male children two years and old in Bethlehem slaughtered.

Matthew 2:16 (ESV) — 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

• So, at any rate, we would read both stories together.
• Now, I’ve looked at the Christmas story from Matthews’s point of view.
• You can find that podcast here.
• Matthew highlights the fact that Wise Men came to worship Jesus the King.
• Why is that fact so critical?
• Some have conjectured that this whole trip the Wise Men took was about funding Mary and Joseph’s journey to Egypt with the gifts they brought.
• You know the story — gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• This is not the main reason for the Wise Men’s visit.
• It’s a side issue. Some have made the main issue.
• One of the secrets to success in life is to keep the main thing, the main thing.
• Here, the main thing is not the gold that Mary and Joseph received from the Wise Men.
• God could have gotten money in many ways to Mary and Joseph without the death of those children in Bethlehem.

Celebrating Christmas: The Whole Point of the Wise Men

• The point of the Wise Men lies in their identity.
• Who were the wise men?
• They were Gentiles.
• Gentiles came to bow down to the King — they came to worship Jesus.
• Remember that Matthew was a Jew, not a Gentile.
• He was writing to Jews, not Gentiles.
• So, he opens his gospel talking to Gentiles, and guess what?
• He closes it by talking about Gentiles.

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV) — 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

• Go into all the world — go into all nations.
• Writing to Jews, Matthew is saying to them — you need to think beyond your borders.
• These Gentiles in this Christmas story represent people of all races.
• They represent people of all cultures.
• The wise men’s visit had to do with the proclamation that the Gentiles were a part of the Messiah’s salvation.
• Jesus was not just a Jewish Savior.
• The Most High God wanted all Gentiles to understand how vital they are to his heart.

Celebrating Christmas: Luke’s Version

• Now we have come to Luke’s version.
• Let’s see what else we can learn about the meaning of Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2:1–20 (ESV) — 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Celebrating Christmas: Historical Background

• So, there was a decree from Caesar Augustus.
• Just who is this man, and with that thought, here’s the Historical Background of the day.
• Have you ever heard of Cleopatra?
• She is not just a fictional character — she existed and is a part of the Caesar Augustus saga.
• Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar.
• He solidified power as a Roman Emperor by defeating Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.
• And so, it’s that Caesar Augustus that gave out the tax decree that caused Mary and Joseph to have to appear in Bethlehem.
• At the time of his decree, Augustus was in his mid 60’s.
• He died when Jesus was about ten years old.
• So, Mary, great with child, and Joseph, her espoused husband, travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
• Coincidence? — I don’t think so.

Celebrating Christmas: Prophetic Word Concerning Bethlehem

• Listen to the Word of the Lord.

Micah 5:2 (ESV) — 2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

• So hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, a prophetic Word declared that the ruler, the Chosen One, the Son of Man, the Christ, would come out of Bethlehem.
• Now, Augustus gave out the decree.
• Do you think his rise to power — Cleopatra and Mark Anthony’s defeat was a coincidence? — or a happenstance? — or by chance? — or just by luck?
• Or was it because of another Bible verse?

Romans 13:1 (ESV) — 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

• So, Augustus was instituted by God.
• The Greek word ‘instituted’ is a word we want to know and, with that thought, here’s the illustration of the day.
• The word ‘instituted’ means to be assigned; it is conceived as being put into place or position.
• BDAG has it as — to bring about an order of things by arranging, arrange, put in place.[William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 991.]
• So, the events surrounding Caesar Augustus were orchestrated by God to bring that man into power, so the prophecy concerning Jesus could be brought to pass.
• Nothing is by chance.

Celebrating Christmas: The Obedience of Mary and Joseph

• Another thing that gets ‘lost in the sauce’ when Celebrating Christmas is Mary and Joseph’s obedience.
• They both knew about the prophecies concerning Jesus.
• An angel of the Lord appeared to Mary with these words.

Luke 1:26–27, 30–36, 38 (ESV) — 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary… 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God… 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

• Listen to Mary and learn about faith from her response: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
• She was obedient to the Word; she resigned herself to be God’s chosen vessel.
• God’s plan is always a joint operation between God and man.
• Listen to this passage in Genesis two concerning Creation.

Genesis 2:4–6 (ESV) — 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the earth—

• What caused the bushes of the field and the small plants to grow?
• God didn’t wave a magic wand and cause all of that to happen.
• No, it caused it to rain, but only after there was a man to work the ground.
• So small plants and bushes appearing on planet earth was a joint operation between God and man.
• The infiltration of Jesus into planet earth was a joint operation between God and man.

2 Corinthians 6:1 (ESV) — 1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Celebrating Christmas: Seven Reasons Why Jesus Came

• So Jesus came to fulfill prophecy.
• He came to fulfill God’s purpose.
• And what was that purpose?

Luke 2:10 (ESV) — 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.⁴

• Why did Jesus, the Logos, the Word of God come to planet earth in human form?
• There are many reasons; one of them is our salvation, as the shepherds declared in Luke.
• Jesus came to atone for our sins.

1 John 3:5 (ESV) — 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

• He came because we were too weak to close the ‘great gulf’ sin gap between God and man.

Romans 5:6 (ESV) — 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

• He came to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8 (ESV) — 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

• Jesus came to make your dead insides alive again unto God.

Colossians 2:13 (ESV) — 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

• He came to shame the devil.

Colossians 2:14–15 (ESV) — 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

• Jesus came that you might know what real life is in Him.

John 10:10 (ESV) — 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

• He came to unveil, unfold, reveal, and make plain the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 4:17,23 (ESV) — 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

• And last but not finally, Jesus came to save and not destroy the lives of men.

Luke 9:56 (KJV 1900) — 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

As we get ready to close today, there was a woman who was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall. She was tired of fighting the crowds. She was tired of standing in lines. She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles, looking for a gift that had sold out days before. Her arms were full of bulky packages when an elevator door opened. It was full. The occupants of the elevator grudgingly tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed, she blurted out, “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!” A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator, came a single voice that said: “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”⁵

• The birth of Jesus was the start of your salvation.
• That’s what celebrating Christmas is really all about.
• He came to die so that you might live.
• You guys have a great God week, and we will see you next time for another edition of Light On Life.

Is There Room in Your Heart for Jesus?

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