Christmas Changes Everything
SERIES: CHRISTMAS CHANGES EVERYTHING — Message #4
Titus 2:11-14
This morning, we’re wrapping up our series — “CHRISTMAS CHANGES EVERYTHING!” Throughout this series, we’ve discovered that Christmas changes our lives, our lifestyle, and our outlook. But today — I want to show you why Christmas has the power to change all of those things in our lives.
MESSAGE:
Turn with me — to Titus 2:11-14. Here the apostle Paul says,
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)
As we conclude this series — I want to give you 3 reasons why Christmas change everything!
And the first is, because:
1. Jesus is — God with us!
Listen again to verse 11, as Paul says…
11 For the grace of God has appeared…
Titus 2:11 (NIV)
Paul ties God’s grace directly to Christ’s arrival. For Him, the two are forever linked. You can’t know one without the other. And we certainly wouldn’t know the power of God’s grace without encountering the presence God’s son!
In Matthew 1:22-23 — Matthew tells us about the birth of Jesus. And how things transpired.
He says — Mary was found to be pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit…it was a divine conception. But, Joseph was confused…so an angel of the Lord came to visit him in a dream. The angel told him that Mary had been faithful! And the child in her womb was divine…He was God’s son, the Messiah. He was Christ the Lord!
And then, in verse 22, he says:
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)
Here Matthew is referencing what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 7:14, when he writes,
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Have you ever noticed how it’s easy to overlook important and significant things when ife isntiugh. Maybe to the struggles and the challenges that just distract us. But, if we aren’t careful we will miss it.
I think that happened to most when Jesus came. There was no fanfare played, no big celebration or parties…there wasn’t even a room made ready for him. Because life was tough and the days were hard.
At Christmas, God became EMMANUEL. God came near. Jesus wasn’t just a good man or prophet, He was God. And he didn’t come (which lots of fanfare) to impress us…he came at Christmas to identify with us. He wanted to experience what it was like to be YOU. To face the things you face…and not just on your best day, but even in your worst.
He came to Be With Us!
And there is so much wrapped up in that name — Immanuel.
— You see, Jesus wasn’t just any child, He was God in flesh.
— He didn’t just represent God — He was God!
So, if Christmas is about anything — it is about “God is with us!”
I’ve told you before — I really appreciate the way the late Thomas Brooks described God’s presence. He said,
“God is an infinite circle, whose center is everywhere
and whose circumference is nowhere.”
What a thought. God is EVERYWHERE. And that’s HE IS WITH US! That’s why Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20,
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
So, if any of us are facing the hardships or weariness, or the complications of a broken family, or the struggles of paying the bills or managing life — may we remember, that we aren’t facing this life alone! Because, God is with us!
That’s what Christmas is all about — Immanuel has come…God is with us!
That’s the first reason why Christmas change everything. But here’s another:
2. Jesus is — God for us!
So, Jesus is not just GOD WITH US — He is also GOD FOR US! And, that’s what Paul is stressing here in Titus 2. He says in verse 14,
14 “…(Jesus) gave himself for us…”
That was an act of support — and one that demonstrate His willingness to identify with us. He is for us! Just notice the jump Paul makes from verse 11 to verse 14.
In verse 11, he describes Christmas — but in verse 14, He seems to be describing Easter. But, that’s really just a continuation of Christmas. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.
Because the gift of His grace (from verse 11) just keeps showing up again and again in our lives. It’s seen in His in everything He does, the greatest of which is the sacrifice He made for us.
And this is just another way that God breaks into the to journey we call life — to lift us up and help us find the strength to prevail over the pain and problems of this world. The greatest of which is our sin. But more than that — He empowers and fills us with His presence (making us victors in life).
Maybe that’s why the Christmas story includes people from every place in life. Both the rich and the poor, the powerful and the pauper.
Matthew’s gospel tells us about the Magi, which we discussed last night. They came with wealth and riches,
But Luke’s gospel tells us about the shepherds — who ere nobodies. They were the lowest in society. Some even considered their lives to be worth less that the sheep they were tending.
At Christmas, God reminded them that they weren’t overlooked or forgotten. But that they mattered. And He was for them. He came to change their lives, to invite them close, and to give them great joy.
That’s GOD FOR THEM!
Most of you are probably familiar with Handel’s Messiah — that incredible work of music which is often performed around the Christmas season.
Possibly, it’s most distinguishing marks are the way Handel expressed a sense of deep wonder and uncontainable joy over the nature of God.
In fact, His Messiah culminates with the movement known as “The Hallelujah Chorus.” Where he declares over and over again — Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah!
What’s most interesting to me, is that George Frederic Handel wrote the Messiah while facing bankruptcy and dealing with his own failing health. Not the sort of climate you might imagine for creativity and the expression of joy.
Yet, it was in the midst of his great pain — that he penned his greatest praise. Because, in his pain — he came to discover, that God was WITH HIM. But even more, God was FOR HIM!
And so, in that spirit of wonder, He penned the entire work of the Messiah in just 24 days.
Handel understood that while life might be bad — God is always good! And more than just being an observer…God became a participant (in the story of our lives)…by coming at Christmas.
Because He wanted us to understand, He is both the creator and sustainer of our lives. He is the the champion of our cause. He is for us especially when we are struggling.
That’s why He says in Isaiah 41:10,
“Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
So, never forget that God is pulling for your success. And that’s the story of Christmas!
In Jesus, we discover that God is FOR US!
Christmas changes everything — we are no longer alone, because God is with us! And we’re not left to make on our own, because God is for us.
And lastly, Christmas reminds us that:
3. Jesus is — the God who saves us!
In many ways, the MANGER is the MESSAGE. Because, what began at Christmas, was completed in Easter.
May we never forget — Christmas is the story of God coming close to save us from our sin.
I know you’re probably well aware of this, but it never hurts to be reminded of truth! And that was Paul’s point (in verse 14), where he says:
14 “…to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself…”
Sin was the barrier that we couldn’t overcome on our own, so God came to do it for us. In the manger, God proclaims His love for us. And it’s that love that led Him to the cross.You see, Christ was born among us to save us.
It’s what God proclaims in Jeremiah 15:20…when He says,
“‘For I am with you to save you and deliver you,” says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 15:20 (NIV)
So BELIEVE it!
There’s a powerful story that is taken from one of history’s worst moments.
It’s a story is that comes out of the Second World War when Germany was oppressing the Jewish people. Times were hard and the persecution was so bad — in one of their Nazi concentration camps, the prisoners had been so abused that they learned to live each moment cowering in fear.
They became so accustomed to being beaten and hurt that they would just lower their heads and draw back at any sudden movement. IN the same way a dog that’s been beaten and abused shies away from others — they did the same. They avoided drawing attention to themselves out of fear for their lives.
Well as the story goes, there was one camp in particular — that when allied forces pushed back against the Nazis — they drove them out of the territory where this camp was located. In doing so, they allied forces were able to enter in and free the prisoners, saving their lives.
But as they came in to the camps, the found the prisoners to be withdrawn and afraid. As they would open the doors where the prisoners were confined — they would announce “Your free!” “We’ve come to save you! You’re free to go.”
But the jewish prisoners wouldn’t move. They remained huddled together — cowering away on the floor.
The reason, is because they believed this was only a trick of the Nazis, to humiliate or eliminate them. So, they wouldn’t move!
In one such camp, the story is reported that after trying to convince them they were free, one of the allied soldiers lowered himself to their level by getting down on the floor, and coming along-side the prisoners. And looking them in the eyes, and speaking directly to them, he was able to convince them that there was no trick — they they really free. They had been saved!
And that’s a near perfect picture of what the incarnation is all about. Through Christmas, and the act of the incarnation — Jesus came near, got down on our level, and saved us from our sin!
He is Emmanuel — God with us… God who is for us, and the God who saves us!
CONCLUSION
And with that, let’s close. But as we do — I invite you to pause and think.
Do as Mary did…after Christ came into her life, Luke says — she “pondered these things in heart.” Would you do the same?
Would you think deeply about what Christmas means. And would you welcome the gift of Christ — the gift of His presence, His support, and His salvation in your own life today?
This Christmas, let your relationship with Jesus change you, let it change you heart and mind. And, let it change the way you live! Give yourself completely to Jesus — and fully embrace the hope and joy that He came to give.