Why Should Christmas Matter To You?

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. This Mystery Is Revealed
• II. This Gospel Is Our Gospel

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Romans 16:25-27. Allow me to read for you: "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”

No one knows for sure when Jesus Christ was born. The early Christians wanted to set aside a date to remember the birth of the only Saviour of the world. They wanted to remember the great reality that God became a man to save His people from their sins. So, in the middle of the 4th century, the bishop of Jerusalem wrote a letter to the bishop of Rome to decide on a particular date so that they would commemorate His birth annually. It was not a bad idea to remember the birth of Christ, in fact, every day of our lives we should remember His birth. The bishop of Rome responded to the bishop of Jerusalem, saying it was December 25th. But, there is absolutely no evidence that Christ was born on December 25th. In fact, there are evidences that He was not born on December 25th, based on the events surrounding His birth in the Bible.

So why then did the bishop of Rome choose that date? The reason was simply because December was a major month for pagan celebrations, with wild drinking, partying, and all kinds of sinful activities. He wanted the birth of Jesus Christ to be the focus instead of all those ungodly celebrations, thinking that all those ungodliness would be sanctified by Christianity—but he was hopelessly wrong. The church was unable to make the unbelievers turn to Christianity. Not only was the church unable to do that, slowly the church became more and more worldly. From then onwards, it was all the way downwards.

First came the person of Santa Claus. His real name was Nicholas Sinterklaas, and he was well-loved saint in Holland. He was a white-bearded bishop of Asia Minor, and the people loved him very dearly. When he died, they believed that he would come back every December, riding on a white horse. So, all the little children would put their wooden shoes out on the porch so that he could put goodies into their shoes. The Dutch called him "Saint Nicholas Sinterklaas," and it was where we get the name Santa Claus. Sadly, today the average person in the street would think that Santa Claus is the main character of Christmas instead of Jesus Christ. Then came Christmas cards, the Christmas lights, and Christmas presents, etc. It was almost as if everything and everyone wants to be a part of Christmas, obviously for economic reasons—it was a time to make money. Today, you see pictures everywhere about Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and reindeers. Occasionally, we do have pictures of the child in the manger, or the shepherds in the field, or the wise men with their gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold, however with no biblical explanations at all.

As parents, we must teach our children that Christmas is not about Santa Claus, Christmas trees, or Christmas presents. It is about the birth of the only Saviour of the world. The title of our message is: Why Should Christmas Matter to You? I have chosen this text, which is actually a doxology. A doxology is a short expression of praise to God, and we want to praise our God for Christmas—the true meaning of Christmas.

I. This Mystery Is Revealed

Firstly, this mystery of Christmas is revealed to us.

Allow me to give you a brief background of these three verses in connection with the whole book of Romans. The Book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul. It contains the longest arguments and explanations in the entire Bible. As Paul argued and explained the truth of God's word, it was not well accepted, and he was constantly being persecuted. Most of his life, he was an unwelcome person. On several occasions, he was thrown into prison. Before that, he was a well-respected rabbi. The people loved him, but he chose to give up all that, and he suffered a great deal.

Why did he do that? It was because of the gospel. He believed the gospel, which means the good news—the good news that the Saviour of the world has come. He was saved by the gospel and transformed by the gospel and under this divine compulsion, he could not help it, but to preach the gospel.

And so Paul said, "and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began." (Romans 16:25) The word "mystery" in the Bible does not mean something mystical, not for you to find out like it the mystery novels with clues left unsolved. What it means is that it was something that was hidden in the past, but now it was revealed to the people. It was a part of God's truth that was not revealed, or only partially revealed—especially in the Old Testament. There are many mysteries mentioned in the Bible—the mystery of the rapture (we do not know when it will occur), the mystery of Christ and the Church, the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, etc. What was the mystery mentioned here in verse 25? It was the gospel—the salvation of God through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Verse 26 says: ‘it is now made manifest and made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.’ Which means Jesus had come, and this gospel—this good news—was revealed, not only to a particular group of people but, for all nations, regardless of cultures or nationalities. People have this misconception that Christianity is a ‘white man's religion.’ It is not. It is for all nations, it is to tell all nations that this is the only way to salvation. The gospel was something that no human being could have imagined, no human being could have  invented. It was all planned and accomplished by God alone for the salvation of His people. In the past, it was entirely hidden in the mind of God. In fact, when God started to reveal it during the Old Testament period, the details were so puzzling that even the prophets themselves were unable to fully comprehend what the Spirit of God had inspired them to write. But, by faith, they believed.

Today, as believers, you and I understand the gospel because the Spirit has revealed it to us that Jesus has come. At the right time and at the right place God sent His only begotten Son to save His people from their sins. When we read the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament, we see a very clear picture. If I can give you an illustration, it is like reading with a new pair of glasses. We put the glasses on and then read the Old Testament. What do we see? We see Christ in so many places. We see Christ in the book of Isaiah, where He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). We see Christ in the book of Micah, that He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). We see Christ in the book of Jeremiah, that He was the greatest Son of David.

We even see Christ in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. He was the one who God sent in Genesis 3:15. "I will put enmity between thee,” referring to Satan, “and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed;” referring to Jesus Christ, “it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) In other words, our Lord Jesus would be crucified, he would suffer a great deal. But His death and the shedding of His blood would deal a potent blow to Satan.

Before Jesus Christ came, He was hidden from the greatest saints—from Abraham, to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and so forth. By faith, those prophets believed and they longed to see the very thing they had prophesied, but they did not see it. It was a mystery. But, at the right time and at the right place, God revealed it to us.

When this message of salvation was preached in the past to the Greeks, it was foolishness. To them, it was just a mythical story of the gods coming down. ‘How could God become a man?’ ‘How could God die on the cross?’ It was foolishness. To the Jews, it was a stumbling block because how could the Gentiles be included into God's plan of salvation? It was impossible. That is why throughout Paul’s life, he had to face persecutions and much suffering. He preached to a world that did not receive his message. Yet, Paul said, ‘The preaching of Jesus Christ is my gospel.’ (Romans 16:25)

Today, when we invite our friends to our homes for Christmas, when we give them presents, when we lay on our tables full of delicious food, when we decorate our houses with beautiful lights, they are happy to be invited. But the moment we start to say, ‘Allow me to share with you the true meaning of Christmas. It is not about Santa Claus, Christmas trees, or Christmas presents,’ they are offended. To them, it is nonsense. It is just some fables or stories, which only the weak will believe. Perhaps they may even tell you, ‘If I knew that you would preach to me the gospel, I will never come.’

Today, the world celebrates Christmas, whether they understand the true meaning of it or not. To the people, Christmas is a time for parents to rush to shopping centers to buy presents for their children. It is a time to make money, it is a time of wine drinking, partying, and songs. To attend a Christmas worship service like this and hear the gospel? Most certainly not. But, I am glad you came.

Remember, these three verses are a doxology—it is an expression of praise to God. It is a time you and I rejoice because this mystery is revealed to us. Jesus has come. He was born of a virgin. He was born in Bethlehem. He was the greatest Son of David. He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the only Saviour of the world. Fundamentally, that is what we are doing tonight. So, as we sing ‘O Holy Night,’ we believe that it was truly a holy night because Christ the Saviour was born. When we sing ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,’ we truly believe that Jesus was the Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us.’ (Matthew 1:23) He came and dwelt among men to save us. He will never forget nor forsake us.

We come to worship the Saviour who was born in the manger. To the world, it is foolishness, it is a waste of time. But to us, God has revealed this mystery of Christmas through the working of His Spirit.

II. This Gospel Is Our Gospel

Our second point is: ‘The Gospel Is Our Gospel’. If I can put it this way, it is the gospel we call our own.

Paul said, "My gospel according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began." (Romans 16:25) It is only by divine revelation that the mystery of the gospel can be known. No matter how hard you try to understand it, no matter How hard you try to figure it out, no matter How hard you try to look at the whole picture and then come to a conclusion, you will never be able to do so. You will never be able to believe it unless the Spirit of God reveals it to you.

Notice the two words: "my gospel." Gospel means ‘good news.’ The good news is that the child was born—not just any ordinary child, He was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, He was born. Matthew 1:21 says, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." Sometimes, when we share the gospel with the people their response is, ‘Well, that is a good message. It makes sense. It is inspiring, encouraging, it is wonderful.’ But, it is not good enough to say the gospel is a good message or it is something that makes sense or it is inspiring, encouraging or wonderful, if one does not believe in it. Unless you take the gospel, believe in it with all your heart, and you say, ‘this is my gospel,’ it will be useless to you.

Only the Spirit of God can do that. Man, no matter how articulative and eloquent the preacher may be, he cannot do that because it is a spiritual supernatural work. Only the Spirit of God can convict the hearts of men.

Allow me to quote this story of a man who had been rejecting God for many years. One day, he stayed home while his family went to church on Christmas Eve. He did not believe in Jesus because he could not accept the story of Christ, the Son of God, coming into this world as a man. He had heard the gospel many times but he just would not believe it. Shortly after the family drove away, snow started to fall. He went to his chair beside the fireplace, and began to read the newspaper. Minutes later, he heard some noises outside the front yard. He went to the front door and found a flock of birds struggling in the snow. They’ve been caught in the snow storm and in a desperate search for shelter they tried to fly, but they could not because their wings were frozen. Well, he did not want those poor creatures to lie there and freeze to death.

He remembered the garage, ‘That would provide a warm shelter,’ he thought. If only he could direct the birds into it. He quickly put on his jacket and went into the garage, opened the door wide and turned on the lights. But the birds did not come in. He figured out food might do the trick, so he used some breadcrumbs to entice them in. He sprinkled them on the snow making a trail into the garage. But, to his disappointment, the birds ignored the breadcrumbs, and continued to struggle helplessly in the snow. He knew it was only a matter of time before they would die. He tried catching them, he tried shewing them with his arms waving but instead they were scattered in all directions.

Then he realised that they were afraid of him. To them, he was a strange and terrifying creature. He thought to himself, ‘If only I could let them know they can trust me, that I am not trying to hurt them but to save them, but how?’ Any movements he made seemed to frighten and confuse them, they could not understand him. Then he said to himself, ‘If only I could be a bird myself. If only I could be a bird and mingle with them and speak their language and tell them not to be afraid. If only I could be a bird to tell them, if they continue in that predicament, they would die and I am here to save them to show them the way to safety. If only I could be a bird.’

At that moment, the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sound of the wind, he stood there listening and he remembered the gospel that he had heard in the past, “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.” (Matthew 1:23) Immediately his heart was grieved and convicted. He knew God was using those tiny little creatures to teach him this wonderful truth. In the words of John Calvin, ‘The Son of God became the Son of men so that the sons of men can become the sons of God.’

Dear friend, because of our sins, we are all eternally condemned. A million upon a million years, we will be tormenting in the Eternal Lake of Fire—a place the Bible says the fire never stops burning. (Revelation 20:10) But Jesus came. He was born in a manger. He lived a perfect life, keeping the laws of God on our behalf. He suffered. He was crucified and he died on the cross, shedding His precious blood—not for His own sins, for the sins of His people. He died and was buried, but death cannot consume Him, because on the third day He rose again from the dead. He alone is the resurrection and the life. And whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I shared this illustration in our seniors meeting on Saturday, and I was tempted to do so again. I want to do it again to illustrate to you why our Lord Jesus must die on the cross of Calvary. All of us sitting in this room have sinned against God. God's Word says there is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). We may do acts of charity and good works, but all our good works are like filthy rags because they are tainted with sin (Isaiah 64:6). God does not only look at our outward actions, but He looks into our motivations and intentions, and none of us is perfect. All of us come short of His glory. As far as our sins are concerned, we come short. Some may be more sinful than others, but all of us sitting in this room come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). If God were to close an eye to our sins, He may be a loving God, but then He would not be a righteous judge. He must punish our sins. But if He were to punish our sins, we would be eternally lost. So, how could a God be both loving and righteous at the same time?

So, here comes this illustration. I hope it will give you a glimpse of who our God is. You and I are just like this little boy who was caught stealing in the supermarket. And because he stole in the supermarket, he was arrested by the police, brought before a judge. You know, the judge used to wear this crown on top of their head, sitting at the top. So, this boy stood before this judge, and there were prosecutors reading out his charges with all the evidences the boy knew that he could not escape.

The judge asked him, ‘Do you confess to your crimes?’

The boy said, ‘Yes, I committed those crimes.’

The judge looked at the books and said, ‘For stealing in the supermarket, for stealing those things, you will be sentenced to a fine of $5,000.’

For a little boy, how can he have $5,000? So, he was brought to the bailor’s room. Unless he pays the $5,000, he will remain in the bailor’s room and then sent to prison. That would be his end result. But at that very moment, the judge took down his crown and he went down to the bailor’s room, he took out $5,000, and he paid for the little boy’s fine. The prosecutors were there, the police were there, they were all surprised.

And they said, ‘You are the judge, you sentenced him, and then you pay for him. We cannot understand that.’

The judge said, ‘This boy is actually my son, but I’m a judge. As much as I love my son, I have to punish his crimes. But if I punish my son, he’ll be sent to prison. So I pay for his fine.’

Now, that is just a glimpse of what it means when God sent His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross of Calvary. If He just closed an eye to our sins, He would not be a righteous judge. But if He punished us, what about His love? By sending His only begotten Son, who lived a perfect life, ultimately dying on the cross, God was both holy and just. That is the God we believe in.

And Paul said, ‘This is my gospel,’ which means, ‘I take ownership of this gospel. I heard it, I received it, I believe in it. It is my gospel.’ Dear friend, once we receive the Gospel, we have a personal relationship with God, and it is able to establish us. The word ‘establish’ means to confirm, to fix. As far as our salvation is concerned, it is fixed. We are saved. God saves us, and He continues to save us, and He will save us to the uttermost.

Now, this was the thing that sustained the Apostle Paul in times of persecutions and sufferings. That was why he was able to say, "I know whom, I have believed in, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (1 Timothy 1:12) It was not his theology that sustained him. It was not his great mind, though Paul had a great mind. It was his God, and he entrusted his entire life, ministry, everything—his salvation—into the hands of the Almighty God. And he believed in all his heart that God would never fail him and, for that matter, anyone else—all of us here in this room. He will keep His promise. He who saves us will save us to the uttermost.

The year is coming to an end. With every New Year, people will come up with new resolutions. Perhaps some may not be able to live through this year, as the saying goes, ‘tomorrow may never come.’ Are you afraid when death knocks? Are you fearful? If you truly believe in the One who says He is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24); if you believe in the One who says to you, ‘No man can pluck you out of My hand’ (John 10:29); if you believe in the One who says to you, ‘In My Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself’ (John 14:2-3); if you truly believe in Him and His gospel becomes your gospel, you will not be afraid, because death will usher you into His presence.

This conviction cannot come from an association. It cannot come from a denomination, whether you be a Bible-Presbyterian, a Methodist, or a Baptist. It cannot even come from an ordination. It can come from nowhere else except a personal relationship with the One who came from heaven into this world and was born in the manger—our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is why Paul says in verse 27, "To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen." He understood the gospel. It was revealed to him through the Spirit, and now he says, ‘This is because my God is wise, even in His plan of salvation. No human being can ever invent such a salvation. No human being can ever devise such a plan. Only the wise God. He alone plans and accomplishes our salvation.’

Tonight, millions of people around the world are celebrating Christmas without understanding the true meaning of Christmas. People greet one another, ‘Merry Christmas,’ and yet they do not understand what is so merry about Christmas. People sing ‘O Holy Night,’ and at the same time, they are drinking and getting drunk, and fighting in the streets. What is so holy about that night? They are singing, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ but why are the angels singing? They have no idea what the true meaning of Christmas is. Tonight, the mystery of Christmas has been revealed to us. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, has come to save us. Jesus, the Emmanuel, has come to be with us forever. But this Christmas will not be a blessed Christmas if you do not take it, receive it, believe in it, and say, ‘This is my gospel.’

If there's anyone in this room who is an unbeliever, lingering outside the kingdom of God, Jesus says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man opens the door, I will come in and sup with him.’ (Revelation 3:20) Jesus Christ is standing at the door of your heart, and He is knocking. Do not harden your heart, because there is only one Saviour, only one Way to salvation. You reject Jesus, you reject the only Way. Come judgment day though, you will stand before God with all your sins, and as a righteous judge, He must judge. But there’s no one to pay the penalty of your sins. You’ll be sent to the eternal lake of fire. The opportunity for salvation is today. Once you lose it, you may lose it forever.

If we are believers, then we can say, ‘This is our gospel.’ Then the next question is, what have we done with our gospel? It is good news. We receive it. We call it our gospel. But do we just keep it for ourselves? And then we look at our unbelieving loved ones and friends and relatives and colleagues who are still outside the kingdom of God. How can we celebrate Christmas without even a whisper of the gospel? If we truly believe that this is the gospel that has saved us and transformed our lives, and for all eternity we will be with our Lord Jesus, how can we not breathe a word of this good news to our loved ones?

If we can share, we better share. Most of you know that recently I visited my dad, who is still in the hospital in Singapore. He has severe dementia, and I waited and waited at his bedside. When he opened his eyes, I asked him, ‘Dad, Who am I?’ Because of his dementia, he said, ‘You are my father.’ I was so sad. How can you forget that I am your son? By the way, my father has never seen his father because his father died in the Japanese occupation. I was so troubled, and I started to look for papers, and I started to write the gospel and asked him to read, ‘Read when you still can read.’ And I go to his ears, and almost like a scream, I said, ‘You have heard the gospel. Jesus came into this world to save you from your sins. You said you believe in Him. You must cling on to Him, for beyond His life, you will be lost. Do you believe Him?’ Thank God, my dad nodded and said, ‘Yes.’

If we can shout, we better shout. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity for us to share the gospel. Without Christ, beyond this life, they will be lost forever and ever. And then, when we say goodbye, it will be truly a final farewell. A million upon a million years, we will never meet again. But if they believe, that will be the most wonderful gift we can ever receive on Christmas: the salvation of our loved ones, friends, and relatives. Dear friend, may this Christmas be such a Christmas that all of us will be encouraged to share the gospel. A blessed Christmas to you.

THE BOOK OF ROMANS

The Love of Christ

The Love of Christ

Romans 5:6-10

Christ’s Resurrection and Me

Christ’s Resurrection and Me

Romans 8:9-11

For We Know Not What We Should Pray For As We Ought

For We Know Not What We Should Pray For As We Ought

Romans 8:26-27

A Reasonable Service

A Reasonable Service

Romans 12:1-2

Morning Devotion 1

Morning Devotion 1

Romans 12:1

It Begins with Sincere Love

It Begins with Sincere Love

Romans 12:9-13

Message 4: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to be Patient in Tribulation

Message 4: To Fight the Good Fight of Faith is to be Patient in Tribulation

Romans 12:12

Awake from Your Slumber

Awake from Your Slumber

Romans 13:11-14

Awake from Your Spiritual Slumber

Awake from Your Spiritual Slumber

Romans 13:11-14

Longing For ‘Likes’?

Longing For ‘Likes’?

Romans 15:1-7

Why Should Christmas Matter To You?

Why Should Christmas Matter To You?

Romans 16:25-27