THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: Jesus Christ is the Gentile Messiah, Too!

Class Outline:

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Prince of Peace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson…it is nourishment for your souls.

 

Today’s lesson is…

 

THECHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Jesus Christ is the Gentile Messiah, Too!

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Merry Christmas!

 

There are better words than “merry” to describe Christmas…Magnificent Christmas…Amazing Christmas…Stupendous Christmas…Awe-Inspiring Christmas…Incredible Christmas are just a few.  Yet no words can capture the gift that Christmas is for the whole world.

 

The story of Christmas is captured for our enjoyment in the Bible.  The Bible is the exact thinking of God…breathed into human writers who captured once and for all time the things God wants human beings to know to have an incredible life.

 

The Bible is inspired in three languages.  The Old Testament is inspired in Hebrew and Aramaic.  The New Testament is inspired in Koine Greek.  These simple languages easily are translatable into any language in the world so everyone can know the truth of The Christmas Story…the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  His-story is history worth knowing.

 

No matter where I’ve been in the world, and I’ve taught in thirty of the one hundred and ninety-five countries of the world…the highly populated countries…and in each country, the full knowledge of Jesus Christ is available…who He is…what He did for all mankind…what the He asks of us so we can take advantage of His work to save us.

 

The Christmas Story

 

When we have kids, we read to them…especially bedtime stories from children’s books we hope will impart knowledge.  Perhaps it’s a life lesson like in The Three Little Pigs…perhaps we want them to have the desire to learn to read…perhaps we offer them vocabulary.

 

As parents we are responsible for the development of our children, and reading is fundamental to their success.  So, we pick several books to read to them,assuming we need many books.  The truth is, children like hearing stories, and they LOVE hearing the same stories over and over again.

 

As a parent, I was wily.  Even though reading to them bored me to tears, I read the same books to them over and over, but I would skip pages.  My kids were too smart to fall for the deception.  They knew the stories inside and out and objected when I left pages out of stories so I could get quickly to the end.

 

Every year we hear The Christmas Story.  It never changes.  Like kids, we want to hear it over and over again with nothing left out.  We know this story is the tale of our God and His “so great” salvation.  It’s the story of a God who cares about us so much that He left nothing up to us in the matter of our salvation…He came down from heaven to save us.

 

Christmas is the story of the One who did it all for us.  The more we hear the story the more we marvel at how lucky we are, as believers in Christ, to have a relationship with the Savior of the world.

 

Let’s hear the Christmas story one more time, with nothing left out, and let’s listen for the fresh nuances of meaning we get from the story every time we hear it.  Let’s relax and reflect and revere a story that informs everything that’s important in our short time here on planet earth.

 

As you listen to the Christmas story, imagine the details of the story happened to you.  What would have been your response to the events that took place as God used His creatures to unfold the story.  Let’s see the Christmas story from behind the eyes of everyone who participatedin it…both the good people and the evil people.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  In Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 23 we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah who was charged with revealing a prediction about a certain future event…

 

MATTHEW 1:23

“Behold…a virgin (Mary)…shall be pregnant with a child…and she shall bear a Son…and they shall call His name Emmanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

 

When we hear the Christmas story, we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ…Emmanuel…God with us…a God who came to earth to save His creatures.  Let’s hear Enja sing about Him in the song O COME O COME EMMANUEL.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

O COME O COME EMMANUEL

Enja

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for your generosity…thank you for seeing our predicament…sin… and thank you for knowing we could not save ourselves once we got into this predicament by choosing to become Your enemy through sin…thank you for caring about us when we were at our worst…sinners…Your enemy…thank you for sending us a Savior in Your Son, our Lord…Jesus…the Christ…who removed the barrier in the relationship between us and You…

 

…as we do every year, we are happy to hear Jesus’ story…The Christmas Story…as we listen, open our spiritual eyes and our spiritual ears to the truth of the provision the Lord made for us in His work on the Cross…help us to hear the story differently each time we hear it…let God the Holy Spirit lead us into all the truth in such a way that we EXPERIENCE Your love for us through hearing this story one more time…let the truth of this story calm us in a way that takes away all of our concerns and fears and perceived problems…replace our concerns with a full knowledge that You have always been for us…never against us…and You have our lives firmly in Your grip…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Jesus Christ is the Gentile Messiah, Too!

 

The Christmas Story Starts with God

 

God is a Person…He is a Being…He is the One who IS…who ALWAYS HAS BEEN…and who ALWAYS WILL BE…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

GENESIS 1:1a

In the beginning (not really a beginning)…God (existed)…

 

John, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

JOHN 1:1

In the beginning was the Word (the Lord…God the Son)…and the Word (the Lord…God the Son) was with God the Father…and the Word was God.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is God.

 

Since God has always existed, human history is not the real beginning of things.  God is the real beginning of things.  He is the Creator…and He created us, His creatures…creating the first creatures in a state of perfection…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord…God the Son (the Creator)…and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

The Christmas Story Involves God’s Creatures

 

First, God created a man…Adam.  Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26 expresses God’s

intention…

 

GENESIS 1:26

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image…according to Our likeness…and let men rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth…and let man rule over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

 

God gave Adam perfect provision and perfect instruction.  Genesis, Chapter 2, Verses 15 to 17…

 

GENESIS 2:15

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it

and keep it.

 

GENESIS 2:16

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely…”

 

GENESIS 2:17

“…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…for in the day that you eat from it, surely you will die spiritually…so you will have to die physically.”

 

Sin…a disregard for God’s instruction…brings about death.  Unfortunately, the Creator’s creatures got themselves into trouble immediately.  Genesis, Chapter 3, Verses 6 and 7…

 

GENESIS 3:6

When the woman saw the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good for food…and it was a delight to the eyes…and the tree was desirable to make one wise…she took from its fruit and ate…and she gave the fruit also to her husband with her…and he ate.

 

GENESIS 3:7

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked…and

they sewed fig leaves together and made for themselves loin coverings.

 

When creatures make mistakes, they always try to redeem themselves, even though in the spiritual realm it is impossible.

 

As our Almighty God watched His creatures sabotage themselves…as we still do this very day…He felt great compassion for them.  So He left the comforts of heaven to do something He knew we could not do for ourselves.  He came to save us.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 14…

 

JOHN 1:14a

And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (entering a new mode of existence…true humanity…as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah) and He lived in a human body among usfor a while…

 

JOHN 1:14b

…and we saw His glory with our own eyes(John referring to himself in the third person as we…an apostle who witnessed one-of-a-kind)glory…the glory of the only begotten Son…the uniquely born One…from the source of God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.

 

Our compassionate God decided to make a perfect provision for the predicament of His creatures…now sinners…so that we could be saved.  First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 15…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 1:15a

It is a trustworthy statement…deserving of full acceptance…that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...

 

The Christmas Story Details the Birth of Our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ

 

Jesus Christ is God.  Why did He come to earth?  Luke, Chapter 19, Verse 10…

 

LUKE 19:10

“For the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

As we reflect on our Lord's first coming to earth, let’s hear June Murphy describe the wonder of what He did for us in her song…FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS.

 

MUSIC

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

FROM CHRISTMAS TO THE CROSS

June Murphy

 

When Christmas is celebrated all over the world by every creature…they are celebrating Christ…the Messiah.  The significance of this holiday is apparent in its name…

 

CHRISTMAS

 

Jesus is theCHRIST … the MASsiah

 

The Christmas Story is Credible

 

There is nobetter way to be credible than to predict something will happen and then to make it happen.  The prediction of what God would do for His creatures is detailed throughout the Old Testament.  For example, in Isaiah, Chapter 9, Verses 6 and 7…

 

ISAIAH 9:6

For a child will be born to us…a Son will be given to us…and the government will rest on His shoulders (He will be a King)…and His name (because of His character) will be calledWonderful Counselor…Mighty God…Eternal Father…Prince of Peace.

 

ISAIAH 9:7

And there will be no end to the increase of His government or His peaceon the throne of David and over His kingdom…to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 

Micah, Chapter 5, Verse 2…

 

MICAH 5:2

“But as for you…Bethlehem…too little to be among the clans of Judah…from you, One will go forth from Meto be ruler in Israel…the Lord (God the Son).  His goings forth are from long ago…from the days of eternity.”

 

Isaiah, Chapter 7, Verse 14…

 

ISAIAH 7:14

Therefore, God the FatherHimself will give you a sign…behold, a virgin will be pregnant with a child and she will bear a son…and she will call His name Emmanuel (which means God with us).

 

It happened just as God predicted.  Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 26 to 38…

 

LUKE 1:26 (Wuest Translation)

Now, in the sixth month of the pregnancy of Mary’s relative Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent on a mission from God the Father to a city of Galilee named Nazareth…

 

LUKE 1:27 (Wuest Translation)

…to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, of the house of David.  And the virgin’s name was Mary.

 

LUKE 1:28 (Wuest Translation)

And having come to her, Gabriel said, “Keep on rejoicing Mary, because

you have been encompassed with favor as a grace gift from God the Father. The Lord is with you.”

 

LUKE 1:29 (Wuest Translation)

But Mary was greatly agitated by the words said by Gabriel, and began reasoning what sort of an exotic greeting this might be.

 

LUKE 1:30 (Wuest Translation)

And the angel said to her, “Stop fearing, Mary…for you have a grace gift of favor in the presence of God.”

 

LUKE 1:31 (Wuest Translation)

“And behold…you shall conceive in your womb…and you shall give birth to a Son…and you shall call His name Jesus.”

 

LUKE 1:32 (Wuest Translation)

“This One, Jesus Christ, shall be great, and He shall be called the Son of the Most

High, and God the Fathershall give our Lord  Jesus the throne of Davidduring

Jesus’ Millennial reign…”

 

LUKE 1:33 (Wuest Translation)

“…and Jesus shall reign as King over the House of Jacob (Israel) forever and of His kingdom there shall not be an end.”

 

The Nation Israel and The Jewish Race will never be destroyed.  It is an absolute fact that the Lord made promises to Abraham about Israel and The Jewish Race, and the Lord is not going to allow a kingdom He will be running in the future to be destroyed by His enemy…nor will He allow the people He loves to be destroyed…a race that He is a part of…The Jewish Race.

 

LUKE 1:34 (Wuest Translation)

But Mary said to the angel, "How shall this pregnancybe possible since Iam a virgin and have not had sexual intercourse with a man?”

 

LUKE 1:35 (Wuest Translation)

Answering, the angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you…and the divine power of the Most High shall overshadow you…so the Holy One being conceived shall be called the Son of God.”

 

LUKE 1:36 (Wuest Translation)

“And behold…Elizabeth…your relative…also conceived a son in her old age…and this is the sixth month of pregnancy for her who was called sterile…”

 

LUKE 1:37 (Wuest Translation)

"…for in the presence of Godnot a thing shall be impossible.”

 

LUKE 1:38

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord…may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel Gabriel departed from her.

 

And what we know today as parthenogenesis occurred…it’s…

 

PARTHENOGENESIS

The development of an egg without fertilization by a male

 

Mary accepted her fate.   Would you?  And she pondered this miracle in her mind as we learn in the song MARY DID YOU KNOW.

 

MUSIC

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

MARY DID YOU KNOW

Ce Lo Green

 

Let’s take a break.  When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering and we’ll continue our study of The Christmas Story.

 

TEN-MINUTE BREAK

 

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE

Ray Parker Jr.

 

GOD REST YOU MERRY GENTLEMEN

Pentatonix

 

THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Jesus Christ is the Gentile Messiah, Too!

 

Let’s hear the offering message from our beloved Deacon Denny Goodall.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, and all believers in Christ are, there is a new creation…the old things passed away…behold, new things have come.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Jesus Christ is the Gentile Messiah, Too!

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

The Savior is Born

 

The physician, Luke, details the chronology of the birth of our Savior…Luke, Chapter 2, Verse 1…

 

LUKE 2:1

Now in those days, a decree went out from the emperor…Caesar Augustus…that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

 

LUKE 2:2

This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

 

LUKE 2:3

And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

 

LUKE 2:4

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the

city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and

family of David…

 

LUKE 2:5

…in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was pregnant with THE child.

 

LUKE 2:6

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

 

LUKE 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son…and she wrapped Him in cloths (the strips used to wrap a mangled corpse) … and laid Him in a manger (a feeding trough for cattle) … because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

LUKE 2:8

In the same region, some shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock of sheep by night.

 

LUKE 2:9

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…and they were terribly frightened.

 

LUKE 2:10

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid…for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”

 

LUKE 2:11

"…for today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior, who is the Christ (the Messiah) … the Lord (God the Son).”

 

LUKE 2:12

“This will be a sign for you…you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 

LUKE 2:13

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host

praising God and saying…

 

LUKE 2:14

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

 

LUKE 2:15

When the angels (the heavenly hosts) had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

 

LUKE 2:16

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and to the baby as He lay in the manger.

 

 

 

LUKE 2:17

When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

 

LUKE 2:18

And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

 

LUKE 2:19

But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

 

LUKE 2:20

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

 

Let’s hear some music…THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY.

 

MUSIC

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

Harry Simone Chorale

 

God’s Enemy Wants to Destroy the Power of The Christmas Story

 

God has an enemy, Satan, whom God made the ruler of this world for a finite period of time.  His evil is a part of The Christmas Story.  He introduces every distraction…Santa Claus…“Xmas,” an abbreviation for Christmas…frenetic activity designed to have everyone give presents rather than receive the greatest present of all…the salvation provided by the One whose birthday we celebrate at Christmas…the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Satan placed doubt in Joseph’s head about how Mary could be pregnant without having intercourse with him.  Satan encouraged Joseph to get a divorce.  Joseph was listening…Matthew, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 25…

 

MATTHEW 1:18

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been

engaged to Joseph…and before they had sexual intercourse…she was found to be“with child” (pregnant) by the agency of God the Holy Spirit.

 

MATTHEW 1:19

And Joseph her husband (literally her betrothed man)…being a righteous man (a believer in Christ)…and not wanting to disgrace her…planned to divorce her secretly.

 

Disgrace her is a euphemism…she would have been stoned to death for committing adultery.

 

MATTHEW 1:20a

But when Joseph had considered this (secret divorce while pondering the dilemma he was in)behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dreamsaying…

 

MATTHEW 1:20b

“Joseph, son of David (a reminder to him that he is nobility from the

lineage of KingDavid) … do not be afraid…because it’s not a problem to take Mary as your wife(as his betrothed woman)…for the Child who has been conceived in her is from the source of God the Holy Spirit.

 

MATTHEW 1:21

“(Mary) will bear a Son…and you shall call His name Jesus…for He (and no other) will save His people from their sins.”

 

MATTHEW 1:22

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet (in ISAIAH 7:14)…

 

MATTHEW 1:23

“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND (Joseph) SHALL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL (as he was instructed),” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

 

MATTHEW 1:24

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife…

 

 

MATTHEW 1:25

…but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son…and Joseph called His name Jesus.

 

Joseph was a good man.  Could you men have done the same?

 

Satan inspired King Herod the Great to find and kill Jesus shortly after Jesus was born.  Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 18…

 

MATTHEW 2:1

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Gentile Magi (astronomers) from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying…

 

Not only the Jews sought a relationship with Christ…the Gentiles wanted a relationship as well.  The Gentile Magi inquired of Herod…

 

MATTHEW 2:2

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

 

MATTHEW 2:3

When Herod the King heard this, he was troubled (meaninghe was insanely jealous), and all of Jerusalem was troubled with him.

 

MATTHEW 2:4

Gathering together all the chief priests and all the scribesof the people in Israel,  Herod inquired of them where the Messiah (the King of the Jews) was to be born.

 

They knew.

 

MATTHEW 2:5

The chief priests and scribes said to Herod, “The Messiah is to be born in

Bethlehem of Judea…for this is what has been written by the prophet Micah…

 

MATTHEW 2:6

‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS

LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH…FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”

 

MATTHEW 2:7

Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

 

MATTHEW 2:8

And Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child…and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

 

MATTHEW 2:9

After hearing the king, the Magi went their way…and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

 

MATTHEW 2:10

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

 

MATTHEW 2:11a

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother…and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.

 

MATTHEW 2:11b

Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts fit for a King…gold (for His Deity)…frankincense (for His life)…and myrrh (for His humanity…a fragrance identifying Him with His death).

 

MATTHEW 2:12

And having been warned by God the Father in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left for their own country by another way.

 

MATTHEW 2:16

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, he became veryenraged and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity…male children from two years old and under…using the time frame which Herod had determined from the Magi.

 

MATTHEW 2:17

Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled…

 

 

MATTHEW 2:18

“A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH…WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING…

RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN…AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED…BECAUSE HER CHILDREN WERE NOMORE.”

 

Let’s hear a song about the Gentile Magi…WE THREE KINGS.

 

MUSIC

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

WE THREE KINGS

Clamavi De Profundis

 

The magi were Gentiles looking for the Messiah.  We conclude that the Messiah was not only the Messiah for the Jews…He was theMessiah of us Gentiles as well.

 

Merry Christmas!  Jesus is the reason for this season and I hope you rest in His peace as you remember your most important relationship…your relationship with the Lord.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race

 

In the closing moments of this lesson, we bow our knees in gratitude as we listen to the message that invites us to salvation…Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 15 expresses our gratitude…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:15

Thanks be to God the Father for His indescribable gift!

 

It’s the gift of His Son…our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you’re an unbeliever who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you are His hero.  He came to earth to save you.  In this message we want you to know that…

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.

Everyone who comes to earth hears The Christmas Story.  Everyone who comes to earth gets a chance to learn about God…according to Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…

 

ROMANS 1:20a

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…

 

ROMANS 1:20b

…being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind (especially unbelievers…those practicing a lifestyle of ungodliness and unrighteousness) are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.

 

Why?  Because God wants everyone to know Him and He plants the desire to know Him inside each of us.  God’s intention for His fallen creatures is communicated in Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

 

ROMANS 5:8

God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all creatures, in that while we were yet sinners (while we wereungodly, unrighteous unbelievers… God the Father sent His Son)…Jesus…the Christ…to die…to pay for our sinsinstead of us.

 

So Jesus came to earth to die for you!  Now He invites you to take advantage of His work…John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to the doubting apostleThomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) …and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”

 

Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12 says…

 

ACTS 4:12

“…there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that

has been given to mankind by which we must be saved except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

How easy is it to be saved?  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

In John, Chapter 10, Verses 28 and 29, the Lord promises that once you believe in Him you can’t have your salvation taken away from you…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

 

JOHN 10:29

“And My Father…who has given believers in Christ to Me…is greater than anyone…and no one is able to snatch believers in Christ out of God the Father’s hand, either.”

 

The consequence of unbelief…the rejection of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ are shared by the Lord in Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 30…

 

MATTHEW 25:30

“Throw out the worthless slave (the unbeliever) into the outer darkness (the Lake of Fire)…and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 

The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

So, heed the warning and accept the invitation in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

Right where you sit, right now, you can take advantage of The Christmas Story.  You simply request salvation and you get it, much like a man did who was crucified next to Jesus…Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 42 and 43…

 

LUKE 23:42

And a thief being crucified next to Jesus was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

 

LUKE 23:43

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you…today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

 

A nine-word conversation with God can get you to heaven…Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.  Or if you prefer…a couple of five-word conversations with God the Father … “Father…I believe in Christ” …  or as a man said to Jesus when He was on the earth…“I believe…help my unbelief!”

 

Believe!

 

Simply take God’s word for what it takes to be saved, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  We hope you will accept His invitation.  It’s the best Christmas present you’ll ever receive.

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

When we reflect on The Christmas Story and its personal significance to each of us…we can only proclaim what Lucy Smith proclaims in song…HALLELUJAH!

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

HALLELUJAH

Lucy Thomas

 

DOXOLOGY

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Worthy of praise is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us believers in Christ in eternity past with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (a place of permanence)…through our union with Christ…

 

DOXOLOGY

 

EPHESIANS 1:7-8

In Jesus…we have redemption (deliverance from slavery to sin) through His blood…the forgiveness of our trespasses…according to the glorious wealth provided by His grace…which He lavished on us…including as a gift, wisdom and insight…

 

DOXOLOGY

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 1:17

Now to the King of kings and Lord of lords…the Lord Jesus Christ…to the eternal, immortal, invisible One, to the One and Only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for providing the whole world with a holiday where everything stops…a time when everyone gets to turn from the meaninglessness of life to the life that Your Son provides…provide the world with a loud opportunity to know who Jesus Christ really is this year…He is the Messiah of both the Jews and the Gentiles…

 

…as we spend our time around our unbelieving family members and friends this holiday season, give us the courage to provide them with the gospel message…help them to see that religion is not the answer…help them to see that unbelief is not the answer…the answer for their eternal future comes through theagency of the indescribable Person we celebrate today…the Lord Jesus Christ…

…Father, we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are an accurate reflection of Your unconditional love, Your glorious Person, Your lucid thinking, Your impeccable work, Your forgiveness, Your grace, and Your magnificent essence...

 

…we ask this through the convicting power of God the Holy Spirit to unbelievers…in Christ’s name…Amen!

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at Barah Ministries!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com