The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
The Relevance: Through CHRIST God came to earth!
“The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
-John 1:14 NIV
“ The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,,and they will call him
Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) -Matthew 1:23 NIV
Christmas is relevant for you and me, because Jesus Christ came to earth on that
first Christmas to reveal God’s heart towards us. The wonder of
Christmas is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago, because Jesus is
still walking among us and with us.
God coming to earth in and through the person of Jesus the Christ made an
everlasting statement that God is with us. He is our Immanuel which means
“God with us.” Jesus tells us through his coming that God is indeed with us and
for us. God is not our enemy. He is not against us or looking for ways to trip us
up or judge us. Rather, Christ shows us that God is on our side every step of the
way. God is our biggest cheerleader and advocate.
God, through Jesus Christ, humbled himself and came to earth. The way Christ
treated others is the way God treats us … with unconditional love,
forgiveness, grace and salvation. Our need for Christ and his revelation of God’s
love for us is definitely relevant today and always!
The Reason: CHRIST came for your benefit!
“ She will give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.” -Luke 1:21 NIV
“He will save his people from their sins.” Christ came for your benefit and for
mine. “We are broken people in a shipwrecked world”, as John Eldredge states
in his book Resilient. We are not only broken, but we are lost as well. All of us,
whether we like to admit it or not, are in need of a savior who can heal our
broken hearts and save us from ourselves, our sin and our selfishness. When we
are lost, we need someone to show us the true north and orientate us
toward the right path. Jesus the Christ is the true north, and Christ is the right
path or the right way.
Salvation is not just about rescuing people from hell. Although it is about that
as well. Salvation is also about a personal relationship with God.
Salvation is based on forming a new attachment with God according to Dallas
Willard. Salvation is a new attachment, the soul’s loving bond to our loving
God. As Christians, we celebrate that revelation at Christmas which makes it
such a wonderful season for us!
The Result: You can know God through CHRIST!
“Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my
Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” -John
14:6-7 NIV
Many people believe that Christianity is just another “world religion” to be
studied like all of the other religious groups of the world. But Christianity stands
out as very different from any of the other religions of the globe,
because Christianity isn’t about religion - it is about a relationship!
Christ came to earth to offer us a relationship with God through himself. No
other religious leader or founder makes that claim. Some religious founders have
claimed to point to the right way or they have offered to reveal the truth. But
Jesus says “I am the way, the truth and the life…”.
Following Christ is all about having a relationship with the Son of God who, in
fact, is the very revelation of our Father God in the flesh. If you know Christ,
you know God. As Jesus declared to Philip in John 14 when Philip said to Jesus,
“Lord show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Have I
been with so long, and you still do not know me Philip? Whoever has seen me
has seen the Father.”
God the Father and Christ are one in the same. When you come to know Christ,
you come to know the Father as well. That is why Christmas is such a big deal
to Christians. The God of the universe has come to us in the person of Christ to
offer us salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ. So, we
Christinas really believe what Jesus audaciously claims in John 14, “If you really
know me (Jesus), you will know my Father as well. From now on (from this
point forward), you do know him and have seen him.”
In other words, Jesus is saying, “Hey guys, it’s me. I am the the great I Am. I am
the God of all creation. And I have come to be in relationship with you, because
you matter to me and I love you!”
Friends, the good news of Christmas is this: Christ came to earth to walk with
us and to reveal to us that God is with us. God came through Christ to earth for
our benefit and offers salvation in a broken and shipwrecked world. And through
Christ, we can personally know our creator God who grants us a deep and life
giving relationship with himself. When we know Christ, we connect with our
Heavenly Father and experience his love, joy and peace!
For all of these reason, Christmas is such a wonderful season and the reason we
as Christ followers celebrate it. So, we invite you to join with us in the
celebration!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, and in the Name of Christ may you
discover the relevance, the reason and the result of Christmas this year!
Here is an idea: Perhaps you can share this article as a devotion on Christmas
Eve or Christmas morning with your family and friends.
Blessings
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