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Isaiah 9:2-7
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
In 1809 the international scene was turbulent. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Subsequently, everyone’s attention was on these happenings, and not really caring about some terribly significant births.
For example, William Gladstone was born that year. He was destined to become one of England's finest statesman. That same year, Alfred Tennyson was born to an obscure minister and his wife. The child would one day greatly affect the literary world in a marked manner.
It was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin and his wife named their child Charles Robert.
And that same year a newborn infant was produced in a rugged log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. The baby's name was Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been news broadcasts at that time, I'm certain these words would have been heard: "The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today."
But future history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America.
In the same way, everyone thought taxation and the Roman dictatorship was the big news--when Jesus was born. But a young Jewish woman cradled the biggest news of all: the birth of the Saviour.
This time of the year is amazing isn’t it.
By mid November we are thinking ahead to 6 weeks time - Christmas.
Some of us look forward to the carol nights. Others look forward to school holidays. Some even look forward to the shopping - don’t ask me why because I think it’s the worst time of the year to go shopping - but, some people, bless them, actually enjoy Christmas shopping. Kids look forward to Santa and presents on Christmas Day. Others just look forward to catching up with friends and being able to recoup after yet another hectic year.
Sometimes we just look forward to the end of the Christmas season because it seems to expend a huge amount of physical, emotional and psychological energy. Well, back in the time of Jesus there were 3 pagan astrologers who took a great deal of time, expense and effort, to travel to Jerusalem.
The original wise men had an even longer Christmas season than most of us might. Most likely they left their homes by camel or horse early in the spring and then traveled for many months to arrive in Jerusalem. There they spent a long period of time waiting for the local authorities to discover from Scripture where the king they were seeking would be born. Finally, they rode out of the gate towards Bethlehem and saw the star hanging low in the sky at the horizon just above the village of Bethlehem which would help them find this significant birth that would supposedly steer the course of history.
Now the question that I think is pertinate for this Christmas season is:
Why did these presumed pagan astrologers go to so much time and effort to make the expensive and time consuming journey to the Holy Land? After all, if this was only a baby's birthday a small thing that happened all the time. But these wise men from the east presumably came from outside of the Roman Empire. And obviously they came from a place where star gazing was a profession. To them a sign was given, perhaps long expected, which herald the birth of One they must see and know. There is so much in this story that we would like to know, but we do know enough to realize that for them this was an extraordinary once in a life time event. Did their contemporaries make fun of them as did the contemporaries of Noah and Job? Or could it possibly be that there existed outside of Israel a hope for God's closer presence which led them to bring gifts at His birth?
Unfortunately we don’t know the answers to those questions, so we can only guess the possible answers. But what we do know is that to these three wise men - these astrologers, they were aware that this birth was exceptionally significant.
I want to ask you. What is the significance of Jesus Christ to you?
I think it is absolutely amazing that one person can have so much impact on so many people.
In his life, Jesus did so much that we experience the effects of his life even today - 2000 years down the track.
There is no one person who has had so much effect upon the pattern of this world as Jesus had.
I cannot think of anyone who is both the most loved and most despised in this worlds history, all in the one package, as Jesus.
He is the most loved which is evidenced by the significant number of followers He has.
He is also the most despised which is evidenced by people’s swearing curses with the use of His name. We never hear someone curse, "Oh Buddha", or "Oh Confucius". If someone did we would think they had just suffered some kind of mental lapse. But it seems to be okay to use Jesus’ name.
Why is that? If Jesus was just another person, just a good man as many people believe today - then why is there so much antagonism towards someone who only did good for mankind?
I think the answer lies in the fact that Jesus had the gall to claim He was God.
Earlier I read out a passage from Isaiah 9:2-7. Part of that passage says
6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus’ claim was that he was the Messiah. That He was God, born as man.
In Revelation 1:8 Jesus is recorded as saying "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
In John 6:35-51 Jesus said,
"I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. 36I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. 37Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. 38I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39"This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. 40This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life.
47"I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. 48I am the Bread of Life.
And then Hebrews 1:1-4 says:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
These few passages demonstrate the claims Jesus made that He was God. So what it comes down to is how we view Him and His claims.
A fellow by the name of Josh McDowell said that there are only two alternatives to Jesus’ claims to being God Himself.
1. His claims were false
2. His claims were true
How seriously are you going to take Jesus’ claims this Christmas?
For some of you this is new information and haven’t thought of some of the things you have heard this morning. Others of you appreciate the reminder of the significance of Jesus Christ in our lives as Lord and Saviour. There are still others of you who may be thinking "All this is just ho hum. I’ve heard it all before."
I want to finish on this.
If you fall into the last category, but still living for yourself whilst claiming to be followers of Christ., then I ask you to carefully consider your attitude. There are some of you in the work place who claim to be disciples of Christ and yet few people would know that by your behaviour or attitude or language at your place of work.
There are others of you who are not yet married, your in your teens and early twenties, and you are considering and have already participated in pre-marital sex - and yet you claim to be a disciple of Christ.
Folks, we bring shame on God’s name when we act no different to the rest of the world. It is no wonder that people in communities throughout the world say that Christians are just hypocrites. If the lives we model are hypocritical, then we can blame no-body but ourselves for the taunts that come our way.
The fact is. God came to earth in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus modeled a life for us that God desires us to follow if we truly wanted to be counted as His disciples. God doesn’t ask us to follow Jesus’ example to be a kill-joy - but because He loves us, He wants the best for us, and He knows and has seen how when we have turned our back on God, our lives become chaotic and irrational.
God sent His Son Jesus out of love.
I challenge you to receive Christ into your life out of love as well if you have not already done so.
I also challenge those of us who have, through our actions, brought dishonor to Jesus. I challenge you, if you fall into that category, to repent of the way you have been living and ask God to renew your life to be one that honors Him in all things and at all times.
By Scott Douglas, Burdekin Baptist Church, 21st December 1997