A Holy Christmas, Part 1

The reason God sent Jesus is Dr. Tony Evans reminds his Christmas is much more than a holiday and there's a real reason to rejoice on the cell celebration because it this is the alternative with Dr. Tony, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative, the well-known Christmas Carol deck the halls proclaims tis the season to be jolly and there is a lot to be cheerful about during the holidays but Dr. Evans wants to make sure that amidst the food, fun and family time. We don't miss the key reason to celebrate.

Once joined him as he elaborates a lot going on this Christmas, a lot of drinking and celebration family time. While it's supposed to be about Jesus is going to wind up being about everything else Christmas for a lot of reason number one don't have to go to work, celebrate time off from employment responsibility to some degree. Plenty of parties. People will even get drunk in the name of Christmas gifts will be purchased and exchanged people in the balls will be filled. We need a visit. The context in which Jesus was born. It was not a sterile environment.

He was born in the midst of political oppression as the Romans held their phones over the Jewish nation and insisted on them being best servants time of taxation so people had to go to that place of birth, so that the sentence could be taken so that they could be taxed appropriately.

It would be a time in the side as babies would be killed during the season.

It was in the midst of cultural chaos but the Christmas story unfolds the midst of cultural confusion, frustration, disappointment, and a people that we come to Christmas so would seem like it's a lot like today celebrating Christmas. While the world is falling apart celebrating Christmas. While there are conflicts on every single level internationally, massively in our personal lives and our family Christmas has become that getaway moment when we try to use the birth of Christ to forget our troubles in the text of this reality that we celebrate Christmas. There were some interesting scenarios. When Jesus was born. Maybe you can identify with one of one according to Luke chapter 2, there was so much partying going on in Bethlehem, there was no room for him and begin so many people so much activity.

So many festivities so much concern about census and passing new tax codes that was just no spot for Jesus. No room for him in the water.

Perhaps you can identify with this one said you see in Matthew chapter 2 that I and all the time knowing you wanted the killing to the problem with that. One of the world to kinks can be king and Jesus became one of us have got to go, but you worship as the excuse to get rid of a lot of help you Sunday as an excuse to get rid of Jesus all week long. They they don't want him rolling their lives, but they want to pay what appears to be legitimate homage to because there's only one place for King and that is me being my own king met him being king over me, but they'll still talk worship or perhaps you would think like the leaders of the day because in Matthew chapter 2 it says that they told the wisemen where he would be born. They quote it the prophecy of Micah 52 would say hundreds of years before Jesus was more than he would be bored in the microscopic town of Bethlehem, Soviet leaders knew the Bible, but never made the trip they quoted Micah 52, but never went to meet the Savior himself because as quote the Bible and do nothing with it CV if you been around long enough to know I did not help you. So quote the Scripture and have no effect on their life on the decision on their choices. So what different reactions to the birth of Christ. I want to look at for specific responses to the birth of Christ as recorded in Luke chapter 2 just for things that ought to call your attention to him in a fresh way chapter 2. The first thing that we see in verse 11 it says for the day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord you made Christmas is because you need to be saved. Just the first thing that's important for you is a Savior means to be delivered from something the word slave means deliverance all rescue the risen God sent Jesus is to rescue us from the points is about sin.

Sin separated man from God because God is perfect, it cannot lower your standards just because he loves us because we're perfect.

No matter how good we are. We can't meet the standards of a perfect God. So we needed to be saved.

When I was in school.

I love it when the teacher said back on a greater test on the curve that made my day to do good on the task and knew that they would curve the grade given the fact that every body have failed to gain good news that I would be delivered by the teacher from Australia but every now and then that be one nerd in the classroom.

Nerd is a weird smart person would be this nerd in the classroom would make 100 and mess up the curve. Everybody hated nerd, because didn't let us get away without fail presence reminded us, because now the teacher would not grade on the curb because the standard have been met by that was only one person in human history whose met the expanded of a holy God, so God can grade you on the current he cannot reduce his standard to our level of sinfulness. But what he will do is allow us to have a Savior that's why Jesus came he came to rescue us. He came to deliver us from sin from circumstances that sin and from the worst thing of all death. Do you know that the good news of the gospel means you never get to die. Jesus told Mary in John chapter 11 he said to her, he believed in me shall never die.

So the worst thing you can think of the physical life, physical death will never happen to the believer.

For be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord you get delivered from the thing we fear most because we have a Savior rescuer and all place faith alone in Christ alone. Given the gift of eternal life of the forgiveness of sins so that they all say by a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. So one of the benefits of Christmas and the most important one is salvation, not starvation. Automate the celebration because Rick told in verse 10 do not be afraid, behold, I bring you good of great joy which shall be for all people.

The celebration celebration because it is good news, bad news on here you read your newspaper.

There's bad news every day in the news only gets worse when I got some good news because Jesus was born on a bad day and a bad time in bad circumstances, and he says I've got good news is good news will make you want to shout because it gives you joy joy in the Bible was always associated with celebration good news having a bad day and some days can be really bad. Makes me think of Doctor Who called this patient – happy.this test results the said them well I got to test results back and I got bad news, I got really bad news. The bad news. The bad news is based on these test results. You only have one day left to live. That's the bad news yeah what was the really bad news.

I should've called you yesterday because sometimes the news is bad. Another time, just like really bad.

But I'm here to declare you today some good news and read the celebrate joy and that is the birth of Jesus Christ of the gospel that he brings that even if you're in a bad stage in the bad times and bad circumstances. He can give you joy in the midst of your madness and your best, so you can live with good new on a bad day. If you really understand what Christmas is all about. Dr. Evans will be back to continue this message of good news just a moment right now though he's here in the studio to share a quick thought with his Dr. Evans we've been talking about God's gift today, but the world has turned the whole idea of giftgiving in the something that misses the point of what Christmas really is a lot of people are confused about it because it's become so secularized today at the heart of the celebration is a coming of God as he became a man in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way that you recognize his coming when you give them the gift if you will, is when you touch the least of these.

When you help somebody who can do nothing for you in return. If you really excited about Christmas. What are you doing for somebody who can never pay you back because you see we could earn our way to heaven. God did something for us and our responses out of gratitude because we could have never purchased our salvation with this gift of salvation. We now have eternal life in a one way you make an express that is by helping us reach people you could never reach. We could use your help in the name of Christmas. The real reason for Christmas December gospel message to hundreds of thousands of individuals who here are broadcast. As we mentioned so many times.

The alternative is 100% listener supported broadcast so we really do depend completely on listeners like you to keep this important were going. Please visit Tony Evans.org today or call 1-800-800-3222 to let Tony know we can count on your support.

Whether you make a contribution online or over the phone is her way of saying thanks will send you the best of to send you the best of Tony Evans 2020 audio compilation of 20 of his most requested messages as well as his popular devotional book called for a purpose. Just visit us today@tonyevans.org or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222 to make your year-end contribution. I'll repeat that contact information for you a little later. Right now, let's get back to today's message. So we offer salvation celebration to a marvelous worship says in verse 13 and suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest all happen broke out in worship at the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is what I like to call the celebrity of the universe we live in a day of saccharine celebrities, celebrity substitutes, people have a name because of talent and skill. The money that present their power, all of which can be reduced to ashes in life and will be reduced to ashes at the end of life so that celebrity substitutes we got some real sugar here of praise if you're going to give it to anybody is only one superstar of the universe that is Jesus Christ who are low deserves the accolades and the glory that had been offered because it says glory to God's this Jesus all by himself. He is glory to God in behind us so no name is to put Jesus's name because he is in a class all by himself and at the birth of Jesus and said broke out in worship and gave glory to God every football game only has 17 minutes of contact is only 70 minutes, where players each other.

Those 70 minutes and one hour day. So for one hour game.

You get to see 70 minutes of action, but you will sit for three hours, you will sit for three dollars watch one hour to C-17. May you drive to the stadium last two hours to set three dollars watch one hour to C-17 all the parking lot drive home is not about seven hours to sit for three hours to watch one now to experience everything all maternal and SportsCenter network to look at what you just saw. Now when you set three hours to watch one hour in order to C-17 at work around a lot of yesterday will be talking about a loser because one thing about that worship services is unpredictable. Sometimes that sometimes down the one we worship never have a losing season losing weight because the state law the worship is worthy of it all year long because he's saving all likely the Magi we call the three wise men about three wise men bounces it with three gifts so the assumption is that three wise men, but when they finally came and they said where is he, king of the Jews because we saw his star in the East so that wise men came from the East over toward China and so they said we saw his star glory.

The manifestation of his glory in the heavens and where it came to worship.

Let me tell you why I like the wise because Jesus was a child in the house not a baby in the manger.

So all those nativity scenes where they got Mary and Joseph and the animals in the manger in the stall all Matthew says when they live they saw the child in the house and the Greek word for child is two years old or so when the wise men show up like the Magi because they went to see it when they saw the star but they didn't get to see him until he was two years old, which means that God will make them vent donkeys and that caravan and took out to because Jesus was worthy of the inconvenience of the travel worship Psalm about when we thought rain last night where debating am I going make it this morning. Not yet written to the plight of being where inconvenience because of what he is done, and because he is Christ the Lord of the Magi said he is worthy of worship.

One of the things that you will find in the story, particularly in the book of Matthew is the name of the Holy Spirit will show all the time.

Story and what the Magi it says because of what they did to worship the Holy Spirit. Another way to escape one of the benefits you get worship is God. The third member of the Trinity. You on your journey of life with you. If you know the Lord to make washable lifestyle to get rid of it as a holiday. If you only good once again did not get all the benefits that accrue to you because you are worshiping the king of kings of the laudable area of benefit in the birth of Christ.

Verse 14 says glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men reconciliation. In other words, the answering of conflict of peace is conflict.

We live in a world of all claims of conflict.

First of all, we live in a world with people in conflict with themselves. You can get along which you everybody else air bios is in trouble, so we live without personal conflicts are collecting our inner confusion with ourselves. We have relational conflict with one another.

Whether it's in the whole board were relaxed peace is all social conflict. The racial problem appears to get worse and worse in the class divide continues to grow political for sure continues to separate people and parties and there is no peace. And yet it says Jesus came to offer reconciliation people being able to get along with themselves with others in a world where people are divided that Chris was at the center of it is to give peace and he says it is to give peace among people being able to handle the question. Can we all Dr. Tony Evans. The good news of Jesus Christ. This Christmas before we go for today. Let me quickly remind you about our special year-end offer the best of Tony Avenue and 20 2020 of Tony's most popular messages plus his powerful devotional book called for a purpose. We want to send you this special resource bundle is or thank you gift when you make a donation to support Tony's work for the close of this year and into the next get Tony's best so you can be your best devotional book in 20 messages to and 2020 make the arrangements today by visiting Tony Avenue and start or or color 24-hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 that's online it Tony Avenue and start or a or by phone at 1-800-800-3222 tomorrow. Dr. Evans will continue his look at how we can make this Christmas a holy Christmas joined the alternative with Dr. Tony Avenue by the alternate is made possible by the generous confusion of listeners