Jesus is the Great Christmas Connection
We need to take time to deeply consider all that it cost God so that He could (Mark 15:38) tear open the veil of the temple. No human could ever have done that. That veil was 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and 9 to 10 inches thick. Why did God do it? Because that separating veil, which shut us out from God’s Presence was no longer necessary. But – but – but - Jesus is God so how could He be the connecting bridge between holy transcendent God and unholy helpless sinners? Listen – listen and wonder!
Rockets may soar to far away reaches,
Men may arrive at the strangest of beaches,
But the greatest event since creation began
Took place on that day when God became MAN!
This is the true meaning of Christmas, that now we have a (1 Timothy 2:5) Mediator between God and man, the MAN Christ Jesus. You cannot separate Bethlehem and Calvary. Jesus came into this world to die for this world and He came in Bethlehem in the human body which was destined for the cross.
On a night long ago God took Abraham out into the starlight and promised him (Genesis 15:5) that his descendants would be as many as the stars and also that One of his descendants would bless the whole world because He would be that Saviour of the world. Thousands of years later on a starlit night in Bethlehem, the promised Descendant would be born into this world (Luke 2:10) from the borrowed womb of a young virgin girl in a human body. Starlight – angels – beauty – mystery – salvation. I have heard many Christians say that God forgives us because He loves us but I agree with (Oswald Chambers) that “this is unconscious blasphemy”. If God forgave me just because He loves me, He would have to violate His own holy nature of righteous justice. God does forgive sin but it cost the rending of His heart at Calvary where the agonizing Atonement of Jesus on the cross made it possible for God to forgive and still remain holy. If you have not come to God by the Cross of Jesus Christ, you do not have eternal life and you have no hope of heaven because your sin has not been forgiven. There is no possibility of forgiveness apart from the finished work and full payment of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Do we even begin to realize what it cost God to forgive us? The victorious Jesus paid in full (Hebrews 2:17) for our reconciliation. We have been (Romans 5:10) reconciled to God and have immediate access to His Presence. When we go, through the Blood past the veil, into the Holy of holies to pray, we are welcomed, loved and heard. Who has a god like unto our God Who listens to us?
Whether or not they realize it (Dr.C. Stanley) “there will always be a deep inner loneliness, a sense of something missing, in every person who has no connection with his Creator”. Only Jesus can make that essential connection which brings lasting peace. Jesus told us (Matthew 24) of the worsening things in the world that would be the buildup to the Great Tribulation. It seems to me that we are seeing those things now as global disasters multiply. We are surrounded by people who, like the people of Nineveh, who spiritually don’t know (Jonah 4:11) their right hand from their left. But God sent Jonah and Nineveh repented. Will we say with Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8) “Here am I Lord, send me” and then buy up every opportunity to tell someone the good news of the Gospel? God’s alarm clocks are sounding all over the world with an offer of mercy and a warning of coming judgment.
Jesus has risen from the dead and is about to ascend to heaven. Because He is not willing (2 Peter 3:9) that any should perish in the world which (John 3:16) God so loved, He doesn’t go without leaving a Plan. His Plan is (Matthew 28:18) that everyone who hears and receives the Gospel will tell others and all who believe and are discipled will tell others and this method will continue all through he generations until every tribe, people language, nation will have heard of the free gift of God’s grace which is (Ephesians 2:8-9) eternal salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. We call this the Great Commission and God has no other Plan. As we check out the Plan Jesus left, it becomes obvious that every truly born-again believer has a responsible part in that Plan. What am I doing about it? (Oswald Chambers) “There is no possibility of questioning when God speaks if He speaks to His own nature within me; prompt obedience is the only result.” Do we care about God’s Plan and its purpose?
If you need encouragement or a corrected perspective in these troubled times read PSALM 46. This psalm prompted Martin Luther to write his magnificent hymn. “A Mighty Fortress is our God”.
A vine does not hate, dislike or ignore its branches. The True Vine (John 15) is closely connected and fully committed to each branch which belongs to Him. He dearly loves each branch (including you and me) so completely that He pours His very life into the branch so that the branch will bear the beautiful fruit, which the Vine produces in response to obedience. My fruitfulness is not the evidence of my striving and working for God but is the genuine evidence of God’s love for me as I abide in the Vine.
This is why Christmas, why Calvary, why Easter.
Jesus is the Great Christmas Connection