We know that during Christmas Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. It can be so easy to do all the Christmas things and not pause to meditate on Jesus and why it’s so significant that He came.
The Christmas story reminds us of basic truths about the nature of Jesus and His purpose in being born, but there’s something so beautiful about remembering and meditating on the simple things. So that’s what we’re gonna do. đ And if you’re not a Christian, stick around. Maybe you’ll learn something you haven’t heard before about why Jesus’ birth is so important. đ
To read the Christmas story in the Bible, head to Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2 and John 1.
1. Jesus is God
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God…So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Fatherâs one and only Son.” (John 1:1-18)
God came close to us in human form, so we would have a revelation of who He is and what Heâs like in both His written Word, the Bible, and in His Son, the living Word.
John 1 beautifully lays out that Jesus is the same God who existed before anything or anyone in heaven or earth was created. He is the very One who caused those things to come into being and sustains them, upholding the world with the power of His word and giving life and breath to everything. (Acts 17:24-28 // Colossians 1:15-20 // Hebrews 1:1-3)
Heâs the only true and living God who took on human flesh and became like His creation, while totally maintaining His divinity, so that He could make Himself known to us and save us from our sins. (Philippians 2:6-11)
Not only is Jesus God, but He is God with us. This is where the name of Jesus, Emmanuel, comes from. Through the coming of Jesus into the world as a baby, we learn major truths about the character of God. He draws near to us. He makes Himself known to us.
He loves and cares about the people He created. He is involved in our lives and involved in this world. He is not a distant, uninvolved, nebulous Being in the sky. No, friend, our God is personal and He is near. We see Godâs nearness to us in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus and throughout the life of Jesus on earth.
The way God encouraged Mary through an angel that even though she was being tasked with a role in Godâs plan that was so clearly beyond herself, the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and make it possible. The way God spoke to Joseph in a dream to confirm that Mary was telling the truth about carrying the Messiah, giving him peace and direction in the midst of what could have been a troubling situation.
We see it in the fact that for 33 years on this earth Jesus lived our human experience so that He could relate to our trials and temptations and help us when we face them. (Hebrews 2:14-18 // Hebrews 4:14-16) As Christians, we experience it every day as Jesus lives in us through His Holy SpiritâHis very Person, presence and power in us foreverâhelping us connect with Him and live life for Him. (John 14:16-18)
Over and over through His work in the world from the birth of Jesus to the gentle whispers and promptings of His Spirit in our day-to-day lives, we learn that God is interactive and relational with His people.
***BONUS CONTENTÂ I wrote this song about Jesus being “God with us” years ago during Christmas time as I reflected on John 1 and the incarnation of Jesus. This is “With Us (Emmanuel).”
2. Jesus is Savior.
 “And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.â (Matthew 1:21)
Every person on this earth has something in common and itâs this: we all have strayed from Godâs paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6). We all have sinned and fallen short of Godâs glorious standard (Romans 3:23). We have all lived our lives apart from God and we’ve all broken His commandments. But because of Jesus we can be saved from our sins (Matthew 1:21).
Why do you and I need saving from sin? Sin robs us of eternal life and our ability to have a personal relationship with God. Sin destines us for eternal punishment and separation from God. (Romans 5:6-11 // 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
Many prophecies were spoken about Jesus leading up to and just after His birth and I love the way they describe Him. Jesus is Godâs salvation prepared for all people. (Luke 2:30-31) He is the mighty Savior sent to us from God (Luke 1:69).
Do you know the lyric from the Christmas carol, âHark! The Herald Angels Sing?â “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.â This is why the birth of Jesus is such a big deal.
The promised one who has the power to reconcile sinful humanity with our God has come. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) The one with the power to forgive us and free us from sin has come. The famous Bible passage John 3:16-18 lays out God’s motivation and purpose in sending Jesus so well.
 âFor this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.
There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in Godâs one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)
God sent Jesus to save the world because He loves the world. This is what the Christmas story reveals to us. God sent you and me a Savior because He loves us. We are made friends of God and saved from the just judgment for our sin when we believe in Jesus.
God sent Jesus to save the world because He loves the world.Click To Tweet
3. Jesus is King.
 The other day while reading my Bible and listening to âJoy to the World,â I had this thought: Joy to the world, the Lord is come, and joy to the world the Lord is coming!
During the Christmas season, we remember the first coming of Jesus as an infant who would grow up to die on the cross and rise again as the offering for our sins. But did you know that Jesus will come again as King to rule to the world?
We have a promise to cling to, that angels proclaimed as Jesus ascended into Heaven not long after His resurrection. âJesus has been taken from you into Heaven, but someday Jesus will return from Heaven in the same way you saw Him go.â (Acts 1:11) Especially as our world becomes increasingly filled with evil, turmoil, division, tragedy every day, we can be encouraged all the more by this hope: Jesus is coming again.
He will remove evil and rule this world with Godâs peace and righteousness. He will remove suffering and pain forever. He will live on this earth made new with His people forever and we will reign with Him. (Revelation 19-22)
If youâre often tempted, like me, to be overwhelmed by how broken the world around you is and by the trials of your own life, remember it wonât always be that way. If you are a Christian, you have a hope in Jesus. Your Savior is a King who is coming back to restore all things in heaven and on earth as He designed them to be.
As we look forward to Christmas Day and reflect on Jesusâ first coming, let your hope be stirred to anticipate His second coming as well.
Good News for Everyone
The Christmas story is good news for everyone. Because Jesus has come, we get to know God, deeply and personally. We get to know what He is like and we get to be His friends. Because Jesus has came, we no longer have to bear the eternal penalty for our sins against God or live by the power of it’s impulses that pull us away from God’s righteous ways. We get to be forgiven and free.
What’s more? Because Jesus has come, if you know that to be true and have experienced His salvation and transformation in your own life, you get to tell others the good news that Jesus has come and they can meet him too.
I love that when people found out about the birth of Jesus in the Bible, be it the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) or Anna and Simeon at the Temple (Luke 2:21-38), they told others about His coming. You and I get to tell others about Jesus, what that means for their lives and how to respond to Him. What a privilege that is!
This Christmas, rejoice that you are a beneficiary of what God has done in the Christmas story, but also remember to be a witness of the Christmas story to others. If you want to know more about how to know Jesus as the Savior, read this. Merry Christmas!
Let’s Talk: Which part of Jesus’ character revealed in the Christmas story speaks to you most and why? Discuss this post in the comments below.
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