CHRISTMAS Lessons
Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva
December 12, 2008
Christmas is just around the corner. And whenever this particular season comes, it especially evokes wonderful feelings from people. In fact, even marketing gurus believe that people who do not usually spend tend to splurge during this time of the year. Hence the frills of the Christmas preparations and the thrills of hunting for gifts, wrangling for prices, and hopping from one bazaar to another for bargains and sale goods that have all become part of the lavish Paskong Pinoy tradition.
Lest we miss the whole essence why there is Christmas and why we celebrate it, in the first place, it is essential that we take a quick look back at the lessons to be learned from the first Christmas ever! The word points us to the truths:
Christ is the reason for the season. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17, NIV). Yes. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9, NLT). To celebrate Christmas therefore, minus a personal relationship with Christ, is nothing but a charade. If we take Him out of the picture, we will be left with nothing but trimmings without meaning.
Honor the truth of His Word. “…For I am a King. [Certainly I am a King!] This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears and listens to My voice” (John 18:37, Amplified). Surely Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). “Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone” (Acts 4:12, CEV).
Respond to the call of the Cross. Jesus stretched forth His arms on the cross to bridge the gap between the Holy God and the sinful world. This was the culmination of the plan of salvation that was birthed upon the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, in a manger. Let us learn how to correctly respond to this free gift of salvation from one of the sinners who was crucified with Jesus that day on Calvary ~ he acknowledged his guilt and his need for Jesus (Luke 23:39-43).
Invest your life in matters of eternal significance. This is the benchmark for genuine living: That you exist for things that would outlive you. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NIV).
Seek Him first at all times. Christmas promises not only eternal salvation, but even blessings unto overflow. All we have to do is to always put Him first, over and above all. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33, NLT). For Jesus came into the world that we may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance ~ to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10b, Amplified).
Trust His sovereignty. Life is hard, should we make it harder? Of course not! We must remember that one of the blessings of Christmas is the guarantee of the Lord’s absolute sovereignty. All we have to do is to trust Him. “The LORD All-Powerful has made this promise: Everything I have planned will happen just as I said” (Isaiah 14:24, CEV).
Master the heart of humility. The manger says it all, and compels us to “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion” (Philippians 6:5-8, The Message).
Always pay it forward. “The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people” (Mark 10:45, CEV). At the heart of Christmas is the heart of giving. May it become a personal lifestyle, not a hypocritical seasonal trend.
Submit to Him in worship and holy reverence. The distinction of being wise was given to the first group of people that intentionally went on a mission to seek the prophesied Messiah from Bethlehem. They came to Him in reverence, with gifts in their hands and worship in their hearts (Matthew 2:1-12). The lesson they carved in history rings true to this day: The wise submit to the King.
The manger of the Messiah was cradle to Heaven’s many mysteries. Yet they are not secret to the real seeker. This Christmas season, go beyond tradition and get to really know Christ ~ the sinners’ only Savior (1 Timothy 1:15).
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