The Call of Christmas

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us."
 
The Call of Christmas
 
700 years before the birth of Christ, God gave a prophecy to Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
 
Christmas is a sign from God to man. A sign is something special and symbolic, pointing to a greater truth and reality. Christmas is God calling out to man, “Hello, turn over here, pay attention, listen, this is so important, life and death.” Indeed, the Call of Christmas is not to be missed.
 
God gave a special sign, so that we will not miss His call - the sign of the extraordinary birth of Christ. He was to be born of a virgin. This is of course not possible in the natural, it took place only by the supernatural power of God. That’s what makes Christmas a sign, because it was the miraculous work of God!
 
Now, a sign is to point us to something greater. Don’t get caught up with the sign, but the significance of the sign. What is the meaning of the sign? What is the call of Christmas?
 
I.   The Incarnation of God – God with Us
 
The word “incarnation” means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh.
 
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
God became flesh and blood, born as a human, and dwelt among us. Christmas is the miraculous birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a miraculous birth not just because of the virgin birth, but because Jesus is no ordinary child. He is the only Son of God. The Bible reveals that there is only one true God, who expresses Himself in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, He is God the Son. He is the almighty God, all knowing, all powerful and all present. Yet, on Christmas day He came to earth and was born as a tiny, helpless and weak human baby. God became a man.
 
Why is it that God have to become a man? It is because man is separated from God. All of us have sinned against God and fallen short of His glory. The holy and perfect God cannot tolerate sin. No sinner can stand before Him. Throughout the ages man has tried all ways and means to get to God, but we fail again and again, because no matter what we do, we cannot erase the sins in our lives, neither can we make up for the wrong things that we do. With the advance in technology, we can travel far and wide, we can even travel to moon. But there is nothing we can do to shorten the distance between God and us. The separation of sin is so wide that we can’t even take a single step towards God. Only God can take the steps towards us. That’s why He gives us the miracle of Christmas, the birth of the Son of God. Jesus came from heaven to earth and was born as a man. One of His names is called Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”
 
C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, wrote this, “The Son of God became a son of man so that the sons of man might become the sons of God.” He came to where we are so that we might go to where He is.
 
Thank God that He doesn’t stay far, far away and say, “Climb up here.” No, He knows that no matter how hard we try, we can never get to Him on our own, therefore He comes down to bring us up. This is the meaning Christmas, the incarnation of God. God is with us. God is with you.
 
II.   The Intervention of God – God Helps Us
 
This world is full of problems. Whether 2,000 years ago or today in year 2016, the world is suffering. We are destroying ourselves even before the Final Judgement Day. Some people complain that why aren’t God doing something about it? The answer is, He did! Christmas is the intervention of God, He came personally to help us.
 
Rom 8:31-32  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
 
The devil would want you to believe that God is against you, that He is angry with you and mad at you. The truth is, God is not against you, He is for you. God is not mad at you, He is mad about you. Even though you turned away from God, He doesn’t turn away from you. He came to you because He is for you.
 
Another translation puts it this way, God is on your side. He is here to help you. If God is for you, who can be against you? If God has given you His own Son, what else will He withhold from you? Our God is prosperous – the whole world belongs to Him. Our God is generous – He’s given you His best in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will freely give you all things. Our God is miraculous – He is able to do, exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond all that you can ask or imagine. Prosperous, generous and miraculous. What a Saviour we have!
 
Some say, “This sounds too good to be true. Why would He be for me? Nobody likes me. I don’t even like myself!” The answer is simple, it is because God loves you with an unchanging and unconditional love.
 
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
 
God is for you, He doesn’t want you to perish in sin. Jesus came to save you from your sin and to give you a new life. This is good news; this is the meaning of Christmas. God has intervened our world to help us, and if you will let Him in, He will intervene on your behalf too.
 
III.   The Invitation of God – God Saves Us
 
Jesus was born to be the Savior of the world.
 
Matthew 1:21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
 
Luke 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
 
John 1:11-12 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.
 
When Jesus came, there were many who rejected Him, many who chose to go on their own way. But as many as received Him and believed in Him, they become children of God.
 
Conclusion
 
Christmas is a sign from God to you. You’ve been searching for answer, Jesus is your answer. He is the way, the truth and the life. He has come to be with you, to help you, and to save you.