Christmas is Love

I love December the most, because wherever we go we see all those beautiful and colorful lights at home, in the streets decorated with lanterns and huge Christmas trees. If you live in
the Philippines you will hear in every corners Christmas carols, and inside the mall they will play Christmas songs all day long. Then you will hear terms of words like “Christmas rush”
where almost everyone is goes shopping for gifts and midnight dinner preparation, Christmas parties with friends, classmates and colleagues, Christmas family gathering, dreaming of white
Christmas ( snows everywhere) and “Christmas blues” which is commonly experienced by people who are separated from their family during Christmas. And if you asked every person
what is the significant of Christmas to them, everyone will give their answers in different many ways, meaning and reasons.
And if I asked you now where is Christmas in the Bible? Probably some of us will point to the book of Matthew or Luke because that is where tell the story of Christ birth. But Christmas is
not just an event or history in the book, it is HIS story!
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
(Luke 2:11-12).
Behold! A Savior was born. What is His Name? What does it mean to us? And from what is He saving us from? Matthew 1:21 “You shall call His name, JESUS, for He will save His people
from their sins.”

Why do we need to be saved from our sins? The Bible is clear and warned us in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Indeed, Jesus was born into this world, our Savior and we celebrated Christmas every year but mostly we celebrated it just like a very important occasion, a season of festivities. But Christmas is more than that, and it’s not just about Savior birth. Jesus did not born into this world so that we may have Christmas celebration. It most importantly about His love. So if you will ask me where is Christmas in the Bible? I believed and I will say it John 3:16-19

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Christmas is Love! Above all its definitions and meaning. Because God himself who came into this world to save us, God is love! (1 John 4:8).

Many accepted and celebrated the concept of Christmas, but not many accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, the truth that Jesus was not meant to be born in this world but also need to
born in our hearts. Just as he was searching for a place and knocking at every houses where he can be born. Even now Jesus is still standing at door of our hearts longing to find a room where his love can dwell in us.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20. Let Jesus come into your hearts, so that we will celebrate Him and with Him not just in December but everyday of our lives, that those colorful lights will shine brightly as well in our hearts.

How can it be? Let’s look again at the at the Holy Scriptures.

1. For God so loved the world – meaning God loves His creation, the fallen humanity that needs salvation. His love is unconditional (Agape love), the kind of love that is not based on merits, and His loving kindness endures forever. (Psalm 100:5) To put this in simple and much personal way, God loves you! Just as you are in all of your flaws. And don’t doubt it or take it for granted that it is just word, because of what is happening to your life now or what had happened in the past.

Here is the proof that God loves us, first He created us in His image, (Genesis 1:27) fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Second, He loved us so much, that He gave us free-will of choice even if means it will break his own heart if we made wrong choices “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Thirdly, He has a great plan for all of us, plan to prosper and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and future. (Jeremiah 29:11). Lastly, that we might have life and life in abundance, to its fullest! That is why He gave us The Gift of love, a child wrapped in a swaddling cloth.

2. He gave His only begotten Son– Jesus, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15) The Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6) the One Mediator between God and all men (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Bible tells us that long before the world began, God had a plan to bring redemption through Christ to all those who would choose to believe and follow Him (1 Peter 1:19-20). God
knew we would need a Savior. He knew we would need to be set free. And He made a way, by sending His One and Only Son, so that we could receive forgiveness and find new life and hope
through Him (John 3:16).

Why did Jesus Christ come as a Baby? Because He was the promise Son from the very beginning that would redeem humanity from its fallen nature that was caused by sin, the One who will redeem and set us free from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13) Remember from the book of Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

It establishes a principle that runs throughout the Old Testament, creating an expectation of a Redeemer who would be a descendant of Adam and Eve. Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14 – Immaculate and divine conception! For with God nothing is impossible.

“When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 Notice what the Bible says “born of a woman” That was not unique, but what was unique was that Jesus was born only of a woman, and not just a woman but a virgin! the phrase “born of a woman” refers to the humanity of Jesus. God came in the flesh.(John 1:14) The fact that God became flesh and walked on this earth means He understands what you and I go through every day. He can empathize with our shortcomings because He has experienced the same tribulations we have.(Hebrews 4:15) yet he remains sinless!

Why the virgin birth is essential? Aside from the fact that it was foretold in the Scripture, another reason is when Jeconiah,(Matthew 1:11) one of the last king of Judah before the deportation of Babylon. God was not pleased with Jeconiah, so He said, “No man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah” (Jeremiah 22:30) Now, we have a problem. Joseph inherited this curse of Jeconiah. How could Jesus be a descendant of David and yet miss the curse of Jeconiah? Only God could have come up with a solution. By being Joseph’s adopted son, Jesus inherited the right to rule.(The Promised Messiah from David’s descendant) But because He was not Joseph’s biological son, He escaped the curse of Jeconiah. The virgin birth was a part of God’s plan and Mary’s lineage is also from the Davidic line.

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. John 3:31. He came as a child to confront and conquer every challenge and every temptation common to humanity. Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8).

3. Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have an everlasting life.

If there is one thing that really pleases God, that is of faith (Hebrews 11:6) because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…Ephesians 2:8-9. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1 John 5:12)
From the manger to the cross, Jesus paved the way for the salvation of our souls. Remember the sinner who was also crucified with Jesus, He got saved because He believes Jesus by faith.
Jesus spoke, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43).

Christmas is not just for a season, Everyday is a Christmas!

Make decision to invite Jesus to your heart, to your home today! Make a room for Him Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Live with determination to follow Him at all cost, denying yourself to carry your own cross (Matthew 16:24) Just as Jesus Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8).

As God’s plan for us, our destiny is to be home with Jesus (John 14:3).

What an amazing love! Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)