Christmas Is About One Person — Jesus Christ

Christmas is only about one Person, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Jesus the Word of God, the full expression of God the Father came in the flesh to share humanity with us. We can talk about the beautiful memories of Christmas or the desire to avoid the pressure of a “Better Homes & Gardens” holiday. But the One Christmas is truly about, the Reason for Christmas, is Immanuel, God with us.

Go out into the crisp night air and look at the stars. Watch the Christmas lights and the stars twinkle and ponder the astonishing gift of Christ our Savior. He is the perfect and complete gift our Redeemer and the very Word of God who came in the flesh for us.

Jesus… came… for… us.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us God who knows our weaknesses, rebellion, and sin, yet still loves us and planned from before time began to create us and provide a way for us to be fully redeemed. Those who come to Jesus, He calls friends.

Jesus Had Been Planned From Time Eternal

The One “from the days of eternity” came at the perfect moment in history to rescue any who would receive Him. Out of the obscure, little village of Bethlehem, as the prophet Micah said:

“His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity”
(Micah 5:2b, NASB).

Jesus is the One Isaiah prophesied would come for us:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).

He was and is the new and perfect Adam, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” He came for people living in darkness.

At the perfect time in history with common languages, a unified system of government, and a shared road system He came for us. The Triune God sent His Son to be born, incarnate (in the Latin, meaning “enfleshment” or “to be made in the flesh”). He was the promise fulfilled for us.

He was and is the very Word of God, who through the same creative force that had spoken the world into existence by His Word, had now breathed life into a child through a virgin birth. This child would become the life and light of the world to overcome the darkness forevermore. Isaiah prophesied:

“Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone”
(Isaiah 9:2b).

To all who would receive Him, they would and will become children of God (cf. John 1:12). He brought the gift of grace, which is favor we did not deserve, and redemption for our sin and rebellion. He brought truth the only, absolute truth, the bread of life, the very words that bring life to our souls and guide us back to God.

The Apostles Came to Understand Jesus as the Word

The apostle John understood Jesus as the Word when he wrote:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
(John 1:1).

The revelation of Jesus the Christ had been given and was more fully comprehended by the apostles after the resurrection. John proclaimed the truth he came to fully grasp:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Jesus Understood Our Pain and Suffering

How can we personally relate to Jesus as a divine being in the flesh? It can be difficult in our finite minds to understand that Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. Jesus expressed His divine nature as needed while also humbling Himself as a man in every way a man hurts or feels.

He walked out His childhood and human manhood in righteousness and servanthood, showing us how you and I can live in truth and holiness. We can imagine Him in the carpenter’s shop, perhaps missing with the hammer and striking His finger, or getting a splinter in His hand. He felt pain. He experienced the physical and emotional suffering that we do. He grew tired. His feet grew sore (there were no modern comforts like Dr. Scholl’s sandals), He hungered, He had no place to call home after He began His ministry. He was a wayfarer in an inhospitable world. He was sorrowful and wept. He experienced hatred, violence, and rejection, and He experienced fully the most horrible death known to mankind.

Why did He choose to walk out such a challenging life in the flesh? He could have called thousands of angels to rescue Him from this world and from death on a cross. Why? Because Jesus truly God and truly man is the full embodiment of God’s love for mankind. Regardless of how many times people had rejected God, God the Father had promised, in full unity with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, to fulfill the promise of redemption for fallen
men and women, to redeem us and bring us back to Himself.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus’ Words Are the Absolute Truth for Our Lives

Jesus came speaking words of life. The Word becoming flesh means more than just speaking creation into existence. The Word has life for the healing of our emotional scars, our wrong thinking, our emotional pain, our attitudes, our unforgiveness, our covetousness, our greediness.

The words Jesus spoke confirmed the words of God that had been given in Scripture since men of old received the Law, the Ten Commandments, words of guidance, and prophecy and wrote them down in the Old Testament. Jesus’ person, words, and teachings fulfilled the Law and brought grace and an understanding of love, grace, and redemption never before understood. Those words recorded in the Bible have not changed but bring the truth that
He spoke and are for us to live by today.

There is no more important activity for any of us than to know the Word, to see the truth for ourselves and our culture, to understand its meaning as absolute truth, and to apply it to our lives. There is absolute truth. Truth is not relative to circumstances or changes in the culture.

As Solomon said:

“There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

The behavior in our culture that outrages us today is no different than the behavior present when Jesus walked this earth or in ancient times like Solomon’s.

Jesus Came for Sinners Like You and Me

Yet Jesus brought the truth in love. He sat with sinners like you and me. He came to connect with the most hurting, the oppressed, the sinful, or anyone who would listen.

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

Do you want to know or know better this Jesus who will take the time to listen to your hurts, sorrows, and struggles? Are you desperate this Christmas for answers to life’s questions, to your fears, anxieties, or worries? Is Christmas this year less about gifts and pretty decorations and more about peace in a fractured world, perhaps your fractured world?

Are you desperate for help with your heartbreaks, depression, loneliness, fear? Are you desperate for someone to help you overcome your regrets, feelings of inadequacy, worries about unmet goals?

There is only one answer: You need Jesus and His Word. Jesus, the Word, who came to dwell among us.

Jesus Sent the Holy Spirit to Counsel and Guide

Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to be our counselor and guide. The Holy Spirit opens the Word of God to us. When we are hurting, He shows us that the answers to return to peace and joy are in the Word.

I know what it means to be desperately heartbroken. Personally, I know what it is like to experience a heartbreaking, broken relationship, one that has lasted for several years. I would imagine that some of you have also experienced a broken relationship at one time or another in your family. Is there someone you have prayed for or are still praying for to be reconciled to the Lord and/or to be reconciled with you?

It is usually not just one person involved in a broken relationship. Others in the family are often deeply affected. It would not be right to be specific, but suffice it to say, it is a deep hurt that has required daily prayer and much time in the Word.

With the Word of God, I have been able to carry on with hope, peace, and surprisingly, with joy. The Word of God has helped me walk in humility, keep an open heart of love and forgiveness, examine my own responsibility in the damaged relationship, and wait on the sovereign work of the Lord to heal, restore, and reconcile in His timing.

Jesus Speaks to Us Through His Word

In the midst of heartbreak, Jesus promises you and me peace:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

Jesus promises hope:

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

He knows our heartbreak. He even knows our names:

“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:30–31).

If we are lonely, Jesus says:

“I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) and
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).

If we are depressed or hurting:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”
(Matthew 11:28).

If we are worried:

“Do not be anxious about your life” (Matthew 6:25) and
“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself”
(Matthew 6:34).

If we are heartbroken:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

How Do We Know Jesus?

How do we get to know Him and His love? We abide in Him and in His Word.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be
done for you. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love”
(John 15:7, 9).

What does Jesus mean when He uses the word “abide”? Abide means to accept, act, live, dwell, and remain in a constant, intimate relationship with God. To connect and remain connected requires spending time with Jesus, the Word, through His words and all the words of God.

Practical Suggestions to Help You Stay Connected to the Word

• Read His words and the words written about Him and His ministry in the Gospels, Acts, and the letters written by Paul and others in the New Testament.
• Begin with the Gospel of John and learn why John called Him the Word of God. Before you begin, spend 5–10 minutes in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to open your understanding.
• Choose a quality, modern English version of the Bible with study notes. Choose one for study that you can read and highlight, and also a downloaded version.
• Memorize the Word so you can recall it in times of stress and personal struggle. Write out your favorite Scriptures and practice them. Put sticky notes with Scripture on your mirror. Read a Bible memorization help book.
• Listen to the Word on your phone while you are doing housework, gardening, or driving.
• Choose a “read through the Bible” plan and begin this year to read through the entire Bible.
• Get advice on quality commentaries and reading materials to help you understand the Bible. It is important to choose biblically accurate material.
• Read quality books that help you apply the Word to your life and show how the Bible is sufficient for every area of life.
• Join a community group and Bible study group.
• Invite a woman in your church to coffee who has been in the Word for many years and
  ask for ideas on how you can study and glean more from the Word.

Feed on the Word of God. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). Let His Word saturate you. He is the Word of life for your soul. If you do not know Him personally or need to strengthen your fellowship with Him, ask a seasoned woman of the Word to guide you in receiving Him or drawing closer to Him.

Joy and Peace Through Him and His Word

Joy and peace for us at Christmas and throughout the year, every day, are found through Him and His Word.

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be
full” (John 15:11).

Merry Christmas, and may you experience true joy and peace only found through knowing Jesus, the Word.

For more from our latest series please visit: Christ Our Light and Hope: Reflections for Advent