What Christmas Really Means….UPDATE
Last week’s blog post wasn’t meant to be part 1 of a series. It was meant to stand alone. But as this past week progressed, I spent a lot of time checking my numbers on WordPress and I started analyzing where many of the people who visited my site came from.
You see, this past week, the majority of people came to my site through internet searches.
Normally, my subscribers get direct emails, I post links to both my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and I directly email quite a few of my very close friends, pastors, elders, and acquaintances. I may get 3 or 4 people come to my site through internet searches on various topics (usually predestination), but the majority of my traffic comes from people who already know me.
This week has been very different. At least 5 or 6 people daily have been finding my site through internet searches.
And these are not just any internet searches. Here are the top 3 internet searches that found me this week:
“What does Christmas truly mean”
“What does Christmas really mean”
“What Christmas really meant”
This got me thinking….there must be a LOT of people out there who are questioning the true meaning of Christmas!
This is heartbreaking!
There are a lot of reasons why this could be happening, but I would like to focus on two:
1) They really do not know (or want to talk to someone who doesn’t know) and are looking for answers.
2) They have lost all hope in what Christmas has become and are looking for a change.
I feel I need to give you some better answers, especially if people are going to be using what I’ve written to learn about the REAL meaning of Christmas. To do this, I would like to review many of the Old Testament prophecies. You see, the New Testament is one of the most critically reviewed documents in all of history. Much of the historical aspect of the Bible has been proven (although many people feel that it is historically inaccurate but they are wrong). If the New Testament is seen as primarily historically accurate, then the prophecies of the Old Testament (which happened more than 400 years before the time of the New Testament) must be accurate as well.
So the real meaning of Christmas began not 2012 years ago, but LONG before that at the creation of the universe. Genesis 1 gives us insight into the mystery of the Trinity, which is necessary for the New Testament Jesus to be possible.
But the important prophecies that we need to understand come from those later in the Old Testament. The Book of Isaiah was written almost 700 years before the birth of Christ. In 7:14, we see the following prophecy:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 continues…
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.
Almost 700 years before Christ’s birth, Isaiah is telling people of His coming. The proven historical content of Luke 2 was being discussed and desired by the Jews almost 700 years before!
This is a great place to begin YOUR Christmas story. For hundreds of years, people knew Christ was coming. And for you, your day could be today! If you are reading this, you know that Christ is trying to communicate through me to help you understand that Christ was born for everyone on this planet. He is our Counselor. He is our God. He is our Father. He is our Prince of Peace. He is Immanuel.
Christ came for the world that He so dearly loves.
But the story doesn’t end there, seeker!
Isaiah 53:3-7 gives the rest of the story.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
This is where the prophecy becomes personal. In the first 2 prophecies, we learn about Him…Jesus. In this final prophecy we learn about what Jesus’ role on this planet is. He is to take up OUR infirmities. He is to carry OUR sorrows. He is pierced for OUR transgressions. Crushed for OUR iniquities. By HIS wounds WE are healed.
This is grace.
Grace is the story of Christmas!
Grace is what brought Christ here. Grace is what put Christ on the cross. Grace is what kept Christ on the cross. Grace is what raised Christ from the dead.
This grace can be YOURS!
I am going to ask you to pray. For those who know Christ and have grace already in your life, I am going to ask you to pray for those who come to this site who do not know Christ. That they find something here that will stir them to explore Christ further. That they will finally submit to Christ and understand the freedom in submission.
For those of you who do not know Christ and would like to, then I ask that you pray the prayer below.
Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.
I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.
You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.
Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.
Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.
If you just prayed that prayer for the first time in your life, I would like for you to reach out to me. Frednoble11@comcast.net is my email. I would be honored to have the opportunity to prayer continually for you in whatever you need.
God-willing, Christ will come into your heart this Christmas.
Amen.
boyradd 