To most people in this country, Christmas is just about getting together with friends and family to give and receive gifts. It is all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and not give any thought to why we even celebrate Christmas.
Do something radical this Christmas and take time out to consider why we have Christmas at all. Think about who this man Jesus Christ was whose coming has made such profound changes in people since then. Has Jesus Christ changed your life? If you are not comfortable with where you're going after this life, let Jesus set you free from this worry: "Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (John 8:31-32).
When you yield your life to Christ, He gives you assurance of your salvation. Knowing you have eternal life gives you a whole new perspective that changes how you respond to everything that happens to you in this life. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." (Luke 1:31)
God has many names which help us understand who He is. Jesus means "Savior" which is why He came into the world. The title "Christ" is from the Greek and "Messiah" is from Hebrew language which both mean "anointed of God". Jesus came to us through a miraculous birth of a virgin as prophesied: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus had no earthly father, His Father was from heaven so He was not contaminated with a sin nature (Luke 23:41), unlike the rest of humanity (Romans 3:23). By the way, the name "Immanuel… is translated, 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:23). While God has many names, this does not mean that all the names man uses for god refer to the God of the Bible. Satan has many names as well. "Jesus Christ... there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10, 12). "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14)
The purpose of the Bible is to reveal Jesus Christ to us (John 5:39). The connection between our Lord and the Word of God is so strong that Jesus is called "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). The Bible also makes it clear that Jesus is God, our Creator, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). God loved us so much that He put aside all the trappings of Almighty God and humbled Himself by coming in the form of a man (Philippians 2:6-8) to die in our place (Romans 5:8).
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14)
Jesus came to earth to glorify God (John 12:27-28) and make it possible for mankind to have an eternal relationship with Him (John 3:16). The world's concept of peace is an absence of war but this was not the kind of peace Jesus offered immediately. Christ's mission of mercy made it possible for mankind to have peace with God (John 14:27). If we know Jesus as Savior, we have "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Our eternal perspective makes it possible to have peace of mind in the midst of circumstances that makes no sense to non-believers. Jesus will indeed bless us with an absence of war but this will not happen until He returns (Isaiah 2:4).
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
Wise men still seek Jesus Christ. When Jesus was born, the Magi from Persia recognized the star which proclaimed the birth of the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-12). They traveled to Israel seeking Him and found Him in Bethlehem as prophesied (Micah 5:2). As Persians, the Magi had access to writings of the prophet Daniel who was in Babylonian captivity when the Medo-Persian Empire conquered them. Daniel 9:24-27 gives the timing of the first advent of Christ (a "week" in Daniel is a week of Hebrew years). The Magi no-doubt were aware of this prophecy and knew that the event had come when the star of God's Anointed appeared in the East (Matthew 2:2). Likewise, men with wisdom today study the prophetic Word of God, discern "the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:1-4), and seek out Jesus Christ before He returns. All things will not "continue as they were from the beginning of creation," judgment is coming (2 Peter 3:1-10).