Christmas – TGN https://tgnghana.org United For The Gospel Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:18:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://tgnghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cropped-TGN-logo-1-32x32.png Christmas – TGN https://tgnghana.org 32 32 The Birth Of Christ https://tgnghana.org/the-birth-of-christ/ https://tgnghana.org/the-birth-of-christ/#respond Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:29:27 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/?p=7429 Matthew 1:18–2:12 There is no shortage of arguments against Christmas–the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The constant charge: It is a pagan festival. However, that assertion has long been refuted. “It’s commonly thought Christians took over the pagan holiday of Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”), which was on December 25. But there’s little evidence […]

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There is no shortage of arguments against Christmas–the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The constant charge: It is a pagan festival. However, that assertion has long been refuted. “It’s commonly thought Christians took over the pagan holiday of Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”), which was on December 25. But there’s little evidence to back this up.”1

Now, the most crucial reason for Christians to celebrate Christmas is the birth of Christ. It is an actual historical event. Jesus Christ is a real historical figure. He was announced and anticipated in the Old Testament. He arrived in the New Testament. Granted, the pagan assertions are correct (and they are not), but the celebration of Christmas is still about Jesus Christ. Despite the commercialisation and secularisation of the season, Jesus is still the centre of it. Answering critics of Christmas, Donald Macleod, in his book ‘From Glory To Golgotha’, gave us a reason to celebrate the birth of Christ and raised a complaint about Christians not taking advantage of the season:

“It would be easy to be critical. Yet, in a day of small things, the festive season so-called, has one advantage: it reminds the public of at least the name and the fact of Jesus Christ. The pity is that men seldom go beyond that and that the church itself appears content to leave the supreme mystery of its faith only vaguely hinted at in the glitter and gaiety of what it calls its greatest festival. Christmas is a lost opportunity, a time when the world invites the Church to speak and she blushes, smiles and mutters a few banalities with which the world is already perfectly familiar from its own stock of cliches and nursery rhymes.”2 

His Announcement

In our everyday life, we don’t just show up in people’s homes to visit. There is always a prior arrangement. Apart from people being unprepared, and perhaps you may not receive the hospitality due to you, you may not meet them at home, and you will have travelled in vain.

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t just show up in the world. He was not an unannounced guest or visitor. Long before his birth, word had gone ahead of him announcing his coming into the world. In Genesis 3:15, when God pronounced judgment after Adam and Eve had disobeyed him, theologians indicate the first gospel—Protoevangelium was preached: “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 (Genesis 3:15 ESV). Biblical scholarship indicates the offspring of the woman can be used in the singular to refer to an individual or collectively to the people of God (Gen12:7,22:17-18, Gal 3:16). 3 In it’s singular usage, the ‘offspring of the woman’ points to Jesus. For it is in Christ that Satan was defeated. When Paul addressed the offspring promised Abraham (Genesis 22:18), he pointed out that offspring referred to Christ: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16). In Genesis 3:15 then, we see the person and ministry of Christ announced.

The curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14–15 sets the stage for the subsequent course of redemptive history. Obvious New Testament allusions to this passage occur in places such as Luke 10:19, Romans 16:20, and Revelation 12:17. Yet from this point in the book of Genesis, the theme of “enmity between offspring/seed” characterises the biblical narrative. This passage is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the consummate “seed of the woman” who crushes the head of the serpent.4

The Birth of Christ was unique. Certainly, he wasn’t the only one born on that day. But his birth was unlike theirs. His birth was miraculous (vv. 18-20). Notice how Matthew is careful to tell us of the uniqueness of Jesus’ birth: “before they came together [that is before the marriage was [consumated]  she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” This is the Christian doctrine of the virgin conception of Jesus. The second line of the Apostles Creed captures this clearly:

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary

This is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. We believe in Jesus Christ, who was born of the virgin Mary, for the salvation of sinners. As verse 21 says, he was born, ‘to save his people from their sins’. This is the message of Christmas. That God took upon himself human flesh to deal with our sin problem, and before his birth, the Scriptures announced it. Observe how Matthew says the birth of Christ fulfilled Scripture in vv.22-23.  Matthew here quotes Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. Many centuries before his birth, he was spoken of. In the first three chapters of Matthew, we see Matthew constantly pointing to the birth of Jesus as the fulfilment of prophecy (vv. 1:23; 2:3-6;2:13-15; 2:16-18; 2:23). All these from various places in the Old Testament are all considered as referring to the birth of Christ and events surrounding it.

Christmas is the fulfillment of the promise of the son of God, who was announced to come and deal with the problem of sin.

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris’n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die;

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth

~Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley & George Whitefield

God is faithful to his word. Every promise of God in his word will be fulfilled. No word of God will be left unattended to. This has great encouragement for those of us who have come to faith in Christ. Our life is a part of God’s Redemptive History, and as Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

His Anticipation

Serving as a bi-vocational Pastor, I have felt exhausted these past weeks. Because the year is ending, my brain is anticipating rest. I look forward to the Christmas break, when I will get some rest, hopefully. Anticipation is a part of life. We all have things we look forward to. In Genesis Chapter 4, right after the promise of an offspring of the woman who will deal a blow to the serpent, a sense of anticipation sets in for Eve. If we pay careful attention to the narrative, we will see the anticipation of the offspring of the woman, more particularly in the birth of Cain and Seth.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” (Genesis 4:1) And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him (Genesis 4:25)

The anticipation for the fulfilment of the promise of the offspring kicked in when Cain was born. Perhaps Eve thought this was the moment. But her hope will soon fly away. Then again, another child was born. In the same spirit of anticipation, she exclaimed. “God has appointed for me another offspring.” Anticipation for the birth of this offspring runs through the whole Scripture. The apostle Peter aptly tells us of this anticipation

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time[a] the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look (1Peter 1:10-12).

His Arrival

Jesus Christ was Announced. He was Anticipated. And he arrived on Christmas. Look at the latter part of Matthew 1:23: “which means God with us”. In Jesus’ birth, God condescended to live among his people bodily. Throughout the Old Testament, God has lived among his people in various symbols and manifested himself in different ways. We can speak about the Ark in the Tabernacle, for example. We can talk about the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. But never in the history of humanity has God come to dwell among his people bodily but in the birth of Christ.

This is the most significant event in human history: that God will take upon himself human flesh. This is what is called in theology the incarnation. God becoming flesh. But why was this necessary? It was necessary because God, in his love and mercy, provided a way by which sinful humanity would be reconciled to him. Christmas is God’s love displayed towards sinful humanity. A Gift was given on Christmas—the Gift of God’s Son. God has fulfilled his promise of salvation to reconcile his people unto himself, forgive our sins and save us from eternal destruction. We can be confident that those of us who have come to faith in Christ have joined the family of God. We have been gloriously reconciled to God through faith. And have a hope of eternal life.

And for those who haven’t believed in Jesus, God’s gift of salvation is still available in Christ. He was born so that he would die to pay for the penalty of sin. The penalty is yours to pay. Will you turn to him?

Notes

1 Michael J. Kruger, “Think You Know The Christmas Story? Here Are Five Common Misconception”, https://MichaelKruger.com/think -you-know-the-Christmas-Story-2

2 Donal Macleod, From Glory To Golgotha:Controversial Issues In The Life Of Christ (Christian Focus, 2002)

3 James Hamilton, “The Skull Crushing Seed of The Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15”, accessed 3rd March 2020, https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-102-summer-2006/the-skull-crushing-seed-of-the-woman-inner-biblical-interpretation-of-genesis-315/,

4.R. Andrew Compton, “The Seed of The Woman”, https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2018/12/the-seed-of-the-woman/

 

 

 

 

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/the-birth-of-christ/feed/ 0 WITHOUT EXCUSE! https://tgnghana.org/without-excuse/ https://tgnghana.org/without-excuse/#respond Thu, 29 Dec 2022 20:20:40 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/?p=5532 From the very name, Christ-mas, to the nativity scene—the traditional symbol of Christmas—to the carols we sing during this time, we are consistently reminded that Bethlehem's babe was no ordinary child.

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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20).

Paul is labouring in our opening text to show why we all need the gospel—the good news about God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ, and he starts by pointing out that we are all guilty in God’s courtroom because we have suppressed (stifled, repressed and hindered) the truth. ‘Without excuse!’. That is the Biblical verdict concerning humanity.

What truth? The truth about God. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the world’s creation, in the things that have been made.“

Our guilt lies in the fact that God has given man abundant evidence of his existence and glory in the things He has created, yet we have wilfully chosen to ignore him. In Biblical theology, revelation refers to disclosing or making plain what is hidden. An aspect of God’s self-revelation is what he communicates to us through nature. We call that general revelation because it is accessible to everyone who has ever lived. As R. C. Sproul puts it, “Anyone with physical vision can walk in the theatre of nature and see the glory of God through the stars, the moon, and the sun. It is a grand theatre“. This is what the Psalmist so eloquently expressed when he said,

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.“ (Psalms 19:1-6).

Paul goes on to say that God writes his laws on each person’s heart so that even the physically blind are not left out: “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:15).

As self-evident as general revelation is, it doesn’t tell us the whole story of who God is. For instance, everyone can know by just looking at the sky’s grandeur that a mighty God created the sun and moon; however, these two great lights do not fully convey his character and attributes. But God, in his kindness and mercy, has also given us a special revelation by giving us his word. It is only through the Word of God that we come to know who God is truly. 

As I reflect upon this, I can’t help being gripped by the startling realisation that the Christmas season offers an unmistakeably greater revelation, in that it reveals a great deal of the truth about who God is through Christ, the world’s saviour, to our world. Christmas reminds us of God’s special revelation when he came into our world to show us who he truly is. From the very name, Christ-mas, to the nativity scene—the traditional symbol of Christmas—to the carols we sing during this time, we are consistently reminded that Bethlehem’s babe was no ordinary child. Year in and year out, we sing about his divinity, mission, why he came to earth, and the fact that if we believe in him, we will receive God’s promise of eternal life. Christmas presents overabundant evidence to support the divine ruling that we cannot claim ignorance of the truth about Christ.

For example, when we sing or hear “Once in royal David’s city“, we are reminded how Mary’s child “came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all“. The third stanza to that tune further affirms, “for that child, so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heav’n above“. “Hark, the herald angels sing“ proves the truth about the person of Christ even more forcefully. It reads, “Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord: Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’swomb. It couldn’t be clearer than this: the baby Jesus is the Godhead revealed in the flesh; God with us! Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th‘incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.“

Arguably, the most popular Christmas song, “Joy to the world“, opens with an evangelistic call to make room for the King of the world: 

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let Earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare Him room.“ It goes on to proclaim how Jesus came to reverse the curse of sin and the fall: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow; Far as the curse is found…“. 

Here, as in many more songs too many to recount here, the truth about Christ is evidently set forth.

And so, ‘without excuse‘, the verdict remains. Each time we put up the Christmas tree, decorate it with angels and the star, each time we observe the nativity scene in school plays and our favourite Christmas movies, each time we light up our streets and homes with Christmas lights, each time we wish our friends and loved ones “Merry Christ-mas“, we are inadvertently accruing evidence to the cosmic charge. What have you done about the self-revelation of Christ at Christmas? Isn’t God gracious and merciful? Not only has he revealed himself in creation, but he also came down through the giving of his Son in an extraordinary way so that we might turn from sin and trust in him.

If you don’t know Jesus, I admonish you to consider the evidence. “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart“ (Hebrews 3:15 and Psalm 95:8). “Light and life to all He brings. Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.“ Jesus brings life and light into every heart that will receive Him. He gives them second birth. The promise of a new life. Will you receive him today?

For you, my Christian friend, do you stop to ponder the wonder of God’s grace at Christmas? Does it make your heart throb? O may we never lose sight of the magnanimous grandeur of our Saviour’s love set on tour across the world during Christmas.

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/without-excuse/feed/ 0 WHAT DO YOU KNOW? (CHRISTMAS QUIZ) https://tgnghana.org/what-do-you-know-christmas-quiz/ https://tgnghana.org/what-do-you-know-christmas-quiz/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2022 16:34:17 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/?p=5408 How well do you know the Christmas narrative? Here's a short quiz to refresh your knowledge of what the Bible says versus what we might have picked up from tradition (or the movies!).

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One of the things we all enjoy about Christmas is the opportunity to spend time with family and loved ones. I have just had the most delicious “omo tuo and nkatse nkwan” (rice balls and peanut butter soup) with my family and some Christian friends after Lord’s Day cum Christmas service before writing this. In the small group that meets at our house, we included a quiz on the Christmas narrative during our Christmas social to refresh our knowledge of what the Bible says versus what we might have picked up from tradition (or the movies!). It was both fun and revealing—None of us got them all correct!

This motivated me to put them out here for you to try with your family or small group. So, why don’t you and your loved ones find out what you know about Christmas? The questions require a True or False answer.  Give them a try and you can look up the answers God willing tomorrow in a follow up post.

Questions

1. There are no records of Joseph speaking in the Christmas story.

2. The wise men were three kings from the orient.

3. The little drummer boy came to the manger after the other shepherds.

4. The star did not appear above the manger.

5. Jesus’ ancestors include a prostitute, an adulterer, a woman who committed incest, and a non-Israelite.

6. Both Joseph and Mary were descendants of Levi.

7. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then to Joseph.

8. Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

9. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a decree by Caesar Augustus.

10. The wise men followed a star as it moved from their eastern land to Israel.

11. The wise men did not arrive on the night of Jesus’ birth.

12. God sent a choir of chubby angels to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.

13. Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation.

14. Both Joseph and Mary were told the baby was to be named “Jesus”.

15. When Herod heard about Jesus, he was the only one concerned about this new King.

16. The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem.

17. After the angels’ announcement, the shepherds went straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus.

18. Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel appeared to him.

19. Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe the message they heard from the angels.

20. There is no record of angels singing at Jesus’ birth in the Bible.

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/what-do-you-know-christmas-quiz/feed/ 10 Christmas: The Greatest Gift https://tgnghana.org/christmas-the-greatest-gift/ https://tgnghana.org/christmas-the-greatest-gift/#respond Sun, 25 Dec 2022 13:51:16 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/?p=5375   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). Arguably, this is the most popular Scripture of Christianity and many people know it. Even non-Christians. Also, I believe we all know the essence of the season we […]

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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).

Arguably, this is the most popular Scripture of Christianity and many people know it. Even non-Christians. Also, I believe we all know the essence of the season we have entered into. And this Scripture captures the essence of the season succinctly. This season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a season that is universally marked by showing love and the exchange of gifts. Friends share gifts with friends, families exchange gifts with one another, and society at large reaches out to the less privileged.

And rightly, it is a season of love and  giving because the greatest love and gift of all human history was given by God through the birth of Christ: “For God so love the world…” So Christmas is a display of God’s love to humanity. And we know that love gives. Love shares. In displaying his love, therefore,  God gave Jesus for the world: “that he gave his only Son”.

And that is the greatest gift in view. But what necessitated this display of love towards humanity one may ask. The text further says: “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” This phrase points us to the reason Jesus was born. To save through faith those who are perishing.

But another question arises. Who are those perishing? The answer: all of humanity.

You see, the Bible paints a certain picture of all human beings.  And that picture is that we are all sinners. Indeed there’s no single one person who can plead innocence. The biblical verdict is truly that “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This simply means because of sin, we are all separated from God and stand condemned in judgement  before God. The verses that follow John 3:16 explains this

17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

This is what makes Jesus the Greatest Gift from God. He came to restore our broken relationship with God, so that through him sinners will be reconciled to God.

What then is required of sinners?

When a gift is given, we have to receive it: “whoever believes in him.” This is what we are to do with this Greatest Gift.. Believe in Jesus. Surrender your life to him. This is the reason for the season. That Jesus came to reconcile sinful humanity to God through faith. This is why we celebrate Christmas. And one day we will all stand before God in judgement. What we do with Jesus now will determine whether we will stand justified before God or will be condemned. Every gift we will  receive here on earth  is temporal. But the gift of God of salvation  is eternal. We receive life when we believe. And condemnation if we reject this gift.

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/christmas-the-greatest-gift/feed/ 0 Encountering God’s Glory in Christ https://tgnghana.org/encountering-gods-glory-in-christ/ https://tgnghana.org/encountering-gods-glory-in-christ/#respond Fri, 23 Dec 2022 16:54:01 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/?p=5261 “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beingsand crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:5 The desire of man for glory is a very well known fact. It explains why sports men and women spend hours upon hours in training. It is the motivation that drives many in the corporate and […]

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“Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beingsand crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:5

The desire of man for glory is a very well known fact. It explains why sports men and women spend hours upon hours in training. It is the motivation that drives many in the corporate and political world to put in the hard work, in the hope that they might ascend the pinnacle of power. Parents leave no stone unturned, in the hope that their children may succeed since the success of a child is a crowning glory of a good parent. This desire for glory does not exist in a vacuum. Made in the image and likeness of God, our desire merely reflects who we were created to be. David tells us in Psalm 8:5 that God “crowned him [man] with glory and honor.”

However, we all know that the “glory” that often comes after much toil and hard work doesn’t often seem so glorious after all or in most cases doesn’t last. Sporting records are eventually broken, and no one remembers the previous record holders. Powerful CEOs and politicians are replaced by new ones, who in trying to cement their own legacy undermine the contributions of their predecessors. Despite the gallant efforts of parents, children may not turnout as hoped. In all of this, one thing is clear. Even though we were made for glory, our life experiences do not seem to corroborate this. Something seems to have gone wrong. 

Genesis 3:1-15 tells us exactly what went wrong. In disobedience to God, our first parent fell for the lie that they could attain glory outside of their creator. Ever since then true glory has eluded man, because we became disconnected from the source of glory. In place of that, each of us try in vain to find worth in other places – career, sports, money, good deeds and the list goes on. However, it was in the midst of such gloom and darkness that God in his kindness descended 2000 years ago. In John 1:14, the apostle tells us that the eternal Son of God who is also referred to as 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.”

All of us have sought glory in that which is not true glory. In the process, we have distorted and projected a wrong image of the one we were made to reflect. That is a cosmic offense which deserves death. The reason why the eternal Son of God came into the world, was to show us what true glory looks like, full of grace and truth. Christmas is the time when the glory of God was put on full display through the birth of his Son Jesus Christ. God’s desire is to restore his glory in us, through our being united with him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As you celebrate this Christmas, don’t find glory in the fanfare and the gifts. Instead, fix your gaze on the Word who became flesh, that you may find true joy and peace throughout this season and beyond. Merry Christmas!

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