The LIFE-CHANGING Truth about Christmas… that you’ve probably never heard.

[0:00] it's Christmas time again even people who aren't Christians love Christmas the spirit of generosity and giftgiving and love is palpable and it genuinely makes this one of the most wonderful times of the year simply for the feeling alone but of course as Christians we're also very careful to point out that these warm feelings and giftgiving and all of those other things that we enjoy about Christmas aren't really what Christmas is about we all intuitively push back and say well actually the reason for the season the reason celebrate Christmas in the first place is because it was the beginning of God's plan to come and rescue Us in the person of Jesus it was the day that Jesus was born or at least the day that we celebrate his birth other Christian Traditions just call this Advent because it was the Advent of God's kingdom through Christ what if I told you that Christmas isn't just about

[0:48] the past it's also about the future and in fact it's about the Eternal future sure we celebrate the birth of the baby in the manger but that child did not just come to visit he came to start something to bring the renewal of all things the lights the songs The Joy they're not Memories they're Echoes of Eternity breaking into the here and now this is Christmas this year and every year since it began thousands of years ago it's the beginning of the world made new and so ultimately what I want us to do together is I want us to focus not just on Christmas's past and not just Christmas in the present but like eaner Scrooge I think it'll be good for us to focus on Christmas future and to think about what Christmas Means for our Eternal future in some real serious depth so without further Ado let's jump right into the video it's very easy for

[1:37] us as Christians to think of Christmas as the beginning of something and really even the beginning of God's plan to rescue and redeem his people but it isn't really the beginning it's some of the first things that you find when you read the New Testament that's for sure but the New Testament is the second half of the story the first half of course is the Old Testament and the Old Testament gives us the story of humanity starting from Adam and Eve in the garden so again it's very important to understand that the Christmas story didn't begin in Bethlehem it started long before in the pages of the Old Testament every promise every prophecy every story was building toward the moment when God would step into his creation from the Garden of Eden where Humanity first fell to the promises made to Abraham Moses and even to David the Old Testament is the backstory to Christmas it is the story

[2:25] of God's Relentless love for his people working through history to bring the savior into the world it's nothing less than the culmination of everything Humanity had been hoping for right at that moment when we read about the star over Bethlehem it's the Fulfillment of thousands of years of anticipation one of the things I love most about Christmas is the music and one of my favorite pieces of music is Veni Veni Emanuel I like listening to it in Latin but the English lyrics are OK come OK Come Emanuel and Ransom captive Israel that Mourns in lowly Exile here until the Son of God Appears here Rejoice Rejoice Emmanuel will come to you again oh Israel imagine Humanity stuck without knowing God's plan to rescue them for thousands of years having only riddles and hints prophecies that are just vague

[3:13] enough to give them the enough to go on to know that God has a plan but not specific enough to know exactly how it'll work out God for thousands of years culminating and putting together a plan that scripture tells us was his wisdom from Before Time even began from before the ages for our rescue for our Redemption and then the time was right and God began to execute that plan in a much more focused Way by breaking into this world in the form of a tiny harmless baby human and again as I've talked about in so many of my other videos on this channel what Jesus came to do we might call it the atonement we might call it the work of Jesus we might call it his purpose didn't stop at that time it was the beginning of his plan and he's still bringing it to fruition and that plan is the ultimate restoration of all things the destruction of all evil and the

[4:00] Redemption of those who've trusted in him to go back to what humans were made for in the very first when God created Adam and Eve in the New World before sin entered he wanted Partners to rule over the world and take it someplace beautiful with him together in our foolishness and in our sinfulness we dragged ourselves down out of that mission and invited death and sin and Brokenness into the world Jesus came to get us back on track so that in the Eternal future when we are with him in the new heavens and the new Earth we'll be his faithful Covenant Partners again Jesus is the fulcrum on which that entire story turns he's the means by which God brought about reconciliation and got the story back on track after thousands of years of trying to partner with humans in Israel and it didn't work

[4:48] so the Old Testament didn't just point forward to Jesus's birth it points Beyond it or maybe even through it to the new heavens and the new Earth and the restoration of all humans who trust in him through Jesus Isaiah prophesied about a time when wolves would lie down with Lambs when swords would be beaten into plowshares and the Earth would be filled with the glory of the Lord the baby in the manger didn't come to start a new religion he came to fulfill every promise of restoration and renewal the story that began in Eden and unfolded in Bethlehem will culminate in eternity where Heaven and Earth will be one again that's the full story of Christmas and the hope that it gives us today so Christmas is more than just a cozy story or a nostalgic tradition it's the moment when Heaven and Earth began to overlap again in Christ think about it the creator of the universe entered his

[5:36] Creation in the humblest way imaginable a baby born in a manger but don't let the setting fool you that moment wasn't just the start of his life on Earth it was the most revolutionary step in God's radical plan to bring his entire Kingdom to the Earth every Christmas light you see is a reminder the light of the new creation has already begun to shine in the darkness and the Darkness has not not overcome it The Best Is Yet To Come And the fact of the Incarnation the fact of Jesus coming to dwell with us as a human being and to rescue and redeem and restore this Earth not as many of us have come to believe to destroy it or to consign it to the waste bin ought to change how we see the world around us and it ought to change the way that we spend our time and our effort and our energy if God's ultimate goal is to be Emmanuel God With Us to dwell with us

[6:26] forever then everything in the creation matters your relationships your work your acts of kindness they're all a part of that bigger Story Christmas is also a reminder that the sacred and the ordinary aren't separate the Incarnation proves that God Delights in this world and has plans to restore it so of course Christmas when we look into the past is the culmination of God's plan to bring Humanity what has always needed and it is the completion of all of his plans and all of his work that he had done throughout the entire Old Testament period to set the stage for a rescue plan humans were made for Glory and then we fell from that glory in our own sinfulness but God being good planned away to rescue us and the most revolutionary step in that plan took place on Christmas it's not enough for

[7:13] us to just look at the backstory we now looked at the Christmas story itself the events that transpired Jesus being born and what it means and it's not enough for us to look at Christmas's past between us and that day and to look back with Nostalgia at our own memories of this holiday season and it's not just about God's plan to restore everything it's also God's plan to undo all that's wrong it's one thing to create a world of order and of beauty it's another thing to get rid of all disorder and evil and maybe even death so what does Christmas have to do with death a a lot actually the baby in the manger came principally for one reason to defeat the ultimate enemies of God sin and separation from him and death itself the world was broken but that quiet night in Bethlehem was the first strike against

[8:01] all that's wrong it was the opening Salvo in the beginning of a great battle which God has already won through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus and the Ascension of Jesus up to the throne to rule alongside him every candle we light and every Carol We Sing is a celebration of this victory in motion and Jesus's resurrection from the dead proves it if Christmas were all the story were about then it actually wouldn't do that much good for us the full story is where the glory is at and it's because Jesus was born and he lived a sinless life and died to rescue us that we have any hope at all the story that began in the stable is the same story that ends with sin and death being defeated once and for all by Jesus's power that's ultimately why we celebrate Christmas and here's the Hope because Jesus defeated death it means everything in this world can be redeemed no loss no

[8:50] pain no mistake is beyond his power to restore the same God who came into our world to conquer sin is the same God who promises to wipe away every here because of Christmas because of Jesus coming and then because of Easter his death his burial and his resurrection we have a living hope for a future where death and sorrow no longer have any place a new creation where everything sad comes untrue where every tear is wiped away and everything is made whole but that future again I've I'm a bit of a broken record on this it isn't just a distant promise that's also breaking into our world now every act of kindness every step toward justce and righteousness every bit of creation care is part of this renewal every time that you love your neighbor every time that you treat someone who would make themselves your

[9:39] enemy with love and respect and kindness every time you go out of your way to generously give of your time your energy or your Treasures to someone who has no way of giving you anything in return simply for the fact that you also have been loved in that way by Jesus you are proclaiming the hopeful future and you're bringing something beautiful about it from that day into this day and the purpose for which Jesus came is just a little bit clearer and just a little bit brighter Christmas frankly for believers is a great time for us to get into the mindset of Understanding God's invitation to join him in the work of restoration when you hang lights when you share a meal when you volunteer at the soup kitchen or the rescue mission when you give to those who have less than you and who are downtrodden by the evil in the world when you lift up

[10:26] someone who is downtrodden and downcast and you invite them into your circle to act as if they're your brother and sister in your family and your way of celebrating Christmas and celebrating Jesus it makes the message of Jesus that much clearer to people and you're celebrating a world that will one day be made perfect this has not been as structured a videos I would like it's really what I want to do is give you the full heart that I have behind my love of Christmas because frankly a few years ago when I really looked with fresh eyes and sort of took off the Nostalgia goggles when I was watching all these Christmas movies I was a little disappointed I still watch them and I still love them and I still enjoy them but when I would sit down to watch you know M at Christmas Carol or How the Grinch Stole Christmas or the Garfield Christmas or claymation Christmas or any of the other things that I grew up

[11:14] loving what I was enjoying was a sense of nostalgia and I was remembering my family home growing up which is great and it's wonderful and it's beautiful and there's room for that but it wasn't until several years ago when it hit me with the full force of God's message to the world that because of Jesus I have Redemption by his life and the entire world is destined to be restored and redeemed and given back to Jesus and his people forever and ever what gift could compare with that what movie no matter how beautiful it is no matter how Charming the vocals no matter how enjoyable the story what song what anything could compare with that promise what does Christmas mean for us today it's more than just traditions and celebration and Nostalgia it's an invitation to live in the overlap of Heaven and Earth Earth in the overlap of this Broken Age and the age to come full

[12:03] of goodness and life when Jesus was born Heaven broke into Earth and that overlap project continues today with every choice that you make our generosity our forgiveness our acts of Love they Echo the reality of God's kingdom breaking in and Christmas reminds us that we're called to embody that new creation here and now while we anticipate its coming in hope the light of the world came into the darkness and we get to carry that light forward so this is your invitation to live in The Hope and joy of what's to come in Jesus it means this is your opportunity to live your life through the lens of Eternity it means realizing that your small faithful actions today are part of a bigger picture whether it's showing kindness to a stranger or forgiving someone who's hurt you these are glimpses of the Kingdom breaking in so as we celebrate this season let's praise God for the beauty of his plan

[12:51] let's Praise Him for sending Jesus into our broken world to rescue us it's a gift that reminds us of his fathomless love faithfulness and his deep desire to be with us and to dwell alongside Us in the good world that he made and as we head at the end of Christmas Even into a new year let's praise him for the looking forward for the day when Jesus will return not as a baby but as the King of Kings ruling over a new creation where every tear is wiped away and every wrong is made right that's the future that he has promised and that's the hope that we cling to don't stop at Nostalgia or tradition Let The Wonder of the Incarnation and the hope of of Eternity inspire you to live differently today what if Jesus's people during the Christmas season were marked by being generous with their time kind in their words and joyful in their hope after all

[13:41] the message is that the King has come and that he's coming again that's the true meaning of Christmas and my God it is worth celebrating all year long and proclaiming at the top of our lungs to all who have ears to hear so in as heartfelt a way as I can muster from my family to yours a merry Christmas and a happy New Year year remember the greatest gift God has ever given that it was given to you that your Eternal future is perfect in ways we can't even begin to describe and that even if life is hard here and it can be very brutal I know many people are suffering through very difficult things right now look up because your hope is coming it is yours if you are in Christ and it can never be taken away from you and as Charles Dickens once wrote about Ebenezer Scrooge in the epilogue of his famous Christmas Carol it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possess to the

[14:29] knowledge may that be truly said of us and of all of us and so as Tiny Tim observed God bless us everyone