The Christ of Christmas pt1

4 December 2022 AM – Deuteronomy 6:4 – Christmas22 – Scott Childs
Introduction: For many people, Christmas is just a holiday. It is a time of lights, parties and giving of gifts. For religious people, Christmas is about the birth of Christ. However, many religious people know very little about the Christ of Christmas.
            Today we are going to begin a four-week series to answer the question, “Who is the Christ of Christmas?” Matthew 1:23 states, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” When Jesus became a man, He was God in human flesh. How can that be?
Transition: This morning I want us to examine some of the characteristics of God that unlock who Jesus is. Our text is Deuteronomy 6:4.
  1. There can only be ONE God.
a.         The Bible clearly states that only ONE God exists.
1)         Jehovah (i.e., LORD) is the self-existent, eternal being who created all things. (Genesis 2:4) “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,” Who is the LORD God?
a)         Mormon’s teach that God is an exalted man.
b)         JW’s teach that Jehovah is God, but not Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
2)         Our text states that Jehovah, our Elohim, is one Jehovah. He is just one Being. Many verses affirm this.
a)         (Deuteronomy 4:35) “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.“
b)         (Isaiah 45:5) “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” This refutes the JW “a god” claims in (John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (a god NWT). “God” is a superlative.
c)         (Psalms 96:5) “For all the gods of the nations are idols*: but the LORD made the heavens.” *Not truly God
b.         Our one God is a Spirit
1)         Though God created man in His own image, this cannot speak of man’s body, for God, being a Spirit, has no body.
2)          (John 4:24) “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.“
3)         Mormons falsely teach that God does have a human body.
2.        Our God is Unique
a.         God is distinct from His creation.
1)         “God is transcendent, entirely distinct from and different than the universe, as the carpenter is distinct from the bench.” Robert Bowman, Jr., The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity.
a)         (Isaiah 40:22) “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:“
b)         (Psalms 102:25-27) “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.“
2)         God is one Being, but unlike His creation, He is one Being with multiple Persons. In this, He is unique to humans.
b.         God is three Persons in one Being.
1)         God is not just one person in one being, as we are. As God, He is not confined to human limitations.
2)         God exists in three Persons. Jehovah is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit. Though each is a part of the Being of God, they are distinct Persons. Each has a separate role, but all are equally God. They form a Trinity. Though Trinity is not a Bible word, the Trinity concept is biblically based and was taught by first and second century Christians. https://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-plural-nouns-pronouns-verbs-adverbs.htm
3)         The first verse in the Bible reveals this. (Genesis 1:1) “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The word translated “God” is the plural word Elohim.
4)         During creation, God talked with His other Persons. (Genesis 1:26) “And God (Elohim) said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …” (cf. Gen 3:22; 11:7). “Nontrinitarian interpretation cannot account for these occurrences.” Bowman
5)         God could not have been speaking with the angels, for Scripture never says that angels possess God’s image.
6)         God the Father plans, the Son performs and the Holy Spirit applies. The Father is love, the Son loved, and the Holy Spirit produces love in us. The Father designed, the Son created, and the Holy Spirit activated.
7)         All three Persons of the Trinity took part in Creation.
a)         (Nehemiah 9:6) “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.“
b)         (John 1:1-3) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Jehovah did not first create Jesus and then assign Him the task of creation, as the JWs teach. Jesus cannot be both the creature (i.e. a created being) and Creator. (Romans 1:25) “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.“
c)         (Genesis 1:2) “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.“
8)         All three Persons of the Godhead indwell believers.
a)         (2 Corinthians 6:16) “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.“
b)         (Colossians 1:27) “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:“
c)         (John 14:17) “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.“
9)         Each Person in the Trinity searches man’s hearts.
a)         (Jeremiah 17:10) “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.“
b)         (Revelation 2:23) “And I [Jesus] will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.“
c)         (1 Corinthians 2:10) “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.“
Conclusion: We have covered a lot of material this morning, but I did so to give you a fuller understanding of the Christ of Christmas. Jesus Christ is the second Person of our Triune God. Do not be deceived by cults and false teachers who claim otherwise. Jehovah, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are separate Persons of the same Being. They are all God.
            No human fully understands the Trinity of God, but the Bible clearly teaches it. Instead of fussing about what we do not understand, we must seek to obey what we do understand. Jesus is the reason for the season. He came to earth to die for our sins.
            If you have not yet trusted Christ’s death and resurrection as payment for your sins and eternal life, I would be pleased to sit down with you and explain it more thoroughly.
Song: Praise Him! Praise Him! 442