The CHRIST of Christmas

Birth announcements are a great way to introduce a new baby to the world. Printed & digital versions are especially popular these days because more and more people live further away from their family and friends.

Traditionally in the United States, newspapers have included birth announcements ever since the 1700s, which has helped families find critical information about their genealogies. The Bible gives us the most unique birth announcement, unlike any other in human history:

• The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. Currently, there are around 5 billion Bibles in print.
• It has been translated into over 3,000 different languages.
• Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible was written by more than 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years.
• Incredibly, there is just ONE main theme in the Bible- The Messiah Jesus Christ.

Note that Jesus’ “birth announcement” in the book of Isaiah, was prophesied 700 years before His birth.

Isa. 7:14 says this: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and you shall call His name Immanuel.

Skipping to Isa. 9:6, we read this: For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Based on these verses, let’s look at 5 aspects of Jesus’ “birth announcement”:

• #1- JESUS IS IMMANUEL
• #2- JESUS IS WONDERFUL COUNSELOR
• #3- JESUS IS MIGHTY GOD
• #4- JESUS IS EVERLASTING FATHER
• #5- JESUS IS PRINCE OF PEACE

#1. JESUS IS IMMANUEL

In the original Hebrew, Immanuel means ‘God with us.’ Therefore, here’s why the Isa. 7:14 prophecy specifically speaks of Jesus.

1. We know Isa. 7:14 speaks of Jesus because it was clearly fulfilled in the New Testament. Matthew 1:23 re-cites Isa. 7:14: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel, God with us, speaks of Jesus’ identification and nearness to man.
2. We know Isa. 7:14 speaks of Jesus because Isa. Ch. 7 is addressed to King David’s entire household which speaks of Jesus’ royal lineage. Jesus was not just a baby born in a manger He was GOD in the flesh; the King of kings and Lord of lords.
3. We know Isa. 7:14 speaks of Jesus because the prophet Isaiah says the virgin shall conceive and that Jesus’ conception would be a sign. As far as I know, Mary is the only virgin ever to give birth in the history of mankind. There’s your sign!

Although there were over 300 specific OT prophecies fulfilled by Jesus just like the one’s we’re talking about in Isaiah chapter’s 7 and 9, the CHRIST of Christmas is often missed today amid the holiday hubbub. Did you know the probability of one man fulfilling over 300 Biblical prophecies is mathematically incalculable?

If we examined the probability of one man fulfilling just EIGHT prophecies in the Old Testament the figure would be One in 10 to the 17^th power… that’s 1 followed by 17 zeros! It’s mathematically impossible that Jesus WASN’T the Messiah.

So why is the CHRIST of Christmas still missed when the evidence is overwhelming, and is even contained in the best-selling book of all-time? I mean, it’s Christmas after all and kudos to you if you can work through all the celebrations and find one that’s actually about JESUS!

John 1:9-10 tells us the reason for all this- “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world… and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.”

#2. JESUS IS WONDERFUL COUNSELOR 

John 3:10-12 is just one example in the New Testament where we see Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, in action during His ministry on earth. Let’s read the account:

¹⁰ Jesus answered him (speaking of Nicodemus), “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things (meaning the concept of salvation)?¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 

Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, about the concept of being born again. If anyone should have understood this, it was Nicodemus, who was a teacher of the Law.

Nevertheless, Nicodemus saw Jesus’ miracles and recognized that no one could possibly do the things Jesus did unless he was from GOD Himself. Nicodemus KNEW that Jesus had to be the Messiah, but he wrestled with believing it in his heart because of his preconceived notions and all the “religious noise” around him. So, Nicodemus brought his doubts right to Jesus’ feet and found his salvation in the Wonderful Counselor.

#3. JESUS IS MIGHTY GOD

One Theologian said this, “The deity of Christ is the key doctrine of the Scriptures. Reject it, and the Bible becomes a jumble of words without any unifying theme. Accept it, and the Bible becomes an intelligible and ordered revelation of God in the Person of Jesus Christ.” 

During His ministry on earth, Jesus asserted that He was Mighty God in various ways for all to hear. Those who heard knew exactly what He was saying. There was ZERO misunderstanding who Jesus claimed to be which is why He was accused of being a blasphemer.

Here are just 3 examples in the New Testament:

• In John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.”
• John 8:58 Jesus said- “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
• Mark 2:5-7 gives the following account, “When Jesus saw (his) faith, he said to the paralytic, “son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

To answer the scribes’ questioning: No one can forgive a person’s sins except God. That’s why JESUS was able to do it. The reader of Mark 2:5-7 is then left with the following decision: Is Jesus blaspheming? Or is Jesus God Almighty?

#4. JESUS IS EVERLASTING FATHER

Everlasting Father is a reference to Jesus being “without end,” meaning He is from everlasting to everlasting… vanishing point to vanishing point. Throughout the Scriptures, we see proof that Jesus is Everlasting Father. The ultimate assertion of that is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. You can’t celebrate the manger without the cross.

The resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact. The following will give you just a taste of just how definitive Jesus’ resurrection is:

1. First, there are 4 ancient biographies of Jesus, known as the gospels- Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible. They were all written by eyewitnesses and/or based on eyewitness testimony. They were written and circulated while many other eyewitnesses were still alive so if it wasn’t true, Jesus would have easily been disproven and vanished from human history. Matthew. Mark, Luke, and John are separate and unique biographies all saying Jesus rose from the dead.

2. Second, the historical evidence of Jesus’ resurrection shows the following: The grave was empty and the body of Jesus was never found. 

3. Third, Jesus’ post resurrection appearances are recorded 11 different times. These appearances were to men and women, individuals, couples, groups, and at least one large crowd.

4. Fourth, in the very place where Jesus died there was an explosion of growth which centered on the claim that the grave was empty and that Jesus had truly risen from the dead. This explosion of growth happened mere weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

5. Fifth, the death and resurrection of Jesus was not a random event. Jesus predicted that He would die by crucifixion, be buried, and rise from the grave. The prediction that He would die from crucifixion is very significant because He could not have possibly controlled that unless He was God.

#5. JESUS IS PRINCE OF PEACE

As prophesied in Isa. chapter 9, Jesus was the ONLY one equipped to be the Prince of Peace. Jesus Himself declared and fulfilled His role as the Prince of Peace in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

In a world filled with sin and chaos, it can be difficult to see how Jesus is the embodiment of peace. In our limited human knowledge, our vision of peace is shortsighted. How so? Well, physical safety and political harmony (the kind of peace we often look for in this world) do not necessarily reflect the kind of peace Jesus talks about in the Bible.

The foundational meaning of the Greek word for peace is “restoration with God.” THAT’S what Jesus came to provide. He never promised a utopian existence for us on earth or in this life.

Furthermore, the Hebrew word for peace used that’s in our main text Isa. 9:7 is SHALOM. Meaning a complete, wholistic peace. In our world of instant gratification, Jesus’ message is often met with resistance, rejection, and mocking.

Jesus Himself confirmed as much in Mat. 7:13-14 as He said this-

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Here’s the main point of all this: Jesus was much more than just another baby.