“WELL THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS UPON US AND HEARTS NATURALLY TURN TO THE ANCIENT STORY OF Christ's BIRTH. YET HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT? TODAY I WANT TO EXAMINE WHAT GOD DID BEFORE JESUS CHRIST WAS BORN.”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about the Christmas and its wonderful joy it brought to folks long ago and still brings today to those who seek the Christ of Christmas…

…When you think of Christmas, do you know whatever emphasis you place upon this season and event, really tells a lot about you? Yes indeed, for most Americans in our now highly secularized society, Christmas is just a time for fantasies and dreams created by the much publicized and false concepts of Santa Claus and elves, reindeer, grinches and an assortment of fairytales, evergreen trees, lights and festivities. Now I can’t disagree, it’s all a pleasant time whereby we tend to forget the terrible struggles of every day life, the 21^st century world of terrorism and war, and just huddle together as families enjoying this fun season. If that is all Christmas is to you, then it tells me a wealth of information about your life’s status, your goals and your beliefs about everything.

How’s that you say? We’ll whatever brings you joy, happiness, and satisfaction is what we truly worship, adore and center our lives upon. Now it’s not wrong to seek things that do that, and in a sense we should do that, rather than the opposite that is so prevalent in our world and life – but what God has designed to bring us the greatest joy is often missed by so many.  So today in the spirit of a true Christmas, I want to share with you that real joy that began long ago, prior to the birth of the real Christmas story. But first let’s pause one more time for another seasonal song of joy, and then I’ll return with my message – LEAPING FOR JOY!..

… Many truths surround the real Christmas story, and today I want to look at just one of them found in the New Testament Book of Luke. Listen as I read of this story of joy,

Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)  In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

What a devastating announcement, yet delightful surprise. Here a young virgin woman about to be married to her childhood sweetheart, finds out God is going to interrupt her happy engagement and forthcoming marriage with a devastating happening. Mary of Nazareth was going to unexpectedly become pregnant, and not with the child of her husband to be. Now I don’t know about you, but that would have crushed me to find my fiancée in such a state, not to mention Mary’s trauma over it too. Yet notice how she responds. She didn’t burst into grief, sadness, or terror, she simply said – “May it be to me as you have said.” More than anything, this is I believe is one of the greatest testimonies of real bible faith in God and His Word I’ve ever encountered. You see that’s exactly why God specifically chose this young virgin girl to bear the God/man Jesus Christ, who was to come into humanity and this world. God saw her faith that from a child, grew strong and solid. Her hope for the future wasn’t in Joseph, or the world around her. No, her hope and joy for tomorrow was in her God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who for centuries made a promise to His ancient people that now was about to be fulfilled,

Gal 4:4 (NIV) “… the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,”

What joy that must have brought to Mary’s heart. In fact, the Bible tells us when she fully comprehended God’s work, in bringing the long awaited Messiah into this world, she burst forth in a tremendous song of praise! Listen as I read it in what is called, the “Song of Mary”

Luke 1:46-55 (NLT)  Mary responded, “Oh, how I praise the Lord. 47 How I rejoice in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. 49 For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. 51 His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! 52 He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. 55 For he promised our ancestors—Abraham and his children—to be merciful to them forever.”

What a testimony of a woman so dedicated to God, that she was willing to allow the most precious time of her life to be interrupted by God, to accomplish His wonderful promises to a lost and needy world. How about you my friend, would you be willing to allow God to interrupt your life and plans to accomplish His? That’s what the Christmas story really is about. God interrupted our world bent on sinning and living in disobedience to Him and His rules for the universe. Yes, thankfully, God was not about to leave us stranded on this island of sin, this planet once dedicated to the glory of God, but now dedicated to the glory of man and demons. Rather than abandoning our world or destroying it immediately when this happened, God delayed and promised all humanity, that joy was coming, and joy would prevail as God would redeem fallen sinful mankind; and more, restore the perfection and beauty this world once had at creation, and repopulate it with people whose joy is found in God and His son Jesus Christ.

Yes, Christmas is really not about trees, tinsel, Santa’s and presents. No, its about one thing, God’s faithful promise to fulfill His love and concern for a wayward world of sinners hurriedly rushing on to a devastating eternity, separated from God.

So friends, when Christmas day rolls around this week, the question is - how will you celebrate it? Will it be as Mary did before it happened? She celebrated her pregnancy with joy and rejoicing. But Mary wasn’t the only one. Let’s read the story that unfolded soon after she discovered she was miraculously pregnant with the Christ child. Again in Luke’s gospel we read the angel of the Lord  said,

Luke 1:36-45 (NIV)  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Here we are confronted with another woman of great faith and love for God. Some of us know the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zachariah was a priest in Israel and Elizabeth was a close but considerably older cousin of Mary. One day six months ago while Zachariah was taking his tour of duty, serving in the Temple of the Lord; while there, God sent an angel to tell him he and his wife’s lifelong dream and prayer to have a child would occur. This couple was barren and had no children. In fact Elizabeth, Zachariah’s wife, was probably past the age where conception normally occurred. Let’s back up and read this story too as the miraculous birth of John the Baptist is foretold,

Luke 1:5-17 (NLT)  It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old. 8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord’s presence. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. 11 Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”

Here God does a miraculous work and rejuvenates the defunct reproductive systems of both Zachariah and Elizabeth to enable them to conceive and have a child. Notice in the promise of this, when both fully comprehended it brought them, “great joy and gladness” (Luke 1:14).  So here is Mary’s older cousin, perhaps by 20-30 years her senior going to have a baby. Now when Mary found out she was pregnant by miracle doings of God the Spirit, she immediately rushed to visit her cousin Elizabeth for she heard by the angel she too was pregnant. When Mary got to Elizabeth’s home, she recounted what the angel had told her and done. Let’s again enter the story,

Luke 1:39-45 (NLT)  A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped [with joy] within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. 43 What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! 44 When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! 45 You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."

It astounds me to see such great faith between two women of Israel. Remember, at this time Judaism had miserably failed to uphold the faith of their fathers. Phariseeism had taken hold of the fundamental world of Old Testament believers. These Pharisees, turned what was to be faith in the heart expressed in the life, into faith in a life lived by one’s traditions and works. Real Bible faith was rarely seen in those days as spiritual corruption on both sides was taking down what God intended to be a source of joy and happiness. The Sadducees, another sect of Jews who claimed to follow God, were the opposite lot. They rejected the Bible, and its teachings, even the afterlife. For them liberalism ruled as they fashioned a manmade religion that satisfied their heavily secularized and compromised lifestyles. So on the track that led straight to God there was derailment on both sides and each one accused the other of failure and foolishness.

Yet in the midst of this “turf war of faith” – there were those who held to the ancient truths and paths, and God noted. Remember what God said of Elizabeth and Zachariah,

Luke 1:6 (NIV)  Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.

For them faith was not a performance of duty, ritual, or works to please God, but their faith was centered on genuine joy and happiness in loving God and resting in His promises. You see both of them trusted that God’s Word was true and would unfold as He promised. They were genuinely saved followers of God for they trusted alone in the promise of the Messiah’s coming to save them from their sins. Now Zachariah served as a priest offering up the countless sacrifices as a testimony of their faith that one day God would send the perfect and final sacrifice for sin – The Messiah of Israel! You see friend, there is only one-way God saves sinners, whether they lived in Old Testament times or New. We all must come to God, by faith, trusting His Word is true, and God cannot and will not lie. We believe God’s promise that as sinners under the penalty of everlasting death to come, we can be saved from our sin and penalty ahead. How? One way – trusting that a Messiah, a Savior will take away our sins, and by faith in His coming, and Him, God grants us forgiveness, and eternal life.

Therefore note this ¾  the Old Testament saints “look forward” in faith,  to the coming of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, and we today “look back” in faith and see Him clearly and what He did for us all. Whenever one does this, it brings joy and rejoicing, peace and happiness, and more satisfaction and fullness of life now and for eternity. You see friend, this is why Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph were filled with joy! But now the Bible tells us of another who was filled with joy upon hearing Mary’s testimony. Who was this? Let’s go to the text again,

Luke 1:41 (NIV)  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Indeed what a statement! Her in the sixth month of pre-born life, the child, John the Baptist, in his mother’s womb, not yet fully formed, responded to outside speech! Imagine that? Our society today says an unborn baby is not a human being up till it leaves the mother’s womb intact! God says differently. Listen what the Bible tells us,

Psa 139:14-16 (NLT) "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."

Jeremiah the prophet by divine inspiration wrote these marvelous words, spoken by God,

Jer 1:5 (NLT) ""I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.""

And, Job the oldest of prophets recorded in the Bible,

Job 10:10-12 (NLT) "You guided my conception and formed me in the womb. 11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together. 12 You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care."

Well we can see here, God not only fashions life in the womb, but he preserves it with His care; that is, until sinful corrupt and rotten humanity attempts to kill that unborn life. God help us this Christmas season to dwell upon pre-born life to realize one of our greatest sins nationally and individually is to kill the unborn! This is the opposite of happiness and joy. Yet God intends for Christmas to be a time of joy. John the Baptist leaped for joy within his mother’s womb at the sound of his Aunt Mary’s voice and story of her miraculous birth to come. So friends, although we all know the Christmas story of the birth of the God man Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, do we fully and really know the joy that preceded His coming birth? Here were happy people, joyous people, content people whose faith was not in the times or nation in which they lived. Their hope for today and tomorrow, their expectancy for eternity was based on what God was about to do. God in His ever-present love and mercy was bringing into this world the only means whereby anyone can be saved from their sins. Peter the great apostle of the Lord cried out,

Acts 4:12 (NIV)  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Well friend, that’s the pre-Christmas story, and it is a story of faith, hope, love and joy. May this Christmas coming be the very same for you and may you truly look beyond the tree, the lights and presents and see Jesus clearly, and when you do – you should see Jesus clearly and crown Him the Lord and Savior of your life. How? As Mary did of old in her song and testimony as she said,

Luke 1:38 (NLT) “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever God wants..” Luke 1:46-50 (NIV)  “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation…”

Yes friends, Christ is the promised fulfillment of God’s mercy that extends to those who love and respect God and His Word, believing in His Son Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. Those who do, continue to as those of old did – LEAP FOR JOY. May this joy be yours this Christmas, and may the Lord Jesus ever be your God and Savior. Amen…

…Well, Christmas is but a week and a half away. I know you are getting ready, but make sure you are spiritually ready. Have you taken Jesus Christ as your Savior? I’m not asking if you are religious. I’m asking if you’ve crown this babe born in Bethlehem long ago, who died on a cross for your sins, as your Savior and Lord? Without this, Christmas truly means nothing and one day all the false Christmas’ will testify against you for passing by so great salvation and Savior. Put Christ back in Christmas and enter His joy now and forevermore!