Holy Christmas

[Gen 1:1 ESV] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

A necessary precondition. 

GOD

Our existence depends entirely on God. 

 [Act 17:28 ESV] for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Westminster Catechism 

Q. 4. What is God?

A. God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.

God is SPIRIT

[Deu 4:15 ESV] "Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,

[Deu 4:16 ESV] beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

[Deu 4:17 ESV] the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air,

[Deu 4:18 ESV] the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.

[Deu 4:19 ESV] And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

[Jhn 4:24 ESV] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

God is Infinite

[1Ki 8:27 ESV] "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!

[Psa 139:7 ESV] Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

[Psa 139:8 ESV] If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

[Psa 147:5 ESV] Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

[Jer 23:24 ESV] Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

Omni Present

[Pro 15:3 ESV] The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

[Rom 11:33 ESV] Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

[Rom 11:34 ESV] "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"

[Rom 11:35 ESV] "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"

[Rom 11:36 ESV] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

God is Eternal

[Rev 1:4 ESV] John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

Eternal

[Rev 1:8 ESV] "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Infinite  also : transcendent 

[2Ch 2:5 ESV] The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

[2Ch 2:6 ESV] But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?

transcendent 

adjective

1.

going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding.

2.

superior or supreme.

3.

Theology. (of the Deity) transcending the universe, time, etc.

Compare immanent (def 3).

God does not need the universe to exist. 

God does not need the material, naturalistic to demonstrate His existence to us. 

[1Ki 8:27 ESV] "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!

God is Just

[Rev 15:3 ESV] And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

[2Pe 3:13 ESV] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

How do you know the God of the Bible is the right God and the Bible is true?

The Bible is the only source material that describes this God. 

So What?    

This is the one God that all humans love to hate. 

If this was an untrustworthy man made book.

Humans would have written in a much smaller god. 

Just like every other god of every other religious book in human history. 

Humans want an idol (small god), that allows them to be evil. 

A small god who likes it when humans sin.  

A small god who approves of sin.

A small god who promotes sin. 

A god so small that we as humans have power over him. 

As humans we can be “free” to be evil. 

Would humans write a religious book that condemns themselves?

Humans would write a book that says we can all go to Heaven if we live good enough.

[Psa 14:1 ESV] To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

[Psa 14:2 ESV] The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

[Psa 14:3 ESV] They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

However, 

If the God of the Bible is the true God, than one evidence would be a human race rejecting the God described in the Bible, and trying to be their own god. 

And that is most overwhelming, exactly what we see. 

It is also what we ourselves struggle with the most. 

The Word of God is so powerful it reads you back. 

[Heb 4:12 ESV] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

[Heb 4:13 ESV] And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So why do so many people not like the Bible?

Why do Christians struggle reading it?

Why are there so many disagreements about what the Bible says?

Why we Struggle with the Word of God, WE struggle with God. 

[Gen 3:7 ESV] Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

[Gen 3:8 ESV] And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Well, that’s not very Christmas like.

Patience’s, there is more. 

Jesus

[Heb 1:1 ESV] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

[Heb 1:2 ESV] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

[Heb 1:3 ESV] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus All God’s qualities in Christ

[Col 1:15 ESV] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

[Col 1:16 ESV] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.

[Col 1:17 ESV] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

[Col 1:18 ESV] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

[Col 1:19 ESV] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

[Col 1:20 ESV] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

An Eternal Kingdom through Jesus Christ

[Rev 1:5 ESV] and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

[Rev 1:6 ESV] and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

[Rev 1:7 ESV] Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

The Plan

[2Ti 1:8 ESV] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me (Paul) his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

[2Ti 1:9 ESV] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

[2Ti 1:10 ESV] and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

[2Ti 1:11 ESV] for which I (Paul) was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,

[2Ti 1:12 ESV] which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.

Mary’s visitation. 

[Luk 1:26 ESV] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

[Luk 1:27 ESV] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.

[Luk 1:28 ESV] And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"

[Luk 1:29 ESV] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

[Luk 1:30 ESV] And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

[Luk 1:31 ESV] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

[Luk 1:32 ESV] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,

[Luk 1:33 ESV] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Incarnation

[Luk 2:4 ESV] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

[Luk 2:5 ESV] to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

[Luk 2:6 ESV] And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

[Luk 2:7 ESV] And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

See the slide show here