The Holy Spirit and Christmas
- The title of my lesson this (Evening / Morning) is the Holy Spirit and Christmas.
- Now when we think about it we might not at first see the connection between the two but hopefully, after this lesson, you will see that there would be no Christmas without the Holy Spirit.
- Of course, I have one qualifying statement here and that is that when I say "Christmas" I'm not referring to the public holiday, shopping frenzy, Santa Clause version of Christmas.
- What I'm teaching here today is the relationship between the Holy Spirit, the actual birth of Christ and how this connection brings peace to men.
v The same peace mentioned in both Luke and Paul's writings.
I. Peace in Luke's Account - Luke 2: 8 - 14
- When Luke recorded the scene with the shepherds at Jesus' birth, he was referring to the relational peace that Christ was bringing with Him beginning by His physical birth here on earth as a man.
- Vs.14 has been so misread to mean several things that it doesn't
1. That Jesus' birth brings peace between people.
· This explains why there is a feeling of goodwill at Christmas time.
- Misquote by saying "..peace between men.
2. That God is pleased with only some and Jesus was sent for them.
· Calvanistic idea that only those chosen by God can be saved and Jesus was sent for them (the ones God is pleased with).
- These misinterpretations and misunderstandings have blurred the real meaning of "peace" that Luke talks about in these verses.
- The "peace" that the gospel writer refers to is a cessation of hostilities between God and man; that have been going on since the beginning of time.
- From the day Adam sinned by disobeying God's command, all men have been separated and hostile towards God because of their sins.
· "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned Rom.5: 12
- Whether they wish to or not, all men are slaves to sin, separated from God and doomed to be condemned for it at the judgement.
· "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; ... the wages of sin is death" Rom. 3:23; 6:23
· "For we know that the Law is spiritual but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Roman 7: 14 -15
- What a condition, what a predicament to be in?
· To know that sinning leads to death and condemnation.
· To be powerless to stop sinning even when knowing the consequences, not being able to stop.
· To know that no matter what, no matter how hard one tried, they would be subject to death and eternal separation form God.
à The most "enlightened" person only realizes that they are a doomed sinner.
- But then one day a child is born in Bethlehem. A child who has a divine source and mission John 1:1; 14; 3: 16
· The Son of God comes to this earth born of a human body.
· His mission is the live a perfect and sinless life and then offer that life as a payment for the moral debt of all humankind from Adam to the very last human being born on this earth before it is destroyed by fire in the last day (II Peter 3: 10 -11)
- By doing this He will, in effect, remove the sins that separate man from God. There is now a way opened up for peace between God and mankind to exist.
· There will still be sin and men will still be powerless to completely overcome their sinful natures (Rom.7: 1ff) - However.
· There will now be a payment for those sins, a continual effective cleansing of sinners through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ.
".. we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all." Heb. 10: 10
- Because of Jesus and what He has done, the thing, the evil, the bad blood, the war, between God and man has been removed, cleansed, made right … and God can once again be at peace with man.
· The angels rejoice in anticipation of what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for man - peace between himself and God. Rom.8: 1
- Now a more accurate reading of "with whom He is well pleased" would be ".. with men of good will".
· The idea is that all those who would seek the "good will" of God would find the "peace" that Jesus was sent to establish.
v This "peace" was available for everyone, but acquired only by those who sought it through Jesus Christ, as Paul says in Eph.2: 14, "For He Himself is our peace.."
II. Peace in Paul's Epistle - Galatians 5: 22-23
- In Gal.5: 22 when Paul is talking about "peace" he is not referring to a relational concept, like Luke, he's talking about an experience.
- The fruit of the Holy Spirit (even though it is a singular word it is used in the collective sense) includes peace.
- Actually Paul uses 3 "triads" (Groups of three)
1) Love, joy, peace.
2) Patience, kindness, goodness.
3) Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
- When Paul speaks of peace he is referring to the experience one has as a result of God's grace in their lives.
- Peace as a feeling within one's soul
- Lenski, the commentator says that the Greek word refers to ".. an assured quietness of the soul, the opposite of dread and terror, the feeling that .. all is well between themselves and God." LHL - Gal P. 291
IE. Have you ever had a fight or argument with a family member or friend and walked out angry?
· You review the fight in your mind, the words that were said, what you should have said.
· That sick feeling you have, the anger, the frustration, the sadness that conflict brings.
- And then you receive a note, a call, an offer of reconciliation, perhaps an apology..
- You talk things through
- Each person seeks forgiveness and renewal.
· Old misunderstandings and bitter feelings melt away.
- How do you feel after that happens?
· You feel light, you feel joyful, more loving towards that person, hopeful, enthusiastic.
- All those feelings together produce peace, peace that replaces the feelings you had before.
- Earlier in Gal.5:19, Paul is talking about the kinds of feelings that the flesh (or rather the works of the sinful flesh produce).
· Jealousy, envy, anger, disputes, divisions, sexually impure desires etc.
- In contrast to those, he says that the feelings produced by the Holy Spirit are easily recognizable. In other words it's easy to see when one is in the flesh or spirit.
v Now, He doesn't explain in great detail how to cultivate "peace", it is something that the Holy Spirit cultivates in you.
III. The Holy Spirit and Peace
- This brings me to the last part in my lesson and that is; what is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Peace?
- Talked about peace - Achieved by The Cross of Christ. - A feeling experienced in the Spirit.
A. The Holy Spirit and Christmas (Birth of Jesus)
- The peace that the birth of Christ announced was announced and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit
- The Plan of Salvation is not.. Hearing/Believing/Confessing/Repentance/Baptism; the plan is God sends Jesus to die for our sins and offer Salvation based on faith.
- Hearing, believing, confessing, repenting and being baptized is our response of faith to the plan.
- In God's plan to save man, each member of the Godhead had a role to play as revealed in the Scripture:
1 - The Father conceived the plan and sent the Son -
"The works which the Father has given me to accomplish"John5: 36
2 - The Son accomplished the plan (died for men's sins)
"It is Finished" John 19:30 - The plan is finished.
3 - The Holy Spirit provided many elements
IE. The power to sustain the Jewish people, gave utterance to all the prophets, enabled Mary to conceive miraculously.
- Without the Holy Spirit's part there would be no Christmas, no birth of Jesus, no anticipation of the peace that Jesus would ultimately achieve between man and God.
v The Holy Spirit is the one who maintained all of the elements (both spiritual and physical) that permitted Jesus to be born and carry out the Father's plan for peace.
B. The Fruit of the Spirit.
- Once Jesus accomplished the Father's plan for peace and returned to the Father in heaven after His resurrection, what did He promise?
- He promised to send the Holy Spirit.
- Read John 14:25-27
- And what was the Holy Spirit going to do? He was going to maintain the peace that Jesus created with his cross.
- How was He going to do this?
- Three ways and the lesson is yours:
1. He would help - vs.26a
· He would comfort and help the sinner by giving him spiritual power.
IE. - enabling his prayer life
- empower him to overcome sin
- reassure him that he truly belonged to the Father
- raise his body from the dead. Rom.8: 9-17
v This help would not allow sin to frighten or disturb the peace that exists between God and man.
2. He would Teach - vs.26b
· At first He empowered the Apostles to do miracles to confirm the word and provided them with and exact memory of all the teachings of Christ.
v Those teachings were recorded and preserved so that all men in every generation could find and secure for themselves the peace they yearned for with God through Jesus.
3. He would Remain - vs.27
- The Holy Spirit is the embodiment of peace and He is given to every believer at baptism - Acts 2:38
- How else would Jesus' peace remain in a dynamic and living form throughout the centuries?
· Men sign peace treaties, God sends the Holy Spirit.
- When Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, he is referring to the work that the Spirit accomplishes in the Christian through.
- His help
- His teaching
- His presence in one's soul.
v Yes, peace is a feeling, but a feeling produced as one willingly and faithfully accepts the help, the teaching and the leading of the Holy Spirit in one's life.
Summary/Invitation.
- Let's draw a few practical lessons from our study:
1. Make sure the good feeling you have at Christmas is not just based on having your shopping done.
- Unless we've confirmed Christ, repented of our sins and been baptized into His name - the peace we feel at Christmas will be gone as soon as we have to go back to work.
v The Lord offers a lasting peace, a peace to our dying moment for those who believe and obey the gospel of Jesus.
2. Let the Holy Spirit work in you.
- Paul says that the true sons of God are those who are being led by the Holy Spirit.
- The fruit that he talks about in Galatians, these are not things you produce; these are things He has been sent to produce in you.
· Paul merely lists them so you can discern who is the master of your soul - the flesh or the Holy Spirit.
v Let the Spirit comfort you, encourage you, teach you, and lead your steps in Christ and you will know peace, and in knowing peace you will know Him, who is the Prince of peace.
3. Make Peace At All Cost.
- God gave His only Son to make peace with us; surely we can give up our pride and stubbornness to make peace with those who are alienated from us.
v If you need God's peace or the strength to make peace come now that we may minister to you.