SERIES: A Red Christmas
MESSAGE: Christmas—The Right Reason
SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 4:4-6

MESSAGE SUMMARY
God's plan for us is that we be sons, not slaves. To deliver us from bondage, He sent the Serpent Crusher—the One promised in Genesis 3. From this text in Galatians, we learn that Jesus' coming restores our lost heritage of closeness and intimacy with God. He redeemed us and adopted us as His sons and daughters, and that is the reason we celebrate Christmas.

DETAILED NOTES

  1. Introduction
    1. Raised in church/Sunday school
      1. Jesus is the reason for the season
      2. He is the answer to it all
      3. Teacher teaching on Noah's ark, the answer is always Jesus
    2. Jesus is the answer to the longing of all mankind
    3. The Bible has one central theme: Jesus
      1. The Old Testament: He is promised
      2. The New Testament: He is presented, preached, pondered, and predicted
      3. For a lot people, the Bible is like going to a play and getting there late; they only read the New Testament, so they are lost; on a trek in the jungle
      4. The Bible is a seamless revelation of Christ
        1. It is a staged and coherent story when you give Jesus his rightful place (see Colossians 1:18)
        2. The Bible is not haphazard; Paul told the Ephesians that God works all things to the counsel of His own will. (see Ephesians 1:11)
        3. It is the revelation of God
    4. Considering Christmas
      1. The right season, "In the fullness of the time"
      2. The right person, "His Son, born of a woman, born under the law"
      3. Christmas, the right reason v. 5
        1. This year decided to not spend a lot of time on mangers, wise men, angels, stars, etc.
        2. Go deeper and really understand the Christmas story
        3. For many people Christmas seems out of place; baby in a manager
          1. We're in a different culture, different time
          2. What's the hoopla with the baby?
          3. To redeem those who were under the law
  2. Christmas, the right Reason; "to redeem" v. 5
    1. History of the reason—need to understand the history of this reason to understand the Bible
      1. "Were under the law" past history
      2. "That we" present reality
      3. Galatians 1-3, all of that history means something to us now
        1. What was the true beginning of Christmas?
          1. In the manger? (see Luke 2:7)
          2. When angels announced? (see Luke 2:8-12)
          3. Prophet Isaiah? (see Isaiah 9:6)
          4. Time of Moses when he predicted another prophet would be coming? (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
          5. Back to creation (see Genesis 1-3)
            1. It's good; it's very good
            2. Man and woman placed in dominion over the earth
            3. They had fellowship with God
            4. Then a rebellion and they became alienated from God
          6. Promise that Satan and his offspring will have conflict with the Seed of Eve (see Genesis 3)
            1. Seed: singular descendant
            2. Crush Satan's authority
            3. Where will the Seed come from?
            4. Through Abraham (see Genesis 12)
          7. The Promise from Adam through Noah, Shem, Abraham...
            1. Repeated to Abraham's second son, Isaac (see Genesis 26:4)
            2. Repeated to Isaac's second son, Jacob (see Genesis 28:14)
            3. Promise goes to Jacob's fourth son by his wife Leah, Judah (see Genesis 49:10)
            4. Then King David (see 2 Samuel 7)
            5. Then in Matthew 1 we see the lineage of Jesus
        2. Jesus born as a result of the promise in Genesis 3:15
          1. Sent to engage in conflict with Satan
          2. Result will be Satan's overthrow in the end of days
        3. We live now between the promise and the overthrow—where sonship that was lost is restored
      4. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law" Galatians 3:13-16
        1. Not without price, Satan would bruise his heel
        2. Christ's resurrection would strike the fatal blow to Satan's head
        3. "You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ." Galatians 3:26
          1. Paradise regained
          2. We are sons of God again
      5. The child heir
        1. As a child, he is no different than a slave
        2. Until the date set by his dad
        3. Then would go to adult son status
          1. Roman culture
          2. Jewish culture, age 13; Bar Mitzvah
          3. America, we don't have rights of passage
          4. An exact set time
            1. When the fullness of the time had come, God's timing
            2. We were slaves
            3. So, He sent the Serpent-Crusher
            4. All that was lost will be restored
            5. Bondage was long and hard
    2. Centrality of the reason
      1. To redeem: To buy back a slave and give the slave his freedom
      2. Adoption as sons: God bought us from the slave market of sin, brought us to Himself, adopted as sons and daughters, and will one day give us all He owns
      3. Those who receive Him, He gives the power to become sons (see John 1:12)
      4. The Son of God became a man to enable men who are slaves to become sons of God
      5. You never have to be in the bondage of trying to earn your way to be worthy to God
        1. You're a son
        2. You're not a slave, you shouldn't live in that slavery any more
      6. What kind of a father gives his son to be killed?
        1. One who loves the world enough to buy it back, to redeem people
        2. He knew that in His Son's death, His heel would be bruised, but He would rise again from the dead striking the fatal blow to the enemy
        3. Side of Christmas usually not told; we like the lights, the manger, baby Jesus
        4. Those soft little hands would have a Roman spike driven through them
        5. Those cute little feet would trod the road of sorrows to the place of execution
        6. That soft little baby head was destined to wear a crown of thorns
      7. Red Christmas
        1. "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" by Bing Crosby
        2. It takes red to get white
        3. Not talking about you getting in the red because of Christmas
        4. Not about red eyes because of too much partying around Christmas
        5. Not about the red suit of "the fat man"
        6. It's the red blood of His Son that cleanses us from sin
    3. The reality of the reason v. 6, to redeem and adopt
      1. Sons of God—I know that I'm His son, what does that do in my life?
        1. The Holy Spirit comes in and there is instant knowledge: "I am right with God"
          1. Daddy
          2. Abba
          3. I am close to God, He is my Father
        2. We started out as sons—intimacy with God in the garden
          1. Sons became slaves—Satan succeeded in bringing in darkness
          2. A promise brought a ray of light—one day He will come and He will crush the head of Satan—that "He" is the Son of God
          3. Angel told Mary, "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest." Luke 1:32
      2. Heir of God v. 6
        1. Peter gives us a peak: "An inheritance...undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you." 1 Peter 1:4
        2. Last verse of the Charles Wesley's hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing: "Adam's likeness Lord efface, stamp thine image in its place, second Adam from above, reinstate us in thy love, let us thee though lost regain, thee the life the inner man, O to all thyself impart, formed in each believing heart."
  3. Closing
    1. Lady wanted to buy gifts for a group of friends, she ran out of time, got a card—box of 50 "This Christmas card is just to say, a little gift is on its way."
    2. Read and understand the message of Christmas
      1. God was sending a gift on the way
      2. The greatest gift, His Son


Figures referenced: Charles Wesley

Publications referenced: "White Christmas," by Irving Berlin; recorded by Bing Crosby

Cross references: Genesis 3, 12, 26:4, 28:14, 49:10, Deuteronomy 18:15-19, 2 Samuel 7, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1, Luke 1:32, 2:7-12, John 1:12, Galatians 3:13-16, Ephesians 1:11, Colossians 1:18, 1 Peter 1:4

Topic: Christmas

Keywords: red, Christmas, Jesus, God, redeem, son, adopt, heir


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