The Christmas Victory

Even though he had spent the previous night in prayer, he was still a bit nervous as he mounted the steps to the pulpit and he breathed a final prayer for God's help in delivering this message, which had been on his mind so long, to the men who would be in most need of hearing it.

Charles and some of his men were on the front row of the chapel that morning, and Charles found himself listening intently to the preacher's message. The preacher first told everyone to open the pew Bibles to Matthew 1:18-23 and read the passage. He then gave the following massage:

“GOOD MORNING AND MERRY CHRISTMAS. YES, IT’S THE START OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON ALREADY, AND, THUS, THE TITLE OF MY SERMON TODAY IS: THE CHRISTMAS VICTORY.  VICTORY, AS YOU ALL ARE WELL AWARE OF, IS THE RESULT OF A WAR OR BATTLE BEING WON. THE HISTORY OF MAN IS FILLED WITH WARS SUCH AS THE ONE WE’RE NOW FIGHTING. BUT ALL WARS, INCLUDING THIS ONE ARE BUT A SYMPTOM OF THE GREATER SPIRITUAL WAR—BECAUSE OF SIN, MAN IS NATURALLY AT WAR WITH HIS CREATOR. AND THIS SPIRITUYAL WARFARE SHOWS ITSELF IN SEVERAL WAYS SPECIFICALLY AT CHRISTMAS TIME. THERE’S THE BATTLE AGAINST DEPRESSION , AS CHRISTMAS BRINGS MEMORIES OF LOSSES OR TRAGEDIES THAT HAPPENED DURING THE SEASON IN YEARS PAST, OR A REALIZATION THAT OUR PRESENT STATE OF FINANCE IS NOT ALL WE HOPED IT WOULD BE, OR—FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE TO STAY HERE, A DESIRE TO BE HOME WITH OUR LOVED ONES.  THOSE AT HOME FACE THE BATTLE AGAINST STRESS AS THEY STRUGGLE TO GET THIINGS DONE—GREETINGS SENT, TREES TRIMMED, PRESENTS BOUGHT, ETC. THEN, THERE ARE MORE PERSONAL BATTLES. SOME OF US FIND IT HARDER AT CHRISTMAS TIME TO AVOID OVER INDULGENCE IN FOOD OR DRINK. ALL THESE BATTLES RAGE ON, AND YET, PART OF THE MESSAGE OF THE ANGELS TO THE SHEPHERDS ON THAT CHRISTMAS NIGHT WAS PEACE ON EARTH, AND PEACE IS THE RESULT OF VICTORY. IN A PART OF NEW GUINEA, WHEN TRIBES ARE AT WAR AND A CHILD IS BORN TO ONE OF THE WARRING PARTIES, THAT CHILD IS TAKEN BY THE OTHER SIDE AS A PEACE CHILD, SIGNIFYING THAT AS LONG AS THE CHILD LIVED THERE WOULD BE PEACE BETWEEN THE TRIBES. ON CHRISTMAS, GOD SENT HIS SON TO BE OUR PEACE CHILD- TO BRING AN END TO THE ENMITY BETWEEN US AND GOD.

THAT IS THE REAL TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS-- NOT SIMPLY THAT A BABE WAS BORN IN A MANGER 2000 YEARS AGO, OR EVEN THAT THE BABE WAS OUR SAVIOR, WHO WOULD LATER DIE FOR OUR SINS. THAT LAST STATEMENT IS TRUE, BUT IT DOESN'T GO QUITE FAR ENOUGH. IN FACT, IT MAKES CHRISTMAS SEEM SOMEWHAT LESS IMPORTANT THAN GOOD FRIDAY. NO, THE REAL TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS NOT SIMPLY THAT WITHOUT HIS BIRTH THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HIS DEATH, BUT RATHER THAT HIS BIRTH WAS, IN ITSELF, A SIGN AND GUARANTEE BOTH OF THIS DEATH AND OF THE SALVATION IT WOULD BRING IN ALL ITS FULLNESS--THIS FULLNESS INCLUDING NOT ONLY A FUTURE ETERNITY, BUT ALSO A PRESENT VICTORY AND FREEDOM FROM FEAR IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

BUT, IN ORDER TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THIS, WE MUST FIRST LOOK AT THE OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGE FROM WHICH MATTHEW WAS QUOTING IN VS. 23. VERSE 23 OF MATTHEW 1 IS A QUOTE FROM THE 7^TH CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. SO, IF YOU HAVE YOUR BIBLES OPEN TO MATTHEW 1, PUT YOUR FINGER OR A PAPER THERE, BECAUSE WER’RE COMING BACK TO IT, AND TURN TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 7. BUT BEFORE WE TURN THERE, I MUST ASSURE YOU THAT THE WORD FOR VIRGIN USED BY MATTHEW IN 1:23 CAN ALLOW FOR NO OTHER TRANSLATION. IT CAN ONLY MEAN VIRGIN. I SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE WORD IN VS.22 FOR FULFILLED IS LITTERLY “COMPLETELY FILLED UP.” WITH THAT IN MIND LET US NOTICE THE SITUATION OF ISAIAH 7 IN ORDER TO SEE WHAT MATTHEW IS REFERRING TO, AND I’LL HAVE TO ASK YOU TO FORGET ABOUT CHRISTMAS FOR THE NEXT 5 MINUTES, BECAUSE THIS PASSAGE TAKES PLACE 750 YEARS BEFORE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.

WHAT WE HAVE IN ISAIAH 7 IS A SITUATION OF REAL ACTUAL PHYSICAL WARFARE, LIKE THE WAR WE ARE INVOLVED IN. AHAZ WAS KING OF JUDA AND HE WAS TOLD THAT TWO POWERFUL ENEMIES WERE COMING AGAINST HIM. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT? THIS WAR IS BAD ENOUGH, IS'N IT? BUT HOW WOULD IT BE IF ANOTHER COUNTRY, SAY ENGLAND, FOR EXAMPLE, DECIDED TO JOIN THIS WAR ON THE SIDE OF THE CONFERDERACY? WE'D BE CERTAIN TO LOSSE IN THAT CASE. AND THAT'S THE SORT OF THING KING AHAZ OF JUDA WAS FACING AND HE WAS SCARED TO DEATH. SO GOD SENDS THE PROPHET ISAIAH TO AHAZ TO TELL HIM NOT TO BE AFRAID THAT THESE TWO ENEMIES WOULD BE DEFEATED, BUT AHAZ DOUBTS, SO THE LORD SAYS THAT HE HIMSELF WILL GIVE HIM A SIGN. NOW, BEFORE READING VS.14 OF ISAIAH 7, I MUST TELL YOU THAT IN HEBREW, THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS WRITTEN, WORDS HAD A WIDE RANGE OF MEANING AND SO THE WORD TRANSLATED VIRGIN COULD ALSO MEAN SIMPLY, YOUNG WOMAN. SO, VERSE 14 -16 COULD READ “THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL GIVE YOU A SIGN: A YOUNG WOMAN WILL CONCEIVE AND BEAR A SON AND WILL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL...BEFORE THE CHILD SHALL KNOW HOW TO REFUSE THE EVIL AND CHOOSE THE GOOD, THE LAND WHOSE TWO KINGS YOU FEAR WILL BE FORSAKEN.” AND IN CHAPTER 8, WE SEE THAT A SON WAS BORN TO ISAIAH. THE NAME OF ISAIAH'S SON MEANS HASTE YE TO THE SPOIL. AND A SIMILAR STATEMENT IS MADE IN VERSE 4 TO THAT OF 7:16, TYING ISAIAH'S SON IN WITH THE PROPHECY OF PHYSICAL VICTORY MADE TO AHAZ. THE CHILD IS EVEN CALLED "EMANUEL" , OR ‘GOD WITH US’ IN VERSE 8, INDICATING THAT HE IS A SIGN OF GOD’S PRESENCE WITH HIS PEOPLE EVEN THEN. A JEWISH BOY BECAME BAR-MITZVAHED, A “SON OF THE COMMANDMENT,” AT AGE 12 OR 13. AT THIS TIME HE WAS CONSIDERED A MORAL ADULT, RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH FOR HIS OWN ACTS TO REJECT WRONG AND CHOOSE THE RIGHT.  THUS THE SIGN PROVING ISAIAH’S WORDS ABOUT THE SALVATION TO BE WON BY EMANUEL WOULD BE THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL AND SYRIA BY ASSYRIA WITHIN A DOZEN YEARS. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED, FOR BY 722 B.C. JUST 12 YEARS AFTER AHAZ BECAME KING, THE TWO LANDS HE FEARED LAY IN WASTE! NOW YOU HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT VERSE 14 MEANT TO AHAZ.

BUT, BY NOW YOU ARE REALLY WONDERING WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS. IN FACT, SOME OF YOU ARE SAYING, ‘BUT, JIM, THIS DELUTES THE STRENGTH OF THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST’S VIRGIN BIRTH.’ NO, ACTUALLY, IT ENHANCES THE FORCE OF THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST’S VIRGIN BIRTH, IN THAT IT MAKES IT BOTH A LITERAL AND A PICTORIAL PROPHECY. REMEMBER THE WORD USED IN MATTHEW, WHICH IS TRANSLATED "FULFILLED"? REMEMBER I SAID THAT IT LITERALLY MEANS "COMPLETELY FILLED UP." THE PROPHECY WAS ONLY PARTIALLY FULFILLED IN AHAZ'S TIME. THE COMPLETE FULFILLMENT WOULD COME LATER ON. THUS, ISAIAH'S SON, WHOSE VERY NAME HAS THE RING OF VICTORY IN IT, WAS BOTH A SIGN TO AHAZ AND A TYPE OF THE ONE TO COME, WHOSE BIRTH WOULD BE TO US A SIGN TO US OF SPIRITUAL VICTORY. A TYPE IS A PHYSICAL PERSON, PLACE, THING OR EVENT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WHICH REPRESENTS A CORRESPONDING SPIRITUAL REALITY (CALLED AN ANTI-TYPE) IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. IN ICOR.10:11, PAUL SAID THAT ALL THAT HAPPENED TO ISEREAL HAPPENED TO THEM AS TYPES FOR US. AND IN 8:18, ISAIAH SAYS THAT HE AND HIS CHILDREN ARE FOR SIGNS AND WONDERS IN ISRAEL, AND THE WORD USED HERE FOR ‘SIGN’ IS ALSO TRANSLATED AS ‘TYPE’. SEEING ISAIAH'S SON AS A TYPE OF CHRIST ALLOWS FOR THE FULL MEANING OF THE HEBREW WORD TO COME INTO PLAY. AHAZ HEARD IT AS ‘YOUNG WOMAN’ AND SAW IT FULFILLED AS SUCH IN HIS TIME WITH THE BIRTH OF ISAIAH'S SON, HASTE YE TO THE SPOIL. BUT, LOOKING BACK, WE CAN SEE THAT THIS WAS NOT ALL THAT GOD INTENDED. GOD HAD MORE IN MIND THAN THE BIRTH OF ISAIAH'S SON. HE WAS ALSO LOOKING DOWN THE CORRIDORS OF TIME –OVER 700 YERARS INTO THE FUTURE, TO WHEN HE WOULD SEND HIS SON, THROUGH A VIRGIN. THUS THE PROPHECY WAS COMPLETELY FILLED UP BY THE BIRTH OF THE ANTI-TYPE, JESUS, AS RECORDED IN MATTHEW. NOTICE I SAID THAT A TYPE REPERESENTS A SPIRITUAL REALITY. IT IS NOT JUST A PREDICTION OF ANOTHER PHYSICAL REALITY. THUS ISAIAH'S SON, SINCE HE WAS A SIGN OF COMING PHYSICAL VICTORY, PRE-FIGURES OR PICTURES JESUS, BUT NOT JUST IN HIS PHYSICAL PERSON, BUT, SPIRITUALLY, AS SAVIOUR, OR DELIVERER – THE ONE WHO WOULD, HIMSELF, BRING TRUE SPITITUAL VICTORY. HIS DISCIPLE OFTEN LOST SIGHT OF THIS, THINKING HE WOULD BRING PHYSICAL VICTORY OVER THE ROMANS, BUT THAT IS NOT WHY HE CAME. HE CAME TO BRING THE SPIRITUAL VICTORY OF SALVATION FROM SIN. BOTH JOSEPH AND MATTHEW WERE AWARE OF THIS, SO LET'S TURN BACK NOW TO MATTHEW 1 AND SEE THE SIGN TO JOSEPH, MATHEW AND TO US.

THOSE WERE FEARFUL TIMES AS WELL. WITH THE ROMANS IN CHARGE, YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. AND HERE'S JOSEPH, WHO SUDDENLY LEARNS THAT THE GIRL TO WHOM HE IS ENGAGED IS ALREADY PREGNANT. OF COURSE, HE IS FEARFUL, EMBARASSED AND CONFUSED. HE THINKS TO PUT HER AWAY DISCRETELY. BUT THEN, HE DREAMS THAT AN ANGEL APPEARS TO HIM AND TELLS HIM NOT TO BE AFRAID TO TAKE HER BECAUSE THAT WHICH IS CONCEIVED IN HER IS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. WELL THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO QUIET ANY FEARS, BUT STILL HE COULD HAVE DOUBTED LATER WHETHER THE DREAM WAS REALLY FROM GOD. BUT THE ANGEL TOLD HIM SOMETHING ELSE. HE TOLD HIM TO NAME THE CHILD JESUS BECAUSE HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. THE NAME JESUS IS A TRANSLITERATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT NAME JOSHUA, THE ONE WHO LEAD HIS PEOPLE TO VICTORY, AND I'M SURE THE ANALOGY WASN'T LOST ON JOSEPH. BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT, HE, NO DOUBT REALIZED THAT MARY'S SON WOULD BE THE ONE TO LEAD US TO SPIRITUYAL VICTORY.

THERE WAS ALSO A SIGN TO MATTHEW, THE WRITER. BEING A JEW, AND WRITING TO JEWS, WE WOULD EXPECT THAT HE WOULD QUOTE FROM THE HEBREW. BUT INSTEAD, BEING LEAD BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE QUOTED FROM THE GREEK TRANSLATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WHICH WAS STARTNG TO BE POPULAR THEN. AND THAT TRANSLATION USED A WORD WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN VIRGIN, SO THERE WOULD BE NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. JESUS WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN. AND HIS VERY BIRTH IS TO US A SIGN OF SPIRITUYAL VICTORY AS MUCH AS THE BIRTH ISAIAH'S SON WAS A SIGN TO AHAZ OF SPIRITUYAL VICTORY.

BUT HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO US? AHAZ FEARED TWO ENEMIES. WE ALSO HAVE TWO ENEMIES, WHICH WE NEED NOW NO LONGER FEAR. I MENTIONED ISAIAH.8:18. (”BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM THE LORD HAS GIVEN ME ARE SIGNS..) THIS VERSE IS QUOTED IN PART IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN HEBREWS.2:13 IN REFERENCE TO THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. HERE WE SEE THAT HE CAME TO SET US FREE FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH . “INASMUCH AS THE CHILDREN ARE PARTAKERS OF FLESH AND BLOOD, HE HIMSELF LIKEWISE TOOK PART OF THE SAME, THAT THROUGH DEATH, HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM THAT HATH THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL.” PAUL ALSO SPEAKS OF THIS IN ICOR.15:54-57, WHERE HE SAYS THAT “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.” THIS TIES IN WITH THE GREEN OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE--THE EVERGREEN TREE REPRESENTING ETERNAL LIFE. 

THE SECOND ENEMY THAT JESUS CAME TO DEFEAT IS THE ENEMY OF SIN, MENTIONED IN VERSES 16-18 OF HEBREWS 2 .vs16-17 DEALS WILTH HIS VICTORY OVER THE PENALTY OF SIN. “FOR, TRULY, HE TOOK NOT ON HIM THE NATURE OF ANGELS, BUT HE TOOK ON HIM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM. WHEREFORE IN ALL THINGS, IT BEHOOVED HIM TO BE MADE LIKE HIS BRETHREN THAT HE MIGHT BE A FAITHFUL AND MERCIFUL HIGH PRIEST IN THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD TO MAKE RECONCILIATION FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE.”  HE HAD TO BECOME LIKE US IN ORDER TO TAKE OUR PLACE. VERSE 18 DEALS WITH HIS VICTORY OVER THE POWER OF SIN. “FOR, IN THAT HE HIMSELF HAS SUFFERED, BEING TEMPTED, HE ABLE TO RESCUE THEM THAT ARE TEMPTED.” PAUL TELLS US IN ROMANS 6:14 THAT SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER US, AND COMBINES THESE TWO ENEMIES IN ROMANS 8:2, SAYING THAT “CHRIST HAS SET US FREE, OR "DELIVERED" US FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH..” THUS, AS ISAIAH TRIED TO TELL AHAZ, WE NEED NO LONGER FEAR. BUT THE HEBREWS PASSAGE POINTS OUT THAT IN ORDER TO WIN THIS VICTORY FOR US, HE HAD TO TAKE OUR NATURE UPON HIM. HE, THE DIVINE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, HAD TO BECOME ONE OF US. *

THERE WAS ALSO A SIGN TO MARY, ELIZABETH AND ZACHARIUS, AS RECORDED IN LUKE CHAPTER 1. WE SEE THAT AN ANGEL APPEARED TO MARY ALSO AND TOLD HER SHE WILL HAVE A SON WHO WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF ISERAEL FOREVER, AND SHE ASKES THE ANGEL HOW THIS CAN BE, SINCE SHE IS NOT HAVING PHYSICAL RELATIONS WITH A MAN. THE ANGEL EXPLAINS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL OVERSHADDOW HER AND THAT WHICH IS BORN OF HER WILL BE THE SON OF GOD, BUT THEN HE GOES ON TO GIVE HERE A SIGN, JUST IN CASE SHE SHOULD HAVE DOUBTS LATER ON. HE TELLS HER THAT HER COUSIN, ELIZABETH, WHO WAS UNTIL NOW PROVEN UNABLE TO BEAR CHILDREN, WOUL.D ALSO HAVE A SON. SO, MARY GOES TO VISIT ELIZABLETH AND WHEN SHE GREATS HER, THE CHILD LEAPS IN ELIZABETH'S WOMB. AND MARY BREAKS FORTH INTO A BEAUTIFUL HYMN OF PRAISE WHICH WE NOW CALL THE MAGNIFICANT, SAYING “MY SOUL DOES MAGNIFY THE LORD AND MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOR. .HE HAS SHOWN STRENGTH BY HIS ARM; HE HATH SCATTERED THE PROUD. HE HATH PUT DOWN THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR SEATS AND EXALTED THEM OF LOW DEGREE...”

AND WHAT ABOUT ELIZABETH'S HUSBAND, ZACHARIUS? HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN AN ANGEL TOLD HIM THAT ELIZABETH WAS GOING TO HAVE A SON, AND SO HE WAS STRUK DUMB (UNABLE TO SPEAK) UNTIL THE CHILD WAS BORN. AND THEN HIS MOUTH WAS OPENED AGAIN AND HE GAVE A BEAUTIFUL PROPHECY WHICH WE CALL THE BENIDICTIUS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE BY READING PART OF IT. “BLESSED BE THE LORD, GOD OF ISRAEL WHO HAS VISITED AND REDEEMED HIS PEOPLE AND HAS RAISED UP A HORN OF SALVATION FOR US IN THE HOUSE OF HIS SERVANT DAVID...THAT WE SHOULD BE SAVED FROM OUR ENEMIES AND FROM THE HAND OF ALL THAT HATE US...TO GRANT UNTO US THAT WE BEING DELIVERED OUT OF THE HAND OF OUR ENEMIES, MIGHT SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES.” AMEN.

That was all. Some of his men had dozed off to sleep during the sermon. But the message had a profound impact on Charles. He especially wondered about the part about being free from the fear of death. So, the next day, he asked Major Hooker if he could see the chaplain.