Christmas, The Biblical Message of (1983)

The point: If you truly love Christ, then any display of the glory of his person and the sufficiency of his work can only delight your heart.

Martin uses the contemporary 'cabbage patch madness' as an example of the 'social madness' of the Christmas season, highlighting its inescapable presence in society.

Now, we're all agreed that the social madness called the Christmas, this season, has been with us for several weeks. This is an inescapable fact that impinges upon us on our highways, in our shopping centers, in our places of business, on the radio and TV, and in a special way this year, with cabbage patch madness. And your snicker indicates that you know whereof I speak. But now, what are we to do with this social madness, called the Christmas season?

1:25 - 2:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This great and precious but foundational mystery of the Christian faith that Jesus is man and Jesus is God. And in that one person are the two distinct, unmixed natures forever joined in the One who is the Savior of sinn…

Martin challenges the skepticism of those who might dismiss the virgin birth as a 'fairy story,' asserting that they would need to resurrect and disprove the eyewitnesses to do so.

And you say to me, Pastor Martin, do you expect me, living in this enlightened twentieth century, to believe that fairy story? My friend, listen. When you're prepared to take upon yourself the awesome task of resurrecting all of the witnesses to these realities, including Joseph and Mary, and prove them liars in a court of law, then you better get down off your high horse of skepticism and believe the simple, artless, unembellished testimony

22:41 - 23:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see, we're not saved by a God who is simply above us as Creator and against us as lawgiver and judge, but we are saved by the God who is with us in the person of Emmanuel.

Martin quotes Matthew Henry to illustrate how nature shows God 'above us,' the law shows God 'against us,' but only the Gospel reveals God as 'Emmanuel, God with us,' emphasizing the unique saving revelation of the incarnation.

That we might have an Emmanuel. That we might have a Redeemer who is God with us. Apart from which there is no hope, there is no light, there is no salvation. Matthew Henry in his beautiful and quaint way expressed it this way, By the light of nature we can see him as God above us.

29:28 - 29:57 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin addresses the second question, 'Why did He come?', by expounding the name 'Jesus' (Jehovah is salvation) from Matthew 1:21, emphasizing that His mission is to save His…

Martin uses the metaphors of a 'lock with no key,' an 'arch with no keystone,' and a 'building with no cornerstone' to explain that without Matthew 1:21 (Jesus saves from sins), the life history of Christ remains an unsolvable enigma.

to his glorious resurrection and triumphant ascension. Listen, listen carefully. All of the life history of Jesus is like a lock with no key. It's like an arch with no keystone.

38:26 - 38:42 Read in full sermon