This past weekend, or week, we all got to enjoy spending time with our families during the holiday known as Christmas.
So you'd know that this Sunday we're going to preach a Christmas sermon.
But not one that you'd typically think of.
The title for this one is, creatively, I Was At the Birthday Party.
For most of the religious world, Christmas is viewed as a major birthday celebration.
A time when millions pause to recognize the birth of Jesus.
Even people who rarely attend worship or even open a Bible suddenly become aware of the story of Bethlehem, the manger, the shepherds, and the angels.
Christmas carols fill the air and messages of peace and goodwill are found all over, at least on the surface.
Devotion to Christ is also seen.
But historically, Christmas did not begin with a biblical celebration.
Most understand that Jesus was not truly born on December 25th.
Careful study reveals the date is almost certainly incorrect.
The shepherds wouldn't have been outdoors as we read in Acts chapter two and verse eight.
This would suggest a warmer climate for that type of year for farmers in the local region.
Many scholars propose that Jesus was born sometime actually between late summer and early fall, between August and October.
So where did December 25th come from?
Early Christians did not celebrate Jesus' birth at all.
But after the first several centuries, around the third and fourth century, as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, church leaders attempted to replace pagan
winter festivals.
December 25th coincided with pagan celebrations such as Sol Invictus, this would be roughly translated the unconquered sun, and Saturnalia, a festive day honoring false gods
to redirect attention towards Christ.
Jesus' birthday, as they said, to this existing holiday season, although well-intentioned resulted in a tradition Jesus never asked for.
We didn't ask for this tradition to take place, neither did Christ.
And even though many today know that Jesus was not born on December 25th, they still want to celebrate His birth in some way.
There's nothing wrong with that.
But this is why we repeatedly hear coined phrases like
the largest one you probably heard it on the radio Jesus is the reason for the season and then we have songs like Jesus is born this day by Mariah Carey which features lyrics like
Jesus born on this day he is the king of all nation today Aziz Sagera wrote a classic song reminding listeners of the significance of that specific date Christ was born on Christmas
Day a spiritual song which
Lyrics explicitly state when Christ was born, when Christ was born, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
That song particularly has it repeated twice.
We often hear the song Go Tell It on the Mountain, which includes the line, that blessed Christmas morn.
I say blessed because we're so used to singing blessed.
There's a word blessed.
That blessed Christmas morn.
This links the event to the holiday that leads us to an important question.
Is Christmas Day more special than an average day?
Is Christmas in and of itself any holier than the average day?
Nowhere in the Bible do we read instructions for Christians to celebrate Jesus' birth annually.
Instead, what we do read are instructions that tell us to observe a weekly holy day.
So why this first day of the week?
The day is sacred for two reasons.
Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of week.
Turn your Bibles over to Mark chapter 6 and verse 9.
I'm sorry, Mark 16 in verse 9.
Now when he rose early on the first day, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons.
We see this also reflected in Luke chapter 24, verses one through three.
Just a little further over, Luke chapter 24, verses one through three.
We're gonna be hopping around quite a bit, mostly in John and first Corinthians this morning.
24, one through three.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Let's look at another parallel passage.
Move forward again to the book of John chapter 20.
picking up in verse one.
Now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have
laid him.
Therefore, Peter went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb.
These passages are given to us by different apostles.
As such, these passages should remind us that the resurrection, not the birth, is the foundation of Christian hope.
The Church was established on the first day of the week.
We read about this Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.
That particular chapter is known as the hub of the Bible when the Church was established.
Pentecost occurred 50 days after the Passover.
That would place it on a Sunday.
So the beginning of Christ's kingdom and the announcement of the gospel both happened on the first day of the week.
Yet despite the clear biblical focus, many today give more time, give more emotion, and give more thought to an uncommanded annual holiday observance than to weekly observances
Jesus actually required.
Many want to attend Jesus's birthday party.
thus the title of today's sermon.
But there are four things, three things they don't want to do and one thing they won't be able to do.
You see, they want to attend Jesus's birthday party, but they don't want to be his friends.
Many today will gladly celebrate Christmas in honor of Jesus's birth, but outside of the season, they resist his authority, don't they?
They may enjoy the idea of Jesus, but not the commitment.
of following him, Jesus made his expectations unmistakably clear.
We're already in John, go back a little bit to John chapter 15 and verse 14.
Pay attention to what he says.
You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
He's not talking about a spiritual being puppeteering you.
He says, you do whatsoever I command you.
This is not seasonal.
This is not optional.
This is not emotional only.
This is daily obedience.
Consider the difference between simply attending the birthday party and actually being his friend.
We'll have a couple of illustrations here.
It's one thing to sing Christmas carols, isn't it?
But it's another to praise Him regularly.
Carols once a year do not equal worship from the heart.
They sound good.
I love Christmas carols.
They're cute.
They're pretty.
They have a nice ring to them.
They're very well composed.
Beautiful music.
but it doesn't equal worship.
It's one thing to give spare change to the bell ringers outside of Walmart.
It's another to help the helpless every day, isn't it?
A moment of charity does not replace a lifestyle of service, a lifetime of service.
It's one thing to give a few hours a year towards honoring the Lord.
It is another to worship Him every time the opportunity arises, isn't it?
It shows devotion.
shows love.
Sunday assemblies, Bible reading, these things reveal true devotion.
It's one thing to be at the birthday party and it is another to truly be His friend.
If we don't want to spend time with our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word studying His gospel today on this planet, what makes you think that He'll want to spend an eternity next to us
in heaven when we can't spend more than a few hours a year with Him on earth?
I hope we take that question to heart.
Friendship with Jesus means commitment.
It means loyalty.
It means obedience.
And most of all, it means love.
A love that changes priority.
Anyone can show up for a holiday, but only a disciple shows up for a lifetime.
The Bible itself gives us a clear picture of people who liked Jesus, but did not want to be his friends.
We're still in John, go over to chapter 6.
Rewind the clock a little more.
We'll start in verse 15.
But before that, we see Jesus feeds the 5,000.
The crowd is excited.
I would be free food.
They follow Him, they listen to Him, and they even want to make Him King.
Let's read verse 15.
Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him King, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
These were people completely devoted to the point of, you don't wanna be our King?
You don't wanna get a choice.
We'll make you be our King.
But they were thinking of a physical kingdom.
not a spiritual kingdom.
But when Jesus begins to speak about commitment, things change.
Same chapter, chapter 6 verse 66 moving forward.
He preaches, he talks to them.
And we read in verse 66, from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.
They liked the miracle.
I'm sure they liked the meal.
I don't know of many preachers that don't like a free meal.
They liked the moment.
But when obedience and submission were required, what did they do?
The majority of the people left.
They bowed out.
was time.
Nope.
No thanks.
Moving forward to verse 67, Jesus then turns to the 12 and asks, will ye also go away?
Peter responds,
with loyalty.
Verse 68, but Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Take a look at this passage and let's notice a few things that the passage teaches us.
The crowd showed up for the event.
The disciples stayed.
They stayed for the relationship, not for the free meal to hand out to the miracles.
Now let's look at today.
Many today celebrate His birth every single year.
Many claim to enjoy the benefits of Jesus.
They love the baby and the manger.
Don't they?
Why?
Why are we so hung up on a baby and a manger?
Is it because a baby and a manger isn't going to demand anything from you?
isn't going to demand anything.
A baby won't condemn you for your sin.
How could it?
It can barely babble.
My six month old teaches me that every day.
He loves to babble.
But at the same time, it's not the baby that can save you, is it?
The one who can save is the same Jesus that grew up and died on a cross.
For you and for me.
He's the same Jesus that defeated death by resurrecting after.
Just like in John's day, most people don't hate Jesus.
They just don't want to be His friend.
There's something else that they don't want.
Whether they'll admit it or not, they don't want to take part in His wedding.
Many want to celebrate Jesus' birth, but far fewer
want to enter a covenant friendship and relationship with them.
Let's go over to Isaiah chapter 7.
Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14 specifically talks about the virgin birth.
the sake of time, we're going to move forward.
Galatians 4 and verse 4 also says about the timing of his birth.
But the Bible places even greater emphasis on his wedding.
It's a symbol of his relationship with the church.
He wasn't married to what we would think today as a woman, but to the church.
Some don't even know that the Lord had a bride.
Yet the Scriptures teach that He did.
easy let's turn over to Revelation chapter 21
Revelation 21 and verse 2.
Then I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The holy city, the new city we learned in class today was not physical Jerusalem.
It was talking about a spiritual city, a spiritual kingdom.
And this holy city is pictured as a bride.
Moving forward in verse nine of Revelation 21.
Then one of seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying, come, I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife.
Notice the angel explicitly calls her the church, the bride of Christ.
So who is the bride of Christ?
It's the church.
The apostle Paul uses the same type of marriage imagery to show natural relationships.
Let's look at second Corinthians.
chapter 11.
2 Corinthians chapter 11 will start in verse 2.
Paul here is presenting the church as a chaste virgin.
I am jealous for you with goodly jealousy.
For I have been, for I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to who?
To Christ.
Let's parallel that scripture with Ephesians chapter five.
I told you we're going to jump around a lot.
Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25.
Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.
Let's continue.
That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.
That he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and treasures it just as the Lord does the church.
For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones.
For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning who?
Christ and the Church.
It's a marriage relationship.
Christ gave Himself for her.
He sanctifies her.
He nourishes her, cleanses her.
This imagery tells us two things.
Christ is faithful to His bride, and as such His bride must be faithful to Him.
Jesus warned that many would not be invited to the wedding.
I'm sorry, that many would be invited to the wedding, but would not be in attendance.
Let me rephrase.
Move forward to Matthew chapter two.
22, Matthew chapter 22.
We're going start in verse 5, but Jesus tells a parable about a king who prepares a wedding feast for his son.
And what's the first thing you do for a wedding?
You prepare the invitations.
You get the invitations.
You get the postcards marked.
You write them down.
You stamp them.
Back in these days, it would have worked a little differently.
But the invitations are set and everything is ready.
The celebration is planned, but notice the response in Matthew chapter 22 and verse 5.
But they made light of it.
and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business." Your translation might have the word merchandise.
They cared more for their jobs and their earthly gain than they did this wedding.
They didn't reject the king outright in this instance, in this passage.
They were simply too busy to attend the wedding.
But if we move on to verse 6, we see that some even become hostile to the invitation.
And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them." When's the last time you killed somebody for inviting you to their wedding?
We read it right here!
We laugh, but it's shocking, right?
Let's jump down to verses 11 through 13.
But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
So he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?
And he was speechless.
And the king said to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called, but few are chosen.
He is cast out.
He wasn't cast out because he showed up.
but because he refused to come on the king's terms.
So what was the problem?
The problem wasn't ignorance.
The problem was not a lack of an invitation.
The problem was refusal of covenant.
Many today admire the king's son.
Again, they celebrate his birth every single year.
But when invited into his covenant to be part of his bride, they decline, don't they?
They delay.
Or, many times, they demand it to be on their own terms.
Let me tell you, we operate on God's not ours.
Sorry, not sorry.
It is not my terms, it is on God's terms how we worship and what we are to do.
Celebrating His birth is not wrong, but refusing to join His body, refusing to join His church, refusing to join His bride means missing the entire purpose for which He came.
Move over to Matthew chapter one and verse 21.
and she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." That's the whole point, isn't it?
But we don't want to join the establishment that saves us from our sins.
They want to go to the birthday party but they don't want to take part in the marriage.
The third thing that they don't want to do, they want to go to the birthday party but they don't want to observe his death.
A blessing of being in Christ's Church is the privilege of gathering every single week to observe the Lord's Supper.
Jesus did not give us an annual celebration of His birth, but He did give us a weekly memorial of His death.
Paul writes the words of Christ in 1 Corinthians.
Turn over there now to chapter 11.
1 Corinthians 11, starting in verse 24.
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same manner, he also took the cup after.
Supper saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes.
Should we only remember the Lord's sacrifice once a year for a couple of hours?
Or as we gather around the Christmas tree?
Let's move forward to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 4.
It continues, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which by you stand, by which you are also saved if, big if
there, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you first all of that which I also received.
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the heart of Christianity.
It's the foundation of our entire belief system.
Yet most people who so loudly celebrate Jesus' birth rarely partake of His Lord's Supper, don't they?
They rarely attend weekly worship.
They rarely even meditate on his sacrifice.
According to Acts chapter 20 and verse 7, the early church met every first day of the week.
This was not optional.
This was commanded remembrance wasn't it?
Yes.
Let's go back to the hub of the Bible.
Let's go to Acts chapter 2.
Acts chapter 2 and verse 42.
and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
God has always taught His people to remember salvation through sacrifice, not sentiment.
When Israel was delivered from Egypt, did God command them to celebrate the birth of Moses?
They had salvation from Egypt, they had salvation from Egyptian captivity.
No, instead He commanded them to remember what?
The night of blood.
Turn back over to Exodus chapter 12.
Let's take a look at an Old Testament example of this.
chapter 12 and verse 13.
Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood I will pass over you.
And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."
This day shall be unto you a memorial, he says in 12 and verse 14.
for I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night.
I will execute judgment, verse 12.
Verse 14, this day shall be to you as a memorial and ye shall keep it as a feast of the Lord throughout, once a year?
Throughout your generations.
You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
Israel was to remember not the birth of their deliverer.
not the excitement of their escape, but the cost of redemption.
Remember the lamb that died in their place where they spread the blood on the door seal?
We have another lamb that died for us, don't we?
Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 5.
And verse seven.
Therefore purge out the old leaven that ye may be a new lump, since ye truly are unleavened.
For indeed Christ, our what?
Our Passover, was sacrificed for us." Paul connected this to Christ.
Just as Israel had a commanded memorial, so does the church.
Israel could not ignore the Passover and still claim faithfulness, could they?
No, of course not.
No one could ignore the Lord's Supper today and still claim devotion to the cross.
We have to observe this.
Those are three things that they may wanna go to the birthday party, but they don't wanna take part in.
But there's something they won't be able to take part in.
They won't take part.
the resurrection.
The Bible equates salvation with being in communion with Christ.
Those who belong to Him are those who walk with Him, those who worship Him, those who obey Him.
those who partake in His memorial.
And if you do so, you're promised the resurrection.
Let's go back to John, John chapter 6.
starting in verse 54.
Jesus declares, whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life.
And I will raise him up in the last day.
and will raise him up in the last day.
So what happens if we don't partake of the Lord's Supper?
What happens if we don't obey God?
Most of the religious world celebrate Jesus' birthday, but they don't want His friendship because that's equal to obedience.
They don't want His wedding because that means having to join the church.
They do not want to observe His death, the Lord's Supper.
And therefore, according to the scripture we just read, they will not take part in the resurrection.
The resurrection is reserved for the faithful in Christ, those who serve Christ.
Romans 6, 3 through 6 says, Know ye not that so many of us were baptized into Christ, were baptized into His death?
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death.
Just like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of our Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we also shall be in the likeness of this resurrection.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed and henceforth we should not serve sin.
Perhaps you're here today because you appreciate Jesus' birth.
It's good.
I commend it.
It is admirable to acknowledge the moment when our God entered the world in human flesh.
It was a very important part.
But being a Christian, being saved requires far more than celebrating a birthday once a year.
It requires friendship with Christ, doesn't it?
It requires a friendship that's shown in obedience.
It requires becoming His bride through faithful membership in His church.
So how do we gain entrance into His church?
Through baptism.
If you look at John chapter 3 and verse 5, he says, Verily, verily, say unto you, accept a man be born of water and of the Spirit.
He cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Well now preacher, you're telling me I have to be baptized.
I'm not.
God's Word is.
But preacher, I thought it was faith only.
Take a moment and turn your Bible over to James chapter 2 and verse 24.
Let's go to the book of James.
James 2 and verse 24.
James was taught by Christ.
And he says, when you see, you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only.
Not by faith only, it takes more than that.
Christ said earlier as we read, ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
So many want to argue faith only salvation or that we're saying from the pulpit, we're saying works only.
Let me be clear.
It takes faith plus works to be saved from eternal hellfire.
and you have to be responsible for the actions in your own body.
A miraculous spirit is not pulling the strings.
You make these choices.
Baptism also is not a work.
It's a submission to Christ.
If we hear the Word, we have to take the time to listen.
That's a work.
You have to believe it.
Yes, believing in something takes work sometimes.
No one will ever argue the point of you have to repent of your sins.
No one will ever argue that you have to confess with your mouth that you believe Jesus is the Son of God.
We have whole false doctrine teachers telling people over and over again, say the sinner's prayer and you'll be saved.
Just say these words and that's it.
You're good for life.
No one will ever argue that those aren't works.
But when it comes to baptism, baptism isn't something you do, it's something you submit to.
And the one part of the God's plan of salvation that's not a work, they don't wanna do because they claim it's a work.
It is a submission to Christ if we do all these things.
Then we have hope of sharing in the resurrection.
This season I hope we all realize that there is so much more to Christianity than an annual celebration.
I hope we realize that it is lifetime commitment.
It is a covenant relationship.
It is worship.
It is discipleship.
It is sacrifice.
It is devotion.
And beyond all of that, it's the only path to eternal security.
We have to obey what God gave us.
If you'd like to become a Christian today, or maybe you have some other need that we could help you with in any way, we'd be happy to pray for you at this time.
We have the Baptistery filled if you need to put on Christ in Baptism.
Repent of your sins.
Let the old man of sin be buried and rise again in newness of life just like Christ was.
If you have any today, please