Christmas Message Archives

December 4, 2022December 24, 2022

The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas

Every Christmas season, we read the same Christmas verses on the Birth of Christ Jesus, Matthew 2, Luke 2, Isaiah 9, etc. These are everyone’s go-to Christmas verses, but what if there’s a Christmas verse we’ve missed that’s hidden in plain sight? A Christmas verse that was given to bring hope to all people? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the Christmas promise we’ve all missed in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas.

Genesis 22:15–19 (NKJV)
Genesis 17:5–6
John 8:56 (NIV)
Genesis 22:2
Genesis 21:12
Galatians 3:15–18 (NKJV)

The Promise of Christmas

Fulfilling the Promise of Christmas

Birth of Christ Jesus

⁶For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Jesus is the promise or prophecy of Christmas fulfilled. It’s His birth that gives us hope because, without Jesus, there is no salvation. There is no hope. There is no light in the world. There is nothing.

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

Jesus fulfilled the first promise of His coming 2,000 years ago (the first Christmas), but that’s not the end of the story. Jesus will come again.

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‘Tis The Season: Twas The Day After Christmas

After Christmas Day, we tend to move on and forget the Birth of Christ because of the rush of cleaning up the mess of the presents/gifts and preparing for the coming new year. As the year moves on, we slowly forget more and more, until December 1^st comes around again, then suddenly we are all about the Birth of Christ. But is this the way it should be? Is the day after Christmas as important as Christmas Day? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of the story of the Wise Men in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Twas The Day After Christmas.

Matthew 2:1–6
Matthew 2:11 (KJV)
Matthew 2:16 (KJV)
Daniel 5:10–12
Matthew 2:7
2 Timothy 3:5
2 Timothy 3:10–12
John 4:35–38

Twas The Day After Christmas

The Day After Christmas: The Story of the Wise Men

Many believe that the Wise Men came to find the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, but this isn’t actually the case. They arrived, if you will, the day after Christmas.

Their Encounter with King Herod

¹ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Matthew 2:1-6

Their Encounter with The Messiah

This is how we know for sure that the Wise Men encountered Jesus after He was grown a little. This had to be, if you will, the day after Christmas because Jesus was a child living in a house with His two parents.

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:7-12

Today is the day after Christmas, are you still seeking Him?

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‘Tis The Season: O Little Town of Bethlehem

Happy Christmas Sunday! Christmas is about the promise of the Messiah being fulfilled. The prophets prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would receive an everlasting kingdom with eternal dominion. Every prophecy was tied into one, Immanuel. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he explains biblical mysteries in his Christmas Message, ‘Tis The Season: O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:6
John 7:14
John 6:35
Joshua 19:14–16
John 1:5
John 8:12
Isaiah 9:6–7
Micah 4:8
Matthew 28:18b
Genesis 49:10KJV
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 7:15–17
Exodus 28:31–32NIV
Matthew 26:65
Isaiah 7:14

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Prophecy of Jesus’ in Bethlehem

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2

This prophecy stirred the writing of the Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem:

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see Thee lie
Above Thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in Thee tonight

Jesus’ Authority

Jesus, through His earthly ancestry, has the right to sit on David’s throne, and through His heavenly ancestry, that is His deity, He has the right to sit on the Father’s throne with Him. So, Jesus has inherited the former and the ever-present dominion.

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‘Tis The Season: Our Christmas Mandate

Christmas is the season of hope and good news. The joy of the birth of the Son of God, but do we take the time to share the good news of Christ? Is it even important for us to share the good news of Christ? Isn’t it the pastor’s job to preach and teach the Gospel? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he shares the importance of the Great Commission in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Our Christmas Mandate.

Luke 2:8–20
Luke 2:10b-12
Luke 2:15–16
Luke 2:17–18
John 1:35–42
Mark 16:15
Romans 10:14–15
Luke 2:12

Our Christmas Mandate

The Great Commission

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁴How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15

This is our Christmas mandate. For as the Shepherds were told of the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ and shared all they have seen and heard, so are we to go and share all we have seen and heard.

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‘Tis The Season: Christmas is Giving

Christmas time has become a hectic time of shopping, lights, and decorating. Often times it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of everything that we forget the true meaning of Christmas. We forget that Christmas is the season of giving and rejoicing for Christ (our ultimate Christmas gift) came 2000 years ago to give us the hope of Salvation in Him. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he dives deeper into the true meaning of the Christmas season in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Christmas is Giving.

Matthew 1:18–23
Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah 9:6–7
2 Corinthians 8:3–5
Proverbs 11:30b
Luke 10:41b–42
John 3:16
John 10:27–30
Romans 8:31–39
1 Corinthians 13:4–8

Christmas is Giving

Why Do We Give At Christmas?

At Christmas time we give gifts because God gave the ultimate gift of His Son Jesus 2,000 years ago. The wise men continued this tradition when they brought the gifts of Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. We continue this tradition today by giving gifts to our loved ones.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

¹¹And going into the house, they (the wise men) saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

The Gift of Christ

Jesus was the ultimate Christmas gift. God set the standard for giving when He gave His one and only Son that we might have Salvation in Him. This Christmas season, remember that giving is more than just physical gifts, for God gave more than just something bought in a store.

³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, ³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:30-33

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