1. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

2. Keeping the 'X' in Xmas Selected Scriptures
Xmas is a contraction of Christmas
Generic greetings could be sincere, political correctness, or disdain of Christ - wish them Merry Christmas
Christmas = Christ + Mass. We reject the anti-biblical premise of Mass

3. The X in Xmas
“X” in one of the shapes of crosses used by the Romans for crucifixion
Jesus was born a man for the purpose of going to the cross as the means of redemption
The manger scene should be disturbing - Why has God become a man?

4. Creation & Fall
Genesis 2: Adam & Eve were sinless and living in the Garden of Eden with only one prohibition
Genesis 3: Eve was deceived & Adam disobeyed God plummeting all mankind into sin - Romans 5:12

5. Creation & Fall
Genesis 3:7-8 - Adam & Eve died spiritually and hid from God - and the physical death process began
The dilemma: How can man be made right with God? How can God forgive and remain holy and just?

6. Creation & Fall
God
sought them,
corrected them,
cursed them,
and instituted animal sacrifice as a substitute

7. Eden to Abraham
Genesis 3:15 - hope was given of a future man that would crush the serpent’s head - redemption
Cain was not that man, and mankind became more wicked until God determined to destroy him

8. Eden to Abraham
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and his family & animal pairs survived the flood via the ark
Mankind quickly degenerated and refused to obey God resulting in the Tower of Babel and forced dispersion

9. Abraham to Moses
Job & Abraham were notable exceptions of men who believed God and sought to obey Him
The patriarchs continued animal sacrifices as substitutes trusting God’s grace to accept and forgive

10. Moses to the Davidic Kingdom
Moses codified the sacrifices & gave their reason -for life is in the blood which atones / covers - Lev. 17:11
God’s concern is the heart of the person making the sacrifice, not the sacrifice itself - 1 Samuel 15:22
God gave the kingdom to David who was after God’s heart, and then promised a future son an eternal throne

11. Moses to the Davidic Kingdom
Solomon built the temple, which did not protect future generations whose sin resulted in captivity
Isaiah 1:11-13
Psalm 51:16-17
Proverbs 21:27
Jeremiah 6:20
Amos 5:21-23
Micah 6:6-8

12. Problems with the Sacrificial System
1) A sacrifice itself did not guarantee forgiveness, that was based on the belief / heart of the individual
2) An animal’s life is not equivalent to a human life - Hebrews 10:4

13. Problems with the Sacrificial System
3) An animal sacrifice was only a substitute for one current sin and so had to be made continually (Heb. 10)
4) The sacrificial system was only a shadow of the reality that was in heaven - Hebrews 9:22-23; 10:1-2

14. The Cross and Christmas
God became a man in order to redeem us from our sins by being the perfect sacrifice on the cross
Jesus sacrifice proves that salvation only comes by God’s grace through faith & not by our works

15. The Cross and Christmas
Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for all for all time - Hebrews 10:12
Jesus’ sacrifice is the reality that fulfills the shadow of the sacrificial system - Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:1-2

16. The Cross and Christmas
Jesus came to seek and save sinners from their sin by taking it away due to the love of God
Luke 19:10; Matthew 1:21; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 John 4:9-10; John 1:29

17. Keep the cross central in your thoughts as you celebrate Christmas, for that is the reason Jesus came

18. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ