THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 1-2)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Kevin Pendergrass.
Welcome to our first study in the Gospel account of Luke. In this lesson we first will be looking at the birth of Christ and those things that are true that pertain to Christ’s birth. In the latter part of this lesson we will be looking at false doctrines of men that have been invented that allegedly pertain to the birth of Christ. We will examine those doctrines to see what the Bible has to say on the subject.
Let us first look at those things that are true that pertain to the birth of Christ, and things that the Bible actually says in regard to the birth of Christ. In Luke 1:31 we read, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” This was when the angel was talking to Mary. It was a foretelling of how Mary would have a baby, and how this baby would be “God with us” (Immanuel). The first fact pertaining to the birth of Christ is very simple. It is that Jesus really was born. You might be thinking, “Why are you even talking about this? Doesn’t everyone understand that Jesus was born?” We live in a world in which people try to do away with Jesus Christ altogether. Although the Bible makes it crystal clear that Jesus really was born, really did walk on this Earth, really did live a sinless life, and really did die (and even though history is clear on these things), people still want to do away with the idea of Jesus Christ. So we first need to emphasize that Jesus really was born. Jesus is not a myth, legend, or fairy-tale-type figure. He is not a made-up character whom someone invented just to “make everyone feel good.” Jesus really was born. This is important because if we do not understand that Jesus was born, then we will not understand anything else about Jesus or the Christian life. Just as some people in Jesus’ time tried to do away with Him and deny that He was the Messiah, today people are doing the very same thing. They are trying to do away with the idea of Jesus ever having been born. If they can do that, then it would mean that Christianity never was real to begin with. But when we go to the Bible, we can plainly see that Jesus was born. In Luke 2:1-7 we read,
“It came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
From this passage we see very clearly that Jesus really was born. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that His birth was in fulfillment of a prophecy. In Micah 5:2, hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophecy was made, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, a prophecy was given about His birth. The city in which He would be born was even specified—Bethlehem Ephrathah. In Luke 2, we see this prophecy coming true, just as other prophecies in the Old Testament did regarding the Messiah. All of the prophecies about the Messiah that were supposed to come true did come true in the first century. This is a great evidence supporting the Word of God, and shows that the Bible truly is God’s Word as John 17:17 says. It is not just a book that someone wrote or that men invented (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
In Luke 1:26-35, we see an angel talking to Mary before she gave birth to Jesus.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
Jesus’ birth was in fulfillment of a prophecy that had been made hundreds of years earlier (Mic. 5:2). Furthermore, shortly before Christ’s birth, an angel came to tell Mary what was going to happen very soon.
Another important fact about Christ’s birth is that it was truly a miraculous event. Today a lot of people have the idea that every time a child is born, it is a miracle. They even refer to it as “the miracle of birth.” Or, someone might say, “I’m a ‘miracle child’ because I wasn’t even supposed to live, but miraculously I did.” The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 13:10 that miracles have ceased. We no longer live in an age of miracles. A lot of people claim that they can do miracles, but they cannot because the Bible teaches us that we have the Word of God that has been confirmed by first-century miracles, which means that we no longer need such miracles. Jude 3 tells us that we have “the faith once for all delivered.” We have everything we need to have in order to be complete. Miracles no longer are in existence today.
But when we talk about Mary giving birth to Jesus, we are talking about a truly miraculous birth. Why? The reason is that Mary was a virgin. Luke 1:34 tells us that Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” She realized that she had not been intimate with a man, so it seemed impossible to her that she should be able to have a child. In Luke 1:27 we are told in clear, plain language that Mary was a virgin. In Isaiah 7:14, it was prophesied that a virgin would give birth to Christ: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.”
When discussing Mary, it is important for us to understand certain things about her, too. Some people, especially those in the Catholic denomination, have elevated Mary. They refer to her as “Saint Mary,” and have elevated her to a level that is sinful because it is unauthorized by the Bible. Mary is not to be prayed to, sung to, or worshiped in any way. Some people say that since she gave birth to Jesus, it makes her deity. Even those who do not believe she is deity believe that she is to be praised, prayed to, or worshiped. But the Bible does not teach that. In fact, the Bible teaches the exact opposite. Matthew 4 teaches us that only God should be worshiped. In Acts 10:25-26 Peter told people that they should not fall down and worship him, but that they were to worship God. Did Mary do good? Yes. Was she someone who heard the angel, and then said, “I’m not going to do this. I reject this”? No, she wanted to do exactly the right thing. She was a great mother from that standpoint. We are not taking anything away from her because the Bible certainly does not take anything away from her. But we need to understand that Mary is not deity. She is not someone to whom we should pray or to whom we should give glory. If we are doing that, we must cease from doing it, repent, and begin serving God only.
These have been some things that are true about the birth of Christ. Now I want us to look at some misconceptions and false doctrines surrounding the birth of Christ. We need to do this for several reasons. When the apostle Paul was writing his epistles, he was writing to correct various problems. He addressed various issues that needed to be addressed. In fact, 1 Corinthians is a wonderful example of that very thing. Paul was dealing with various questions and false doctrines. He wrote to correct the Christians in Corinth on those things. That is why we need to discuss the birth of Christ today. There are so many people in the world who believe in the birth of Christ, but who have an incorrect view of the birth of Christ. Thus, we need to make sure that we go to the Bible instead of listening to what a preacher has to say or what our parents have always taught us, but that we instead listen to what God has to say (and only what God has to say) on this matter.
The first question I want us to ask it this: When was Christ born? If more people would ask that question, they would realize that we do not know. We have no idea when Christ was born. There are some who say that Christ was born on December 25. But that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born. You can take your Bible and go from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22, and nowhere will you find when Jesus was born. We know that He was born, but we do not know when. The Bible does not tell us. In 1 Corinthians 4:6 the Bible tells us, “Do not go beyond that which is written.” If we say that we know something when the Bible does not reveal it to us, we are “going beyond what is written,” and therefore are doing what the Bible tells us not to do. The Bible speaks about things that have no been revealed to us. In Deuteronomy 29:29 we read, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Of course, this was addressed to physical Israel under the Old Covenant. But the same principle remains true today for those of us who are living under the New Covenant. Those things that have not been revealed to us are “the secret things of God.” God knows those things, and would have revealed them to us if He had wanted us to know them. It is the things that have been revealed with which we need to be concerned. There is a whole lot in the Word of God. If we spent half as much time studying the Bible as we do coming up with doctrines that are not in the Bible, or if we were half as concerned about what the Bible does say as we are with what it does not say, there would be a lot less confusion and a lot more truth on the matter because people would simply be going to the Bible. We do not know when Christ was born.
Another question we need to ask is: How many wise men were there? This question has been asked over the years in surveys of people who profess Christianity, and most people say, “There were three wise men. Every time you see a manger, there are three wise men. My preacher talks about the three wise men.” The Bible does not tell us how many wise men there were. The Bible does say wise “men,” so we do know that there were at least two. But it does not tell us how many wise men there were. Also, the wise men were not at the manger. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were already living in a house by the time of the wise men’s visit. At most manger scenes, there are three wise men with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus (wrapped in swaddling cloths). But that is not true. The Bible teaches us that when the wise men came, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were already living in a house. Matthew 2: 11 says, “When they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were already living in a house. We even can know from this timeline that Jesus was more than forty days old when the wise men came because the Bible says in Luke 2:22, “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” In Leviticus 12 we read about how “the days of purification” were forty in number. So, Jesus was more than forty days over. But how old was He? Does anything else in Scripture tell us? The Bible teaches that Jesus could have been as old as two years old. In Matthew 2:16ff., the Bible tells us that King Herod had ordered the deaths of all male babies who were two years old or less. So, Christ could have been up to two years old. The idea here is that when we put traditions behind us, or when we put the teachings of other people behind us, and when we simply go by the Bible, these things are easy to understand. The Bible does not tell us how many wise men there were. The wise men were not at the manger scene. Jesus was anywhere from forty days to two years old when the wise men arrived.
You may be saying, “I never realized some of these facts before. And I agree that they are what the Bible says. In 1 Peter 4:11 we are told, ‘If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.’ This clearly what the Bible says. But is it really wrong to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25? Even if I understand that Christ was not born on that day, I still think it’s a good time to set aside to remember Christ’s birth and celebrate that birth. Is it really wrong to do that?” The answer is that not only is it wrong to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, but it is wrong to set aside any day for a special celebration or observance that God did not authorize. There is nothing wrong with celebrating certain days in a secular, moral, fun-filled manner. But Christians do not observe Christmas as a religious holiday. Scripture has much to say about how Christians should observe the death of Christ on the first day of every week (Lk. 22:19; Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:26; Mt. 26: 26-29). But Scripture says nothing about celebrating the birth of Christ. We must abide by the teachings of the New Testament and the doctrine of Christ (Jn. 8:31; 12:48; 2 Jn. 9). We do not need to emphasize something that God Himself did not emphasize. We do not need to create something that God did not tell us to do. Does any principle in the Bible command us to observe the birth of Christ on December 25? The answer to that is plain and simple: No. We must not add to, take away from, or go beyond that which is written. We cannot alter God’s Word in any way. Deuteronomy 4:2 tells us that God’s people were not to add to or take away from the Old Law. The same principle holds true for Christians today. In Galatians 1:6-10 Paul said that even if an angel from Heaven tries to tell us something that we have not previously received, we are not to listen to him because the Bible calls him “accursed.” In Revelation 22:18-19 John was told not to add to or take away from the things that he had seen. In 1 Timothy 1:3 we are told not to teach any other doctrine. Is it important for us to be sure that we are no observing the birth of Christ as a religious holiday? Yes, we need to make sure that we are not doing that because to do so would be to add to the Word of God.
Are there biblical examples of Christians observing the birth of Christ? No, there are not. We must test all things against the Word of God (1 Thess. 5:21; Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:10). We are to prove the will of God. Some people say, “The Bible doesn’t say I can’t do it or that it’s wrong for me to do this.” There are many things for which the Bible does not say, “Do not do this.” But that is not how the Bible teaches us. Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 5:10 make it clear that it is our responsibility to find out what the will of God is. We must make sure that we go to the Bible to test or prove all things. We must hold fast to that which is true and good. How do we test things? We test them by going to the Word of God.
The last question is this: Is there any biblical reasoning or principle as to why people celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25? There may be a lot of manmade reasons. Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” We’re not talking about reasons that people create in their own minds. Rather, are there any biblical reasons? No, there are not. Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of [by the authority of] the Lord Jesus.” There is absolutely no scriptural authority for celebrating the birth of Christ or for celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 14:23 says, “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” What does that mean? Does it mean that if a person says, “I’m doing this by faith, I feel good, and I believe in what I’m doing,” that he is right? Absolutely not! The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word God. If we cannot go to the Bible to find authority for our beliefs and practices, then we cannot believe or practice such things. If we do, Romans 14:23 tells us that we are sinning.
Consider the following parallel. Under the Old Law there were many holy days that the people were to keep. Circumcision was a commandment instituted by God that was to be observed by physical Israel (Gen. 17:9-15). The eighth day was a special day in a religious sense because that is when, under the Old Law, the males were to be circumcised. This showed the covenant relationship. But when the New Covenant was established, circumcision was no longer tied to religion. In Galatians 5:6 Paul talks about how whether a person is circumcised or not does not matter, and how a person does not need to be circumcised for religious reasons. That no longer is in effect, and does not profit a person. There is nothing sinful involved today with being circumcised for secular or health reasons. And that is what Paul was saying. But to make a secular practice a religious act would be sinful. How do we know that? That is what certain people were trying to do in the Book of Galatians (Gal. 5:1-15). That is why Paul was writing to them. One of their problems was that some were insisting upon circumcision, and were tying religious significance to it. Paul told them not to do that because circumcision was not a part of the New Law. A person could be circumcised in a secular sense. There is nothing morally wrong with that. But to attach religious significance to circumcision is wrong. Unfortunately, that is what certain people were trying to do. When Paul was dealing with attaching religious significance to certain days or events, he wrote, “You observe days and months, seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain” (Gal. 4:10). Paul was fearful for them because they were falling back into sin by doing something that was unauthorized. If practices and days that once were authorized under the Old Law for religious purposes are no longer authorized except for secular purposes, then how much sure should we make sure that we do not celebrate religious practices and days that were never authorized at all? A person cannot take Christ out of Christmas, scripturally speaking, because He never was in it to begin with. The Bible teaches that it is not wrong to celebrate certain days as secular days. In Romans 14:6 Paul speaks on the secular matter:
“He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.”
When Paul is talking about secular days, he says, “Let each be convinced in his own mind.” But when it comes to trying to attach religious significance to certain days, we must abstain from that and repenting of it if we have done it. In Isaiah 48:1 we are told that “Israel made mention of God, but not in truth and righteousness.”
Are you a Christian? Have you obeyed God’s plan of salvation? Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38)? If you have yet to obey the Gospel of Christ, we pray today that you will obey God’s truth.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. In Luke 1:31 an angel delivered an unusual message to a woman. What was that woman’s name?
2. According to Luke 1:31, what was the message that the angel delivered to the woman?
3. According to Luke 2:1, who was the reigning Roman emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ?
4. What prophetic piece of information is found in Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament?
5. According to Luke 1:32, whose son was Jesus?
6. What prophetic prediction was made in Isaiah 7:14?
7. According to Matthew 1:22-23, did Isaiah’s prediction come true?
8. Where in the Bible are Christians commanded or authorized to worship or pray to Jesus’ mother?
9. In Acts 10:25-26 when people tried to worship the apostle Peter, what did he say to them?
10. According to the Bible, when was Jesus born?
11. Where in the Bible are Christians commanded or authorized to celebrate Christ’s birth as a religious holiday or event?
12. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, what did Paul tell the Christians in Corinth not to do?
13. About what do passages such as Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19 warn us?
14. According to the New Testament, how many wise men visited Christ after His birth?
15. According to the New Testament, where was Jesus when the wise men visited Him?
16. In Matthew 2:16, who ordered the deaths of all Hebrew baby boys two years old and under, and why did he give such an order?
17. According to the material presented in this lesson, is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday or event?
18. Where in the New Testament do we find biblical examples of Christians observing the birth of Christ?
19. What warning did the apostle Paul issue in Galatians 4:10?
20. What point was Paul making in Romans 14:6?
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