Matthew 2:1 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, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." 3 When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.' " 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And 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. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Recently a magazine ran a contest in which people were to submit works of "art" that depicted what they thought Christ would be in the next millennium. This magazine was fearful that, with all the hype about the Y2K bug, Christ would get lost in the shuffle. Plus, the editor had seen over the years that mankind’s concept of Who Christ was had changed. Therefore, the magazine wanted to know who people thought Jesus was, so they could present Him in a way to "connect" with the people.

There is nothing wrong with the basic idea of the magazine, if the magazine was simply trying to find out the concept of Christ as preceived by the general population. Christ, when He was on earth, took a similar survey. The scope of those polled by Christ was far less.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Christ did not ask for an image or a drawing of what He looked like.., BUT Who He was in reality. The magazine on the other hand was trying to find out Who the population in general thought Christ was, so they could tailor a "christ" to fit the needs and desires of the people.

I know!! A church service is a place where you come, sit, hear and sometimes nap a bit, BUT a church service is not a place where you come and DO something. We are about to go into a new millennium...., so I thought this would be a good time to make a change. I could change the church services to a time when "I" could come, sit, hear and sometimes nap a bit.., AND you do the "work" of an evangelist. Well, maybe we won’t do anything quite that radical.

I’m going to ask you to make a "worksheet". I would like you to do two things with this "worksheet". (1) On front-side, put down "WHO" you say Christ is based on what you know from a Biblical standpoint. (2) On the backside, put down "WHO" you say Christ is based on "how" you live each day. You may do both sides in the service if you have the courage, the time and the honesty to do so. Otherwise, wait until you’re alone with God, and then fill out the backside.

It may take quite a while to compete the backside, for you may have to think back through weeks of activities and conversations. This exercise will be of little value IF you are not honest with yourself and God. For those reading this print-out, please take 5 - 10 minutes to fill out front-side. Don’t forget to fill out the backside later.

It is one thing to attempt to find out from the general population who they think Christ was or is. However, it is totally improper for us to formulate our presentation of Christ in such a manner that the image of Christ will fulfill the expectations of people. Yes, the editor of the magazine was right. The concept and the expectations of Christ by humans have changed over time. Those areas have not changed because Christ changed. NOR has Christ changed in order to meet the changing "needs" of people. The basic Spiritual needs of people have always been the same, and Christ has always remained the same.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

We saw in our last lesson that Christ did take on the form of mankind through the incarnation. BUT Christ remained ever the same before that virgin birth and after. Christ was the same before the crucifixion and after. Yes, in both cases the outward form changed, BUT He remained ever the same.

Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? 'I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He.' "

John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My (Christ’s) day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Revelation 1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

This One Who was born so long ago to the virgin Mary on that silent night was, is and always shall be the same. The God of all gods. This One Who became the Son of God without ceasing to be eternal God, came so that He might bear the sins of the whole world without being one bit less than the God of all gods. This never changing One came so that we MIGHT be -- changed -- from being children of the Devil to become Sons of God, in Christ.

John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Please forgive me in at least two areas. I’m sure there are many other areas that could stand a little forgiveness, also. Forgive the rapid fire manner we are looking at some of these passages. Any one of them could be the subject of many lessons. Also, please forgive and allow me to present many facts in this lesson that, when presented, will seem disjoined. To do a good job on this subject would require a series of considerable length. So to bring out the theme I want to present, I need to lay out a number of facts. Then I will try to put them in a nice neat package at the close, and maybe even put a nice ribbon on the package. It’s Christmas, you know. So the package must be wrapped just right.

As we just saw from John 1:9-14, when the Son of God came to this earth and while He was here very few Humans knew "WHO" He was. The nation of Israel to whom the Messiah was promised, DID NOT KNOW HIM. The world, as such, DID NOT KNOW HIM. However, there were some who DID KNOW HIM, and some learned to KNOW HIM. Let’s take a look at some of these, and see if there are lessons in all of this for us. As we run through these accounts, I will not be putting them in a orderly form. Therefore, please tuck the main thought in the forefront of your memory so you can recall them quickly when we wrap-up this lesson.

Matthew 14:25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

Even those closest to Christ, who heard His teaching and saw His works, STILL had questions in their minds as to WHO HE REALLY WAS.

Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 61 and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.' " 62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, "Do You answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against You?" 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

The chief priests, the elders and the council would be considered, by most, as great men of God. They lived lives that seemed to be holy in all aspects. They spent time reading, studying and transcribing the Old Testament. They talked, lived, ate and breathed religion. The things of God were on their minds all day long and often well into the night.., BUT they did not KNOW WHO HE WAS.

This is one of those passages that would interesting to study for some time. These "holy" men were demanding Christ to tell them if He was truly the "Son of God". They should have known the answer to their own question from their study of the Scriptures. However, when Christ answered them, He used another of His many titles. He said that He, the "Son of Man", would be sitting at the right hand of "THE POWER".., and He would be coming back to this earth as the "Son of Man".

Matthew 27:38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' "

Once again, we see that the many segments of society did not have a clue as to WHO HE WAS. The robber, the passers-by, the elders, the scribes and chief priests all had something in common. They had all heard that He claimed to be the "Son of God". Hearing "only" was not enough to change their thinking and bring assurance to anyone of these as to WHO HE REALLY WAS. There were others at the cross who didn’t KNOW WHO HE WAS.., but at the cross, some of these people learned WHO JESUS WAS.

Matthew 27:50 Jesus, when He (Jesus) had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

The centurion AND those with him saw the events surrounding the death of Christ and they knew this was supernatural. These men were "‘ol hands" when it came to cruel public death. They were soldiers of Rome, and Rome was known for its cruelty in criminal deaths. Up to this point, this had been a "ho hum" type of crucifixion for these soldiers. It was just another day at the office. BUT the events surrounding Christ’s death, and the manner in which He died brought these hardened soldiers to the recognition that this One was non other than the "Son of God".

We are never told if this centurion ever accepted Christ as his personal Savior. We would hope he did. By the way he is referred to here and in the other Gospels, we would assume that he truly did believe in Christ as Savior. However, there is a great deal of difference in the recognition of Christ as the Son of God.., AND the acceptance of Christ as personal Savior. We will see this fact clearly in another group WHO DID KNOW WHO HE WAS.

Mark 3:11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."

Matthew 8:28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." 32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

It has always been interesting, to say the least, that all these people who should have known WHO CHRIST WAS.., didn’t. Yet, the forces of evil, as demonstrated by the demons did know WHO CHRIST WAS. It also amplifies the fact that just the recognition of WHO CHRIST IS, is not sufficient for salvation from the penalty of sin. A person must not only recognize WHO CHRIST IS, that person must accept Christ for Who His is as Savior and the only Savior from sins.

John 1:34 "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

John 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name:

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter (Satan) came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge concerning you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' "

In this "temptation in the wilderness", Satan was not so much saying, "If... and prove it by doing..." He was saying, "I know Who You are.., so show me!" Probably a better translation from the Greek would be, "Since you are the Son of God do these things as evidence of that fact". From the very beginning of time, Satan has never questioned Who God was, or His authority. Satan does try to twist what God says, just enough, so we will not know and act on God’s truth. That was also the case in the temptation of Christ.

Satan is not "above" using the Word of God for his own benefit.., BUT to do so, Satan must twist the Scriptures or the truths taught by those Scriptures. That was exactly what he did in this situation of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. Christ’s defense was not to "cast out" Satan, BUT instead to use the Word of God correctly. When we use the Word of God correctly, Satan loses His advantage in the battle.

We need to learn from this incident, in which Satan recognized WHO CHRIST WAS.., BUT still tried to deceive Christ through improper use of Scripture. We need to understand that IF Satan tried to use his deception on Christ, he will certainly use that native deception on us, who have accepted Christ as our Savior. Therefore, we need to have our Biblical facts correct, and make sure that all of those facts are in harmony with all other Scripture, so that Satan cannot take advantage of us.

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

When Christ was born and lived on this earth, many did not KNOW WHO HE WAS. As a result, many did things they would not have otherwise done. IF they had known Who this One truly was, they would not have rejected Him. It is so important that we know the facts and the truth of those facts, AND that we get those facts and truths out to a world around us. Knowing these truths will change us, and those truths will change the world, also.

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Luke 2:7 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. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!"

On that night, that silent night, "peace" and "good will" came to earth. God’s "peace" and God’s "good will" came to earth as a little baby boy.

Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace; Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar.
Heavenly hosts sing, Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night! Holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King.
Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night! Holy Night!
Son of God loves pure light
Radiant beams from Thy Holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

The Son of God became something that He was not, so you could become something you could not be. Christ laid aside His glory and right to Godness, so you could be righteous and become a Child of God. Christ came as He was not, so you could come just as you are!

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, tho’ tossed about
With many a conflict, and many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve.
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come.

The greatest Christmas gift you could possible receive this year, or any year.., is to receive the Gift of God, which is eternal life. That eternal life is IN the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Receive Christ as your personal Savior, and you have peace and life within. Live the life of Christ, and you will know "true" life and peace even while in a corrupt and non peaceful world.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.