How to Honor Christ on Christmas
For many, Christmas is seen as a miraculous time. Traditionally a season full of joy, giving, and festive observance, it’s a time when families come together, memories are shared, and peace and goodwill is wished towards all men.
Tragically, in the modern era, however, Christmas is also a time of secularism. A time where tradition is synonymous with commercialism, and the true meaning of Christmas is often forgotten behind selfish greed and idolatry.
Need a refresh on what’s truly important during the holiday season?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls us back to focus on the real meaning for the season through the many Christmas sermons he gave throughout his career at Westminster Chapel.
What is the True Meaning of Christmas?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the Bible makes it clear: the true meaning of Christmas is that the Son of God came to the world to rescue sinners.
On this most important day in history, Jesus of Nazareth was born in a manger — the perfect fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies and the culmination of God’s love for the world. Christ had to come into the world to fulfill His ministry culminating in His blessed work on the Cross which paid the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world and defeated death forever.
While we don’t know the actual day of Jesus’ birth most still honor Christmas each year as a sacred day of remembrance and praise. For most believers, barring the joy of Easter and the Resurrection, no other holiday is more important than Christmas.
So how can the believer celebrate Christmas in a way that’s honoring to the Lord, without bowing to secular pressure?
How Can You Honor Christ This Christmas?
In his Christmas sermon titled The Magnificat I, Dr. Lloyd-Jones asserts that the purpose of celebrating Christmas is not simply to warm hearts or produce a cheerful attitude, but rather a time for believers to magnify the name of Jesus Christ.
Using the beautiful example of Mary’s song of praise upon learning she is pregnant with Jesus, through his sermon on Luke 1:46-55, Dr. Lloyd-Jones aids listeners with a rich and theologically profound explanation of the attitudes the believer should have towards the Lord.
In this special Christmas sermon, one of the first points Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes is Mary’s heart in forgetting herself when praising the Lord. Humbled and grateful that the Lord would choose her to bear the Savior of the world, she is able to praise God so completely because her praise is based on understanding, not simply emotion. And it is through that understanding of God’s glory and plan, that her emotions begin to correspond with her praises as her heart sings out worship unto the Lord.
She praises God’s power, without which not a soul on this earth would be saved. She praises His holiness, without which He would not be worthy of praise. She praises His mercy, without which everyone would be condemned. And she praises that in that precious mercy, God chose Mary to bear Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Like Mary, Dr. Lloyd-Jones surmises in his sermon, it is not only the duty, but the privilege of the believer to forget themselves and seek only to magnify Christ; relying not on our emotion to inspire praise, but rather praising Him simply because He is worthy.
By emulating Mary’s song of worship, the believer can learn to praise God with the whole of their spirit. And by emulating Mary’s selflessness, the believer can learn to serve Him more wholly and find true fulfillment — both throughout Christmas, and their entire lives.
Click here to listen to Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ Christmas sermon on Luke 1:46–55, The Magnificat I, in full.
Where Can I Find Good Christmas Sermons?
Want more Christmas sermons like The Magnificat I? Click here to access MLJ Trust’s complete collection of the 31 Christmas sermons Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones delivered throughout the course of his ministry at Westminster Chapel.
Providing a unique take on a familiar story, these sermons can be listened to year after year as Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds on the divinity of Christ, what the birth of Jesus means for us and God’s character, the perfect gift of the Gospel, and so much more. Transcendent beyond the holiday season, these teachings by Dr. Lloyd-Jones are more than just Christmas sermons — they’re exegetic disquisitions on the core principles of Christianity.
With over 30 Christmas sermons to choose from, this collection of sermons by Dr. Lloyd-Jones echoes the true meaning of Christmas: that the Son of God came to the world to rescue sinners.
Click here to find your next Christmas sermon! May they help you worship Him more beautifully.