The Facts of Christmas
A Sermon on 2 Peter 1:12-16
Originally preached Dec. 25, 1956
Scripture
12Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. 13Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in …
Sermon Description
There is a tendency, perhaps even an insistence upon, turning the Christmas message into an entirely different message than its original meaning. The contemporary Western culture is constantly looking for ways to undermine the truth about Jesus of Nazareth. One way is found in the sophisticated attempt to undermine the supernatural incarnation of Christ. In other words, modern humanity cannot believe in miracles like the virgin birth and God taking on human flesh, so the world encourages the dismissal of this and instead focuses on the Christmas holiday as a great principle to humanity. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes this tendency head-on in this Christmas sermon on 2 Peter 1:12-16. There is much at stake, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, because it is only in the facts of the incarnation – the literal action of God sending His Son into the world – that humanity begins to see the love of God. Listen to this timely Christmas preaching message on the literal fact that the Son of God came to the world to rescue sinners.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Peter is writing to remind Christians of the facts of Jesus Christ as he nears the end of his life.
- Peter knows that false teachings and philosophies will come to distort the truth about Jesus.
- The latest philosophy is that the facts don't matter, only the ideas and teachings matter. But Christianity is based on historical facts, not fables.
- The facts of Jesus's virgin birth, life, death, and resurrection display God's love for us. If they are just fables, Christianity loses its meaning.
- We must hold onto the facts recorded in the four Gospels by the apostles, who were eyewitnesses to Jesus.
- The facts are substantiated by the apostles' eyewitness testimony and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.
- Jesus came into the world to die for our sins so we can be reconciled to God. This is the meaning of Christmas.
- We must never divorce the facts of the Gospel from the teachings and ideas. We need both facts and interpretation.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Questions from "Cunningly Devised Fables"
What is the main Scripture text that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on in this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones focuses on 2 Peter 1:16, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." This text serves as the foundation for his entire Christmas message.
According to Lloyd-Jones, what modern theological trend was threatening the Christian faith?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the modern trend was to treat the biblical accounts as myths or fables rather than historical facts. He states: "The latest fashion in religious circles is to say that really, the facts don't matter very much... They call them myths, and a myth is something which isn't actually effect, but more or less represents effect." He warns that some were saying, "we must demythologize" the gospel to appeal to modern minds.
Why does Lloyd-Jones insist that the Christmas story must be based on historical facts?
Lloyd-Jones insists the Christmas story must be based on historical facts because the entire meaning and power of the gospel depends on these events actually happening. He argues: "The christian message is not merely an idea about love... It is that action of God taken once in time, the unique event, the turning point of all history, when God sent forth his son into the world on a particular date and time and place." Without the facts, the message is emptied of its power.
What does Lloyd-Jones say was the true nature of Christ's incarnation?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christ's incarnation was not merely an appearance or phantom, but that "the eternal son of God... literally, physically, materially took unto himself human nature." He stresses that Jesus "didn't cease to be God. He didn't divest himself of any portion or particle of his deity and his divinity" but rather "laid aside the insignia, the signs, the external appearances of his glory" while taking on full human nature.
What are the two grounds for certainty about the facts of Christ that Lloyd-Jones identifies?
Lloyd-Jones identifies two grounds for certainty about the facts of Christ: 1. The apostolic witness and testimony: "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty," as Peter and the other apostles directly saw and experienced Christ. 2. The word of prophecy: The numerous Old Testament prophecies that predicted details about Christ's coming, birth, and life, which were later fulfilled exactly as foretold.
How does Lloyd-Jones respond to the idea that modern people can choose which parts of the Gospels to believe?
Lloyd-Jones strongly rejects this idea, asking, "What do you know about Jesus Christ apart from what these apostles have told you?" He challenges: "Is your view of the Lord Jesus Christ based upon the four gospels? Or do you imagine that you have some kind of superior wisdom that enables you what to choose and what to reject out of those gospels?" He argues we are "utterly dependent" on the apostolic testimony and have no basis to reject parts of it.
What does Lloyd-Jones say was the primary purpose of Christ's coming to earth?
Lloyd-Jones states that the primary purpose of Christ's coming was to die for humanity's sins: "He came into this world deliberately to die in it... because it is the only way whereby men can be reconciled to God." Quoting Hebrews 2:9, he emphasizes that Christ was made "a little lower than the angels... for the suffering of death... that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man."
How does Lloyd-Jones contrast the world's interpretation of Christmas with the true meaning?
Lloyd-Jones contrasts the world's superficial interpretation ("Not a little message for children only. Not some superficial philosophy of goodwill and of good cheer and a little bit of happiness") with the true meaning - that Christ "came from heaven to earth to die for our sins. That we might be forgiven, that we might become the children of God." He warns that the world is "trying to turn this Christmas message into something that it rarely isn't."
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.