In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the timeless charm and significance of the story of the birth of Christ. The simplicity and miracle of the virgin birth captivate people of all ages and backgrounds. The preacher highlights the strong message of poverty in the Christmas story, referencing 2 Corinthians 8:9. The sermon also emphasizes the inseparable link between the gospel message and the Christmas message, reminding listeners of the love and grace of God in sending His Son to redeem humanity. The preacher concludes by referencing the biblical accounts of the shepherds receiving the good tidings of great joy, emphasizing the universal impact of Christ's birth.

The story of the birth of Christ has not lost its charm, although it has been told and retold many times. Young and old alike are captivated as they listen to the simplicity plus the miracle of the virgin birth. The poor of this world are charmed by the story because there's a strong note of poverty sounded in the Christmas message. 2 Corinthians 8 and verse 9, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. The gospel message is inseparably linked to the Christmas message and I trust you will enjoy this Christmas program. This unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Matthew's gospel chapter 1 verse 18, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. When, as his mother Mary was a spouse to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophets, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Chapter 2 And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, and this taxing was first made when Serenius was governor of Syria, and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth unto Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife. So it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wracked him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. They in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. It was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. They found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger, and when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Since the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest person that ever walked upon the face of the earth, it is quite in order that he should receive the greatest recognition. For a little while I would like to bring to your attention why Christ was so unusual. First of all, we must raise the question, Who was he? Many persons become great and outstanding because of what they have done, but Christ was great and outstanding before he performed any deeds on earth. Jesus Christ was great in his birth because of who he was. The beginning of his history does not date to his coming into the world, for Christ did not begin to be at his birth. He was in heaven with the Father, and thus had no beginning as we reckon beginnings. He is the eternal Son of God. The birth of Christ was not unusual because of his mother's social rank, for she was among earth's poorest. His foster father Joseph was no great figure in the eyes of his countrymen, and yet the birth of this child has caused heaven's angels to descend to the meadows of Judea. Sometimes the ladies are accused of being unable to keep secrets. It may comfort you ladies to know that even angels could not keep the secret of the birth of Christ. He was God's Son, his only begotten Son, who was ever his Father's delight in heaven. In the counsels and purposes of God there was a very important work to be done on earth in order to make possible the forgiveness of sins, and this great work necessitated that a sinless one would be punished in the sinner's stead. Since there was no sinless one on earth, God offered to send his only begotten Son. God might have chosen to present his Son as a full-grown man, but he chose to be more simple, so he sent his Son from heaven as a helpless baby, perfectly human, apart from sin. Listen to these portions of Scripture, 1 John 4 and verse 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Galatians 4.4 But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. How thankful we should be that God sent forth his Son to redeem us, to justify us, even though we were hell-bound sinners. To the Christian, the coming of Christ into the world means the difference between spending eternity in hell or in heaven. For if Christ had not come to redeem us, we would be compelled to perish in our sins. The saddest note in the Christmas story is the fact that many of us, seeming millions, have not received the full benefits of his coming. He came to redeem all who would receive him. Many have received him, and are now heaven-bound, cleansed by his precious blood. But at the same time there are still many who have not received him, and are therefore hell-bound in their sins. I must ask you personally, my listener, are you among the foolish of earth who have not received Christ? If so, as far as you are concerned, his coming, his suffering, and death have all been in vain. He might as well have stayed in heaven. We must ever keep in mind that God had no obligation to this poor, sin-laden world. It was divine love toward lost and helpless sinners that prompted God to send his Son. And if you will not receive his Son as your Lord and Savior, there remains only one thing for a just and righteous God to do, and that is to punish you for your own sins. It's a very serious thing to ignore God's love gift to this world. You may be able to be indifferent regarding many other relatively unimportant things, but the receiving or the rejecting of God's Son will affect your destiny. To as many as received him gave he the privilege of becoming the sons of God, and those who will not receive him are banished from his presence for all eternity. When a person refuses or neglects to receive God's greatest gift, he goes on record in heaven as being a Christ-rejector, and all Christ-rejectors will perish in their sins. Are you guilty of being a Christ-rejector? If so, you are making your bed in hell. Perhaps it has never occurred to you that when a giver offers a gift, it puts you into the place of responsibility, and you cannot take a neutral position. You must either receive or reject the offered gift. If until this day you have at no definite time received God's Son as your Lord and Savior, there can be only one alternative. You have rejected him, and that puts you in the class with Herod, Pilate, Judas, Hitler, and Stalin. Christ-rejectors want a very, very serious label. I don't want you to rest upon some false hope that somehow you will turn up in heaven, even though you have not trusted Christ as your personal Savior. The Scriptures are true, and they are too clear in making certain that you will not turn up in heaven unless you are born again. No matter how good you are, no matter how religious you are, no matter what sacrifices you have made for others, God will not accept these for your salvation. It's through Christ and his atoning sacrifice alone that God offers eternal life, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Only the whosoever's who have received him will not perish. The rest must perish in their sins. You can't have a happy Christmas without being saved. You may have a little fun. You can even have a high time. But it can't be a happy time until you know that you are saved. The annual celebration of the birth of Christ brings dollars into the businessman's pocket. It brings liquor into the stomach of the bum. Decent people won't touch it. It brings gladness to the children. But only the one who knows Christ as Lord and Savior can celebrate the day to its fullest capacity. Christ to the born again Christian is far more than a famous figurehead. He is a reality. We know him. We love him because we have been saved through his death on Calvary for our sins. Because he came and died for us and we have received him, we are guaranteed by God's infallible word that we shall never perish for our sins. We were once traveling in the direction of a dark and dreadful eternity, but that is no longer our prospect. We are sure of heaven, and that's the most wonderful possession that anyone could have. Do you have it? If not, I feel very, very sorry for you, for your Christmas can't be too happy. The degree of your happiness will only be in things which all perish with the using. The Christian's joys are in a person, God's blessed Son. I'm sure that some of you unsaved ones can't understand our joy. It must sound a little fanatical, but you'll have to forgive us. It's real. It's wonderful to be able to say, I know I'm going to heaven because I know the Christ who was born in the little town of Bethlehem. He has brought joy into the world, but more than that, he has brought joy into our hearts. We couldn't get along without him. He fully satisfies, joy he supplies, life would be worthless without him. It may be that I have some listener who is getting fed up on living without Christ. You have tried so hard to find real happiness. This may sound like exaggeration, but it isn't. When I say, you will find less difficulty in climbing to the moon than to find happiness without coming to Christ for salvation. You must receive Christ or be miserable the rest of your days. Yours is the choice and all I can ask you to do is bring this serious fact to your attention. Unsaved people can only admire Christ, the Christ child, but Christians can adore and worship him in spirit and in truth. As I bring this message to a close, you are expecting me to say, have a Merry Christmas, but that would be contradicting what I have sought to bring to your attention. So I'm rather going to say, make this Christmas the happiest one by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.