By Billy Graham We’re given just a little glimpse of Mary and Joseph before Jesus was born. They lived in the hill country of Galilee. Joseph was a religious man. Mary gives every evidence of having a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, even though she was a teenager. The Bible teaches that God was so pleased with her that He chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Mary and Joseph weren’t married, and yet Mary became pregnant. I’ve often put myself in Joseph’s place— imagined his thoughts, his aspirations about the girl to whom he was engaged. But Joseph decided to break the engagement privately. While he was thinking about these things, God’s angel appeared to him in a dream to give Joseph an explanation of the situation. All Joseph’s suspicions were put away. He accepted what God had said through the angel, and he was immediately married to Mary. Both Joseph and Mary followed the call and plan of God, and through their obedience the way was prepared for Christ to come and bless us. Are you seeking to follow God’s call on your life? Are you actively responding to Him? … [Read more...]

By Michael Duduit ANDERSON, S.C. (BP) - It's that time of year again, when we put trees inside our houses, make strange egg-flavored drinks we'd never consume any other time of the year, and spend hours we don't have buying gifts we can't afford for people who will exchange them for something they really wanted. Welcome to Christmas! A Pew Research survey in 2013 found that 96 percent of Americans still celebrate Christmas. What may be more surprising is that only about half of all Americans still considered Christmas to be primarily a religious holiday; about one out of every three considered it essentially a cultural celebration with no religious meaning. So when you hear about the war on Christmas, that's only half right. The war isn't on Christmas; it's a war on identifying Christmas with Jesus. But even among people of faith, there's a lot of confusion about Christmas. We tend to fit Christmas into our own romantic pictures of the season, with chestnuts roasting on an open fire, home for the holidays and a picturesque nativity scene. No wonder the culture tries to draw us into this consumer-driven celebration, because the real picture is far more dangerous, far more revolutionary. If we understand what God has … [Read more...]

By Billy Graham All Christians look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth during this season of the year. Why was Jesus’ birth so important? The reason is because slightly over 2,000 years ago, God stooped down from Heaven and became a human being: Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” — John 1:14, NIV Think of it: God became a man! He did it because He loves us—and that’s what we should celebrate as Christmas approaches. Week One: November 29—December 5 Read Isaiah 9:6 — In this Scripture we find the message and meaning of Christmas. Isaiah the prophet gave five awe-inspiring names of our Lord that encourage us, thrill us, and fill us with hope at this Christmas season. Wonderful. When He did His many miracles, the Scripture says, “The people wondered” (Luke 11:14, KJV). Counselor. The people said, “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46, NIV). The Mighty God. He is the God-Man. He said that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The Everlasting Father. It was by Him, the living Word, that all things were created. He is the designer of the whole universe (John 1:3; Hebrews 11:3). The Prince of Peace. There will never be lasting peace on … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor, First Baptist Covington I like to call it the hoopla of Christmas. You know what I mean by that. It’s all the things we do that really don’t have much to do with Christmas. Actually, I like the hoopla of Christmas. I like parties, presents, excitement, and the joy of having some special family time. But that’s not what Christmas really means. In fact, if you talk about the real meaning of Christmas, it’s even deeper than you think. What is the real meaning of Christmas? First, Christmas means that God has involved Himself in our world. That’s the meaning of “The word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The God of the universe “pitched his tent” in the neighborhood of the Jews – – the Word became flesh. Today, it would be like saying that God moved into our subdivision. There is nothing better than knowing that we are not alone but that God is with us and that He involved Himself in our world. Second, Christmas really means that our lives can be different. God’s coming into the world made it possible for us to be new creatures, living with God’s character in our lives. Paul stated that “If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am comforted … [Read more...]

By Lane Corley, Church Planting Strategist, Louisiana Baptists It was Kate McAllister who called Christmas “the season of perpetual hope.” But as we look around at our world, it seems to be getting worse & worse. The Christmas story as told in the Gospels offers us many signs of hope that we can rest in. 1) Prophecy Fulfilled. Some estimate that over 300 Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled by the coming of Jesus Christ. These prophecies gave hope to generations of followers of YHWH. And today they testify to us of how trustworthy God’s word is. The preciseness & detail arranged by God could not possibly be just happenstance. From being born in Bethlehem to a virgin (who was not from Bethlehem) to fleeing to Egypt to escape King Herod’s wrath. We can look at prophecy fulfilled & say GOD’S WORD IS TRUE. Micah 5:2, Isaiah 7:14, Genesis 22:18, Numbers: 24:17, Hosea 11:1, Jeremiah 31:15, Mathew 2:16. 2) He used ordinary people who dared to believe. As you read through the Christmas story, & really all of the New Testament, & get to know its characters, you’ll be struck by their ordinariness. Elizabeth & Zachariah – aging priest & barren wife. Mary & Joseph – young & poor village … [Read more...]

By: Waylon Bailey, Pastor, First Baptist Covington I like to call it the hoopla of Christmas. You know what I mean by that. It’s all the things we do that really don’t have much to do with Christmas. Actually, I like the hoopla of Christmas. I like parties, presents, excitement, and the joy of having some special family time. But that’s not what Christmas really means. In fact, if you talk about the real meaning of Christmas, it’s even deeper than you think. What is the real meaning of Christmas? First, Christmas means that God has involved Himself in our world. That’s the meaning of “The word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The God of the universe “pitched his tent” in the neighborhood of the Jews – – the Word became flesh. Today, it would be like saying that God moved into our subdivision. There is nothing better than knowing that we are not alone but that God is with us and that He involved Himself in our world. Second, Christmas really means that our lives can be different. God’s coming into the world made it possible for us to be new creatures, living with God’s character in our lives. Paul stated that “If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am comforted … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn, Pastor, First Baptist Lafayette What if God sent Christmas cards? He did send Christmas messages. By that I mean the messages of the angels are God’s messages. For example, in Luke 1:33 we read, “His Kingdom will have no end!” What a message! What a message for our time! It is easy to forget how revolutionary these words were when the angel spoke them. Remember this—These words, in addition to being spoken by an angel, were spoken to an unwed teenage girl, completely without warning, in an obscure village in a remote part of the world about an unborn baby. God’s message to Mary through the angels is a reminder to me of at least two truths. First, God keeps His promises. From Malachi to Jesus, four hundred years had passed. Many a generation had come and gone without seeing the prophecy realized. Maybe some had come to believe that Messiah would not come. But He did. As Paul said in Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.” At the right time, Jesus came. Sometimes it might not look like God is a keeper of His Word, but when I look at the manger, I am reminded that God always keeps His promises. Second, God’s message is a reminder to me … [Read more...]

By David Crosby, Pastor, First Baptist Church New Orleans The birth of Jesus was truly an international event. The Wise Men came from the East. They were not Jews, but they knew about the birth of the king. Herod realized that this child could rise up to compete for his throne one day, so he initiated a search. And the Holy Family fled to Egypt, finding refuge there until the death of Herod. The Coptic Christians in Egypt claim to be the oldest Christian group on earth. They trace their faith back to the visit of the Christ child and his family in this flight from Herod. They can take you to the house where tradition says Jesus lived. They have their own legends about the child Jesus. The only reference in the Bible to the flight to Egypt by the Holy Family is the one that we have read in Matthew. But there are a lot of "false writings" or apocryphal accounts of this journey and stay. Palm trees bow down to the child Jesus. Beasts of the field pay him homage. Two men enter his life who will later be the thieves on the cross. Many such notions are contained in these writings. There is a field of toppled and broken statues and idols in Egypt, I have read. At least some Coptic Christians believe that the child Jesus came … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor, First Baptist Church Covington We live in a day in which many people question the Bible. Actually, we live in a day in which people question everything. I well remember Neil Armstrong’s famous words when he stepped foot on the moon: “one small step for man; one huge step for mankind.” Many people who saw that on television still refuse to believe that Neil Armstrong ever traveled to the moon. We shouldn’t be surprised that people ask questions about the reality of Christmas. I believe in the message of Christmas. Here’s why: First, I believe in the message of Christmas because it has the “ring of truth.” I first encountered that phrase when I read A book by J. B. Phillips. He said that the New Testament contains the “ring of truth.” It really does. It’s a book in a real setting in both geography and history. The events of the Bible reflect the times in which they occurred. These are not stories which sound like fairy tales, they sound like real people. Joseph acted exactly the way a real man would react. At first, he believed the worst about the woman to whom he was betrothed in marriage. Only God’s intervention convinced him to take Mary as his wife. We know that Herod the … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn, Pastor, First Baptist Church Lafayette Do you still enjoy getting Christmas cards? With the use of e-mail and social media, I suspect there is an overall decline in sending and receiving traditional Christmas cards. People, of course, do Christmas cards in different ways. Some cards have rather generic messages related to Christmas. Others take the Christmas season to send family updates of the past year. We get a lot of picture cards which are also nice, especially when those cards are of people that we do not see often. This December, I have titled my sermon series “Christmas Cards from God.” We are going to explore some passages which give to us messages from angels, which are messages from God. Therefore, just as Christmas cards send messages, angels send messages from God. The first message is “Do Not Be Afraid.” That seems to be a message that we need to hear for a lot of different reasons. It is one of the messages of Christmas. That was the message to Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds. (Matthew 1:18-21, Luke 1:5-17, Luke 1:26-30, and Luke 2:8-11) Now, in order to be faithful to the Scriptures, let’s be clear about the matter. The message “Do not be afraid,” from the angels to each one … [Read more...]