INTRODUCTION: Bill O'Beilly, of Fox News Talking Point on his Dec. 7 programs said "Christmas was under siege." He further said, "All over the country, Christmas is taking flak. In Denver this past weekend, no religious floats were permitted in the holiday parade there. In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the holiday tree (not a Christmas tree). Also in NY schools no Christian Christmas symbols are allowed in the public schools.

        This year the White House Christmas tree is called a Holiday Tree by several of the major networks instead of a Christmas Tree. The tradition of a placing a decorated tree in the White House began in 1889 on Christmas morning during the Presidency of Benjamin Harrison. President Bush calls it a Christmas tree.

         Federated Department Stores, [that's] Macy's, have done away with the Christmas greeting, "Merry Christmas."

         From other news sources: Ann Arbor, MI banned Nativities even in one's front yard. Lamp posts on the town's main streets displayed Jewish Menorahs and Stars of David, but a Nativity was illegal. The same thing is happening in Palm Beach, FL. In NY City school it is okay to display a Menorah or Islamic star and crescent, but illegal to have a Nativity scene.

        In Illinois fourth grader enjoyed hearing her public school teacher read a book to her class about the origins of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. But when the little girl brought in a book about the origins of Christmas, her teacher refused to read that story to the class.

        The mayor in Rhode Island was threatened with a law suit because he allow a nativity scene in the city's decorations.

         In Florida, a employee was fired because she sang a religious son at a Christmas party.

        In Indiana a school principles banned any mention or use of the word Christmas in his school.

        A public school in Oklahoma banned all religious music and displays during Christmas.

         A teacher in a public school in South Carolina assigned her students to write a paper during December. One girl wrote a paper on Christmas and the teacher refused to grade or accept it.

         In Tennessee citizens complained to the school for calling the winter break "Christmas Holidays."

        All across America there are hundreds of such attacks on Christmas. Conservatives quote liberal sources as saying that since the liberal lost so big in the last election, they realize that President Bush's stand as a Christian and morals had a great part in his reelection. So their agenda now is to remove God from every aspect of American society and Thanksgiving and Christmas are two good places to start.

         All this sounds discouraging, but do not worry. God is not defeated nor will He be. The victory has been won. Yes, we who believe the Bible and have put our trust in Jesus Christ should stand up and defend God's word and our faith, but the battle has been won already. No matter what our country does God's plans are right on schedule.

        You see that is the promise. One thing those who reject God and the Lord Jesus know is that He is truth and His promises to us in the Bible will occur just like He says.

         As Ephesians 3:11-12 states: " According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him."

         We have full confidence in God's promises.....therefore we can rejoice in Christ Jesus the Lord and celebrate the birth of the Savior knowing that His birth was perfect in God's plan and happened just like God promised.

        Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

I. He was born to be the Savior. John 3:14-15

A. When Israel spoke against Moses and the Lord God sent fiery serpents whose bite was fatal. The people repented and God told Moses to lift make a fiery serpent's image and put it on a pole and lift it up before the people. When the people would look upon the serpent they would be healed. Jesus uses this to illustrate that He would be lifted up on the cross and crucified for the sins of men. If a sinner would look in faith to the Lord Jesus for salvation from his sin he would be saved. ( See Numbers 21:4-9)
1. All men are sinners, and exposed to the wrath of God.
2. All men were in a hopeless condition lost in sin.
3. God gave his Son. Man had no claim on him; it was a gift--an undeserved gift.
4. He gave him up to extreme sufferings, even the bitter pains of death on the cross.
5. It was for all the world. He tasted "death for every man," Heb 2:9. He "died for all," 2 Cor 5:15. "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world," 1 John 2:2.

B. Jesus was God's manifestation of love. "For God so loved the world." (John 3:16) We often say to people that God loves you....and this is the proof. It does not say God loved a few special people, or just those who believe in Him, but He loved the whole world. That includes everyone here, in this nation and around the world. Jesus's sacrifice on the cross was to pay the sin debt of all men who ever lived. If that is not true then He could not offer salvation to all men and we could not preach the Gospel.

C. The verse says that "He gave His only begotten Son." The phrase only begotten has great meaning.

1. It says that God gave. Salvation is a free and unmerited gift. It cannot be earned. Only Christ was perfect and only He could satisfy the sin debt you and I owed.

2. "Only-begotten." This term is never applied by John to any but to Jesus Christ. It is applied by him five times to the Saviour, John 1:14; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9. It means literally an only child. Then, as an only child is peculiarly dear to a parent, it means one that is especially beloved

3. Only-begotten. This term is never applied by John to any but Jesus Christ. It is applied by him five times to the Saviour, John 1:14; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9. It means literally an only child. Then, as an only child is peculiarly dear to a parent, it means one that is especially beloved. Comp. Gen. 22:2; 12:1-20; 16:1-16; Jer 6:26; Zech 12:10. On both these accounts it is bestowed on the Saviour.

He was eminently the Son of God, sustaining a peculiar relation to him in his divine nature, exalted above all men and angels, and thus worthy to be called, by way of eminence, his only Son. Saints are called his sons or children, because they are born of his Spirit, or are like him; but the Lord Jesus is exalted far above all, and deserves eminently to be called his only-begotten Son. Believers are the adopted sons of God. God has only one Son and that is Jesus Christ.

The term specifies Jesus as being like the Father and refers to His deity. The phrase is (ton huion ton monogenê). Literally = "The Son the only begotten." "the only son." "Monogenes" Begotten, describes the absolutely unique relation of the Son to the Father in His divine nature. This verse plainly states...God has only one Son. We are adopted sons, not like THE SON. It notes that He was eminently the Son of God, sustaining a peculiar relation to Him in his divine nature, exalted above all men and angels, and thus worthy to be called, by way of eminence, his only Son. Believers are called his sons or children, because they are born of his Spirit, but the Lord Jesus is exalted far above all, and deserves eminently to be called his only-begotten Son.

D. "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

1. This statement divides religion from biblical Christianity. It states plainly the means of salvation as being by belief or faith. It leaves no room for error to add or subtract from God's clear statement.

2. If one believes in Jesus Christ, he will not perish, but have everlasting life.

3. It cannot be stated clear than in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

E. "Shall not perish, but have everlasting life." There are many attacks on the Word of God and the two main ones are to say that salvation can be earned or merited and the other is to say that salvation that is received in belief can be lost.
1. Nothing is further from the truth. 1 Peter 1:5 proclaims, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

2. If you cannot earn your salvation by good works how can one keep it by good works. If you have truly believed with your heart as Romans 10:9-10 states....you are on your way to heaven and it is God who promises to get you there. You may fall and you will sin, but God's provision for the believer....is to never leave or forsake you....and as sure as you are here....you will be in heaven with Him...if you have believed.

A. Jesus in His first coming did not come to judge or condemn the world.

B. He came to save the world.

C. Revelation 20:11-15 refers to last judgment which is the judgment of those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the judgment of those who trusted in false religions, idols, and false churches for their salvation who all teach that a man came be good enough to be saved and can add his works to God's grace and be saved. Nothing is further from the truth. Here in this passage in Revelation God tells us what will happen to all who reject God's free gift of grace and present their works for their salvation.

The passage says they all will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire. What a sad thing to be offered salvation freely, but reject it.

Yet, Christ came not to condemn....mankind was already condemned, but to redeem and offer salvation to all who would by faith receive it.

A. This verse explains what should be clear to us all. We are sinners and being sinners we are under the condemnation of sin. Romans 6:23 says "The wages of sin is death....but the gift of God is eternal life." That is what this verse says also....

B. This verse states the reason for condemnation. "but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

1. Many teach that there are many ways to go to heaven and that one does not have to believe in Jesus Christ. Yet, in Acts 4:12 God tells us that, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

2. Only Jesus Christ was God incarnate in the flesh the Only Begotten Son of God. There is no other savior. It was God our Creator who made the way and there is no other way. All the supposed that man has devised are the same....they have man being his on savior. Yet, other gods do not exist...there is only one God and He is our Creator and John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 tell us that He is Jesus Christ. He is our God and Creator.

A. Both verse 18 and 19 state the reasons that some men will not go to heaven.
1. First they do not believe in the name of Jesus Christ. These folks put their faith in something else.

ILLUS: I watched Hannity and Combs on Fox News in a "Take Back America" rally a few days ago. They had the atheist Michael Newdow who filed the suit to have this removed from the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. In spite of what he says this man does believe in a god, he in fact believes he is his own god. Sadly, he stands condemned by his own words because he does not believe in Jesus Christ. He knows the truth....he knows who Jesus Christ is. He like all the false religions and cults of this world reject the truth. They reject Jesus Christ, His deity, His sacrifice for sin, and in doing so they reject the only real and valid offer of salvation and eternal life. They reject His offer of grace and salvation and condemn themselves.
B. The verse says that Light....that is the Gospel, the truth of who Jesus Christ is has come into the world.
In John 8:12, 9:5 Jesus said that He was the light. In John 12:46 He says, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

C. Sadly, men love darkness....where the Light of God's truth does not shine....rather than light.

      What thing did Jesus do that warranted Him to so hated that beat Him mercilessly and then crucified Him in that terrible death? Why did they hate the Apostle Paul so much that he had to flee for his life from city after city? What made 40, of the most religious and devout Jews, Pharisees, make a vow that they would neither eat nor sleep till they had murdered him? Why was Paul beheaded, what was his crime. And Steven, Philip, and all the apostle except John?
There crime was they were doing exactly what I am doing this morning....preaching God's truth, telling people that sin destroys and ends in eternal death. Trying to turn men to Jesus Christ our God and Creator, our Savior who loves us and wants us to spend eternity in heaven with Him.

They love their sins more than heaven, and more that accomplishing their purpose for being on this earth. Sin blinds them to a false pleasure and their addition to sin....like a additive drug destroys them and they lose heaven.

1. Why was Jesus born? What is the meaning of Christmas....? The answer is simple....you and I needed a Savior. We are lost in our sins and trespasses against God. We cannot save ourselves, because our sins have condemned us.

2. Jesus was born that we might be able to have life after death. He conquered death and sin for us so we could have eternal life.

3. This morning, right now your God and Creator is offering you freely complete forgiveness of sins and heaven when you die..... The answer to the question as to why Jesus was born is that He loves you and wants to save you....the main question then is this....will you accept it? Will you believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God and be saved.

3. Secular America is seeking to keep that Good News from you. We know who is behind their efforts. We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his fiery darts. But all the efforts of sinful unbelieving men cannot change the facts nor stop men and women from believing and accepting their God and Creator as their Savior...

Will you turn to Jesus Christ this morning and join the millions who will reign in heaven with Him?