It has been more than two thousand years since that first Christmas.

It was a silent night, a seemingly ordinary night for shepherds watching their sheep in the fields. Suddenly a very bright light appears, and an angel is in it! The radiance of the LORD shone brightly upon the shepherds. The angel announces the birth of a child: not just any child, but specifically the Christ, the Savior of the world.

But it does not end there.

There came a multitude — a crowd — of the heavenly hosts. More angels! These are the armies of heaven! They were praising God, all saying loudly,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT)

That was how the first Christmas was ushered in two thousand years ago. It was definitely a magnificent birth announcement. No current event will compare even with all the technology available.

But why not?

This is one of the most important events in human history. God set in motion His plan to bring back to Himself the human race who rebelled against Him, yet whom He loves so dearly.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ” John 3:16-17.

This is God’s gift to us at Christmas. God’s gift to us at Christmas is the fulfillment of the promised gospel through Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ birth is just the first part of the gospel promise.

Jesus lived on earth to be with people to reveal to us who God is. And Jesus lived as a man, with the limitations of a man. He attended parties like the wedding in Cana, and He got invited to dinners by prominent men and ordinary men, too. He was and is a people person. He observed religious traditions ordained by God, yet also corrected religious observance where it was needed, like what it meant to truly observe the Sabbath. He suffered pain like we did. He suffered ostracism and ridicule like some of us do. He needed to eat. He needed to sleep. He knew how to cook breakfast like He did for the disciples. And He worked hard, always in prayer.

Jesus wasn’t politically correct; He challenged religious leaders; He challenged the rich; He challenged the intellectuals; He challenged tradition. He wasn’t interested in politics, because He did not come to earth to replace political leadership. Instead, He modeled compassion, caring for the sick and the poor, enjoying relationships with people, sincerely and lovingly. Most importantly, He was not judgmental of anyone, except for the hypocrites who proudly wanted to show off that they were better than anyone else.

Jesus’ death and resurrection is the second part of the gospel promise, which is why we celebrate Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

Jesus wasn’t guilty of anything wrong, but He died in our place to make us right with God once more. All He asks is for us to believe. The Bible says:

• For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Rom. 3:23)
• For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)
• If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9-10)
• God saves us by His grace when we believe. We can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Eph. 2:8-9)

The third part of the gospel promise is Jesus’ return.

Jesus promised to come back.

The first time Jesus came, He didn’t come to condemn. He came as Savior of the world, giving everyone the chance to believe in Him and be restored to Him.

But when Jesus comes back, He will rule as King.
He WILL judge.
He WILL get rid of all evil.
He WILL separate those who belong to Him and those who do not.

In the end, there will be no more illness, no more pain, no more fears, and no more tears.

So this Christmas, let us consider receiving God’s gift offered freely to those who believe:

• A life restored with God through faith in Jesus Christ
• A life that will never end
• And a life with Jesus where we will be with Him forever.

That is the gospel promise.