Christmas Message
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Before Jesus was sent to this earth, He was eternally existent as the Word who was with God and the Word who was God, John 1:1-2. The heavenly witnesses, the Trinity, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, 1 John 5:7, came together to create man. God didn’t NEED to create us, rather He WANTED to create us as an expression of the His glory so that we might have relationship with Him. But they knew that if they created mankind, mankind would also sin and rebel and we would need a Savior. Therefore, as they were preparing to create man, at the same time they established the plan of Redemption in Christ Jesus. But this plan would come with much suffering, persecution and even death as God knew He would have to send Himself to be the satisfying sacrifice that would pay for the sin of the whole world.
Picture Jesus, who is the Word, the Eternally Existing God in heaven making the decision to come to this earth. But not as a hero as we might picture, but as a humble man, as a baby, vulnerable, frail and weak as He put on human flesh by becoming a man. For one purpose, to suffer and die for our sins. As Jesus grew, He lived this life perfectly without sin, resisting the temptations that we all face except without sin. He did this not as God, but as a man. Jesus emptied Himself of His divine privilege of operating as God. He set that aside and lived and operated as a man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith in God the Father who sent Him. He fully trusted in the promises of God that He would not be left here or even worse, left in Hades, the place of the dead.
You might say, “That’s a weird thought. Did Jesus have Faith?” Absolutely! In fact, this is the Faith of Jesus. This is the Faith that gave us Everlasting Life in Him. This is the Faith that Jesus had when He told the Father... send Me. Jesus had to have faith that God would be with Him, take care of Him and resurrect Him from the dead. He lived this life fully trusting in the Father, Psalm 16:8-11; Hebrews 5:5-10.
Jesus Himself speaks of His faith and trust in God in the letters in Revelation,
Revelation 2:13- “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Revelation 2:26- And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
Revelation 3:10- Because you have kept the Word of My perseverance, (τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Later in Revelation, a voice from heaven speaks of the faith of Jesus...
Revelation 14:12- Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
These are some good English translations that show the faith of Jesus. But this just scratches the surface. Over the past couple of years as I read my Greek New Testament, I kept noticing a pattern in Paul’s writings that point toward the faith of Jesus Christ. But many times it is translated differently and in English we don’t get the full effect of how faith and salvation come to us. Our salvation and our Righteousness comes out from Jesus, specifically out from the faith of Jesus, ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ. It is faith that saves us. Ephesians 2:8–9-8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. It is our faith and trust in Jesus that grants us Salvation, but there is another layer, something deeper that is rooted in Jesus. Our Salvation is in Christ. He is our Savior and it is our faith that places us in Him and then as we trust in Him, we grow up out from Him. It is the idea of being rooted in Christ and abiding in Him.
Paul’s language constantly paints this picture so I want to show you a few examples.
Galatians 2:16 NKJV- knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:16 εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· διότι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐξ ἔργων νόμου πᾶσα σάρξ.
Galatians 2:16 Zack- knowing that a man is not justified out from the works of the Law, but through the faith of Jesus Christ, and we into Christ Jesus have believed, so that we might be justified out from the faith of Jesus Christ and not out from the works of the Law. Therefore, out from the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
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Galatians 3:22 NKJV- But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Galatians 3:22- ἀλλὰ συνέκλεισεν ἡ γραφὴ τὰ πάντα ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοθῇ τοῖς πιστεύουσι.
Galatians 3:22 Zack- But the Scripture has locked us together under sin, so that the promise out from the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
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Galatians 3:26–27 NKJV-26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:26–27-26 πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. 27 ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε·
Galatians 3:26–27 Zack- 26 For you are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
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Again, it doesn’t change how we believe or how we are saved, but it deepens our understanding of the source of our Salvation, which is Jesus Christ and His faith. We see this type of language all through Paul’s writings, especially in the book of Romans...
Romans 3:22 NKJV- even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
Romans 3:22- δικαιοσύνη δὲ Θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας·
Romans 3:22 Zack- even the Righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe.
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Righteousness comes out from the source of the faith of Jesus Christ and we who believe are tapped into this saving faith. Paul continues to describe the purpose of Jesus being sent as the propitiation for our sins...
Romans 3:26 NKJV- to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:26- πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.
Romans 3:26 Zack- to demonstrate His Righteousness in the present time, that He is just and the justifier of the one who is out from the faith of Jesus.
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Paul says three times in three different epistles, “The Just shall live out from faith.” Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Romans 1:17; Gal 3:11; Hebrews 10:38. Not necessarily that we live “by” faith, but “out from” faith. Out from who’s faith? Out from the faith of Jesus.
Paul is quoting the prophet which ties all this together so perfectly...
Habakkuk 2:4LXX - The just shall live out from My faith.
Habakkuk 2:4LXX - ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται.
Hebrews 12:2- looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our the faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is our hero, the perfector of the faith of our salvation. He had faith to become a man, put His entire trust in God that He would be resurrected unto Glory. But not just for Himself, but for all who would believe in Him...
Hebrews 2:9–13-9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” 13 And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
Jesus came to this earth for you, so that you could believe in Him and be exalted with Him before the Father and that Jesus would call you his brethren.
That is the true gift of Christmas... Jesus Christ and His faith in the Father to save us.
Picture Jesus, who is the Word, the Eternally Existing God in heaven making the decision to come to this earth. But not as a hero as we might picture, but as a humble man, as a baby, vulnerable, frail and weak as He put on human flesh by becoming a man. For one purpose, to suffer and die for our sins. As Jesus grew, He lived this life perfectly without sin, resisting the temptations that we all face except without sin. He did this not as God, but as a man. Jesus emptied Himself of His divine privilege of operating as God. He set that aside and lived and operated as a man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith in God the Father who sent Him. He fully trusted in the promises of God that He would not be left here or even worse, left in Hades, the place of the dead.
You might say, “That’s a weird thought. Did Jesus have Faith?” Absolutely! In fact, this is the Faith of Jesus. This is the Faith that gave us Everlasting Life in Him. This is the Faith that Jesus had when He told the Father... send Me. Jesus had to have faith that God would be with Him, take care of Him and resurrect Him from the dead. He lived this life fully trusting in the Father, Psalm 16:8-11; Hebrews 5:5-10.
Jesus Himself speaks of His faith and trust in God in the letters in Revelation,
Revelation 2:13- “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Revelation 2:26- And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
Revelation 3:10- Because you have kept the Word of My perseverance, (τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Later in Revelation, a voice from heaven speaks of the faith of Jesus...
Revelation 14:12- Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
These are some good English translations that show the faith of Jesus. But this just scratches the surface. Over the past couple of years as I read my Greek New Testament, I kept noticing a pattern in Paul’s writings that point toward the faith of Jesus Christ. But many times it is translated differently and in English we don’t get the full effect of how faith and salvation come to us. Our salvation and our Righteousness comes out from Jesus, specifically out from the faith of Jesus, ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ. It is faith that saves us. Ephesians 2:8–9-8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. It is our faith and trust in Jesus that grants us Salvation, but there is another layer, something deeper that is rooted in Jesus. Our Salvation is in Christ. He is our Savior and it is our faith that places us in Him and then as we trust in Him, we grow up out from Him. It is the idea of being rooted in Christ and abiding in Him.
Paul’s language constantly paints this picture so I want to show you a few examples.
Galatians 2:16 NKJV- knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 2:16 εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· διότι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐξ ἔργων νόμου πᾶσα σάρξ.
Galatians 2:16 Zack- knowing that a man is not justified out from the works of the Law, but through the faith of Jesus Christ, and we into Christ Jesus have believed, so that we might be justified out from the faith of Jesus Christ and not out from the works of the Law. Therefore, out from the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
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Galatians 3:22 NKJV- But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Galatians 3:22- ἀλλὰ συνέκλεισεν ἡ γραφὴ τὰ πάντα ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν, ἵνα ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοθῇ τοῖς πιστεύουσι.
Galatians 3:22 Zack- But the Scripture has locked us together under sin, so that the promise out from the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
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Galatians 3:26–27 NKJV-26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:26–27-26 πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. 27 ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε·
Galatians 3:26–27 Zack- 26 For you are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, it doesn’t change how we believe or how we are saved, but it deepens our understanding of the source of our Salvation, which is Jesus Christ and His faith. We see this type of language all through Paul’s writings, especially in the book of Romans...
Romans 3:22 NKJV- even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.
Romans 3:22- δικαιοσύνη δὲ Θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας·
Romans 3:22 Zack- even the Righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Righteousness comes out from the source of the faith of Jesus Christ and we who believe are tapped into this saving faith. Paul continues to describe the purpose of Jesus being sent as the propitiation for our sins...
Romans 3:26 NKJV- to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:26- πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.
Romans 3:26 Zack- to demonstrate His Righteousness in the present time, that He is just and the justifier of the one who is out from the faith of Jesus.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul says three times in three different epistles, “The Just shall live out from faith.” Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Romans 1:17; Gal 3:11; Hebrews 10:38. Not necessarily that we live “by” faith, but “out from” faith. Out from who’s faith? Out from the faith of Jesus.
Paul is quoting the prophet which ties all this together so perfectly...
Habakkuk 2:4LXX - The just shall live out from My faith.
Habakkuk 2:4LXX - ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται.
Hebrews 12:2- looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our the faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is our hero, the perfector of the faith of our salvation. He had faith to become a man, put His entire trust in God that He would be resurrected unto Glory. But not just for Himself, but for all who would believe in Him...
Hebrews 2:9–13-9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” 13 And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.”
Jesus came to this earth for you, so that you could believe in Him and be exalted with Him before the Father and that Jesus would call you his brethren.
That is the true gift of Christmas... Jesus Christ and His faith in the Father to save us.