(Updated: January 12th, 2022)
“There are paradoxes around Christmas.” – John MacArthur
Christ and Santa. Completely different.
“Santa Claus gives you what you want because you deserve it. Jesus Christ gives you what you need even though you don’t deserve it.” – John MacArthur
What is the mystery of Christmas?
Pastor John begins by pointing out the confusion the prophets presented with the prophecy of the Messiah. The One who brings life and yet dies. The One who is rejected by men. There are many statements that seemed paradoxical.
Pastor John shares some paradoxes.
- Christ is both God and Man.
- A virgin bearing a Son is impossible, but necessary for the Savior to be human, but not conceived from two sinners, otherwise He would have been under the curse of Adam. Christ is the second Adam.
- A child is born to a woman and yet given by God.
- This child will have the government on His shoulders.
- He will have a kingdom with no limits.
- He is the Son of God, Root of Jesse, Son of David, David’s Lord, and Son of Abraham, yet, He existed before Abraham and David.
- Judah – the line Christ came from – came out of incest. Judah was a cursed line. David was the 10th generation of the line of Judah, and the curse which went out to the 10th generation was done.
- The Christ was suppose to be from 3 different places – and He was.
- How was Christ able to rule?
- Christ is a stone, that has many names- the rejected stone and precious.
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Please listen as Pastor John shares these powerful “paradoxes.”
Check Out: The Mystery of Christmas (John MacArthur)
Scripture To Memorize/Meditate On – (ESV) Romans 5:08, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
*To learn more about what Jesus did on the cross and why His atonement sacrifice is so needed please see: Why Did A Loving God Kill His Son? (Does God Hate?)
*If you do not know the Gospel, do not turn away. If you think you know the Gospel, check out these questions and see how prepared you are for the day someone might ask you why you believe: The Gospel Challenge (30 Question Quiz) – Are You Ready To Defend Your Faith?
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