That Whoever Believes in Him [Christmas]

This passage reveals that behind the joy of Christmas lie the suffering and death that Jesus would have to go through. Jesus, who came as the offspring of the woman to fulfill the promise God made at the beginning of the world, knew in advance of Satan's harassment, the betrayal of countless people, and the pain of the cross. It points out that behind the Christmas the world treats as merely a festival lie the pain and the resolve that God had to bear.

Behind Jesus' birth were the obedience and trust of Joseph and Mary. Mary's faith in accepting God's will even in a situation as dangerous as death shows what believers look like who can trust God and endure even in situations they cannot understand. Immanuel means that God is with us, and those who believe this have no need to fear the world or Satan.

Through the birth of Jesus, believers must come to understand God's love and plan of salvation, and overcome the world by that faith. Just as Jesus walked this road in love even though he knew the pain of the cross and the betrayal of his disciples, believers too must cast off temptation and greed and obey God. The sermon asks what believers must hold on to in order to know the true meaning of Christmas and live by faith to the end without wavering.