There is a war being waged against Christmas. And I’m not just talking about Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays, nor am I just thinking about the removal of nativity crèches from public buildings, or the name change from Christmas vacation to Winter break in public schools. Those are certainly hot spots in the culture war. I’m talking about something a little more insidious. a battle is being waged in an attempt to distort and malign the historical facts of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ… to get us to doubt his miraculous birth.
Accuracy – Luke 1:1-4
Luke took his information from eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4)
Luke interviewed Peter, Mary and all the other disciples.
Luke has been found to be unfailingly accurate of historical events.
Should you believe An eye witness or someone who lived 2000 years later?
Harmony – John 21:25
Do Matthew and Luke tell two different stories?
Matthew is told from Joseph’s perspective:
Joseph’s Genealogy
Angel Appears to Joseph
The Wise Men
Herod’s Plot
Luke is told from Mary’s perspective:
Mary’s Genealogy
Angel Appears to Mary
The Shepherds
Caesar’s Census
The authors wrote with different intentions to different audiences.
Rather than create a conflict, they create a complete story.
Factual – Matthew 1:20-21
The skeptic says that there are no historical records of this trip.
However there were Magi in the east
Historical silence is not an overwhelming argument
The skeptic says that there are no records of the massacre
But the massacre does fit Herod’s character
There may have been only about half a dozen kids in Bethlehem
The massacre was really not big news in Judea
Historians often neglected to record big events!
You can trust the Christmas Story. It is quite possibly the favorite of all the stories ever told— a story steeped in joy, and in good will. It’s the foundation not just for the Christian faith, and in many ways, for the whole of Western civilization was built upon it. It is the story of how God loved us so much he sent us His dear Son!
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