Unwrapping Christmas, Part 2: Unwrapping the Person

Type: Sunday Morning Service

Series: Unwrapping Christmas

Sermon: Part 2: Unwrapping the Person

🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen

Christmas is about more than a promise; it is about a person who stepped into history. Jesus came as a real human being, fully God and fully man, entering our world with humility, love, and purpose. The gift wrapped in flesh at Christmas was unwrapped at the cross so people could experience forgiveness, rest, and relationship with God.

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Unwrapping the Personal Gift of Christmas

Christmas is often wrapped in traditions, decorations, and familiar stories, but its true power is found in a person. The birth of Jesus was not a myth or a fairy tale but a real moment in history when God stepped into human life. Before He was a Savior, He was a baby, born into the vulnerability and simplicity of the world He came to redeem.

Jesus Entered History as a Real Person

The accounts of Jesus’ birth and life are rooted in real people, real places, and real events. Genealogies recorded in Scripture connect Him to generations of imperfect individuals, showing that God works through broken stories. Even non-Christian historians such as Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny confirm that Jesus lived, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and sparked a movement that changed the world.

God Came Near Through Humanity

Jesus did not arrive with thunder and spectacle but as a dependent infant. He experienced hunger, fatigue, growth, learning, and grief. By becoming fully human, God made Himself approachable and understandable. Humanity became the doorway through which people could encounter God.

The Humility of God on Display

Philippians chapter 2 describes how Jesus chose humility, laying aside His privileges to serve. He exchanged heavenly glory for a manger and ultimately a cross. The miracle of Christmas is not only that Jesus came down, but how far He was willing to go.

Jesus Revealed Himself as God

Throughout His life, Jesus demonstrated divine authority. He healed every kind of disease, commanded nature, forgave sins, received worship, and even raised the dead. His words and actions consistently pointed to one truth: God was standing among humanity.

A Relationship, Not a Religion

Jesus came to invite people into relationship. His words were simple and personal: “Come and see,” “Follow Me,” and “Come to Me, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Christmas is an invitation to know God personally, not merely to observe a tradition.

The Gift Unwrapped

The baby born in Bethlehem grew into a man whose body was broken so others could be made whole. The gift of Christmas was wrapped in flesh and unwrapped on the cross. Jesus offers forgiveness, peace, and new life to all who receive Him.

• Discussion Guide

  Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.

  Discussion Questions

  • What stands out most to you about Jesus being fully God and fully human?

  • Why do you think God chose to come as a baby rather than with power and force?

  • How does Jesus’ humanity make Him more relatable to you personally?

  • What does it mean to truly “unwrap” the gift of Jesus in everyday life?

  Action Step

  This week, intentionally invite one person to experience Jesus through a conversation, an invitation, or an act of love.

• Historical Context

  The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth and life are grounded in first-century Jewish and Roman culture. Matthew and Luke’s genealogies connect Jesus to Abraham and David, fulfilling long-standing Messianic expectations in Israel. These records mattered deeply in Jewish culture because lineage established identity, inheritance, and legitimacy.

  During this time, Israel lived under Roman occupation, longing for deliverance. Prophecies such as Isaiah’s declaration of a “Mighty God” shaped expectations of a coming Messiah. When Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, this placed His death firmly within Roman historical records.

  Writers like Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger—none of whom were Christians—confirm Jesus’ existence, execution, and the rapid spread of Christianity. This historical backdrop reinforces that the Christmas story is not symbolic fiction but an event rooted in real history.

• Kids Lesson

  Introduction
  Ask kids what their favorite gift is and why. Explain that Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given.

  Scripture
  John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and lived among us.”

  Craft
  Have kids decorate a small gift box with the words “Jesus Is God With Us.” Inside, place a heart-shaped paper.

  Game
  “Follow the Leader” – remind kids that Jesus invites us to follow Him.

  Discussion Questions
  Why did Jesus come as a baby?
  How does Jesus show us God’s love?
  What does it mean to follow Jesus?

  Wrap-up Prayer
  Thank God for sending Jesus and ask for help to love and follow Him every day.

• Full Transcript

  A family had just finished a very, very busy Christmas Eve day. They were shopping in the morning. They went to church in the late afternoon. They opened presents that night and had a big Christmas Eve dinner even. And then it started getting late after playing a couple of games. And so mom put their little four-year-old daughter Jennifer to bed that night. And she said, Jennifer, did you have a good Christmas? Jennifer smiled and said, Mom, it was wonderful. I sure hope Mary and Joseph have another baby next year. It's funny. It's cute. If it wasn't so real, there are millions of kids in our country who don't even know what Christmas is all about. And the adults are even worse. I don't know if you've heard the latest statistics, but the United States of America now has the third least amount of or most unsaved people of any country in the world. It's China has the most unsaved, India has the second most unsaved, and the United States is third. We have the largest proportion of our population, number three, of people who don't know Jesus Christ. who don't understand what Christmas and Easter are all about. And what I find is that many people confuse the secular with the sacred. They become Grinches or Scrooges and miss the good news altogether. Some never fully grasp that this baby in a manger is also God in the flesh. Last week, we unwrapped the promise. And the promise was beautiful. But promises by themselves are still abstract. Yes, a promise can give you hope. But a person can give you help. For the promise to become powerful, and that's what we want it to become, it had to become personal. And every Christmas, it needs to become personal. Again and again and again. and also for the first time for many people. That's why God didn't send a religion. He didn't send a creed or a philosophy. He sent a person, His Son, Jesus Christ, who can say amen. And to truly unwrap the gift of Christmas, we must understand the stunning paradox of the person Jesus. He is both fully man and He He's fully God. Would you bow your heads just for a second? I think we need to pray about this. Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus' name, and I'm asking you to give us a revelation this morning. I'm asking you to help us to understand that this baby in a manger that was born somewhere around 2,025 years ago is fully God and yet fully man. Help us to comprehend, which is really impossible to comprehend. But Father God, you can give us a revelation. You can open up our hearts, Father God, so that it can be filled with your word in such a way that we can embrace it and we can share it with others. May that be so today, I pray in Jesus' holy and precious name. And together, everyone says, Amen. A couple of things I want you to take away from this message, and maybe you can share it with people who aren't so sure of this. And number one is this. Jesus is a very real person. He came into the world as a baby. And to me, that still boggles my mind. It still floors me. Because before he was a savior, he was a baby. And as radical as it is to me, I want you to put yourself in Mary's shoes. I want you to imagine what it would be like to hear from an angel and the angel actually communicate you're going to have a baby but you're never going to be with a man the Holy Spirit is going to overshadow you the Holy Spirit is going to impregnate you and I wonder the confusion the questions the enormity of the task did she even have a Now, I know the angel said that you're going to call him Jesus, and the angel said that he's going to be Emmanuel, he's going to be God with you, but did she understand any of that? It reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary, Did You Know? Does anybody like this song? I mean, it's beautiful. Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make us new? This child that you've delivered will soon deliver you. Do you remember that? I mean, what a beautiful love. It's not just the harmony. It's not just the melody. It's not the pen and tonics coming on and giving you something you've never heard before. The words communicate the fact that this baby Mary was going to deliver is going to deliver her. That this baby that you kiss at night, you're kissing the very face of God. Who can say amen? It must have been such an overwhelming reality. And I still believe she probably didn't know until she started seeing him live his life. And how that he was perfect again and again and again. And didn't act like other children. And had unusual wisdom at such a young age. I need you to understand this. Christmas is not a fairy tale. It is not a myth. It is literally a moment in history. When Jesus Christ became a historical person, who can say amen? He's real. I remember when I was younger, the genealogy in the chapter 1 of Matthew didn't make any sense to me. The genealogy in the book of Luke, I'm like, so-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so. And as a young child I'm like what in the world is this? Of course as I've gotten older I've come to understand that God has a method for the madness. That there's a reason for anything he does. And Matthew's genealogy as well as Luke's roots Jesus in real people. People with a history. People who have messy stories. People who have broken pasts. There's David and Bathsheba and Rahab and Boaz and Abraham and all of these different people. And their lives took unexpected twists and turns. And God doesn't airbrush any of it. He really tells the real story, which to me is amazing. And here's what's even better, or in addition to this. Historians corroborate that the life and death of Jesus really, really, really happened. I don't get some of these online theologians. Do you guys listen to any of these people? You probably shouldn't, okay? But I have to, because I have to be able to defend the faith and help people understand that Christianity is a well-thought-out religion, okay? It's a well-thought-out process of thinking. We don't take a leap of faith. We take a very logical step of faith in believing Jesus Christ. Some of these online guys say that there's no historical evidence for the validity of Jesus Christ. Do they not read? Do they not pay any attention? Historians have validated that Jesus really is a real person. For example, Josephus. He was a Jewish historian. He was a priest and a Pharisee. And he actually surrendered to the Romans because he didn't want to commit suicide like all of his friends did. And so he surrendered and tried to talk up the Romans and say this is a good group of people. But in his writings, he mentions Jesus multiple times. This is like 50 and 60 years after Jesus' death. He confirms that he was crucified under Pilate. He references his brother James and he acknowledges that the Christian movement exploded after there were claims that Jesus had rose from the dead. Now Josephus wasn't a believer but he communicated many of the historical facts that we find in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as did Tacitus and Pliny. Both of them were Roman historians and none of these guys were Christians. But they all agree Jesus was real. Who can say amen? And if he was real and born of a woman, that makes him a human being. He's a person. And again, the Bible verifies this in John 1.14 saying, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus wasn't an imaginary figure. Jesus wasn't a spirit. posing as a physical being. Jesus wasn't an illusion. He had skin and bones and hands and feet and hair and fingerprints. He was very, very real and he came as an approachable baby. Aren't babies innocent? Beautiful, vulnerable, dependent. And they almost invite you to They invite you to look at them, to feel that smooth skin that they have. God could have arrived as a grown man with lightning and thunder, but instead he came crying at 2 a.m. and waking everybody up. Oh, you don't think Jesus was a real baby, huh? When I said he was perfect, I didn't say he never cried. When I said Jesus was perfect, I didn't say he didn't eat and do what other babies do when they're done eating. He was a very real human baby that was absolutely beautiful. A little bundle of perfection that surely put a smile on the face of both Mary and Joseph. I think that's one of the reasons why I appreciate nativities. Because I remember for a couple of years, Robin and I would decorate our house with, how many nativities did we have at that one time? Like 20? I'm serious. And our, I hate to say this, but one of our favorites was our Coca-Cola nativity. You didn't know there was a Coca-Cola nativity? Well, it had, it had, it was cans and it had Maria and Joseph and Jesus on there. And, and it was a Coca-Cola one. It was, it was beautiful. But, This is now Robin's new favorite nativity right here. She actually received this as an inheritance from her mom. And if you're not aware, Robin's mom died just a couple of months ago. And this is a Yardro nativity set. And so it's precious. And it's priceless. It's made of glass. It's hand-painted. It comes from Europe. and there's a little baby Jesus right there that is probably the most beautiful, precious baby Jesus I've ever seen. And so maybe after the service, if you want to come and walk by and look at this, you're more than welcome to do it. Just don't touch it. But Jesus himself was precious and priceless. Right? I mean, the scripture tells us that the price The restless blood of Jesus Christ is what was shed for your sin and for my sin. And this little baby grew up to be the man who died on a cross. And what's so amazing to me about this is as Jesus grew up, he didn't become less lovable. A lot of us adults, we become a little prickly as we get older. You know, the precious baby turns into, what do they call it, the terrible twos, and then the even more terrible teens, and it can just go on and on and on and on. But Jesus grew into a man and maintained this attractive quality about his personage. Children ran to Jesus. Sinners trusted Jesus. The hurting sought him out. And Jesus' humanity isn't a minor detail in this thing. It's actually the doorway in which people reach God is through the humanity of Jesus Christ. They were able to touch him. They were able to listen to him, speak to him, see him in action on a regular basis. It's how God chose to get close to you and to me. And what's so amazing about this is probably The distinguishing characteristic about this person is his humility and his love and his kindness. Because he didn't have to do any of this stuff. He was God. Jesus, the all-powerful God, agreed to come into the world as a vulnerable baby. Jesus, the eternal God, agreed to subject himself to time. Jesus, the Lord, the master, the owner of the entire universe, decided to serve the very people who totally and completely rejected him. Philippians chapter 2 calls this the kenosis. It's a Greek word that means to pour out. And it communicates in Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 8, it communicates that God up in heaven and Jesus were sitting there, Dialoguing. One day, I don't know how this all took place. And Jesus chose not to consider his equality with God something to be grasped. In other words, he chose to give up to pour out his divinity, so to speak, in order to come down onto this planet and live as a human being and to eventually die on a cross. The kenosis describes him as being humble. And so the miracle of Christmas isn't just that Jesus came down. It's how low he was willing to go. He literally left majesty for mortality. He left self-sufficiency for dependency. He left the throne of heaven for a hay-filled trough. of angels for the sounds of animals. And he traded the beauty and glory of heaven for the chaos and noise and smell of a barn or a cave. I said it earlier, he got tired. He was hungry. He cried real tears. He felt grief. What's amazing to me is he had to learn a language. I don't know how that works. He had to grow through the The early years, the teen years into adulthood, he had to submit to human authority even though even at the age of 12 he already knew more than everybody else. And yet he submitted to his mom and dad. He submitted to those in authority. But what we discover is because of Jesus' humility and his willingness to come and experience lives like you and I live, that he became this great, because he was able to live life and feel life, the ups and the downs. Because he was fully man, he now understands our struggles. And he was not a distant king. He was the king that came near in order to feel our pain. Takes me to number two. Jesus is a very royal deity. If we stop at the manger, we probably will miss the message of the gospel. The baby didn't stay a baby. He grew up revealing he wasn't merely sent by God. He was God. I love this at the end of his life. In John chapter 18 verse 37, Pilate is talking to Jesus and he says, are you a king then? And Jesus answers, you say rightly that I'm a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I've come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. What's he saying? He's saying, yes, I'm a king, but that's the least important thing about me right now. What you really need to understand is you need to understand that I stand for the truth. And the reason I stand for the truth is because I'm also God in the flesh. standing right before you. And Pilate did not see it. Jesus declared his kingship, his royalty, but he also declared he was way more than that, that he was the second person of the Trinity. How did he do this? Throughout his entire life, number one, Jesus did the miracles of deity. If you have any doubt who Jesus Christ is, he's not just a miracle worker. He did miracles because He was God. He did miracles that only God could do. He healed every kind of disease. Did you hear me? He healed every kind of disease. If you're concerned that God can't heal you, He healed the AIDS of His day. And it was called leprosy. The lepers couldn't even be in the same vicinity as anybody else. But Jesus touched them and healed them. Who can say, There's nothing too difficult for our God. There's nothing too difficult for our Jesus. He created like God created. His very first miracle. He's there with his mom at a wedding and his mom says those famous words, do whatever he says. What a wise woman, huh? I mean, if Jesus says it, we should be doing it. And what did he do? He took some Chases gigantic containers of water and miraculously turn them into wine. One day he's walking down the road and he sees a fig tree and it's in bloom. So he's thinking there's going to be some figs on there and when he gets there there's no figs. And he doesn't curse it in his disappointment. He curses it because he's going to teach his disciples a lesson. And the lesson is he's God. Who can say amen? He's God. He can curse. He controlled nature by calming storms. He even had authority over death. There was a widow woman from a city called Nain, and there was a funeral procession going on, and he walks right on over the procession, and he lays his hands on this boy and raises him from the dead. His good friend Lazarus had been dead for a number of days. And his sister actually said, oh no, don't roll away the stone because at this time he smells. His body's decomposing. And he just utters the word, Lazarus, come forth. And all of a sudden what was dead is alive again. Jesus had authority over death itself. Who can say amen? Listen, these aren't party tricks. They are divine fingerprints. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be the mighty God. And Jesus lived a life displaying that he truly was the mighty God that they were waiting for. Jesus received the worship of deity. We can read in the Old Testament specifically where angels would show up and try and deliver a message to Gideon and even to a number of people. of other guys in the Old Testament. And every time they would bow down. Every time they would be afraid. And the angel would instruct them, oh, I'm not God. I can't receive worship. That is for God alone. But Jesus never did this. Shepherds worshipped him. Wise men bowed down to him. You might say, yeah, yeah, but he wasn't an adult. Well, what about when he was an adult? Children praised him so much so. that the Pharisees and the Sadducees got upset with Jesus and said, stop them. And Jesus said, I'm not going to stop them. Thomas actually bowed down and said, my Lord and my God. And Jesus never corrected them. He received worship because he deserved worship. Who can say amen? And he still deserves it today. Number three, Jesus forgives sins. Not just against him. Sins committed against God. And when the religious leaders cried blasphemy, they would have been right had he only been a man. But he was also God. Because he was fully God, he was fully capable of forgiving sins. And finally, Jesus acknowledged that he was deity. With his words in John chapter 8 verse 58, before Abraham was, I am. To his words in John 10 30 where he says, I am the are one. These are not the words of a good teacher. They are the claims of God himself. Jesus is God. And that takes me to the third and final point today. And that is Jesus is a very relational being. I want you to think of what we've talked about so far. First of all, he was a person. He's a historical person. We know there is proof, of this in the Bible and with other historians. So there was a man by the name of Jesus. He was actually born one day. Scripture teaches us that he was God. That he did all the things that God did. So why did Jesus really come to this planet? The beauty of Christmas is that he came down for a relationship with you. God wanted a relationship. with human beings. Yes, he wants us to worship him, but he wants you to know that he's willing to walk this life out with you if you just ask him to. And that's because his humanity makes him so relatable. That's why he came in the flesh. The person of Jesus touches every stage of life. Yes, he was a baby, totally dependent and completely vulnerable. But more than that, he was a 12-year-old boy. How many of you remember being 12? Yeah, some people are giggling because that was the worst time of your life, right? I mean, nothing can be more awkward than being a 12-year-old boy or girl. Nothing can be more awkward than the hormones raging as a 12-year-old boy. And every girl is a foot and a half taller than you are. That was my story. And that was most 12-year-old boy's story. I mean, this is the time of discovering who you are as a person, what you want to become someday, what's your purpose in life. At 12, Jesus experienced all of that and yet knew exactly who he was. Don't you know that I must be about my father's business? He knew who he was. He knew where he was going. He knew what his life was all about. And as a man, we know that he learned some sort of trade. Probably the carpentry trade from his father. He knew what it was like to work long days and deal with difficult people and be responsible for taking on the responsibility of a household because in all likelihood, his dad probably died somewhere along the line. And as the oldest, he was responsible for the financial well-being of his family. He understood both the joys and the monotony of real life. But what drew people to Jesus were His words. Those last three years of His life, this is what was said about Him. No one ever spoke the way this man does. Jesus' stories, Jesus' teachings, Jesus' invitations were all so religious. and so real and so powerful. His invitations literally made him even more accessible. Not just the beauty of who he was as a person, but the words in which he spoke. Jesus never pushed people away, even children. He would invite them in when the disciples were trying to get rid of him. He would say things like, come and see, come and follow, come and I will give you rest. In John chapter 1, then Jesus turned and seeing these guys following said to them, what do you seek? And they said, Rabbi, which is to say would translate a teacher, where are you staying? And he said to them, come and see. Now watch this. They came and saw where he was staying and remained with him that day. Jesus didn't give them directions. He showed them the way. He walked with them. He let them actually see what it was like to be in His company, what it was like to be with Jesus on a regular basis. I mean, we literally have a couple thousand of these invitations. I want you to feel the burden that I feel to invite people to Christmas Eve this year. Because I believe that when we are inviting people to Christmas We're not inviting them to a program. We're inviting them to a person who can say amen. We want them to blog here. We want them to become a follower of Jesus Christ. We want them to experience the rest that the Bible talks about and the transformed life that the Bible talks about in Matthew 11, 28. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The baby in the manger grew up to be a man who offered rest. Rest from the demands of the law. Rest from the burden of guilt. And rest from the worries and the strivings of this life. Who can say amen? You know, you don't have to carry any of that any longer. That's why shepherds ran to see who this Jesus was. This is why wise men traveled probably two years at least to discover who Jesus was. This is why the disciples gave up everything to follow Jesus. Not to study a promise. Not to study a religion. But to spend time with a real person who called them into a personal relationship. And that leads me to the very last point. His sacrifice makes him lovable. The gift was wrapped in flesh. And again, John chapter 1 verse 14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. The gift that was wrapped in flesh at the birth of Jesus was unwrapped on the cross. The final act of Jesus' life was confirming the purpose for which he was born. And the final inscription on the gift was from God to you. of all of these boxes, and we know these boxes are all empty. They're a pretty decoration. But we're all going to have probably a couple of these underneath the tree. And on either the 24th or the 25th, we're going to tear open the packages, rip them to shreds, open up and grab the gift that is on the inside. Every beautifully wrapped Christmas gift eventually gets torn open for the purpose of receiving the gift. In the same way, the baby born in Bethlehem grew into a man whose body was torn and broken so that you could receive forgiveness, life, peace, hope, and all of the above. Would you stand with me please? Here's my challenge to you today. Don't leave Jesus wrapped in a nativity scene. Unwrap the gift that he is and receive everything that he has for you today. I'm going to ask the prayer partners to come forward and I'm going to ask everybody if you just bow your heads just for a moment. With a message like you just heard, it would probably be irresponsible of me not to offer you this gift if you've never received it today. Christmas story a million times. I know many of us here have already opened the gift. But if there's even one person who's never accepted the gift of Jesus Christ, it's worthwhile just to take a moment to give you an opportunity to unwrap the gift for yourself today. And you might be wondering in your heart and mind, how can I do that? Well, remember the reason why Jesus came was to take your place. He died on that cross because the wages of sin is death and all of sin comes short of the glory of God. Every single one of us. And so the way that we open the gift is by saying, Jesus, I accept you as Lord and Savior and I repent of all my sins. Is there anybody in the house today who just simply by raising your your hands is willing to say, Pastor, would you remember me in prayer? I want to receive that gift today. Sure, I see you. Anybody else? I see two hands, three hands, yes, four hands. Anybody else? I want to give you an opportunity. Five hands, thank you, I see it. Would you just keep your heads bowed just for a moment? Heavenly Father, thank you. What a glorious day. If one person would have raised their hand, it would have been worth the entire week. It would have been worth my entire life. But Father God, you gave us an opportunity for a number of people to raise their hands today. To acknowledge that they need Jesus Christ the same way that I need Jesus Christ. So I pray, Father God, in this moment that you would forgive them of all their sins. I pray that you'd wipe the slate completely clear in Jesus' holy and precious name. And I pray, Father God, that you'd overwhelm each of these individuals with a sense that today is a brand new day in their lives. I pray that they would know that they know deep down in their hearts that something different has taken place in this moment. I pray, Father God, that the burden of this life will be alleviated and that a sense of God's divine would be on their lives in a way they've never felt before. And Father God, for the rest of us, those of us who've walked this path, some for years, some for decades, and some for scores, Father God, I pray that we would get a new sense of Christmas this year. I pray that we would open ourselves up to receiving a special blessing from you. And I pray that if there's any hard-heartedness that has slipped in that we would allow your holy spirit to gently purge all of that from our hearts and to open us up to receiving jesus anew to receiving jesus afresh to receiving jesus father god in a such a powerful way that the rest of our family and our friends and our neighbors are like what happened to you father god may this be the merriest of christmas Not because of material gifts. Not because of even people traveling to visit us. But because 2,025 years ago, Jesus came into this world and he made a difference back then. And he's still making a difference in lives today. I pray this. I believe this. In Jesus' holy and precious name. And together, everybody says, Amen. If you raised your hand, I want to encourage you to please, come and pray with a prayer partner today. And if you have anything else that you need prayer for, that's why they're here. God bless.