Two chorusses in our town gave a concert at Christmastime. Every year they asked a speaker to give a short message. Several years ago they asked me to do so. They impressed me that I got only ten minutes to speak. I eagerly accepted the invitation, but I still was a little bit nervous to give a good adress in so short a time, but the Lord gave me an idea. The address ran as follows:
In Luc 2 :10,11 we read that an angel of the Lord speaks to the shepherds: ” Fear not …. for to-day a Saviour has been born to you in David’s city who is Christ, the Lord”. What a marvellous thing that now nearly two thousand yars ago God sent His Son to become a man and that He came as Saviour. For you and for me!
But that fact has only an eternal result for us when we admit that we are sinners and look for Him as the shepherds did..
In Luc 19:5 we read that Jesus saw Zacchaeus in his tree and said to him: “make haste and come down , for to-day I must remain in thy house”. Happily Zacchaeus obeyed, he came down and received the Lord Jesus in his house. He broke with his former life and so the Lord could say: ” To-day salvation is come to this house, inasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham”. A son of Abraham not because of the fact that he was a Jew, but because of his faith. You can read in Galatians 3:7 that all who believe are sons of Abraham.
Will you act just as Zacchaeus did? Than to-day their is salvation come in your heart and life (vs 9).
In Luc 23 we read that Jesus, the innocent one, is crucified. Two sinners hang at his side: the one at his left side, the other at his right side. One of the two recognised his guilt and asked the Lord to remember him when He came in his kingdom. He got the wonderfull assurance:”Verily, verily I say to you to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise”. Jesus, Himself in suffering, had attention for this man and saved him. What a wonderfull Saviour He is!
When you are not saved, To day you can be saved when you listen to the glad tidings that a Saviour is born. When you accept that you are a sinner and receive Him in you heart . And then when you die He will say: “be with Me in paradise”.
Of course my address was longer as the words I have note above, but when we went out my wife said to me: ” You were within the limit for you spoke nine minutes”. Now that is not so important. Important is that listeners , when they had not done so, came to the Saviour.
Perhaps someone of you can use the idea of three times “to-day” in a message at the coming Christmasday. You may speak longer than 9 minutes!!