A hot topic this season is the effort across America for institutions and organizations to refrain from using the word Christmas. Instead, it has been suggested that they use the term holiday. So instead of saying Merry Christmas, you should say Happy Holidays. Thankfully, Christians have had enough of such nonsense that they finally are speaking up and fighting back. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say this year, "Merry CHRISTmas."

What's the big deal anyway? What's the big deal about Christmas? That's the question I want us to answer today because Christmas is a big deal. We celebrate the birthday of Jesus for some very important reasons.

First, Christmas is a big deal because Jesus is God in the flesh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:1, 14). This baby born in Bethlehem was not just any baby. This baby was God. The Savior the angels announced to the shepherds was none other than God Himself in human flesh. The wise men came to worship, not just a baby, but God. And that's a big deal. God became one of us.

Have you ever had to rummage through nasty garbage bags in search of something precious that you misplaced? You search turn the house inside-out seeking the item you lost. Then you wonder if you accidentally threw it away. So you pull the garbage bags out of your trash receptacle and start your search there. (I don't know why but I believe somehow I got appointed as the official look-through-the-garbage-bags person). It would be all right if the bags were filled with junk mail and newspapers. But no, they usually have coffee grounds and lima beans and hamburger grease. A nasty job in order to find something precious.

Isn't that what God did when He came to this earth? He left a sinless heaven to search through the filth and rubbish of this fallen world for something precious to Him—me and you. God became flesh, and faced all the disrespect, abuse and garbage that this sinful world has to offer. And He did it for you and me. That thought should automatically make your adoration for Him soar to the highest heavens.

Second, Christmas is a big deal because Jesus fulfilled prophecy. Why is that a big deal? Because fulfilling so many prophecies substantiates His claim of being the Son of God and Savior of the world. "When [Herod] had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written'" (Matthew 2:4-5).

David Greenglass was a World War II traitor. He gave atomic secrets to the Soviet Union and then fled to Mexico after the war. His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Soviet ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital. Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. (1) Once in Mexico City, Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as "I. Jackson." (2) After three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City and (3) stand before the statue of Columbus, (4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition, (5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma. (6) The secretary was to then give him a passport.

The six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics, it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact. How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah if He had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance and fulfilled every single one of them. Jesus fulfilled prophecies that were predicted hundreds of years before His birth. That makes Him unique. And that's why Christmas is a big deal.

Third, Christmas is a big deal because Jesus did something about the sin problem. A company called Smart Cells International is offering a unique holiday gift this year: Christmas gift certificates for stem cell collection. Essentially, Smart Cells is offering to extract and store blood from a baby's umbilical cord immediately after its birth. This blood, which is frozen for future use, contains the body's master cells. These stem cells can theoretically be used to treat illness later in life, like leukemia and anemia. Some scientists believe the cells one day will be able to teat cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's.

The catch is the cost. Smart Cells will charge you $2,400 to store the cells for 25 years. The managing director of the company said, "Stem cells may seem to be an offbeat or even bizarre gift, but, in effect, they are a long-lasting insurance policy that has a once-only purchase date."

Two thousand years ago, God gave humanity His own gift through a baby's birth—an insurance policy against the deadliest disease known to man: sin. The angel, communicating to Joseph that his fiancée was going to have a baby, said, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). I'm glad we're observing the Lord's Supper today because Christmas Day is meaningless unless it is connected to the cross. In the Lord's Supper we remember His death at Calvary.

People today talk about there being many different ways to God, that Jesus is only one way. But what separates Jesus from all the others is that He did something about sin, which is the world's number one problem. Fourth, Christmas is a big deal because Jesus came back to life. Paul writes to the Corinthian church, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Sure, there have been people who have died and then came back to life. We find stories like this in the Bible. But in each case the people still died later on and their bodies were placed in tombs or graves. And there are those in modern days who have had near-death experiences. They are still alive today to tell their story. But one day they will die, and their bodies will decay.

Anne Rice is one example of someone who had a near-death experience. The media has called her the Queen of the Occult because her novels about vampires and witches have sold millions. Several of her novels have been turned into movies, starring hotshot actors like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. But since her near-death experience in 1998, Anne has had a change of heart. She has turned to Christ.

This year she stunned her fans by declaring that from now on she will write only for the Lord. Her release last month of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt portrays Jesus as a 7-year-old who discovers that He is the Prince of Peace. Last week it was number 10 on the New York Times bestseller list. In an interview with Christianity Today, Rice said, "Christianity achieved what it did because Jesus rose from the dead." Bingo!

Jesus died, came back to life, never to die again. He is alive today. Because He conquered death, you too can have life. When you open your heart's door and invite Jesus to come in, He gives you the gift of eternal life. He forgives your sins. He fills your life with joy and purpose. He gives you hope. He gives you strength to face every problem. And He reminds you that this earth is only your temporary stomping grounds. When you leave this life, you will immediate enter His presence in heaven.

Yes, Christmas is a big deal. You can call it whatever you want. But for me it is a big deal and I will spend the rest of my life telling others that it is a big deal. So from me to you, I wish each of you a very merry CHRISTmas.