LUKE 2:4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
This is the greatest story ever told. God sending His only begotten son into our world....to redeem us, to save us, and to purchase us from the slavery to sin that were in. I used to think that the single most important event for christians was Jesus’ resurrection. Now I realize that everything Jesus did was equally important....the death, the resurrection, and yes, the very birth of our Lord and Saviour.
This was a MAJOR event. It had been foretold ages ago in the Old Testament. One place is Jeremiah 23:5-6 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Written about 580 yrs before the birth of Christ.
But I want us to fully understand the importance of His birth. ZEC 6:12, 13 says "And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." Written about 500 BC
These are but two of the many scriptures that foretold Jesus’ coming. As we celebrate Jesus’ birthday today, I want us to give pause to not only the great sacrifice that Christ made for us on Calvary, but the love that He also showed for mankind in simply being born.
First off, let’s see how big a deal it was to the angels and other heavenly hosts when He was born. Look at vs 13 in our text.. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The angels understood the magnitude of what had just happened. They were so happy for the world that they praised God! They knew that the King of Kings was here to make a difference, to give hope, liberty, and freedom to the world....and they were VERY excited about it. What does the last part of vs 14 say? On earth, peace....good will toward men. That is what Christ came into this world to give us.....peace and goodwill.
These days right before Christmas we hear a lot of people talking about the "Spirit of Christmas." It is a very real thing that occurs this time of year...even in the world! People giving, finding joy and satisfaction in helping their fellow man. Everyone seems to be in a little better mood (except for those at Wal-Mart fighting over the last availible toy they wanted.) We even see news reports about people (here’s a concept) helping people, giving of theirselves. Families also, are making peace with each other this time of year, possible after not even speaking to each other for months because old "aunt so-and-so" really makes me mad! Ah, the Spirit of Christmas!
I submit to you today, this is simply the Spirit of Christ! To give, and to have peace on Earth. That is why He came to us in such a humble manner. If we allow the Holy Spirit control over our lives, He will give us that peace on earth....and goodwill towards men.
We need to be as excited as the angels and all the heavenly host whenever we think about His birth! Think about it....God walking with men! I want to show you something you can show anyone who doubts that Jesus was the actual Son of God. Psalm 2:7 "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Then turn to Hebrews 1:5-6 "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." The angels worshipped Him! Do you think God expects less of us?
I saw a startling statistic Thursday. In a recent BARNA survey, pastors were asked about what percent of their congregation were totally putting God first in their lives. The pastors polled said they thought about 70% of their congregation were putting God in His proper place in their lives. Then they asked the congregants if they believed they were actually putting God first. The response was 15% of the congregants believed that God was first in their lives.
Church goers may be able to fool their pastors, but I gaurantee you that you won’t be able to fool God. He knows what place you have allowed Him to have in your life, and one day you will answer to Him about all that "stuff" that you allowed to keep you from putting God first in your life. Anything that seperates you from God is "stuff" that you deem more important than following the first commandment which is....Thou shalt love the lord thy God...etc. Yes, more than anything...and that means EVERYTHING!
When you give your loved ones a gift, you expect them to have great joy because you have probably went out of your way to get the "right" gift and you want to see their reaction when they open it. There are 3 reactions to a gift: Great joy, ho-hum, or total rejection.Watch the kids when they open their presents if you doubt this. They get very excited and start using the gift right away or they barely open it and put it away until they are done with everything else they wanted, or they just totally reject it....don’t want it at all. How does it make you feel whenever your child shows no interest in your gift to them? Which way have you recieved the "gift of God?" Great joy where He is #1 in your life? Ho-hum....semi-interested? or are there times whenever you totally reject Him......look away from Him in order to justify your own sinful nature.....How do you think God feels when you show no interest in His gift to you?
God loved you enough to send His most precious son....who by the way, was already IN heaven.....so why can’t we love Him enough in return to make serving Him a priority in our lives? 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We need to be reconciled to Him. Repent of all that stuff that keeps us from being totally commited to Him. Do it because you love Him. Do it because it’s your duty. Do it because you want to see Jesus in heaven some glorious day. Oh, one more thing I haven’t mentioned....the benifits of His promises!
PS 91:9 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."It is our duty to honor Christ’s birth today, the birth of the new covenant.
Today, I want to say "Happy Birthday, Jesus." and thank you for coming to make it possible that one such as I might be saved. I also want to repent right now of anything in my life that might be hindering me from putting you first in my life. It is my sincerest desire to follow you, and to do everything possible to live my life as righteously as you require it to be. I want the Spirit of Christ living in me year round.....and it gives me great honor to say Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
