I FEEL GOOD!
A COMMUNITY OF CELEBRATION
Luke 2.8-20
S: Community
C: A Celebrative Community
Th: Christmas Eve
Pr: WE HAVE NEWS WORTH CELEBRATING!
?: Who?
KW: Example
TS: We will find in our study of the Christmas story five examples of people who knew how to celebrate the good news about Jesus.
Type: Propositional
The ____ example is…
I. Mary (Luke 1.46-47)
II. Angels (Luke 2.10-14)
III. Shepherds (Luke 2.20)
IV. Simeon (Luke 2.28)
V. Wise Men (Matthew 2.10-11)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Make Christmas Day a day of praise, worship and blessing.
• We are to be a community that celebrates the good news about Jesus.
Version: ESV
RMBC 24 December 06 PM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Christmas
There is so much to feel good about at Christmas, but you know it is going to happen...
Your mother is going to give you two sweaters for Christmas. And the next time you visit, you will be sure to wear one of them. And as you enter into the home, instead of the expected smile, she will say, "What’s the matter? You didn’t like the other one?"
So…
1. What makes you feel good at Christmas?
Certainly the Christmas decorations around the house make you feel festive.
And the ornaments on the tree are full of special memories.
The Christmas lights decorating various houses are very special.
And, of course, having family and friends about, they lead to precious times.
These are all things that make us feel good.
But there is something that is even better than all these things.
We have good news!
2. WE HAVE NEWS WORTH CELEBRATING!
You see, what should truly excite us is the reason we are here today.
What should have us on the edge of our seats with anticipation is the cause of the holiday.
So, this evening…
3. We will find in our study of the Christmas story five examples of people who knew how to celebrate the good news about Jesus.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first example is MARY (Luke 1.46-47).
I wonder what it feels like to find out you are pregnant and a virgin.
I know that I am the wrong gender to be asking that, but I still wonder.
It does not make sense.
It does not follow the rules of biology.
But, that is what happened to Mary.
And no matter what story you tell, especially the truth in this case, no one believes you.
It just does not look like she has been a good girl.
But how does Mary respond to this great news that she is carrying a baby while not yet having relations with a man?
She says…
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
After the angel had given her the news and the dust settled, Mary recognized the blessing.
And it is on her heart to tell of the greatness of the Lord.
He is so great.
She wants to enlarge our understanding of who He is, for He is a God who saves, who is even her Savior!
O, how good it is!
II. The second example is ANGELS (Luke 2.10-14).
I have wondered what it is like to be an angel.
I have wondered what it is like to watch from heaven a creation designed for intimacy with God, rebel, reject and betray their Lord over and over.
I have wondered what they have felt about fallen humanity.
We get a glimpse of what they think when they are sent to shepherds…
And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
They have good news for all humanity!
God is on the move.
God is fulfilling His promises that very day.
He is putting the creation back to order.
It is perhaps, even from an angelic view, beyond their wildest expectations.
Glory to God in the highest!
How good it is!
III. The third example is SHEPHERDS (Luke 2.20).
I wonder what it is like to be close to the bottom of the social order.
Shepherds lacked prestige.
They were generally unappreciated for the job they were doing.
They were not respected and publicly unloved.
But…
These were the ones that God chose to announce the good news.
They were chosen to be the first to view the Messiah-King, born in the humblest of circumstances, found lying in a manger.
What did they do after they found Him?
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
They worshipped God.
They recognized that God does what He says.
And they could not stop praising Him for it.
They knew how good it is!
IV. The fourth example is SIMEON (Luke 2.28).
I wonder what it is to hear a promise from God that is so specific that its fulfillment is unmistakable.
But as the years go by, and it doesn’t seem to come to pass, do you think that perhaps you got it wrong?
Perhaps you were having a bad day the day the promise came.
Or maybe it was just a dream?
Because now that the years have gone by, Simeon knows that he is at the end of his years.
And those people that he has told are scratching their heads and are wondering if perhaps old Simeon is maybe just a little crazy.
But then one day, God tells him that the baby he has been looking for has come.
And what does he do?
…he took him up in his arms and blessed God…
You see, Simeon has been trusting the faithful God.
And finally!
Finally, the Messiah-King had arrived.
It was time to praise God.
For how good it is!
V. The fifth example is the WISE MEN (Matthew 2.10-11).
I wonder what it is like to go on a very long trip to observe what you consider to be a turning point in history.
I think I might have some nagging doubts.
I would wonder if we have interpreted the signs right.
I would be of a hope that we were not on a wild goose chase.
And when you finally arrived in Jerusalem, and you are expecting a big celebration for the new King of the Jews and find no party going on, you would wonder if you missed something.
But they followed the directions to go to Bethlehem, and it all came together…
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
The text tells us that they are very happy when the star reappears.
They are really happy.
They are full of the kind of joy that is so hard to contain.
I imagine that they are jumping off their camels and saying, “Yes!!!!”
So what do they do when they find the Messiah-King?
They worship Him.
They honor Him.
In fact, they are so full of awe, they fall to the ground on bended knee, marveling in God’s work.
Then, they continue their worship with gifts.
For they, too, know how good it is!
APPLICATION:
All our examples, this evening, offer us a common theme.
When they hear and/or meet the good news, their hearts are full of praise and worship and blessing.
They know they have news that is worth celebrating.
And they tell us that we have reason to feel good at Christmas.
We can be a people filled with certainty in the midst of uncertainty.
God has moved.
God has intervened.
God has invaded.
He has come to bring us peace and wholeness and salvation.
So, as we come to the final parts of our service, let us be a community of celebration.
A celebrative community, a joyful community, filled with awe and truly worship Him this day.
RESOURCES:
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. 12 vols, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1983.
