Let Christmas Change Your World!
Part 2 - Christmas Celebration
Luke 1:26-35
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Dec. 10, 2006
*Christmas is a time of celebration, so the first thing that the angel Gabriel said to Mary in vs. 28 was, “Rejoice!” But in vs. 29, we see we see instead that Mary was “troubled.” That word means she was completely disturbed, she was greatly distressed. She was probably scared to death.
*And we would be troubled too, if we saw an angel in all of his glory, but there are a whole lot of other things that can trouble our hearts. There are troubles around the world and troubles at home. Some people here today are in the grip of grief. Many people we love have troubles in their health. Some of us have troubles in our families and some have troubles in their finances.
*Is there any room for joy? -Any reason to rejoice? Without a doubt the answer is yes. Christmas is a time for celebration. And in these verses we see three great reasons to rejoice.
1. First of all, rejoice Christians because Jesus is our Savior!
*The angel Gabriel revealed this great truth in vs. 31, when he told Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.”
*Jesus... -Even His name reminds us that He is the Savior of the world, because it means “Jehovah is our salvation.” This is what the angel stressed when he brought the good news to Joseph in a dream. In Matt 1:20-21, the angel spoke to Joseph and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
*Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. And believers, we can rejoice in our Savior, because He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus came looking for you! That is the way you need to see it this morning.
*King Duncan told the story of a serious coal mining accident years ago in the Allegheny Mountains. Many miners escaped, but three men were trapped deep in the earth. No one knew if they were alive or dead. As the hours passed, intense heat and deadly gases built up in the mine. Two days passed before a search team was allowed to go in.
*A camera team from the local TV station interviewed the three-man rescue team as they got ready to enter what could be their grave. A reporter asked one of the men if he was aware of the extreme danger down in the mine.
*When the man said yes, the reporter asked, “Are you still going down?”
*That brave man simply replied, “Those men may still be alive.”
*And without another word of explanation, he put on his gas mask, climbed into the elevator, and went down into the mine.
*“Are you still going down?” That is a question the angels in Heaven could have asked Jesus 2,000 years ago. King Duncan pictured the questions this way:
-Are you still going down into that world where darkness reigns: where might makes right and people value temporal things and ignore the eternal?
-Are you still going down when you know that only a few will listen and even fewer will heed your message of peace and good will?
-Are you still going down when you know that you will be despised, rejected and finally die a most cruel of death with nails in your hands and feet and a spear in your side?
-Are you still going down? (1)
*Thank God Jesus did come down to save us! He came because of the Father’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
*He came because of His own love. As He told the disciples in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Jesus Christ came into the world to die on the Cross for our sins. He came to save us. God help us to realize how badly we needed to be saved!
*Rodney Buchanan says: “Think for a moment of the worst thing you have ever done — the thing that makes your brain burn with shame. And then think of what it would be like if Jesus had not come and you could not be forgiven for your sin. What would that be like? Your guilt would never be relieved, and condemnation would always be hanging over your head.
*But since Jesus came, forgiveness has come to those of us who have received the grace that Christ came to offer. We know the freedom that forgiveness brings. We can forgive ourselves and others because we have experienced the liberating forgiveness that Jesus Christ came to give us. (2)
*Jeff Strite found this poem that was written to help us remember the Cross at Christmas:
-It’s Christmas time at our house and we’re putting up the tree...
-I wish I could find some simple way to remember God’s gift to me.
-Some little sign or symbol to show friends stopping by
-The little babe was born one day... -But He really came to die.
-Some symbol of His nail pierced hands... -The blood He shed for you and me
-What if I hung a simple nail on my shining Christmas tree?
-A crimson bow tied ‘round the nail as His blood flowed down so free...
-To save each person from their sin... -And redeem us for eternity.
-I know it was His love for us that held Him to the tree...
-But when I see this simple nail I’ll know He died for me. (3)
*Do you know this? Have you trusted in Christ? Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Open your heart to Jesus today, and you can really celebrate Christmas with us.
2. Christians, rejoice because Jesus is our Savior, and because He is our Sovereign.
*Jesus Christ is Lord of all! Gabriel tells us this in v. 32-33, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David... -And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
*Jesus is Lord! He is Lord of the future and Lord of all eternity. He is the Lord of creation and Lord of the universe. He is Lord over those who love Him, and Lord over those who hate Him. He is Lord over those who follow Him, and Lord over those who would like to forget Him.
*Let’s not forget Him! Most people have. Last year Victor Yap wrote, “I look with amusement at Christmas e-cards prominently displayed on websites. The most frequent themes and images on the cards are Santa Claus, Snowmen, Christmas trees, stockings, deer, penguins, polar bears, candles, angels, tree decorations and the three kings.
*The nativity scene appears in one of 12 cards on Blue Mountain’s Christmas page, none of 12 in Yahoo and none in 12 on American Greetings, too.
*2005 seems like the year of the inflatable Christmas decorations. The inflatable decorations I have seen around my neighborhood include Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Snowman, Santa, Reindeers, Polar Bear, Penguin, the Grinch and the eye-catching Inflatable Snow Globes.
*This year I have seen 50 or more homes with Christmas lawn displays but only two with the nativity scene. Freezing Christ out of Christmas is a culture war, a liberal bias and a left-wing agenda no one likes to admit. Celebrating Christmas in a worldly manner is not an option. Celebrating it wisely is the alternative. (4)
*When Doug Martin went back in Glenwood Friday evening, I sat for a little while in the ER waiting area. Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer was on TV. It was some kind of cartoon-like, claymation thing that must have been pretty old, because Burl Ives was the narrator.
*As always, Rudolph saved the day for Santa, and I thought, “If you were to come to earth from another planet about this time of year, and go to our malls or watch TV or visit in most homes, before too long you would get the impression that Santa is Lord.”
*But we know that Jesus is Lord! And since that is true, if you are having Santa in your home this Christmas, make sure it’s a thimble full of Santa and an ocean full of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is Lord!
*Aren’t you glad? It’s good to know that Ahmadinejad over in Iran isn’t Lord, the United Nations isn’t Lord, corrupt politicians aren’t Lord, ruthless corporations aren’t Lord. Jesus is Lord!
*Imagine what the world would be like if the Lord had never come to earth. Rodney Buchanan did that and said, “Without Jesus, Mary Magdalene would have died in her sin. Matthew would still have been a traitor to his countrymen. The Roman soldier would have continued his cruelty. Peter, James and John would have done nothing more with their lives than fish for a living. The Apostle Paul would never have been more than a cruel Pharisee steeped in legalism with an unrelenting demand for perfection from other people.
The people who needed healing, during the time [of] Christ would still have been broken in body and spirit. The lame would still have been lame; the blind would have remained in their darkness; the deaf would have still lived in silence.
We would never have heard the words: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27), or ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete’ (John 15:11), and ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10)” (2)
*That’s the kind of Lord we have in Jesus Christ! But what do you do with a Lord? One of our favorite Christmas carols tells us: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!” We receive Him, we worship Him, we follow Him, we trust Him.
*About 10 years ago, Isabel Wolseley and her husband were taking down the Christmas decorations... And as he came back down from the attic for another load, he asked: “Haven’t you finished packing up the manger?”
*And Isabel said: “I think we’ll just leave it out this year. Sometimes the world seems out of control and Christmas seems very far away. When it does, we can look at the mantel and remember that God is with us. And that He’ll make good on His promise of peace.” (5)
*You receive Him, you worship Him, you follow Him, you trust Him, you rejoice in Him. That’s what do you do with the Lord!
3. Christians, rejoice because Jesus is our Sovereign, and because He is the Son of God.
*The angel made this clear in vs. 34-35.
-Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?’’
-And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
*I can’t remember where she heard it, but the other day Janis told us something she heard about Christmas: “Christmas is where divinity connected with humanity.” That’s a great thought and it’s true in more ways than one.
*Divinity connected with humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, so Jesus had a miraculous birth. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you... Therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
*No one has ever been born like Jesus was born. God became a man through a virgin birth. It was a birth like no other.
*That’s why Ralph Sockman could truthfully say, “The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable.” (6)
*And Rodney Buchanan could say: “This is why we sing about Emmanuel at Christmas. God is with us. He was with us 2000 years ago, and he is with us now in this present moment to show us what God is like. We have a God who cared enough to come. He showed us what he was like and his name was love. He was the friend of sinners and failures. He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world. (2)
*God became a man. Divinity connected with humanity, so Jesus had a miraculous birth, and He gives miraculous blessings. He connects us with God!
*As Michael Card once said: “All we could ever imagine, could ever hope for, He is. ... He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming has already transformed society but whose second coming will forever establish justice and righteousness. All this, and infinitely more, alive in an impoverished baby in a barn. That is what Christmas means--to find in a place where you would least expect to find anything you want, everything you could ever want.” (7)
*Yes we have troubles, but Jesus wants to bless us in a miraculous way, and He can because He is the Son of God.
*Melvin Newland passed on a story from Wes Seeliger about a time they were setting up a nativity scene in their front yard. Everybody was carrying out the little statues to put in the nativity scene. Finally everything was in place: Mary and Joseph and the manger and the baby, and angels and shepherds and all the barnyard animals.
*Then their five-year-old boy Scott came out carrying one of his favorite toys. It was a blow-up figure of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the ferocious dinosaur. That toy dinosaur was huge and it towered over all the other figures in the nativity scene.
*Dad later said, “I tried to tell him, Scott, you have to take that back because it doesn’t belong there. Dinosaurs existed thousands of years before the baby Jesus, and it just doesn’t belong in a nativity scene.”
*But Dad said: “I caught myself because I realized that, in essence, he had caught a truth of Christmas. For Christmas came to help us face the dinosaurs that life places before us, those menacing terrors that seem to be so strong and powerful. Christmas reminds us that the baby in the manger is stronger than all the dinosaurs in your life or mine.” (8)
And we can have the victory, because God became a man.
Conclu:
*Christians rejoice!
-Because Jesus is our Savior.
-Because Jesus is our Sovereign.
-And because Jesus is the Son of God.
*And if you don’t know Jesus today, why don’t you open your heart to receive Him as Savior and Lord. You will never regret it. And then you can begin to truly celebrate Christmas with us.
(1) PARABLES, August, 1986. Found in Sermon by King Duncan: “Are You Going Down?” - Luke 1:26-38 - Sermonillustrations.com
(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon by Rodney Buchanan - “Coming Alive in Christ” - Eph 2 1 10 - Dec 3, 2000
(3) Found in SermonCentral sermon by Jeff Strite - “Christmas Gifts - God’s Christmas Gift” - John 3 1-18
(4) Found in SermonCentral sermon by Victor Yap - “I’m Dreaming of a Wise Christmas” - Matt 2 1-18
(5) Isabel Wolseley in Daily Guideposts, 1997. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 1. (Found on Bible Illustrator for windows - Topic: Fellowship / Subtopic: With Christ / Index: 1265 - Date: 7/1998.1443 / Title: God with Us--Year ’Round)
(6) Sermons.com - Christmas 2001 Download - Illus
(7) Michael Card in The Promise. Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 15. (Found on Bible Illustrator for windows -Topic: Christ / Subtopic: Incarnation of / Index: 720 - Date: 12/1997.1372 / Title: Our Everything)
(8) SermonCentral sermon by Melvin Newland: “Christmas: Do You Hear What I Hear” - Matt 2:13-18
