Home baked happiness- Giving Christmas to Your Family
Luke 2:8-2:14
ILL. It’s Christmas time, & Lucy comes in where Charlie Brown is standing & says, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. `Tis the season of peace on earth & good will toward men. Therefore, I suggest we forget all our differences & love one another."
Charlie Brown, whose face lights up at this, says, "That’s wonderful, Lucy. I’m so glad you said that. But tell me, do we have to love each other only at this season of the year? Why can’t we love each other all year long?" Lucy retorts, "What are you, a fanatic or something?"
A.A good portion of the earth doesn’t believe in Christmas, Yet,
Christmas is supposed to be a time of "peace on earth, good will
toward men."
Listen as I read some very familiar words in the King James Version of the Bible, found in Luke 2:8-14, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, & the glory of the Lord shone round about them: & they were sore afraid.
"And the angel said unto them, `Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, & saying, `Glory to God in the highest, & on earth peace, good will toward men.’"
APPL. How wonderful our homes and our lives and the world could be, if we really did put into practice the blessing of "peace on earth, good will toward men."
B. I’m sure that most of us have begun our Christmas shopping. There may be a few procrastinators who wait until almost the last minute, but most of us spend a great deal of time & thought in choosing just the right gift for that special person in our life.
C. What was God’s gift to us at Christmas time? I’m sure that most of you would say, "He gave His only begotten son." And of course, you’re right. Others might say, "He gave us evidence of His love." And of course, that would be right, too.
PROP. But I want to be a bit more specific than that, for in actuality, God gave us several very valuable gifts.
I.HE GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS
A. He gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins.
1. In Jesus Christ, God gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness
of our sins.
2.You see, we’ll never have peace with our fellow man until first
we’re at peace with ourselves.
3.And we can never really be at peace with ourselves until we’re at
peace with God.
4.And we can never be at peace with God until our sins have been
forgiven.
ILL. I heard something unusual a few years ago. In the Eastern part of the U.S. a cookbook was recalled. Now, I’ve never heard of a cookbook being recalled before. I’ve heard of automobiles being recalled, & toasters & baby seats. But I had never before heard of a cookbook being recalled.
This cookbook was recalled because one recipe had left out an important ingredient. And the producers of the book realized that if someone followed the directions of that recipe & left out that ingredient, that the ingredients they put together could actually blow up in their faces. So because of that hazard, the cookbook was recalled.
B.I thought to myself, "There must be a sermon there someplace."
1. God has given us the recipe for life.
2. He says, "You want peace?
3. Then here is the recipe.
4. Find forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Live according to My
rules principles, the ingredients that make it all possible."
C. But if you leave out some of His ingredients, Life can blow up in
your face.
D. That is why there is so much depression & so much suicide & so much
rejection.
1. Because too many are following the wrong recipes for life.
SUM. So God says, "Here’s my gift. It is not just the gift of a baby, but it is the offer of forgiveness & salvation."
1. He gave us opportunity for the forgiveness of SIN
The 2nd thing that God offers is "
II. HELP IN OUR PRESENT SITUATION
A. I think of the shepherds sitting out on the hillsides,
watching sheep all night long. (Boring it must be)
1.They were poor, with no prospect for improving their lives.
2. Life was hard & harsh for them, without much hope of it ever
getting better.
3.Suddenly, one glorious night, the angels appeared & made this
wondrous announcement, "Unto you is born this day in the City of
David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord."
B.And suddenly everything was changed.
1.God had become real to them.
2.God had come to help them,
3.to be their Savior,
4. to bring "peace on earth, good will to men."
C.At the other end of the spectrum were the wise men, Magi, people with
power & authority & wealth.
1.So when they saw the star, they came because they needed something,
too.
2. Whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, whoever we are, we needed
help.
3. And God has promised that when the Christ enters our hearts &
lives then we will receive His help. He becomes our SAVIOR.
ILL. Some years ago, the cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl.
Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world today is eating turkey with all the trimmings and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog," he said, "all I get is dog food." He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."
Our Lord will give us help in our present situation
CONCL. Just remember that the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords has visited our world to cry with us, to rejoice with us, & to help us over the hurts & bumps of life itself.
When you realize that, then "peace on earth, & good will toward men" becomes easier, & more realistic.
1.Gave opportunity for forgiveness of sin
2.Gave us help in our present situation
III.GOD GAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
A. One final thing that God gave at Christmas time when He
gave Jesus is hope for the future.
1. You know what kept the shepherds going? It was
hope.
2..God had made a promise to their people.
3. He would one day send a Messiah, the Anointed One.
4. And when the Messiah came everything would be all
right.
5. That hope burned in the hearts of Israel.
B. Hope Kept the Wise Men Going continuously each night & Day.
1. Every night they would go out & search the heavens, looking for that
star of promise.
2. They knew they must follow wherever it led them, because it was a
sign from God, & it promised the birth of a king. So hope kept them
going.
B. And God brings hope to us at Christmas.
1-"Peace on earth, good will toward men?"
2- Won’t always be wars & rumor of wars.
3-But there is one thing to keep us going.
4-One day heaven is going to open, & God will come back, & the dream will be fulfilled of peace & good will for all eternity.
ILL. The young man was feeling very proud of himself. As a brand new college graduate he had taken the C.P.A. Exams and passed with flying colors. Now he was a full-fledged Certified Public Accountant.
His father had been an immigrant to the U.S., and now owned his own little business. Filled with self-importance, the young man began to criticize his father’s way of keeping books. He said, “Dad, you don’t even know how much profit you’ve made. Over here in this drawer are your accounts receivable. Over there are your receipts and you keep all your money in the cash register. You don’t have any idea how much money you’ve made.”
The father answered, “Son, when I came to this country the only thing I owned was a pair of pants. Now, your brother is a doctor, your sister is an art teacher, and you are a C.P.A. Your mother and I own our home. We have a car and we own this little business. Now add that up, subtract the pants and all the rest is profit.”
as we extend His invitation & we stand & sing
