OPEN BY READING from Luke 2:8-15
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
Now for a quiz:
Where did the angels come from?
(From Heaven. From God.)
God’s up in heaven right?
But back in 1962 Cosmonaut Gherman Titov was visiting in Seattle after having just returned from space, and he said “Sometimes people are saying that God is out there. I was looking around attentively all day but I didn’t find anybody there. I saw neither angels nor God."
Hearing about Titov’s comment that he hadn’t seen God in space, one man quipped:
"Had he stepped out his space suit he would have!"
Centuries ago, the psalmist said: "The heavens declare the glory of God." (Psalm 19:1)
And over the centuries there are many people who have believed, that the closer they get to the heavens, the closer they could get to God.
And that’s no less true of astronauts.
· Frank Borman (for example) was commander of the 1st space crew to travel in space. As he looked down on the earth Borman radioed back a message, quoting Genesis 1: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
As he later explained, "I had an enormous feeling that there had to be a power greater than any of us - that there was a God, that there was indeed a beginning."
· James Irwin walked on the moon in 1971 and later became a preacher. He often described the lunar mission as a revelation. In his words, "I felt the power of God as I’d never felt it before."
· And Charles Duke, who also walked on the moon, later became active in missionary work. As he explained, "I make speeches about walking ON the moon and walking WITH the Son."
· When John Glenn made his final trip to space aboard the Discovery spacecraft he looked down on the earth and said: "To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith."
(Adapted from “A Spiritual View of Space” by Charles W. Colson)
So, where can you GO to be close to God?
Do you have to climb up into the heights of heaven to be near Him?
Well, no.
In fact, the Bible tells us WE don’t have to climb up to Him. God has repeatedly stepped down out of heaven to earth to be with us.
In the Old Testament God came down in dwelt in the Tabernacle.
Exodus 40 tells about the point at which the Tabernacle was first put together God came down in the form a cloud “…and THE GLORY OF THE LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and THE GLORY OF THE LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34-35
Wherever the Tabernacle went, the “Glory of The Lord” went.
In fact, the Glory of the Lord led the Israelites through the wilderness in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
Later, after the Temple was built and the ark was brought into the building, God did it again… He came down in the form a cloud and filled the Temple as He’d filled the Tabernacle centuries before: “When the priests (who’d carried the ark into the Temple) withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for THE GLORY OF THE LORD filled his temple.” 1 Kings 8:10-11
In both the Tabernacle & Temple, the Glory of the Lord came down and dwelt amongst His people. They didn’t have to ascend into the Heavens to be with Him God stepped down from Glory to be with them.
And that’s the way it was for centuries.
But the day came when the sins of Israel became so terrible that… that God had had enough.
In Ezekiel 9:9 God spoke to Ezekiel and said "The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’” (in other words: we can do whatever evil we want… He’s not looking. He’s not around. He’s left town.)
Since they figured He’d left town… He did.
As Ezekiel watched God’s Spirit 1st left the temple… and then the city.
“The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.” Ezekiel 11:23
The Glory of the Lord left the Temple and the city of Jerusalem… and never returned for the rest of the Old Testament era.
But in Luke 2… that all changed.
In Luke 2… the “Glory of the Lord” returned to Judah.
Look again at Luke 2:8-9 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the GLORY OF THE LORD shone around them, and they were terrified.”
A few days later, an old man named Simeon met Mary and Joseph and their baby in the Temple and Simeon declared that this baby Jesus was to be “… a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” Luke 2:32
God had once again stepped down out of heaven and come to His Temple in Jerusalem. The Glory of the Lord had returned to dwell with His people.
The Gospel of John described it this way: “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and DWELT among us, and we have seen his GLORY, GLORY as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (ESV)
You see, Jesus was born - He had come down out of heaven - to be the consolation of Israel… to be their glory. Now, what does that mean? What does it mean that Jesus came to be “their glory”?
It means Jesus came FIRST for the Jew… and then for the Gentiles.
In Matthew 10:5-6 we’re told Jesus sent out His 12 disciples with the following instructions:
"Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. GO RATHER to the lost SHEEP OF ISRAEL.”
In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: FIRST FOR THE JEW, then for the Gentile.”
In Luke 24:47 Jesus said that “repentance and forgiveness of sins (would) be preached in his name to all nations, BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM.”
The Gospel was to be preached first to the Jews. Thus, for the first 3 or 4 years, the Church was entirely made up of Jewish believers because God wanted them (the Jews) to get first shot at the Gospel.
Now, the question is - why? Last week, we discovered Jesus came to die both for the Jew and the Gentile. But if that’s true why would God put the Jews first in line for salvation?
Well… I can think of at least 4 several reasons:
1st - The Jews had been part of a “covenant” with God. God had created a “contract” exclusively with the nation of Israel. The Gentiles did not have that kind of contract with Him.
2nd - The Jews were the tribe of the Messiah. Jesus was BORN a JEW.
3rd - The Jews (and Israel) were the holders of the written Word of God.
ILLUS: (I had 6 plastic see through pitchers on stage… one of which was full of water. Holding up an empty pitcher I said…) Imagine this empty pitcher represents that nation of Israel. (I began to pour water from the full pitcher into the empty one).
God poured out His will and wisdom into them. Israel was responsible for collecting, guarding, and studying this body of literature. But ultimately God did not intend for the books we know of as the Old Testament to remain ONLY in their hands. He planned for the day to come when the books they had so zealously guarded would be poured out into the lives of people from the four corners of the world (I began to pour a portion of the water from “Israel” into the remaining 4 pitchers… carefully leaving a portion still in the “Israel” pitcher).
And 4th, because Israel protected those books of the Bible, they provided Jesus with a “paper trail”. Credentials that declared who Jesus was to be and what He had come to do. This “Paper Trail” thing is very important.
ILLUS: You see… when Jesus was born He was born according the Scriptures (that the Jews held). He was born in Judah, in the city of Bethlehem Ephrata… just as the prophecies had said. And when He came, the prophecies that the Jews studied and closely guarded also said what this Messiah was going to do and how He was going to do it.
Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies.
Now, compare that to a couple of other religious leaders.
· Buddha (for example) was born about 500 years BEFORE Christ. People thought Buddha was a powerful teacher. And when he died they built a religion around his teachings that we call Buddhism. But nobody ever said that somebody like Buddha would be born, or where he’d be born, or what he’d say, or do, or teach. Buddha simply popped up in history and his teaching began a world religion.
· Then – about 500 years AFTER Jesus was born, there was a man named Mohammed. People thought Mohammed was a powerful teacher. And a great world religion (ISLAM) has grown out of his writings and teachings. But nobody ever said that somebody like Mohammed would be born, or where he’d be born, or what he’d say, or do, or teach. Mohammed simply popped up in history and his teaching began a world religion.
BUT when Jesus born, He didn’t just pop up in history.
He didn’t just come up with a few great teachings.
Jesus came in fulfillment of prophecies the Jews had guarded for centuries.
The Jews had been set aside by God to provide a special service to God, and all mankind. And God was returning the favor.
But the Jews did not have a lock on God’s salvation.
They were NOT the only ones Jesus came to save.
As we discovered last week the Gentiles had always been part of the plan of God. But the Jews were beloved (and are still beloved) by God because of the part they played in His salvation plan.
ILLUS: In early church in Rome, there was a small conflict between Jewish and Gentile believers. The Jews tended to look down on the Gentiles because they weren’t Jews, and Paul spent several chapters in the Roman letter explaining why this was not acceptable.
Then it was the Gentiles weren’t real fond of the Jews either. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul told the Gentiles:
“You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in."
Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
And if they (the Jews) do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these (Jews), the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” (Romans 11:19-24)
So the Jews were never saved because they were Jews, and they WILL never be saved because they are Jews. They will be saved in the same way non-Jews will be saved:
1. by belief in Jesus Christ
2. by repenting of their sins
3. by making Jesus the Lord and Master of their lives (confessing Him as Lord)
4. by being buried in the waters of baptism
5. and by living for Jesus the rest of their lives.
(PAUSE) Now, this is where it gets interesting…
In Exodus we’re told of the time Moses and Israel came to the base of the Mountain where God was going to give His 10 commandments. In Exodus 24:16 scripture says that
“…THE GLORY OF THE LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.”
So, Moses goes up on the Mountain to receive the 10 commandments.
Does anyone know what happened to Moses’ face when he spent time with the “Glory of the LORD?”
(His face shone. It was radiant)
“…When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him… (so) Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD. Exodus 34:29-30 & 35
“The Glory of the Lord” caused Moses’ face to shine with such a radiance that the people became afraid… and so he had to put a veil over his face.
Paul writes about this in II Corinthians 3:
“We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. (II Corinthians 3:13-14)
…And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (vs. 18)
Jesus came to be the Glory of Israel.
BUT when He died and rose from the grave He became the Glory of everyone who became His children.
When you and I became Christians our faces became capable of literally reflecting His Glory.
ILLUS: I talked with a Christian man just recently who had a job where his job as a chimney sweep left him covered with black soot. One day, while he was finishing up his job another man asked him if he was a Christian.
When the Christian asked him how he knew, the other man said “I can see it in your eyes. They ‘shine.’”
Even when this man was covered with soot… his EYES shone because he loved Jesus.
ILLUS: A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?"
With surprise the man of God answered, "I don’t put anything on it!"
His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do! All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I’ve seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay."
Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It’s not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It’s the reflection of the light of God in our hearts.”
Paul tells us that – as Christians – we reflect God’s glory.
And the closer we get to God the more of His glory we reflect.
“And we… are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
ILLUS: We reflect His likeness in ever-increasing glory. Or, as the KJV describes this, we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
It’s like climbing up a staircase.
We all start out on the ground floor. It doesn’t matter who you are, who you know, what you own, or how influential you are. We all start out on the same level. But then, the more time we spend with God, the further up the staircase we climb. And the further up the staircase we go, the more we begin to reflect the glory of God.
CLOSE: But it would be a mistake to believe that God’s main focus is to effect how we look. That’s a by-product of the real focus of God’s presence in our lives. Jesus becomes our light - He becomes our glory - so that we can reflect His light and glory in what we do.
Jesus said “…let your LIGHT SHINE before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Mt 5:16
ILLUS: Friday night, a number of people from Trampas’ Bible Study hosted something called Food Finders. We’re not the only church in town that has hosted this ministry, but it was an impressive thing to take part in. The “Food Finders” truck delivered over a ton of food to be handed out to the needy in our community. People began to line up 3 hours before we even opened up the door and they stood in line in the rain for their chance to collect a few items of food.
Trampas’ team handed out food to over 200 families… accounting for 766 people.
But they didn’t do what they did because it made them feel good.
And they didn’t do what they did for the praise they might receive.
They did it all in the name of Jesus.
Every time you or I do “good deeds” in the name of Jesus… that’s what we do to.
But we must remember… those good deeds don’t save us. Only Jesus’ blood can do that.
Let me leave you with this thought:
· You don’t have to climb a mountain to get close to God.
· You don’t have to orbit the earth.
· And you don’t have to take a spaceship to the stars.
You don’t have to climb up to God.
God stepped down to you. He came so that you and I could share in His light and glory.
But until you belong to Jesus you can’t have that.
That’s why we offer an invitation at the end of every service:
INVITATION
