Message - Part 1
The Importance of the Messengers.
Luke 2:9
The Greek word for angel is angelos. The main meaning for angelos is messenger.
At the time in the culture an angelos was an ambassador that would speak and act in the place of the person who sent them. They were such important people that it is believed they were under the protection of the “gods” and they were not to be harmed or injured.
The New Testament takes this name from the culture and uses it to describe these powerful messengers who speak and act on behalf of God. And in the lead up to the birth of Jesus they have been quite busy.
There was a message for Zechariah when he was in the temple. The angel said to him: ‘‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. (Luke 1:11-14).
There was the message for Mary given by the angel Gabriel who said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus (Luke 1:30-31)
Another angel came to a very confused, and probably quite angry, Joseph to say “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21
All these angels … and these messengers … how one focus. To let people know what God is doing. And on the day Jesus was born a whole group of angels bring a message to some shepherds in a field.
Think about this situation through the eyes of the angels.
God is on His throne in heaven. Glory and splendour is all around.
Then an angel is summoned before the throne.
“Go to those shepherds watching the sheep just outside of Bethlehem … here is the message I want you to tell them”.
Then a great company of angels is summoned before the throne.
“When the angel has given the message I want you to bring praises … all of you … so those shepherds hear about my glory.”
Somehow they get to earth … transferring from the heavenly world to the earthly world.
And suddenly they arrive in this field with the shepherds.
They are absolutely terrified.
So before the angel can even deliver his message he has to calm all the shepherds down.
Don’t be afraid.
I can understand that I am quite imposing.
But I can assure you that I am here with news that is going to change the world forever.
The long awaited Messiah has been born in Bethlehem.
Right now he is lying in a manger.
From that moment the history of mankind has been changed forever.
The angels are there.
The good news is starting to spread.
It is a moment of significance.
But something else adds to the significance. We read about it in verse 9.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Luke 2:9
The Glory of the Lord is God’s visible presence on earth.
We read about it quite regularly when the Israelites go on the Exodus journey from Egypt to Canaan.
We read about God’s glory in relation to the tabernacle and the temple.
And now, here we are in the field.
The angels are going to deliver a message; and the glory of the Lord is already there.
God’s presence has come down to earth.
The glory of the Lord was present so you would see how significant this is.
You can have peace.
Your past doesn’t disqualify you … no matter how horrendous you think it is.
Your character doesn’t exclude you … no matter what people say about you.
Your actions don’t dismiss you … no matter what the consequences.
The message of the angels was clear.
Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.
The angels tell the message.
The glory of the Lord shines as God’s presence on earth affirms the importance of the message.
Listen to the message.
Stop disqualifying and excluding and dismissing yourself.
God is a God of grace, love and forgiveness.
A God who gave His Son for us.
A God who is willing to help us even when we have not lived good and moral lives.
A God is willing to help us even if we are not religious yet.
That is the Good News we speak and sing about at Christmas.
Prayer
Message - Part 2
The Miracle of the Manger
John 1:14
In the past Sunday’s in December we have been focussing on a series of messages called “The Miracle of Advent.”
These miracles have looked at the issue of identity … particularly the identity that comes because Jesus has been in the manger.
Today we want to have a brief close look at why it is so significant for our identity that Jesus was in a manger.
Let’s read Scripture
John 1:1-14
Let’s start with two verses.
In the beginning was the Word.
John 1:1
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
The Nativity of John does not focus on Joseph or Mary. There are no angels, no Shepherds, no Magi.
There is just the Word being made flesh.
Jesus in the manger.
Notice the language
There in the beginning his name was the Word … at his birth his name is still the Word.
The Word who will rule the universe is now the Word who is a baby in a Manger.
The Word whose voice brought creation into place is now the Word who can only communicate with a few cries and whimpers.
The Word who has been there from eternity past now has a lifespan.
The Word who was limitless can't even move now without being carried.
God in the flesh is completely identifying with us.
Why does He identify with us.
Because He wants to understand the difference between living in the light and living in darkness.
In him (the Word) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:4-5
In the beginning the Word separates light from darkness.
In the manger Jesus coming in the flesh is to separate light from darkness.
That in the light we can see a gracious Saviour who is full of grace and truth.
Who doesn’t want to make our relationship with Him complicated.
Well …
There is a sense where it is … complicated.
You can have the Bible. And you can choose one book of the Bible. Even a book with only a few chapters.
You can then study that Scripture for a whole life-time … and still not fully understand the depth of the Scriptures.
It is complicated in that sense.
But it is also simple.
Because when Jesus invites us into a relationship with Himself, what does He say?
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9.
That is not complicated is it?
Very simple.
There is another occasions when a religious leader comes to Jesus and says, “What is the greatest commandment?”
This guy is expecting a long discussion.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus summaries the whole of the Old Testament into three sentences.
Two phrases … love God … and love your neighbour.
It is pretty simple.
Stop loving God … and you end up with complexity and darkness.
Stop loving your neighbour … and again you end up with complexity and darkness.
Jesus is the Word … the child in the manger … who comes to bring light. So that you don’t have to stay in the darkness.
Before everything existed.
Before anything was in place.
Jesus is the Word.
The Word who made declarations and promises.
The Word who taught wisdom and how God wants us to live according to His Word.
The Word who speaks and the Word who dialogues.
The who Word gives reasons, and Word who tells us that we will need to give an account for our life.
The Word which confronts the spiritually arrogant and comforts the spiritually broken.
The Word which was logical and relational.
The Word who told stories, taught doctrine, and silenced tricksters.
Everything we need is right here - in the Scripture.
And so the life choice from here is very clear.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him
John 1:10-11.
If you are going to see the light the first question you need to ask is, “Do I recognise the Word?”
Jesus as the logos.
You are not going to see the light until you have recognised the Word.
And then once you have recognised the Word
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
John 1:12
That is your identity.
It comes because of the miracle of the manger.
Prayer
