“PROCLAMATION OF OUR MESSIAH” Luke 2:1-14
FBCF – 12/22/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – WELCOME TV & ONLINE VIEWERS
Sermon today: “Proclamation of Our Messiah” – At FBCF, we are constantly looking for ways we can proclaim who Jesus is & show Him to a lost & dying world. Here’s how the Life Roots LG proclaimed Jesus to a whole bunch of people a couple of weeks ago:
- “Santa’s Helpers” video
That’s what “Making Much of JESUS” is all about! And the reason they could do that is b/c about 2000 yrs ago, something spectacular happened in the little town of Bethlehem. As Faith Hill said in her well-known Christmas song, “A Baby Changes Everything!” This baby certainly did!
EXPLANATION – Luke 2:1-14
This historical account of the birth of Jesus is one of the most well-known stories in the world. According to the great theologian, Linus van Pelt, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown”, referring to the angel’s proclamation here in Luke 2. Linus has said this to Charlie Brown every year since 1965. And he’s right!
Pastor Steven Cole: “Our text tells us the best news in the world, but two factors make it difficult for people to appreciate it. First, the Christmas story is perhaps the most widely known story in history. As a result, many people, even Christians, shrug it off as not being especially exciting or relevant to the problems they are facing. Second, many people do not realize what dire straits they are in regarding their standing before God & their eternal destiny. So, when they read the familiar story that a Savior has been born in the city of Bethlehem, they yawn & say, “That’s nice. What’s for dinner?” Not seeing their desperate need for salvation, they fail to appreciate the fact that this story is the best news in all of history. The best news in the world is that a Savior was born for you, who is Christ the Lord.”
(https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-2-commentary)
Our world needs this best news! Billy Graham: “I believe America has gone a long way down the wrong road. If we ever need God’s help, it’s now.” Saw that Mon when a troubled 15 yr-old girl shot & killed a classmate & a teacher & injured 6 others before killing herself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, WI. Our world needs Jesus!
It's only the HOPE of the Christ of Christmas that will save us & one day set us free from the violence & cruelty that we see around us every day…murders, abortions, abuse, abuse, wars, sex trafficking…It’s only the HEART of the Christ of Christmas that will cause us to see others in a new way, through the eyes of unconditional love…It’s only the HANDS of the Christ of Christmas that will reach out w/ compassion to this sin-sick, sin-crazed world. God sent His Son into this world to be our Savior, to remedy our sin problem by His own violent death & glorious resurrection, & to give us the strength we need to face every trial & tribulation we will ever face.
APPLICATION – We proclaim, “Jesus came!” That means we can live forever!
Focus: “And it came to pass” in v.1. What came to pass?
IT CAME TO PASS…That God REALLY did what He promised He would do – v. 1-3
Jesus’ entrance into the world was not some last-minute, knee-jerk reaction to our sin problem. Our sins didn’t catch God off-guard, surprise Him, or cause Him to wring His hands trying to figure out what to do w/ these rebellious creatures He had on His hands. God had His plan for our redemption in place before the world began.
- 2 Timothy 1:9 – “It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love & kindness to us through Christ.” (TLB)
Christmas wasn’t planned by retailers or by Hollywood producers.
- The miracle of Bethlehem happened long before “The Miracle on 34th Street.”
- The hallmark of God’s redemptive plan was in place long before any hunky Hallmark hottie showed up on my wife’s TV screen.
- Long before Buddy the Elf found his real father, our Heavenly Father set His plan in place to make us His sons & daughters.
Christmas was planned by God before the foundation of the world to introduce His Son & His plan for salvation into this dark world of sin & death. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” – JESUS is that great light!
Remind you again what the OT prophets said hundreds of years before that 1st Christmas night:
- Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”
- Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
- Micah 5:2 – ““O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!” (TLB)
“And it came to pass” doesn’t mean that the events in Bethlehem just coincidentally happened. It means that God was in control of it all, even down to the edict that was issued by Caesar Augustus that required Mary & Joseph to go to Bethlehem. There would have been no reason for her to go there to have her baby. But in issuing this decree, Caesar, a man claiming to be a god, unknowingly helped fulfill biblical prophecy & bring the one, true God in flesh into the world! That’s how it REALLY came to pass!
IT CAME TO PASS…That Joseph & Mary REALLY did what they purposed to do – v. 4-5
BOTH of them had clearly heard from God about the birth of Jesus. BOTH of them had correctly responded in humility & obedience. BOTH of them courageously moved forward in faith. BOTH of them completed what God wanted to do in & through them.
Look @ Joseph: Chose not to do what the OT law gave him the right to do – put Mary out of his life for good & not have anything to do w/ her or w/ the child. In fact, according to Deut 22, could have had her put to death. Instead, Matthew 1:19 tells us that Joseph was a “righteous man” – had a heart for God & wanted to fulfill God’s purpose for his life. So he took Mary to be his wife.
Look @ Mary: Also chose to do what God called her to do. Luke 1:38 – “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” – Submitted to God’s will – Fully ready to obey.
IT CAME TO PASS…That Jesus was REALLY born to do what He planned to do – v. 6-7, 10-11
Our Savior was born…Our Messiah did come…The Christ was announced…Our Redeemer had arrived…Jesus was REALLY born. The crowning moment in all of the prophets’ words happened. The promises of God had come true. Jesus was here – bringing light into a dark world – bringing love into a hate-filled world – bringing life into a hopeless world of death.
If we imagine that Jesus was born in a freshly swept, county fair stable, we miss the whole point. It was wretched—scandalous! There was sweat & pain & blood & cries as Mary reached up to the heavens for help. The earth was cold & hard. The smell of birth mixed with the stench of manure & acrid straw made a contemptible bouquet. Trembling carpenter's hands, clumsy with fear, grasped God's Son slippery with blood—the baby's limbs waving helplessly as if falling through space—his face grimacing as he gasped in the cold & his cry pierced the night....No child born into the world that day seemed to have lower prospects. The Son of God was born into the world not as a prince but as a pauper. We must never forget that this is where Christianity began, & where it always begins—with a sense of need, a graced sense of one's insufficiency. Christ, himself setting the example, comes to the needy. (Kent Hughes - https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-2-commentary)
So, what does this mean for us today? 3 simple truths:
GOD CAN BE TRUSTED – He is omniscient, omnipotent, & omnipresent…the God of all the universe…He has all wisdom, all knowledge, all power, all authority, & reigns over all the universe. THIS God – the one, true, living God – is the One who put this promised plan for our salvation into effect. He did this out of His love for us & for His glory. He is completely trustworthy. He made the promise. He kept the promise. And He will ALWAYS keep His promises to His children. Mark it down: GOD CAN BE TRUSTED!
GOD’S WORD IS TRUE – So many people today are doubting, distrusting, denigrating, & discrediting the Bible. One of the reasons I used the word “really” in each of the points of this sermon was to emphasize that the W of G is completely true. God really made the promise to send Jesus & He really kept it just like the Bible says He did. Joseph & Mary really heard from angels & really obeyed God just like the Bible says they did. Jesus was really born in a stable in Bethlehem, & He really is our Savior, Christ the Lord, just like the Bible says He is. Angels really filled the night sky over the shepherds “keeping watch over their flocks by night” to announce Jesus’ arrival, & those shepherds really went to Bethlehem & found Him just like the Bible says they did.
So, choose NOW to always stand on the truth of God’s Word & not be swayed by the critics & vocal enemies of the Bible! Listen to them…love them…be compassionate & caring toward them…even befriend them…but have ROCK SOLID FAITH in the Bible & in the God of the Bible. Mark it down: GOD’S WORD IS TRUE!
GOD’S LOVE IS TREMENDOUS – Christmas is an amazing display of the tremendous love of God for the world. What started in the manger made its way to the cross & culminated in the empty tomb. And it’s the greatest story of unconditional love the world has ever seen or will ever see. Mark it down: GOD’S LOVE IS TREMENDOUS!
CONCLUSION – So what needs to come to pass in your life today?
