Other sermons can be found at http://lastsermon.blogspot.com/
Luke 2:1 – 2, Matthew 2:1, Matthew 3:1
“What World Is This?”
I. Christmas shatters the silence.
A. “In those days...” What were they like?
1. Israel was ruled by Rome.
a. Rome controlled the government... secular and religious. (Freedom was just an illusion.)
b. Rome imposed “peace” through their military strength. (Israel was losing national identity.)
c. Rome allowed “religious freedom” as long as they recognized Caesar.
d. It could have been worse but it was a miserable time.
2. Herod was King.
a. Brutal dictator, and close personal friend of Caesar Augustus. (Immune to political pressure.)
b. Vicious person who killed his wife and several of his sons. (No moral restraint.)
c. Ordered all boys in “Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under” to be killed.
d. Herod was also an Edomite – a nation that NOTHING good is ever said. (Historically a mortal enemy of Israel.)
(Ill.) When I lived in Kentucky, the winters did not include a beautiful snow and bright sun shine, like around here. Typically the winter skies were overcast and instead of snow, there was freezing rain. We used to say instead of winter we had “gray death” and remarked that the ice in KY was more slippery than where else. Winters there were depressing to someone who was used to a full blown winter with snow.
Can you imagine a world like that without the joy of Christmas, without the expectation of the Messiah? It is a “gray death” type of life. That kind of life is dull, boring, and empty of significance.
B. Maybe the worst part was the 400 years of silence.
1. No prophet had spoken in the name of the Lord for 400 years.
2. The silence was deafening...
a. Had God abandoned them?
b. Was the promised Messiah every going to appear?
C. What about today?
1. It seems that government is intruding on Christian practice more and more.
a. Freedom to speak is being curtailed. (Political and moral issues.)
b. Christianity is being systematically erased from public life. (e.g. removal of “Merry Christmas.”)
2. It’s been 2,000 years since Jesus was here...
a. Is Jesus going to return?
b. Has God forgotten us?
Jesus’ birth shattered the silence. His birth was “God with us.” Into the “gray death” of the Roman Empire and the depression of Herod’s rule, Jesus shattered the silence by entering the world in the most helpless and vulnerable way. He didn’t come to the politicians or impose His political will. He was born to an unwed peasant girl who was engaged to be married to a simple carpenter. God had not forgotten even the poorest and lest important of us.
II. Christmas brings light and joy.
A. How does this “gray death” of life work?
1. We have only one problem: it’s not economical, it’s not political, it’s not racial, it’s not social (Billy Graham). The problem is spiritual. It’s called sin and it causes us to be separated from God and His goodness. Gloom is caused by this separation. Romans 6:7 – 8 says, “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. [8] Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” (NIV)
2. We love our sin, the Bible calls this darkness. Darkness covers our sin. John 3:19 – 20 says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (NIV)
B. Remember what happened when Jesus was born?
1. Luke 2:9 – 10 says, An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] 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. (NIV)
2. Into the physical darkness came the light from the glory of the Lord... Into the spiritual darkness came the light from the glory of the Lord in the form of a baby.
3. Into the fear came the announcement of “good news of great joy” for ALL people.
a. Good news: God has not forgotten us. He still speaks today.
b. Good news: We do not have to be afraid. God is with us!
c. Good news: Instead of living in the boredom of a “gray death life” we can live in JOY!
III. Christmas sparks our faith.
A. Everyone believes in something.
1. The atheist believes (there is no God)
2. The agnostic believes (that God doesn’t care)
3. Belief is at the core of the human spiritual experience.
a. Christmas reminds us that there is a God and that He cares.
b. Christmas reminds us that God worked then, He is at work now and will continue to work through eternity.
B. Into this mess was born the Messiah!
1. Joy breaks the “gray death” as this birth shouts “good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14 KJV)
2. Light shatters the darkness of our ignorance... In the Bible, whenever the glory of the Lord shone, it was almost to bright to be looked at.
(Ill.) Charlie Brown is struggling with Christmas. He can’t get the kids to do the program correctly. He’s adopted a puny tree which causes the other kids to ridicule him. When it seems like all is lost, Linus takes the stage and quotes the Christmas story from Luke 2.
Just when it seems that Israel was losing its national identity and its religious practice was being imposed on... Almighty God shows up! The angels freak out lowly shepherds. A star drags eastern mystics to Bethlehem. An odd prophet came preaching. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords was crucified. A grave was robbed by the resurrection. The world was forever changed.
IV. Christmas demands a response.
A. John the Baptist came preaching.
1. We don’t like preaching anymore. “Don’t preach at me” has become a negative expression.
2. The Messiah was announced by a one line sermon: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:2 (NIV)
3. The sermon is basic... the action needed is “repent” and the reason is “the kingdom of heaven is near.”
a. Jesus was about to begin His ministry.
b. Hearts must be prepared for His presence... That is done through repentance.
c. To repent means to admit that you are wrong and God is right and your behavior will change.
B. Some choices are simpler than the look.
1. On one hand you have the “gray death” life or you have the “living in the light” life. (Light scares people because it means that all those ugly sins will get exposed and things will have to change.)
2. On one hand you have gloom while on the other hand you have joy. (Joy scares people because it is not normal.)
3. You can continue to live in the deafening silence or unstop your ears and listen to the love of God.
C. The right Christmas response is a promise.
1. God took all the necessary steps to give you joy.
2. You have to accept that joy.
3. God gave us the Messiah to save us from the mess we are in so we can live eternally with Him.
What will this Christmas bring to you. Will you find yourself sitting in darkness, in silence, with no real hope? Or will you respond to the “good news of great joy?”
