He is Coming
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Luk e 2:1-20
What child is this
Who's laid to rest
On Mary's lap is Sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherd's watch are keeping
This this is Christ the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste! haste!
To bring him, Lord!
The babe, the son of Mary
Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through
The cross be borne for me, for you
Hail, hail the Word made flesh
The Babe, the Son of Mary
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh
Come peasant, king to own Him
The King of kings salvation brings
Let loving heart enthrone Him
Raise, raise a song on high
The virgin sings her lullaby
Joy, joy for Christ is born
The Babe, the Son of Mary
Most of you know that song. If not, it is titled “What Child is This?”
I thought, as we began this morning, we could start with these lyrics as a reminder of why we celebrate Advent. Not that anyone needs one, but as a focal point to the message.
This, this is Christ the King – amen?
Based on the story that we just read of Jesus’ birth, there are some opportunities that we have this year as we remember His birth.
Christmas is an opportunity to:
1. Find Jesus
1. Find Jesus
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
The shepherds had heard the news quite subtly, not, from the host of angels, that they savior has been born. They didn’t wait, they went in a hurry to find Him.
It is possible that they knew the prophecies and the magnitude of this baby coming.
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
14 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.
Our savior has been born. The shepherds were in a hurry to find Him.
As we think about what Christmas is a time for, it is a time for us to seek and find Jesus.
11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
He tells us to seek him…and in
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
We are told to seek Him but how? Sunday school answers:
Prayer
Fasting
Serving others
Being with believers – church
Wise counsel/mentors
Reading Scripture
Why seek Him?
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
This Christmas, what is your focus? What are you seeking?
The second opportunity that we have this Christmas is to ponder or to think about what God has done.
1. Ponder
1. Ponder
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Mary had heard the prophecy, she experienced the visit from the angels, traveled the 90 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, she gave birth, in a stable, to Jesus, the savior of the world, laid him in a manger, and then heard the words from the shepherds about what the angels had said to them. And now, she treasured and pondered them in her heart.
What things do you ponder?
Think about what thoughts you have had in the last few minutes that I have been preaching
What thoughts have gone through your mind? Good? Bad? Distractions (Squirrel)?
What are you thinking about?
Now, think about this Christmas/advent season that started just a couple of weeks ago…What have been your thoughts?
What thoughts do you allow to control your thinking?
In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article summarizing research on human thoughts per day. It was found that women have an average 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day.
Men on the other hand, have about 3.
JK – both have between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts per day
84,000-420K/week
4.3mill-21.8mill/year
It I had a dollar for every thought….
Let’s take a guess, what percentage do you think were positive? 20% positive
80% were negative
95% were exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before.
Mind is a fascinating thing. What do we think about?
What are the things that we should think about?
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
What happens when we start to think negatively? What should we do?
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
When we start having negative thoughts, take them captive and make them obedient to Christ. Think about whatever is true….
I encourage you this season to think about Christ. Think about that little baby lying in the manger. Ponder the gift that HE is. And that be brings.
Mary saw the baby and pondered the things that happened in her heart.
I encourage you to ponder these things in your heart.
The Third opportunity that we have this Christmas is to be amazed…
3. Amazed
3. Amazed
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Now is a time to take the time to think about all that God has done for you! It’s a time to be amazed that God. Chose. us.
He didn’t have to, but he wanted to. For us. Because He. Loves. Us.
Not only did He give us the gift of His son, but everything good comes from Him.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Every good and perfect gift…..Think about that for a second. How many good and perfect things have you received, or seen?
God chooses to give us His good and perfect gifts….And it begins with His son, laying in a manger.
Count your blessings and be amazed at what He has done for you.
The fourth opportunity that we have this Christmas is to Glorify and Praise Him.
4. Glorify and Praise
4. Glorify and Praise
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
You have the opportunity to find Jesus, to ponder and think about Him, to be amazed, and now to glorify and praise Him!
When we glorify and praise Him, we are turning the things that He gives us and giving them back to Him. He is the one who deserves it!
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine…
Think about what He did coming to earth….as a sinless…perfect being…to die in our place. He who was stainless came into the most tainted place imaginable…to be killed and hung on a cross for you…
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So that we…could become the righteousness of God. We should be awe of what Christ did for us...
The magnitude of this gift is immeasurable….
The fulfillment found in this baby cannot be found in anything else:
Perfect family
Job
Bottle of alcohol
Substances
Amount of money
Addictions
Sin
Nothing, but in the life, death, and resurrection, of this baby boy.
This Christmas take the opportunity to be amazed.
Finally, this Christmas presents the opportunity to share this good news of great joy!
5. Share
5. Share
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
The shepherds took the opportunity to share what God had revealed to them through the angels.
We too have the opportunity to share what God has done for us this Christmas season.
I am not going to ask for a show of hands. But, how many people are hurting this Christmas season?
How many of you know someone who is hurting this Christmas season?
You have an opportunity to love on them!
You have the opportunity to share the hope that is found in Christ!
You have the opportunity to share the peace found in the prince of peace.
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
As believers, we should be excited to share all that He has done! And, it starts with a baby in a manager.
This Christmas you have the opportunity to:
Find Jesus
To ponder the things that He has done
To be amazed at wonderful gifts
To glorify Him and praise Him
And finally, to share who He is and what He can do with everyone you meet!