Christmas Eve 2024

Immanuel, God With Us

Good evening brothers and sisters in Christ. On this, the last day of Advent, Christmas Eve, we prepare our hearts and minds to commemorate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. At Pentecost, He became God in us. At Calvary, He became God for us. At Bethlehem, He became Immanuel, God with us.

Tonight, we celebrate with 2.4 billion brothers and sisters around the world in sharing in the Word, in worship, and praising God for sending His only begotten son. At Pentecost, He became God in us. At Calvary, He became God for us. At Bethlehem, He became Immanuel, God with us.

An Angel Appears to Joseph

Matthew 1:18–25 (NLT)

18 Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

25 But he did not have relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Joy to the World

The Angel Gabriel Goes to Mary

Luke 1:30–35 NIV

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:7 NLT

7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

There was no lodging available. Luke is telling us that nobody would allow Joseph and Mary to stay with them or to give birth in their homes. Nobody wanted to help them. We know that they returned to Bethlehem because that is where their ancestral home was. They had family around them. Yet, Joseph and Mary found themselves alone.

Everybody around them believed this child was to be born out of wedlock. Jewish law stated that a family that has a child out of wedlock be excommunicated from the temple for 10 generations. Before His birth, Jesus was hated and cast out of society. Born poor and of no reputation.

The coming of Christ altered human history like nothing before or since. For the first time in history, the message of hope was for everybody. No one is excluded.

The world saw a child to be born out of wedlock. Mary and Joseph had to remain guarded and alone. Jesus, Yeshua, meaning “He is Salvation,” born into a world that needed Him but did not want Him, even before he was born.

God’s greatest miracle was performed in a quiet and lonely place. Where Jesus Christ was wrapped in rags and laid in a feeding trough. His welcome to this world. His humble beginnings. The proof of His love for you this night. His agape love.

Mary Did you Know?

Matthew 2:1–12 NLT

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Herod was evil. He did not want to worship Jesus. He wanted to kill Jesus. God used an evil man to help the wise men in their search. Any person who seeks the new-born King will be led by God to Him, no matter who God has to use.

The wise men were expecting to find the new-born King at the palace. Our King was not born in a palace. All the people of Jerusalem were disturbed because they did not want a king to come the way Jesus did. The Messiahs arrival did not match their beliefs.

On the most Holy of nights, only the wise men went to search out the new-born King. God will meet the needs of those who faithfully seek Him.

O Holy Night

John 1:1–5 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Galatians 4:4 NLT

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Isaiah 9:6–7 NIV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

John 1:14 NIV

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.

Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be. Tonight, we celebrate His glorious arrival. The night that heaven and earth collided. The night that God came to earth. The night our Savior was born. Jesus left the halls of Heaven and came to live among men. He took upon Himself a robe of flesh so that He might be able to die for mankind. For you and me, it all started in a cave 2000 years ago in Bethlehem on a silent night.

Silent Night

Communion

As we take communion tonight, let us reflect on God’s incredible providence, mercy, and amazing grace. On the agape love given to us this night. This is the night that John 3:16 became a reality.

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Let us remember His body broken for the remission of our sins, and His blood poured out for us all, that we may be called into the courts of the kingdom of God as His blessed children. That is what He did for each and every one of us this evening. To me the greatest evidence of the glory of God is the broken body of Jesus Christ having demonstrated His love for you and for me. No longer separated, but counting us as heirs. Closing Prayer