Something to Ponder- Luke 2:1-21

Introduction

Well, lets go to the Lord in prayer.

Well, Merry Christmas Church.

If you’re new with us, welcome to CBC, my name is Andrew McClure and I’m one of the Pastor’s here, and at this time I’d love to call up (Jake & Melissa Yellig) or (Josh and Amber Strickland) for the reading of our text, and lighting of the Advent Candle of our Christ candle this morning.

Thank you.

Pondering

Every Christmas, due to the nature of my work, instead of traveling to see familiy, we usually have the unique privelge of hosting family at our house.

This year is no different, and in preparation of hosting, Annie assigned me a monumental task, that honestly she should have known was simply too big for me.

I mean she has seen me fail at it 100x, and yet, somehow she always remains shocked when I iniveitably disappoint her.

But honestly, while I’m processing with you all, perhaps I fail because of how much pressure she places on me.

That must be it. I fail, because I’m so anxious that I’m going to fail, that it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Man, somehow over the course of the last 30 seconds I’ve gone from perpetrator to victim… I like this. I’m not the problem, she is… that feels like a good recipe for a healthy christmas dinner tonight.

But I digress, the reality is I failed this week… and I know you’re desperate to know what I did, so here’s my confession.

(deep exhale)… I forgot at least 3 items at the grocery store that she clearly spelled out on the list she had given me.

Whew that feels better… just to get that off my chest. Any other husbands in the room, able to relate to that.

I don’t know why. For the life of me, I can’t figure it out… I think I just get overstimulated, and overwhelmed… Or I walk the aisle back and forth, and just can’t find it… and due to pride I’ll never ask somebody.

And it happens all the time, every year.

And every year Annie is flabbergasted.

So lately she’s stooped to kind of treating me like a toddler.

She’ll say the 3 items real slowly, and repeat them over and over again.

Then while I’m driving, she’ll send me a reminder text.

And you would think that’d be enough… but nope. Nothing works.

Well I bring that very real marital scenario up this morning, because its an example of a time I failed to remember, or think carefully about something.

A time I’ve failed to consider the task at hand thoroughly, or to consider it carefully.

And there’s a word that describes this phenomenon, and its a word that appears in our text that I’d like to highlight… and that’s the word Ponder.

To Ponder is to mentally dispute, or carefully consider something.

And everytime I pull into the grocery store parking lot, my ability to ponder evaporatores.

But not young Mary…

Although just having given birth, and surrounded by a cast of unseemly characters, while swaddling her child, with the cattle lowing and sheep bleating, and no where to lay her head… we find Mary Pondering.

Seriously considering. Meditating. ruminating.

She’s Pondering.

She doesn’t want to forget what’s going on that night… and church, this Christmas, tonight as you gather with family and friends, tomorrow as you open gifts, and travel… I want to give you Something to Ponder.

Something to meditate on, to consider.

Because I don’t want you to forget what this night is all about.

There’s a lot of extracurriculars competing with the meaning of Christmas.

So tonight, there are 3 things I want you to Ponder.

First, the Sovereignty of God

Second, the Sinfulness of Man

Finally, the Salvation of Christ.

Let’s look at the Sovereignty of God.

Sovereignty of God

Look at verse 1, our text begins, “In those days...”

Pastor and theologian R.C. Sproul writes that this statement reminds us of real, historical days.

Luke will go on to write about the activity of the Roman empire, and the governor of Syria, and a town called Bethlehem--- real people, in real places, in real history.

Chuch, the birth of Christ does not begin with “Once Upon a Time…” but “In those days… This is not a fairtytale, but real history.

And in those real days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

Caesar Augustus was the nephew of Julius Ceasar, and probably the most celebrated and powerful of all the Roman Emperors.

It was him who ushered in the Pax Romana, or Golden Age of the Roman Empire that lasted 250 years.

It was his inscription on the back of the currency.

And it was him, to whom all the Roman Empire must pay homage.

And it was him, to whom all the Roman empire must obey.

So he demanded a census for tax purposes, requiring every head of household to return to their ancestral home.

And although Joseph resided in Nazareth, he had to travel 90 miles south to Bethlehem, because he was the house and lineage of David.

And what’s interesting is that he takes Mary with him.

Because she wasn’t required to go, only Joseph.

and we can only speculate why Joseph forced her to go.

Maybe she needed a break from the rumors and gossip that ostracized her in Galilee.

Maybe, Joseph just new the time for birth was near and didn’t want to be away from her.

But this is all speculation.

But one thing we know for sure, is that Mary was in Bethlehem because of the Sovereignty of God.

Ultimately, it wasn’t Cesar’s will, or Joseph’s will, but God’s will that led Mary to Bethlehem that night.

God’s Sovereignty is the belief that God and God alone has all power, wisdom, and authority to do whatever He wills, whenever He wills in all of creation.

And of all the accomplishments and edicts Ceasar Augustus had issued in his reign, none impacted the course of history more than this one… and it was because God had moved His heart to do so.

Just as God moved the heart of Pharaoh to release the children of Israel.

Just as God stirred the heart of Pagan King Cyrus to return the Exiles of Israel back home.

Just as God led Nebuechennezer to trust Daniel.

So here he Sovereignly moves Ceasar to issue this historical edict.

Church, God is Sovereign.

Have you ever pondered this?

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

Romans 13:1 “ For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

This is what Jesus told Pontius Pilate, John 19:11 “Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”

Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, not because of Ceasar, but because of the Sovereignty of God.

You see, 700 years prior to this edict, it was prophecied that the promised Savior of God would be born in the city of Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

And what God decrees, He fulfills. Because He is Sovereign.

He holds all power, wisdom, and authority, and all other human authorities exist, simply because they have been instituted by God.

Church, I urge you to Ponder God’s Sovereignty.

Anxiety is rampant, and I’m not intending to overly simplify it… but often we fret and are anxious over so many things we can’t control, but restlessly try to control them anyway.

But what would your life be like, if you pondered the Sovereignty of God.

A.W. Pink writes, “Here is the foundation of faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the LORD ALMIGHTY who is ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own glory.”

We would do well this Christmas, to ponder the Sovereignty of God, and maybe find it to be the pillow upon which you reset your head as Spurgeon quipped.

but secondly, i’d like for us to Ponder the Sinfulness of Man.

Sinfulness of Man

Look at verse 8, Luke 2:8 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Here, by the Sovereign Choice of God, we have the first observers of God in the flesh.

The first witnesses of the Prophecied Messiah.

Not priests, prophets, rulers, or kings…

Not to the great or the mighty, but to outcasts.

Shepherds were near the bottom of the social ladder. Often uneducated, and unskilled and held a reputation as dishonest, unreliable, and thieves.

According to Jewish customs, Shepherds were not allowed to give testimony in courts of law, because their testimony could never be trusted.

Also, because sheep required care at all times, shepherds coulnd’t fully comply with the sabbath regulations developed by the religoius authorities, so they were viewed as ceremonially unclean.

So do you get the picture?

Shepherds represent lowest low, the sinningest sinners. The dirtiest of mankind.

And yet it was they, who were chosen by the Sovereingty of God to behold the precious Son of God.

Church, have you pondered your own salvation? Why would God have chosen you?

Is it because you’re a good person, deserving, or that you’ve worked really hard to earn your own salvation?

No, the Bible teaches that we are sinners.

Romans 6:6 says that Christ died for the ungodly.

verse 8 says, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

verse 10 says, where we were enemies of God we were reconciled to God.

It’s something to Ponder.

In fact, the Apostle Paul commanded the church in Corinth to Ponder this. He writes,

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 “For consider ( or ponder) your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

God chooses sinners, because it magnifies His Grace.

God chooses those who are unworthy, because it reveals His great Worth.

God chooses those who are unloveable, because it shows that He is Love.

But look at the way they were chosen.

Luke 2:9 “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”

The Glory of the Lord is God’s Shekinah Presence.

It the physical, visible manfiestation of God’s essence.

It’s the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness.

It’s the fire that desended at the dedication of the Temple.

It’s the fire barring the sinful priests of God from coming into the Holy of Holies in 2 Chronicles 7.

And it is the blinding light of the sun, that makes the need for the sun obsolete in Revelation 22.

The. Glory of the Lord is the blinding, burning, very presence of God.

And upon seeing it the shepherds were immediately overcome with terror.

The text says they were filled with GREAT FEAR!

Why!?

The answer to this question, reveals what we believe about God.

And unfortunately too many of us today liken or confuse God with the heavy set man, with a white beard, and red suit that many are eagerly expecting tonight.

We think God is just a jolly, generous person who wants us to be good, and from whom we can expect gifts.

We have reduced God to an image that we can accept, approach, and appreciate.

But at the core of his nature, God is Holy. Totally morally pure. And sure he is Love, but there is only one attribute of God that is heralded by the angels 3x, symbolizing perfection or completeness.

Holy, Holy, Holy.

He is pure light. Pure perfection. And the weight of His holiness is unbearable for us.

Because nothing is more terrifying for sinners, than to stand in the absolute Holy Presence of God.

When the prophet Isaiah saw God’s Glory he cried out, “Woe to me! I am undone!”

When the Apostle Peter only saw a glimpse of Jesus glory in the miracle of catching fish he cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.”

When you become aware of the Glory of God, it is only natural to fear when we are in our sins, because we realize our unworthiness in light of his absolute worth.

Church, would you take some time this Christmas to Ponder this?

Ponder His Holiness, and Ponder our sinfulness.

But don’t stay there.

I don’t want you to obsess over sin.

You see God isn’t obsessed with your sin, instead he is obsessed with your life, which is why finally I want you to Ponder the Salvation of Christ.

Salvation of Christ

You see, the shepherds were filled with great fear, but look at verse 10

Luke 2:10–12 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.””

Our natural reaction to the presence of God, is fear… but the angel says fear not.

You see, they didn’t have to be afraid because their is Good News.

And this is news not of fear, but of great joy.

This is one of the experiences of conversion… before faith in Christ we fear, live anxiously, enslaved to our sin.

Constantly pursuing happiness, but never finding Joy.

But in this child, his life, and death and resurrection… he has made payment for our sins.

So we no need longer need to fear God, instead we are accepted by God— and that truth is the source of Great Joy.

But look at verse 13 and 14

Luke 2:13–14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””

Not only is this child the bearer of good news of Joy, but also of Peace.

Peace, the word used here isn’t the common known word of Shalom.

Shalom usually communicates a wholenss.

But this word is the traditional understanding of Peace.

An internal tranquaility.

A soul level security, and safety.

A life void of fear and anxiety.

Church, could you ponder what that would feel like?

But that’s what this child has come to bring you.

Rest in place of anxiety.

Security in place of insecurity.

Faith in place of fear.

So many today seek this reality, but in all the wrong places.

Some in possessions… but parents, how long will your kids be at peace or joy with the gifts they receive tomorrow?

Probabliy about as long as you will with that new job, house, car, or boat.

Some seek this in relationships with others, but how long will it be til that person disappoints or hurts you.

Sadly, many today seek joy and peace in world leaders.

Same today as in the 1st century.

Many thought Ceasar Augustus would usher in peace, but listen to what 1st Century poet, Epictetus (a nonbleiver) said,

“While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns for more than outward peace.”

Oh how I want you to Ponder this, because the salvation of joy and peace you seek, is only found in the child born of Bethlehem, laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes… Jesus, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Our sins had seperated us from God.

And that seperation is the source of our lack of joy and peace.

So God took it upon Himself, due to his Sovereignty, in light of our sinfulness, to send us a savior.

Colossians 1:19–20 “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

But as I conclude let me highlight one more truth… look back at verse 10…

Conclusion

Luke 2:10 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

You know what that word all means in Greek?

It means All.

There is not a single person here for which Christ did not die for.

Male or Female.

young or old.

Slave or free.

He was born, so that he may die for all.

the greatest gift, Christmas has to offer.

But just like that present you’re all eager to get home to, you have to open it. You have to receive it.

And for all who do receive Him, he grants the right to become His children.

Recipients of Joy, and Recipients of Peace. Recipients of Salvation.

Just something to Ponder.

Well, why don’t you stand with me, I’ll pray, and we’ll conclude by singing O Holy Night togehter.

“O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s Birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining… till He appeared and THE SOUL felt its worth.

Lord, may we ponder this Holy Night, ruminate on your Soverignty, our Sinfulness, and your great salvation and may all the souls here maybe for the first time, feel its great worth. A soul with the price tag of Savior, Christ our Lord. Amen.